Beneath the loess soils, and exposed in Alkali Canyon to the west of the site, are three geologic formations that were important to the local Anasazi: the Dakota, the Burro Canyon and the Morrison. The Dakota Formation contains sandstone which was essential for Anasazi house construction, and a variety of quartzites which were widely utilized by the Anasazi in their manufacture of stone tools. The Burro Canyon and Morrison Formations generally do not contain sandstones suitable for building materials, but they do contain conglomerates, cherts and silicified sediments which were widely used for stone tool manufacture.
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