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desert towers... and potholes

Original Post
evelyn · · Portland, OR · Joined Mar 2011 · Points: 110

Hello Mountain Project community,

During the time I spent living in Moab, I became pretty obsessed with the desert potholes out there: nps.gov/cany/naturescience/…

So now I'm a grad student at CU Boulder, working on population genetics of branchiopods (fairy shrimp and tadpole shrimp) in these same potholes...

And I was hoping that some of you that have been out to Southeastern Utah (especially those of you that have ever climbed desert towers) might be able to help me with my project by letting me know if and where you've ever seen these potholes on top of towers. Branchiopods pretty much seem to only exist in certain layers of rock (especially Navajo, that super pretty, smooth pink layer) on the Colorado Plateau, and a lot of towers around Moab have this layer at the summit. The potholes they live in can be anywhere from just a few inches deep, to big enough to drop a truck in. This summer I'm planning to head back to Moab and spend some time trying to find and describe these super isolated, crazy, amazing populations of fairy shrimp; the more potholes I can find, the better. Also, even if you can't quite remember if you saw actual potholes somewhere but you think there might be some, please feel free to let me know!

Pictures are welcome of course, too. :)

Thanks a ton for your help,
Evelyn

George Bell · · Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 5,050

The biggest potholes I have seen on top of a tower were on the End Pinnacle at Cochise Stronghold, Arizona. But this is in granite.

There are some pretty big potholes on top of the Maiden, above Boulder. But not Navajo Sandstone ...

fossana · · leeds, ut · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 13,318

On a related topic, is this the species in the Flatirons: Branchinecta coloradensis? Will keep an eye out for you around Moab. thanks

Peter Blank · · Grand Junction, Colorado · Joined May 2008 · Points: 720

Top of Independence Monument in Colorado National Monument. Sometimes has water and occasional "shrimp"

Andy Donson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2001 · Points: 280

Theres some huge potholes that were swimming with creatures on the plateau beneath the lost world (look for the route "the road not taken"). Its pretty much where the road ends. The most impressive inhabitants were huge trilobite type things - most primordial looking thing I ever saw. not sure if they are brachiopods tho.

monkeyvanya · · Denver · Joined Oct 2008 · Points: 265

Vedauwoo. Granite again though
Towers in Sedona, AZ too

S Denny · · Aspen, CO · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 20

2nd independence monument

mtoensing · · AZ · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 705

On top of the rectory. I think there is crypto up there as well.

Paul Irby · · moab, ut · Joined Jan 2010 · Points: 141

There are a number of potholes on top of Monitor Butte. Some are like thirty feet deep. But it's Entrada.

evelyn · · Portland, OR · Joined Mar 2011 · Points: 110

Wow, thank you guys so much!

So I'll definitely take note of all of the potholes everywhere else, so that I can one day possibly make the case that I need to travel to Arizona and Wyoming to do some "work" ;) But for now, I'm mostly interested in the ones in Southeastern Utah (around Moab), because I'm looking at the genetics of two particular fairy shrimp: Streptocephalus texanus and Branchinecta packardii, and one tadpole shrimp: Triops longicaudatus. I'm pretty sure that, though they're still really cool, the branchiopods in those granite pools are probably different species. I'll have to check out the Monument to see what species they are..

@Andy: that's exactly what I'm looking for! Yes, the trilobite-looking things are tadpole shrimp. They've remained virtually unchanged for 300 million years. Crazy. I'll be going up there, for sure! Thanks for the lead.

Paul S · · Fruita, CO · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 820

Window Blind Peak and Assembly Hall Peak in the San Rafael Swell might be good places to look. I don't specifically recall seeing obvious pot holes up there, but they're big summits, so they must have some. I'm pretty sure they're navajo sandstone too. There are a number of isolated summits in the navajo formation in the Buckhorn Wash area that could have what you are looking for.

Adam Paashaus · · Greensboro, NC · Joined May 2007 · Points: 791

I had a great time checking out the potholes with you back in the day... good to hear your still fascinated! Oh, and hope you are enjoying boulder! Get up to Estes as much as you can! Again I know its not what you are looking for but up on Batman Pinnacle (Lumpy) there are two types of swimmers in two potholes inches apart and I've seen one species in the others hole and they do NOT get along. Pretty interesting

knowbuddy Buddy · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2010 · Points: 225

PM'd

Andrew Gram · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 3,725

I was just on top of Window Blind Peak the other day, and didn't really notice any potholes. The rock up there seems to fracture more into plates like shale so it didn't seem very conducive to pothole formation.

Brian in SLC · · Sandy, Utah · Joined Oct 2003 · Points: 21,711

How long before..."climbing banned to protect pothole life"...

Pothole ecology...

Nah, that'd never happen. Ha ha.

Max Supertramp · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 95
Max Supertramp wrote:I have seen some very interesting perennially wet (full, in excess of 1,000 gallon) tinajas in high topographic locations in the Navajo. These places lack a sufficient catchment or hydrologic conduit to logically hold water through June, yet they do. Perhaps impermeable lenses of limestone or shale below? Very odd, I will track down some photos. Independence Monument holds water in its Kayenta caprock for many months... The kayenta is the best pothole former in towers in the places lacking Navajo. Less permeable and porous than the Navajo.
Also some pretty good ones in the quartz monzonites of the Mojave National Preserve, though these seem less likely to persist through drier/hotter times.
teece303 · · Highlands Ranch, CO · Joined Dec 2012 · Points: 596

Castlewood Canyon has these in spades. I'm going to have to keep an eye on them for life from now on!

And I've always called them huecos.

evelyn · · Portland, OR · Joined Mar 2011 · Points: 110

@Adam: Hi! Thanks for the lead. Let me know if you make it back this direction this summer and want to go searching for potholes... :)

@Brian: I'm a climber too, and I have no intention of trying to get climbing banned anywhere. The signs around Moab are not for climbers, but for mountain bike traffic through potholes. For aesthetic reasons, I think that only good can come of a heightened awareness of their presence - they're amazing to look at when the branchiopods hatch. My project is geared towards looking at how climate change in the desert Southwest might affect these potholes in the long-term future. I also want to find out how genetically connected these populations of fairy shrimp are to each other so that I can understand how they've been able to survive for so long in such fragmented, isolated populations.

Allen Corneau · · Houston, TX · Joined May 2008 · Points: 80

We've got Fairy Shrimp in the vernal pools at Enchanted Rock (TX)...

Texas Parks and Wildlife Vernal Pools PDF

Max Supertramp · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 95

you've read Secret Knowledge of Water, right?

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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