Still More Plate Tectonics: The Rocky Mountains

Mountain Building and Metamorphism
Rising high above Estes Park, Colorado, and almost within shouting distance of the population centers of Boulder and Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park is a natural destination for the crowds that throng to this mountain playground. Long’s Peak, at 14,256 feet (about 4300 m), dominates the south-central part of the park; the peak was first climbed in 1868, by a party that included John Wesley Powell, the man who later commanded the first boat passage of the Grand Canyon and then led the United States Geological Survey. Numerous peaks over 13,000 feet (4000 meters) in Rocky Mountain lure climbers.
Small and rapidly shrinking active glaciers still carve the mountains, and much greater glaciers of the past left the numerous tarn lakes, moraines, and other features that decorate the park. Trail Ridge Road surmounts the high tundra of the park, giving the visitor a first-hand look at periglacial processes and ecosystems (those of cold regions; more on this later). The Colorado River rises on the west slopes of the park, and lovely little trout streams such as the St. Vrain flow down the east slope. Bighorn sheep and elk attract traffic jams in Horseshoe Park.
Virtual Field Trip: Rocky Mountains
Join us as we go on a virtual tour of Rocky Mountain National Park.