Sinking Ship

Sinking Ship is a prominent butte-like summit on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona, known for steep relief and rock layers that appear to tilt downward like a vessel going under. Rising to 7,344 feet near Grandview Point, it was once called Three Castles before its present name was officially adopted in 1932 and attributed to park superintendent Miner Raymond Tillotson. Geologically, it stands out because its strata are tilted rather than level, with layers from Kaibab Limestone down through parts of the Tonto Group. This tilt reflects movement along the Cremation Fault and the Grandview-Phantom monocline, later reactivated during the Laramide orogeny.

Arizona · United States