Straight Cliffs Formation
Straight Cliffs Sandstone (UT*)
Straight Cliffs Formation (UT*)
The Straight Cliffs consist of Late Cretaceous-age sandstone and shale. This view is in Grand Staircase-Escalante Canyons National Monument near Escalante, Utah.
Cretaceous, Late*
Turonian, middle*
Coniacian*
Santonian*
Campanian, early*
Paradox basin*
Plateau sedimentary province*
UT(sc)*
Not designated. Named for long line of nearly rectilinear cliffs fronting toward Escalante Valley, suggesting name "Straight Cliffs", northwest of Colorado River, Kane Co., UT. Major development from T. 41 to 37 S., R. 8 to 4 E., Kane Co., UT (Gregory and Moore, 1931).
(alphabetical): Drip Tank Member (UT*), John Henry Member (UT*), Smoky Hollow Member (UT*), Tibbet Canyon Member (UT*).
Named Straight Cliffs Sandstone (Gregory and Moore, 1931). Divided into Tibbet Canyon, Smoky Hollow, John Henry, and Drip Tank members (Peterson, 1969). Biostratigraphic dating (palynomorphs) (Nichols, 1997).
References
Gregory, H.E. and Moore, R.C., 1931, The Kaiparowits region, a geographic and geologic reconnaissance of parts of Utah and Arizona: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper, 164, 161 p.
Peterson, Fred, 1969, Four new members of the Upper Cretaceous Straight Cliffs Formation in the southeastern Kaiparowits region, Kane County, Utah, IN Contributions to stratigraphy, 1968: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin, 1274-J, p. J1-J28.
Nichols, D.J., 1997, Palynology and ages of some Upper Cretaceous formations in the Markagunt and northwestern Kaiparowits plateaus, southwestern Utah, IN Maldonado, Florian, and Nealey, L.D., editors, Geologic studies in the Basin and Range-Colorado Plateau transition in southeastern Nevada, southwestern Utah, and northwestern Arizona, 1995: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin, 2153, p. 79-105.
Gloyn, R. W., Park, G. M., and Reeves, R. G., 1997, Titanium-zirconium-bearing fossil placer deposits in the Cretaceous Straight Cliffs Formation, Garfield and Kane counties, Utah. In, Learning from the land., Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument science symposium proceedings, Hill, Linda M., ed., Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument science symposium, Salt Lake City, UT, United States, (Nov. 4-5, 1997); Gov. Doc. Number: BLM/UT/GI-98/006+1220.
Kohler, J. E., Quick, J. R., and Tabet, D. E., 1997, Variation in the chemistry of the Upper Cretaceous, Straight Cliffs Formation coals. In, Learning from the land., Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument science symposium proceedings, Hill, Linda M., ed., Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument science symposium, Salt Lake City, UT, United States, (Nov. 4-5, 1997); Gov. Doc. Number: BLM/UT/GI-98/006+1220.
Hettinger, Robert D., 1995, Sedimentological Descriptions and depositional interpretations, in sequence stratigraphic context, of two 300-meter cores from the Upper Cretaceous Straight Cliffs Formation, Kaiparowits Plateau, Kane County, Utah: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin B 2115-A, p. A1-A32.
Nichols, Douglas J., 1995, Palynostratigraphy in relation to sequence stratigraphy, Straight Cliffs Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Kaiparowits Plateau, Utah: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin, B 2115-B, p. B1-B21.
Hettinger, Robert D., 1993, Sedimentological descriptions and geophysical logs of two 300-m cores collected from the Straight Cliffs Formation of the Kaiparowits Plateau, Kane County, Utah: U.S. Geological Survey, Open-File Report OF 93-0270, 50 p.
