The Navajo Sandstone
Navajo Sandstone. Click for larger image.
The Navajo Sandstone is a geologic formation in the Glen Canyon Group, which is a part of the Colorado Plateau. It spans from Arizona to Colorado and from Mexico to Canada. These forms contain monuments from many national parks such as Zion, Capital Reef, Glen Canyon, Escalante, Canyonlands and more.
Navajo Sandstone often occurs as dunes, domes, and bluffs rising from the desert floor. These are formed by wind blowing sand into dunes from one direction, which forms asymmetrical sand dunes. These dunes petrify over time to form sandstone. When petrified, sand can be blown on top of the old stone and form new dunes. As a result, Navajo Sandstone looks somewhat like low-lying dunes stacked on top of each other. These are the famous red and yellow cliffs you see in Zion National Park. Using uranium-lead dating, researchers found that most of the grains were formed between 1.2 billion and 950 million years ago.
Navajo Sandstone often occurs as dunes, domes, and bluffs rising from the desert floor. These are formed by wind blowing sand into dunes from one direction, which forms asymmetrical sand dunes. These dunes petrify over time to form sandstone. When petrified, sand can be blown on top of the old stone and form new dunes. As a result, Navajo Sandstone looks somewhat like low-lying dunes stacked on top of each other. These are the famous red and yellow cliffs you see in Zion National Park. Using uranium-lead dating, researchers found that most of the grains were formed between 1.2 billion and 950 million years ago.