Ancient mantle drip let the Green River flow uphill through the Uintas
Geologists propose that a deep mantle “lithospheric drip” under the Uinta Mountains lowered the range, allowing the Green River to carve an uphill route through the Uintas about 8 million years ago. The mountains later rebounded after the drip detached from the mantle around 2–5 million years ago, enabling the canyon and current river path (including the Canyon of Lodore) to form. The idea is supported by seismic-imaging data and landscape modeling, and is published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface.