GLY 3163 QUIZ 3: ZION AND BRYCE
(Answered) 100% Correct, 2024/2025.
where is zion national park located?
Southwest Utah
how deep is zion canyon? what rocks make up zion canyon?
Zion Canyon (3000 ft deep) is a relatively young canyon cut by the Virgin River through Mesozoic
sedimentary rocks with spectacular near- vertical walls and towers. Flows into Lake Mead;
southeastern part of zion park
what cliffs does zion canyon have?
Zion canyon features massive sandstone cliffs formed from fossil dunes from desert. The White Cliffs
is the name applied to erosional escarpments of Navajo Sandstone throughout the region.
what is the grand staircase in the colorado plateau?
Predominantly nonmarine sedimentary rocks; cenozoic and mesozoic; white to red to pink steps in
cliffs; stretches from south to white cliffs of cross-bedded navajo sandstone to pink cliffs at bryce
park
hurricane fault (what breaks up the colorado plateau?)
uplifted the western side of Colorado Plateau in places to elevations greater than 10,000 ft
Zion National Park Stratigraphic Chart
Sedimentary rock units in Zion Canyon are mostly Mesozoic terrestrial deposits (non-marine)
deposited from streams, lakes, estuaries, and desert sand dunes
oldest rocks are limestone
jurassic-age fossilized sand dunes of navajo
age of rocks from grand canyon to bryce canyon (through zion park)?
paleozoic to cenozoic era preserved in these 3 parks
most famous (sandstone) landforms in zion?
Checkerboard Mesa: Cross-bedded Navajo sandstone (fossilized sand dunes)
Vertical joints that intersect beds at nearly right angles, these tectonic joints are common to zion
and form weak zones that allow water to seap into cracks and gradually erode
how do sand dunes develop?
Sand is transported over the top of a dune
in the direction of the wind.
Sand is deposited in the calm air on the slip face (wave of wind direction at calmer air) of a dune at
an angle of 34˚. (angle of repose)
, how did sand dunes develop in jurassic times?
The Navajo sandstone was deposited an ancient
sand sea much like those in north Africa today.
Jurassic Sand Sea (Erg)
what do cliffs of zion canyon consist of?
The cliffs along Zion Canyon consist of massive beds of Navajo Sandstone.
The valley of the Virgin River is underlain by less resistant red shale and sandstone
layers of the Kayenta and Moenave Formatione.
The cliffs formed from the gradual
erosion and undercutting of shale beds within the Kayenta Formation.
When the shale erodes away beneath the sandstone cliffs, great blocks of the sandstone can
splinter away along vertical fractures and collapse into the valley
(cliffs form when gradual erosion undercut navajo sandstone and cause it to break, causing blocks to
fall off cliffs)
what is structural control? what caused parallel fractures in zion?
The parallel fractures in Zion were caused by
tectonic forces.
The streams and weathering exploit the weaker damaged rock making parallel valleys
alignment causes water to seap into rocks and dissolve cement between sand, causing narrow deep
canyons; weathering feature
what are hanging valleys in zion park?
valleys above the main valley surface where water falls that forms tributary streams
what are the narrows in zion canyon?
Near the head of Zion Canyon
turbulent waters of the Virgin
River (that erodes it) have cut a SLOT CANYON (only few tens of feet wide in some places)
through resistant beds of
sandstone and siltstone known
as the Narrows
The canyon walls are fluted and
polished by abrasion.
form when river rapidly erodes through very resistant rock layers along fracture system
where is bryce canyon national park?
(Answered) 100% Correct, 2024/2025.
where is zion national park located?
Southwest Utah
how deep is zion canyon? what rocks make up zion canyon?
Zion Canyon (3000 ft deep) is a relatively young canyon cut by the Virgin River through Mesozoic
sedimentary rocks with spectacular near- vertical walls and towers. Flows into Lake Mead;
southeastern part of zion park
what cliffs does zion canyon have?
Zion canyon features massive sandstone cliffs formed from fossil dunes from desert. The White Cliffs
is the name applied to erosional escarpments of Navajo Sandstone throughout the region.
what is the grand staircase in the colorado plateau?
Predominantly nonmarine sedimentary rocks; cenozoic and mesozoic; white to red to pink steps in
cliffs; stretches from south to white cliffs of cross-bedded navajo sandstone to pink cliffs at bryce
park
hurricane fault (what breaks up the colorado plateau?)
uplifted the western side of Colorado Plateau in places to elevations greater than 10,000 ft
Zion National Park Stratigraphic Chart
Sedimentary rock units in Zion Canyon are mostly Mesozoic terrestrial deposits (non-marine)
deposited from streams, lakes, estuaries, and desert sand dunes
oldest rocks are limestone
jurassic-age fossilized sand dunes of navajo
age of rocks from grand canyon to bryce canyon (through zion park)?
paleozoic to cenozoic era preserved in these 3 parks
most famous (sandstone) landforms in zion?
Checkerboard Mesa: Cross-bedded Navajo sandstone (fossilized sand dunes)
Vertical joints that intersect beds at nearly right angles, these tectonic joints are common to zion
and form weak zones that allow water to seap into cracks and gradually erode
how do sand dunes develop?
Sand is transported over the top of a dune
in the direction of the wind.
Sand is deposited in the calm air on the slip face (wave of wind direction at calmer air) of a dune at
an angle of 34˚. (angle of repose)
, how did sand dunes develop in jurassic times?
The Navajo sandstone was deposited an ancient
sand sea much like those in north Africa today.
Jurassic Sand Sea (Erg)
what do cliffs of zion canyon consist of?
The cliffs along Zion Canyon consist of massive beds of Navajo Sandstone.
The valley of the Virgin River is underlain by less resistant red shale and sandstone
layers of the Kayenta and Moenave Formatione.
The cliffs formed from the gradual
erosion and undercutting of shale beds within the Kayenta Formation.
When the shale erodes away beneath the sandstone cliffs, great blocks of the sandstone can
splinter away along vertical fractures and collapse into the valley
(cliffs form when gradual erosion undercut navajo sandstone and cause it to break, causing blocks to
fall off cliffs)
what is structural control? what caused parallel fractures in zion?
The parallel fractures in Zion were caused by
tectonic forces.
The streams and weathering exploit the weaker damaged rock making parallel valleys
alignment causes water to seap into rocks and dissolve cement between sand, causing narrow deep
canyons; weathering feature
what are hanging valleys in zion park?
valleys above the main valley surface where water falls that forms tributary streams
what are the narrows in zion canyon?
Near the head of Zion Canyon
turbulent waters of the Virgin
River (that erodes it) have cut a SLOT CANYON (only few tens of feet wide in some places)
through resistant beds of
sandstone and siltstone known
as the Narrows
The canyon walls are fluted and
polished by abrasion.
form when river rapidly erodes through very resistant rock layers along fracture system
where is bryce canyon national park?
