Navajo Sandstone

Navajo Sandstone is a geologic formation in the Glen Canyon Group that is spread across the U.S. states of northern Arizona, northwest Colorado, Nevada, and Utah (the unit is not part of a group in Nevada). It is located in the Colorado Plateau province of the United States. This rock formation is particularly prominent in southeastern Utah, where it forms the main attractions of a number of national parks and monuments including Zion National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, the San Rafael Swell, and Canyonlands National Park. Navajo sandstone frequently appears above the Kayenta Formation and Wingate Sandstone (all three formations are in the same group). Together, these three formations can result in immense vertical cliffs of 2000 feet or more. When the Kayenta and Wingate formations are not present, Navajo sandstone frequently appears as large, rounded domes that are generally white in color.

Age and history of investigation

The age of this rock unit is somewhat controversial. It may originate from the Late Triassic but is at least as old as the Early Jurassic stages Pliensbachian and Toarcian.USGS Accessed 18 March 2006 There is no type locality of the name. It was simply named for the 'Navajo Country' of the southwestern United States.Gregory, 1917 The two major subunits of the Navajo are the Lamb Point Tongue (Cedar City area) and the Shurtz Sandstone Tongue (Kanab area).Averitt and others, 1955.

The Navajo Sandstone was originally named as the uppermost formation of the La Plata Group by Gregory and Stone in 1917. Baker reassigned it as the upper formation of Glen Canyon Group in 1936. Its age was modified by Lewis and others in 1961. The name was originally not used in northwest Colorado and northeast Utah, where the name 'Glen Canyon Sandstone' was preferred.Poole and Stewart, 1964 Its age was modified again by Padian in 1989.

Places found

Navajo Sandstone outcrops are found in these geologic locations:

The formation is also found in these parklands (incomplete list):

References

Works cited

Averitt, Paul, Wilson, R.F., Detterman, J.S., Harshbarger, J.W. and Repenning, C.A., 1955, "Revisions in correlation and nomenclature of Triassic and Jurassic formations in southwestern Utah and northern Arizona", American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 39, no. 12, p. 2515-2524
Baker, A.A., 1936, "Geology of the Monument Valley-Navajo Mountain region, San Juan County, Utah", U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 865, 106 p., Also, U.S. Geological Survey Oil and Gas Investigations Map OM-168, and Bulletin 1087-D.
Gregory, H.E. and Stone, R.W., 1917, "Geology of the Navajo country; a reconnaissance of parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah", U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper, 93, 161 p.
Lewis, G.E., Irwin, J.H. and Wilson, R.F., 1961, "Age of the Glen Canyon Group (Triassic and Jurassic) on the Colorado Plateau", Geological Society of America Bulletin v. 72, no. 9, p. 1437-1440
Padian, K., 1989, "Presence of dinosaur Scelidosaurus indicates Jurassic age for the Kayenta Formation (Glen Canyon Group, northern Arizona)", Geological Society of America, Geology, v. 17, no. 5, p. 438-441
Poole, F.G. and Stewart, J.H., 1964, "Chinle Formation and Glen Canyon Sandstone in northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado, IN Geological Survey research 1964", U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper, 501-D, p. D30-D39
USGS: Colorado River Basin Stratigraphy - Navajo Sandstone Accessed 18 March 2006 (public domain text)

Age and history of investigation

Places found

References

Works cited

Notes

Further reading

Internet - general

Scientific publications

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Age and history of investigation

Places found

References

Works cited

Notes

Further reading

Internet - general

Scientific publications