In the Cenozoic, the Laramide orogeny uplifted the Rocky Mountains. Near Flaming Gorge, the Paleocene Fort Union Formation angularly overlies the Cretaceous Ericson Sandstone, while on the south slope of the Uinta Mountains, the Wasatch Formation overlies the Cretaceous Mesaverde Sandstone. The Wasatch Conglomerate formed as the coarsest debris accumulated in basins near the uplifted areas, with sediments growing finer further east and reaching up to 13,000 feet thick through the Eocene in the Uinta Basin.
