Featuring
Marissa Wright holds a BS in Geological Sciences from the University of South Carolina and is an MS candidate in Geology at the University of Houston. Raised in the heart of the metamorphosed Blue Ridge Mountains, field trips to the exposed geology of the western states cultivated her interest in sedimentation and tectonics. While Marissa’s current work is focused on the Guadalupian stratigraphy of the Permian Basin, she has participated in field-based research and mapping on the Antarctic Peninsula and Colorado Plateau, as well as teaching undergraduate field study courses in southern Colorado. A former OARS Dinosaur guide and still a river runner, Marissa thinks geology is best observed on the river, from the ripples preserved in the Tapeats Sandstone of the Grand Canyon, to the rudist fossils of the Santa Elena limestone on the Rio Grande, to the dramatic Split Mountain anticline of Dinosaur.
About This Trip
Dinosaur National Monument – the name alone conjures a host of images: dinosaur bones preserved in ancient rock walls, deep rivers that cut indecorously through desert canyons, ancient sea beds full of prehistoric fossils frozen in time.
As you descend the Yampa River, you have the fascinating experience of actually traveling through the canyon’s various layers, each one representing an entire age of the earth’s development: the rise and fall of major mountain ranges, the arrival and retreat of oceans at least 12 different times, the alternating development of deserts and swamplands. A billion years are captured in these canyon walls, along with the remnants of various life forms that existed long before humans. Our pathway through time showcases some of the oldest exposed rocks in the world, ones that have been folded, lifted, and split by eons of geological forces.
Besides this fascinating scientific value, the Yampa’s geology is also responsible for the beauty of its canyon home: vertical yellow and red sandstone walls that tower as high as 1000 feet and squeeze the river through a surprisingly narrow gorge, tiger-striped walls alternating in blonde rock and black manganese oxide, clear creeks tumbling out of shady side canyons, sheltering sandstone caves, and more.
