NEWS RELEASE: Wyoming Geological Survey Publishes Information Pamphlet about Curt Gowdy State Park

WSGS Publishes Pamphlet about Curt Gowdy State Park’s Geology

The Wyoming State Geological Survey (WSGS) has published the first in a series of information pamphlets about the geology of Wyoming's various state parks. The first pamphlet focuses on Curt Gowdy State Park just north of U.S. Interstate 80 in southeastern Wyoming.

Wyoming is peppered with state parks, and a major draw to these sites is the geology. The goal of the WSGS’ new state parks program is to provide park visitors with a glimpse of the area’s geology. The Curt Gowdy pamphlets are free and are available at the park’s visitor center, at the WSGS office on the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie, and as a free download.

“In Wyoming, there is a strong association between geology and tourism,” says WSGS Director, Dr. Erin Campbell. “We hope this pamphlet, and others currently in production, will help visitors more fully enjoy our unique and scenic geology.”

Curt Gowdy State Park covers 3,400 acres in the southern Laramie Mountains. Rock exposures in and around the park are primarily associated with the Sherman batholith, a large mass of igneous rock that crystallized from magma deep within the earth roughly 1.43 billion years ago. A notable feature at Curt Gowdy is the three granites that compose the batholith: Sherman, porphyritic, and Lincoln granites.

The pamphlet also includes information about the geologic evolution of the Laramie Mountains, the “Gangplank” natural land bridge, the park’s hydrogeology, and a bedrock geologic map of the park and a portion of the southern Laramie Mountains.

State park pamphlets now in production will focus on Seminoe in south-central Wyoming and Glendo/Guernsey in the eastern part of the state.

WSGS geologist Chuck Samra will host an upcoming talk at Curt Gowdy State Park about the park’s geology. The date and time of the talk will be posted on WSGS’ social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram).