Science As It Happens - A Look Back in Time
March 1, 1880 (R. Stanton)
February 14, 1990 (R. Hopkins)
Bottom of 209-Mile Rapid (mile 209.3L), looking downstream. Erosion of sandbars is one of the major problems caused by clearwater releases from Glen Canyon Dam. At the bottom of 209-Mile Rapid, a boatman in 1890 rested on a sandy beach, whereas the boatman in 1990 had to lay on rocks! In general, erosion of sandbars decreases downstream of about river mile 120, and this site is no exception. The sandbar on river right (at right center) has significantly aggraded between 1890 and 1990. Although many of the rocks in the foreground are still present after a century, some, including the one serving as a backrest at lower right, have been rotated.