Gingham Skirt Butte
January 03, 2022
Photographer: Stan Wagon
Summary Author: Stan Wagon
Featured above is Gingham Skirt Butte in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument of Utah. The Chinle (sandstone) Formation, of the upper Triassic period, underlies the more solid cliff-forming Wingate and Moenave formations throughout the Colorado Plateau. It’s often overlooked by hikers in the region as it’s unpleasant to walk upon. However, the colorfully-banded Petrified Forest Member (above the butte’s base) of the Chinle Formation is visually stunning.
This location is part of the Paria western movie set (known as Old Paria). Sandstone found here consists of sediments moved by water, either large rivers or tidal basins, as opposed to the wind-formed sandstones of its Wingate and Moenave neighbor. Dinosaur fossils, teeth and bones, have been uncovered beneath the Gingham Skirt. This name was given by early Mormon settlers at the townsite established on the Paria River, which is just below the butte. Photo taken on October 21, 2021.
Photo details: Sony A6500 camera; 27 mm lens; f/14; 1/250 second exposure; ISO 160.