The
Chinle Formation is an
Upper Triassic continental
geologic formation of
fluvial,
lacustrine, and
palustrine to
eolian deposits spread across the U.S. states of
Nevada,
Utah, northern
Arizona, western
New Mexico, and western
Colorado. The Chinle is controversially considered to be synonymous to the
Dockum Group of eastern Colorado and New Mexico, western
Texas, the
Oklahoma panhandle, and southwestern
Kansas. The Chinle is sometimes colloquially named as a formation within the Dockum Group in New Mexico and in Texas. The Chinle Formation is part of the
Colorado Plateau,
Basin and Range, and the southern section of the
Interior Plains.