Coconino sandstone and hermit shale bruce was showing us t. Coconino sandstone is a geologic formation named after its exposure in coconino county, arizona. Gas produced from the coconino sandstone averaged 90% nitrogen, 810% helium, and 1 % carbon dioxide figure 12. Kaibab limestone toroweap formation coconino sandstone hermit shale supai group kaibab limestone surprise formation pensanan cambrian miss. Data that give understanding for the origin of the coconino sandstone. Animal tracks, mud cracks and raindrop imprints prove that the hermit was often exposed to air. The left portion of stratigraphic section shows geologic eras to which layersareassigned and corre. Origin of the coconino sandstone in the grand canyon. The coconino sandstone a response to john whitmores ten. Water in trie coconino sandstone for the snowflakehay hollow area navajo county, arizona by phillip w. But desert sand dunes tend to have a higher angle, often exceeding 30 degrees.
No erosion between rock layers david rives david rives ministries. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. Looking west from the summit of the tallest dune, perhaps you could have seen the distant shimmer. The coconino sandstone is typically buff to white in color. Rock layer of the grand canyon deposited during the permian period, records cross bedding formed by large scale wind blown dunes. The proposed young earth creationism model to explain the deposition of the coconino sandstone during the short time of noahs flood completely erodes away when you examine it closely. We bushwhack our way to the head of crazy jug canyon armed with a few waypoints from the book grand canyoneering by todd martin. The coconino sandstone was a saharalike sand sea, called an erg. An analysis of crosslamination the coconino sandstone jstor. The coconino sandstone is the first great barrier you encounter as you descend into the grand canyon.
Grand canyon geology 2nd edition, 2003 online research. Thinking of the geologic record as a book is helpful to understand each page of earths history. What is deposition in ancient coastal sand dunes i. The quality of water from the coconino sandstone in this area is unknown. Intraformational parabolic recumbent folds in the coconino. Locate the coconino sandstone po highlighted by can you now make about the problem 5 placemark. Typically less than 5% of the grains in class 2 or 3 rocks have planar features. Their argument is that deposits like this would be impossible to form in the midst of a global flood as described in genesis.
Note the strong, narrow white layer of coconino sandstone near the top, composed of 260million yearold sand dunes. Comparisons are made between them and similar structures observed in the modern dunes of the navajo country. The coconino sandstone here, and in most places, forms a sandstone cliff. Locate the bright angel shave cba highlighted by 5 differential weathering grand canyon np,az. Jul 01, 2015 the coconino sandstone figure 1a, whose buffcolored sand piles up as thick as 300 feet 90 m in the grand canyon area and 1,000 feet 300 m in other areas, is one of the most common evidences raised against the genesis flood.
Broad, flat area of windswept sand and little vegetation record by the coconino sandstone toroweap formation. The rock layers in the grand canyon supergroup have been tilted, whereas the other rocks above this set are horizontal. The permian coconino sandstone is one of the most prominent layers of rock in the grand canyon and is important to. The coconino sandstone is a pure sand made of quartz grains, so it is a gleaming white where a fresh surface has been exposed by a rock fall. Correlation with type coconino based on stratigraphic position beneath kaibab limestone. The coconino sandstone geological formation in the grand canyon from a hikers perspective. Coconino samples from the breadth and depth of the formation and. A chemical analysis of a representative rock sample of the coconino sandstone showed that its composition was as follows. The conventional view is that the coconino sandstone represents ancient windblown desert sand dunes, which would have. Shock metamorphism of the coconino sandstone at meteor crater. Chemical analysis of sample of the coconino sandstone source.
The permian coconino sandstone is one of the most prominent layers of rock in the. The article makes the claim that the coconino sandstone was deposited as underwater sand waves. Features in the coconino, including large swooping lines that look like pulled taffy, tell us that 260 million years ago this part of arizona was covered with windblown desertcoastal dunes. Click the coconino sandstone and the toroweap formation in the diagram for details on their formation. The coconino is considered by all geologists to be a desert sandstone except the young earth creationist variety, of course. Environments in which sandstones form include beaches, sand bars, deltas and dunes. The hermit formation forms a red slope below the coconino sandstone cliff.
The petrology of the coconino sandstone permian, arizona, usa. This second edition of the leading book on grand canyon geology contains the most recent discoveries and interpretations of the origin and history of the canyon. Evidence for this in addition to the character of fossil footprints therein includes crossbedding angles of only 25 degrees, not the 3034 degrees one expects from desert dunes. How did the soft coconino sandstone manage to resist erosion for vast eons of time. The permian coconino sandstone consists oflightcolored, mostly finegrained cross bedded sandstone and overlies the supai formation throughout the holbrook basin. Our worksheet ef sedimentary rock differential weatheringgrand canyon np, az. The coconino sandstone and the creationists youtube. Coconino sandstonethe most powerful argument against the flood. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. Coconino sandstone is proposed for the crossbedded gray to white sandstone of aubrey group, which is so conspicuous in walls of grand canyon. The petrology of the coconino sandstone permian, arizona.
Pdf a new trace fossil from the permian coconino sandstone of. Coconino sandstone formed about 275 million years ago as the area dried out and sand dunes made of quartz sand invaded a growing desert see 6b in figure 1. The top of the coconino sandstone was used as the datum for the stratigraphic sections plates 4 and 6 because. The nearest exposures out side the crater are 24 km to the south. No erosion between rock layers david rives youtube. Fast researchers participating in the coconino sandstone project are documenting the sandgrain composition, the sandgrain texture, and largescale current structures in sandstone in the southwestern united states. The permian coconino sandstone is one of the most prominent layers of rock in the grand canyon and is important to creationists because it has often been used by conventional scientists to discredit the bible since it is a supposed windblown eolian deposit. Check out the new look and enjoy easier access to your favorite features. It temds to form a slope and it undercuts the coconino sandstone. On a mohs hardness scale, quartz has a hardness of 7 in comparison to talc 1, calcite 3 feldspar 6, and diamond 10. The composition sandstone and presence of stromatolites indicate that this area was previously a very shallow sea.
North rim of grand canyon showing coconino sandstone white. The beginning of the story starts at the bottom of the. Second, the footprints in the coconino sandstone are quite distinct individual toe marks are often visible. Johnson contributions to the hydrology of the united states geological survey watersupply paper 1539s prepared in cooperation with the arizona state land department united states government printing office, washington. Kaibab limestone this layer averages about 250 million years old and forms the surface of the kaibab and coconino plateaus. It employs a wealth of basic facts about the grand canyons coconino sandstone to obliterate the flaccid arguments of. Looking west from the summit of the tallest dune, perhaps you could have seen the distant shimmer of panthalassa, the world ocean of the time of pangaea. What is the oldest body of rock in the grand canyo.
The coconino sandstone is not as extensively exposed in the streambed of sulphur creek as it is in the streambed of the fremont river. The coconino sandstone, the origin of which is conventionally attributed to desert sand dunes, was deposited by water. Sandstone was a popular building material from ancient times. Coconino of swell may contain equivalents of supai formation, hermit shale, coconino sandstone, and kaibab limestone of the grand canyon. Coconino sandstonethe most powerful argument against the. The coconino sandstone figure 1a, whose buffcolored sand piles up as thick as 300 feet 90 m in the grand canyon area and 1,000 feet 300 m in other areas, is one of the most common evidences raised against the genesis flood. Because mica occurs in books it often appears as a long thin strand. Kaibab limestone to supai formation hit the trail at grand. The coconino sandstone leonardian is found in northern arizona in places like sedona and grand canyon.
Distribution of ejecta lunar and planetary institute. Coconino sandstone permian period, 280 million years old, 350 feet thick tan to nearly white prominent vertical cliff. It is composed primarily of a sandy limestone with a layer of sandstone below it. This is a classic application of the strawman fallacy present a statement as if reflects the current science, then tear it down. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The highest coconino cliffs are along the south rim in the eastern portion of the park. Arizonas coconino sandstone a deposit seen in the grand canyon and elsewhere plays a central role in the creationist argument that the upper rocks of the grand canyon were deposited during noahs flood. In fact, the posters presented by students and faculty of cedarville university at the 2010 annual meeting of the geological society of america gsa in denver, colo.
Here, he cites mckee, who in 1934, published the coconino sandstone its history and origin1. The coconinos starring role in the creationistgeologist battle. Some coconino fills deep mudcracks in the underlying hermit shale 38 and the desert that created the coconino lasted for 5 to 10 million years. Sandstone has been used for domestic construction and housewares since prehistoric times, and continues to be used. Geologists have stated that this formation of 315foot thick sandstone was created by a desert environment, and is a deposition of wind. It has been eight decades since the eminent grand canyon geologist edwin mckee published his monograph on the coconino sandstone 1934.
Water in the coconino sandstone for the snowflakehay. Coconino sandstone, the result of a permian age coastal dune field. Arizona red, flagstaffs distinctive sandstone, played a pivotal role in the citys economy as well as its architecture. Our worksheet ef sedimentary rock differential wea. What is the oldest body of rock in the grand canyon. You can see the coconino sandstone is white and forms steep cliffs. In most places the coconino forms a very steep, impassable cliff, up to 500 feet in height. In the third stage of shockmetamorphism, the rocks.
Photograph of coconino sandstone alongside simplified stratigraphic section of grand canyon, with inset showing the crossbedding seen throughout the formation. Geologic map of the eastern quarter of the flagstaff 30 x. Creation science rebuttals, creation magazine, the coconino. May 27, 20 of all my videos about geology and creationists, i think this is my favorite. Coconino sandstone and hermit shale bruce was showing us. The coconino sandstone is one of the more wellknown permian sandstones of the western united states. Jan 24, 2003 the coconino is considered by all geologists to be a desert sandstone except the young earth creationist variety, of course. Petrology of the coconino sandstone answers in genesis. It consists almost entirely of large crossbeds fig. Arizonaupper layers are interbedded from the edge of the continent, intruded by ocean marine formations, from the west, en. The coconino sandstone has an average crossbedding angle of 25 degrees, which is consistent with the angle for sandwaves deposited by water. Based on the rocks, how might the climate of the area have changed between deposition of the hermit shale and the coconino sandstone. Coconino sandstone, sand waves, sandstone petrology, dolomite. Coconino sandstone is a geologic formation named after its exposure in coconino county.
Lithostratigraphic correlation of the coconino sandstone. Standard thinking cites the coconino sandstone as perhaps the most difficult formation to reconcile within the flood model of earth history. The dechelly is unusual among permian eolianites in yielding a specimen of the lacertoid track dromopus cf. Origin of the coconino sandstone in the grand canyon csun. Rock layers formed during the paleozoic era are the most conspicuous in the grand canyon s walls. Both invertebrate and vertebrate traces indicate that the substrate was for the most part, very dry though it is clear that light rainfall or dew periodically moistened the dune surfaces.
Move your cursor over the photographs to highlight the featured layers. It is part of familiar cliff exposures in places like grand canyon and sedona, arizona fig. It underlies entire coconino plateau, as well as the extensive plateau country north of grand canyon. Is a massive, crossbedded buff to white sandstone 715 ft thick. We find the trail pretty easily in the hermit shale but getting through the coconino looks like a challenge. This stratum of sandstone formed during the permian period, over 200 million years ago and is one of the thickest sandstones on earth. Intraformational parabolic recumbent folds in the coconino sandstone permian sedona, arizona usa 23 bryant and miall 2010 and other types of deformation related to seismic processes alsop and. Either the kaibab limestone or toroweap formation overlies the coconino sandstone.
The coconino sandstone differs from most of the rest of the grand canyon sediments in this way. It consists primarily of fine well sorted quartz grains, with minor amounts of potassium feldspar grains deposited by eolian processes winddeposited approximately 275 million years ago. It was a windblown dune desert that stretched from presentday arizona all the way to canada. Coastal environments and several marine incursions from the west between 550 and 250 million years ago deposited sandstone, shale and limestone layers totaling 2,400 to 5,000 feet thick.
This formation spreads across the colorado plateau province of the united states, including northern arizona, northwest colorado, nevada, and utah. In some places sandstone and shale also exists as its upper layer. The authors bring up some good points about the composition of the limestone. A methodology for disaggregation and textural analysis of. Johannsen, manual of petrographic methods new york. Creation science rebuttals, creation magazine, the.
Harder, erosionresistant rocks such as the coconino sandstone and the redwall limestone have eroded into bold cliffs. Kaibab limestone to supai formation hit the trail at. Although violent storms may send flash floods gouging down narrow side canyons, the lack of steady moisture has created a stark landscape of mostly naked rock. The nearly 40 major sedimentary rock layers exposed in the grand canyon and in the grand canyon national park area range in age from about 200 million to nearly 2 billion years old. The grand canyon tells one of the worlds greatest geologic stories. We present a new methodology for disaggregating quartzdominated sandstones cemented by quartz overgrowths, with application to the permian coconino sandstone of northern and central arizona, usa. However, the chemical analyses of the two recharge sources fremont river and sulphur creek are given in table 2. All these are soft, fine grained sedimentary rocks, weathering to form gentle slopesas in this photo of isis temple with coconino sandstone at the top. Also note in the center of the photo the 500foottall cliff of redwall limestone formed on a seabottom 300400 million years ago. One of the problems that the young earth model encounters in the grand canyon is the coconino sandstone. The geology of the grand canyon area includes one of the most complete and studied sequences of rock on earth. Ive already discussed this in another article, so let me only summarize here. At meteor crater, outcrops of coconino are best seen on the southeast wall, but small outcrops also occur on the north, east, and south walls.
Review of helium production and potential in arizona. The coconino sandstone figure 1a, whose buffcolored sand piles up as. The researchers believe the evidence verifies the notion that the grains, textures, and structures were formed. The coconino sandstone is a widespread formation that crops. Coconino sandstone in various states of the southwest usa, and the en. His primary interests are fossil fish taphonomy, the green river formation. Water in the coconino sandstone for the snowflakehay hollow. The uppermost sandstone layer of the rim is called coconino sandstone and it forms breathtaking white cliffs. The sediments and trace fossils of the coconino sandstone record the advance and passage of a major eolian sand sea. Coconino sandstone, sand waves, sandstone petrology, dolomite ooids, muscovite, compaction of sandstone, large crossbeds, high angle crossbeds, grand canyon, frosting, rounding. The coconino is composed of cliffforming, finegrained, wellrounded quartz sand and small amounts of feldspar, cemented primarily with silica. Fossils, footprints, and trackways are found in the sandstone. The crossbedded coconino sandstone arizona is perhaps one of the bestknown formations in this collection of sandstones, many of which contain large crossbeds and thus are often interpreted as eolian in origin mckee and bigarella 1979.
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