Geodiversity Atlas—Northern Colorado Plateau Network Index

Photo of layered rock cliffs and canyon.
Zion National Park, Utah. View of West Temple looking north from Mount Kinesava. The upper exposures of West Temple are designated the type locality of the Temple Cap Sandstone.

NPS photo.

Geology and Stratigraphy of the Northern Colorado Plateau Network Parks

The Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network consists of 16 national park units in western Colorado, Utah, and southwestern Wyoming, including: Arches National Park, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Colorado National Monument, Curecanti National Recreation Area, Dinosaur National Monument, Fossil Butte National Monument, Golden Spike National Historical Park, Hovenweep National Monument, Natural Bridges National Monument, Pipe Spring National Monument, Timpanogos Cave National Monument, and Zion National Park.

All but three Northern Colorado Plateau Network park units are found within the Colorado Plateau Physiographic Province. Timpanogos Cave is located in the Middle Rocky Mountains Province, Fossil Butte in the Wyoming Basin Province, and Golden Spike in the Basin and Range Province. Many of the parks in the Northern Colorado Plateau Network represent iconic geologic landscapes influenced by the geomorphic features and structural geology. The geologic history preserved in the rocks date back to the Paleoproterozoic and span through the Phanerozoic. The parks preserve an extraordinary fossil record including Triassic and Jurassic footprints, the Jurassic Morrison Formation dinosaurs of Dinosaur National Monument, and paleofauna from the Eocene lakes of the Green River Formation at Fossil Butte (Santucci and Kirkland 2010; Tweet et al. 2012). Throughout the network parks the elevation ranges from 1,112 m (3,648 ft) in Zion at the edge of the Mojave Desert, to 3,247 m (10,653 ft) at Cedar Breaks (Evenden et al. 2002).

A Brief Geologic History—Northern Colorado Plateau Network

A few examples of events and Network resources in each geologic time period are highlighted below, from youngest to oldest.

Rocks of Paleocene–Eocene age are mapped at Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks, and Fossil Butte. Eocene Green River
stream gravels have been noted within Arches and are thought to have been carried by streams from the Book Cliffs to the north. Oligocene exposures occur within Cedar Breaks, Curecanti, and Dinosaur National Monument. Miocene strata are mapped in Cedar Breaks and Dinosaur National Monument, and possibly within Bryce Canyon. The Pliocene is represented by igneous rocks in Capitol Reef and possibly by poorly dated alluvial deposits in Bryce Canyon.
Triassic rocks are mapped in nine of the parks in the Northerrn Colorado Plateau Network: Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Colorado National Monument, Dinosaur National Monument, Fossil Butte, Natural Bridges, Pipe Spring, and Zion. The Moenkopi (Early–Middle Triassic in age) and Chinle (Late Triassic) Formations are widespread on the Colorado Plateau and are documented in most of these parks. The laterally equivalent Moenave Formation and Wingate Sandstone cross the Triassic–Jurassic boundary.

The Jurassic is represented in ten of the Northerrn Colorado Plateau Network parks: Arches, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Colorado National Monument, Curecanti, Dinosaur National Monument, Hovenweep, Pipe Spring, and Zion. The most widespread Jurassic formations in the parks of the Northerrn Colorado Plateau Network are the Wingate Sandstone (Late Triassic–Early Jurassic; laterally equivalent Moenave Formation at Zion), Kayenta Formation (Early Jurassic), Navajo Sandstone (Early Jurassic), and Morrison Formation (Late Jurassic). These geologic units represent important fossiliferous strata preserving dinosaurs and other ancient animals and plants, as well as trace fossils (tracks).

Cretaceous rocks are exposed in ten of the Northerrn Colorado Plateau Network parks: Arches, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Cedar Breaks, Colorado National Monument, Curecanti, Dinosaur National Monument, Hovenweep, and Zion. The most widespread Cretaceous formations in the Northerrn Colorado Plateau Network parks are the Cedar Mountain Formation (Early Cretaceous), Naturita Formation (formerly known as the Dakota Sandstone in Colorado and Utah; see Carpenter 2014) (Early–Late Cretaceous), and the Mancos Shale (Late Cretaceous).
Ten of the Northern Colorado Plateau Network parks preserve rocks from the Paleozoic. Dinosaur National Monument has the most extensive record of Paleozoic strata with all periods documented with the exception of the Silurian. The oldest known Paleozoic rocks in the Northern Colorado Plateau Network parks belong to the early to middle Cambrian Tintic Quartzite, found at Timpanogos Cave. Cambrian strata are mapped at Dinosaur National Monument and Timpanogos Cave and crystalline Cambrian rocks are known at Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Curecanti. Ordovician rocks are also exposed in Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Curecanti, and Dinosaur National Monument. The Devonian is only known to occur at Dinosaur National Monument and Timpanogos Cave.

Mississippian-age rocks are documented in Dinosaur and Timpanogos Cave. Pennsylvanian units are mapped in Arches, Canyonlands, Dinosaur and Golden Spike. The end of the Paleozoic is represented by Permian rocks exposed in Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Dinosaur, Natural Bridges, and Zion.
Precambrian rocks are mapped in all the Northern Colorado Plateau Networks parks in Colorado along with Timpanogos Cave in Utah. The oldest rocks in the network are Paleoproterozoic igneous and metamorphic rocks within Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado National Monument, and Curecanti. Mesoproterozoic igneous dikes also occur at Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado National Monument, and Curecanti. Neoproterozoic rocks are exposed at Dinosaur and Timpanogos Cave.

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    Type Sections—Northern Colorado Plateau Network

    small image of a report cover with a tiny color photo

    The geologic history above is excerpted from a report titled, "National Park Service geologic type section inventory: Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network". Type sections are essential reference locations for the geoscientists who study geologic history and paleontology. A summary of the type sections in each park can be found at the links below.

    • Arches National Park, Utah (no designated stratotypes identified)

    • Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado (no designated stratotypes identified)

    • Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah (no designated stratotypes identified)

    • Canyonlands National Park, Utah—1 Type Section [Site Under Development]

    • Capitol Reef National Park, Utah (no designated stratotypes identified)

    • Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah (no designated stratotypes identified)

    • Colorado National Monument, Colorado (no designated stratotypes identified)

    • Curecanti National Recreation Area, Colorado—2 Type Localities [Site Under Development]

    • Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado and Utah—1 Type Section [Site Under Development]

    • Fossil Butte National Monument, Wyoming—2 Type Sections [Site Under Development]

    • Golden Spike National Historical Park, Utah [Site Under Development]

    • Hovenweep National Monument, Colorado and Utah (no designated stratotypes identified)

    • Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah (no designated stratotypes identified)

    • Pipe Spring National Monument, Arizona (no designated stratotypes identified)

    • Timpanogos Cave National Monument, Utah (no designated stratotypes identified)

    • Zion National Park, Utah—2 Type Sections, 1 Type Locality, 1 Reference Section [Site Under Development]

    The full Network report is available in digital format from:

    Please cite this publication as:

    • Henderson T, Santucci VL, Connors T, Tweet JS. 2021. National Park Service geologic type section inventory: Northern Colorado Plateau Inventory & Monitoring Network. Natural Resource Report. NPS/NCPN/NRR—2021/2252. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado.

    NPS Stratotype Inventory

    Last updated: August 25, 2023

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