De Beque Canyon facts for kids
De Beque Canyon is a really cool, narrow canyon in western Colorado, USA. It was carved out by the powerful Colorado River. Imagine a long, winding passage that stretches for about 15 miles (24 km)!
This canyon is located downstream from a town called De Beque, in the eastern part of Mesa County. It forms a tight squeeze where the river flows past the western side of the huge Grand Mesa. At its other end, the canyon opens up into the wide Grand Valley, near the town of Palisade. This is about 10 miles (16 km) east of Grand Junction. If you ever drive through, Interstate 70 follows the river right through the canyon, offering amazing views!
The Story of De Beque Canyon's Rocks
Ancient Sands and Coal
The walls of De Beque Canyon tell an amazing story about Earth's past. If you look closely, you'll see the canyon walls are made of layers of rock that look like giant steps. These layers are part of something called the Mesaverde Group.
These rocks were formed from sand that was deposited a very, very long time ago during the Cretaceous period. Back then, this area was a shoreline, maybe even a beach or a swampy delta, where sand and mud settled down. Over millions of years, these layers of sand were squished and hardened into sedimentary rock.
Hidden within these rock layers are special seams of coal. These coal seams are low in sulfur and can be quite thick, sometimes as much as 50 feet (15 m)! You can find some of these thick coal seams near the Cameo Mine, which is close to Mile 46 on Interstate 70. This coal is usually soft, a type called bituminous coal. It's soft because it hasn't been pressed down by tons of rock for as long or as much as harder types of coal.
