Way out in northwest Texas is a massive mesa or tableland called the Llano Estacado.
It is essentially a very large area (32,000 square miles) of semiarid flatland at a high elevation. It gradually slopes from a highpoint in the northwest of 5,000 feet in elevation to around 3,000 feet in the southeast. Basically, it drops about 10 feet for every mile. Caprock Canyons State Park is located along the Llano Estacado escarpment.
The term escarpment means the edge of the flatland where the gradual slope of 10 feet per mile comes to an abrupt end and plunges over a cliff. The escarpment is where dramatic erosion occurs.
Why is erosion more interesting than the flatland? It is nature's way of revealing its complex secrets. Wind and rain uncovers red layers of shales, sandstones, siltstones and mudstones.
The red occurs due to the abundance of iron oxide in the Permian Age when these layers were formed. During the Permian Age all the continents were joined together into one giant supercontinent. Ninety percent of all insects were cockroaches, and this part of Texas was located along the equator. It was a hot interval of geologic time, which lasted from about 300 million years ago to 250 million years ago. This was before the era of big dinosaurs. We would not have found it hospitable. All these interesting tidbits are part of the story told by the red layers. The geological complexity revealed and the beauty observed makes erosion more interesting than the flatland.
Nature has an artistic eye. At times this area was under water. As the water evaporated at the sea's edge, a thick layer of gypsum crystals formed. Gypsum crystals add contrasting layers of white against the backdrop of the red. Like an artist combining steaks of colors on a canvas, the gypsum adds that final detail to make the park a bit more complete and fascinating.
Is time travel possible? The hiking trails in the park are your portal. As you ascend and descend through a thousand feet of elevation, you also pass through millions of years of activity. It is all there to see.
Although this could make you feel like an insignificant speck in the Universe, it can also make you proud to be part of it.
Take a walk with Birkenstock.
"Geology is really something you have to study in the field. By taking geology it will help you get the full entertainment value out of this planet." Steve Simpson
Photo credit: Amber Harden
