Recent, eolian sediments form the parent material for the current soils.
The white, caliche layer at the top of the Ogallala Formation is often called the "caprock", because it forms the cap of the mesas. Fossil water in these sediments comprise the Ogallala Aquifer, which is the primary water source for much of the region.
The Trujillo Formation has a gray shale caprock that forms the top of the mesas in the Canyon, including Timber and Goodnight Mesas. This shale is mostly impermeable, allowing water to accumulate in the Ogallala Formation.
The Tecovas formation has purple, yellow, tan and brown shales, siltstones and sandstones, which form the top of the ruffles of the Spanish Skirts. (See below.)
The Quartermaster Formation is known as the Permian Redbeds, well-known to drillers, and is the reason the Red River is red.
Capitol Peak is an erosional remnant with most of the resistant caprock of the Trujillo Formation eroded away.
The Canyon walls in the background reveal the top of the Trujillo Formation, the Ogallala Formation, and the Blackwater Draw Formation.
The Quartermaster Formation Permian redbeds are obvious in the base of Capitol Peak, and in the base of the Canyon walls and mesas behind Capitol Peak.
The lines for the Trujillo-Tecovas and Tecovas- Quartermaster boundaries are noncontinuous due to differences in position (foreground vs. background), and to mudflows and vegetation that blur the boundaries on the far wall.
These views from the Interpretive Center may help you remember (and identify) what you saw (or will see).
The Lighthouse Rock formation is the most famous landmark in Palo Duro Canyon. This photo is taken toward the southwest from the Interpretive Center. Itis difficult to see the Lighthouse from such a distance, but if you can find it in the picture, you will know what to expect the next time you look for it.
The Lighthouse Rock is only visible from where the road leading from the gate turns back toward the E to the Interpretive Center. Once the road turns away from the Interpretive Center, Timber Mesa blocks the view.
Look at the first photo above, and identify in which geologic layers the Lighthouse Rock exists.
The Spanish Skirts are a common formation near the bottom of the walls and mesas in Palo Duro Canyon. They are named for their colorful, ruffled appearance. They are found on generally denuded, steep slopes, on which erosion occurs more rapidly than a vegetative cover can be established.
The variety in colors is due to differences in mineralogy of the geologic layers that are visible. The white, horizontal stripes in the red near the base are typically layers of satin spar gypsum. The bright red colors are due to the presence of oxidized, anhydrous forms of iron. The yellow is most likely due to oxidized, hydrated forms of iron. Dull gray colors are typcially associated with reduced forms of iron. The various hydration and oxidative phases of iron and manganese account for the majority of soil hues.
The Katarina Caves-Confusion Complex is once complex associated with the Spanish Skirts Formation along the N slope of Timber Mesa. Actually, these are not caves since they are not carved from solid rock. Technically, they are pipes, since they are developed in noncemented materials. Most of these loose materials are geologic deposits, and have not been exposed at the surface long enough in stable landscape positions to be considered soil.
In a pipe, water moves into a crack or into a channel left by a decaying root or animal or insect. As the water moves through the crack or channel, it erodes material from the walls, enlarging the crack or channel. When the water finds a place to escape the bottom, the pipe is formed.
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