Merrick Butte

Monument Valley is geologically older than Canylands, and sits at the level of the lower canyons in Canyonlands. The top layer of Merrick Butte is the Moenkopi Formation (the seemingly flat basin areas), while the cliff is the DeChelley Sandstone (the White Rim Sandstone of Canyonlands) that forms the clifs of the lower canyon of Canyonlands. The valley floor is Organ Rock Shale, or possibly the the next lower layer in places, the Cedar Mesa Sandstone.