Carmel Formation

Part of the Colorado Plateau, this formation was laid down in the Middle Jurassic during the late Bajocian, through the Bathonian and into the early Callovian stages.

The upper member contains volcaniclastic beds of rhyolite originating in a volcanic arc just off the edge of the Colorado Plateau.

[5] Members (alphabetical): (Asterisks mean the name is used by the US Geological Survey)[9] In 1928 Gilluly and Reeside stated an intent to name the formation after the village of Mount Carmel, Utah but did not give a type locality.

The Kolob, Crystal Creek, Paria River, Winsor, and Wiggler Wash members were assigned by Thompson and Stokes in 1970.

[20] The formation preserves a rare Jurassic hardground interpreted as a carbonate lagoon between oolitic shoals and a subtidal zone.

Though bivalves were abundant, the community is lacking in the diversity seen in other Jurassic hardgrounds, suggesting a restricted shelf environment.

Carmel Formation exposed at Gunlock Reservoir , southwestern Utah
Carmel Formation near Gunlock, Utah . The unconformably overlying dark unit is the Upper Cretaceous Iron Springs Formation .
The Golden Throne , a rock formation in Capitol Reef National Park . Though the park is famous for white domes of the Navajo Sandstone , this dome's color is a result of a lingering section of yellow Carmel Formation carbonate, which has stained the underlying rock.