Geology of Mesa Verde National Park and Depositional Systems

Learn about the sedimentary rocks that make up Mesa Verde National Park including their depositional environment and why they accumulated there in the first place.

[@melissalloyd1301]

Thanks so much for sharing your videos. I really enjoy them. Best wishes ⭐️🌈

[@letsgoracing4849]

how do we differentiate that the cliff house formation was actually deposited as marine near shore strata and isn't an aeolian sea?

[@jaychapman4898]

Great question! Geologists can use sedimentary structures and other features to help distinguish depositional environment. For example, aeolian (i.e., wind-blown) sand grains are generally frosted and the angle and magnitude of cross-bedding in sand dunes is much larger than in nearshore systems. Sometimes there are fossils that can with an interpretation. Aeolian rocks also often preserve inverse graded beds (coarsening-upward) that represents air-supported grain flows down the face of a sand dune, which you don't find in nearshore rocks.

[@evilcam]

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