“Red Rocks:  Stories of Diagenesis, Geoheritage, and Ethics”  

The red rock country of southern Utah preserves complex eolian sedimentation and diagenesis, with relevant analogs to interpreting the geology of Mars.  In the Jurassic Navajo Sandstone, iron-related coloration and concretions leave fascinating records of past fluid flow.  These records plus other eolian-related sedimentary structures and weathering phenomena can be applied to understanding planetary processes. 

Additionally, the red rock country of the southwestern U.S. has numerous sites that should be conserved and protected for science and society as geoheritage locales.  Ethical geological sampling is important for conservation.   Both geoheritage and ethics are issues that need addressing now to carry our science forward into the future.