Lower Mesa Falls, Henrys Fork of Snake River, Caribou-Targhee National Forest, Idaho, USA.

Lower Mesa Falls plunges 65 feet along Henrys Fork (also known as North Fork, a tributary of the Snake River) in Caribou-Targhee National Forest near Ashton in southeastern Idaho, USA. The falls flow over Mesa Falls Tuff, which formed 1.3 million years ago. A cycle of rhyolitic volcanism from the Henrys Fork caldera depositing a thick layer of rock and ash which compressed and hardened over time. Between 200,000 and 600,000 years ago, the river eroded a wide canyon which was subsequently partly filled with basalt lava flows. The Henrys Fork of the Snake River carved a channel through the basalt to create todays inner canyon.

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Filename: 04ID-0034.jpg
Copyright: © Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com
Image Size: 3375x4500 / 4.9MB; http://www.photoseek.com/; Idaho North America Sawtooth National Recreation Area Sawtooth Wilderness Area US National Forest Service USA water waterfall
Contained in galleries: Idaho: Mesa Falls, Henrys Fork, Snake River

Lower Mesa Falls plunges 65 feet along Henrys Fork (also known as North Fork, a tributary of the Snake River) in Caribou-Targhee National Forest near Ashton in southeastern Idaho, USA. The falls flow over Mesa Falls Tuff, which formed 1.3 million years ago. A cycle of rhyolitic volcanism from the Henrys Fork caldera depositing a thick layer of rock and ash which compressed and hardened over time. Between 200,000 and 600,000 years ago, the river eroded a wide canyon which was subsequently partly filled with basalt lava flows. The Henrys Fork of the Snake River carved a channel through the basalt to create todays inner canyon.