Geology of Zion National Park

Zion National Park is one of the most visited national parks in the nation for a reason. It is home to some of the most spectacular geological features in North America. While visiting Zion you can expect to see bright sandstone cliffs, explorable canyons, rivers, greenery, seasonal colors, bright blue skies, as well as ancient and recent geological events currently underway.

The rock layers found in the park can tell a story of their own about the evolution of this beautiful place. The oldest rocks in Zion are located at the base of its cliffs. This layer of sedimentary rocks includes sandstone, limestone, and shale from ancient seas that once covered this part of Utah millions of years ago. These once submerged rocks found at the base of the cliffs are more than 200 million years old.

Above the bottom layer are two other distinct layers: the Navajo Sandstone and Kayenta formations. The Navajo Sandstone is a large deposit of sand that was dropped off by wind during the Jurassic period. This sandstone layer is responsible for the beautiful, steep cliffs of Zion. The Kayenta Formation came some 40 million years later.

The youngest rock layer is the Carmel Formation which is an important contributor to the canyons and valleys you see today. This mudstone and shale composite was created during the Cretaceous period, about 95 million years ago when a shallow sea covered the area. 

Zion is found nestled along the edge of the Colorado Plateau which extends from Central Utah to Northern Arizona, encompassing parts of Colorado and New Mexico. 

The Grand Staircase is one of the Colorado Plateau’s finest works of art. It is a set of colorful cliffs that have formed over the course of 2 billion years. The rock layers of iconic canyons, such as the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Bryce Canyon, serve as a vivid record of the region's extraordinary geological events. Spending time in the Colorado Plateau region is a trip through the work of billions of years of transformation and creation.

Water is a powerful artist. Many of Zion’s canyons and cliffs have been sculpted by streams, rains, and rivers. The park is positioned on the western edge of an uplift where water rushed off the plateau, carrying debris and sediment. The Virgin River is still at work today as you watch it flow, you can see that the rocks and water move together and have shaped the scenery we enjoy today.