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Geological Survey Bulletin 1508
The Geologic Story of Colorado National Monument
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TRIPS THROUGH AND AROUND
THE MONUMENT(continued)
From Glade Park to Grand Junction Via the Little Park Road

38 GLADE PARK FAULT |
FROM THE INTERSECTION 1-1/2 miles east of the Glade Park Storeand
Post Office, let us turn southeast on the
recently improved and gravelled Little Park Road around the head of No
Thoroughfare Canyon, which was added to the Monument in 1978 (fig. 3).
From the intersection it is about 14 miles to Grand Junction by this
route. In half a mile we reach the new boundary of the Monument at a
minor drainage divide, and as we start down a steep hill beyond we may
park on the right and look southeastward across No Thoroughfare Canyon
along the Glade Park fault (fig. 58) which has produced the fishtail
shape of the head of the canyon, as shown in figures 8 and 59. A
different view of the fault and canyon head is shown by the stereoscopic
pair of aerial photographs in figure 59.
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GLADE PARK FAULT VIEWED FROM THE GROUND, crossing
head of No Thoroughfare Canyon. Looking southeast from Little Park Road
just southeast of new Monument boundary. Fault passes just to right of
white cliff of Wingate Sandstone near bottom of photograph through notch
in east wall of canyon. Note that surface to right (south) of fault has
dropped about 50 feet below left side. Grand Mesa forms skyline. (Fig.
58)
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GLADE PARK FAULT VIEWED FROM THE AIR, crossing head
of No Thoroughfare Canyon from left to right. Land south of the fault
was dropped some 50 feet below that on the north side. Primitive road
around head of canyon has been improved and realined since photographs
were taken. The stereoscopic pair of aerial photographs may be viewed
without optical aids by those accustomed to this procedure or by use of
a simple double lens stereoscope, such as the folding ones used by the
armed forces during and after World War II. Compare with the geologic
map, figure 8. Photographs taken in 1937 by U.S. Soil Conservation
Service. (Fig. 59)
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The Little Park Road closely follows the new Monument
boundary around the south end of No Thoroughfare Canyon, either on the
Kayenta Formation or Entrada Sandstone, and affords good views into the
canyon from several places. East of the southeast arm of the canyon, the
road leaves the boundary and goes northeastward about 4 miles to the end
of the improved part of the road, but the unimproved part is good, and
the lower 5 miles is paved. On my geologic maps36 of the
area, I called this road by its older namethe Jacobs Ladder
Road.
36Lohman, 1963; 1965a, pl. 1.
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39 LADDER AND ROUGH CANYONS |
About a quarter of a mile from the end of the
improved stretch, one may turn right on two tire tracks, travel about a
quarter of a mile farther, and park near the junction of Rough and
Ladder Canyons, where interesting geology is reachable by short walks up
Ladder Canyon or down Rough Canyon. About a mile up Ladder Canyon is an interesting
abandoned mica mine.37
37Lohman, 1965a, p. 15.
From the left side of the road, about 9 miles
northeast of our starting point, we see the view shown in figure 60.
About 2 miles farther north, Little Park Road is paved through a
suburban housing development all the way to The Redlands; there, we may turn
right, cross the Gunnison River, and reach U.S. Highway 50; or we may
turn left through Rosevale and reach Colorado Highway 340.
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LADDER CREEK MONOCLINE AND REDLANDS FAULT, looking northwest
from lookout point near Little Park Road. Telephoto view of left half of
this scene is shown in figure 29; photograph of Morrison Formation
shown in figure 21 was taken from point about a mile farther north.
(Fig. 60)
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bul/1508/sec12f.htm
Last Updated: 8-Jan-2007
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