Water the
Transformer of Our Country Side
Ann McMahon, Text and Photography
Stoners were treated to another
superb geological trip Saturday with Mary Dowse, PhD as tour guide. Mary thoughtfully planned a trip for anyone
of any capability and then supplied narratives explaining the world around us
in simple lay terms.
This time we traveled from Silver
City north on highway 180 to the Catwalk north of Glenwood, stopping at
selected places to understand how the countryside transformed over the last
million years. Water, acting with other
geological affects, was the main long-term sculptor accompanied by volcanic
activity and tectonic shifts.
 |
| Sediments Near Continental Divide |
Thirty
to thirty five million years there was a series of calderas and volcanic
activity in the Mogollon area forming the volcanic rocks found at the Catwalk.
Starting 15 million years ago faulting formed the Mangas Valley which was
slowly filled by sediment from the mountains.
Prior to a million years ago,
water from the Gila River, and rivers and streams to the north flowing from the
Mogollon Mountains, formed valley in the area of Buckhorn. Eventually the Gila
River cut through the Middle Box to Redrock, drained the lake and allowed the
erosion of some of the gravels in the valley.
At our final stop on the Cat Walk in
Whitewater Creek canyon, Mary discussed how powerful the flow of water can be
in changing the shape of the landscape no matter how hard or dense the
rock. We also discussed how fires in the
mountains above and changes just in the last 100 to 20 years, have had a major
impact on the shape and landscape of the Canyon.
