Credit where it’s due: This blog is almost entirely sourced from the excellent page created by the Utah Geological Survey. But what they report is so interesting to me that I just had to spread the word. I highly recommend that you visit their page to see a more complete explanation.

One of the most dramatic examples of geology can be found in the heart of St. George. In fact, as the photo shows, it’s currently the site of Kamakazi Airport. (I have no idea what the real name is. This one just seems to fit so well.) As the Utah Geological Survey page explains it, “Approximately 1.2 million years ago, lava flowed down a small valley or canyon, that today is the basalt-capped bluff of the St. George Municipal Airport.” This photo helps you visualize the canyon that created the bluff.

What actually happened is that the basalt is so hard and durable that the moutains that used to be there to form the canyon have all eroded away around it. Now, only the basalt is left “hanging” above the land that used to be higher.

Color Country is great for helping you appreciate the concept of “deep time”. Imagine how long it took for all the ground around those bluffs to be carried away by wind and water. That was only 1.2 million years ago. The dinosaurs died about 65 million years ago. The Vishnu Schist rocks that you can see in the bottom of the Grand Canyon are 2000 million years old. (2 billion years) The earth itself is 4600 million years old. And all that ground around the bluffs above St. George gradually washed away in only 1.2 million years.

Now, consider that the Iraq war is will cost between 8000 million to 16000 million dollars … so far.