What did the Colorado Plateau look like 250 million years ago? That’s a question geologists hope to shed some light on via an ambitious project that is pulling rock cores up from as much as 1.5 kilometers down into the plateau’s belly. The Colorado Plateau is an expansive region, taking in parts of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Within this geologic province are some of our most iconic national parks: Arches and Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon and Zion, the Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest to name the most recognizeable. What makes them so stunning is the geology from which they rise.