The Geologic Story of Colorado National Monument: Revised EditionLohman, Stanley William
Science
The Geologic Story of Colorado National Monument: Revised Edition
Lohman, Stanley William
Colorado National Monument (Colo.); Geology -- Colorado -- Colorado National Monument
Beautifully sculptured remains of the Navajo are featured attractions at
Zion, Capitol Reef, and Arches National Parks, Rainbow Bridge, Navajo,
and Dinosaur National Monuments; border many miles of beautiful Lake
Powell; and form the eastern flank of the San Rafael Swell. For reasons
to be explained, this sandstone thins to the northeast, and is absent
entirely at about the Utah-Colorado State line, some 35 miles southwest
of the Monument. Thus, in the Monument, the Navajo, most of the Kayenta,
and the lower part of the Entrada Sandstone are missing at another gap
in the rock record, as shown in figure 15.
[Illustration: GAP IN THE ROCK RECORD, between Kayenta Formation
below 3½- × 6-inch green notebook and Slick Rock Member of Entrada
Sandstone above. The reasons for this gap are given in the text on
page 38. That this is an erosional unconformity is clearly indicated
by the uneven top of the Kayenta, particularly to the left of the
notebook. Note solution pits and openings in the Entrada near top of
photograph. (Fig. 15)]
How is it possible that the Navajo Sandstone is more than 2,200 feet
thick in Zion National Park, is several hundred feet thick in much of
the Plateau in Utah and parts of southwestern Colorado, yet is absent
entirely, together with a considerable thickness of younger rocks in and
near Colorado National Monument? How much of the missing strata once
were present in the Monument is not known, but it seems clear that at
least part was present but was eroded away before the Entrada Sandstone
was deposited. There is evidence[21] that following the deposition and
consolidation of the Navajo Sandstone the Plateau and adjacent areas
were uplifted, tilted gently westward, and eroded for a considerable
period of time. Erosion naturally was most pronounced in the eastern
areas, including the Monument, where the uplift was greatest. Thus, in
the northeastern part of the Plateau all the Navajo and most of the
Kayenta were eroded away, and erosion continued there while the lowest
member of the Entrada, the Dewey Bridge Member, and the lower part of
the overlying Slick Rock Member were being laid down in the Moab, Utah,
area.[22] This old erosion surface is clearly visible in many places
along the cliff wall on the southwest side of Rim Rock Drive between the
Visitor Center and Kissing Couple.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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