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Zion National Park

By Cviiilynrollo
  • Period: 300 BCE to 250 BCE

    Permian Period

    300 - 250 million years ago
  • 275 BCE

    Sedimentation

    Sedimentation
    275 million years ago
    During this time, the land that would become Zion was covered by a shallow sea. As sand, gravel and mud eroded from the surrounding mountains, the materials were deposited in layers. As they accumulated, the basin started to sink but the top layer remained near sea level. This process continued over 10,000 feet
  • Period: 252 BCE to 201 BCE

    Triassic Period

    252 - 201 million years ago
  • 240 BCE

    Moenkopi

    Moenkopi
    240 million years ago
    This layer of Zion was deposited with shallow seas. There are deposits of sandstone, mudstone and limestone. They contain ripple marks which proves this desert climate was around the sea. There are also footprints of reptiles and amphibians that have been preserved in the mudstone.
  • 215 BCE

    Chinle

    Chinle
    215 million years ago
    This layer is the Petrified Forest member, and the deposits found here were from low energy rivers. The layers are bright and colorful mudstone, clay and weathering ash.
  • Period: 210 BCE to 190 BCE

    Late Triassic/Early Jurassic

    210 - 190 million years ago
  • 200 BCE

    Moenave

    Moenave
    200 million years ago
    This formation is thin layers of red/brown sandstone, siltstone that was deposited in streams floodplains and lakes. This material erodes easily which makes it highly visible. This formation is also where you can find footprints left behind by Dinosaurs walking in the muddy sediments.
  • Period: 195 BCE to 165

    Jurassic

    195-165 million years ago
  • 190 BCE

    Kayenta

    Kayenta
    190 million years ago
    The Kayenta Formation is red/brown and pink sandstone, mudstone and siltstone deposited in an environment similar to Moenave. The layers of sandstone represent actual stream channels
  • 180 BCE

    Navajo Sandstone

    Navajo Sandstone
    180 million years ago
    The Navajo Sandstone is thick layers of cross-bedded sandstone formed by windblown sand dunes in a desert. This area had significantly dried out creating the largest known sand desert in history. Cross-beds are diagonal patterns found in rocks. It shows the direction of the wind. In the photo above they dip downwards showing the wind went left to right
  • 170 BCE

    Temple Cap

    Temple Cap
    170 million years ago
    The Temple Cap is Sandstone and mudstone formed by costal sand dunes. The environment Zion was born in was complicated and the Temple Cap preserves the history of it. There was a shallow sea that came into the area, and it deposited many different types of rocks. The Temple Cap is very easy to see but hard to get to
  • 160 BCE

    Carmel

    Carmel
    160 million years ago
    Only a portion of the Carmel layer remains in Zion, the rest has eroded away. It is not visible from the canyon but can be seen near Zion's east entrance on top the Temple Cap.

    The Carmel Formation has lots of marine fossils, similar to those of today. They were left behind and deposited when the Sundance Sea had returned inland.
  • Period: 145 BCE to 66 BCE

    Cretaceous

    145-66 million years ago
  • 120 BCE

    Cedar Mountain Formation

    Cedar Mountain Formation
    The Cedar Mountain Formation is the highest point in Zion National Park. These sediments were deposited by rivers flowing in the mountains. All sedimentary layers younger than Cedar Mountain have eroded away but could be found where erosion has not cut so deep yet.
  • 13 BCE

    Elevation 10,000 ft

    13,000,000 years ago, Zion first elevated to 10,000ft in elevation.
  • 1 BCE

    First Human settlers

    6000 B.C
  • Period: 1 BCE to

    The People History Starts

  • First European Exploration

    Silvestre Velez de Escalante and Dominguez Escalante explored the Kolob Canyons

  • Mormon Settlers

    Zion's first settler, Isaac Behunin lived in a log cabin near where Zion Lodge is today. Mormon settlers left their mark, giving Zion the name that would eventually stick. Mormons awed by the immense beauty of the canyon, referred to it as, "Zion" since its magnificence reminded them of a heavenly city described in the Little Zion - Old Testament.

  • Zion becomes Famous

    Mukuntuweap in 1903 when Frederick S. Dellenbach's painting of Zion's great monoliths

  • Zion Canyon Survey

    Federal Land Survey of Zion Canyon

  • Declared a National Monment

    The canyon was declared a National Monument by President Taft after receiving the survey results. The Paiute name Mukuntuweap (sacred cliffs or straight canyon) that Powell used during his exploration was chosen and farming of the canyon by Mormon settlers came to an end.

  • Zion becomes "Zion National Park"

    Congress declares the Monument to be Zion National Park, becoming Utah's oldest National Park.

  • Zion gets bigger

    President Obama signs the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009, adding 124,406 acres of park land as Zion Wilderness.