The outcrop of the Chuar Group strata is limited to exposures along the western bank of the Colorado River in a 150 km2 (58 sq mi) area of the eastern Grand Canyon, Arizona.

[4][5] The Galeros Formation consists of a series of meter-scale sedimentary cycles composed of interbedded mudrocks, siltstones, and sandstones, frequently capped by dolomite beds.

The Awatubi Member consists of a distinctive zone of stromatolitic bioherms at its base overlain by grey, green, and black organic-rich siltstones and shales, some of which contain marcasite nodules.

[4][5] The gray and black mudrocks of the Duppa, Carbon Canyon, Jupiter, and Tanner members of the Chuar Group often contain organic-walled microfossils, including filaments, colonial forms, and both smooth-walled and ornamented vesicles.

[7] The types of fossils found and sedimentary strata comprising the Chuar Group are indicative of its deposition within a low-energy marine embayment.

During the deposition of the Chuar Group, this embayment was influenced by tidal and wave processes, infrequent large storms, microbial activity and carbonate precipitation, and the accumulation of mud and organic matter in quiet water.

The sediments and fossils suggest that the Chuar Group accumulated in relatively shallow water (tens of meters or less), possibly, with times of intermittent exposure on a tidal flat.