Doughnut Falls

Geology 1010 Fall 2015

Tanner Johnson, Parker Brown, Lexi English
4/22/16

Doughtnut Falls is a one of a kind site located in Big Cottonwood Canyon that covers
about 144 acres of land. When you drive to the trailhead you will see there are signs referring to
different Mills B and C. They have those names because in the 1850s the side canyons were
named in alphabetical order. The location of Doughnut Falls is Mill D. (60 Hikes Within 60
Miles, pg. 125). Big Cottonwood Canyon was formed about 20,000 years ago when it was a
canyon covered by ice and had a much higher elevation. The way the valley looks and is shaped
is called a valley glacier. Valley glaciers begin at the head of the canyon and over time as they
erode, they carry sediments and debris down the canyon forming a valley. The trailhead is about
10-minuets up the canyon. As youre driving up you can see the V-shape of the valley.
The hike is only 1.4 miles long round trip with an elevation of about 7500 ft. at the
beginning of the hike. You can either begin the hike from where you park on the road or you can
drive up to the trailhead and start there. The beginning of the hike is basically a trail with nearly
strictly spruce trees, a very beautiful setting but it doesnt last. Upon reaching the falls you are
faced with the sedimentary rocks and jagged, eroded cliffs. The sedimentary rocks show that
there were past habitats much different from the ones we see today. The actual falls are classified
as a continental environment which is 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)
The way the land was formed is obvious and happened in late Devonian times. The force
of tectonic boundary from the movement of pacific plate when it moved toward the San Andreas
area is what caused this. The impact wasnt as big in our home state, but the compression is
present because of the basin and range area between Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains.
Because of the compression, our beautiful state was formed. Utah is described as half rocky

mountain range and half basin range. The effects of compression are how the vast rocky
mountain range and the basin range are very imminent and how they were created. Those same
effects are the way that the Colorado Plateau was formed as well. (Williams T. Parry, 2005)
Towards the finish of the Cretaceous era the mountains were not only more dense but
had a higher altitude as well with the Plateau reaching as high as 2.5 miles. Erosion caused the
mountain to become weaker and today it cant support a thicker crust. If we take a look at the
topographic history of the area, we will see that it is produced by warmed low viscosity magma.
Both the Rocky Mountain and Wasatch basin areas are thrust and shear faults. (Williams T. Parry,
2005)
As I observed the site I tried to think of what may have happened in order for actual
doughnut to be created. I believe there must have been some sort of natural weathering that
occurred. I also think that there may have been a natural cavern, and over time the water and
erosion created the doughnut. The site is packed with many different sized sedimentary rocks.
Mudstones are present as well. The variation in size is due to the mechanical weathering from all
of the hikers.
On the hike, there are several unusual formations caused by erosion. Erosion is intense at
doughnut falls due to the amount and different types of inclement weather they receive. Heat,
cold, rain, wind, water, they are all constantly changing and attacking the earth. In the winter,
water will filter into the many cracks in the earth and will freeze due to the cold temperatures.
Then the water will harden and expand, creating a larger crack.
This canyon has so many incredible features I had previously been oblivious to. Upon closer
examination you can see the rock formation order. The order is from oldest rock to youngest

rock, the more youthful rocks take the brunt force of the erosion. They protected the older rocks.
Erosion is a part of nature that has happened and will continue to happen constantly. The glacier
of the canyon has been there for years. Ice caused the greatest erosion at doughnut falls. It was
evident that the waterfall had several rock glacier deposits in it along with sand silt and clay
rocks and boulders to form the valley along with erosion from stream and river which form the
glacier. It is clear that ice is the main source of erosion. Even when ice isnt in a solid state, it is
eroding. The ice melts and turns to a liquid and the liquid becomes streams that work and
breakdown sedimentary rocks. (Sandy Eldredge)
In past years, doughnut falls was surround by rocks around the waterfall, but due to the
erosion and weathering those rocks have since been depleted and eroded away. The V-shape of
the valley is due to the erosion of the glacier. The glacier took its toll on the mountains because
the mountains have very sharp and rigid edges, they are not smooth and rounded.
This exercise helped me to learn about geology and our great mountains we have here in
Utah. Utah is an extremely unique geological state with many features that are not seen
anywhere else in the world. I love this state and this geology class helped me appreciate its
beauty even more.

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.