Science Quiz / Colorado Plateau Rock Layers ... Can you name the Rock Layers that Make the Colorado Plateau?

How to Play. Covering southeastern Utah, northern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and western Colorado, the Colorado Plateau province covers a land area of 130,000 square miles. Colorado National Monument lies along the margin of the Uncompahgre Uplift, once a part of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains, which formed some 300 million years ago.

For the curious geologist the Colorado Plateau is a massive outcrop of sedimentary rocks ranging from Cambrian to Tertiary in age. Great sandstone layers once covered this region, but erosion has left the valley a wide flat plain, interrupted by formations that rise high into the air. The lowermost (and oldest) layer of sedimentary rock exposed at Bryce Canyon, the Dakota Sandstone, is the top (and youngest) layer of rock at Zion. All those striking layers of varicolored rock formed into spectacular scenery by the work of the Colorado River and its tributaries are relatively undisturbed compared to the Plateau’s neighbors, the Rocky Mountains, the Basin and Range, the Wasatch and Uintah mountains and the Mogollan Rim in Arizona. The sculptured beauty and brilliant colors of the Colorado Plateau's sedimentary rock layers have captured the imaginations of countless geologists.

Covering southeastern Utah, northern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and western Colorado, the Colorado Plateau province covers a land area of 130,000 square miles. Popular Quizzes Today. • Sits way higher than the interior plains hints to why its called a Plateau • 1) Deposition Stratigraphic layers revealing geologic history Foreland Basins Continental Platform Ancient passive margin • 2) Erosion deep canyons cut downward as plateau uplifts (Caused by … The rocks were created in or near ancient seas.

They have attracted students of earth history since 1858.

Much later, the layers were lifted out of the seas to become land.

Zion is essentially the middle step in the Grand Staircase. This is a vast region of plateaus, mesas, and deep canyons whose walls expose rocks ranging in age from billions to just a few hundred years old. Before reaching its final destination, the Sea of Cortez in northwestern Mexico, it… The sedimentary rock like limestone and sandstone erode with dramatic shape and color. The Colorado Plateau, centered where Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona meet in the Four Corners, ranks as one of the most scenic areas in the world. The common factor in the Colorado Plateau is EROSION. Similarly, the lowest layer at Zion, the Kaibab Limestone, is the top layer of the Grand Canyon. This is a vast region of plateaus, mesas, and deep canyons whose walls expose rocks ranging in age from billions to … The rocks of the Colorado Plateau represent a diversity of environmental conditions over hundreds of millions of years. Rate 5 stars Rate 4 stars Rate 3 stars Rate 2 stars Rate 1 star . The mighty Colorado River begins its journey from a trickle of water high in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The area is a part of the Colorado Plateau, a region that covers 130,000 square miles within northwestern … Because most layers are exposed through the Canyon’s 277-mile length, they afford the opportunity for detailed studies of environmental changes from place to place (within a layer… Nearly 40 identified rock layers form the Grand Canyon’s walls. The biodiverse region is a series of tablelands that occupy about 240,000 square miles. It is in actually a huge basin ringed by highlands and filled with plateaus. The Colorado Plateau is said to make up America’s most colorful and beautiful landscape. This is why the entire region is an extremely popular tourist attraction. The Colorado Plateau, a high desert region centered mainly in southern Utah and northern Arizona, is one of the most geologically and visually interesting deserts in the world. Zion National Park is located along the edge of the Colorado Plateau, a large, uplifted region which extends from Central Utah to Northern Arizona, and including part of Colorado and New Mexico. by fizix Plays Quiz not verified by Sporcle . These three natural features are all part of the Colorado Plateau physiographic region, a large, elevated ... (and oldest) layer of sedimentary rock exposed at Bryce Canyon, the Dakota Sandstone, is the top (and youngest) layer of rock at Zion.

The Geology of Zion National Park How did this "showcase of ... National Parks. The rock layers of the Monument are part of the Colorado Plateau—a high-elevation region spanning parts of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. The Colorado Plateau was originally named the "Colorado Plateaus" by explorer John Wesley Powell. Surrounded by the Rocky Mountains in the North and East side, the Great Basin to the west, and the Sonoran desert to its south, the Colorado Plateau is made up of layers of rock that date back as far as 2 billion years ago.