World Renowned Fantasy Canyon Loses Beloved Formation

Contact: Karen Bloom (435) 781-4423
Vernal, Utah-September 28, 2006-The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) questions, "Was it the hand of man or the forces of nature that caused the Teapot formation to come tumbling down from where it had stood for more than 50 million years?"

It was on Thursday, September 14, 2006, that a group of German tourists came into the Vernal Field Office to gather information on the world renowned geological formations called Fantasy Canyon, also referred to as natures "China Shop." As the BLM gave the German tourists information on the geological features, BLM stated that a cold front was expected to move toward the area which could cause slippery roads and to be careful driving.
As forecasted, the cold front hit with a fury Friday night bringing high winds, hail and localized heavy rains throughout the Basin. When the Vernal Field Office opened its office on Tuesday morning the answering machine had a message reporting the Teapot feature, one of Fantasy Canyon's most photographed formations, was on the bottom of the canyon floor. Soon after, the group of German tourists came into the office and reported they made it out to Fantasy Canyon over the weekend and noticed the Teapot was gone.

With the multiple reports of the Teapot being knocked over, BLM sent out one of its geologists and one of its recreation planners to see if the reports were true. When the BLM personnel arrived at the site, they validated the reports. The ancient and delicate feature had been destroyed.

When the geologist started looking closer at the Teapot feature on the canyon floor, trying to determine the cause of its fate, the geologist noticed the soil crust around the base and around the backside of where the feature once stood was heavily disturbed by human footprints. With so many footprints around one has to wonder if someone accidentally or possibly intentionally caused the Teapot to fall. The geologist also noticed that rocks, not common to the formation layers or features, were placed onto stem formations near where the Teapot once stood.

For now, the Teapot's demise is a mystery, whether it was caused by Mother Nature or was human caused. The actual cause of this tragic event is under investigation.

Bureau of Land Management
Utah State Office
PO Box 45155
Salt Lake City, Utah 84145-0155
Phone: (801) 539-4001
Fax: (801) 539-4013
Created by Utah Bureau of Land Management
Last Updated: September 29, 2006