Green River Formation

Utah Geological Survey photo

 

This layer does not occur in Canyonlands but may be seen while rafting the Green River through Desolation Canyon, driving Nine Mile Canyon near Wellington, Utah, or exploring elsewhere in the southeast Uinta Basin.

Deposited:
Early Tertiary Period (1.6 to 66 million years ago)

Depositional Environment:
Lakes

Appearance:
Continuous grey/brown slopes of shale

Examples:
Uinta Basin in north-central Utah

Note:
The Green River Formation contains what might be the largest deposits of oil shale in the world.

 

Rock Strata

Layer Above: Southeast Utah Mountains

Current Layer: Green River Formation

Layer Below: Wasatch/Claron Formation