Originally posted by Paroxysm
I asked a simple question back on page 54 or so:
Originally posted by Paroxysm
Originally posted by ET_MAN
Near the border of Utah coming from Denver near the rocky mountains problems will occur.
Hello ET_MAN, and thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
Regarding your above comments on the Colo/Utah border, are you able to be more specific to the problems that can be expected in that
location?
To give a little background first:
Parts of the High Uinta mountain range date back to cambrian and pre-cambrian age. Cambrian being less than 570 Million years ago and pre-cambrian
roughly 4.6 Billion-570 Million years ago. This includes all the periods of Quaternary, Cretaceous, Jurassic, Triassic, Permian, Mississippian,
Devonian, Silurian, Ordovician, cambrian/pre-cambrian.
(Paleozoic time 570-245 Million years), (Mesozoic time 245-66.4 Million years ago), (Cenozoic time 65 Million yeas ago to the present.)
In other words the Uinta mountain range has survived many catastrophic events taken place on earth and has been around for a very long time in which
the problem does not lie. The problem lies within the stability of such formations and rocky mountain range in general.
The uinta mountains were carved from an immense anticlinal uplift an upwards fexing of the earth's crust. Looking at these formations deep crustal
movements pushed the uinta anticline northward over the region of the Green River Basin, causing the development of three major faults, the North
Flank fault to the west, the Henry's Fork fault at the center and the Uinta fault to the east. These are reverse faults or "Thrust" faults, the
fault surfaces dip steeply under the mountains, and the upthrust, mountainward black overrides the basinward block.
Of the three major faults. the Uinta appears to be the largest, having a displacement of about 34,000 feet, or the distance one blocked moved past the
other. The North Flank fault has a displacement of roughly 25,000 feet, the Henry's Fork fault roughly 12,000 feet. All faults within this range have
generally been regarded as "normal faults' faults in which the surface of rupture slopes under the down-dropped block.
Some scientific recent studies have found that some of them may be "Reverse" faults. These others faults I'm referring to run from east to west
extending 80 miles east from the Duchesne river area to Ashley Creek, the deep creek fault zone northwest of Vernal and the Willow Creek, Island Park,
Mitten Park, Wolf Creek and Yampa faults of Dinosaur National Monument.
Reverse faults cause the mountain ward up thrown side pushed up and over the basin ward down thrown side. Most of the larger faults of the the Uinta
Mountains are fairly broad zones of disturbance rather than simple fractures. There is much ground up and shattered rock, much distortion, and many
subsidiary fractures that can take place.
To simplify why this range is unstable or not the safest place to be upon such an event we must look at the faults themselves and the tectonic plate
movements expected and the aftermath. I would tell you that due to the much shattered rock, fractures and unstable structures within this mountain
range it will not be safe in this area for one to survive even if they build a deep underground hideout.
To further give areas that may not be safe near Colorado we must include the The Uinta basin, Douglas Creek Arch and the Piceance Basin which are
components of the Colorado Plateaus.
Will the rest of Utah (the canyonlands and such) not be safe?
Parts of Utah will be safe but much will be unstable with higher risk so taking a guess on where to go is not the wisest choice. If you PM me or email
me your location I can help give you suggestions and give you reasons why that you can look over for decision making. Do not take my word for
something alone but review and investigate it yourself, the responsibility of all things as we all know lies right within ourselves and should not lie
on anyone else's shoulders.
[edit on 3-7-2009 by Paroxysm]
Is it this "BLOCK FAULTING" that will be occurring on the CO/UT Border?? Is that why it will be unsafe?
Some of this can take place within the range due to the reverse faults and vertical uplifts that can occur and even the "opposite" however most of
the problem lies within the un stability, loose formations/rocks and movements of the plates in this area, when dealing with great earthquakes being
in the vicinity of such fault lines and structures/mountain ranges is not the wisest decision and simply common sense to stay away from in my opinion.
Now I'm not saying that someone cannot survive in this area, I am only saying it is a highly volatile mountain range and subject to change, plate
movement and ultimately can present many dangers and with that being said it is still a safer choice than other parts of the Rocky Mountain ranges.
[edit on 30-8-2009 by ET_MAN]