![]() NPS photo/Adrienne Fitzgerald ~170-165 million years ago
The Carmel Formation consists of limestone containing marine fossils, along with mudstone, sandstone, and gypsum deposited in a shallow interior seaway.
![]() Paleogeographic map courtesy of Ron Blakey, Colorado Plateau Geosystems, Inc. This map shows a depiction of Western North America during the deposition of the Temple Cap formation, ~170 million years ago. Zion is located at the star.
![]() NPS photo/Adrienne Fitzgerald Only the lower portion of the Carmel Formation remains in Zion (the Co-op Creek member and small amounts of the overlying Crystal Creek member); the rest of the unit has eroded away in this area.
![]() NPS photo Learn more about the ancient marine life of the Carmel Formation.
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Last updated: July 6, 2015