Geologic Jumpstart

When heavy rains caused Canyon Lake in Texas to overflow on July 4, 2002, it is fairly safe to assume that no one realized the event would produce such an unexpected result. For three days, the lake spilled 70,000 cubic feet of water downhill into a valley, removing all vegetation and topsoil and creating a mile-and-a-half-long, 80-foot deep limestone crevasse. The rushing water produced so much force that it essentially fast-forwarded the normal geologic process.

After the waters receded, geologists immediately discovered rock formations, fossils and dinosaur footprints. In order to protect the gorge from vandals, it has been closed to the public while researchers have been conducting cataloging of the location. It is estimated that the limestone rock formations date back 111 million years, with a margin of error of a few hundred thousand years. The footprints indicate that a carnivorous two-legged dinosaur inhabited the area, and the entire gorge is filled with the fossils of many species of ancient wildlife.

A similar event took place during flooding in Iowa in 1993, but that gorge is not nearly as large as Canyon Lake Gorge in Texas. Of course, the Grand Canyon dwarfs Canyon Lake Gorge, but one must keep in mind that it took the Colorado River 5-6 million years to complete the task while the new gorge was formed in merely three days.

Research at Canyon Lake Gorge has now been completed and will open for public tours beginning on Saturday. Public interest is so high that the three-hour tours have already been booked for the first six months of operation. No one will be permitted to hike without a guide because the limestone walls are still relatively unstable. During the upcoming winter, construction will be begun on a "rim trail" which will allow visitors to overlook the canyon, and plans are also underway for the construction of lookout points and an educational center. A visit to this gorge would be unlike any other because, within a geologic context, it was created in the blink of an eye.