Buckskin Gulch—the longest and deepest slot canyon in the United States—cuts through Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone. Deposited as an erg, or a sand-dune sea, the Navajo Sandstone contains beautifully preserved cross-beds.
Buckskin Gulch, Kane County. Photo by Adam Hiscock.
Vibrant orange sand contrasts with sculpted Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone within a large wind-eroded pothole informally referred to as the Cosmic Navel and more scientifically as the Inselberg Pit. The feature is the largest known cylindrical sandstone weathering pit on Earth.
Escalante National Monument, Garfield County. Photo by Michael Vanden Berg.
Zion National Park, Washington County, Utah. Photo by Marshall Robinson.
Beautiful hanging gardens decorate an alcove in Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone along the Riverside Walk trail at the mouth of The Narrows in Zion National Park. Rainwater seeps down through porous sandstone until it flows laterally along a less-porous rock layer, ultimately trickling out of the canyon wall.
Near Moab, Grand County
Photo by Greg McDonald © 2019
Composed of Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone, wind-sculpted Corona Arch stands before snow-covered cliffs of the same formation. This arch was formed from the same weathering process and during the same time as the world-famous features in nearby Arches National Park.
Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone, Grand County, Utah
Photographer: Kent Brown
Arches in the making (alcoves) in massive cliffs of Jurassic-age Navajo Sandstone, near Moab, Grand County.
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.
© Marshall Robinson
Greg McDonald