Trandafir Ana-Maria

Clasa a XI-a G

Zion National Park

Zion National Park is an American national park located in
southwestern Utah near the city of Springdale. A prominent feature of the park is Zion
Canyon, which is 15 miles (24 km) long and up to 2,640 ft (800 m) deep. The canyon
walls are reddish and tan-colored Navajo Sandstone eroded by the North Fork of
the Virgin River. Located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin,
and Mojave Desert regions, the park has a unique geography and a variety of life
zones that allow for unusual plant and animal diversity. Numerous plant species as well
as 289 species of birds, 75 mammals and 32 reptiles inhabit the park's four life
zones: desert, riparian, woodland, and coniferous forest. Zion National Park
includes mountains, canyons, buttes, mesas, monoliths, rivers, slot canyons,
and natural arches.
Human habitation of the area started about 8,000 years ago with small family
groups of Native Americans, one of which was the semi-
nomadic Basketmaker Anasazi (c. 300). The geology of the Zion and Kolob canyons
area includes nine formations that together represent 150 million years of
mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation. At various periods in that time warm, shallow
seas, streams, ponds and lakes, vast deserts, and dry near-shore environments covered
the area. Streams in the area take rectangular paths because they follow jointing
planes in the rocks.
On the east side of the park, notable park features include Checkerboard Mesa
and the East Temple. Other notable geographic features of the park include the Virgin
River Narrows, Emerald Pools, Angels Landing, The Great White Throne, and Court of
the Patriarchs.
Spring weather is unpredictable, with stormy, wet days being common, mixed
with occasional warm, sunny weather. Precipitation is normally heaviest in
March.Desert conditions persist on canyon bottoms and rocky ledges away from
perennial streams. Sagebrush, prickly pear cactus, and rabbitbrush, along with sacred
datura and Indian paintbrush, are common. Common daytime animals include mule
deer, rock squirrels, pinyon jays, Merriam's kangaroo rats come out at
night. Cougars, bobcats, coyotes, badgers, gray foxes, and ring-tail cats are the
top predators.
When you enter Zion National Park you will experience a feeling that won’t quite
fit inside your camera. Your eyes will search to take it all in; your voice will falter as you
try to express the emotion. The only place you’ll truly comprehend it is in your heart.
Zion will change you, from the inside out. The colors will astound you. The perspective
will humble you. The immensity will leave you in awe.
Trandafir Ana-Maria
Clasa a XI-a G