Moab Fault sign
Moab Fault
A dramatic break in the earth's surface occurred here about six million years ago. Uinder Intense pressure, unable to stretch, the crust cracked and shifted. Today, the highway (below) parallels this fracture line, called the Moab Fault.
After the rock layers shifted, the east wall of the canyon where you are standing ended up more than 2,600 feet (792 meters) lower than the west side (across the highway).
Individual rock layers no longer tine up horizontally here because of faulting. The cliff across the high-way looks much like the Entrada Sandstone, but is actually composed of Wingate Sandstone — rock deposited about forty million years before the Entrada.
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Arches National Park
Utah National Parks Trip 2021
September 4 - 10, 2021
Moab Fault sign
Moab Fault
A dramatic break in the earth's surface occurred here about six million years ago. Uinder Intense pressure, unable to stretch, the crust cracked and shifted. Today, the highway (below) parallels this fracture line, called the Moab Fault.
After the rock layers shifted, the east wall of the canyon where you are standing ended up more than 2,600 feet (792 meters) lower than the west side (across the highway).
Individual rock layers no longer tine up horizontally here because of faulting. The cliff across the high-way looks much like the Entrada Sandstone, but is actually composed of Wingate Sandstone — rock deposited about forty million years before the Entrada.
----------
Arches National Park
Utah National Parks Trip 2021
September 4 - 10, 2021