MIC Lecture Series: Moab Is Sinking From a Wave of Incision

It should be no surprise that geologically youthful canyon incision is a hallmark of Utah’s canyonlands. Yet, the timing and patterns of canyon cutting are only starting to be understood, revealing a connection to the formation of Moab-Spanish valley and other graben along exposures of Paradox Formation salt. Our research utilizes stream terraces and basin-fill deposits dated by luminescence and cosmogenic methods to quantify incision rates, active faulting, and salt deformation. I will focus on new findings from Meander Canyon just downstream from Moab, and from Spanish Valley and Moab city itself. Results identify a wave of incision passing through the system in recent geologic time, which has triggered faulting and driven ongoing subsidence in Moab city at measurable, high rates. From a geological perspective, Moab is actively sinking from a passing wave of river incision. Joel Pederson is a CNHA Discovery Pool Grant recipient. Presented by Joel Pederson.