Full Title: Late Holocene Alluvial Geomorphology of the Virgin River in the Zion National Park Area, Southwest Utah
Authors: Richard Hereford, Gordon C. Jacoby, and V.A.S. McCord
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The Virgin River, in the spectacular canyons of Zion National Park near the southwest margin of the Colorado Plateau, is well suited for geomorphic research; it has a relatively wide alluvial valley and is free flowing, retaining the presettlement discharge regime. The research described in Special Paper 310 focused on how variations of water and sediment load modify valley morphology. A specific goal was understanding the timing and causes of arroyo cutting—the catastrophic, widespread degradation of stream channels in the southwest United States beginning in the late 1800s. Large-scale surficial geologic maps portray the terraces and alluvial deposits. Dated by archaeologic context and by tree-ring methods, these deposits correlate in time with dated late Holocene alluvium of other streams on the southern Colorado Plateau. Relocated historic photographs show the channel before, during, and after arroyo cutting. Dendrohydrologic reconstruction of streamflow demonstrates that arroyo cutting occurred during unusually wet climate with large floods and was preceded by an interval of very dry climate.
Published: 6/12/1996
ISBN Number: 0813723108
Pages: 41
Product Category: Special Papers