Formation of “White Pocket” in The Surface Exposure of Jurassic Navajo
Sandstone in Arizona
Abstract
Based on outcrop observations in the National and State Parks, the
present study demonstrates that the white mass in “White Pocket” is a
thick blanket of weathering crust developed in arid region (desert
crust), composed of minerals, deposited from uprising groundwater.
“Cauliflower Rock” and surface mounds are erosional remnants cored
with undisturbed stratified sandstone mass. Large scale soft sediment
deformation involved in the formation of “Cauliflower Rock” is not
supported by the current study and the reported “contorted formation”
can be simply attributed to the appearance of undisturbed cross-bedding
sets exposed on erosional surfaces with different curvatures and
orientations.