Unaweep Canyon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Unaweep Divide |
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Unaweep Divide in Unaweep Canyon
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| Elevation | 7,008 ft (2,136 m) |
| Traversed by |  SH 141 |
| Location | Unaweep Canyon, Mesa County, Colorado |
| Coordinates | 38°47′26″N 108°39′18″W / 38.79056°N 108.65500°W |
| Topo map | USGS Snyder Flats |
 Location in Colorado
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Unaweep Canyon is a very special place in western Colorado. It's a deep valley that cuts through the Uncompahgre Plateau in Mesa County. What makes it unique is how water flows through it. Two creeks, East Creek and West Creek, flow out of opposite ends of the canyon.
These creeks are separated by a spot called the Unaweep Divide. This divide is so flat you can barely see it. State Highway 141 goes right through Unaweep Canyon. This road is part of the beautiful Unaweep/Tabeguache Scenic Byway. The Unaweep Divide is about 7,008 feet (2,136 meters) high. You can find it near mile marker 135 on Highway 141.
How Did Unaweep Canyon Form?
Scientists have many ideas about how Unaweep Canyon was created. It's a bit of a mystery! Back in the late 1800s, explorers noticed how strange it was for a canyon to have two exits. They thought a big river, like the ancient Colorado or Gunnison river, might have carved it.
Many other people have also suggested these rivers. But it was hard to find the right kind of river rocks (gravel) to prove it. Also, it's still tricky to explain why the Unaweep Divide exists. Some thought that the land might have lifted up, forcing the rivers to change course. But rivers usually cut through land faster than land lifts up. So, this idea might not be correct.
Some features in the canyon look like they were made by glaciers. This led some to think glaciers carved the canyon long ago. However, the canyon is not very high up, and there isn't much proof of glaciers from that time. So, this idea also has problems.
New Clues About the Canyon's Past
More recently, scientists found gravel at the western end of Unaweep Canyon. These rocks look like they came from the Gunnison River. This suggests that an ancient Gunnison River might have once flowed through the canyon. It could have helped carve the canyon we see today.
However, another idea is that the Gunnison River didn't carve the canyon from scratch. Instead, it might have just cleared out an older canyon that was already there. This idea comes from studying a deep core sample taken from the canyon floor. This core showed that the canyon is filled with over 300 meters (about 1,000 feet) of old dirt and rocks. Scientists first thought this might be true in the 1970s.
Some scientists even think the canyon is incredibly old, perhaps 300 million years old! They believe it might have been shaped by glaciers during the Late Paleozoic era. These ideas about the canyon's age and how it formed are still being discussed. Unaweep Canyon remains a beautiful and puzzling place for geologists.
