Baxter Shale (Mancos Shale) - Places of Geologic Significance on Waymarking.com

Northeastern Utah, north of Vernal, was laid down layer by layer many millions of years ago when inland North America was an inland sea. Over time this giant layer cake was bent upward in an east-west trending arch many miles across. This arch, called the Uinta Anticline, has been eroded to form the Uninta Mountain range plus all the other topographic features now visible in the region. Anticlines are noted for their ability to trap petrochemical fossil fuels under their impermeable layers and the Uinta Basin is noted for its wax-like oil deposits and now its vast accumulations of natural gas.

As visitors travels throughout the region they will pass through layer after layer of the sedimentary deposits that turned to rock long ago. Sometimes, as you pass from the edge of the arch toward the center, you will find yourself climbing higher to reach older rock. Come visit Utah and investigate this gigantic "layer cake" for yourself.

The Baxter Shale, more commonly known as Mancos Shale, was laid down between 95 and 80 million years ago, during the Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era. The term Baxter Shale seems to be used almost exclusively by geologists in the oil and natural gas exploration and extraction industry. This layer is yielding copious amounts of natural gas in the Uinta Basin

Waymark is confirmed to be publicly accessible: yes Access fee (In local currency): .00 Requires a high clearance vehicle to visit.: no Requires 4x4 vehicle to visit.: no Public Transport available: no Website reference: [Web Link] Parking Coordinates: Not Listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   05/30/2016 BFin visited it