Red Cathedral
Notice the change from the relatively gentle yellow slopes in the foreground to the steeper red cliffs beyond. More resistant to erosion than the soft yellow mudstone, the rocks of the Red Cathedral form steep cliffs. These cliffs are composed of conglomerate similar to that exposed near the mouth of Golden Canyon, and they are also the debris of a former alluvial fan. Oxidation of iron ore creates the red color, like the process that forms rust.
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| GLOSSARY | > alluvial fan, conglomerate, erosion, oxidize, rock, , |
GOLDEN CANYON GEOLOGY TRAIL
Fluted cliffs of the Red Cathedral