The geology of the Zion and Kolob canyons area includes nine known exposed formations. These formations represent about 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation in that part of North America. In later Permian time, the Toroweap Basin was invaded by the warm, shallow edge of the vast Panthalassa ocean.
About Geology of the Zion and Kolob canyons area in brief
The geology of the Zion and Kolob canyons area includes nine known exposed formations. Together, these formations represent about 150 million years of mostly Mesozoic-aged sedimentation in that part of North America. Zion National Park includes an elevated plateau that consists of sedimentary formations that dip very gently to the east. In later Permian time, the Toroweap Basin was invaded by the warm, shallow edge of the vast Panthalassa ocean in what local geologists call the Kaibab Sea. At that time, Utah and Wyoming were near the equator on the western margin of the supercontinent Pangaea. In the park, this formation can be found in the Hurricane Cliffs above the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center and in an escarpment along Interstate 15 as it skirts the park. This is the same formation that rims the Grand Canyon to the south. In fact, the youngest formation is the oldest exposed formation in Bryce Canyon—the Dakota Sandstone. It is not exposed in the park though it does form its basement rock. The interfaith with the White Rim Sandstone, now exposed in Capitol Rim National Park, suggests that the marine facies migrated in east to east in response to sea-level rise, or transgression. The Early Triassic Volcanoes continued to erupt through the north–south trending arc to the west, which is now located between Nevada and California. It was located between what is now the border between California and Nevada and reaching 30m in depth and reaching the top of the karst topography, creating kararst channels in the topography of the Nevada and Nevada borders.
The K-1 formation is exposed along the Virgin River in the Zion Canyon part of the park and the youngest are exposed in the KolOB Canyon section. The oldest exposed form is the youngest exposed form in the Grand canyon—theKaibab limestone. The Grand Staircase is an immense sequence of. sedimentary rock layers that stretch south from Bryce Canyon National Park through Zion National park and into the Grand. Canyon. It includes several different environments that range from the warm shallow seas of the KaIBab and Moenkopi formations, streams and lakes of the Chinle, Moenave, and Kayenta formations to the large deserts of the Navajo and Temple Cap formations and dry near shore environments of the Carmel Formation. It also includes a complex island arc assemblage formed above a subduction zone. To the east, in Colorado, a low-ordered mountain range similar to today’s Himalayas called the Uncompahgre Mountains bordered the Utah lowingland of the Un compahgre mountains bordered by the Un Compahgre mountain range. To the south, in the U.S. state of Utah, a high-altitude mountain range called Utah lowland is similar to Utah low-order mountain range beringering of the Utah-Colorado border.
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This page is based on the article Geology of the Zion and Kolob canyons area published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 16, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
