| Cedar Mesa Sandstone Stratigraphic range: Early Permian, 286–245 Ma |
|
|---|---|
Druid Arch in Canyonlands National Park, an eroded fin of Cedar Mesa Sandstone |
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| Type | Geological member[1] |
| Unit of | Cutler Formation |
| Underlies | Organ Rock Shale |
| Overlies | Elephant Canyon Formation Halgaito Member |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone |
| Location | |
| Named for | Cedar Mesa |
| Named by | Arthur A. Baker John B. Reeside, Jr., 1929 |
| Region | Colorado Plateau |
| Country | United States |
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] It 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 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]
Geology of the Canyonlands area