Navajo Sandstone

The Navajo Sandstone is a specific geologic formation that is part of the Glen Canyon Group. The formation spreads across the United States from Nevada to Arizona all the way to Utah. In the portion of Southern Utah, this is where it is most prominent. The portion that is pronounced is part of the Red Rock Canyon conservation area as well as part of the Capitol Reef National Park. There are many other areas that the Navajo Sandstone plays a role in for sightseeing.

History of the Navajo Sandstone

The Navajo Sandstone is a part of the Kayenta Formation where it intermingles with and as the direct result, the vertical cliffs reach up to 2200 feet. When looking from the top of the cliffs, the sandstone appears to those as a massive dome that appears as white in color. The domes appear as if they are coming up from the floors of the desert and run alongside of known Jurassic sandstones. These sandstones are light pink and cross bed with other forms of sandstone.

Changes in Appearance

The surface changes have affected the various colorings of the Navajo sandstone by displaying the long history in the appearance of the sandstone. The confrontation between the ground water coming into contact with the sandstone is what has changed the various formations of the Navajo Sandstone.

Aging of the Navajo Sandstone

The age of the Navajo Sandstone has been part of a controversy ranging in time from the Triassic time to the Jurassic time. There has been no known specific time frame that has been proven to showcase when exactly the Navajo Sandstone started. The upper portion of the sandstone was named by the La Plata Group in 1917. The formation was later reassigned to the Glen Canyon Group in 1936. The age of the formation was later on modified in 1961. The sandstone was not originally named until 1989 when it was modified once more.

How the Sandstone Was Formed

The sandstone has been formed by the deposits along the western portion and were affected by the monsoons which came each winter when the area would become cooler and the wind current moved in a different direction.

The Navajo sandstone enthusiasts love the various stages of iron oxide concentrations that come in various shapes and sizes. The shapes found come in shapes of spheres to buttons to even balls with spikes. There are many other shapes that are odd that are found here as well. The shapes come in all sizes from peas to softballs and baseballs.