3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

2

3

3

3

3

3

4

2

3

3

4

3

40Ar/39Ar

24.97±0.12 Ma

3

2

3

3

2

3

3

3

3

2

1

2

14C age

2,235±30 yr B.P.

WW–6350

40Ar/39Ar age

25.65±0.08 Ma

1

1

2

14C age

415±30 yr B.P.

WW–6349

3

14C age

8,315±51 yr B.P.

WW–6818

3

14C age

350±30 yr B.P.

WW–6348

Qac

af

Qac

Km

Km

Km

Km

Km

Km

Km

Km

Km

Km

Km

Km

Km

Km

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr Qrr

Qrr Qrr

Qrr

Qrr Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qtr

Qdf

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Tm

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

af

af

af

af

Qrr

Qrr

Qrr

af

af

af

Qtr Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Kpl Kpl

Kpl

Kpl

Kpl

Kmf

Kmf

Kmf

Kmf

Kmf

Kmf

Kmf

Km

Km

Km

Kmf

Kmf

Kmf

Kmf

Kpl

Kpl

Kpl

Kpl

Kpl

Kpl

Kpl

Kpl

Kpl

Kpl

Kpl

Kpl

Kpl

Kpl

Qcm

Qcm

Qcm

Kmf

Kmf

Kmf

Kmf

Kmf

Kmf

Kmf

Kmf

Kmf

Kmf

Qac

Qac

Qac

Qac

Qac

Qac

Qac

Qac

Qac

Qac

Qac

Qac

Qac

Qam

Qam

Qam

Qac

Qac

Qac

Qac

Qam

Qac

Qcm

Qac

Qac Qac

Qac

Qac

Qac

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qdf

Qac

Qrf

Qrf

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Qf

Qf Qf

Qf

Qf

Qf

Qf

Qf

Qf

Qf

Qf

Qf

Qf

Qtr

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qtr

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch Kch

Kch

Kch

Kch

Tm

Kmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf af

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qcmf

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qrf

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Tm

Tm

Qtr

Qtr Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qa

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qtr

Qef

Qtr

Qtr

Qf

Qf

Qf

Qf

Qf

af

af

QTrg

QTrg

QTrg

Qlo

Qlo

Qlo

Qlo

Qlo

Qlo

Qlo

Qlo

Qlo

Qlo

Qlo

Qlo

Qlo

Qlo

Qlo

Qlo

Qlo

Qa

Qa

Qa

Qa

Kmf

Menefee Formation

(Kmf)

Km

Mancos Shale (Km)

Kpl

Point Lookout

Sandstone

(Kpl)

Kmf

Menefee Formation

(Kmf)

Km

Mancos Shale (Km)

Kpl

Point Lookout

Sandstone

(Kpl)

Qtr

Q

Navajo Canyon View Point landslide (Qtr)

Cliff House Sandstone Cliff House Sandstone (Kch)

Knife Edge Road c. 1920 (Courtesy of the National Park Service)

Prior to 1957, the entrance road into Mesa Verde National Park traversed the steep Mancos Shale slopes along 

the northern escarpment between the heads of Morefield and Prater Canyons. This 1.5-mile (2.4 km) section of 

road was known as the “Knife Edge.” This section of road was eventually considered too treacherous to maintain 

by the National Park Service. In 1957 a 1,400-ft (427 m) tunnel was constructed between Morefield and Prater 

Canyons resulting in the abandonment of the Knife Edge section. From the head of Morefield Canyon one can 

walk a section of this old road along the park’s Knife Edge Trail.

Fault viewed from Park Point, looking north. Photograph taken May 16, 2008.

Collared Lizard (Courtesy of the National Park Service)

Spruce Tree House c. 1890–1900 (Courtesy of the National Park Service)

Spruce Tree House (Courtesy of the National Park Service)

Spotted Owl (Courtesy of the National Park Service)

Prairie Rattlesnake

(Courtesy of the National Park Service)

Coyote

(Courtesy of the

National Park Service)

Claret Cup Cactus in Navajo Canyon. Photograph taken May 17, 2007.

Cliff Palace c. 1890–1900 Thomas McKee Collection (Courtesy of the National Park Service)

Cliff Palace. Photograph taken May 31, 2006.

Wetherills at Spruce Tree House 1891

(Nordenskiold Photography,

Courtesy of the National Park Service)

View of Cliff Palace (Courtesy of the National Park Service)

Petroglyphs at Petroglyph Point. Photograph taken June 1, 2011.

Wild Turkey (Courtesy of the National Park Service)

Large landslide (fig. 4 in pamphlet that accompanies this map) viewed from the Navajo Canyon View Point (see fig. 1). Note that the landslide has forced the 

ephemeral-stream channel to the eastern side of the canyon. In addition, the landslide temporarily dammed the canyon forming a flat valley floor underlain by 

alluvium upstream (beyond the photo, to the right). Photograph taken Aug. 28, 2005.

Western Tanager

(Courtesy of the National Park Service)

Far View House (Courtesy of the National Park Service)

Mule deer in campground. Photograph taken May 23, 2008

108°30’00”

37°15’00”

108°30’00”

37°15’00”

108°22’30”

108°22’30”

37°12’30” 37°12’30”

108°32’30”

108°32’30”

108°27’30”

37°10’00” 37°10’00”

37°20’00” 37°20’00”

37°17’30” 37°17’30”

108°25’00”

108°25’00”

108°27’30”

Unconformity

Oligocene

CORRELATION OF MAP UNITS

af

Qa Qf

Qrr

Holocene

Pleistocene

QUATERNARY

BEDROCK

Qam Qac

Qlo

TERTIARY

QTrg

SURFICIAL DEPOSITS

Qtr

Qdf

Qef

Tm

Unconformity

Kch

Kmf

Kpl

Km

Upper

Cretaceous CRETACEOUS

Pliocene

Qrf

?

Qcmf Qcm

Artificial-fill

deposits

Alluvial

deposits

Alluvial

and colluvial

deposits Landslide deposits

Colluvial deposits

Eolian

deposits

Mesaverde Group

Present

11.7 ka

130.0 ka

2.59 Ma

780.0 ka

af

Qa

Qam

QTrg

Qac

Qf

Qcmf

Qcm

Qrf

Tm

Kch

Kmf

Kpl

Km

Qdf

Qef

Qtr

Qrr

Qlo

LIST OF MAP UNITS

[Due to the addition of a shaded relief base, colors on the List of Map Units and the Correlation of 

Map Units may not exactly match unit colors on the map. More detailed descriptions of these units 

are available in the accompanying pamphlet]

SURFICIAL DEPOSITS

Artificial-fill deposits

Artificial-fill deposits (latest Holocene)

Alluvial deposits

Alluvium deposited by small ephemeral streams (Holocene and late Pleistocene)

Alluvium deposited by the Mancos River (Holocene and late Pleistocene)

Residual gravel (middle Pleistocene to Pliocene?)

Alluvial and colluvial deposits

Alluvial and colluvial deposits, undivided (Holocene and late Pleistocene)

Fan deposits (Holocene and late Pleistocene)

Colluvial deposits

Colluvial deposits derived from the Menefee Formation (Holocene and late 

Pleistocene)

Colluvial deposits derived from the Mancos Shale (Holocene and late Pleistocene)

Landslide deposits

Rockfall deposit (late Holocene)—Subangular sandstone boulders deposited by 

rockfall; primarily derived from the Point Lookout Sandstone (Kpl)

Debris-flow deposits (late Holocene)—Debris-flow deposits originating primarily 

from the Menefee Formation (Kmf)

Earthflow deposit (Holocene)—Earthflow originating within the Menefee Formation 

(Kmf)

Translational and rotational landslide deposits (Holocene and late Pleistocene)— 

Mainly derived from the Menefee Formation (Kmf) and the Mancos Shale (Km)

Rock-rubble deposits (Holocene and Pleistocene)—Rock topples, rockfalls, rock 

avalanches, and debris flows. Mostly derived from the Point Lookout Sandstone (Kpl)

Eolian deposits

Loess (Holocene and middle Pleistocene)

BEDROCK

Minette dike (Oligocene)

Mesaverde Group (Upper Cretaceous)

Cliff House Sandstone

Menefee Formation

Point Lookout Sandstone

Mancos Shale

COLORADO

Mesa Verde

National Park

37o15’00”

37o07’30”

108o30’00” 108o22’30”

Mancos Cortez

Point Lookout

Park

Headquarters

Long

House

Cliff Canyon

MONTEZUMA VALLEY

Navajo Canyon

Mancos Canyon

Big Mesa

Park Point

Knife Edge

Wickiup Canyon

Cliff Palace

Nusbaum Gap 

Whites Canyon

Long Mesa

Wetherill Mesa

Montezuma Valley

overlook

School Sec Canyon

Navajo Canyon

View Point

Whites Mesa

McElmo

Creek

Mancos

River

Far View

Visitor Center

Chapin

Mesa

UTE MOUNTAIN

INDIAN RESERVATION

UTE MOUNTAIN

INDIAN RESERVATION

MESA VERDE

NATIONAL PARK

Morefield Canyon

Prater

Canyon

Park entrance

Tunnel

Long

Canyon

MESA TOP

LOOP ROAD

Spruce Tree

House

Soda 

Canyon

0

0

1 2 3 4 5 MILES

1 2 3 4 5 KILOMETERS

160

160

491

Figure 1. Index map showing location of Mesa Verde National Park in the southwestern corner of Colorado with place names mentioned in the text.

Imagery from 1-meter resolution NAIP (National Agriculture Imagery Program) accessed 2011.

14C age

350±30 yr B.P.

WW–6348

40Ar/39Ar

2.65±0.08 Ma

3

EXPLANATION

Contact—Dashed where approximately located

Normal fault—Dashed where approximately located; bar and ball on downthrown 

side 

Minette dike—Dotted where concealed

Inclined bedding—Showing strike and dip; calculated from map outcrop-pattern 

geometry

Sample location—Location of radiocarbon sample with age and laboratory sample 

number

Sample location—Location of 40Ar/39Ar sample with age

Mesa Verde National Park boundary

2.54 centimeter (cm)

25.4 millimeter (mm)

0.3048 meter (m)

1.609 kilometer (km)

0.9072 metric ton

1.102 tons 

Temperature in degrees Celsius (°C) may be converted to degrees Fahrenheit (°F) as follows:

°F=(1.8 × °C)+32

Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit (°F) may be converted to degrees Celsius (°C) as follows:

°C=(°F-32)/1.8

CONVERSION FACTORS

Multiply By To obtain

0.3937 inches (in.)

3.281 feet (ft)

0.6214 miles (mi)

inch (in.)

inch (in.)

foot (ft)

mile (mi)

ton

centimeter (cm)

meter (m)

kilometer (km)

metric ton

7388

(2252 m)

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Map 3224

Pamphlet accompanies Map

Park Entrance

Park Point 8571 Lookout

Surficial Geologic Map of

WETHERILL MESA MOCCASIN MESA TRAIL CANYON

Index map showing Mesa Verde National Park in green, 

and the U.S. Geological Survey 7.5-minute quadrangles. 

CORTEZ POINT LOOKOUT MANCOS

37°15’00”

37°07’30”

108°37’30” 108°30’00” 108°22’30”

37°22’30”

108°15’00”

COLORADO

MAP LOCATION

Prepared in cooperation with the

National Park Service

For more information concerning this publication, contact:

Center Director, USGS Geology and Environmental Change Science Center

Box 25046, Mail Stop 980

(303) 236-5344

Or visit the Geology and Environmental Change Science Center Web site at:

http://esp.cr.usgs.gov/ 

Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only

and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public 

domain, it also contains copyrighted materials as noted in the text. 

Permission to reproduce copyrighted items for other than personal use

must be secured from the copyright owner. 

Publishing support provided by: 

Denver Publishing Service Center

Digital layout by L.J. Binder

Manuscript approved for publication July 8, 2012

This and other USGS information products are available at

http://store.usgs.gov/ 

U.S. Geological Survey

Box 25286, Denver Federal Center

Denver, CO 80225

To learn about the USGS and its information products visit

http://www.usgs.gov/ 

1-888-ASK-USGS

This report is available at:

http://pubs.usgs.gov/sim/3224

Period or

subperiod

Epoch Age

Quaternary Holocene

Pleistocene

late

middle

early

0–11.7 ka

11.7–130 ka

130–780 ka

0.780–2.59 my

DIVISION OF QUATERNARY TIME USED IN THIS REPORT1

1Ages of time boundaries are modified from Bowen and Gibbard (2007) and U.S. Geological Survey 

(2010). Ages are expressed in ka for kilo-annum (thousand years) and Ma for mega-annum (million 

years).

Base from U.S. Geological Survey 1:24,000-scale maps: Cortez, Colo., 1965; Point 

Lookout, Colo., 1965; Mancos, Colo., 1965; Wetherill Mesa, Colo., 1966; Moccasin Mesa, 

Colo., 1967; Trail Canyon, Colo., 1966.

The original projections were Polyconic projections and 1927 North American Datum 

(NAD 27). The basemaps and datasets have been digitally upgraded to Transverse 

Mercator projection and North American Datum 1983 (NAD83). 

Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM), zone 12

Mesa Verde National Park boundary from the National Park Service, accessed 2008 at 

http://www.nps.gov/gis/data_info/

Boundaries are approximate

There may be private inholdings within the boundaries of the National or State 

reservations shown on this map

APPROXIMATE MEAN

DECLINATION, 2011 TRUE NORTH

MAGNETIC NORTH

10°

Park Headquarters

Montezuma County,

By Paul E. Carrara Colorado

2012

Suggested citation:

Carrara, P.E., 2012, Surficial geologic map of Mesa Verde National Park, 

Montezuma County, Colorado: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations 

Map 3224, 22 p. pamphlet, 1 sheet, scale 1:24,000. 

Montezuma Valley

Overlook

Point Lookout

Spruce Tree

House

Mesa Verde National Park,

Wildlife photographs credited to the National Park Service are available at: 

http://www.nps.gov/meve/naturescience/animals.htm

Cultural photographs credited to the National Park Service are available at: 

http://www.nps.gov/meve/photosmultimedia/cultural_sites.htm

All other images taken by the author in Mesa Verde National Park

OLD PARK BOUNDARY

Tunnel

Geology mapped by P.E. Carrara in 2006–2011.

The author was visited and assisted in the field at various times by Mary L. 

Gillam, consulting geologist; Diana E. Anderson, R. Scott Anderson, and 

Taylor J. Joyal, Northern Arizona University; Fumiyasu Arakawa, Crow 

Canyon Archaeological Center; Robert W. Blair Jr., Fort Lewis College; 

Kimberlee M. Gerhardt, consulting geologist; David A. Gonzales, Fort Lewis 

College; R. Mark Leckie, University of Massachusetts; and the following U.S. 

Geological Survey personnel: Harlan Goldstein, Marith C. Reheis, Richard L. 

Reynolds, and James C. Yount

D. Paco Van Sistine prepared the digital compilation of the geologic map and 

the GIS database

Edit and cartographic layout by L.J. Binder

Denver Science Publishing Network

Nusbaum Gap

Navajo Canyon

View Point Cliff Palace

SCALE 1: 24 000

1 1/ 2 0 1 MILE

1000 1000 0 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 FEET

1 0 .5 1 KILOMETER

CONTOUR INTERVAL 20 AND 40 FEET