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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Near Moab in Grand County, Utah — The American Mountains (Southwest)
 

Navajo Sandstone

 
 
Navajo Sandstone Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 13, 2020
1. Navajo Sandstone Marker
Inscription.

This view area is underlain by Navajo sandstone, which is found throughout the Colorado Plateau. Navajo sandstone creates some of the most dramatic scenery in the area, often forming cliffs and rounded domes. From here, you can see a large number of these rounded domes.

Navajo sandstone was deposited 200 million years ago. At that time, the area was a vast desert system, complete with shifting sand dunes. It looked very much like the Sahara desert does today. These sand dunes subsequently hardened. Erosion exposed the "petrified" sand millions of years later, creating the Navajo sandstone formations that we see today.

As you travel towards Canyonlands National Park, you will see isolated remnants of Navajo sandstone. These rocks were harder than the sediments in which they were embedded. That is the reason they remain. Look for these Navajo sandstone remnants as you travel up Utah Highway 313.

Rock Coloration
One feature of the Colorado Plateau that makes it so beautiful is the many and varied colors of the rock layers. Each sedimentary layer seems to have its own distinctive color phase.

This coloration is due to the various minerals found in the rocks. These minerals react to weathering by coloring the rocks. The prominent reds and yellows in the landscape are formed when iron in the rocks is exposed

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to the atmosphere. The black sheen seen on many rocks, especially on cliff faces, is formed by manganese. (This black sheen is called "desert varnish".) Purples and greens are caused by clay minerals in the Morrison and Chinle formations. It is thanks to these minerals that the Colorado Plateau is so colorful.
 
Erected by Bureau of Land Management.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Features.
 
Location. 38° 38.746′ N, 109° 44.174′ W. Marker is near Moab, Utah, in Grand County. Marker is at the pavilion in the Bureau of Land Management's Monitor and Merrimac Viewpoint, off Utah Route 313, about four miles west of US Highway 191. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Moab UT 84532, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Monitor and Merrimac (here, next to this marker); Dalton Wells (approx. 4.9 miles away); Rubber Rabbitbrush (approx. 6.6 miles away); Harriman's Yucca (approx. 6.6 miles away); Utah Serviceberry (approx. 6.6 miles away); Moab Utah UMTRA Project (approx. 7.8 miles away); Ancient Sand Dunes (approx. 8.2 miles away); Balanced Rock (approx. 10 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Moab.
 
Navajo Sandstone Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 13, 2020
2. Navajo Sandstone Marker
Rock Coloration Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 13, 2020
3. Rock Coloration Marker
Navajo Sandstone Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 13, 2020
4. Navajo Sandstone Marker
Presumed Navajo Sandstone Formation image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 13, 2020
5. Presumed Navajo Sandstone Formation
Near the pavilion
Presumed Navajo Sandstone Formation image. Click for full size.
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., October 13, 2020
6. Presumed Navajo Sandstone Formation
Near the pavilion
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on November 25, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 11, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 133 times since then and 6 times this year. Last updated on November 14, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on November 11, 2020, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 28, 2024