Elephant Canyon Formation
| Elephant Canyon Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Permian | |
| Type | Formation |
| Unit of | Cutler Group |
| Underlies | Cedar Mesa Sandstone |
| Overlies | Unconformity on the Pennsylvanian Honaker Trail Formation |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Sandstone |
| Other | Limestone, siltstone, shale |
| Location | |
| Region | Utah: Paradox basin |
| Country | United States |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Type section: Elephant Canyon, secs. 4 and 9, T. 30 S., R. 19 E., San Juan County, Utah |
| Named by | Baars, D. L., 1962 |
The Elephant Canyon Formation is the basal Permian geologic formation of the Cutler Group overlying an unconformity on the Pennsylvanian Honaker Trail Formation in the Paradox Basin of southern Utah.
Description
It consists of pink dolomite, light-gray dolomitic sandstone, light-brown and moderate-red, fine-grained sandstone, a basal conglomerate and conglomeratic sandstone, and limestone. The basal conglomerate is composed of moderately sorted cherts up to 3 cm in diameter. It weathers to a medium brown and forms hackly, blocky ledges and intervening slopes.