The Elephant Canyon Formation is the basal

Permian The Permian ( ) is a geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system which spans 47 million years from the end of the Carboniferous Period million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Triassic Period 251.9 Mya. It is the last ...

geologic formation A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...

of the

Cutler Group The Cutler Formation or Cutler Group is a rock unit that is exposed across the U.S. states of Arizona, northwest New Mexico, southeast Utah and southwest Colorado. It was laid down in the Early Permian during the Wolfcampian epoch. Descri ...

overlying an

unconformity An unconformity is a buried erosional or non-depositional surface separating two rock masses or strata of different ages, indicating that sediment deposition was not continuous. In general, the older layer was exposed to erosion for an interval ...

on the Pennsylvanian

Honaker Trail Formation The Honaker Trail Formation is a geologic formation in Utah. It preserves fossils dating back to the Carboniferous period. It is a member of the 3-member Hermosa Group and is located above the Paradox Formation in the dramatic site of Goose ...

in the

Paradox Basin The Paradox Basin is an asymmetric foreland basin located mostly in southeast Utah and southwest Colorado, but extending into northeast Arizona and northwest New Mexico. The basin is a large elongate northwest to southeast oriented depression for ...

of southern

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. Description It consists of pink dolomite, light-gray dolomitic sandstone, light-brown and moderate-red, fine-grained sandstone, a basal conglomerate and conglomeratic sandstone, and limestone. The basal conglomerate is composed of moderately sorted cherts up to 3 cm in diameter. It weathers to a medium brown and forms hackly, blocky ledges and intervening slopes.Doelling, H.H., Kuehne, P.A., Willis, G.C. and Ehler, J.B., 2015. Geologic map of the San Rafael Desert 30'x 60'quadrangle, Emery and Grand Counties, Utah. Utah Geological Survey. Map 267DM, https://ugspub.nr.utah.gov/publications/geologicmaps/30x60quadrangles/m-267.pdf

References

* Geologic formations of Utah Permian geology of Utah Permian System of North America Cutler Formation {{Utah-geologic-formation-stub

See also

References