History of Wyoming Geology

The History of Wyoming Geology

            The landscape of Wyoming has rocks dating back to over three billion years ago.  The geologic processes that took place in Wyoming are as varied as the landscape and many of them are not known because much of the erosion that has taken place has erased evidence of those processes.  Once covered by sea, the marine rocks have risen with crustal movement and the erosion since has weathered and carved the region into the Wyoming that is seen today.  The elevations in Wyoming vary from the highest point in “the summit of Gannett Peak (13,804 feet) in the Wind River Range and the lowest point (3,180 feet) in the channel of the Belle Fourche River in northeast Wyoming” (Blackstone 2).  Wyoming contains mountains, basins, and sits along the Continental Divide.  The Rocky Mountains make up a large part of the state, but this varies with the plains that roll east from the mountains. 

            There are many important geological features found throughout Wyoming.  One of the greatest is that of Yellowstone National Park.  This is a place of great interest, but the focus of this report will be on southeast Wyoming.  The plains can seem monotonous, but the rocky formations found throughout this region tell an important story of the history of this land and what has shaped it.  The gradual rise from the far southeastern side of the state toward the Laramie range is known as the Gangplank.  Much of the plains are formed from “flat-lying rocks of the Cenozoic and Mesozoic age” (Blackstone 8).  Most of these rocks were thrown from volcanoes and gradually carried east through river systems.  Those rivers and streams cut into those rocks and created many different geologic features.  The further east one goes, the more erosion they will see as the badlands are being created. 

            Overall, Wyoming offers a rich and diverse geologic history.  Through the study of locations within Wyoming, one can find themselves within a complex story of transition.  The features seen in Wyoming today speak about the ever constant change that has taken place not only in Wyoming, but all over Earth.  This speaks about the past while providing clues for possible changes in the future, and this is why it is so important to study even the tiniest of changes that occur.  

Blackstone, D. L. Jr. Traveler’s Guide to the Geology of Wyoming.  The Geologic Survey of Wyoming: Laramie. 1988. 2^nd ed.