HIKING IN SNOW CANYON STATE PARK

She did not entirely approve of volcano's; their
action, she implied, was disruptive like the
tantrum of a child. Rivers that overflowed their
banks were rather silly. The grandeur of mountain
ranges and the fertility of valleys she spoke with
respect. Her tone, when she described a plateau,
was almost affectionate.
from: Good Morning Miss Dove
by: Frances Gray Patton

We have a geological wonder in our backyard.
Snow Canyon State Park is the said wonder.
I'd wager that most residents of our community have never wandered the many trails that can be found there.
The Park is made up of white and red Navajo sandstone.
3 times in the last couple of million years, lava flows have seeped through its deep canyons. Because of these ancient magmatic events, the lava flows in Snow Canyon happens to be a perfect example of something called inverted topography.
What is inverted topography you ask??
Well, as I understand it, it happens when older rock sits above younger rock.
How does this happen you ask??

In a nutshell, it goes like this:
1.4 million years ago the first lava flow began. Lava erupted from vents and cinder cones that are prevalent in this area.
1.1 million years ago, another flow came through the park region and this time the lava came from/near Pine Valley Mountain.

20,000 years ago, the Santa Clara flow came through and blanketed the park with another layer of lava. THis flow came from additional vents and fissures that are nearby. This last flow went south through the canyon and covered the canyon floor.

The beautiful Navajo sandstone that protrudes from this basaltic flow, which we take every opportunity to climb, are called turtlebacks!! Love that!!! These turtlebacks are all thats left of the high ridges of the canyon that the lava flow around.

So...if I havent confused you completely...maybe this diagram will help illustrate what I had difficulty using words to describe.

(image from a great book- Geology Underfoot in Southern Utah by Richard Orudorff)