The Magic of Little Cottonwood Canyon
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

The course will begin with the regional geology of the western United States, the Great Basin, and the formation of the Wasatch Mountains. We will look at the bedrock geology of Little Cottonwood Canyon which covers almost two billion years of earth history. We will examine Pleistocene glaciation, its cause and its effects and study the Wasatch Fault, its history of earthquakes, and the likelihood of those in the future. We will examine the eight climate zones in the canyon, from desert steppe in the Salt Lake Valley to alpine tundra at the top of Mt. Baldy. We will also look at the early history of Alta, beginning with the discovery of silver in 1865, and the building of the town of Alta, which burned down in 40 minutes in 1878. Finally, we'll look at the transition from mining to skiing in 1939. This course aims to foster in members a new appreciation for Little Cottonwood Canyon, one of the most remarkable places in the world.