Surprise Canyon Formation
The Surprise Canyon Formation is a geologic formation that consists of clastic and calcareous sedimentary rocks that fill paleovalleys and paleokarst of Late Mississippian (Serpukhovian) age in Grand Canyon. These strata outcrop as isolated, lens-shaped exposures of rocks that fill erosional valleys and locally karsted topography and caves developed in the top of the Redwall Limestone. The Surprise Canyon Formation and associated unconformities represent a significant period of geologic time between the deposition of the Redwall Limestone and the overlying Supai Group.
| Surprise Canyon Formation | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: Late Mississippian (Serpukhovian) | |
Pattie Butte-(Newton Butte), The ridgeline, north sits on Redwall Limestone 'platform'–(2-places, photo-bottom-left, top of red Redwall cliff), and topped by 2nd-platform of Surprise Canyon Formation. | |
| Type | Formation |
| Underlies | Watahomigi Formation, basal member of Supai Group |
| Overlies | Redwall Limestone |
| Thickness | 0–122 meters (0–400 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | sandstone, conglomerate, limestone, siltstone |
| Location | |
| Region | southwest Colorado Plateau, Arizona-(northern) |
| Country | United States-(Southwestern United States) |
| Extent | Grand Canyon |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Surprise Canyon, Grand Canyon National Park |
| Named by | George H. Billingsley and Stanley S. Beus |
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