General description Threats Access, hiking maps & info. Flora & fauna Geology Archaeology

Geology of Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument - The monument contains valuable geological resources, including relatively undeformed and unobscured Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rock layers, offering a clear view to understanding the geologic history of the Colorado Plateau. Deep canyons, mountains and lonely buttes testify to the power of geological forces and provide colorful vistas. Fossils are abundant throughout the monument. Among these are large numbers of invertebrate fossils, including bryozoans and brachiopods located in the Calville limestone of the Grand Wash Cliffs, and brachiopods, pelecypods, fenestrate bryozoa, and crinoid ossicles in the Toroweap and Kaibab formations of Whitmore Canyon. There are also sponges in nodules and pectenoid pelecypods throughout the Kaibab formation of Parashant Canyon.