The youngest rocks in Palo Duro Canyon State Park were formed during the
Pleistocene Epoch of the Quaternary Period of the Cenozoic Era (_see_
geologic time scale, p. 11). Pleistocene rocks are rather widespread in
much of the Panhandle-Plains area and they are mostly composed of
sediments which were deposited in stream valleys, in lakes or ponds, or
by the wind. Most of the Pleistocene strata in the park area consist of
loose deposits of silt and sand which were deposited by wind action.
Known locally as “blow sand,” this reddish-brown, silty sand overlies
the Ogallala caliche at most points along the canyon’s rim.