My attempt to show off rock layers ended with me in a creek

Last summer, I took a trip to the Rocky Mountains with some pals. I was so excited to show them the awesome rock layers in a cliff we passed. I started pointing out the different colors and types, getting really into it. Then, I stepped back to get a better view and my foot slipped on some loose gravel. Before I knew it, I was sliding down the hill right into a cold creek! My friends couldn't stop laughing as I sat there dripping wet. The best part? I was still clutching a piece of sandstone I had picked up earlier. We all had a blast, and I got a firsthand feel for erosion! Now I always watch my step when talking rocks.

3 comments

3 Comments

parkertorres1mo ago

Wait, aren't those sedimentary layers?

derek9351mo ago

Consider how that creek might be cutting through those rock layers over time, @parkertorres. Your fall into the water is a tiny example of the same forces that carved the canyon. Those loose gravel bits you slipped on are just debris from the layers breaking down. It's wild to think that your stumble mimics natural erosion on a small scale. Clutching the sandstone while soaked shows how gripping geology can be, lmao. Really makes you respect how active and messy earth science is up close.

schmidt.karen17d ago

Exactly, they are sedimentary! But doesn't that make the whole thing even cooler? Those layers were built up over insane amounts of time, right? Now water is slowly taking them apart again, grain by grain. So when you slipped on that loose stuff, you were basically feeling the end result of that whole cycle. It's like the rock's whole history is right there under your feet, and you got a messy, wet front row seat to it happening.