The Kayenta Formation

Capitol Reef Western boundary. The Kayenta formation is along the very top of the picture

Canyon Lands near Dead Horse Point. The rocks in the foreground are Kayenta

        The Kayenta formation was formed during the late Triassic period stretching to the early Jurassic period. During a time of receding waters, a great erg was formed, a massive sand sea stretched over much of what is now western America. These sands eventually compressed into the cross-beds of red sandstone and silt-stone that make up the Kayenta formation today. The Kayenta is a bench former. Somewhat more resistant to erosion than wingate & Navajo It is above the Wingate and below the Navajo formations. The rocks are a pink salmon color and thicken westward.  It spans all the way from the South West Arizona into South West Colorado, and  stretches through Zions National Park.