Exposure: The Esplanade Sandstone is the upper member of the Supai Group and forms a prominent bench visible throughout the Grand Canyon. It is time equivalent to the upper Culter Group units, the Cedar Mesa & Elephant Canyon Formations. Age: Early Permian, 290–294 million years ago. Depositional Environment: deposited in a nearshore eolian, or wind-blown, environment. […]
Age: Early Permian (Cisuralian); approximately 285 to 275 million years ago (Ma). Exposure: Easily identified as the wide, brick-red slope below the Coconino Sandstone. Best seen along the Bright Angel Trail at the “Hermit Basin” or from the Desert View Watchtower. It is also well-exposed in the Hurricane Cliffs of Southern Utah. Age: Early Permian […]
Exposure: The Toroweap & White Rim Sandtones are best seen in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. Age: Early Permian, 280 million years ago. Depositional Environment: Coastal dune field (eolian with some marine transgressions). Marine transgressions, terrestrial wind-blown sand, coastal environments laid down the Kaibab, Toroweap, and Coconino formations. At different time, the marine waters came from […]
Age: Early Permian, 250 million years ago. Lateral Equivalents: Park City Formation (Northern UT, WY); Phosphoria Formation (ID, MT, WY); San Andres Limestone (NM, TX); Toroweap Formation (underlying/intertongued). Exposure: It forms the rim of the Grand Canyon and the surface of the Kaibab Plateau. Exceptional exposures occur at Zion National Park (the base of the cliffs), the […]
Exposure: The Moenkopi formation can be found throughout the Colorado Plateau. But its thickest extent stretches from southwest Utah to Northern Arizona. Age: Lower Triassic to possibly lower Middle Triassic Depositional Environment: Tidal sabkha (also with nearshore shales, shallow marine limestones, and some floodplain) Paleogeography: The Moenkopi Formation was deposited along the western portion of the […]
Exposure: The Chinle formation can be found throughout the Colorado Plateau. From the Flanks of the Uintas to Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. Age: Late Triassic. Depositional Environment: Non-marine fluvial channels, floodplains, paleosols, marshes, and small lakes. Paleogeography: The Chinle Formation was deposited during the Late Triassic when the supercontinent Pangea had landmass on both […]
Exposure: The Wingate is exposed throughout the state of Utah, especially visible in Capital Reef and Glen Canyon NRA. In the Southwest corner it transitions into and interfingers with the Moenave Fm which has a strong lacustrine component. Age: Early Jurassic, The Wingate Sandstone is dated to the Earliest Jurassic, though precise dating of eolian […]
Exposure: The Kayenta is exposed throughout the state of Utah, but is especially visible in Zion National Park, Capital Reef and Glen Canyon NRA. Age: Early Jurassic, 199.6 million years ago to 175.6 million years ago. Depositional Environment: Fluvial (river) environment The Navajo Sandstone was deposited in an eolian environment composed of large sand dunes, similar […]
Exposure: The Navajo is exposed throughout the state of Utah, but reaches maximum thickness near Zion National Park and Red Rocks Recreation area near Las Vegas. Age: Early JurassicThe Navajo Sandstone is dated as Early Jurassic, although precise dating is typically difficult due to a lack of age diagnostic fossils, a common problem in eolian […]
Exposure: The Temple Cap is exposed exclusively in the Southwest corner of Utah (atop the spires of Zion National Park), whereas the Page Sandstone stretches all the way into the center of the state. Both share similiar ages, but the Page is thicker and was formed by a separate erg, with far less marine influence. […]
