Arches National Park, Grand County, Utah
Photographer: Gregg Beukelman; © 2014
Turret Arch viewed through North Window arch in The Windows Section of Arches National Park. The arches formed as the result of erosion through weak parts of sandstone fins composed of Jurassic-age Dewey Bridge Member of the Carmel Formation and Slick Rock Member of the Entrada Sandstone.
Kodachrome Basin State Park, Kane County, Utah
Photographer: Carole McCalla
Sand pipe of Carmel Formation sediment intruded into the overlying Entrada Sandstone. One of the most photographed geologic formations in Utah if not the world, the Entrada Sandstone is the featured rock unit of Arches National Park, Goblin Valley State Park, Kodachrome Basin State Park, and parts of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Variations in the Entrada’s appearance across the state are due to differences in internal structure and composition as well as external stresses.
The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) is a division of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. Several specialized programs comprise the UGS: Data Management, Energy & Minerals, Geologic Hazards, Geologic Information & Outreach, Geologic Mapping, Groundwater & Wetlands, and Paleontology.