Cathedral Gorge State Park
Encyclopedia
Cathedral Gorge State Park is a state park
of Nevada
, USA, featuring a gorge eroded through soft bentonite
clay. The park covers 1608 acres (650.7 ha). It is located in Central/Eastern Nevada 1 miles (1.6 km) north of the intersection of U.S. Route 93
and State Route 319
, near Panaca
. Cathedral Gorge was established as one of the four original Nevada State Parks in 1935. The park sits at an elevation of 4800 feet (1,463 m) above sea level, and is typically arid with semi-hot summers, and very cold winters. In the summer, temperatures usually range from 95 °F (35 °C) in mid-day to roughly 55 °F (12.8 °C) at night. Rainfall is variable, and thunderstorms are prevalent. At one time, Shakespearean plays were performed with the clay
formations in the backdrop. The various naturally formed crevices were used as dressing rooms and as a backstage where actors and actresses would prepare, awaiting their cue.
(which lies along U.S. Route 93 from the towns of Caliente
to Panaca
) was covered by a freshwater lake nearly 1 million years ago during the Pliocene
Era. The richly colored canyons of Cathedral Gorge (called the Panaca Formation) are remnants of this ancient lakebed. Over centuries, the lake began to gradually drain. Erosion
began working away at the exposed portions of sediment
and gravel
that once composed the lake bottom. Rainwater and melting snow carved rivulets in the soft siltstone
and clay
shale
, splitting tiny cracks and fissures into larger and larger gullies and canyons.
(dubbed the "Badland") it is difficult for plant life to take root in the constantly eroding clay. However, away from the clay, the park's diverse soil
types allow various plant associations to grow. Fragile sand dunes are held firm thanks to a wide array of wildflowers and grasses, such as Dune Primroses and Indian Rice Grass. Within the valley center, clay, sand, and gravel have melded to form a rich, granulated soil that encourages the growth of the following species: narrowleaf yucca
, juniper
trees, Barberry sagebrush
, greasewood
, white sage
, shadscale, Four-winged Saltbush. Rabbitbrush
finds sanctuary in disturbed areas, such as roadsides and walkways. Very few species of cactus
can tolerate the climate in Cathedral Gorge, where temperature
s in winter can fall below freezing, and rise above 100 °F (37.8 °C) in summer.
Other trees, not native to the park, have been planted around the campground to provide shade.
s, cottontail rabbit
s, coyote
s, gopher
s, kangaroo rat
s, kit fox
es, mice
, and skunk
s. Deer
can be observed infrequently near Miller Point during the late fall and winter.
Birds are seen frequently around camp areas, and near dense patches of shrub
s. The natives include, blackbirds
, black-throated sparrow
s, finch
es, American kestrel
s, small hawk
s, raven
s, roadrunner
s, American robin
s, sapsucker
s, and introduced European starling
s. Migratory birds include, bluebird
s, cedar waxwing
s, hummingbird
s, and warbler
s.
Various species of non-poisonous snakes and lizards are abundant. In the summer, the Great Basin rattlesnake
may be spotted.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
of Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, USA, featuring a gorge eroded through soft bentonite
Bentonite
Bentonite is an absorbent aluminium phyllosilicate, essentially impure clay consisting mostly of montmorillonite. There are different types of bentonite, each named after the respective dominant element, such as potassium , sodium , calcium , and aluminum . Experts debate a number of nomenclatorial...
clay. The park covers 1608 acres (650.7 ha). It is located in Central/Eastern Nevada 1 miles (1.6 km) north of the intersection of U.S. Route 93
U.S. Route 93 in Nevada
In the U.S. state of Nevada, U.S. Route 93 is a major U.S. highway traversing the eastern edge of the state. The highway connects the Las Vegas area to the Great Basin National Park, and provides further connections to Ely and Wells...
and State Route 319
Nevada State Route 319
State Route 319 is a state highway in Lincoln County, Nevada, USA. The route connects the town of Panaca to Modena, Utah. SR 319 has been part of the state highway system since at least 1932, and was part of the longer State Route 25 prior to the late 1970s.-Route description:State Route 319...
, near Panaca
Panaca, Nevada
Panaca is a town in eastern Lincoln County, Nevada, on State Route 319, about 1 mile east of U.S. Route 93, near the border with Utah. Its elevation is 4,729 feet .-History:...
. Cathedral Gorge was established as one of the four original Nevada State Parks in 1935. The park sits at an elevation of 4800 feet (1,463 m) above sea level, and is typically arid with semi-hot summers, and very cold winters. In the summer, temperatures usually range from 95 °F (35 °C) in mid-day to roughly 55 °F (12.8 °C) at night. Rainfall is variable, and thunderstorms are prevalent. At one time, Shakespearean plays were performed with the clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
formations in the backdrop. The various naturally formed crevices were used as dressing rooms and as a backstage where actors and actresses would prepare, awaiting their cue.
Natural history
Geology
A majority of Meadow ValleyMeadow Valley Wash
The Meadow Valley Wash is a southern Nevada stream draining the Meadow Watershed that is bordered on 3 sides by the Great Basin Divide. The wash's Lincoln County headpoint is in the Wilson Creek Range, and the wash includes 2 upper confluences . Panaca is along the upper wash, and downstream of...
(which lies along U.S. Route 93 from the towns of Caliente
Caliente, Nevada
Caliente , formerly known as Culverwell and Calientes is a town in Lincoln County, Nevada, United States. Its elevation is 4,300 feet . The population was 1,123 at the 2000 census...
to Panaca
Panaca, Nevada
Panaca is a town in eastern Lincoln County, Nevada, on State Route 319, about 1 mile east of U.S. Route 93, near the border with Utah. Its elevation is 4,729 feet .-History:...
) was covered by a freshwater lake nearly 1 million years ago during the Pliocene
Pliocene
The Pliocene Epoch is the period in the geologic timescale that extends from 5.332 million to 2.588 million years before present. It is the second and youngest epoch of the Neogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Pliocene follows the Miocene Epoch and is followed by the Pleistocene Epoch...
Era. The richly colored canyons of Cathedral Gorge (called the Panaca Formation) are remnants of this ancient lakebed. Over centuries, the lake began to gradually drain. Erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
began working away at the exposed portions of sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
and gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
that once composed the lake bottom. Rainwater and melting snow carved rivulets in the soft siltstone
Siltstone
Siltstone is a sedimentary rock which has a grain size in the silt range, finer than sandstone and coarser than claystones.- Description :As its name implies, it is primarily composed of silt sized particles, defined as grains 1/16 - 1/256 mm or 4 to 8 on the Krumbein phi scale...
and clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
shale
Shale
Shale is a fine-grained, clastic sedimentary rock composed of mud that is a mix of flakes of clay minerals and tiny fragments of other minerals, especially quartz and calcite. The ratio of clay to other minerals is variable. Shale is characterized by breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering...
, splitting tiny cracks and fissures into larger and larger gullies and canyons.
Plants
In areas below the eroded escarpmentEscarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
(dubbed the "Badland") it is difficult for plant life to take root in the constantly eroding clay. However, away from the clay, the park's diverse soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
types allow various plant associations to grow. Fragile sand dunes are held firm thanks to a wide array of wildflowers and grasses, such as Dune Primroses and Indian Rice Grass. Within the valley center, clay, sand, and gravel have melded to form a rich, granulated soil that encourages the growth of the following species: narrowleaf yucca
Yucca
Yucca is a genus of perennial shrubs and trees in the family Asparagaceae, subfamily Agavoideae. Its 40-50 species are notable for their rosettes of evergreen, tough, sword-shaped leaves and large terminal panicles of white or whitish flowers. They are native to the hot and dry parts of North...
, juniper
Juniper
Junipers are coniferous plants in the genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on taxonomic viewpoint, there are between 50-67 species of juniper, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere, from the Arctic, south to tropical Africa in the Old World, and to the...
trees, Barberry sagebrush
Sagebrush
Sagebrush is a common name of a number of shrubby plant species in the genus Artemisia native to western North America;Or, the sagebrush steppe ecoregion, having one or more kinds of sagebrush, bunchgrasses and others;...
, greasewood
Greasewood
Greasewood, Sarcobatus, is a genus of one or two species of flowering plants. Traditionally it has been treated in the family Chenopodiaceae, but the APG II system, of 2003, places it in the family Sarcobataceae....
, white sage
White sage
Salvia apiana is an evergreen perennial shrub that is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, found mainly in the coastal sage scrub habitat of Southern California and Baja California, on the western edges of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts.-Description :S...
, shadscale, Four-winged Saltbush. Rabbitbrush
Ericameria
Ericameria is a genus of shrubs in the Asteraceae or daisy family known by the common names rabbitbrush, rabbitbush, and goldenbush. These are semi-deciduous shrubs familiarly known as to sagebrush. They are distributed in the arid western United States and northern Mexico. Bright yellow flowers...
finds sanctuary in disturbed areas, such as roadsides and walkways. Very few species of cactus
Cactus
A cactus is a member of the plant family Cactaceae. Their distinctive appearance is a result of adaptations to conserve water in dry and/or hot environments. In most species, the stem has evolved to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the leaves have evolved into spines...
can tolerate the climate in Cathedral Gorge, where temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
s in winter can fall below freezing, and rise above 100 °F (37.8 °C) in summer.
Other trees, not native to the park, have been planted around the campground to provide shade.
Animals
Small mammals form a majority of the park's animal population: black-tailed jackrabbitBlack-tailed Jackrabbit
The black-tailed jackrabbit , also known as the american desert hare, is a common hare of the western United States and Mexico, where it is found at elevations from sea level to up to...
s, cottontail rabbit
Cottontail rabbit
The cottontail rabbits are among the 16 lagomorph species in the genus Sylvilagus, found in the Americas.In appearance, most cottontail rabbits closely resemble the wild European Rabbit...
s, coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
s, gopher
Gopher (animal)
The term gopher as it is commonly used does not relate to any one species, but is a generic term used to describe any of several small burrowing rodents endemic to North America, including the pocket gopher , also called true gophers, and the ground squirrel , including Richardson's ground squirrel...
s, kangaroo rat
Kangaroo rat
Kangaroo rats, genus Dipodomys, are small rodents native to North America. The common name derives from their bipedal form: as they hop in a manner similar to the much larger kangaroo, although they are not related...
s, kit fox
Kit Fox
The kit fox is a fox species of North America. Its range is primarily in the southwestern United States and northern and central Mexico. Some mammalogists classify it as conspecific with the swift fox, V. velox, but molecular systematics imply that the two species are distinct.-Range:The...
es, mice
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
, and skunk
Skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
s. Deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
can be observed infrequently near Miller Point during the late fall and winter.
Birds are seen frequently around camp areas, and near dense patches of shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
s. The natives include, blackbirds
Icterid
The Icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colorful passerine birds restricted to the New World. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange or red. The family is extremely varied in size, shape, behavior and coloration...
, black-throated sparrow
Black-throated Sparrow
The Black-throated Sparrow is a small sparrow primarily found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is sometimes referred to as the Desert Sparrow, due to its preferred habitat of arid desert hillsides and scrub...
s, finch
Finch
The true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...
es, American kestrel
American Kestrel
The American Kestrel , sometimes colloquially known as the Sparrow Hawk, is a small falcon, and the only kestrel found in the Americas. It is the most common falcon in North America, and is found in a wide variety of habitats. At long, it is also the smallest falcon in North America...
s, small hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
s, raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
s, roadrunner
Greater Roadrunner
The Greater Roadrunner, taxonomically classified as Geococcyx californianus, meaning "Californian Earth-cuckoo," is a long-legged bird in the cuckoo family, Cuculidae. Along with the Lesser Roadrunner, it is one of two species in the roadrunner genus Geococcyx...
s, American robin
American Robin
The American Robin or North American Robin is a migratory songbird of the thrush family. It is named after the European Robin because of its reddish-orange breast, though the two species are not closely related, with the European robin belonging to the flycatcher family...
s, sapsucker
Sapsucker
The Sapsuckers form the genus Sphyrapicus within the woodpecker family Picidae. All are found in North America.As their name implies, sapsuckers feed primarily on the sap of trees, moving among different tree and shrub species on a seasonal basis...
s, and introduced European starling
European Starling
The Common Starling , also known as the European Starling or just Starling, is a passerine bird in the family Sturnidae.This species of starling is native to most of temperate Europe and western Asia...
s. Migratory birds include, bluebird
Bluebird
The bluebirds are a group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the genus Sialia of the thrush family . Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. They have blue, or blue and red, plumage...
s, cedar waxwing
Cedar Waxwing
The Cedar Waxwing is a member of the family Bombycillidae or waxwing family of passerine birds. It breeds in open wooded areas in North America, principally southern Canada and the northern United States.-Description:...
s, hummingbird
Hummingbird
Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds, most species measuring in the 7.5–13 cm range. Indeed, the smallest extant bird species is a hummingbird, the 5-cm Bee Hummingbird. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings...
s, and warbler
New World warbler
The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are not related to the Old World warblers or the Australian warblers....
s.
Various species of non-poisonous snakes and lizards are abundant. In the summer, the Great Basin rattlesnake
Crotalus oreganus lutosus
Crotalus oreganus lutosus is a venomous pitviper subspecies found in the Great Basin region of the United States.-Description:Adult specimens are 66-121 cm in length, but rarely exceed an overall length of 1 m...
may be spotted.