Geology of Utah’s Parks and Monuments 2000 Utah Geological Association Publication 28 D.A. Sprinkel, T.C. Chidsey, Jr., and P.B. Anderson, editors Geology of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah Hellmut H. Doelling1, Robert E. Blackett1, Alden H. Hamblin2, J. Douglas Powell3, and Gayle L. Pollock4 ABSTRACT The 1.9-million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was created September 18, 1996 by President Clin- ton and was the first national monument to be placed under the management of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Located in southern Utah, the monument contains an array of geological, paleontological, historic, archaeological, and bi- ological resources. It lies in a remote area comprised of canyons, plateaus, mesas, and cliffs set in an environment of col- orful geologic formations. The monument is surrounded by several national and state parks, a primitive area, and a national recreation area. It can be divided into three geographical sections: from west to east these are the Grand Staircase, Kaiparowits Basin, and Es- calante Canyons sections. Rock formations exposed in these sections range in age from Permian to Cretaceous comprising more than 200 million years of Earth’s history. Structurally, these rocks dip gently northward, and are deformed by most- ly north-south-trending faults, anticlines, synclines, and monoclines. The monument area contains known coal, oil and gas, and mineral resources and potential resources which are gener- ally undeveloped because market areas are distant and because ways of transporting the commodities out of the region have never been in place. As a national monument, the area will provide many future opportunities to study a region of remarkably well-exposed geology. INTRODUCTION incorporating the principles of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA). The proclamation gov- Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was erns how the provisions of FLPMA will be applied within established by presidential proclamation on September 18, the monument. FLPMA directs the BLM to manage pub- 1996 to protect an array of geological, paleontological, his- lic land on the basis of multiple use and in a manner that toric, archaeological, and biological resources. Following will protect the quality of scientific, scenic, historic, eco- the creation of the monument, Congress passed the Utah logical, environmental, air and atmospheric, water re- Schools and Land Exchange Act, which transferred own- sources, and archaeological resources (U.S. Department of ership of all trust lands administered by the Utah School Interior, 2000). and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) The monument covers about 1.9 million acres of land (176,699 acres) and trust mineral interests (24,000) acres in south-central Utah (figure 1). About 68 percent of the within the monument boundaries, to the Federal Govern- monument is in Kane County, while the remaining 32 per- ment. In exchange for these interests, and other lands and cent is in Garfield County. Conversely, about 49 percent of interests within national parks and monuments in Utah, Kane County and 18 percent of Garfield County lie within the State of Utah received title to federal lands elsewhere, the monument boundaries. The monument is primarily mineral royalties from other federal lands in Utah, and a surrounded on three sides by national forest and national one-time cash payment. It is the first national monument park lands, as well as other BLM administered lands to the managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), south and west. Kodachrome State Park also adjoins the 1 Utah Geological Survey, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6100 monument near Cannonville. For more information on 2 Fremont Indian State Park and Museum, Sevier, UT 84766 3 monument management and use restrictions, the reader Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Kanab, UT 84741 4 should refer to the approved management plan (U.S. De- Bryce Canyon National History Association, Bryce Canyon National Park, UT 84717-0002 partment of Interior, 2000) 1 H.H. Doelling, R.E. Blackett, A.H. Hamblin, J.D. Powell, and G.L. Pollock Geology of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah Antimony Capitol Canyonlands Reef National Park Dixie Dixie National Forest National Park National Boulder Forest Town Panguitch Escalante Hildale Tropic N Hatch Bullfrog Henrieville GARFIELD CO. Glen Long Valley Cannonville Canyon UTAH KANE CO. National Junction Alton Bryce Zion Canyon Grand Staircase- Recreation Area National Glendale National Escalante Park Park National Monument Orderville Paria 0 Mt Carmel Paria 20 miles Canyon Adairville Johnson Primitive Church Wells Canyon Area Kanab Big Water Towns and settlements Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument National Parks Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Paria Canyon Primitive Area Dixie National Forest BLM, State, and private land FigureFi 1.g ureIndex 1. map Index for Grand map forStaircase-Escalante the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Nationalin Garfield Monument and Kane Counties, in Garfield Utah. and The Kane 1.9-million-acre Counties, monument is encircled by national parks, a national recreation area, a primitive area, and a national forest. Four state parks, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Kodachrome, Escalante Petrified Forest, and Anasazi Indian Village State Parks are also in the area, west of Kanab, near Cannonville, near Escalante, and near Boulder Town, respectively. Boulder 26 Wolverine Loop 15 road 4 Burr Trail 10 3 Escalante 27 13 12 20 16 5 Escalante 0 5 10 15 20 Canyons MILES d 23 a section o 22 S H Tropic r t o h r le s a - 12 in a i - g th W h 7 e t -R Cannonville y 21 d o e a c Henrieville v k l o r ro GARFIELD COUNTY A n a 18 y 8 d C t C KANE COUNTY e l ll i 9 o f f 11 C s 22 or 6 89 F if Grand Staircase ty d m a 24 i o section le r C r o M 27 d t Glendale a o o o n u h r n a d r p o t m a h a Paria 12 a tu o s S i u r d n k a m S h Townsite s W o a Kaiparowits Basin k 2 W 17 d y 22 o M l o section 25 t a w n Orderville r 25 n r r o o o d 27 t a t Smoky a C d o o r Hollow n C e n Loop h y c t 24 C road i 14 K n o s n 25 h 19 1 o J Kanab Big Water 89 89 UTAH ARIZONA Figure 2. Map showing the locations of the classic geologic sites (numbers) within Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah. See text for descriptions of these sites. Also, the Grand Staircase section is shown in blue, the Kaiparowits Basin section in yellow, and the Escalante Canyons section in green. 2 D.A. Sprinkel, T.C. Chidsey, Jr., and P.B. Anderson, editors 2000 Utah Geological Association Publication 28 GEOGRAPHY capped by the Upper Triassic Shinarump Member of the Chinle Formation. Descriptions of these formations are Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is lo- given in the stratigraphy section of this paper. Discontin- cated within the Colorado Plateau physiographic uous Shinarump outcrops explain why this riser is not province, near its western margin. It is bordered by the well developed in the monument. The next step is known gateway communities of Boulder, Escalante, Henrieville, as the Shinarump Flats. This bench is mostly developed Cannonville, Tropic, Glendale, Kanab, and Big Water (fig- on top of the hard Shinarump Member and the overlying ures 1 and 2). Annual precipitation in the region varies soft Petrified Forest Member of the Chinle Formation. The from about six inches at the lowest altitudes near Lake Vermilion Cliffs form the next riser, which is well devel- Powell (4,000 ft), to about 25 inches at the highest altitudes oped in the monument. The cliffs are made up of the re- near Canaan Peak (9,280 ft). The variations in altitude and sistant red sandstone beds of the Lower Jurassic Moenave precipitation produce three climatic zones: upland, semi- and Kayenta Formations. The Wygaret Terrace forms the desert, and desert. At the highest altitudes, precipitation next step and includes the soft upper part of the Kayenta falls primarily during the winter. The majority of precipi- and the lower parts of the Lower Jurassic Navajo Sand- tation in the semi-desert and desert areas occurs during stone. The imposing White Cliffs form the next riser and the summer months. consist of the upper part of the Navajo Sandstone and the The monument may be divided into three broad areas: Middle Jurassic Co-op Creek Limestone Member of the from west to east these are the Grand Staircase, Kaiparow- Carmel Formation. The bench on this riser is the Sku- its Basin, and Escalante Canyons sections (figure 2). The tumpah Terrace built on the remaining soft parts of the Grand Staircase section is a broad feature that encom- Carmel Formation and the overlying Entrada Sandstone. passes the western third of the monument, and consists of The Gray Cliffs are a series of low cliffs formed by hard a series of topographic benches and cliffs that, as its name Cretaceous sandstone beds. Several benches have formed implies, step progressively up in elevation from south to between these cliffs in the softer shales and sandstones of north. The risers correspond to cliffs and the steps corre- the Tropic, Straight Cliffs, Wahweap, and Kaiparowits For- spond to the benches, terraces, or plateaus in the staircase mations. The final riser, mostly north and west of the (figure 3). The bottom of the staircase commences at the monument, in Dixie National Forest and Bryce Canyon top of the Kaibab uplift, which correlates with and is in the National Park, is formed by the Pink Cliffs.