Show vima 14 w Q VIA i az a ix TEMPLES 0 F 11 the rho summits of west temple greet the cha visitor lorig long before ills hla actual entry into aoa alon national parte park this Is a huge mass 0 or navajo sandstone nd stone tow tov erlise to a height of feet the highest point in the park the face tat I 1 t i great maea s precipitous and cut by 1 several huge fractures at the coot 00 oo t la is a beautiful weeping rock from comes the head bead waters 0 ot oak creek As far as the writer can do de princine term nine lne no one ihas has so tar scaled the summits lot bf west temple the jurassic period in zion tow ard uie the close cloae ot of the triassic period a great plain existed over the region now mow occupied by southern rivers and streams were aba con grading ei aUng its surface su nEace carrying carry to lower levels the deposit oed during previous afefe arany I 1 plants plaats arid and even large pine dine trew trees aird developed dav eloped over the higher portions portio as ot of this region streams slowly uproot up rao ted edi hugo huge trees treas and aad washed thern them out on this gravelly plain and covered them cra gradually dually with layers ot of sand mud and gravel agoa ages then passed erosion played its part again aid ad the same saine treba rees were exposed to the view ot of modern man on the mesas above rockville may still be ba soon many ot of these thee trees lomg petrified petitt led ww now in varying degrees 0 of perfection these the weapons of oc ShI tile tho wolf god of the indians lie where they were millions ot of yara ago at the opening 0 of the jurassic era this great plain had sunk blink in part baxt again below tho level of the sea and sli allow water prevailed and low lying plains on the see asa bottom and on its shores were formed beautiful colored clays vaid and in it were deposited fossil flah fish reptilian tracks and many otter ohler prehistoric forms A layer now known as tho chinle was thus tomed and its color codor ful strata attract the at spring dalo dale just below the entrance to the park then lofty block mountains wye were formed too to th tho 0 west and south and ii the least winds winda bauld no longer carry their mols moisture turo into southern utah A vast desert developed east cast ot of these mountain ls aad moisture iw 1 to in the ma mains washed oe bedim dimeT ehnts into Ws brid arid baclit gradually tho the jurassic winds lifted tho the sand h hom om ulo abeam banks and enda piled it dt into huge sand earnd dunes dun es A vast sahara was thus for formed with sands bands to a 11 depth of from 2000 to feet cimei with the ald aid of pressure flad and fl ad substances hardened harde the saad loto into rock la in huso huge and curious ell dons wosa cross bedded il ayera risible inow brow tn in the walls wal te of 0 zion won Cany ion in this great desert ol of Jura sisto times was formed the vermillion cliffs and white cliffs of 0 navajo that tona rm the walls W al I 1 q of 0 f zion camy on I 1 aad a la out of which is carved the rainbow natural bridge what Is the jurassic period jhb chiq jurassic Is tafe middle period during the iha agoa ages ot reptiles Mes ozle era an ait ds named brause ot of the excellent development of the tha strata ot of this period in the jura mountains it was preceded by the Trl assac period which receives its ita name nama from Gerni any where it was first studied slid and because ot of ss threefold three fold develops develop ment ln in the strata the jurassic was followed by the cretaceous period which Is u guraly divided into an upper and lower f briod the word cornea comes from the jatin creta mearing chawlk and the receives its ita name because beca usa af f he great of oe chalk that naca wc e deposited buting this period in and franc more about these those periods next time abil how they r aply to alon and aad riyce mon alon oryce nature notes |