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VIRGIN RIVER, The Zion Land Bender — Zion National Park may have celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019, but its story goes back way further.
Its breathtaking red-rock formations are the result of natural forces and lots of time. Park historians note the rock layers people see when they visit the park were deposited 110 to 270 million years ago, and have uplifted and eroded into the beloved unique rock formations in "recent geologic time."
Lucky for all of us, park rangers found an entertaining way to condense millions of years of history into a 20-second parody in the opening credits for "Avatar: The Last Airbender."
All you really need to know is that water, rock, pressure and time joined forces to "work in harmony" to form Zion's landscape before the Virgin River "attacked." And by attacked, rangers said the river became "the main force of erosion" making the "millions of years worth of sedimentary rocks visible."
"The abrasive power of water has slowly carved these rocks over time, creating the canyon you see today. Without the Virgin River, we wouldn't have this national park that so many of you have visited or will visit in the future," park officials explained on Instagram.
The video has since garnered more than 500,000 likes on Instagram in just a few days, including a nod from the official "Avatar: The Last Airbender" account. One person wrote they'd like to see a full episode on the topic.
A teacher also chimed in to say they plan to incorporate the video into school curriculum.
"I'm literally teaching landforms to my fifth-grade class," they wrote. "They will be watching this and doing a written response."
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