Cedar Mesa Sandstone | |
---|---|
Stratigraphic range: Early Permian-Early Triassic, | |
Type | Geological member [1] |
Unit of | Cutler Formation |
Underlies | Organ Rock Shale |
Overlies | Elephant Canyon Formation Halgaito Member |
Thickness | Over 1,000 feet (300 m) |
Lithology | |
Primary | Sandstone |
Location | |
Coordinates | 37°23′N109°55′W / 37.383°N 109.917°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 (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]
The Cedar Mesa Sandstone consists mainly of red and white sandstone showing cross-bedding typical of an eolian sandstone. [3] The thick beds of cross-bedded sandstone are separated by thin layers of siltstone or other softer rock that erodes more easily, forming horizontal recesses. [4] These have been traced for over 200 kilometers (120 mi) and contain rhizoliths (fossil roots) and other indications that a thin soil layer developed. [5] At its type location at Cedar Mesa near the San Juan River in Utah, the sandstone is 500 feet (150 m) to over 1,000 feet (300 m) thick. Drill holes near Glen Canyon have penetrated more than 1,200 feet (370 m) of Ceder Mesa beds. [6] To the southeast, at the limits of surface exposure, the sandstone intertongues with beds of gypsum, siltstone, and limestone, which continue into the subsurface for another 125 kilometers (78 mi). [7] The sandstone is assigned to the Cutler Formation, and overlies the Halgaito Member and in turn is overlain by the Organ Rock Member. [8] North and northeast of the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers, the sandstone intertongues with undifferentiated Cutler Formation beds. [9]
The Cutler is raised to group rank in some areas of the Colorado Plateau, and its members, including the Cedar Mesa Sandstone, are then raised to formation rank. [10]
In addition to capping Cedar Mesa, [8] [2] the Cedar Mesa Sandstone forms the spires and canyons found in the Needles and Maze districts of Canyonlands National Park, [11] the inner gorge of White Canyon, [12] and the three natural bridges of Natural Bridges National Monument. [13] [9] The sandstone continues in the subsurface into the Four Corners region. [9]
Cedar Mesa Sandstone is the remains of coastal sand dunes deposited about 270 to 300 million years ago, during the Wolfcampian (early Permian). [14] The red and white banded appearance is a result of periodic floods which carried iron-rich sediments down from the Uncompahgre Mountains during its formation. [15] [11] [16] [6] The cross-bedding dips consistently to the southeast, showing that prevailing winds were from the northwest, and the source of the sand making up the sandstone was the shallow sea to the west and north. [4]
The origin of the thin layers of softer rock is not settled, [5] but one possibility is that these layers developed at times when the water table rose. This cut off the supply of sand, and wind erosion then eroded the dune field flat at the level of the water table, where a thin soil developed and became vegetated. [17]
The interbedded gypsum, siltstone, and limestone to the southeast are interpreted as sabkha deposits, deposited in saline coastal flats. [7]
Fragmented fossils are found in some of the thin layers of softer rock. These include large (up to 1 by 8 meters (3 ft 3 in by 26 ft 3 in)) petrified conifer logs, small horsetail ( Equisetum ) stem fragments, and fern leaves resembling Asterotheca . These are thought to have been brought into the dune field by large flood events. Reptile bones and teeth, including a possible jaw fragment of a pelycosaur, have also been found in the formation. [5]
The beds belonging to the unit were originally assigned to the Coconino Sandstone of northern Arizona, but were reassigned to the Cedar Mesa sandstone member of the Cutler Formation by A.A. Baker and John B. Reeside, Jr., in 1929. They named the member for its exposures capping Cedar Mesa. [8] S.A. Wengerd and M.L. Matheny recommended raising the Cedar Mesa Sandstone to formation rank in 1958. [10]
The Entrada Sandstone is a formation in the San Rafael Group found in the U.S. states of Wyoming, Colorado, northwest New Mexico, northeast Arizona, and southeast Utah. Part of the Colorado Plateau, this formation was deposited during the Jurassic Period sometime between 180 and 140 million years ago in various environments, including tidal mudflats, beaches, and sand dunes. The Middle Jurassic San Rafael Group was dominantly deposited as ergs in a desert environment around the shallow Sundance Sea.
The exposed geology of the Capitol Reef area presents a record of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation in an area of North America in and around Capitol Reef National Park, on the Colorado Plateau in southeastern Utah.
The Cutler Formation or Cutler Group is a rock unit that is exposed across the U.S. states of Arizona, northwest New Mexico, southeast Utah and southwest Colorado. It was laid down in the Early Permian during the Wolfcampian epoch.
The Moenkopi Formation is a geological formation that is spread across the U.S. states of New Mexico, northern Arizona, Nevada, southeastern California, eastern Utah and western Colorado. This unit is considered to be a group in Arizona. Part of the Colorado Plateau and Basin and Range, this red sandstone was laid down in the Lower Triassic and possibly part of the Middle Triassic, around 240 million years ago.
The Glen Canyon Group is a geologic group of formations that is spread across the U.S. states of Nevada, Utah, northern Arizona, north west New Mexico and western Colorado. It is called the Glen Canyon Sandstone in the Green River Basin of Colorado and Utah.
The Carmel Formation is a geologic formation in the San Rafael Group that is spread across the U.S. states of Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, north east Arizona and New Mexico. Part of the Colorado Plateau, this formation was laid down in the Middle Jurassic during the late Bajocian, through the Bathonian and into the early Callovian stages.
The San Juan Basin is a geologic structural basin located near the Four Corners region of the Southwestern United States. The basin covers 7,500 square miles and resides in northwestern New Mexico, southwestern Colorado, and parts of Utah and Arizona. Specifically, the basin occupies space in the San Juan, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and McKinley counties in New Mexico, and La Plata and Archuleta counties in Colorado. The basin extends roughly 100 miles (160 km) N-S and 90 miles (140 km) E-W.
In geology, the Paradox Formation Is a Pennsylvanian age formation which consists of abundant evaporites with lesser interbedded shale, sandstone, and limestone. The evaporites are largely composed of gypsum, anhydrite, and halite. The formation is found mostly in the subsurface, but there are scattered exposures in anticlines in eastern Utah and western Colorado. These surface exposures occur in the Black Mesa, San Juan and Paradox Basins and the formation is found in the subsurface in southwestern Colorado, southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona and northeastern New Mexico.
The Mancos Shale or Mancos Group is a Late Cretaceous geologic formation of the Western United States.
The White Rim Sandstone is a sandstone geologic formation located in southeastern Utah. It is the last member of the Permian Cutler Group, and overlies the major Organ Rock Formation and Cedar Mesa Sandstone; and again overlies thinner units of the Elephant Canyon and Halgaito Formations.
The Shinarump Conglomerate is a geologic formation found in the Four Corners region of the United States. It was deposited in the early part of the Late Triassic period.
The Cherry Canyon Formation is a geologic formation found in the Delaware Basin of southeastern New Mexico and western Texas. It contains fossils characteristic of the Guadalupian Age of the Permian Period.
The Bell Canyon Formation is a geologic formation found in the Delaware Basin of southeastern New Mexico and western Texas. It contains fossils characteristic of the Guadalupian Age of the Permian Period.
The San Andres Formation is a geologic formation found in New Mexico and Texas. It contains fossils characteristic of the late Leonardian (Kungurian) Age) of the Permian Period.
The Yeso Group is a group of geologic formations in New Mexico. It contains fossils characteristic of the Kungurian Age of the early Permian Period.
The Burro Canyon Formation is an Early Cretaceous Period sedimentary geologic formation, found in western Colorado, the Chama Basin and eastern San Juan Basin of northern New Mexico, and in eastern Utah, US.
The Mesaverde Group is a Late Cretaceous stratigraphic group found in areas of Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming, in the Western United States.
The Organ Rock Formation or Organ Rock Shale is a formation within the late Pennsylvanian to early Permian Cutler Group and is deposited across southeastern Utah, northwestern New Mexico, and northeastern Arizona. This formation notably outcrops around Canyonlands National Park, Natural Bridges National Monument, and Monument Valley of northeast Arizona, southern Utah. The age of the Organ Rock is constrained to the latter half of the Cisuralian epoch by age dates from overlying and underlying formations. Important early terrestrial vertebrate fossils have been recovered from this formation in northern Arizona, southern Utah, and northern New Mexico. These include the iconic Permian terrestrial fauna: Seymouria, Diadectes, Ophiacodon, and Dimetrodon. The fossil assemblage present suggests arid environmental conditions. This is corroborated with paleoclimate data indicative of global drying throughout the early Permian.
The Halgaito Formation is the basal Permian geologic member of the Cutler Group in southern Utah. The member consists of silty sandstone, siltstone and limestone. The Elephant Canyon may grade into the Halgaito and grades northward into the Cedar Mesa Formation.
The Molas Formation is a geologic formation that is found in the Four Corners region of the United States. Its age is poorly constrained but is thought to be Namurian.