Geology of Snow Canyon

Three major types of sedimentary rocks are located in Southern Utahs Snow Canyon Park, in addition to

cinder cones, extinct volcanos and ancient sands of varying colors. The variation of rocks, forces of erosion and

other pertinent geological formations make up the unique landscape.

Lava flows over millions of years have given Snow Canyon a unique inverted topography. Whereas

younger rocks typically build on older rocks, in this canyon the older rocks have built on the younger. Lava rock is

resilient to erosion and once hardened; it minimizes the flow of water. Three major volcanic eruptions forced the

water in the area westward, creating new drainage points. Between 10,000 and 20,000 years ago, the Santa Clara

flow filled the canyon to what is now the current terrain of the canyon floor. (Orndorff, Wieder and Futey, 2006)

Water was a contributor in the creation of Snow Canyon. Nearly all rocks are soluble in water. Fast moving

water breaks down rocks to sediment and can also chemically change the structure of rocks. It weakens mountains

and caves, and in the winter freezes in the cracks of rocks, causing them to fracture. Water is the primary agent of

erosion. (Fiero, 2009) The process of inverted topography is active today, as water flows along the edges of the

canyons basalt.

The extensive erosion and uplift allows Navajo Sandstone to be seen in Snow Canyon. The erosion has

fragmented and fractured the area, leaving behind etched patterns on the surfaces of the rocks. When looking at the

canyon, you see the bottom of the rocks are rich in iron oxide, hematite, while the yellow colored sandstone is rich

in limonite.

173 Million Years Ago, a Sahara like desert covered the area and those sands built up and cemented

together, creating the petrified sand dunes in the rock walls of Snow Canyon. The lines that are still seen today in the

rocks are crossbedding or strata, which formed from drifting grains of sand that migrated from one area to the other.

(Bugden, 1992)

The canyon is a natural trapper of sediment and between 190 and 183 million years ago, the oldest rocks

were created. The accumulation of siltstones, mudstones and fine grained sandstones, built up to create the slopes

located in the southern part of the canyon. Above these are the younger Kayneta rocks. Resilient to erosion and

steep, they fuse upward into Navajo Sandstone. (Bugden 1992)

1
 Snow Canyon was home to two Native American Tribes, the Puebloans and the Paiutes. In 1850 the

canyon was discovered by Mormon Pioneers, looking for their livestock. It became a state park in 1959, and it

welcomed its first visitors in 1963. Beautiful and tranquil, Snow Canyon can be enjoyed by all.

2
Citations:

Richard L. Orndorff, Robert W. Wieder, and David G. Futey. Geology Underfoot in Southern,

Utah. 2006, Reading a Lava Landscape (Book)

Bugden, Miriam. The Geology of Snow Canyon. 1992, Utah Geological Survey, Public

Information Series 13 (Brochure)

Fiero, Bill. Geology of the Great Basin. 2009, Reno: University of Nevada Press.