7067

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7067
• Author: Banks, J. L.
• Title: Fish Species Distribution in Dinosaur National Monument During 1961 and 1962.
• USFW Year: 1964.
• USFW - Doc Type: Master's Thesis.
• Copyright Material: NO

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17

Yampa River then continues to wind WElst through the lamps. Canyon

until it merges with the Green River near Steamboat Rock in Echo

Park (figure 6).

Canyons and parks

The sandstone formations commonly found within Dinosaur
National Honument are of suoh substance that cliffs and oanyons are

readily formed by erosive aotion. The rivers of this area are apparent-

11' ot earlier origin than the lOOunta1ns. This is indioated by the fact

that both streams enter the oliff-lined oanyon areas troM lower lands
(figure 7). The lOOuntains rose alowly before the stream paths. and

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were subsequently out tlu-ough (~:oodbwy and Argyle, 1963).

Echo Park

i8 the central. location of the major canyons.

The steep canyon Halls tend to deflect river currents back

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and fOl~th. thus forming pools, eddies, and backwaters. Sediments

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acoumulate on the inner, slow-l/later sides of the curves uh11e the

outer al'eas are frequently scoured and abraded to bare rock by the

swift currents. Large rapids and falls are found at interva.l.s through-

out the canyon areas. !1a.ny of the pools and back eddies that have been

gouged out by the swift ourrents are considerably larger and deeper

than any found in the open park areas.

stream gradient

The Green !liver has a relatively steep gradient. Woodbur,y
and Argyle (1963) state that trom an area near the Ledore Ranger

station to the lower end of Split !.buntain Canyon, the river drops
S2S feet in 42 miles. This is an average drop of about 12.4 feet per

mile. stream gradient of the Green River in this area is not consistent