Cedar Mesa Sandstone
Cedar Mesa Sandstone (also known as the Cedar Mesa Formation) is a sandstone member[1] of the Cutler Formation, found in southeast Utah, southwest Colorado, northwest New Mexico, and northeast Arizona.[2]
Cedar Mesa Sandstone Stratigraphic range: Early Permian, 286–245 Ma | |
---|---|
Type | Geological member[1] |
Unit of | Cutler Formation |
Underlies | Organ Rock Shale |
Overlies | Elephant Canyon Formation Halgaito Member |
Lithology | |
Primary | Sandstone |
Location | |
Coordinates | 37°23′N 109°55′W |
Region | Colorado Plateau |
Country | United States |
Type section | |
Named for | Cedar Mesa |
Named by | Arthur A. Baker John B. Reeside, Jr., 1929 |
Cedar Mesa Sandstone is the remains of coastal sand dunes deposited about 245–286 million years ago, during the early Permian period.[3] Coloration varies, but the rock often displays a red and white banded appearance as a result of periodic floods which carried iron-rich sediments down from the Uncompahgre Mountains during its formation.[3][4]
Named after topographic Cedar Mesa near the San Juan River in Utah,[2] exposures of Cedar Mesa Sandstone form the spires and canyons found in the Needles and Maze districts of Canyonlands National Park,[3] the inner gorge of White Canyon,[5] and the three natural bridges of Natural Bridges National Monument.[6]
See also
References
- The Cutler Formation is sometimes classified as the Cutler Group, in which case Cedar Mesa Sandstone is classified as a formation rather than a member.
- "Cedar Mesa Sandstone". Park Stratigraphy of the Colorado Plateau. United States Geological Survey. Archived from the original on 23 June 2010. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
- "Canyonlands National Park - Cedar Mesa Sandstone". National Park Service. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
- "Canyonlands National Park - Geologic Formations". National Park Service. Retrieved 26 November 2009.
- "Geological Survey Circular 217 - Preliminary Report on the White Canyon Area, San Juan County, Utah". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
- "Natural Bridges - Geology" (PDF). National Park Service. January 2003. Retrieved 25 November 2009.