The Escabrosa Limestone is a

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 ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

left behind from an ancient sea from some 330 million years ago. Layers of the sediment left by the sea hardened into a what is called a "strata." It has preserved

fossils A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved in ...

dating back to the Mississippian subperiod. Rainwater has seeped into the limestone, eroding and dissolving the rock into walkable passageways. These are called the "Kartchner

Caverns A cave or cavern is a natural void in the Earth#Surface, ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller opening ...

" and are considered a living cavern since they are still growing.

References

* Carboniferous Arizona Carboniferous southern paleotropical deposits {{Carboniferous-stub

See also

References