Earthly Musings

I just returned from an eight-day Colorado River trip in Grand Canyon with other professional geologists. The trip was organized by my friend and colleague Howard Capito who assembled these professionals, friends, and family members. One of the striking facts about this group was the high number of participants who had never before seen Grand Canyon - their first views would be from the bottom up. The trip was successful beyond any measure. And it was fun!Of course, a river trip of such length […]

On June 5, 2013, the 2nd edition of "Carving Grand Canyon" won a Bronze award (third place) with the trade organization PubWest for superior design in the category of Academic/Non-Trade. The awards were announced yesterday and you can view the winners in each category here.Here is a listing of the award winners in the category of Academic/Non-Trade:"Atomic Comics: Cartoonist Confront the Nuclear World"  University of Nevada Press (Gold winner)"The Menial Art of […]

 Image courtesy of the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) web bannerFor those following the closure of US Highway 89 near Page, AZ on February 20, 2013, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has just issued an update on the geotechnical work underway at the road failure site on the slope of the Echo Cliffs. You can view the video of what's been found here. I've watched this video twice now and am impressed with the level of professionalism and expertise ADOT has brought […]

After traveling down the length of Stillwater Canyon and exploring the confluence area, it was time to begin our descent through the rapids of Cataract Canyon. The river picks up speed and narrows considerably.Here the raft is entering Tilted Park, an obvious name given by the Powell party. The tilted block is a huge slump that has attempted to fill in the void made in Cataract Canyon. The toes of such slumps constrict the river and makes rapids.Capsize Falls, the site of many a ruined day in […]

In Part I and II of this posting, we traveled from the put-in at Mineral Bottom through Stillwater Canyon and hiked on the Stovepipe Trail. Here in Part III, we arrive at the confluence of two great rivers - the Green and the Grand. (Before 1922, the upper part of the Colorado River was known as the Grand River. I just love the saying, "At the junction of the Green and the Grand" and so I plead for the state of Colorado to give up the mistaken notion that it's part of the river is "Colorado". […]