Canyonlands National Park - Entrada Formation (U.S. National Park Service)

NPS Photo by Tom Gray

Delicate Arch, perhaps one of the best-known examples of the Entrada Formation.

The Entrada Formation is composed of three members (listed from youngest to oldest): Moab Tongue, Slickrock and Dewey Bridge. Each has different characteristics due to changes in the depositional environment. The Arches of Arches National Park are usually in the Slickrock Member. This layer does not occur in Canyonlands.

Deposited
Mid- to late-Jurassic (144 to 208 million years ago)

Depositional Environment
Varied between tidal flat (Dewey Bridge) to near-shore sand dunes.

Appearance
Moab Tongue: Thin, red layer not heavily cross-bedded.
Slickrock: Red, cross-bedded, arch-forming sandstone.
Dewey Bridge: Lumpy, misshapen red sandstone

Example
Entrada is one of the dominant sandstones in Arches National Park.

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