Coconino Sandstone

  Coconino Sandstone is a geologic formation that spreads across the Colorado Plateau province of the United States, including northern Arizona, northwest Colorado, Nevada, and Utah.

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This rock formation is particularly prominent in southeastern Utah, where it can be seen in a number of national parks and monuments, including Zion National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, the San Rafael Swell, and Canyonlands National Park. It is also present in the Grand Canyon, where it is visible as a prominent white cliff forming layer. Coconino sandstone frequently appears just below the Kaibab Limestone or the Toroweap layer. Coconino layers are typically buff to white in color, argued by most geologists to be the remnants of eolian (wind-deposited) sand dunes deposited approximately 260 million years ago.^[1][2]

References

1. ^ McKee, E.D., 1979. "A study of global sand seas: Ancient sandstones considered to be eolian." U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1052, Reston, VA: USGS
2. ^ Middleton, L.T., D.K. Elliott, and M. Morales, 2003, "Coconino Sandstone," in S.S. Beus and M. Morales, eds., Grand Canyon Geology. Oxford University Press, New York, New York. ISBN: 0195122992