"Spot the Rock" January 16, 2014

Hey there geo friends! It’s another wonderful Thursday, so you know what that means…
Time for “Spot the Rock”! Oodles of doodles etched in stone. Truth is they’re actually well known! If you’ve got a guess, write it down.

Like us on FACEBOOK or follow us on TWITTER to participate in “Spot the Rock”!

UPDATE: Location Revealed
Parowan Gap (located approximately 20 miles north of Cedar City along Gap Road) is the product of a bygone stream. It’s a 600-foot deep canyon carved into the Red Hills. Millions of years ago, the hills began to rise as a result of fault movement, and the stream eroded the Parowan Gap canyon across the emerging ridge. An often-used analogy is that of a buzz saw (the river) slicing a groove (Parowan Gap) into a log rising up from below (the Red Hills).

The Parowan Gap Rock Art is on the National Register of Historic Places. There is a diverse array of deeply carved petroglyphs with geometric designs and repeating elements suggesting some could be astronomical calendars (Zipper Glyph Calendar as seen in the picture) or maps. Much of this art is thought to be inspired by Parowan Gap’s fixed position to viewers in relation to the varying position of the sun, sunrise, and sunset throughout the year.