Editing Pink Cliffs

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[[Image:Grand Staircase.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Grand Staircase]]: (A) [[Grand Canyon]], (B) Chocolate Cliffs, (C) [[Vermilion Cliffs]], (D) White Cliffs, (E) [[Zion Canyon]], (F) Gray Cliffs, (G) Pink Cliffs, and (H) [[Bryce Canyon National Park|Bryce Canyon]]]]

The '''Pink Cliffs'''<ref>{{gnis|1444425|Pink Cliffs}}</ref> are a series of highly [[Dissected plateau|dissected]] cliffs on the [[Colorado Plateau]] in [[Garfield County, Utah|Garfield]], [[Iron County, Utah|Iron]], and [[Kane County, Utah|Kane]] counties in southwestern [[Utah]], [[United States]]. Contrary to the implication of the name, the cliffs are not a single set of rock formations, but actually a [[geological formation]] that manifests itself in multiple sets of rock formations.

==Description==
[[Image:USA 10654 Bryce Canyon Luca Galuzzi 2007.jpg|thumb|left|One of the many [[Hoodoo (geology)|hoodoo]] formations in the section of the Pink Cliffs that are located within [[Bryce Canyon National Park]], July 2007]]

The cliffs form a large number of unique rock formations, many of which are protected by either the [[Bryce Canyon National Park]] or the [[Cedar Breaks National Monument]]. Most of the other formations are located within the [[Dixie National Forest]]. [[Geology|Geologically]] the cliffs are pink- and red-colored [[Claron Formation]] [[limestone]]s, forming the upper riser of the [[Grand Staircase]] (which descends southward to the [[Grand Canyon]] in [[Arizona]]). The Pink Cliffs, as well as the other layers of the Grand Staircase, were named by geologist [[Clarence Dutton]] in the 1870s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/brca/learn/nature/grandstaircase.htm|title=Grand Staircase|website=nps.gov|publisher=[[National Park Service]]|date=24 Feb 2015|accessdate=21 Dec 2017}}</ref>

While it is not an uncommon belief that the extent of the Pink Cliff is limited to the Bryce Canyon National Park area (being one of the best and most popular areas to view the cliffs),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zionnational-park.com/gsgeology.htm|title=Geology of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah|last=Miligan|first=Tanya|website=zionnationalpark.com|accessdate=21 Dec 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://files.geology.utah.gov/online/pdf/pi-64.pdf|title=What is the Grand Staircase?|website=geology.utah.gov|publisher=Utah Geological Survey|page=2|accessdate=21 Dec 2017}}</ref> [[Geography|geographically]], the cliffs actually extend well beyond the national park, forming a rough, but wide, "U" shape that spans three counties. The westernmost part of the cliffs are located on the western edge of the [[Markagunt Plateau]] (mostly within Cedar Breaks National Monument) in southeastern Iron County<ref>{{cite map|url=http://www.mytopo.com/maps/?lat=37.6324&lon=-112.8354&z=12|title=MyTopo Maps - Cedar Breaks National Monument, Brian Head, UT, United States|publisher=[[Trimble Navigation|Trimble Navigation, Ltd.]]|accessdate=19 Dec 2017}}</ref> and the easternmost part of the cliffs are located on the southeastern edge of the [[Paunsaugunt Plateau]] in southwestern Garfield County (mostly within Bryce Canyon National Park). From the national monument on the west, the cliffs wrap south around the southern edge of the Markagunt Plateau (roughly along the border of the [[Dixie National Forest]]) and run just south of [[Navajo Lake]] in northeastern Kane County.<ref>{{cite map|url=http://www.mytopo.com/maps/?lat=37.5230&lon=-112.7835&z=14|title=MyTopo Maps - Navajo Lake, Kane County, UT, United States|publisher=[[Trimble Navigation|Trimble Navigation, Ltd.]]|accessdate=19 Dec 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite map|url=http://www.mytopo.com/maps/?lat=37.4358&lon=-112.7133&z=13|title=MyTopo Maps - Strawberry Point, Kane County, UT, United States|publisher=[[Trimble Navigation|Trimble Navigation, Ltd.]]|accessdate=19 Dec 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite map|url=http://www.mytopo.com/maps/?lat=37.4171&lon=-112.5896&z=14|title=MyTopo Maps - Dairy Canyon, Glendale, UT, United States|publisher=[[Trimble Navigation|Trimble Navigation, Ltd.]]|accessdate=19 Dec 2017}}</ref> After being bisected by the [[Long Valley (Kane County, Utah)|Long Valley]]<ref>{{cite map|url=http://www.mytopo.com/maps/?lat=37.4008&lon=-112.5482&z=13|title=MyTopo Maps - McDonald Canyon, Kane County, UT, United States|publisher=[[Trimble Navigation|Trimble Navigation, Ltd.]]|accessdate=19 Dec 2017}}</ref> and the valley of [[Kanab Creek]],<ref>{{cite map|url=http://www.mytopo.com/maps/?lat=37.3674&lon=-112.4932&z=13|title=MyTopo Maps - Frankie Hollow, Kane County, UT, United States|publisher=[[Trimble Navigation|Trimble Navigation, Ltd.]]|accessdate=19 Dec 2017}}</ref> the cliffs wrap around the southern and southeastern edges of the Paunsaugunt Plateau and extend north through and just beyond the national park.<ref>{{cite map|url=http://www.mytopo.com/maps/?lat=37.6283&lon=-112.1676&z=12|title=MyTopo Maps - Bryce Canyon, UT, United States|publisher=[[Trimble Navigation|Trimble Navigation, Ltd.]]|accessdate=19 Dec 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite map|url=https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/0172/pdf/chap6.pdf|title=The Geology of the Grand Staircase in Southern Utah: A Road Log and Guide for Public School Teachers|author=Geological Society of America|authorlink=Geological Society of America|website=pubs.usgs.gov|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|page=201|format=PDF|date=10–11 May 2002|accessdate=21 Dec 2017}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Utah|Earth sciences|Geography}}
* [[:Category:Sandstone formations of the United States|Sandstone formations of the United States]] (category)
* [[Vermilion Cliffs]]{{clear}}
 
==References==
{{reflist|22em}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline|Pink Cliffs}}

[[Category:Bryce Canyon]]
[[Category:Cliffs of Utah]]
[[Category:Sandstone formations of the United States]]
[[Category:Colorado Plateau]]
[[Category:Geology of Utah]]
[[Category:Landforms of Garfield County, Utah]]
[[Category:Landforms of Iron County, Utah]]
[[Category:Landforms of Kane County, Utah]]
[[Category:Bryce Canyon National Park]]
[[Category:Cedar Breaks National Monument]]
[[Category:Dixie National Forest]]