There's a Gap in Huerfano County

"The Gap" between La Veta and Cuchara. It's not a dike.

There is a place in Huerfano County called "The Gap." It's not a clothing store, it's a break in the Dakota Wall (the Dakora Formation) along Colorado State Highway 12 between La Veta and Cuchara.

Here, the Dakota sandstone, which used to be horizontal and was formed under an ancient sea, got lifted up 90 degrees when the current Rocky Mountains were formed. In fact, here, the formation is nearly vertical. It is a vertically-tilted stratum.

The Dakota formation is not a dike, and I suspect many confuse the wall here for a dike. But it isn't a dike.

The Cucharas River flows through the gap here. The Spring Park Fire burned almost up to the gap. The highway curves sharply here, and drivers should slow down to 20 miles per hour when rounding the curve (though I may be the only one that does that).

For photographers, lots of power lines in The Gap spoil the view. It's a pretty unique geographical feature, yet it's underappreciated and its nature is little known.