Toroweap Fault

View southwest – view of fault from Toroweap Overlook, below Toroweap Point, west Grand Canyon, overlooking Colorado River.
(with small volcano on South Rim)

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Strike of Toroweap Fault, (city-or-landform locations)

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Foothills of Hurricane Cliffs, (city-or-landform locations)

The Toroweap Fault of northwest Arizona and southwest Utah is part of a fault system of the west Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA; also the west perimeter regions of the Coconino and Colorado Plateaus. The Hurricane Fault originates at the Toroweap Fault, in the region of the Colorado River, and strikes as the westerly expression of the Toroweap Fault. The Toroweap strikes northerly from the Colorado at the east of Toroweap Valley, and enters south Utah; the Hurricane Fault strikes north-northwest along the west flank of the small, regional Uinkaret Mountains, the west border of Toroweap Valley. The Hurricane Fault, and the Hurricane Cliffs strike into southwest Utah as part of the west, and southwest perimeter of the Colorado Plateau. The Hurricane Cliffs are comprised of Kaibab Limestone, an erosion resistant, cliff-forming rock unit.

The Uinkaret volcanic field is a resultant of the two-fault system. Vulcan's Throne, and Lava Falls both occur west of Toroweap Point, North Rim Grand Canyon, along the faults. A small volcano even occurs above the fault on the South Rim.

The 2-fault system is part of the west perimeter regions of the west, and southwest Colorado Plateau, called the High Plateaus Section.

Grand Canyon, start of The Esplanade, & Aubrey Cliffs

In the Grand Canyon, the Toroweap-Hurricane Fault causes a change of surface rock espression in the canyon's west, on the South Rim. The Esplanade Sandstone an erosion resistant member of the Supai Group creates a platform called The Esplanade. The landform is upstream, the fault being its west perimeter.

The Aubrey Cliffs are the west edge of the Coconino Plateau. They extend from the Colorado River south to Prospect Valley, its east perimeter, jump through a mountainous stretch to the north of Aubrey Valley, the cliffs forming its east and southeast border, with the south terminus, Chino Point, just west of Seligman, Arizona, at Interstate 40. The south terminus of Aubrey Cliffs is also near the beginnings of Chino Valley (Arizona), part of the beginnings of the Verde River watershed. The Big Chino Wash of Chino Valley starts a south trend, but immediately turns southeast towards central Arizona.

The Aubrey Cliffs are comprised of the the Permian rocks on top, Kaibab Limestone, Toroweap Formation and Coconino Sandstone; also the Hermit Shale and Supai Group; at lower elevations (the Esplanade Sandstone member of the The Esplanade, Grand Canyon). In the south at Aubrey Valley, the Coconino Sandstone is reduced to a thin member, compared to the up to 300 ft cliffs of Grand Canyon.

In Aubrey Valley at the southern region of the Aubrey Cliffs, the Cliffs are also eroded back along the Coconino Plateau; the Toroweap Fault is buried under gravels, towards the valley center, west of the north-trending cliffs.

List of landforms/townsites

The following is a list of cities, and their elevation, adjacent the foothills of the Hurricane Cliffs.

Townsites, or landforms, north to south: (4 points on Arizona map)

• Grand Canyon, North Rim
  • -1-Cane Beds, AZ
  • Tuweep, AZ, 4682 ft
  • -2-Toroweap Point, 6293 ft
• Grand Canyon, South Rim
  • -3-Tower of Babylon, 5472 ft
  • -4-Audley, AZ (southeast Aubrey Valley, at Audrey Cliffs)
  • (Seligman, Arizona, Chino Point, Aubrey Cliffs)

See also

• Geology of the Grand Canyon area
• Aubrey Cliffs, Aubrey Valley
• Hurricane Cliffs

References

• Arizona DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer, 5th Edition, c. 2002, 76 pages, pp. 40-41.
• Benchmark Maps. Arizona Road & Recreation Atlas, Benchmark Maps, 2nd Ed., c. 1998, 112 pages, pp. 32-33, 66-67.
• Chronic, Halka. Roadside Geology of Arizona, c. 1983, 23rd printing, Mountain Press Publishing Co. 322 pages. pp. 229-232-('Interstate 40 Kingman – Seligman', pp. 194-197.) (softcover, ISBN 978-0-87842-147-3)
• Lucchitta, 2001. Hiking Arizona's Geology, Ivo Lucchitta, c 2001, Mountaineers's Books. (Section Introduction: Volcanic Fields, pp. 114-116.) (softcover, ISBN 0-89886-730-4)

External links

• Toroweap Point, at lat-long.com (coordinates)
• Tower of Babylon (southeast of Prospect Valley, at lat-long.com (coordinates)
• Audley,AZ, at lat-long.com (coordinates)

• 
  View southwest down Colorado River, with Lava Falls, and Lava Falls Rapids