OCR Text |
Show and its tributaries. The Colorado River flows in a wide valley from east to west across the northern part of the subject lands. To the north are the Book Cliffs of coal-bearing Mesaverde sandstone and the higher Roan Plateau on the thick Green River oil shales. South of the Colorado River the Gunnison River flows north in a wide valley in the central part of the area with the Uncompahgre Plateau on the west and the Grand Mesa on the east. South of the Uncompahgre Plateau in the vanadium area the Dolores River with its tributary San Miguel River flows northwest in deep canyons to join the Colorado River in Utah. Underlying the Plateau Province are essentially horizontal beds. Local mountain masses like the La Sal and Henry mountains In Utah are present. Broad domal uplifts like the Uncompahgre Plateau in Colorado and the San Rafael Swell in Utah are to be found, but, in spite of local complex structures, the features of the plateau area as a whole are simple in comparison to the faults and folds of the Rocky Mountains that are the east boundary of the Plateau Province in Colorado. The Plateaus and mesas that border the main valleys are rugged areas with high relief. Secondary roads reach all but small areas; main highways, however, are restricted to the valleys. United States Highway 6 follows the valley of the Colorado River, and United States Highway 50 follows |