
The Echo Cliffs are a prominent geological feature in northern Arizona. The cliffs stretch for and reach over 1000 feet (300 m) high. They are found in
Coconino County
Coconino County is a county in the north-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 145,101 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Flagstaff. The county takes its name from ''Cohonino'', a name applied to the Havasupai p ...
in the
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native Americans in the United States, Native American Indian reservation, reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwe ...
about 20 miles (32 km) east of
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park, located in northwestern Arizona, is the 15th site in the United States to have been named as a national park. The park's central feature is the Grand Canyon, a gorge of the Colorado River, which is often considered ...
.
U.S. Highway 89
U.S. Route 89 (US 89) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway with two sections, and one former section. The southern section runs for from Flagstaff, Arizona, to the southern entrance of Yellowstone National Park. The northern section ...
runs parallel to the cliffs for .
The
Tutuveni
Tutuveni is a prehistoric petroglyph site at the base of Echo Cliffs in Coconino County, Arizona. The Hopi, who have historic interest in this site, refer to it as "Tutuveni" meaning "Newspaper Rock". The site was used by young Hopi men during ...
petroglyphs are found at a site at the base of the cliffs.
Geology
The cliffs form the western escarpment of a mesa called the Kaibito Plateau and follow the axis of the Echo
Monocline
A monocline (or, rarely, a monoform) is a step-like fold in rock strata consisting of a zone of steeper dip within an otherwise horizontal or gently-dipping sequence.
Formation
Monoclines may be formed in several different ways (see diagram)
* ...
. Rocks of the
Wingate sandstone
The Wingate Sandstone is a geologic formation in the Glen Canyon Group of the Colorado Plateau province of the United States which crops out in northern Arizona, northwest Colorado, Nevada, and Utah.
Geology
Wingate Sandstone is particularly pro ...
,
Navajo Sandstone
The Navajo Sandstone is a geological formation in the Glen Canyon Group that is spread across the U.S. states of southern Nevada, northern Arizona, northwest Colorado, and Utah as part of the Colorado Plateau province of the United States.Anonym ...
,
Kayenta Formation
The Kayenta Formation is a geological formation in the Glen Canyon Group that is spread across the Colorado Plateau province of the United States, including northern Arizona, northwest Colorado, Nevada, and Utah. Traditionally has been suggested ...
, all part of the
Glen Canyon Group
The Glen Canyon Group is a geologic group of formations that is spread across the U.S. states of Nevada, Utah, northern Arizona, north west New Mexico and western Colorado. It is called the Glen Canyon Sandstone in the Green River Basin of Colo ...
, crop out along the cliffs' length. The
Chinle Formation
The Chinle Formation is an Upper Triassic continental geological formation of fluvial, lacustrine, and palustrine to eolian deposits spread across the U.S. states of Nevada, Utah, northern Arizona, western New Mexico, and western Colorado. In ...
underlies the
Glen Canyon Group
The Glen Canyon Group is a geologic group of formations that is spread across the U.S. states of Nevada, Utah, northern Arizona, north west New Mexico and western Colorado. It is called the Glen Canyon Sandstone in the Green River Basin of Colo ...
in the Echo Cliffs area.
Comparatively little
talus is found at the base of the cliffs. Its rocks tend to break up forming sediments which are quickly removed by wind and stream action.
See also
*
Navajo Bridge
Navajo Bridge is the name of twin steel spandrel arch bridges that cross the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon National Park (near Lees Ferry) in northern Coconino County, Arizona, United States. The newer of the two spans carries vehicular tra ...
*
Paria Canyon
The Paria River is a tributary of the Colorado River, approximately long, in southern Utah and northern Arizona in the United States. It drains a rugged and arid region northwest of the Colorado, flowing through roadless slot canyons along part ...
*
Vermilion Cliffs
References
Cliffs of Arizona
Chinle Formation
Geography of the Navajo Nation
Landforms of Coconino County, Arizona
Colorado Plateau
External links
{{commonscat, Echo Cliffs
Echo Cliffs, and the Marble Plateau, at Geogypsytraveler.com