Kwagunt Formation

A nice exposure of the Kwagunt Formation. This large layer of shale beds is only found in the Nankoweap and Kwagunt Creek drainages of the Grand Canyon. It and its neighbors, the Sixty-Mile and Galeros Formations, were faulted downwards in this area, thus escaping erosional processes. Later, they were shoved back upwards and are preserved in this small, remote area today. Nankoweap Butte is a challenging but splendid hike from river or rim, and on the descent one can scree-ski over 1,000 vertical feet of Kwagunt Shale, through every color of the rainbow.