Laserfiche WebLink
<br />5. DESCRIPTION OF THE LAND <br />Topography of the general area consists of steep canyon slopes and <br />vertical cliffs. The region is a deeply dissected plateau of the <br />Uinta Basin section of the Colorado Plateau physiographic province. <br />Terrain is hilly, steep, and extremely rugged. Erosion has created <br />a number of cirque-like land forms and sharp-edged ridges. Slopes <br />generally range from about 5° to 45°, averaging about 31°. Local <br />outcrops of resistant rocks may, however, be vertical cliffs. Ele- <br />vation of the area ranges from 5,600 to 7,200 feet. <br />The area is drained by tributaries of East Salt Creek. •East Salt <br />Creek is an intermittent stream that flows generally southwestward <br />and empties into the Colorado River. All tributaries and stream <br />channels are ephemeral streams which flow only in response to the <br />melting of a cover of snow or ice and which have channel bottoms <br />that are always above the local water table. <br />The Book Cliffs Coal Field area is considered a desert and only a <br />few springs have been located within the coal-bearing strata; none <br />within the land to be affected. A few seep holes may be found with- <br />in the canyons. There are no reservoirs or lakes in this area. <br />Topsoil is composed of a sandy or clayey-to-gravelly loam, and <br />varies in thickness from less than three inches to greater than <br />sixty inches. Salvable material does not exist along ridgetops <br />on the higher elevations in quantities that can be efficiently re- <br />moved. Permeability is moderately rapid. Surface runoff is rapid <br />due to the common high intensity summer storms. The soils are <br />highly erodible due to the effects of water, wind and sparse vege- <br />tation cover. <br />Three main vegetation types occur in the general area. They are: <br />