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Canyon Walls Reveal Evidence from Past Landscapes:
In a short drive from the Mogollon Rim down Oak Creek Canyon, one can find evidence of past worlds. Journey to ocean beaches, tidal flats, desert sand dunes, rivers and deltas. These ancient landscapes have been exposed by the carving of Oak Creek and more recent road cuts.
Why do the rocks have dramatic shapes and spires?
Exposure to faulting, water and freezing temperatures over time causes rock to weather into bizarre and interesting shapes. Harder rock erodes slowly, leaving sheer cliffs. Softer rock erodes more rapidly, forming slopes.
Why are some rock formations red?
Sand grains became covered with thin coatings of iron oxide as ground water filtered through the rocks before they were eroded.
Why is the east side of the canyon lower than the west side?
A fault line runs down the middle of Oak Creek Canyon. Movement along the fault has shifted the layers so that the east side of the canyon in as much as 1,000 feet lower than the west side.
How old are these rocks?
The sedimentary rocks in Oak Creek Canyon were deposited over a span of 45 million years, from the late Pennsylvanian through the Permian geologic periods. The most recent sedimentary rock you see here, the Kaibab Formation, is approximately 255 million years old and predates the dinosaurs. |