Return to Geology of Utah's National Parks Home Page Return to Syllabus Overview Page Return to Field Site Map Go to DAY 4 Go to DAY 6

Geology of Utah National Parks Syllabus

DAY 5	DESCRIPTION
View Quicktime Movie Arches	Field Location: Arches National Park. Geologic Feature: Eolian and fluvial deposits. Deposition under relatively arid conditions.  Necessary Background Information: Jurassic tectonic configuration.  Geologic Problem: Determine the environments represented and document them. Discuss how changes through time and space related to sea level, climate, tectonics.  Rock Units Exposed Triassic/Jurassic Wingate Sandstone, Jurassic Kayenta Formation and Navajo Sandstone.  Skills: Correlation and interpretation of measured sections. Petrographic interpretation of sand grain sizes, grading, sources and morphology. Other Questions to Consider: (1) Which way is up? - what clues tell the orientation of a sedimentary layer. (2) Compare the depositional rates of sediments from an arid to a wet climate. (3) What do geologic ages represent? - study of rock unit differences across a major time boundary.  Anticipated Outcomes: Increased awareness of depositional environments. Correlation of rock units to geologic time scale transitions.