Photograph as originally submitted to this page in the Historical Marker Database www.HMdb.org. Click on photo to resize in browser. Scroll down to see metadata.

Caption: Marker detail: Layers of Color
Additional Description: The Chinle Formation consists mainly of sandstone and mudstone layers which were deposited by a vast river in a forest ecosystem. Geologists group these layers into members, which together make up the formation. Older members are at the bottom of the column, with youngest at the top.

All of the colors you see are caused by the iron in the sediments. During deposition, drier climates allow the minerals to be exposed to oxygen, rusting the iron and creating red, brown, and orange colors. Wetter climates can "drown" the sediments, allowing little or no contact with oxygen, causing the layers to be blue, gray, and purple.
Submitted: December 25, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Database Locator Identification Number: p559177
File Size: 2.060 Megabytes

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