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Canyonlands National Park Formations
Burro Canyon and Cedar Mountain Formation
Early Cretaceous (64 to 144 million years ago)
Rivers
Brown, ledge-forming sandstones.
Visible in some areas of Arches National Park and in canyons along Highway 666 east of Monticello and around Hovenweep National Monument.
Mid- to late-Jurassic (144 to 208 million years ago)
Shallow marine and mud-flats
Mix of siltstone, shale and sandstone forms slopes.
Some occurrence around the rim of Horseshoe Canyon makes this the youngest layer in Canyonlands. More prevalent along the Green River.
Permian Period (245 to 286 million years ago)
Near-shore sand dunes interfingering with periodic floods that brought dark red sediments from the ancient Uncompahgre Mountains.
Red and white layered sandstones forming cliffs, domes and spires.
Spires and canyons in the Needles and Maze Districts of Canyonlands.
The Chinle Formation is composed of the Shinnarump and Moss Back members. Each has different characteristics due to changes in the depositional environment.
Triassic Period (208 to 245 million years ago)
Tropical streams, lakes and swamps
Multi-colored slopes of clay with dark brown sandstone ledges (Moss Back)
Notes: Uranium is often found in the Moss Back Member of the Chinle. Though most Uranium mines are in the Morrison Formation, the famous Mi Vida mine in Lisbon Valley was in the Chinle. The multi-colored clays in the Chinle are bentonite (volcanic ash).
Talus slopes immediately below the Wingate cliffs at the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands.
This layer does not occur in Canyonlands.
Mid- to late-Jurassic (144 to 208 million years ago)
Shallow marine
Sandstone, shale and gypsum forms slopes.
Exposed along the Green River.
Permian Period (245 to 286 million years ago)
Alluvial fans and rivers from the ancient Uncompaghre Mountains (also called the ancestral Rockies)
Irregular layer of dark red, lumpy sandstones, mudstones and conglomerates.
Note: The Cutler Undivided begins west of the Uncompaghre Plateau along the Utah-Colorado border. Differentiated elements of the Cutler Group begin to appear along the eastern boundary of Canyonlands National Park.
Fisher Towers along Highway 128 (northeast of Moab).
This layer does not occur in Canyonlands.
Early- to mid-Cretaceous (64 to 144 million years ago)
Varid from alluvial fans in the south to more marine environments in the north (Book Cliffs).
Brown, cross-bedded sandstone
Visible in some areas of Arches National Park. Forms the mesa tops along Highway 666 east of Monticello and around Hovenweep National Monument.
The Entrada Formation is composed of three members (listed from youngest to oldest): Moab Tongue, Slickrock and Dewey Bridge. Each has different characteristics due to changes in the depositional environment. The Arches of Arches National Park are usually in the Slickrock Member. This layer does not occur in Canyonlands.
Mid- to late-Jurassic (144 to 208 million years ago)
Varied between tidal flat (Dewey Bridge) to near-shore sand dunes.
Entrada is one of the dominant sandstones in Arches National Park.
This layer does not occur in Canyonlands.
Early Tertiary Period (1.6 to 66 million years ago)
Lakes
Continuous grey/brown slopes of shale
Uinta Basin in north-central Utah.
Pennsylvanian Period (286 to 320 million years ago)
Shallow seas
Dark gray limestones with fossils forming rugged slopes and ledges
Along the Colorado River in Cataract Canyon. The Honaker Trail is also visible along the Moab Fault in Arches National Park.
Early- to mid-Jurassic (144 to 208 million years ago)
Braided streams
Red/brown, ledge-forming sandstone Notes
Dinosaur tracks sometimes appear in the Kayenta. The Kayenta Formation is a member of the Glen Canyon Group which also includes Navajo and Wingate and is the primary aquifer in the Moab area.
Mesa top at Island in the Sky (thin, resistant layer above the Wingate cliffs).
This layer does not occur in Canyonlands.
Mid-Cretaceous (64 to 144 million years ago)
Near-shore regimes (e.g. tidal flats)
Slope forming, gray shales.
Slopes below the Book Cliffs along I-70 between Grand Junction, CO and Green River, UT. Floor of Cache Valley in Arches National Park.
Triassic Period (208 to 245 million years ago)
Tropical tidal flat
Dark red-brown, ledge-forming sandstones and siltstones
Irregular slopes with ledges just above the White Rim Road at the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands.
The Morrison Formation is composed of three members (listed from youngest to oldest): Brushy Basin, Salt Wash and Tidwell. Each has different characteristics due to changes in the depositional environment. This layer does not occur in Canyonlands.
Late Jurassic (144 to 208 million years ago)
Varied between river, tidal flat and shallow marine
Brushy Basin: multicolored Bentonite clays (volcanic ash)
Salt Wash: Light-colored, ledge-forming sandstone.
Tidwell: red marine sandstones frequently containing chert.
Notes
The Salt Wash Member is a source of Uranium which was mined throughout the Moab area. Dinosaur tracks and fossils also appear in the Morrison Formation.
Visible in the northern parts of Arches (Salt Valley) and along Highway 191 north of Moab.
Mid-Jurassic (144 to 208 million years ago)
Massive, wind-blown sand dunes
Light-colored (white to tan), heavily cross-bedded cliffs and domes.
Notes
Dinosaur tracks sometimes appear in the Navajo. Navajo Sandstone is a member of the Glen Canyon Group which also includes Kayenta and Wingate and is the primary aquifer in the Moab area.
Navajo Sandstone is the youngest, dominant rock layer in Canyonlands. This layer forms buttes along the scenic drive in the Island in the Sky District. Much of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, the cliff walls of Zion National Park and the Petrified dunes in Arches National Park are also Navajo Sandstone.
Permian Period (245 to 286 million years ago)
Marine lowlands, braided streams and tidal flats
Dark red, lumpy mudstones/sandstones (forms towers with protective White Rim caprock)
Towers in Monument Basin in the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands.
Pennsylvanian Period (286 to 320 million years ago)
Evaporites (salts) from landlocked seas
Salt and Gypsum with black shales
Note
The Paradox Formation has played a large role in shaping the landscape of southeast Utah, especially around Arches and Canyonlands. When conditions are right, the weight of overlying rock causes the deposits in the Paradox Formation to liquefy and flow through whatever channels offer the least resistance. This subsurface movement can have drastic effects on the surface, causing rock layers to uplift or sink and fracture under the stress. This sets the stage for the creation of arches, grabens, and needles.
Pockets are exposed along the Colorado River in Cataract Canyon.
Permian Period (245 to 286 million years ago)
Shallow seas and coastal plains
Ledgy slopes with brown sandstones.
Confluence of the Green and Colorado rivers and in Cataract Canyon.
Formation This layer does not occur in Canyonlands.
Mid- to late-Jurassic (144 to 208 million years ago)
Coastal, shallow marine and tidal flats
Sandstone, shale, siltstone and gypsum forms slopes and cliffs
Exposed along the Green River.
Permian Period (245 to 286 million years ago)
Wind-blown beach sands
White, cross-bedded sandstones forming cliffs and caprocks
White canyon rim marking the inner gorge of the Colorado and Green rivers at the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands.
Early Jurassic (144 to 208 million years ago)
Massive, wind-blown sand dunes (like the Sahara today)
Towering red cliffs and spires Notes
Wingate Sandstone is a member of the Glen Canyon Group which also includes Kayenta and Navajo and is the primary aquifer in the Moab area.
Tall cliffs and features like Candlestick Tower at the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands.
Maine ocean islands provide the only nesting sites for Atlantic puffins in the United States. Eastern Egg Rock in the midcoast region, Seal Island and Matinicus Rock at the mouth of Penobscot Bay, and Machias Seal Island and Petit Manan Island off the downeast coast provide habitat for more than 4,000 puffins each summer.