| Las Vegas Geology Highlights | |
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The glittering city of Las Vegas has done all it can to blot out the desert. But the region is a wonderland of natural attractions, too.
The American desert is a world-class destination all by itself, of course. It's such an iconic setting, familiar from Western movies, music videos, and car ads, that it feels like home even the first time you go there. Any place in the desert is special, but there are really noteworthy sites near Las Vegas. As you arrive, look around and drink in the sight of endless stone.
Las Vegas Valley is a downdropped basin typical of hundreds in the Basin and Range, the geologic province that extends over the whole of Nevada and a little beyond it on all sides. Over the last 25 million years or so, the Earth's crust here has been stretched in an east-west direction to around 150 percent of its former width, and the surface rocks have broken into north-south strips of mountains. As a result the hot material beneath has bulged upward, turning Nevada into a high plateau rich in metal ores and geothermal energy. The Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology has a thorough introduction to the state's geology (PDF).
The city is named for the grasslands (las vegas, the meadows) that once grew in the valley. They were a sign of the natural faults that force the water table near the ground surface there. Numerous earthquakes have been recorded there during this century.
There are some beautiful places to see while you're in town. Just west of the city is Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area, a prime destination for rock climbers. But you can just take a slow drive through the colorful formations if you like. One of the geologic highlights is an excellent exposure of the Keystone Thrust, where ancient crustal motions 65 million years ago shoved an older gray limestone on top of a younger red sandstone.
An hour or so northeast of Las Vegas is Valley of Fire, Nevada's first state park. The geologic setting is similar to Red Rock, but in addition this park features many ancient petroglyphs, rock art left by the local tribes including the mysterious Anasazi.
With all these possibilities, I'm about ready to go live there full time myself.
Among the people who DO live there amidst the tinsel and the scenery are some righteous salt-of-the-earth types, proud of their small desert towns. After you've had your fill of Las Vegas, why not unwind in a quiet little place like Blue Diamond, Nevada, the town that sheetrock built.
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