| Elephant Canyon Formation | |
| Type: | Formation |
| Age: | Permian |
| Period: | Early Permian |
| Prilithology: | Sandstone |
| Otherlithology: | Limestone, siltstone, shale[1] |
| Namedfor: | Type section: Elephant Canyon, secs. 4 and 9, T. 30 S., R. 19 E., San Juan County, Utah[2] |
| Namedby: | Baars, D. L., 1962 |
| Region: | Utah |
| Country: | United States |
| Unitof: | Cutler Group |
| Underlies: | Cedar Mesa Sandstone |
| Overlies: | Unconformity on the Pennsylvanian Honaker Trail Formation |
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.[2] [1]
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.[3]