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74-528: The Organ Rock Formation is present across southeastern Utah, U.S.A. It outcrops around Canyonlands National Park , Natural Bridges National Monument , and Monument Valley . In these areas the Organ Rock typically outcrops as a dark-red/brown siltstone to mudstone gently dipping towards the southeast. Within Canyonlands N.P. it forms towers which are meters to tens of meters tall. These are protected by caps of

148-433: A few hundred meters. Fine-grained silt to mudstone deposits are proximal to interpreted channels. These deposits are interpreted as meandering streams with associated floodplains. Deposits are characterized by pale red fine- to medium-grained sandstones. These units are cross-bedded. Each cross-bed is composed of thin, consistently spaced laminations. These strata are interpreted as those made by migrating dunes . This facies

222-459: A free-swimming larval stage. However other patterns of ontogeny exist, with one of the commonest being sequential hermaphroditism . In most cases this involves protogyny , fish starting life as females and converting to males at some stage, triggered by some internal or external factor. Protandry , where a fish converts from male to female, is much less common than protogyny. Most families use external rather than internal fertilization . Of

296-469: A generalized early amphibian body plan with a large “u”-shaped head and a sprawling lizard-like posture. The taxon Seymouria sanjuanensis is the only seymouriamorph found in the Organ Rock Formation. Seymouria sanjuanensis is a unique taxon because of its extensive geographic range. This particular animal was first described by Vaughn (1966) from the Organ Rock Formation. Since this initial find,

370-431: A high of 90.8 °F (32.7 °C) to a low of 67.9 °F (19.9 °C). There are an average of 45.7 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and an average of 117.3 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The highest recorded temperature was 105 °F (41 °C) on July 15, 2005, and the lowest recorded temperature was −13 °F (−25 °C) on February 6, 1989. Average annual precipitation

444-622: A management plan for the national park. Right now, there is a focus on research into which native plants will be most resistant to climate change so that the park can decide on what to prioritize in conservation efforts. The Canyonlands Natural History Association has been giving money to the US Geological Survey to fund this and other climate related research. They gave $ 30,000 in 2019 and $ 61,000 in 2020. A subsiding basin and nearby uplifting mountain range (the Uncompahgre ) existed in

518-475: A number of these individuals have been recovered from localities as distant as Germany. Four early synapsid taxa are present within the Organ Rock Formation. These include Ophiacodon , as well as three sphenacodontids : Ctenospondylus , Dimetrodon , and Sphenacodon ferocior . Most taxa are known from fragmentary material. Early synapsids were dominant members of the terrestrial Permian ecosystem. Some early synapsids adapted an herbivorous diet, however,

592-726: A trait still present in Holostei ( bowfins and gars ). In some fish like the arapaima , the swim bladder has been modified for breathing air again, and in other lineages it have been completely lost. The teleosts have urinary and reproductive tracts that are fully separated, while the Chondrostei have common urogenital ducts, and partially connected ducts are found in Cladistia and Holostei. Ray-finned fishes have many different types of scales ; but all teleosts have leptoid scales . The outer part of these scales fan out with bony ridges, while

666-725: Is 22.8 in (58 cm). The most snowfall in one year was 47.4 in (120 cm) in 1975, and the most snowfall in one month was 27.0 in (69 cm) in January 1978. The station in The Needles region reports an average January temperature of 29.7 °F and an average July temperature of 79.1 °F. Average July temperatures range from a high of 95.4 °F (35.2 °C) to a low of 62.4 °F (16.9 °C). There are an average of 75.4 days with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher and an average of 143.6 days with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower. The highest recorded temperature

740-458: Is 9.33 inches (237 mm). There are an average of 59 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1984, with 13.66 in (347 mm), and the driest year was 1989, with 4.63 in (118 mm). The most precipitation in one month was 5.19 in (132 mm) in October 2006. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 1.76 in (45 mm) on April 9, 1978. Average annual snowfall

814-587: Is a class of bony fish that comprise over 50% of living vertebrate species. They are so called because of their lightly built fins made of webbings of skin supported by radially extended thin bony spines called lepidotrichia , as opposed to the bulkier, fleshy lobed fins of the sister class Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned fish). Resembling folding fans , the actinopterygian fins can easily change shape and wetted area , providing superior thrust-to-weight ratios per movement compared to sarcopterygian and chondrichthyian fins. The fin rays attach directly to

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888-517: Is composed of sandstones , siltstones , conglomerates , and mudstones . These rocks occur in two primary facies : floodplain and channel, as well as eolian dunes and sand sheets . In these deposits, mixed reddish-brown sands and silts dominate with minor mudstones and conglomerates interspersed. Interpreted channel deposits grade from laterally accreting coarse sands – into conglomerates of pebble-sized carbonate clasts . Channels are 0.5 meter to 7 meters thick and may extend laterally for

962-540: Is divided into the infraclasses Holostei and Teleostei . During the Mesozoic ( Triassic , Jurassic , Cretaceous ) and Cenozoic the teleosts in particular diversified widely. As a result, 96% of living fish species are teleosts (40% of all fish species belong to the teleost subgroup Acanthomorpha ), while all other groups of actinopterygians represent depauperate lineages. The classification of ray-finned fishes can be summarized as follows: The cladogram below shows

1036-523: Is infrequent within the Organ Rock Formation. Scales from the extinct group of fishes Palaeoniscoidea are present. These scales, however, are only found preserved in fossilized feces ( coprolites ). Some coprolites are interpreted to be from fish; others from indeterminate terrestrial vertebrates. Temnospondyl amphibian remains are present within the Organ Rock Formation. Three taxa have been reported. These include: Trimerorhachis , Eryops , and Zatrachys . Of these three taxa, fragments of Eryops are

1110-402: Is marked by a sharp contact at the top of the preceding floodplain and channel facies. Mud cracks found at the top of the facies are filled by fine-grained sand from the overlying dune facies. This facies is most common at the western extent of the Organ Rock Formation. Plant fossils include Supaia , Walchi and Yakia which lived in semi-arid conditions. Fossil vertebrates represent

1184-542: Is more abundant in the Organ Rock than the other formations of the Cutler Group. Fragments of the animal are most commonly reported. The most complete two specimens include pectoral girdles and limbs. These were collected in San Juan County, Utah. Diadectes is an important animal as it is the first terrestrial vertebrate to demonstrate characteristics necessary for obligatory herbivory . These include: peg-shaped teeth in

1258-570: Is now known as the Needles District of Canyonlands National Park, Wilson began advocating for the establishment of a new national park that would include the Needles. Additional explorations by Wilson and others expanded the areas proposed for inclusion into the new national park to include the confluence of Green and Colorado rivers, the Maze District, and Horseshoe Canyon. In 1961, Secretary of

1332-446: Is often referred to as the "Father of Canyonlands." Canyonlands is a popular recreational destination. Since 2007, more than 400,000 people have visited the park each year with a record of 776,218 visitors in 2016, representing a 22 percent increase from the prior year. The geography of the park is well suited to a number of different recreational uses. Hikers , mountain bikers , backpackers , and four-wheelers all enjoy traveling

1406-432: Is relatively rare and is found in about 6% of living teleost species; male care is far more common than female care. Male territoriality "preadapts" a species for evolving male parental care. There are a few examples of fish that self-fertilise. The mangrove rivulus is an amphibious, simultaneous hermaphrodite, producing both eggs and spawn and having internal fertilisation. This mode of reproduction may be related to

1480-729: Is the foundation of life in Canyonlands, providing nitrogen fixation and moisture for plant seeds. One footprint can destroy decades of growth. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Canyonlands National Park has a cold semi-arid climate ("BSk"). The plant hardiness zones at the Island in the Sky and Needles District Visitor Centers are 7a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of 4.0 °F (-15.6 °C) and 2.9 °F (-16.2 °C), respectively. The National Weather Service has maintained two cooperative weather stations in

1554-780: The Cedar Mesa Sandstone . It is conformably overlain by the De Chelly Sandstone around Monument Valley and by the White Rim Sandstone in the Canyonlands National Park . In locations where the De Chelly and White Rim are absent, the Organ Rock is unconformably overlain by the Triassic Moenkopi or Chinle Formations by an erosional contact. Toward its eastern extent, the Organ Rock Formation grades into

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1628-504: The Colorado Plateau . While these areas share a primitive desert atmosphere, each retains its own character. Author Edward Abbey , a frequent visitor, described the Canyonlands as "the most weird, wonderful, magical place on earth—there is nothing else like it anywhere." In the early 1950s, Bates Wilson, then superintendent of Arches National Monument , began exploring the area to the south and west of Moab, Utah . After seeing what

1702-734: The Cooper's hawk , the northern goshawk , the sharp-shinned hawk , the red-tailed hawk , the golden and bald eagles , the rough-legged hawk , the Swainson's hawk , and the northern harrier . Several species of owls are found, including the great horned owl , the northern saw-whet owl , the western screech owl , and the Mexican spotted owl . Grebes, woodpeckers, ravens , herons, flycatchers, crows, bluebirds, wrens, warblers, blackbirds, orioles, goldfinches, swallows, sparrows, ducks, quail, grouse, pheasants, hummingbirds, falcons, gulls, and ospreys are some of

1776-709: The Cretaceous period. The Laramide orogeny started to uplift the Rocky Mountains 70 million years ago and with it, the Canyonlands region. Erosion intensified and when the Colorado River Canyon reached the salt beds of the Paradox Formation the overlying strata extended toward the river canyon, forming features such as The Grabens . Increased precipitation during the ice ages of the Pleistocene quickened

1850-572: The Cutler Formation , undivided. This transition occurs to the southwest of Moab, UT . The age of the Organ Rock Formation is unconfirmed. The preceding Cedar Mesa Sandstone is dated to the Wolfcampian (ICS stage: Artinskian ). The anteceding De Chelly and White Rim Sandstones are dated to the Leonardian (ICS stage: Kungurian ). These formations constrain the age of the Organ Rock Formation to

1924-500: The Cyprinidae (in goldfish and common carp as recently as 14 million years ago). Ray-finned fish vary in size and shape, in their feeding specializations, and in the number and arrangement of their ray-fins. In nearly all ray-finned fish, the sexes are separate, and in most species the females spawn eggs that are fertilized externally, typically with the male inseminating the eggs after they are laid. Development then proceeds with

1998-668: The Moenkopi Formation . Erosion returned, forming a third unconformity. The Chinle Formation was then laid down on top of this eroded surface. Increasingly dry climates dominated the Triassic. Therefore, sand in the form of sand dunes invaded and became the Wingate Sandstone . For a time climatic conditions became wetter and streams cut channels through the sand dunes, forming the Kayenta Formation . Arid conditions returned to

2072-420: The White Rim Sandstone . In general, the Organ Rock Formation records the evolution of terminal fluvial fans , which dry up into sections of overlying formations. Animals living during the time of the Organ Rock's deposition had the capacity to travel across most of earth's landmass, as at the time, land was all concentrated into the supercontinent Pangea . The Organ Rock Formation is conformably underlain by

2146-587: The deep sea to subterranean waters to the highest mountain streams . Extant species can range in size from Paedocypris , at 8 mm (0.3 in); to the massive ocean sunfish , at 2,300 kg (5,070 lb); and to the giant oarfish , at 11 m (36 ft). The largest ever known ray-finned fish, the extinct Leedsichthys from the Jurassic , has been estimated to have grown to 16.5 m (54 ft). Ray-finned fishes occur in many variant forms. The main features of typical ray-finned fish are shown in

2220-481: The oviparous teleosts, most (79%) do not provide parental care. Viviparity , ovoviviparity , or some form of parental care for eggs, whether by the male, the female, or both parents is seen in a significant fraction (21%) of the 422 teleost families; no care is likely the ancestral condition. The oldest case of viviparity in ray-finned fish is found in Middle Triassic species of † Saurichthys . Viviparity

2294-651: The sister lineage of all other actinopterygians, the Acipenseriformes (sturgeons and paddlefishes) are the sister lineage of Neopterygii, and Holostei (bowfin and gars) are the sister lineage of teleosts. The Elopomorpha ( eels and tarpons ) appear to be the most basal teleosts. The earliest known fossil actinopterygian is Andreolepis hedei , dating back 420 million years ( Late Silurian ), remains of which have been found in Russia , Sweden , and Estonia . Crown group actinopterygians most likely originated near

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2368-459: The 1950s, scientists have been studying an area of 200 acres (81 ha) completely surrounded by cliffs. The cliffs have prevented cattle from ever grazing on the area's 62 acres (25 ha) of grassland. According to the scientists, the site may contain the largest undisturbed grassland in the Four Corners region. Studies have continued biannually since the mid-1990s. The area has been closed to

2442-527: The Confluence is determined by snowmelt, not management. As a result, and in combination with Cataract Canyon's unique graben geology, this stretch of river offers the largest whitewater in North America in heavy snow years. Political compromise at the time of the park's creation limited the protected area to an arbitrary portion of the Canyonlands basin. Conservationists hope to complete the park by bringing

2516-566: The Green River. The Island in the Sky district is a broad and level mesa in the northern section of the park, between the Colorado and Green rivers. The district has many viewpoints overlooking the White Rim, a sandstone bench 1,200 feet (370 m) below the Island, and the rivers, which are another 1,000 feet (300 m) below the White Rim. The Needles district is located south of the Island in

2590-765: The Interior Stewart Udall was scheduled to address a conference at Grand Canyon National Park . On his flight to the conference, he flew over the Confluence (where the Colorado and Green rivers meet). The view apparently sparked Udall's interest in Wilson's proposal for a new national park in that area and Udall began promoting the establishment of Canyonlands National Park. Utah Senator Frank Moss first introduced legislation in Congress to create Canyonlands National Park. His legislation attempted to satisfy both nature preservationists' and commercial developers' interests. Over

2664-510: The Organ Rock Formation is diverse with respect to taxonomic groups, body plans, and diets. This material represents a decent cross-section of what terrestrial vertebrate life was like during the early Permian . It is noteworthy that no diapsid material has been definitively recovered from this formation. As one moves younger in time through the Organ Rock Formation, temnospondyls become less abundant with respect to other major groups such as diadectomorphs and early synapsids . This could track

2738-457: The Organ Rock Formation only preserves carnivorous animals; these were likely the apex predators of this ecosystem. The three sphenacodontids were terrestrial predators consuming other tetrapods, while Ophiacodon likely hunted fishes and other aquatic animals. Coprolites associated with a labyrinthodont tooth as well as “ Pelycosaur ” and didectid remains have been recovered from this formation. The vertebrate faunal assemblage found in

2812-683: The Sky, on the east side of the Colorado River. The district is named for the red and white banded rock pinnacles which are a major feature of the area. Various other naturally sculpted rock formations are also within this district, including grabens , potholes, and arches . Unlike Arches National Park , where many arches are accessible by short to moderate hikes, most of the arches in the Needles district lie in backcountry canyons, requiring long hikes or four-wheel drive trips to reach them. The Ancestral Puebloans inhabited this area and some of their stone and mud dwellings are well-preserved, although

2886-402: The adjacent diagram. The swim bladder is a more derived structure and used for buoyancy . Except from the bichirs , which just like the lungs of lobe-finned fish have retained the ancestral condition of ventral budding from the foregut , the swim bladder in ray-finned fishes derives from a dorsal bud above the foregut. In early forms the swim bladder could still be used for breathing,

2960-597: The area in Pennsylvanian time. Seawater trapped in the subsiding basin created thick evaporite deposits by Mid Pennsylvanian. This, along with eroded material from the nearby mountain range, became the Paradox Formation , itself a part of the Hermosa Group . Paradox salt beds started to flow later in the Pennsylvanian and probably continued to move until the end of the Jurassic . Some scientists believe Upheaval Dome

3034-463: The bichirs and holosteans (bowfin and gars) in having gone through a whole-genome duplication ( paleopolyploidy ). The WGD is estimated to have happened about 320 million years ago in the teleosts, which on average has retained about 17% of the gene duplicates, and around 180 (124–225) million years ago in the chondrosteans. It has since happened again in some teleost lineages, like Salmonidae (80–100 million years ago) and several times independently within

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3108-485: The boundaries up to the high sandstone rims that form the natural border of the Canyonlands landscape. On March 27, 2020, Canyonlands National Park was closed to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 . The Colorado River and Green River combine within the park, dividing it into three districts called the Island in the Sky, the Needles, and the Maze. The Colorado River flows through Cataract Canyon below its confluence with

3182-482: The country as a whole, and the National Park Service has begun research into how exactly this will affect the ecosystem of Canyonlands National Park and the surrounding areas and ways to protect the park for the future. The mean annual temperature of Canyonlands National Park increased by 2.6 °F (1.4 °C) from 1916 to 2018. It is predicted that if current warming trends continue, the average highs in

3256-706: The different actinopterygian clades (in millions of years , mya) are from Near et al., 2012. Jaw-less fishes ( hagfish , lampreys ) [REDACTED] Cartilaginous fishes ( sharks , rays , ratfish ) [REDACTED] Coelacanths [REDACTED] Lungfish [REDACTED] Amphibians [REDACTED] Mammals [REDACTED] Sauropsids ( reptiles , birds ) [REDACTED] Polypteriformes ( bichirs , reedfishes ) [REDACTED] Acipenseriformes ( sturgeons , paddlefishes ) [REDACTED] Teleostei [REDACTED] Amiiformes ( bowfins ) [REDACTED] Lepisosteiformes ( gars ) [REDACTED] The polypterids (bichirs and reedfish) are

3330-432: The fish's habit of spending long periods out of water in the mangrove forests it inhabits. Males are occasionally produced at temperatures below 19 °C (66 °F) and can fertilise eggs that are then spawned by the female. This maintains genetic variability in a species that is otherwise highly inbred. Actinopterygii is divided into the subclasses Cladistia , Chondrostei and Neopterygii . The Neopterygii , in turn,

3404-515: The front of the mouth, as well as broad blunt teeth used to more effectively process vegetation. Tseajaia campi is a very rare taxon known from one nearly complete specimen recovered from the Organ Rock. Originally described by Vaughn, this animal was first assigned to the group Seymouriamorpha , however, upon reassessment of the holotype it was demonstrated to have a closer affinity to Diadectomorpha. Seymouriamorphs are small- to medium- sized (0.5 to 1.5 meters), reptiliomorphs. These animals have

3478-524: The general trend of aridification as indicated by sedimentology of the formation. This trend is globally recognized during the Early Permian, supported by many lines of geologic evidence including significant deposits of calcretes , eolianites , and evaporites . Canyonlands National Park Canyonlands National Park is a national park of the United States located in southeastern Utah near

3552-706: The geologic record called an unconformity . Early in the Permian an advancing sea laid down the Halgaito Shale . Coastal lowlands later returned to the area, forming the Elephant Canyon Formation . Large alluvial fans filled the basin where it met the Uncompahgre Mountains , creating the Cutler red beds of iron -rich arkose sandstone. Underwater sand bars and sand dunes on the coast inter-fingered with

3626-438: The inner part is crossed with fibrous connective tissue. Leptoid scales are thinner and more transparent than other types of scales, and lack the hardened enamel - or dentine -like layers found in the scales of many other fish. Unlike ganoid scales , which are found in non-teleost actinopterygians, new scales are added in concentric layers as the fish grows. Teleosts and chondrosteans (sturgeons and paddlefish) also differ from

3700-441: The items and tools they used were mostly removed by looters. The Ancestral Puebloans also created rock art in the form of petroglyphs , most notably on Newspaper Rock along the Needles access road. The Maze district is located west of the Colorado and Green rivers. The Maze is the least accessible section of the park, and one of the most remote and inaccessible areas of the United States. A geographically detached section of

3774-539: The latter part of the Cisuralian Epoch, approximately 290.1 to 272.3 Ma. The Organ Rock Formation may contain the Artinskian / Kungurian boundary. This is during the early to mid-Permian, a time where synapsids and temnospondyl amphibians are the dominant players in terrestrial ecosystems. These animals predate the advent of archosaur reptiles which give rise to dinosaurs in the Triassic. The Organ Rock Formation

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3848-461: The main clades of living actinopterygians and their evolutionary relationships to other extant groups of fishes and the four-limbed vertebrates ( tetrapods ). The latter include mostly terrestrial species but also groups that became secondarily aquatic (e.g. whales and dolphins ). Tetrapods evolved from a group of bony fish during the Devonian period . Approximate divergence dates for

3922-459: The majority of the faunal assemblage present in the Organ Rock Formation. Animal remains are most commonly preserved within ancient stream channels of the floodplain and channel facies. Within this facies, fossilized bone occurs proximal to conglomeratic lenses. Taxa recovered include: freshwater actinopterygian fishes, temnospondyl amphibians, diadectomorphs , seymouriamorphs , and early synapsids . Fossil fish material, either bone or scale ,

3996-592: The most commonly recovered. Remains of this animal are very common in other formations of the Cutler Group and in general during the Early Permian of southwestern North America. Diadectomorphs are medium to large (2–3 meters), heavily-built reptiliomorphs with robust limbs. These animals are thought to be the closest outgroup to the clade Amniota . Two taxa are present within the Organ Rock Formation: Diadectes , and Tseajaia campi . Diadectes

4070-484: The natural surroundings. Canyonlands National Park upholds a strict no-hunting policy. As of 2016 , the Island in the Sky district, with its proximity to the Moab, Utah area, attracts 76.7 percent of total park visitors. The Needles district is the second most visited, drawing 20.7 percent of visitors. The remote Maze district accounts for only about 1.5 percent of visitors, while river rafters and other river users account for

4144-401: The next four years, his proposal was struck down, debated, revised, and reintroduced to Congress many times before being passed and signed into law. In September 1964, after several years of debate, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Pub. L.   88–590 , which established Canyonlands National Park as a new national park. Bates Wilson became the first superintendent of the new park and

4218-543: The other birds that can be found. Several reptiles can be found, including eleven species of lizards and eight species of snake (including the midget faded rattlesnake ). The common kingsnake and prairie rattlesnake have been reported in the park, but not confirmed by the National Park Service. The park is home to six confirmed amphibian species, including the red-spotted toad , Woodhouse's toad , American bullfrog , northern leopard frog , Great Basin spadefoot toad, and tiger salamander . The canyon tree frog

4292-479: The park during the summer will be over 100 °F (40 °C) by 2100. In addition to warming, the region has begun to see more severe and frequent droughts which causes native grass cover to decrease and a lower flow of the Colorado River. The flows of the Upper Colorado Basin have decreased by 300,000 acre⋅ft (370,000,000 m ) per year, which has led to a decreased amount of sediment carried by

4366-662: The park located north of the Maze district, Horseshoe Canyon contains panels of rock art made by hunter-gatherers from the Late Archaic Period (2000-1000 BC) pre-dating the Ancestral Puebloans. Originally called Barrier Canyon, Horseshoe's artifacts, dwellings, pictographs, and murals are some of the oldest in America. The images depicting horses date from after 1540 AD, when the Spanish reintroduced horses to America. Since

4440-466: The park since June 1965. Official data documents the desert climate with less than 10 inches (250 millimetres) of annual rainfall, as well as hot, mostly dry summers and cold, occasionally wet winters. Snowfall is generally light during the winter. The station in The Neck region reports an average January temperature of 29.6 °F and an average July temperature of 79.3 °F. Average July temperatures range from

4514-461: The park's landscapes and ecosystems for the long term. Although the National Park Service's original goal was to preserve landscapes as they were before European colonization, they have now switched to a more adaptive management strategy with the ultimate goal of conserving the biodiversity of the park. The NPS is collaborating with other organizations including the US Geological Survey, local indigenous tribes, and nearby universities in order to create

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4588-494: The proximal or basal skeletal elements, the radials, which represent the articulation between these fins and the internal skeleton (e.g., pelvic and pectoral girdles). The vast majority of actinopterygians are teleosts . By species count, they dominate the subphylum Vertebrata , and constitute nearly 99% of the over 30,000 extant species of fish . They are the most abundant nektonic aquatic animals and are ubiquitous throughout freshwater and marine environments from

4662-449: The public since 1993 to maintain the nearly pristine environment. Mammals that roam this park include black bears , coyotes , skunks , bats , elk , foxes , bobcats , badgers , ring-tailed cats , pronghorns , desert bighorn sheep , and cougars . Desert cottontails , kangaroo rats and mule deer are commonly seen by visitors. At least 273 species of birds inhabit the park. A variety of hawks and eagles are found, including

4736-422: The rate of canyon excavation along with other erosion. Similar types of erosion are ongoing, but occur at a slower rate. Actinopterygian Actinopterygii ( / ˌ æ k t ɪ n ɒ p t ə ˈ r ɪ dʒ i aɪ / ; from actino-  'having rays' and Ancient Greek πτέρυξ (ptérux)  'wing, fins'), members of which are known as ray-finned fish or actinopterygians ,

4810-558: The red beds and later became the white-colored cliff-forming Cedar Mesa Sandstone . Brightly colored oxidized muds were then deposited, forming the Organ Rock Shale . Coastal sand dunes and marine sand bars once again became dominant, creating the White Rim Sandstone . A second unconformity was created after the Permian sea retreated. Flood plains on an expansive lowland covered the eroded surface and mud built up in tidal flats, creating

4884-664: The region with a vengeance; a large desert spread over much of western North America and later became the Navajo Sandstone . A fourth unconformity was created by a period of erosion. Mud flats returned, forming the Carmel Formation , and the Entrada Sandstone was laid down next. A long period of erosion stripped away most of the San Rafael Group in the area, along with any formations that may have been laid down in

4958-572: The remaining 1.1 percent of total park visitation. Rafters and kayakers float the calm stretches of the Green River and Colorado River above the Confluence . Below the Confluence, Cataract Canyon contains powerful whitewater rapids, similar to those found in the Grand Canyon . However, since there is no large impoundment on the Colorado River above Canyonlands National Park, river flow through

5032-580: The river and rockier rapids which are more frequently impassable to rafters. The area has also begun to see an earlier spring, which will lead to changes in the timing of leaves and flowers blooming and migrational patterns of wildlife that could lead to food shortages for the wildlife, as well as a longer fire season. The National Park Service is currently closely monitoring the impacts of climate change in Canyonlands National Park in order to create management strategies that will best help conserve

5106-536: The rugged, remote trails within the Park. The White Rim Road traverses the White Rim Sandstone level of the park between the rivers and the Island in the Sky. Since 2015, day-use permits must be obtained before travelling on the White Rim Road due to the increasing popularity of driving and bicycling along it. The park service's intent is to provide a better wilderness experience for all visitors while minimizing impacts on

5180-574: The town of Moab . The park preserves a colorful landscape eroded into numerous canyons , mesas , and buttes by the Colorado River , the Green River , and their respective tributaries. Legislation creating the park was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 12, 1964. The park is divided into four districts: the Island in the Sky, the Needles, the Maze, and the combined rivers—the Green and Colorado—which carved two large canyons into

5254-420: Was 107 °F (42 °C) on July 13, 1971, and the lowest recorded temperature was −16 °F (−27 °C) on January 16, 1971. Average annual precipitation is 8.49 in (216 mm). There are an average of 56 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1969, with 11.19 in (284 mm), and the driest year was 1989, with 4.25 in (108 mm). The most precipitation in one month

5328-544: Was 4.43 in (113 mm) in October 1972. The most precipitation in 24 hours was 1.56 in (40 mm) on September 17, 1999. Average annual snowfall is 14.4 in (37 cm). The most snowfall in one year was 39.3 in (100 cm) in 1975, and the most snowfall in one month was 24.0 in (61 cm) in March 1985. National parks in the Western United States are more affected by climate change than

5402-401: Was created from Paradox salt bed movement, creating a salt dome , but more modern studies show that the meteorite theory is more likely to be correct. A warm shallow sea again flooded the region near the end of the Pennsylvanian. Fossil -rich limestones , sandstones , and shales of the gray-colored Honaker Trail Formation resulted. A period of erosion then ensued, creating a break in

5476-537: Was reported to be in the park in 2000, but was not confirmed during a study in 2004. Canyonlands National Park contains a wide variety of plant life, including 11 cactus species, 20 moss species, liverworts , grasses and wildflowers . Varieties of trees include netleaf hackberry , Russian olive , Utah juniper , pinyon pine , tamarisk , and Fremont's cottonwood . Shrubs include Mormon tea , blackbrush , four-wing saltbush , cliffrose , littleleaf mountain mahogany , and snakeweed Cryptobiotic soil

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