Tropic Shale | |
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Stratigraphic range: Cenomanian to Turonian | |
Type | Geological formation |
Unit of | Kaiparowits Plateau |
Underlies | Straight Cliffs Formation |
Overlies | Dakota Formation |
Thickness | Maximum 1,450 feet (440 m), average 600 feet (180 m) |
Lithology | |
Primary | Shale |
Location | |
Coordinates | 37°37′44″N 112°04′34″W / 37.629°N 112.076°W |
Region | Utah |
Country | United States |
Type section | |
Named for | Exposures near Tropic, Garfield County, Utah |
Named by | Gregory and Moore, 1931[1] |
The Tropic Shale is a Mesozoic geologic formation. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation,[2] including Nothronychus graffami. The Tropic Shale is a stratigraphic unit of the Kaiparowits Plateau of south central Utah. The Tropic Shale was first named in 1931 after the town of Tropic where the Type section is located.[3] The Tropic Shale outcrops in Kane and Garfield counties, with large sections of exposure found in the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument.