Canyon Country

Home , Cedar Mesa Sandstone, Chinle Formation, Comb Ridge, Comb Wash, Organ Rock Formation, Westwater Canyon

CANYONLANDS TRAVEL REGION ANYONANYON OUNTRYOUNTRY CCA Land Of EnchantmentCC his vast rock desert in southeastern Utah showcases deep, colorful T canyons, majestic natural monuments pictured in western movies, a fantasy land of towering pinnacles and slot canyons, rock arches and ANYONANYON OUNTRYOUNTRY bridges, and breathtaking vistas atop mesas. Much can be seen by car, and more of this endlessly intriguing country is accessible by foot, mountain Explanation CC CC bike, four-wheel-drive vehicle, or watercraft. Collapsed salt anticline You do not have to be a geologist to enjoy or interpret the scenery, for the Arches rocks easily divulge their stories of forming in seas or on land, in deserts or in deltas, in rivers or along beaches. What a fascinating heritage: dinosaurs Bridges once sauntered through lush lowlands leaving huge footprints in mud that Petroglyphs has now turned to rock, vast sand dunes that drifted across the area are Dinosaur tracks preserved as large sweeping lines in sandstone walls, and oceans that once Indian ruins covered this region left fossilized corals and seashells embedded in lime- Paradox basin salt boundary stone. Parks, monuments, recreation areas This guide introduces you to the rocks’ stories, to enhance your travels and Indian reservations your appreciation of the region. Along designated scenic byways, which are portrayed at the end of this pamphlet, look for the specific features Scenic byways described here and learn what their journey has been as you make yours. During your visit, tread lightly on this delicate land so that the pristine and

0 10 20 miles unique landscape remains unchanged. Desert soils are extremely fragile; minimize your impact by staying on roads or marked trails. A Geologic Guide to the Canyonlands Travel Region

Above photo and cover photo courtesy of the Grand County Travel Council. Credits State of Utah Department of Natural Resources Text by Sandra N. Eldredge. Photos by author unless otherwise credited. Graphics by Vicky Clarke. Utah Geological Survey Special thanks to: the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Utah Travel Regions Public Information Series 34 Association for their support of this project; Canyonlands National Park and the Grand County Travel 1996 ISBN 1-55791-373-0 Council for photo releases; Newc and Sally Eldredge for field assistance; Miriam Bugden, Joan DeGiorgio, Hellmut Doelling, Kimm Harty, Carolyn Olsen, Michael Ross, and Christine Wilkerson for providing valuable reviews; and Patti MaGann who helped to get this project off the ground. CANYONLANDS TRAVEL REGION ANYONANYON OUNTRYOUNTRY CCA Land Of EnchantmentCC his vast rock desert in southeastern Utah showcases deep, colorful T canyons, majestic natural monuments pictured in western movies, a fantasy land of towering pinnacles and slot canyons, rock arches and ANYONANYON OUNTRYOUNTRY bridges, and breathtaking vistas atop mesas. Much can be seen by car, and more of this endlessly intriguing country is accessible by foot, mountain Explanation CC CC bike, four-wheel-drive vehicle, or watercraft. Collapsed salt anticline You do not have to be a geologist to enjoy or interpret the scenery, for the Arches rocks easily divulge their stories of forming in seas or on land, in deserts or in deltas, in rivers or along beaches. What a fascinating heritage: dinosaurs Bridges once sauntered through lush lowlands leaving huge footprints in mud that Petroglyphs has now turned to rock, vast sand dunes that drifted across the area are Dinosaur tracks preserved as large sweeping lines in sandstone walls, and oceans that once Indian ruins covered this region left fossilized corals and seashells embedded in lime- Paradox basin salt boundary stone. Parks, monuments, recreation areas This guide introduces you to the rocks’ stories, to enhance your travels and Indian reservations your appreciation of the region. Along designated scenic byways, which are portrayed at the end of this pamphlet, look for the specific features Scenic byways described here and learn what their journey has been as you make yours. During your visit, tread lightly on this delicate land so that the pristine and

0 10 20 miles unique landscape remains unchanged. Desert soils are extremely fragile; minimize your impact by staying on roads or marked trails. A Geologic Guide to the Canyonlands Travel Region

At many vistas in th@ Canyonlanqs region, the rocks display hun " mountains dreds of millions of years of earth history. And yet, what you see 1.6 r-- hills are only small slices of earth's time, during which oceans repeat La Sal Mtns. swamps edly flooded and retreated, mountains rose and wore down, river Abajo Mins. dunes systems appeared and disappeared, and sand dunes migrated Navajo Mtn. dune movement across a Sahara-like desert. 66 t Book Cliffs tidal flats Much of the landscape's uniqueness is due to underground salt CJ) ::, river 0 movement. Sa lt collected in a restricted arm of an ocean 300 mil Q) (.) Badlands C:: ocean lion yec;1rs ago during the Pennsylvanian Period. At that time, the co 1-70, Rte 128 o3 Moab nearly flat landscape buckled into a mountain range CJ (Uncompahgre uplift) and an adjacent basin (Paradox basin). The Fm formation 1------138 basin was intermittently connected to, and then isolated from, a Ss sandstone nearby sea. Duri ng-Che isolation phases, salt water evaporated, - eventually leaving vast salt deposits up to thousa~ds of feet thick (.) iii - CJ) g over most of what is now the Canyonlands region. These salts ~ became the rock strata called the Paradox Formation. -,::, The colorful rocks that are the essence of this canyon country were laid down as sediments, layer upon layer, over the salt during the next 150 million years in the Permian, Triassic, and Jurassic (.) 'iii PARK CJ) Periods. Early in Permian time, the sea started to recede to the co west, leaving a coastal plain over the Canyonlands area. Rivers ~ flowed from the uncompahgre highlands over this coastal plain to the sea. Red sediments carried by the rivers accumulated in chan nels and flood plains. Concurrently, white beach sands deposited by the ocean blew eastward and formed inland sand dunes. Fluctuatin~ sea levels and intermittent river activity across the Inner Canyons region resulted in the interfingering of these red and white sedi t------290-+--+-=---=---=--?rr-~r of Colorado, ments, which hardened into rocks called the Cutler Group. Honaker Trail Fm Green, San Juan Rivers As the Uncompahgre mountains slowly eroded to low hills during C co the Tria~sic, the adjacent (southwestern) area evolved i~to tidal -~ flats and a large river delta. Brown and red clays, silts, sands, and > + + + + ~ Salt residue in C I\ pebbles transported from the ero9ing mountains became the C I\ Paradox Fm Onion Creek Q) I\ + slope-forming rock strata known as the Moenkopi and Chinle n. (Rte 128) + Formations. + + t 300 Drier climate during early Jurassic time transformed the region into Geologic Millions of Older rocks-are not exposed in Canyonlands Region, except for a vast sandy desert; the wind-blown sands eventually hardened Period Years Ago Precambrian rocks in Westwater Canyon, Colorado River. into rocks that now are the red and gold sandstone cliffs and sj(y- 0 200 miles Approximate scale of rock strata thickness 1 inch = 4,000 feet scale I NFORMATION AGENCIES SALT LAKE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU 180 South West Temple line domes of the Wingate and Navajo Sandstones. Rivers inter- Salt Lake City UT 84101 (801-521-2822) mittently appeared, as evident from the river-deposited Kayenta

UTAH TRAVEL COUNCIL Formation which separates the wind-deposited Wingate and Council Hall, Capitol Hill Navajo Sandstones. Interestingly, the water sources that existed Salt Lake City UT 84114 (801-538-1030) during this time, such as the river systems of the Kayenta and MOAB INFORMATION CENTER oases of the Navajo, provided thriving habitat for many dinosaurs. Center St. and Main St., Moab UT 84532 During middle-Jurassic time, the desert was slowly covered by an (Staffed by UTAH TRAVEL COUNCIL, CANYONLANDS NATURAL _\ HISTORY ASSOCIATION (801-259-6003), BUREAU OF LAND arm of a sea that entered from the north, and sands deposited in MANAGEMENT (801-259-8193), NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, AND U.S. tidal flats, lagoons, and as coastal dunes became the Entrada FOREST SERVICE) Sandstone (renowned for arch development in Arches National ARCHES NATIONAL PARK Park). At the end of the Jurassic, rivers and lakes collected silts P.O. Box 907, Moab UT 84532 (801-259-8161) and sands that formed the Morrison Formation. Dinosaurs caught

CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK in recurrent floods were quickly buried by river sediments, turning 125 West 200 South, Moab UT 84532 (801-259-7164) the Morrison into a remarkable dinosaur graveyard. GRAND COUNTY TRAVEL COUNCIL The last sea to invade the area approached and retreated from the 210 North 100 West, Moab UT 84532 (1-800-635-6622) east during the Cretaceous. Gray muds (now the Mancos Shale) DEAD HORSE POINT STATE PARK that collected on the quiet ocean floor, and the shoreline sands P.O. Box 609, Moab UT 84532 (801-259-6511) and coal-forming swamps (now the Mesa Verde Group), are visible SAN JUAN COUNTY TRAVEL COUNCIL in the northern part of the region in the Book Cliffs. 117 South Main St. Monticello, UT 84535 (801-587-3235) A gentle, broad uplifting in the southern part of the Canyonlands region, the Monument upwarp, formed during the Tertiary. Also EDGE OF THE CEDARS STATE PARK P.O. Box 788 during this time, the birthplaces of the La Sal, Abajo, and Navajo , - Blanding, UT 84511 (801-678-2238) Mountains were established where hot magma rose close to the earth’s surface (see description in Mountains section). MONUMENT VALLEY NAVAJO TRIBAL PARK P.O. Box 360289 (801-727-3287/3353) The present stage of geologic history began about 15 million years Monument Valley, UT 84536 ago, when the Colorado Plateau, which encompasses the NATURAL BRIDGES NATIONAL MONUMENT Canyonlands area, was uplifted and the forces of water and wind Box 1, Lake Powell, UT 84533 (801-259-5174) erosion began their work. The Colorado, Green, and San Juan U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Rivers and their tributaries continue to cut downward though the Earth Science Information Center rock layers and carry enormous amounts of sediment off the 2222 West 2300 South plateau; mesas, buttes, and monuments continue to get smaller; Salt Lake City, UT 84119 (801-975-37420) and arches, spires, and hoodoos continue to form. The dramati- UTAH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY cally sculpted landscape of today’s canyon country is constantly, 2363 South Foothill Drive but ever-so-slowly, changing. Salt Lake City, UT 84109 (801-467-0401) Contact the Utah Geological Survey for other geologic publications, including: Geology and Grand County, Geologic Resources of San Juan County, and the Geologic Map of Arches National Park. T ledges and easily rocks form eroded slopes. soft differential erosion loops that are 1.5 miles long. Staircase walls are by patterned Goosenecks of the San Juan River famous The form three tight via commercial trips, or private be floated trips with permits. can white-water trips through spectacular canyons. All three rivers Green, Colorado, and San Juan RiversThe and both offer flat- Goosenecks of the San Juan State Park. Park,National Monument, Bridges and National Natural Entrenched be seen from meanders overlooks can in Canyonlands tobegan slowly cut downward through the rock layers. the land rose, the rivers maintained their meandering paths and When began. across plains before uplift Plateau the flat Colorado cut deeply into rock strata) established their wandering courses selves like these ribbon candy; entrenched meanders mony to “Canyonlands.” Many deep gorges wind back on them- canyons carveCountless, magnificent the land and are testi- grand HE R VR AND IVERS - hard rocks that are not easily eroded form C ANYONS (river bends

COMB RIDGE caps of Bluff Sandstone. of Bluff caps Sa n The NavajoThe Twins are J u a n (see Rte 95 R for description) i v e r

163

M = 191 one direction away from axis monocline, rock strata dip down in toward axis syncline, rock strata tilt downward toward axis anticline, rock strata tilt upward unpaved road milepost NAVAJO M45 TWINS Bluff Blanding 191 to named after this town.named after is Morrison Formation) ber of the Jurassic-age SandstoneBluff (a mem- wind-deposited local, The NORTH to Natural Bridges National Monument CEDAR MESA US-163 from the Arizona border to Bluff Scenic Byway ED OCKS AND ESERT ARNISH 45 miles, 1 1/2 hours Moki Dugway road (Rte 261) rises in R R D V a series of switchbacks to the top of The road is on the Red or rusty-hued rocks were deposited in oxygen-rich environ- Cedar Mesa and offers fabulous Honaker Trail views into the Valley of the Gods, ments. Many sediments contain iron compounds, and the combi- Travel across a 300-million-year-old ocean shelf complete with coral reefs Formation, and gently the canyons of the San Juan River, nation of iron and oxygen commonly produces red colors. Thus, and abundant marine life. This shelf formed the southeast margin of the climbs to the crest of and Monument Valley. VALLEY the abundance of red rocks in the Canyonlands area, also called Paradox basin. Much of the road traverses the Honaker Trail Formation, a OF THE Lime Ridge anticline. GODS “red rock country,” reveals they formed in oxygenated environ- gray limestone (weathered to a tan color under Mexican Hat Bridge) ments (for example, in rivers or deserts, but not in stagnant, oxy- encapsulating fossils from the ancient ocean. Anticlines and synclines superimposed on the Monument upwarp were formed by compression of gen-poor lagoons). the earth’s crust. This route passes through an enchanting landscape of Black stains resembling spilled paint form streaks on many cliff monuments and spires and includes side trips to the Valley of the Gods A 17-mile-long loop walls. This staining, called desert varnish, forms where water rich and to impressive vistas via the Moki Dugway road. Half of the scenic road passes capti- 261 in iron and manganese oxides evaporates, leaving a thin, black byway is on the Navajo Indian Reservation. vating monoliths of M29 veneer of minerals on the rock face. the Cedar Mesa r Sandstone.

GOOSENECKS OF A four-mile drive from THE SAN JUAN the Moki Dugway road STATE PARK leads to an overlook of MEXICAN HAT classic entrenched ROCK meanders that have cut down 1,000 feet Mexican through Pennsylvanian- Hat M20 age limestones. ALHAMBRA ROCK

Ancient eruptions exploded from this volcanic neck. Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park is a landscape of fantastic mesas, buttes, and spires sculpted in the DeChelly Sandstone underlain by the red slopes of the Organ Rock Formation. The DeChelly originat- ed as desert sand dunes from Permian time. The dunes were The famous som- MONUMENT P ASS bordered on the northwest (approximate present location M6 brero-shaped Mexican of the Colorado River) by the White Rim sand dunes Hat Rock is a precari- and beaches along the fringes of a western ocean, ously perched resis- and on the north (approximate present loca- tant unit in the tion of the San Juan River) by Cutler Halgaito Formation. The Halgaito and Honaker Trail Formations appear Desert varnish streaks White Rim Sandstone walls. Red rocks in Group rivers. as red and greenish-gray ribbons on the western flank of the Raplee the distance are slopes of the Chinle and Moenkopi Formations anticline (background). Farther south on this route, the rock ribbons overlain by cliffs of Wingate and Kayenta. A dome of Navajo take on a scalloped appearance that is due to differential erosion of Sandstone caps the cliffs. M1 UT the soft and hard rocks; the softer Halgaito is wearing away from the AZ MONUMENT VALLEY crest of the anticline. NAVAJ O TRIBAL PARK FOLDS, FAULTS, AND JOINTS Bicentennial Scenic Byway 95 73 miles, 2 hours between Blanding and Hite When the earth’s crust buckles, it can either bend or break. (route continues northwest to Hanksville) Bending of rock layers is called folding: anticlines are upfolds, synclines are downfolds, and monoclines have one side tilted higher than the other. Breaking of rock layers produces fractures Sand dunes drifted across the area between the present-day Comb Ridge and Colorado River 260 called faults or joints. A fault is a break in the rock along which million years ago. Now frozen in time, they are preserved as the white rock called the Cedar there has been noticeable movement between the two sides. A Mesa Sandstone on the 7,000-foot-high Cedar Mesa. The sand dunes gave way to a landscape of joint is a linear, open crack in the rock. flood plains when a western sea retreated to the west. Rivers flowing from the northeast deposited red silts on the flood plains; monocline anticline the silt hardened into the Organ Rock fault syncline Formation. The sea then advanced as far joint east as the present Colorado River, ( I • depositing beach sands along its shore. White beaches and eastward-migrating Comb Ridge, a classic example of a monocline, forms the Several bending and breaking features superbly exhibited in the dunes became the White Rim abrupt eastern flank of the Monument upwarp, and extends bare rock of the desert include: the Moab fault near Arches Sandstone. Riveting color contrasts of north-south for 70 miles. The road cuts through steeply tilt- National Park visitors center, the Cane Creek anticline southwest of red rocks, white rocks, and green ed Navajo, Kayenta, Wingate, and Chinle strata (rocks dip Moab, the Comb monocline in the southern part ,of the region, and junipers and pinyon pines, as well as down toward the east, to photo left). Comb Wash follows the the many enlarged joints that form intriguing slot canyons in and panoramic views for one hundred miles easily eroded Moenkopi and Organ Rock Formations. The around Arches National Park and The Needles District of are eye-catching along this route, which light-colored Cedar Mesa Sandstone is in the foreground. Canyonlands National Park. includes side trips to Natural Bridges Joints Fins National Monument and Indian ruins. to Monticello salt The Organ Rock Formation forms the collapsed EDGE OF THE CEDARS salt anticline salt anticline base of the aptly named Cheesebox, STATE PARK THE Two red buttes in the composed of the Moenkopi CHEESEBOX Wingate Sandstone and Red, green, and purple Blanding Formation. BEARS EARS Chinle Formation top siltstone and claystone of Cedar Mesa. the Morrison Formation NATURAL color the washes. NORTH BRIDGES 95 M120 An eight-mile- NATIONAL M = milepost M93 BUTLER WASH long loop road MONUMENT overlooks three INDIAN RUINS crest of upwarp large natural MULE CANYON with rock strata M111 bridges. The INDIAN RUINS dipping down Moab Valley, view to north. Upward doming of rock layers over off each side of bridges M102 crest the Moab Valley salt anticline (left) initiated the joint and fin to formed as rivers eroded through thin walls of Bluff development on the anticline’s east flank. The anticline crest col- The road ascends the Cedar Mesa Sandstone that once separated the to monocline, rock lapsed hundreds of feet as the underlying salt dissolved. Mexican gently tilted rock strata strata dip down bends of entrenched meanders. The rivers Hat in one direction Eventually the collapsed rocks eroded and now a valley remains. toward the crest of from the axis abandoned the meanders to take the shorter Photo courtesy Grant Willis. Monument upwarp. paths under the bridges. SALT MOVEMENT Dirty Devil

COLORADO RIVER Salt movement beneath the Canyonlands region contributed to the to creation of many features peculiar to the region, including col- Hanksville M48 lapsed anticlines, grabens, fins, and arches. The weight of overly- Hite ing rock layers squeezed the salt into areas of lower pressure, which were linear belts along deep buried faults. In these areas, the salt thickened and formed linear salt tracts. Later, horizontal compression in the earth’s crust bulged the salt belts and overlying rocks upward to form anticlines. The brittle, overlying rocks broke The road follows White along faults and joints in and parallel to the anticlines’ crests, LAKE Canyon, carved into the which enabled water to reach the underlying salt in some anti- cross-bedded and GLEN clines. As the salt dissolved, the overlying rock layers collapsed POWELL COPPER desert-varnished Cedar CANYON POINT hundreds of feet (called collapsed salt anticlines), leaving valleys Mesa Sandstone. NATIONAL Sculpted remnants of the Moenkopi Formation such as Salt Valley in Arches National Park and Moab Valley. Other anticlines, such as the Cane Creek anticline, have not collapsed. RECREATION look like gargoyles stationed along the road. AREA

W H I T E Copper and uranium C A N tailings indicate past Y ON mining activity.

M72 Grabens Fry River

Canyon Colorado

salt

Cyclone Canyon is in The Grabens, which is part of The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Rock layers two thousand feet thick in The Grabens are imperceptibly gliding over salt beds that are also slowly moving downslope toward the Colorado River Hite is the entrance to dam-impounded Lake Powell on the Colorado River. canyon. As the rock layers move toward the river, they break apart, Light-colored sandstone with the frozen-dune appearance is the Cedar Mesa forming faulted, wide, straight-sided, and flat-bottomed canyons Sandstone. Overlying red slopes and ledges (background) are the Organ Rock (grabens). South view toward The Needles jutting into the distant Formation, which contains a pink band of sandstone. The thin, white ledge skyline. Photo courtesy Canyonlands National Park. capping the red slopes is the White Rim Sandstone, which noticeably thick- ens to the west. The Moenkopi Formation defines the skyline. Beginning at Church Rock, this road crosses the sage flats, winds down to ARCHES cottonwood-lined Indian Creek canyon, passes intriguing Newspaper Rock, enters a wide valley bounded by Jurassic-age sandstone walls and Triassic- Arches are found throughout canyon age siltstone slopes, and ends at Squaw Flat Campground in The Needles country, and Arches National Park has District of Canyonlands National Park. Dominating the landscape upon the greatest concentration of them in entering the park is the Cedar Mesa Sandstone - formerly a Permian the world (over 1,500). Underground coastal area of beaches and inland sand dunes, located between the salt movement, erosion of sandstone northeastern river networks and western ocean. Views of the Abajo by wind and water (the Entrada Mountains, the skyline spires of The Needles, petroglyphs, and rock Sandstone in Arches National Park is climbers scaling Wingate Sandstone cliffs add diversity to this drive. particularly susceptible to arch development), and temperature variations contribute to the development of

arches. The process starts where to joints develop in the sandstone overly- Moab ing a salt upwarp. The joints widen as ice expands in the cracks, and rain and snowmelt dissolve the calcium 163 Church Rock stands like a sentinel on carbonate that holds the sand grains Council. courtesyPhoto of Utah Travel the sage flats. The rock displays the together. Continued erosion creates greatly enlarged joints that three members of the Entrada M19 separate towering sandstone walls, called “fins.” Alcoves in the fins Sandstone: the basal red Dewey 211 to Bridge, the middle yellow Slick Rock, evolve as thin, curving sheets of rock fall away. Alcoves may devel- Monticello op on both sides of a fin and eventually join to create an arch. and the upper light-tan Moab Tongue.

BRIDGES Unlike arches, natural bridges initially form by stream erosion (see Scenic Byway 95 for description). Natural Bridges National Monument contains three of the largest rock bridges in the world, and Rainbow Bridge National Monument encompasses the largest known natural bridge at 290 feet high and spanning 270 feet. Rainbow Bridge (on Lake Powell) is carved from the Navajo Sandstone. Photo courtesy Utah Travel Council. , U-211 TO SQUAW FLATS SCENIC BYWAY MOUNTAINS 35 miles, 2 hours for 70-mile round trip During the Tertiary Period, the La Sal, Abajo, and Navajo Mountains, as well as the Henry Mountains to the west of the Squaw CANYONLANDS Flat NATIONAL region, were created. Molten rock (magma) beneath the earth’s The PARK surface pushed upward through the rock layers in these areas. NORTH area behind South Sixshooter Peak was considered NORTH Campground SIXSHOOTER The magma, which did not reach the surface, slowly cooled and PEAK for the nation’s first high-level nuclear-waste M = milepost hardened into granitic rocks. Covering and surrounding these hard THE SOUTH repository. Salt beds 3,000 feet below the sur- rocks were soft sedimentary rocks that eventually eroded, leaving The Sixshooters SIXSHOOTER NEEDLES face were targeted as potential host rocks for the rugged granitic protrusions to loom over the region. Navajo are remnant PEAK Mountain still maintains its cap of sedimentary rocks. As recently spires of Wingate as 10,000 years ago, glaciers carved the higher peaks in the La Sal Sandstone. Mountains, the second highest mountain range in the state.

Shay graben is a downdropped block between two faults. Descending into D IATREMES Red and white colors within the Indian Creek Indian Creek canyon, the normal pro- Cedar Mesa Sandstone are gression from younger to older rocks Explosive Tertiary volcanic events created diatremes, which are reminders of the ancient Permian is disrupted. The disorder is most volcanic necks or plugs. Small vents erupted pulverized rock and coast, where white sands from evident on the northwestern fault gas from the magma chamber to the earth’s surface. The magma- the coastal and inland dunes and adjacent to the road, where the filled vents cooled and hardened, and were covered by sediments red sands from rivers mingled red Kayenta Formation is down- that later eroded. The remaining volcanic necks now stand in over millions of years. The red dropped to the same level as stark outline above the surrounding landscape. Diatremes are and white bands are particularly the yellow Wingate present in the southern part of the region along Comb Ridge. evident in The Needles. Photo Sandstone. Normally the They are also in adjacent states, and include the famous Shiprock courtesy Canyonlands National Park. younger Kayenta overlies in northwestern New Mexico. the older Wingate.

POTASH SCENIC BYWAY 279 anticline, rock strata tilt upward toward axis 17 miles, 1 hour for 34-mile round trip + syncline, rock strata tilt Ancient sandy beaches and muddy floors of the downward toward axis Cretaceous ocean are now preserved in the cliffs and incised slopes of the Book Cliffs. + collapsed salt anticline Red and gold sandstone walls tower above the Colorado River and emphasize cross-bedding the glowing sunsets, green hanging gardens, and petroglyphs. “Petrified” 212 sand dunes of ancient Jurassic deserts are now seen on the skyline as massive rock domes, and on cliff walls as long, sweeping and intercepting lines called cross-bedding. Other features provide clues Cisco to the existence of the Cretaceous ocean, Triassic river deltas, and Permian river Rock layers tilt Low hills of brown downward in a and gray Mancos systems bordering a western sea. syncline Shale are former Along the road, rock layers tilt up M44 and down in anticlines and syn- Upward muds that in an to 202 rested on the clines produced by underground Green River anticline Cretaceous salt movement. 128 ocean floor. Red and green slopes below the Wingate Green and purple siltstone cliffs are the Chinle Formation deposited and sandstone are the Cedar by meandering streams. The chocolate- Mountain and Morrison brown Moenkopi Formation, deposited in Formations deposited by tidal flats, forms the lower part of the rivers and lakes. slope. In some locales, the basal Chinle contains a thin, white layer of “gritstone,” which helps define the boundary between the Chinle and underlying Moenkopi.

M31

Dolores Dinosaur tracks are preserved in a limestone layer Dewey Bridge River within the Kayenta Formation, which is exposed on the flank of a syncline. Forty feet above the Base of the road, near the 200-million-year-old tracks, scat- Entrada tered rounded cobbles mark a level of the Sandstone is Colorado River that is 40,000 years old. exposed at river level (dips down to the north).

Cache Valley is a collapsed salt anticline. Fisher Towers The large mound in the valley is down- are columns dropped Wingate M20 of red Cutler Sandstone; look for rocks. matching Wingate high on adjacent cliffs.

Priest and Nuns and Castle Rock are erosional remnants of a once larger mesa of Wingate Sandstone. M9 ARCHES NATIONAL PARK Jug Handle Arch is in the Wingate M15 Sandstone.

279

M9 Indian petroglyphs are M1 etched into the desert 279 varnish that coats the Potash plant Navajo Sandstone. Here, the rock strata lie nearly flat in a syncline’s trough.

Rock strata are domed upward in the Cane Creek anticline, a salt anticline that has not collapsed. Cutler rocks are at river level, and Moenkopi and Chinle slopes capped by Wingate cliffs rise above a potash plant (left of river). Potash is mined from the Paradox Formation, which is close to the surface in the domed structure of the anticline. Here, the potash is 3,000 feet deep, whereas potash and other salts in the Paradox basin are typically more than 4,000 feet deep. U-211 TO SQUAW FLATS SCENIC BYWAY ' Beginning at Church Rock, this road crosses the sage flats, winds down to cottonwood-lined Indian Creek canyon, passes intriguing Newspaper Rock, 35 miles, 2 hours for 70-mile round trip enters a wide valley bounded by Jurassic-age sandstone walls and Triassic-

I age siltstone slopes, and ends at Squaw Flat Campground in The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park. Dominating the landscape upon Squaw CANYONLANDS Flat NATIONAL entering the park is the Cedar Mesa Sandstone - formerly a Permian The area behind South Sixshooter Peak was consid- PARK NORTH coastal area of beaches and inland sand dunes, located between the NORTH Campground SIXSHOOTER ered for the nation's first high-level nuclear-waste northeastern river networks and western ocean. Views of the Abajo PEAK repository. Salt beds 3,000 feet below the surface M = milepost Mountains, the skyline spires of The Needles, petroglyphs, and rock THE SOUTH were targeted as potential host rocks for the climbers scaling Wingate Sandstone cliffs add diversity to this drive. D NEEDLES The Sixshooters SIXSHOOTER radioactive material. are remnant PEAK spires of Wingate Sandstone.

to I 4 Moab Shay graben is a downdropped block between two faults. Descending into

Red and white colors within the Indian Creek Indian Creek canyon, the normal pro- 163 Church Rock stands like a sentinel on Cedar Mesa Sandstone are gression from younger to older rocks the sage flats. The rock displays the reminders of the ancient Permian is disrupted. The disorder is most three members of the Entrada coast, where white sands from evident on the northwestern fault M19 Sandstone: the basal red Dewey 211 the coastal and inland dunes and adjacent to the road, where the to Bridge, the middle yellow Slick Rock, red sands from rivers mingled red Kayenta Formation is down- Monticello and the upper light-tan Moab Tongue. over millions of years. The red dropped to the same level as and white bands are particularly the yellow Wingate evident in The Needles. Photo Sandstone. Normally the courtesy Canyonlands National Park. younger Kayenta overlies the older Wingate.

NEWSPAPER ROCK M7 STATE PARK w Cross-bedded w Shay Cedar Mesa graben Sandstone (right foreground) in k Squaw Flats Campground. Simplified cross-section East view to South Sixshooter Peak (distant Shay graben Newspaper Rock left). Photo cour- exhibits Indian petro- 1' tesy Canyonlands glyphs engraved into National Park. desert-varnished Wingate Sandstone. ' Bicentennial Scenic Byway 95 73 miles, 2 hours between Blanding and Hite Dirty Devil (route continues northwest to Hanksville) COLORADO RIVER to Hanksville M48 Sand dunes drifted across the area between the present-day Comb Ridge and Colorado River 260 Hite million years ago. Now frozen in time, they are preserved as the white rock called the Cedar Mesa Sandstone on the 7,000-foot-high Cedar Mesa. The sand dunes gave way to a landscape of flood plains when a western sea retreated to the west. Rivers flowing from the northeast deposited red silts on the flood plains; the silt hardened into the Organ Rock The road follows White Formation. The sea then advanced as far LAKE Canyon, carved into the east as the present Colorado River, GLEN cross-bedded and depositing beach sands along its shore. POWELL COPPER CANYON POINT desert-varnished Cedar White beaches and eastward-migrating Comb Ridge, a classic example of a monocline, forms the NATIONAL Mesa Sandstone. dunes became the White Rim Sculpted remnants of the Moenkopi Formation abrupt eastern flank of the Monument upwarp, and extends Sandstone. Riveting color contrasts of RECREATION look like gargoyles stationed along the road. north-south for 70 miles. The road cuts through steeply tilt- AREA red rocks, white rocks, and green ed Navajo, Kayenta, Wingate, and Chinle strata (rocks dip junipers and pinyon pines, as well as W down toward the east, to photo left). Comb Wash follows the H panoramic views for one hundred miles I easily eroded Moenkopi and Organ Rock Formations. The T E are eye-catching along this route, which C light-colored Cedar Mesa Sandstone is in the foreground. A Copper and uranium N includes side trips to Natural Bridges Y tailings indicate past ON National Monument and Indian ruins. .. to mining activity. Monticello The Organ Rock Formation forms the EDGE OF THE CEDARS base of the aptly named Cheesebox, STATE PARK THE Two red buttes in the ------CHEESEBOX composed of the Moenkopi Blanding M72 BEARS Wingate Sandstone and Red, green, and purple Formation. EARS Grabens Fry Chinle Formation top siltstone and claystone of River Canyon Cedar Mesa.Colorado the Morrison Formation color the washes. NORTH NATURAL salt t BRIDGES 95 M120 An eight-mile- NATIONAL M = milepost M93 BUTLER,--- WASH long loop road MONUMENT .,,; overlooks three INDIAN RUINS ~- crest of upwarp large natural MULE CANYON with rock strata INDIAN RUINS M111 dipping down bridges. The off each side of bridges M102 rr + crest Hite is the entrance to dam-impounded Lake Powell on the Colorado River. \to formed as rivers eroded through thin walls of ]:: Bluff Light-colored sandstone with the frozen-dune appearance is the Cedar Mesa -.- The road ascends the Cedar Mesa Sandstone that once separated the to monocline, rock Sandstone. Overlying red slopes and ledges (background) are the Organ Rock Mexican lJ. gently tilted rock strata strata dip down bends of entrenched meanders. The rivers Hat ~ in one direction Formation, which contains a pink band of sandstone. The thin, white ledge toward the crest of from the axis abandoned the meanders to take the shorter capping the red slopes is the White Rim Sandstone, which noticeably thick- Monument upwarp...... paths under the bridges. ens to the west. The Moenkopi Formation defines the skyline.

. . US-163 from the Arizona border to Bluff Scenic Byway Group rivers. of the San Juan River)tion by Cutler (approximateand on the north present loca- and beaches along the fringes of a western ocean, River)of the Colorado by dunes the Rim sand White bordered on the northwest (approximate present location dunes from sand Permian dunes wereed as desert The time. the red slopes of the Organ Rock DeChelly The Formation. originat- and spires in the sculpted DeChellybuttes, Sandstone underlain by Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park mesas, of fantastic is a landscape byway is on the Navajo Indian Reservation. and to impressive vistas via the Moki Dugway road. Half of the scenic and spiresmonuments and includes side trips to the Valley of the Gods the earth’s crust. of route This passes through landscape an enchanting superimposed on the Monument upwarp were formed by compression of fossils from and synclines the ancient ocean. Anticlines encapsulating gray limestone (weathered to Hat Bridge) a tan color under Mexican Paradox basin. Much of the road traverses the Honaker a Formation, Trail and abundant marine shelf formed the life. This southeast margin of the Travel across a 300-million-year-old reefs with ocean shelf complete coral 45 miles, 1 1/2 hours -■---·~ AZ UT M1 /''~- NAVAJ O TRIBAL PARK TRIBAL O NAVAJ MONUMENT VALLEYMONUMENT through Pennsylvanian- leads to an overlook of the Moki Dugway road A four-mile drive from cut down 1,000 feet meanders that have M6 classic entrenched age limestones. OUETPASS MONUMENT P crest of the anticline. and hard Halgaito is wearing rocks;the soft the softer away from the take appearance that on a scalloped is due to erosion differential of (background).anticline Farther south on this route, the rock ribbons as red and greenish-gray ribbons on the western of the Raplee flank HalgaitoHalgaito and Honaker The Formation. appear Formations Trail tant unit in the ously perched resis- Hat Rock is a precari- brero-shaped Mexican som- famous The GOOSENECKS OF and Monument Valley. the canyons of the San Juan River, views into the Valley of the Gods, Cedar fabulous and offers Mesa a series of switchbacks to the top of Moki Dugway road 261) rises in (Rte exploded from this Ancient eruptions THE SAN JUAN STATE PARK volcanic neck. ROCK ALHAMBRA 261 National Monument to Natural Bridges A 17-mile-long loop vating monoliths of road passes capti- Mexican the Cedar Mesa Hat MEXICAN ROCK Sandstone. HAT M20 - f \ J / I r, I I VALLEY OF THE GODS ' M29 Formation, and gentlyFormation, climbs to the crest of Lime Ridge anticline. The roadThe is on the Honaker Trail CEDAR MESA

COMB RIDGE caps of Bluff Sandstone. of Bluff caps Sa n The NavajoThe Twins are J u a n (see Rte 95 R for description) i v e r --- 163 + + T \

191 I to named after this town.named after is Morrison Formation) ber of the Jurassic-age SandstoneBluff (a mem- wind-deposited local, The t NORTH I NFORMATION AGENCIES SALT LAKE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU 180 South West Temple line domes of the Wingate and Navajo Sandstones. Rivers inter- Salt Lake City UT 84101 (801-521-2822) mittently appeared, as evident from the river-deposited Kayenta

UTAH TRAVEL COUNCIL Formation which separates the wind-deposited Wingate and Council Hall, Capitol Hill Navajo Sandstones. Interestingly, the water sources that existed Salt Lake City UT 84114 (801-538-1030) during this time, such as the river systems of the Kayenta and MOAB INFORMATION CENTER oases of the Navajo, provided thriving habitat for many dinosaurs. Center St. and Main St., Moab UT 84532 During middle-Jurassic time, the desert was slowly covered by an (Staffed by UTAH TRAVEL COUNCIL, CANYONLANDS NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION (801-259-6003), BUREAU OF LAND arm of a sea that entered from the north, and sands deposited in MANAGEMENT (801-259-8193), NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, AND U.S. tidal flats, lagoons, and as coastal dunes became the Entrada FOREST SERVICE) Sandstone (renowned for arch development in Arches National ARCHES NATIONAL PARK Park). At the end of the Jurassic, rivers and lakes collected silts P.O. Box 907, Moab UT 84532 (801-259-8161) and sands that formed the Morrison Formation. Dinosaurs caught

CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK in recurrent floods were quickly buried by river sediments, turning 125 West 200 South, Moab UT 84532 (801-259-7164) the Morrison into a remarkable dinosaur graveyard. GRAND COUNTY TRAVEL COUNCIL The last sea to invade the area approached and retreated from the 210 North 100 West, Moab UT 84532 (1-800-635-6622) east during the Cretaceous. Gray muds (now the Mancos Shale) DEAD HORSE POINT STATE PARK that collected on the quiet ocean floor, and the shoreline sands P.O. Box 609, Moab UT 84532 (801-259-6511) and coal-forming swamps (now the Mesa Verde Group), are visible SAN JUAN COUNTY TRAVEL COUNCIL in the northern part of the region in the Book Cliffs. 117 South Main St. Monticello, UT 84535 (801-587-3235) A gentle, broad uplifting in the southern part of the Canyonlands region, the Monument upwarp, formed during the Tertiary. Also EDGE OF THE CEDARS STATE PARK P.O. Box 788 during this time, the birthplaces of the La Sal, Abajo, and Navajo Blanding, UT 84511 (801-678-2238) Mountains were established where hot magma rose close to the earth’s surface (see description in Mountains section). MONUMENT VALLEY NAVAJO TRIBAL PARK P.O. Box 360289 (801-727-3287/3353) The present stage of geologic history began about 15 million years Monument Valley, UT 84536 ago, when the Colorado Plateau, which encompasses the NATURAL BRIDGES NATIONAL MONUMENT Canyonlands area, was uplifted and the forces of water and wind Box 1, Lake Powell, UT 84533 (801-259-5174) erosion began their work. The Colorado, Green, and San Juan U.S. GEOLOGICAL' SURVEY Rivers and their tributaries continue to cut downward though the Earth Science Information Center rock layers and carry enormous amounts of sediment off the 2222 West 2300 South plateau; mesas, buttes, and monuments continue to get smaller; Salt Lake City, UT 84119 (801-975-37420) and arches, spires, and hoodoos continue to form. The dramati- UTAH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY cally sculpted landscape of today’s canyon country is constantly, 2363 South Foothill Drive but ever-so-slowly, changing. Salt Lake City, UT 84109 (801-467-0401) Contact the Utah Geological Survey for other geologic publications, including: Geology and Grand County, Geologic Resources of San Juan County, and the Geologic Map of Arches National Park. FEATURES ON CANYONLANDS TRAVEL REGION MAP (back cover) Book Cliffs-described in Time Passages Uncompahgre uplift-described irf Time Passages Upheaveal Dome, a mysterious geological feature, one theory is that it is an astrobleme, or giant meteor crater The Needles-described in Salt Movement and Rte 211 The Grabens-described in Salt Movement Monument upwarp-described in Time Passages _and Rte 95 Pa'radox basin -described in Time Passages Newspaper Rock State Park, Edge of the Cedars State Park, and Hovenweep National Monument are situated around Indian ruins and petroglyphs.

Island in the Sky Bistrict of Canyonlands National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park (inset) offer inspiring views of nature 's red artwork and the erosive power of the Colorado River. The White Rim Sandstone forms the terrace 1,000 feet below the Island in the Sky, upon which the 100-mile-long White Rim Trail can be traversed by mountain bike or jeep. CANYONLANDS TRAVEL REGION ANYONANYON OUNTRYOUNTRY ______17 CCA Land Of EnchantmentCC I his vast rock desert in southeastern Utah showcases deep, colorful T canyons, majestic natural monuments pictured in western movies, a _,,~ i fantasy land of towering pinnacles and slot canyons, rock arches and ,' ANYONANYON OUNTRYOUNTRY bridges, and breathtaking vistas atop mesas. Much can be seen by car, and C, more of this endlessly intriguing country is accessible by foot, mountain Explanation CC CC bike, four-wheel-drive vehicle, or watercraft. ~ . Collapsed salt anticline You do not have to be a geologist to enjoy or interpret the scenery, for the ffll Arches rocks easily divulge their stories of forming in seas or on land, in deserts or in deltas, in rivers or along beaches. What a fascinating heritage: dinosaurs (fjJ Bridges once sauntered through lush lowlands leaving huge footprints in mud that ;I; Petroglyphs has now turned to rock, vast sand dunes that drifted across the area are .. Dinosaur tracks preserved as large sweeping lines in sandstone walls, and oceans that once J1,, Indian ruins covered this region left fossilized corals and seashells embedded in lime- Paradox basin salt boundary --- stone. CJ Parks, monuments, recreation areas This guide introduces you to the rocks’ stories, to enhance your travels and CJ Indian reservations your appreciation of the region. Along designated scenic byways, which are ( portrayed at the end of this pamphlet, look for the specific features Scenic byways described here and learn what their journey has been as you make yours. During your visit, tread lightly on this delicate land so that the pristine and

0 10 20 miles I\ unique landscape remains unchanged. Desert soils are extremely fragile; I\ Monticello minimize your impact by staying on roads or marked trails. Abajo Mis. 666----.__j A Geologic Guide to the [) Canyonlands Travel Region

/ E:

/ .::, 1 <,of'

1,J.Powell Navajo / <:- Indian ? c ,' ~ ffll 0 Rambow Bndge / o 163 ~x ,c,11yf Nat'! Mon / ~ at 'cJ /\ Nav'!J-OMI. ______/ ____ '.:"'7.___ _/ - ·· - · •- -,-,. U"'T"'Ac::-H,-,,-- -• Monument Valley Goosenecks ARIZONA Navajo Tribal Park of the San Juan State Park Above photo and cover photo courtesy of the Grand County Travel Council. Credits State of Utah Department of Natural Resources Text by Sandra N. Eldredge. Photos by author unless otherwise credited. Graphics by Vicky Clarke. Utah Geological Survey Special thanks to: the Salt Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Utah Travel Regions 0 Public Information Series 34 Association for their support of this project; Canyonlands National Park and the Grand County Travel 1996 ISBN 1-55791-373-0 Council for photo releases; Newc and Sally Eldredge for field assistance; Miriam Bugden, Joan I DeGiorgio, Hellmut Doelling, Kimm Harty, Carolyn Olsen, Michael Ross, and Christine Wilkerson for providing valuable reviews; and Patti MaGann who helped to get this project off the ground.