Wingate Sandstone

  Wingate Sandstone is a geologic formation in the Glen Canyon Group that is spread across the Colorado Plateau province of the United States, including northern Arizona, northwest Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. This rock formation is particularly prominent in southeastern Utah, where it forms the main attractions of a number of national parks and monuments. These include Zion National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, the San Rafael Swell, and Canyonlands National Park. Wingate sandstone frequently appears just below the Kayenta Formation and Navajo Sandstone (all three formations are in the same group). Together, these three formations can result in immense vertical cliffs of 2000 feet or more. Wingate layers are typically pale orange to red in color, the remnants of wind-born sand dunes deposited approximately 200 million years ago.

External Links

• U.S.G.S Lexicon of Colorado Plateau Stratigraphy