David’s Insight on “Bryce Amphitheater”
Forty to sixty million years ago, shallow lakes covered this area of Utah. As the lakes dried up, years of sediment, algae bloom and death, drifting sands, mud and swamps, formed layers of soil, sands and gravel which would become sedimentary rocks that comprise the Claron Formation. These sediments filled the basin up to 700 feet thick transforming over time to limestones, siltstones and sandstones. Differential erosion of these layers of materials created thousands upon thousands of intricate formations called hoodoos and fins. Bryce Canyon has the highest concentration of rock hoodoos in the world. This fantastical landscape is certainly unique.
An early pioneer named Ebenezer Bryce tried to homestead this area near the rim and remarked “It’s a hell of a place to lose a cow”. Imagine?
