Kaiparowits Formation
The Kaiparowits Formation is a sedimentary rock formation found in the Kaiparowits Plateau in Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, in the southern part of Utah in the western United States. It is over 2800 feet (850 m) thick, and is Campanian in age. This Upper Cretaceous formation was formed from alluvial floodplains of large rivers in coastal southern Laramidia; sandstone beds are the deposit of rivers, and mudstone beds represent floodplain deposits. It is fossiliferous, with most specimens from the lower half of the formation, but exploration is only comparatively recent, with most work being done since 1982. It has been estimated that less than 10% of the Kaiparowits formation has been explored for fossils. Most fieldwork has been conducted by The Natural History Museum of Utah.
| Kaiparowits Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Campanian | |
| Type | Geological formation |
| Thickness | 790 m (2,600 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Mudstone, sandstone |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 37°24′0″N 111°41′0″W |
| Region | Utah |
| Country | USA |