# Chinle Formation

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Geological formation in the western US

Chinle Formation Stratigraphic range: Norian–Rhaetian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N I O An. La. Carn. Norian Rh. Chinle Badlands, Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument, Utah, US. Type Geological formation Sub-units see text Underlies Wingate Sandstone, Moenave Formation, Nugget Sandstone Overlies Moenkopi Formation or Cutler Group Lithology Primary fluvial mudstone, siltstone, and sandstone Other paleosols Location Coordinates 36°09′18″N 109°34′44″W / 36.155°N 109.579°W / 36.155; -109.579 Approximate paleocoordinates 10°42′N 48°18′W / 10.7°N 48.3°W / 10.7; -48.3 Region Colorado Plateau Extent Utah Colorado New Mexico Arizona Nevada Type section Named for Chinle, AZ Named by Herbert E. Gregory Chinle Formation (the United States) Show map of the United States Chinle Formation (Arizona) Show map of Arizona Type locality in Arizona

The **Chinle Formation** is an [Upper Triassic](/source/Late_Triassic) continental [geological formation](/source/Geological_formation) of [fluvial](/source/Fluvial), [lacustrine](/source/Lake), and [palustrine](/source/Palustrine) to [eolian](/source/Aeolian_processes) deposits spread across the U.S. states of [Nevada](/source/Nevada), [Utah](/source/Utah), northern [Arizona](/source/Arizona), western [New Mexico](/source/New_Mexico), and western [Colorado](/source/Colorado). In New Mexico, it is often raised to the status of a geological group, the **Chinle Group**. Some authors have controversially considered the Chinle to be synonymous to the [Dockum Group](/source/Dockum_Group) of eastern Colorado and New Mexico, western [Texas](/source/Texas), the [Oklahoma](/source/Oklahoma) panhandle, and southwestern [Kansas](/source/Kansas). The Chinle Formation is part of the [Colorado Plateau](/source/Colorado_Plateau), [Basin and Range](/source/Basin_and_Range_Province), and the southern section of the [Interior Plains](/source/Interior_Plains).[1] A probable separate depositional basin within the Chinle is found in northwestern Colorado and northeastern Utah. The southern portion of the Chinle reaches a maximum thickness of a little over 520 meters (1,710 ft). Typically, the Chinle rests [unconformably](/source/Unconformity) on the [Moenkopi Formation](/source/Moenkopi_Formation).

The Chinle Formation was probably mostly deposited in the Norian stage, according to a plethora of chronological techniques. It is a thick and fossiliferous formation with numerous named members (subunits) throughout its area of deposition.

## History of investigation

While colorful Triassic sediments of the [Colorado Plateau](/source/Colorado_Plateau) have been investigated since the 19th century, the Chinle Formation was only formally named and described by [Herbert E. Gregory](/source/Herbert_E._Gregory) in 1917. It was named for [Chinle Valley](/source/Chinle_Valley) in [Apache County, Arizona](/source/Apache_County%2C_Arizona), land which is largely within the [Navajo Nation](/source/Navajo_Nation). Gregory did not designate a [type locality](/source/Type_locality_(geology)). He split the Chinle into four subunits, labelled A (youngest) to D (oldest). This did not include the underlying Shinarump Conglomerate (named by [G. K. Gilbert](/source/Grove_Karl_Gilbert) and [Edwin E. Howell](/source/Edwin_Eugene_Howell) in 1875), which he considered a separate formation.[2]

[United States Geological Survey](/source/United_States_Geological_Survey) geologists and paleontologists continued to map out the Chinle Formation through the 20th century, revising the unnamed subunits of Gregory. A basic stratigraphy of the formation was developed for north-central New Mexico by Wood and Northrop (1946),[3] and stratigraphy in the Four Corners Region was established by the late 1950s. In 1956, Economic geologist [Raymond C. Robeck](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Raymond_C._Robeck&action=edit&redlink=1) identified and named the Temple Mountain member as the basal-most unit in the area of the [San Rafael Swell](/source/San_Rafael_Swell) of Utah. In 1957, John H. Stewart revised the Shinarump Conglomerate and renamed it the Shinarump member of the Chinle formation.

Study of the formation expanded northwards into northern Utah and Colorado, facilitated through papers by Forrest G. Poole and Stewart (1964)[4] and Steve W. Sikich (1965),[5] who named informal local members equivalent to those of Arizona and New Mexico. The complete areal extent of the unit was mapped by R.F. Wilson and Stewart in 1967.[6] Stewart and his colleagues created an expansive overview and revision of the formation in 1972, summarizing previous knowledge on Chinle stratigraphy.[7]

V.C. Kelley assigned more members and revised the unit in 1972.[8] [Spencer G. Lucas](/source/Spencer_G._Lucas) and S.N. Hayden did the same thing in 1989.[9] The Rock Point Member was assigned by R.F. Dubiel in 1989.[10]

The Chinle was raised to group rank by Lucas in 1993,[11] thus also raising many of the members to formation status. He also included the formations of the [Dockum Group](/source/Dockum_Group) of eastern [New Mexico](/source/New_Mexico) and west [Texas](/source/Texas) within the "Chinle Group".[12] This modified nomenclature is controversial; many still retain the Chinle as a formation and separate out the [Dockum Group](/source/Dockum_Group).[13][14] The Dockum was named in 1890, before the Chinle. Lucas also advocated abandoning the name **Dolores Formation** as a parochial synonym for the Chinle Group.

Overviews of the Chinle were created by Dubiel and others (1992) and Hintze and Axen (1995).[15]

## Paleobiota

Main article: [Paleobiota of the Chinle Formation](/source/Paleobiota_of_the_Chinle_Formation)

The Chinle Formation is fossiliferous, with a diverse array of extinct reptile, fish, and plant fossils, including early dinosaurs and the famous petrified wood of [Petrified Forest National Park](/source/Petrified_Forest_National_Park) in [Arizona](/source/Arizona).

## Stratigraphy

The formation members and their thicknesses are highly variable across the Chinle.

Regional stratigraphic subunits of the Chinle Formation Arizona and western New Mexico North-central New Mexico Monument Valley and southern Utah Colorado and northeast Utah Rock Point Member "siltstone member" (in part) Church Rock Member "upper member" "red siltstone member" "sandstone and conglomerate member" (UT) "ocher siltstone member" (UT) Owl Rock Member "siltstone member" (in part)? Owl Rock Member Kane Springs beds (in part) Petrified Forest Member sensu stricto / "Upper Petrified Forest" / Painted Desert Member Petrified Forest Member Petrified Forest Member Kane Springs beds (in part) Sonsela Member Poleo Formation Moss Back Member Blue Mesa Member / "Lower Petrified Forest" Bluewater Creek Formation (NM) Salitral Formation Monitor Butte Member Cameron Member "mottled member" Gartra Member? Mesa Redondo Member Shinarump Conglomerate Zuni Mountains Formation (NM) Agua Zarca Sandstone / Shinarump Conglomerate "mottled strata" Shinarump Conglomerate Temple Mountain Member

### Arizona and western New Mexico

[Fossil wood](/source/Fossil_wood) from Chinle Formation exposures at Petrified Forest National Park

Some of the most extensive deposits of the Chinle Formation are found in the southern Colorado Plateau, including Arizona and the western portion of New Mexico. In this region, the oldest and stratigraphically lowest portion of the Chinle is the **[Shinarump Conglomerate](/source/Shinarump_Conglomerate)**. The Shinarump includes braided-river system channel-deposit [facies](/source/Facies).[10] The Shinarump interfingers with a finer-grained subunit, the **[Mesa Redondo Member](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mesa_Redondo_Member&action=edit&redlink=1)**,[16] one of the oldest widespread units in the badlands of the [Painted Desert](/source/Painted_Desert_(Arizona)) area. In western New Mexico (particularly the [Zuni Mountains](/source/Zu%C3%B1i_Mountains) area), the Mesa Redondo Member may be replaced by another sandy unit known as the **[Zuni Mountains Formation](/source/Zuni_Mountains_Formation)**. Sediments from this time interval are followed by a geological unit called the **[Bluewater Creek Formation](/source/Bluewater_Creek_Formation)**.[9]

Petrified Forest National Park araucarioxylon fossil wood weathered from the Chinle Formation

Most Chinle outcrops in the Painted Desert have traditionally been placed within the following **[Petrified Forest Member](/source/Petrified_Forest_Member)**, a segment of Triassic sediments which are so diverse and extensive that it is sometimes raised to its own formation, subdivided further, or redefined more narrowly. In its widest definition, the Petrified Forest Member (or Formation) is split into three sections: the muddy Lower Petrified Forest and Upper Petrified Forest, and the sandy Sonsela Sandstone bed, which separates them. The Lower "Petrified Forest Member" is generally known as the **[Blue Mesa Member](/source/Blue_Mesa_Member)**.[17] In [Petrified Forest National Park](/source/Petrified_Forest_National_Park) (PEFO) and its vicinities, the Sonsela Sandstone is thick enough that it can be resolved into several distinct sandstone-rich layers. It is renamed as the **[Sonsela Member](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonsela_Member&action=edit&redlink=1)** in this situation.[17] The Sonsela Sandstone is a collection of braided-stream channel facies.[18] The Upper "Petrified Forest Member" is sometimes called the Painted Desert Member,[19] or simply referred to as the Petrified Forest Member in a more restricted definition of the term.[17] The Petrified Forest is predominately overbank deposits with thin lenses of channel-deposit facies and lacustrine deposits.

The Petrified Forest Member grades into the **[Owl Rock Member](/source/Owl_Rock_Member)**, a marginal lacustrine to lacustrine facies possibly representing a large lake system. The Owl Rock Member is followed by the youngest and sandiest subunit of the Chinle, the **[Rock Point Member](/source/Rock_Point_Member)**. The Rock Point is distinct enough that it was previously considered a unit of the [Wingate Sandstone](/source/Wingate_Sandstone), a latest Triassic - early Jurassic aeolian formation which overlies the Chinle in many areas.[7]

### Central New Mexico

The Whitaker ("*[Coelophysis](/source/Coelophysis)*") Quarry at [Ghost Ranch](/source/Ghost_Ranch), preserving the "siltstone member" of the Chinle Formation

Unambiguous exposures of the Chinle Formation extend into central New Mexico, beyond the eastern edge of the Colorado Plateau. Most of these are found in the [Chama Basin](/source/Chama_Basin) of north-central New Mexico, particularly several famed paleontological sites at [Ghost Ranch](/source/Ghost_Ranch) near [Abiquiu](/source/Abiqui%C3%BA%2C_New_Mexico). Minor exposures also occur in the [Lucero Uplift](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lucero_Uplift&action=edit&redlink=1) west of [Albuquerque](/source/Albuquerque%2C_New_Mexico), as well as other areas along the [Rio Grande Rift](/source/Rio_Grande_rift).[20][21][7]

Stratigraphic column (A) and outcrop photos (C) of the Hayden Quarry [fossil locality](/source/Fossil_locality) at [Ghost Ranch](/source/Ghost_Ranch), NM, alongside a map of Chinle exposures in NM (B)

As in the Colorado Plateau, the lowest major unit in north-central New Mexico is a sandstone-rich member. This layer, the **[Agua Zarca Sandstone](/source/Agua_Zarca_Sandstone)**,[3] is often synonymized with the Shinarump Conglomerate,[22][21][19] though it may be derived from a different erosional source.[14] It is often preceded by a very thin layer of silty mottled strata. This mottled strata is sometimes termed the Zuni Mountains Formation,[22][19] though the application of this term beyond the Zuni Mountains is questionable.[21][14] In the Chama Basin at least, the mottled strata is derived from the eroded and [pedogenically](/source/Pedogenesis) modified surface of the Moenkopi Formation.[14]

The coarse lower unit grades into the fine-grained **[Salitral Formation](/source/Salitral_Formation)**, which is equivalent to the Blue Mesa Member and Bluewater Creek Formation. In south-central New Mexico, it may instead grade into the **[San Pedro Arroyo Formation](/source/San_Pedro_Arroyo_Formation)**, a similar heterolithic unit.[20] Coarse sandstone returns along a sharp contact with the following **[Poleo Formation](/source/Poleo_Formation)**, an equivalent of the Sonsela Member.[21] The Poleo Formation grades into the thick colorful sediments of the Petrified Forest Member. Authors which raise this member to a formation subdivide it into the lower Mesa Montosa Member and the upper Painted Desert Member.[22][21] The Petrified Forest Member is fossiliferous in the Chama Basin, with major sites including the Hayden, Canjilon, and Snyder quarries of Ghost Ranch.[23]

The stratigraphically highest unit in north-central New Mexico is the informally-named "**siltstone member**". This unit is best exposed at Ghost Ranch, where it has produced the famous Whitaker Quarry, also known as the *Coelophysis* quarry due to a high concentration of fossils belonging to the [theropod](/source/Theropoda) [dinosaur](/source/Dinosaur) *[Coelophysis bauri](/source/Coelophysis_bauri)*. The "siltstone member" may be equivalent to the Rock Point Member, and some authors refer to it as such.[22][21][19]

### Monument Valley and southern Utah

The [Shinarump Conglomerate](/source/Shinarump_Conglomerate) (top, horizontal layers) as an erosion-resistant cap rock in [Monument Valley](/source/Monument_Valley)

[Permian](/source/Permian) through [Jurassic](/source/Jurassic) stratigraphy of [Glen Canyon National Recreation Area](/source/Glen_Canyon_National_Recreation_Area) in Utah.
From top to bottom: (youngest to oldest)
5 – Rounded tan domes of the [Navajo Sandstone](/source/Navajo_Sandstone),
4 – layered red [Kayenta Formation](/source/Kayenta_Formation),
3 – cliff-forming, vertically jointed, red [Wingate Sandstone](/source/Wingate_Sandstone),
2 – slope-forming, purplish Chinle Formation, layered, lighter-red [Moenkopi Formation](/source/Moenkopi_Formation)
1 – white, layered [Cutler Formation](/source/Cutler_Formation) sandstone.
Picture from [Glen Canyon National Recreation Area](/source/Glen_Canyon_National_Recreation_Area), Utah

The Chinle continues northwards into southern Utah and the Four Corners area, though it thins greatly to the northwest. A narrow band of undifferentiated purplish sediments from the lower part of the formation extend into vicinity of [St. George](/source/St._George%2C_Utah). The formation thickens eastward into [Zion National Park](/source/Zion_National_Park) and [Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument](/source/Grand_Staircase%E2%80%93Escalante_National_Monument). The Chinle is a prominent component of badlands and outcrops in the various national parks, monuments, and recreation areas of southeast Utah, extending in a discontinuous patchwork up to the [San Rafael Swell](/source/San_Rafael_Swell).[24][25] The stratigraphic nomenclature used in southern Utah is also utilized in [Monument Valley](/source/Monument_Valley), where the coarse-grained lower members of the Chinle form a caprock for many famous buttes which characterize the valley.[7]

In this region, the stratigraphically lowest unit in the Chinle is usually the Shinarump Conglomerate (or Shinarump Member), which thins northward but is a reliable component of outcrops throughout the region. In several areas, a thin layer of mottled [paleosols](/source/Paleosol), the **[Temple Mountain Member](/source/Temple_Mountain_Member)**, may be superimposed onto the Shinarump and underlying Moenkopi Formation.[26][25][27]

The **[Monitor Butte Member](/source/Monitor_Butte_Member)** overlies the Shinarump and Temple Mountain members in southeast Utah and Monument Valley. This unit comprises drab and generally fine-grained sediments, equivalent to the Blue Mesa Member and Bluewater Creek Formation found further south.[25] The facies of this interval have been interpreted as overbank (distal [floodplain](/source/Floodplain)) and [lacustrine](/source/Lake) deposits. At Zion National Park, the Monitor Butte Member is replaced by a thick time-equivalent unit, the **[Cameron Member](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cameron_Member&action=edit&redlink=1)**, which is also found in the Navajo Nation near its namesake of [Cameron, Arizona](/source/Cameron%2C_Arizona). The Cameron Member is practically identical to the Blue Mesa Member, and likely represents the same depositional environment along the ancient river system responsible for the Chinle Formation. It is also distinct from the Monitor Butte Member, which has more evaporite deposits and fewer red sandy layers.[11][25]

The drab mudstone of the Monitor Butte and Cameron members are succeeded in a few areas by a thin section of massive conglomeratic sandstone, the **[Moss Back Member](/source/Moss_Back_Member)**. This member represents sandy river channel deposits and is likely equivalent to part of the Sonsela Member.[25] Elsewhere, the Monitor Butte grades into the Petrified Forest Member, which in Utah includes the thin but geographically extensive Correo Sandstone Bed. The Petrified Forest Member is followed by the Owl Rock Member.[25][9] A unit of drab interbedded coarse and fine sediments, the **Kane Springs beds**, develops in the Paradox Basin. The Kane Springs beds are river deposits which are likely equivalent to the Owl Rock Member and the upper part of the Petrified Forest Member.[25] Finally, either the Rock Point Member or **[Church Rock Member](/source/Church_Rock_Member)** overlie the Owl Rock. Some researchers feel that the Church Rock and Rock Point members may be synonymous.[28] They are complex heterolithic units, representing variously braided-river facies, lacustrine, and overbank deposits.

## Chronology

### Tetrapod biostratigraphy

Main article: [Triassic land vertebrate faunachrons](/source/Triassic_land_vertebrate_faunachrons)

The Chinle Formation is entirely [Late Triassic](/source/Late_Triassic) in age. Tetrapod biostratigraphy for the Chinle was first developed based on [phytosaurs](/source/Phytosaur) and [aetosaurs](/source/Aetosaur), which in 1998 were combined into global biozones in [Spencer G. Lucas](/source/Spencer_G._Lucas)'s [Land Vertebrate Faunachrons](/source/Land_Vertebrate_Faunachron) system.[29] Simplified [stratigraphy](/source/Stratigraphy) based on Litwin.[30] Note that age inferences devised by Lucas do not necessarily align with other chronological methods used in the Chinle Formation. Other works on Chinle biostratigraphy, such as Martz & Parker (2017),[31] are better integrated with magnetostratigraphy and radiometric dating, and are considered more accurate.

Faunachron name Distinguishing taxa Estimated age according to radiometric dating and magnetostratigraphy Inferred age based on Lucas's global tetrapod correlations Representative Chinle Member(s) Apachean Redondasaurus Rhaetian (207–202 Ma) late Norian – Rhaetian Rock Point / Church Rock "siltstone member" Owl Rock (in part)? Revueltian Typothorax coccinarum, Machaeroprosopus middle to late Norian (Alaunian to Sevatian, 215–207 Ma) early to middle Norian Owl Rock (in part)? Kane Springs Beds? Petrified Forest ("Upper Petrified Forest" / Painted Desert) Sonsela (in part) Adamanian Basal leptosuchomorph phytosaurs (Smilosuchus, Leptosuchus, etc.) early to middle Norian (Lacian to early Alaunian, 224–215 Ma) upper Late Carnian Sonsela (in part) Blue Mesa ("Lower Petrified Forest") Moss Back Monitor Butte Cameron (in part) Otischalkian Basal phytosaurs (Paleorhinus / Parasuchus) earliest Norian (earliest Lacian, 227–224 Ma) lower Late Carnian Cameron (in part) Mesa Redondo Shinarump Temple Mountain

### Radiometric dating

Since 2011, widespread [radiometric dating](/source/Radiometric_dating) has helped to refine precise age data for part of the Chinle Formation, particularly in areas with a more complete stratigraphic record such as Petrified Forest National Park (PEFO). Volcanism further southwest along the [Cordilleran magmatic arc](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cordilleran_magmatic_arc&action=edit&redlink=1) supplies [zircon](/source/Zircon) crystals to the Chinle system, allowing for [U-Pb dating](/source/Uranium%E2%80%93lead_dating) of layers which host zircon grains. Eroded sediments from the [Ancestral Rocky Mountains](/source/Ancestral_Rocky_Mountains), [Ouachita Mountains](/source/Ouachita_Mountains) and [Mogollon Highlands](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mogollon_Highlands&action=edit&redlink=1) also supply older reworked zircon to the basin.[32]

Chinle radiometric dating is complicated by lithological quirks of zircon deposition. Taken at face value, U-Pb dates from coarse-grained layers are often several million years older than expected based on magnetostratigraphy, while mud-dominated layers are generally more accurate despite a lower sample size. This is likely because sandy rivers receive a higher proportion of recycled zircon grains from distant eroded rocks, while muddy plains are supplied with fresh zircon-rich ash from contemporary volcanic eruptions. While zircons from sandstone-rich layers are less useful for inferring direct depositional ages, they can be very useful for inferring sediment sources: each igneous or metamorphic sediment source has its own set of old (usually Precambrian) zircon ages, which can be traced in Triassic sediments.[32]

Outcrops of the [Mesa Redondo Member](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mesa_Redondo_Member&action=edit&redlink=1) at PEFO have been dated to ~225 Ma (2011)[33] or ~228 Ma (2013),[34] though these may be influenced by recycled grains.[32] Later estimates from a major [core drilling](/source/Core_drill) project support a more recent depositional age of 223–222 Ma (2020).[35][32] This firmly suggests that practically all of the Chinle Formation was deposited in the [Norian](/source/Norian) stage; According to the consensus "long Norian" hypothesis and radiometric assessments of marine strata, the Carnian-Norian boundary is tentatively set to ~227 Ma.[36]

At PEFO, U-Pb estimates from the [Blue Mesa Member](/source/Blue_Mesa_Member) include 223 Ma (2011),[33] 222 Ma (2020),[35] and 221–218 Ma (2020).[32] Dated outcrops of drab mudstone near [St. Johns, Arizona](/source/St._Johns%2C_Arizona) fit this general time period as well. The fossiliferous *Placerias* quarry, previously regarded as belonging to an older subunit, is likely part of the Blue Mesa Member based on an age date of 219.4 Ma (2014).[37] At Six Mile Canyon near [Fort Wingate, New Mexico](/source/Fort_Wingate%2C_New_Mexico), the base of the Blue Mesa Member (or its local equivalent) is defined by a distinct sandstone bed, which has been dated to 221–219 Ma (2009)[38] or 218 Ma (2011).[39] The underlying [Bluewater Creek Formation](/source/Bluewater_Creek_Formation) has also been dated to 221–219 Ma (2014), suggesting that it overlaps in time with the Arizonan Blue Mesa Member and possibly part of the Sonsela Member.[37]

Radiometric dates are well-recorded for the [Sonsela Member](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonsela_Member&action=edit&redlink=1), though a high concentration of reworked zircons must be accounted for when inferring an accurate age of deposition. The true duration of the Sonsela Member is likely from around 218 Ma to 213 Ma (2020),[35][32] though older estimates place its base at 220–219 Ma (2011, 2013).[33][34] A prominent biological turnover is found at the Adamanian-Revueltian boundary in the middle of the Sonsela Member, around 214 Ma. It may correspond to a local extinction, or simply represents a time period which is truncated by slow deposition or a geological hiatus.[40][35] The thin Sonsela Sandstone bed, the namesake of its corresponding member, has been dated to 216.6 Ma (2019) at its type locality at Sonsela Buttes in Arizona.[41]

The first Chinle U-Pb age data to be published referred to the Black Forest Bed, a sandstone layer near the top of the [Petrified Forest Member](/source/Petrified_Forest_Member) in PEFO. U-Pb estimates for this layer include ~213 Ma (2003 maximum),[42] ~211 Ma (2009),[38] and ~210 Ma (2011, 2020).[33][35][32] A presumably older exposure of the Petrified Forest Member, the Hayden Quarry at Ghost Ranch, is dated to 212 Ma (2011).[39] A similar age was found for the middle part of the member in PEFO.[32] The end of the Petrified Forest Member was probably close to 208 Ma, meaning that overlying strata is presumably latest Norian-Rhaetian in age.[33][35]

## Places found

[Stratigraphy](/source/Stratigraphy) of [Canyonlands N.P.](/source/Canyonlands_National_Park), with members of the Chinle Formation

Geologic Province:[1]

[Glen Canyon Sandstone](/source/Glen_Canyon_Sandstone) over Chinle Formation ([Dinosaur National Monument](/source/Dinosaur_National_Monument), [Utah](/source/Utah))

- [Black Mesa Basin](/source/Black_Mesa_Basin)*[43][16]

- - Rock Point Member - Owl Rock Member - Petrified Forest Member - Mesa Redondo Member - Shinarump Member

- [Great Basin](/source/Great_Basin) province*[44]

- - Petrified Forest Member - Shinarump Member

- [Green River Basin](/source/Green_River_Basin)*[45]

- - upper member - red siltstone member (possibly correlative with Church Rock Member) - local sandstone and conglomerate member - ochre siltstone member - mottled member - Gartra Member

- [Las Vegas-Raton Basin](/source/Las_Vegas-Raton_Basin)*[12] (disputed[13][14])

- - Redonda Formation - Bull Canyon Formation - Trujillo Formation - Garita Creek Formation

- [Orogrande Basin](/source/Orogrande_Basin)[20]

- - San Pedro Arroyo Formation - Shinarump Formation

- [Palo Duro Basin](/source/Palo_Duro_Basin)* (undivided[46])

- [Paradox Basin](/source/Paradox_Basin)*[24]

- - Church Rock Member - Owl Rock Member - Petrified Forest Member - Moss Back Member - Monitor Butte Member - Shinarump Conglomerate

- [Permian Basin](/source/Permian_Basin_(North_America)) (undivided[46])

- [Piceance Basin](/source/Piceance_Basin)*[45]

- - upper member - red siltstone member (possibly correlative with Church Rock Member) - local sandstone and conglomerate member - ochre siltstone member - mottled member - Gartra Member

- [Plateau Sedimentary Province](/source/Plateau_Sedimentary_Province)*[43][16]

- - Rock Point Member - Owl Rock Member - Petrified Forest Member - Mesa Redondo Member - Shinarump Member

- [San Juan Basin](/source/San_Juan_Basin)*[47]

- - Rock Point Formation - Owl Rock Formation - Petrified Forest Formation - Bluewater Creek/San Pedro Arroyo Formations - Shinarump Conglomerate/[Zuni Mountains Formation](/source/Zuni_Mountains_Formation)

- [Sierra Grande Uplift](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sierra_Grande_Uplift&action=edit&redlink=1)* (undivided[46])

- [Uinta Basin](/source/Uinta_Basin)*[5]

- - Stanaker Member - Gartra Member

- [Uinta Uplift](/source/Uinta_Uplift)*[5]

- - Stanaker Member - Gartra Member

- [Wasatch Uplift](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wasatch_Uplift&action=edit&redlink=1)*[7]

Parklands:

- [Arches National Park](/source/Arches_National_Park)

- [Canyonlands National Park](/source/Canyonlands_National_Park) – see [geology of the Canyonlands area](/source/Geology_of_the_Canyonlands_area)

- [Capitol Reef National Park](/source/Capitol_Reef_National_Park) – see [geology of the Capitol Reef area](/source/Geology_of_the_Capitol_Reef_area)

- [Colorado National Monument](/source/Colorado_National_Monument)

- [Dinosaur National Monument](/source/Dinosaur_National_Monument)

- [Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area](/source/Flaming_Gorge_National_Recreation_Area)

- [Glen Canyon National Recreation Area](/source/Glen_Canyon_National_Recreation_Area)

- [Gold Butte National Monument](/source/Gold_Butte_National_Monument)

- [Grand Canyon National Park](/source/Grand_Canyon_National_Park) – see [geology of the Grand Canyon](/source/Geology_of_the_Grand_Canyon)

- [Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument](/source/Grand_Staircase%E2%80%93Escalante_National_Monument)

- [Lake Mead National Recreation Area](/source/Lake_Mead_National_Recreation_Area)

- [Natural Bridges National Monument](/source/Natural_Bridges_National_Monument)

- [Petrified Forest National Park](/source/Petrified_Forest_National_Park)

- [Red Fleet State Park](/source/Red_Fleet_State_Park)

- [Wupatki National Monument](/source/Wupatki_National_Monument)

- [Zion National Park](/source/Zion_National_Park) – see [geology of the Zion and Kolob canyons area](/source/Geology_of_the_Zion_and_Kolob_canyons_area)

- [Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area](/source/Red_Rock_Canyon_National_Conservation_Area)

Other:

- [Ghost Ranch](/source/Ghost_Ranch)[48]

## See also

- [List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations](/source/List_of_dinosaur-bearing_rock_formations)

- [Paleobiota of the Chinle Formation](/source/Paleobiota_of_the_Chinle_Formation)

- [Triassic land vertebrate faunachrons](/source/Triassic_land_vertebrate_faunachrons)

## References

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1. **[^](#cite_ref-42)** Riggs, N.R.; Ash, S.R.; Barth, A.P.; Gehrels, G.E.; Wooden, J.L. (1 November 2003). "Isotopic age of the Black Forest Bed, Petrified Forest Member, Chinle Formation, Arizona: An example of dating a continental sandstone". *GSA Bulletin*. **115** (11): 1315–1323. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[2003GSAB..115.1315R](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2003GSAB..115.1315R). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1130/B25254.1](https://doi.org/10.1130%2FB25254.1). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0016-7606](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0016-7606).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Dubiel1989a_43-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Dubiel1989a_43-1) Dubiel, R.F. (1989). ["Sedimentology and revised nomenclature of the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation and the Lower Jurassic Wingate Sandstone, northwestern New Mexico and northeastern Arizona"](https://nmgs.nmt.edu/publications/guidebooks/downloads/40/40_p0213_p0223.pdf) (PDF). *New Mexico Geological Society Field Conference Guidebook*. **40**: 213–223.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-44)** Hintze, L.F.; Axen, G.J. (1995). ["Geologic map of the Scarecrow Peak Quadrangle, Washington County, Utah, and Lincoln County, Nevada"](https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/Prodesc/proddesc_307.htm). *U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Quadrangle Map*. GQ-1759.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-PooleStewart1964_45-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-PooleStewart1964_45-1) Poole, F.G.; Stewart, J.H. (1964). ["Chinle Formation and Glen Canyon Sandstone in northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado"](https://doi.org/10.3133%2Fpp501D). *U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper*. 501-D: D30–D39. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3133/pp501D](https://doi.org/10.3133%2Fpp501D).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Barnes1983_46-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Barnes1983_46-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Barnes1983_46-2) Barnes, V.E., ed. (1983). "Tucumcari sheet". *Geologic atlas of Texas*. University of Texas-Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-47)** Lucas, Spencer G. (2021). ["Triassic stratigraphy of the southeastern Colorado Plateau, west-central New Mexico"](https://nmgs.nmt.edu/publications/guidebooks/downloads/71/71_p0229_p0240.pdf) (PDF). *New Mexico Geological Society Field Conference Series*. **72**: 229–240.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-48)** ["Park stratigraphy of the Colorado Plateau"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090401142727/http://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/coloradoplateau/). Archived from [the original](https://3dparks.wr.usgs.gov/coloradoplateau/) on 1 April 2009.

## Further reading

- Lucas, S. G. (November 1998). ["Global Triassic tetrapod biostratigraphy and biochronology"](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031018298001175). *Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, and Palaeoecology*, **143**:4, pp. 347–384.

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Chinle Formation](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Chinle_Formation).

- [Spatial distribution of Chinle in Macrostrat](https://web.archive.org/web/20110720114717/http://macrostrat.geology.wisc.edu/unit_info.php?name_id=380)

- [Chinleana- "Chinle Confusion"](https://chinleana.blogspot.com/2008/11/chinle-confusion.html)

v t e Chronostratigraphy of Colorado v t e Cenozoic chronostratigraphy of Colorado Ph Cz Q Pleistocene Alamosa Formation N Pliocene Zanclean Dry Union Formation Ogallala Formation Miocene Messinian Dry Union Formation Ogallala Formation Aquitanian Arikaree Formation Browns Park Formation Cedar Mountain Formation Flat Tops Volcanics Los Pintos Formation Martins Canyon Formation North Park Formation Santa Fe Formation Troublesome Formation Trump Formation Wagon Tongue Formation Grouse Mountain Basalt Pe Oligocene Chattian Arikaree Formation Brule Formation Central Colorado Volcanics Chadron Formation Conejos Formation Pinnacle Formation Pitch Formation Eocene Blanco Basin Formation Cuchara Formation D2 Sequence Dawson Arkose Echo Park Formation Farisita Formation Huerfano Formation Green River Formation Poison Canyon Formation Uinta Formation Wasatch Formation Paleocene Animas Formation Arapahoe Conglomerate Bridger Formation Denver Formation Fort Union Formation Middle Park Formation Nacimiento Formation Ojo Alamo Formation Raton Conglomerate San Jose Formation South Park Formation Washakie Formation Gravel Mountain Formation Independence Mountain Formation v t e Mesozoic chronostratigraphy of Colorado Ph Mz K Upper Benton Formation Carlile Shale Castle Gate Formation Cliff House Sandstone Codell Sandstone Dakota Group Fort Hays Limestone Fox Hills Formation Fruitland Formation Graneros Shale Greenhorn Shale Hygiene Formation Juana Lopez Kirtland Formation Kremmling Formation Lance Formation Laramie Formation Lewis Formation Lion Canyon Formation Mancos Shale Menefee Formation Mowry Shale Niobrara Formation Pando Porphyry Pictured Cliffs Formation Pierre Shale Point Lookout Formation Smoky Hill Chalk Trinidad Formation Vermejo Formation Williams Fork Formation Lower Burro Canyon Formation Horsetooth Formation J Upper Curtis Formation Morrison Formation Ralston Creek Formation Wanakah Formation Middle Carmel Formation Entrada Formation Garo Formation Page Formation Sundance Formation Lower Glen Canyon Formation Kayenta Formation Navajo Formation Wingate Sandstone Tr Upper Chinle Formation Middle Anisian Chugwater Formation Jelm Formation Moenkopi Formation Lower Olenekian Chugwater Formation Induan Chugwater Formation Lykins Formation Taloga Formation Moenkopi Formation v t e Paleozoic chronostratigraphy of Colorado Ph Pz P Lopingian Changhsingian Chugwater Formation Lykins Formation Taloga Formation Cisuralian Asselian Fountain Formation Madera Formation Blaine Formation Cedar Hills Formation Chase Formation Council Grove Formation Crestone Conglomerate Day Creek Formation Falcon Formation Forelle Formation Glendo Formation Glorieta Formation Hermosa Formation Ingleside Formation Kaibab Limestone Lansing Formation Lyons Formation Maroon Formation Minnekahta Formation Opeche Formation Owl Canyon Formation Phosphoria Formation Sangre de Cristo Formation Satanka Formation Shawnee Formation South Canyon Creek Formation Stone Corral Formation Sumner Formation Wabaunsee Formation Weber Formation Wellington Formation White Horse Group Wolfcamp Formation Yeso Formation C ⁋ Gzhelian Fountain Formation Madera Formation Atoka Formation Belden Formation Cherokee Formation Eagle Valley Evaporite Glen Eyrie Formation Gothic Formation Hermosa Formation Jacque Mountain Formation Kansas City Formation Kerber Formation Keyes Formation Marmaton Formation Maroon Formation Minturn Formation Molas Formation Morgan Round Valley Formation Morrow Formation Sharpsdale Formation M Tournaisian Williams Canyon Formation Beulah Formation Gilman Formation Headscrabble Formation Leadville Formation Molas Formation Osage Formation Spergen Formation St. Louis Formation Ste. Genevieve Formation Warsaw Formation D Upper Famennian Williams Canyon Formation Aneth Formation Dyer Formation Elbert Formation Kinderhook Formation Misener Formation Ouray Formation Parting Formation Pinyon Park Formation O Upper Fremont Limestone Viola Formation Middle Harding Sandstone Simpson Formation Lower Tremadocian Dotsero Formation Arbuckle Formation Manitou Formation Є Furongian Stage 10 Dotsero Formation Paibian Lodore Formation Sawatch Formation Series 3 Guzhangian Lodore Formation Sawatch Formation Reagan Formation Tintic Formation v t e Precambrian chronostratigraphy of Colorado pЄ ♇ Z Tonian Uinta Mountain Group Tava Formation X Siderian Owiyukuts Complex Uncompahgre Formation

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Chinle Formation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinle_Formation) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinle_Formation?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.