Posted on 10/17/2013 8:00:28 PM PDT by ClaytonP
A group of hikers high-fived after one of them intentionally pushed over a large rock, which is part of the "goblins" or "hoodoos" formation, and is nearly 200 million years old.
The men filmed one of their buddies referred to as "Glenn" pushing the giant rock from behind (video below).
According to The Salt Lake Tribune YouTube page, "Three men, tagged as Dave Hall, Glenn Taylor and Dylan Taylor, push over large rock boulders in Goblin Valley, Utah in this video posted to Hall's Facebook page."
After the rock comes tumbling down, the men celebrate their accomplishment in Goblin Valley State Park in Green River, Utah.
"We have now modified Goblin Valley," says the man filming. "A new Goblin Valley exists with, uh, this boulder down here on the bottom. Muscles here pushed it off."
At one point the cameraman states, "That's crazy, it was just held up by this little piece of dirt."
Now, the three men may be facing felony charges and could end up high-fiving in jail.
"It is not only wrong, but there will be consequences," Utah State Parks spokesman Eugene Swalberg told The Salt Lake Tribune. "This is highly, highly inappropriate. This is not what you do at state parks. It’s disturbing and upsetting."
Thanx a moment of real honesty. Lol
Thanx
Beat me to it! They had hams for heads. So fat their eyes were almost swallowed.
Too bad they left out the part where Glenn says, "Here, hold my beer!"
Send them on a shuttle to Mars and let them spend the next 70 yrs tumbling as many rocks as they want.
I’ve been there. It’s a unique and almost magical place. The photos on the thread really don’t do it justice. I was so in awe, I would never have considered touching them.
And they thought they were being so cool at the time.
At least I don’t worship rocks or Mother Earth and think people should be locked up for “disrespecting” such idols.
It looks like those rock formations are 200 million years old, plus or minus 500 million years.
Those boys were lucky the rock did not fall on top of them. Some Boy Scouts will always need adult supervision.
You're right. Goblin Valley is a display of God's humor. The Arches is a park full of graceful sculptures. Capitol Reef is Eden-like -- with beautiful mature, irrigated fruit orchards occupying a narrow valley surrounded by spectacular red rock cliffs.
Seems like there's a new geology lesson around every curve in Utah...
There was a Walt Disney cartoon some years back ("Grand Canyonscope" 1954) about how Donald Duck unintentionally destroyed similar rock formations at a national park. He was beset upon by an irate and pudgy Park Ranger (J. Audubon Woodlore) who gave him a broom and instructions to make right all he'd destroyed and put it back in its original state.
Ranger Woodlore: Well, I hope you're satisfied. You two have, in a matter of minutes, messed up what it took Mother Nature millions of years to create. The National Park Rule Book states, and I quote, "When a natural object is marred or defaced, it must be restored to its original state." So, start digging!
No one would care if oil came flying out.
They could have saved everyone a lot of trouble if they had just gone to the food court at the mall, gotten some cheeseburgers and greasy fries and hung "kick me" signs on each others' backs.
Takes a while to shake and blow until the strata is just so.
Then idjits come by and alter the "just so".
Are they guilty of defamation or premature rearrangement of the landscape?
Is it that permanent?
Are the vandals natural? or man made?
*laugh* Thanks for that one. I am an old-time FReeper and that one never even occurred to Me, so I appreciate the quick wit. *grin*
No they are not, and that's the "big lie". Note post 39, which gives a justification of the 200 million year figure in more reasonable terms. But even this is a gloss. If the figure has any justification at all, it must be the date of the exposed strata, in my estimation, and it must mean that the material of the toppled rock was deposited 200 million years ago, then buried deeper for millions upon millions of years, then eroded for millions upon millions more years to expose the present configuration, which would be recognizable "as is" for only some tens of thousands of years, at best.
I'm not so sure God has humor, which seems to me to be something on the human side. The wonders of Nature seem to me an expression of God's greatness, whether millions or thousands of years, or even minutes or seconds in the making, as dew and frost, for example. So let us be humble.
Entrada sandstone - 140 -180 million years. Here’s the USGS page discussing it: http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/coloradoplateau/lexicon/entrada.htm
When you get done reading the literature sited get back to me.
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