Doughnut Falls

Geology 1010 Spring 2016

Lexi English

[Abstract: This paper talks about geologic features in Utahs own Doughnut Falls. This paper
will also address the different weathering and erosion that has taken place that have impacted this
geologic formation. ]

Doughnut falls is one of the most popular hikes in Big Cottonwood Canyon. It is about
nine miles up the canyon and you can find it by looking for the sign that says Mill D
Trailhead(60 Hikes Within 60 Miles, pg. 125). As you approach the trailhead for the hike there
are also signs that say Mill B and Mill C. The trails are named this because in the 1850s side
canyons were named in alphabetical order.
Big Cottonwood Canyon began to develop between 10.000 and 30,000 years ago. It used
to be a highly elevated, canyon that was covered in ice glacier. The canyon used to be defined as
a valley glacier at the mouth. On the drive up to the trailhead you can see the V or U shape to the
valley. This happened because of erosion and the valley glacier melting. A valley glacier starts at
the head of a canyon and as they erode they carry debris and create the landscape.
There are a few different places to park as you get to the trailhead. You can both park on
the side of the road or drive up to the trailhead parking and park there. The hike is very short, it is
1.4 miles long round trip and the trailhead is an elevation of 7,493 ft. As the hike begins you will
find yourself seeing many spruce trees all around the trail. As you approach the falls there are
sedimentary rocks and cliffs. The cliffs have been eroded and the sedimentary rocks represent the
past environment at Doughnut Falls. Doughnut Falls is classified as a continental environment
which are defined as an environment that is dominated by erosion and deposition associated with
the stream that flows throughout the waterfall (60 Hikes Within 60 Miles, pg. 125).
As you look around you can see how the land was formed during late Devonian times up
to early Cenozoic times. You can tell as you see the stress of the tectonic boundary from when
the pacific plate moved towards the San Andreas Fault area. In Utah there is not a huge impact
from the stress and pressure. The only reason it is present is because of the basin and range area

between the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. The compression movement has caused Utah
to be able to form from the land pulling apart. The basin and range formed in the middle from the
impact of land. The Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountain ranges as well as the Colorado Plateau
were formed from the compression and basin range areas. (Williams T. Parry, 2005)
The Rocky Mountain basin and the Wasatch Mountain basin is considered a thrust and
shear fault because the fault line is right on the mountain. (Williams T. Parry, 2005) The end of
the Cretaceous period is where the mountain was thicker and higher. Erosion occurred on the
mountain and became thinner. This caused the mountain to become brittle and break down. The
thin brittle material causes the mountain to lose its ability to support itself.
As Tanner, Parker and I approached the end of the hike we all wondered what caused this
doughnut shape to be formed in the rocks and allow the water to flow through it. It was
incredible but took some thought and creativity to figure out how it ended up looking like this.
We came to the conclusion together that there was possibly an earthquake. The shaking would
have caused the sides of the rock that were once separated to come together and collide. There
are many sedimentary rocks all around the site and evidence of mudstones. We knew this
because of the dark colors in the rocks. We believe that the rocks were all different sizes because
of weathering and erosion. The rocks all started as large rocks but as people hike they break the
rocks and also the water constantly running down breaks down the rocks causing the different
sizes and shapes. The site also sees all four seasons that Utah has, the rocks are eroded by snow
and then having the snow melt as the weather becomes warmer. As the sun shines in the summer
the erosion is caused by dry heat, wind, and the variation in temperatures. The cold weather
causes water to freeze in cracks in the rocks which causes them to become wider. Rocks have
also been uplifted which forms cracks which allows water to flow through them. Some of the

rocks at the site have a red color tint which surprised me. I think that this occurred because of
iron oxides present.
After this field trip assignment I am very interested in Big Cottonwood Canyon. I want to
go back a few times this summer to see more of the amazing features that I had no idea were
there before. If you look closely you can see the order of the rock formations from the oldest
rock all the way to the youngest rocks. The older rocks are on the bottom where the younger ones
are being eroded because they are on the top. Some places in the canyon you cannot tell where
the older rocks are because the erosion of the new rocks has hidden them. Erosion is a necessary
process that happens nonstop throughout the world. The earth has been formed as a result of
erosion and the beautiful site of Doughnut Falls has also.
The winter water freezes and turns to ice so the glacier has been on the mountain for
many years. The ice breaks down many rocks in doughnut falls as Tanner, Parker, and I
observed. The waterfall was full of glacier deposits which are clay, silt, sand, gravel, and
boulders which run down the stream. The glacier forms ice and water which expands the rocks
sometimes so greatly that the rocks cannot resist expansion which is called frost wedging.
(Sandy Eldredge)
I assume that Doughnut Falls used to have many large rocks around the waterfall but as a
result of erosion from many different sources, the rocks have fallen downstream and have broken
down into much smaller rocks. The V or U shaped valley as mentioned previously has also been
a result from all the events of erosion. The mountain is jagged and sharp.

Works Cited

60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Salt Lake City. 2008, p125-128. 4p. 1 Black and White Photograph, 1
Graph, 1 Map.
60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Salt Lake City. 2008, p155-158. 4p. 2 Black and White Photographs,
1 Graph, 1 Map.
Parry, W. (2005). A hiking guide to the geology of the Wasatch mountains: A geological guide to
the hiking trails in Mill Creek, Big Cottonwood, and Little Cottonwood Canyons. Salt
Lake City: University of Utah Press.
Eldredge, S. (2015, September 3). GeoSights: Glacial Landforms in Big and Little Cottonwood
Canyons, Salt Lake County. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
Case, W., Eldredge, S., Milligan, M., & Wilkerson, C. (n.d.). Geologic Guide to the Central
Wasatch Front Canyons. Retrieved December 3, 2015.

This is a picture of the drive up to the trailhead. The roads were not straight as a result from
when the glaciers melted back in the day. Now you can see the V or U shaped valley also as a
result of the glacial melting.
This is where we parked to start our
hike. As we approached the hike
we found a sign that explained the
effects of the Wasatch Fault like
sand and mud depositions and
fossil remains.

This is an example of where

the land uplifts. This causes a
small overturned fold. This was
affected by mechanical
weathering such as freezing,
thawing, wind, water, and
glacial melting.

This picture shows a lot of

erosion I would assume from
the water and wind. You can
see the snow on the top of the
picture so that causes erosion
as well.

The hike became very steep with many folds and uplifts. You can see the stream running between
the rocks which cause erosion to happen even more. This creates slate, shale, and limestone.

This was an interesting picture that Tanner took on the drive up the canyon. I think that it is so
cool because you can see the different colors and textures of the rocks. The land has clearly been
eroded.