If You Only Knew
With just a little help from a geologist, you can see what can't be seen — and travel through time for millions of years. These rocks reveal long-gone river valleys, open oceans, and enormous volcanoes.
Roll back the clock and geology shows a time when plants, animals, and climate were different from what we know today.
[Rock formations, from lower left to upper right]
MORRISON FORMATION
Picture herds of dinosaurs grazing alongside streams. Turtles and crocodiles slip unnoticed into the waters. Termites scurry in and out of their underground nests.
DAKOTA SANDSTONE
This cliff band was formed from warm river valley habitats. Fossils of lush flowering plants and trees are found here.
MANCOS SHALE
Fantastic creatures lurked in the ancient waters of a broad inland sea that deposited this shale layer. The ocean waters covered Colorado.
WEST ELK BRECCIA
A mudflow from the West Elk Volcano that froze forever in time.
BLUE MESA TUFF
Cemented ash from towering volcanoes once found near the present-day San Juan Mountains.
Erected by
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Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Paleontology.
Location. 38° 27.914′ N, 107° 15.851′ W. Marker is near Gunnison, Colorado, in Gunnison County. Marker is on U.S. 50, on the right when traveling west. Marker is at the Dillon Pinnacles scenic pulloff in Curecanti National Recreation Area, about a half mile west of the Middle Bridge over the reservoir and about 20 miles west of Gunnison. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Gunnison CO 81230, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Forming a Pinnacle (here, next to this marker); Wayne N. Aspinall (approx. 2.2 miles away); Crossing the Canyon (approx. 2.2 miles away); Trains and Trout (approx. 3½ miles away); Storage Units (approx. 4.4 miles away); a different marker also named Trains and Trout (approx. 8.4 miles away).
Also see . . .
1. Curecanti National Recreation Area Natural Features & Ecosystems. (Submitted on October 28, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
2. Morrison Formation. (Submitted on October 28, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
3. Dakota Sandstone. (Submitted on October 28, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
4. Mancos Shale. (Submitted on October 28, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
5. West Elk Breccia Thesis (Whalen, 2017). (Submitted on October 28, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
6. NPS Geodiversity Atlas—Curecanti National Recreation Area, Colorado. (Submitted on October 28, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 28, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 28, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 126 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 28, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
