A new study reveals how the iconic Zion National Park in southwest Utah was formed, revealing new evidence about how a massive cataclysm resulted in a gigantic landslide of debris. This in turn blocked the flow of the Virgin River and created a new lake, occurring thousands of years ago.

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Scientists and researchers from the University of Utah analyzed the formations of Zion National Park, which spans Iron, Kane and Washington state counties.

Researchers determined that a sandstone formation in the west wall of Zion Canyon known as Sentinel experienced a rock avalanche some 4,800 years ago that resulted in 10 billion cubic feet of sandstone debris falling off from Kayenta and Navajo, that blocked the Virgin River in the process, and forming a lake that is two miles long that existed for 700 years.

This massive landslide transformed the entire valley into what is now known as Zion National Park, as this sediment layer leveled the entire valley floor, which resulted in the absence of riverbanks.

According to geology professor and author of the study, Jeff Moore from the University of Utah, this rock avalanche was so massive that it buried an area size as big as Central Park in New York, under 275 feet of rubble and debris, adding that the amount of earth that fell from the mountains was estimated to be 90 times the volume of concrete that was used to construct the Hoover Dam.

The Sentinel is measured at 7,157 feet high, however the team believes that this was significantly more massive prior to this ancient rock avalanche from thousands of years back.

Data from computer simulations revealed that this landslide originated from the southeastern side of the canyon, that is travelling at 112 miles per hour, where its fastest speed was about 180 to 200 miles per hour, which all occurred in a matter of one minute, taking about 30 seconds for the rubble and debris to spread across the Zion Canyon.

Researchers now say that this cataclysm that created Zion National Park is extremely rare, where they found no evidence of a similar event happening any time soon.

This new study is published in the journal of Geological Society of America's GSA Today.

Tagszion national park, ancient cataclysm, Utah, ancient massive landslide