WSGS pamphlet highlights geology in Boysen State Park

Faults, a prominent reservoir, and nearly 3-billion-year-old rocks are some of the unique geology in and around Boysen State Park in central Wyoming. A new information pamphlet about Boysen published by the Wyoming State Geological Survey (WSGS) highlights these features and more.

“There is an abundance of geology found at Boysen State Park that is worth visiting. The park sits at the northern edge of the Wind River Basin and on the southern flank of the Owl Creek Mountains,” says WSGS Director and State Geologist, Dr. Erin Campbell. “Boysen is also the gateway to the Wind River Canyon, which provides excellent exposures of geologic formations and structures.”

Most of the park is taken up by Boysen Reservoir—a body of water formed by the damming of the Wind River that is designed to hold 802,000 acre-feet (1 acre foot=326,000 gallons) of water. Most of the water in the reservoir comes from snowpack from nearby mountains.

The pamphlet describes a series of normal faults around the park, with the most prominent being the Boysen fault. There’s also mention of the Great Unconformity, a geologic phenomenon on the southern end of the Wind River Canyon that represents more than a 2-billion-year gap in the geologic record.

The new information is part of a series that offers park visitors the opportunity to learn about the geology around them. Pamphlets are free and are available at the WSGS office on the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie and at park visitor centers. Pamphlets can also be downloaded from the WSGS at http://www.wsgs.wyo.gov.