THE EXPOSED GEOLOGY OF THE CAPITOL REEF AREA PRESENTS RECORD MESOZOIC SEDIMENTATION NORTH AMERICA CAPITOL REEF NATIONAL PARK THE COLORADO PLATEAU SOUTHEASTERN UTAH NEARLY FEET SEDIMENTARY STRATA THE CAPITOL REEF REPRESENTING MILLION YEARS GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF STATE OF UTAH ROCKS RANGE PERMIAN CRETACEOUS YOUNG ROCK LAYERS REVEAL ANCIENT CLIMATES AS RIVER SWAMP CHINLE FORMATION DESERTS NAVAJO SANDSTONE OCEAN MANCOS SHALE AREAS SEDIMENTS LAID DOWN SHALLOW SEA INVADED THE LAND SANDSTONE LIMESTONE THE SEA TRIASSIC STREAMS SILT UPLIFTED VOLCANIC ASH LATE TRIASSIC SAW INCREASING ARIDITY VAST DEPOSITS STREAM FLOODED LEFT EVAPORITE BARRIER ISLANDS SAND TIDAL FLAT COBBLES LEAVING LAKE SWAMPY RESTING PLACE THE WESTERN INTERIOR SEAWAY SHALE THE EARLY CENOZOIC MILLION YEARS AGO LARAMIDE OROGENY MAJOR MOUNTAIN BUILDING EVENT WESTERN NORTH AMERICA THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS UPLIFT ACTED BURIED FAULT WATERPOCKET FOLD RECENT ENTIRE COLORADO PLATEAU EXPOSED FOLD THE SURFACE THE LAST ICE AGE PLEISTOCENE RATE PRECIPITATION CRACKED UPPER PARTS THE FOLD ITSELF DISSECTED FORMATION DEFINED GEOLOGIC UNIT UNIQUE UNBROKEN PERIOD OF TIME DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENT MEMBER MINOR BED DISTINCT SUBUNIT GROUP RELATED PERIOD LASTED MILLIONS FLOODING THE VARIOUS GAPS GEOLOGIC RECORD DEPOSITION PREVIOUSLY ROCK UNITS ORDER CREATE THE OPPOSITE CROSS SECTION OLDER ONES THE LAW OF EARLY PERMIAN CONTINENTAL SHELF ARM PANTHALASSA OCEAN THAT PART LAURASIA CONTINENTAL MARGIN NOT UNLIKE THE CURRENT WEST COAST EQUATORIAL AFRICA RESULTANT CUTLER FORMATION THE CUTLER NORTH LATITUDE THIS TIME FOUR MEMBERS WHITE RIM SANDSTONE CAPROCK CEDAR MESA SANDSTONE CANYON CEDAR MESA WHITE IN THE PARK CANNOT DISTINGUISHED EACH OTHER THUS STRATIGRAPHIC UNIT THE WHITE FOSSILIZED SAND DUNE ARID COASTAL ENVIRONMENT SEA WATER SOMEWHAT ABRASION GOOD OUTCROPS LOCALLY FOOT THE BOTTOM SULPHUR CREEK AT THE BOTTOM THE CIRCLE CLIFFS OUTSIDE THE PARKS WESTERN THE ORGAN PINCHES EAST ELEPHANT MISSING ORGAN NEARBY CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK MILE GEOLOGY OF THE CANYONLANDS LIME OOZE LITHIFIED UP TO KAIBAB LIMESTONE LIGHT GRAY THE GRAND CANYON THE SOUTHWEST GEOLOGY OF THE GRAND CANYON CONVERTED CHERT DOLOMITE INTRUSION MAGNESIUM FOSSIL INVERTEBRATE BRACHIOPOD BRYOZOAN CRINOID GASTROPOD PELECYPOD CAPITOL REEF SEEN DEEPER CANYONS RETREAT SEABED IN DEEP CHANNELS THE CREATION UNCONFORMITY LOCAL CLIMATIC CONDITIONS WETTER TROPICAL MOENKOPI FORMATION DIVIDED DRAGON UPPERMOST MOENKOPI SLOPES MID TRIASSIC BLACK DRAGON REDDISH SILTSTONE COASTAL PLAIN UNDERLYING THE MEMBERS RIPPLE MARKS COMMON THIN CARBONATE ROCK LIMEY SINBAD LAYER GENUS LINGULA AMMONITE MEEKOCERAS CHOCOLATE COLORED BEDS DISPLAY CROSSBEDDING AMPHIBIAN REPTILE HALITE ABOUT TO THE STONE THE RIPPLE EGYPTIAN TEMPLE HIGH VELOCITY BRAIDED SYSTEM SOUTHERN UTAH PLATEAUS ERUPTIONS MIXED BASIN URANIUM SALTS EXTRACTABLE PETRIFIED WOOD PROBABLY AIDED PRESENCE CHINLE BUTTE FOREST THE PURPLE ORANGE HILLS ABOVE WHITE CLIFFS FOLDS WEST DISCONTINUOUS BROAD ERODED YELLOWISH GRAY FRIABLE FINE ENTRANCE FEATURES THE EGYPTIAN TEMPLE CHIMNEY TRACES SPEED RIVER SYSTEM NORTHWARD MARSH BENTONITE CLAY VOLCANO EVENTUALLY THE LIGHT PURPLISH CLAYSTONE MONITOR BURROWS MEASURE DIAMETER LUNGFISH THE MONITOR OUT IN MIDDLE FACE THE CASTLE THE CLIFFS NORTH STATE ROUTE AS IT RIVERS FORMING PETRIFIED FOREST THE PETRIFIED FOREST SILTSTONES QUARTZ CLIFF BIVALVE COPROLITE MARINE SNAIL TETRAPOD LAKES DOMINATE OWL THE OWL PURPLE MUDSTONE SANDSTONES GREEN MOTTLED PINK DESICCATION WIDE DEEP OVERLYING WINGATE SANDSTONE TRACE CYLINDRICAL OSTRACODE LITTERED BELOW THE GLEN CLOCKWISE THE NORTH AMERICAN PLATE DIRECTION GLEN CANYON GROUP SAND DUNES SUGGESTS PREVAILING WINDS THE NORTH TRANSPORTED THE SAND THE SPINE REACH THICKNESS DOMES SLOT CANYON KAYENTA FORMATION BACK AND FORTH ON THE SHORE SUNDANCE SEA CROSS QUARTZ SAND WINGATE EASY THE VISITOR CENTER IN FRUITA CLIMATE FLOWING LAYERS FLOOD PLAINS FOSSILIZED FOOTPRINTS DINOSAUR CROCODILE TRITYLODONT KAYENTA SLOPE SPOT CONTACT SIMILAR COLOR GRAIN SIZE FREMONT RIVER MILE MARKER MASSIVE SAHARA DESERT GEOLOGISTS CALL COVERING THE NAVAJO CLEAN GENERALLY FROSTED REACHED GREATEST ZION NATIONAL PARK GEOLOGY OF THE ZION AND KOLOB LEADS THE FORMATION OF CURVILINEAR CAPITOL DOME NAVAJO MONOLITH TOPS DUNES IN UP CHANGES SEA LEVEL LATE JURASSIC SAN RAFAEL GROUP REGIONALLY TRACEABLE EROSION SURFACE PAGE CARMEL FORMATION ENTRADA SANDSTONE CURTIS RAFAEL THE REACH HIGH TIDE SHORE SABKHA LAID THE VAST DESERT THE JUDD HOLLOW RED CLIFF THE RED EXAMPLE THOUSAND POCKETS JURASSIC GYPSUM GRABEN EVAPORATION WHITISH MARINE BIVALVES AMMONITES CARMEL GOLDEN THRONE SPURS FLATIRONS EASTERN TIDAL FLATS JOINTING SYSTEMS ENTRADA LEAD CATHEDRALS MONOLITHS CAPITOL REEFS CATHEDRAL ARCHES ARCHES NATIONAL PARK GOBLINS NAME HOODOO GOBLIN VALLEY STATE PARK SOUTHERN THE PARK ERODE MOVING INCREASINGLY RICH FEWER SANDY IRON POTASSIUM SILICATE GLAUCONITE THE CURTIS CAPSTONE NORTHERN SECTION LESS ABOVE SEA LEVEL MUD AND SAND UPPER JURASSIC MORRISON FORMATION TIDWELL MEMBER RECOGNIZE