Meek 1

The Mesozoic Era of time in Earths history stretches across the 185.5 million years from
251 MA to 65.5 MA. In approximately 50 miles, or 80.47 kilometers, between Cedar City, Utah
and the Parawon Gap layering, sedimentation, deposition, past environments, and the folding and
break demonstrate that much of the Grand Staircase went through a series of similar events
throughout history. Study of this area can be beneficial to the aiding of understanding how
certain events lead to others as the environment changed throughout this time. For example.
Layers of mudstone, siltstone, and sandstone leading to the conclusion that this area was one a
shallow marine and tributary environments. Other layering made up of conglomerate bedding
and shurtz are much different than other layerings because of the non-competency of the
formation make ups. The disposition of these sediment layers help to give a record of how
regional and global tectonic, craton, supercontinents, etc. where during the Mesozoic.
When studying rock formations and natural events that are present for the first few miles
of the canyon nearest to Cedar City cut through by US 14, it is very possible that you will see red
and white layering. This is particularly evident around the mile one marker where the uplift from
a normal fault, the Hurricane Fault, brought the Moenkopi Formation to surface. Over time
weathering and erosion wore it down to the Navajo and Cedar City sandstones, exposing the
Kayenta Formation, the Dinosaur Canyon Member, and the Moenkopi Formation as well as
small portions of the Shurtz Tongue. Depositions also occurred in the region within the basins
created by riffing events that lengthened and compressed Laurentia during the Archean,
Proterozoic and Paleozoic Eons. Although basins played a large role in creating areas that were
layeringofand
graphic other
representation
idealLabeled
for deposition
sediments,
factors were involved- including wind, glacial ice and
in relation to time periods of the Mesozoic.
water from hundreds of miles away and eroded much of the sandstone.

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In the Cedar City area there are many factors leading for the belief that tidal flats
and shallow-marine once existed during the passive margin time period of Laurentia continental
mass. The record of transgression and regression patterns found in the layering, aid in confirming
the state of the margins. Entering the canyon layers between the upper portion of the Moenkopi
Formation and the Navajo Sandstone bordering its sides show sea-level records in this area of
Laurentia, during the Triassic period and the Jurassic period. About two miles into the canyon
you can follow the Salt Creek Canyon where layers of gypsum from an evaporated environment
is present, large amount of compression resulted in folds and faulting throughout this portion of

Using the first illustration, labeled layer and fault lines of canyon near Cedar City
cut through by US 14
the area. Because of the more plastic gypsum is as a mineral the anticline and synclines are easy
to see and observe without much obstruction from layers deposited after the evaporative
environment.

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This particular area close to Cedar City underwent a number of environmental and
geological changes. Layering stayed in a very uniform manner until the fault movement brought
about by the Hurricane Fault, being a reverse fault it brought about compression of the softer
layers by the more brittle layers.
Approximately 50 miles away, the Parawon Gap displays a new layering deposition made
up of the Straight Cliffs Formation, the Iron Springs Formation and the Tertiary Grand Castle
Formation created an environment created by a cretaceous river. Here you may observe portions
of the Carmel Formation, Navajo Sandstone, and the Tertiary Claron Formation. The
understanding of the Cretaceous river can be brought about by the cross-bedding found
throughout the Iron Springs Formation and the large conglomerate masses that make up the
entire Grand Castle Formation. Upon closer observations of the Straight Cliffs Formation, the
layers have been over-rotated to the point that they are about 110 degrees to the right instead of a
level layer deposition. This rotation was caused by the Central Thrust compressing the Iron
Springs and Straight Cliffs Formations closer and closer to the Iron Springs Thrust.

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Deposition of the area was uniform for the sedimentation of the Straight Cliffs Formation
and the Iron Springs Formation. Faulting by the Iron Spring Thrust and the Central thrust
overturned the Straight Cliff Formational, Carmel Formation, and the Navajo Sandstone, making
it possible for erosion and weathering to occur on the surfaces of these layers. The Grand Castle
Formation was then deposited on the western side of the gap, with some remains on top of the
Iron Springs formation. The Claron Formation was then deposited and mostly worn away, and
the remaining evidence shielded by activity from the Red Hills fault and smaller faulting nearby
brought about by the weakness created by the Iron Springs reverse fault, east of the Central
thrust. Another group of basins created by the Red Hills fault helped shield Colluvial Deposits
on the western edge of the Parawon gap. Once again Alluvial Deposits formed in the basins
created from the weakness of the western fault, and shielded from erosion and weathering over
thousands of years that occurred on the exposed surface of the Iron Springs and the Straight Cliff
Formations.
The Mesozoic Era was a time of passive margins for the globe, allowing for many
orgonies to collide with Laurentia in the future and cause compressions in both the eastern and
western sides of the supercontinent, sometimes even compressing the entire mass. Basins
forming from the breakup of Rodina were then filled with deposits across cratons and continents.
Using the first illustration, labeled layer and fault lines of Parawon Gap.