Of Quartzite and Lily Pads

Hayden Peak, constructed of sandstone and quartzite masonry on a Cyclopean scale.

“… the view of one of these mountain lakes, with its deep-green water and fringe of meadowland, set in a sombre frame of pine forests, the whole enclosed by high walls of reddish-purple rock, whose horizontal bedding gives almost the appearance of a pile of Cyclopean masonry, forms a picture of rare beauty.” —pioneering geologist Frank Emmons, after working in the Uinta Mountains in 1869 and 1871

One cool evening high in the Uinta Mountains of northeast Utah, I strolled along Butterfly Lake below Hayden Peak, hoping to catch its Cyclopean masonry illuminated by alpenglow—or at least the golden light of early evening. But the brilliant reds and purples I imagined never appeared. Instead, the mountain simply turned dull and then dark.

Yet at the same time, the lily pads at the west end of Butterfly Lake glowed in the low light, joined by tree reflections floating on the water.

In Utah, Rocky Mountain pond-lilies (Nuphar lutea ssp. polysepala) grow only at higher elevations in the northeast part of the state. They stay some distance from shore, not liking shallow water. “Thus, the plants are seldom available to collectors, except by wading into icy water by the most determined of botanists.” (Stan Welsh in A Utah Flora)

Other common names include yellow pond-lily, for obvious reasons; spatterdock, because the capsules burst and spatter seeds about; and brandy-bottle, for the shape of the capsule.

Yellow sepals surround the pistil and stamens; petals are inconspicuous (source).

See the half-submerged brandy bottle?

Leaf stalks grow directly from large thick rhizomes firmly buried in mud. Blades can be a foot across.

Lily pads (leaf blades) usually lie flat on the water surface, providing hideouts for fish, frogs and other aquatic critters. But the season at Butterfly Lake is winding down. The water level has dropped, and leaves are starting to dry, fold up, turn color.

 

When the sun abandoned the lily patch, I turned back to Hayden Peak. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden was another of the pioneering geologists in the Uinta Mountains (1870). In fact, early geologists are extremely popular here:

“… there is one mountain range that commemorates early 19th century geologists and topographers who were influential figures in the geoscience field: the Uinta Mountains. More than 20 major geographic features in this mountain range (lakes, streams, and mountain summits and passes) bear the names of these important geoscientists.” [listed here]

The sandstones and quartzites of Hayden Peak started as sediment in a rift valley back when the continent was being torn apart 750 million years ago (Late Proterozoic). The faults on either side of the peak are much younger—maybe created 65 to 40 million years ago when the range was being uplifted.

The summit of Hayden Peak is 12,479 feet above sea level. Red lines mark faults.

Sources (in addition to links in post)

Dehler, CM, et al. 2005. Uinta Mountain geology. Utah Geological Association Pub. 33.

Emmons, SF. 1877. Descriptive geology: US Geological Exploration 40th Parallel (King). Volume 2.

Hansen, W. 1969. The geologic story of the Uinta Mountains. US Geological Survey Bulletin 1291.  PDF available here.

Welsh, SL, et al. 1987. A Utah flora. Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs No. 9.