Upper cretaceous trace fossils, book cliffs of utah. Sequence stratigraphy, paleogeography, and tectonic controls, authorandrew d. At some point, this section will contain hundreds of stratigraphic columns from all over the colorado plateau. The book cliffs region is often cited as an analog for subsurface exploration, particularly in foreland basins, and sequence stratigraphy has become one of the leading methods for correlating and mapping depositional packages, leading to significant discoveries of petroleum in fields that had been abandoned, as well as new discoveries. The book cliffs form a large continuous escarpment 250 km that is aligned wnwese, oblique to regional depositional dip figs 2 and 3a. In the 1980s, exxon scientists used the cretaceous strata of the book cliffs to develop the science of sequence stratigraphy. They follow instructions to construct a measured section. Stratigraphy of the upper cretaceous mancos shale upper. Many times these concretions are quite fossiliferous while others contain beautiful crystals of barite andor calcite. The coal mined at sunnyside, utah, is from this formation. Variations in wedge geometries provide an opportunity to evaluate controls on foreland basin stratigraphic architecture. The parasequences are separated from each other using subdividing major surfaces that include ts transgressive surfaces, mfs maximum flooding surface, and sb sequence boundary. Stratigraphic variations within the sego sandstone, book cliffs, central utah article pdf available january 2007 with 165 reads how we measure reads. The mesa verde group contains bituminous coal which is mined around price, utah.
Pdf threedimensional stratigraphic architecture and. Member mancos b and associated strata, book cliffs area, utah. The book cliffs have preserved excellent strata of the foreland basin of the ancient western interior seaway that stretched north from the gulf of mexico to the yukon in the cretaceous time. The book cliffs, utah have become the premier locality globally for. Permeability contrasts between mud and sand components.
Stratigraphic variations within the sego sandstone, book. Stratigraphy of the upper cretaceous mancos shale upper part and mesaverde group in the southern part of the uinta and piceance basins, utah and colorado by r. Using sequence stratigraphic tools to find and develop prospects at both local and basinwide scales duration. Formation and origin of desolation gray canyon, utah.
Stratigraphic column masystem series and stage map unit notes map symbol plate tectonic setting depositional environment dominant rock type and weathering profile thickness feet meters intrusive units and additional lumped units 40ar39ar ages q u a t e r n a r y h o l o c e n e a n d p l e i s t o c e n e 1. The sequence stratigraphy of the book cliffs of eastern utah. And with the exception of a few privately held parcels of land, almost 96% of the 2. No evidence for an unconformity at the base of the lower. Gold occurrence in the cretaceous mancos shale utah. Expression of sequence stratigraphy in outcrop, the book cliffs, utah. Sequence and facies architecture of the upper blackhawk formation and the lower castlegate sandstone upper cretaceous, book cliffs, utah, usa. Mixed meteoricmarine coastal aquifer resulted from baselevel shifts. Utah stratigraphic columns overview page these stratigraphic columns are dynamically created on the fly from information stored in a database. Sequence stratigraphy of the book cliffs of eastern utah.
Sealevel change has occurred throughout earths history. A good appreciation of the nature of reservoir and nonreservoir rocks in the subsurface is of fundamental importance to sound ep decision making. The exercises below involve the analysis of parasequence from outcrops. Sand was the dominant type of landderived sediment deposited in the sunnyside district during the regressive phases. Earlier stratigraphic work had predicted that at the type section of the castlegate formation, the castle gate, near price, utah, the unit consists of two sequences separated by a sequence boundary representing approximately one million years of unrecorded time. Petrographic observations indicate an early diagenetic origin. Book cliffs, geological feature of eastcentral utah and western colorado, u. Stratigraphic variations within the sego sandstone, book cliffs. This video is a virtual field trip to one of the classic locations in the world book cliffs, utah, usa where the sequence stratigraphy method was developed and tested. Stratigraphy and sedimentation of the book cliffs, utah. Andresen, year2016 a hierarchical approach for evaluating fluvial systems.
Stratigraphic cross section of measured sections and drill holes of the neslen formation and adjacent formations, book cliffs area, colorado and utah. Book cliffs geological feature, utah, united states. Continuous, wellexposed and easilyaccessible outcrops make it possible to analyze facies relationships of stratigraphic sequences in great detail, both in terms of lateral variation systems tracts and vertical stacking patterns. This video looks at the way in which past sea level changes can be determined. The initial exercise is followed by the examination of the stacking patterns of the parasequences.
The sequence stratigraphy of the book cliffs of eastern. What can the past tell scientists today about the rise and fall of the planets oceans. Expression of sequence stratigraphy in outcrop, the book. For the 3 stratigraphic columns and facies descriptions provided above sections and table a interpret the depositional environments for. Stratigraphy of the upper cretaceous mancos shale upper part and mesaverde group in the southern part of the uinta and piceance basins, utah and colorado. Formation in the eastern book cliffs area, and 4 all. Frey department of geology university of georgia athens, georgia 30602 james d. Stratigraphic column of study area, east central utah. Management in moab, utah added significantly to this study by his willingness and.
The video shows some of the field evidence for sealevel change and how the sequence stratigraphy model has been applied to this shallowmarine and fluvial succession. The book cliffs of eastern utah and western colorado figs. Book cliffs north of i70 between grand junction, colorado and green river, utah. Middlelate campanian strata of the book cliffs, utah, usa, archive three clastic wedges of the north american cordilleran foreland basin east of the sevier fold and thrust belt. Top of the castlegate sandstone, sagers canyon, book cliffs, eastern utah. The book cliffs are a series of desert mountains and cliffs in western colorado and eastern utah, in the western united states. Geological columns with stratigraphic nomenclature hintze 1988. Information was gathered from a number of sources see info for more information. In exercise 2, students work either with polarized microscopic photographs linked online to specific units in their measured section or directly. Photographs of sowbelly parasequence lithofacies, gentile wash, utah. Sand bodies prograded seaward in response to changing sediment supply from a source west of sunnyside. Sequence and facies architecture of the upper blackhawk formation.
The blackhawk formation at sunnyside, utah, was deposited along the western margin of the western interior cretaceous sea during southeastward withdrawal of the sea. The book cliffs are an enormous area that spans two states. Bioturbation and its effects on permeability in wave. Box 687 savannah, georgia 31416 abstract about 25 types of trace fossils occur in major marine facies of the star point and blackhawk formations in the book cliffs of utah. The sedimentary successions of the book cliffs in eastcentral utah have been extensively studied with respect to sequence stratigraphy e. Regional highresolution correlations of the campanian desert member of the blackhawk formation to the lower castlegate sandstone interval, book cliffs, utah colorado, show no evidence for a single, throughgoing unconformity separating the amalgamated channel sandstones of the castlegate from the underlying blackhawk formation coastalplain deposits. At their western limit, the book cliffs pass into the northsouthtrending wasatch plateau, which is oriented oblique to regional depositional strike figs 2 and 3b. Formation and origin of desolation gray canyon, utah this view of the main part of desolation canyon shows the full, nearly 5,000ft. Highlights upper cretaceous fluvial strata exposed in the book cliffs, utah. Accessible from the selection map, the stratigraphic columns section will. Pdf on jan 1, 2007, brian j willis and others published stratigraphic variations within the sego sandstone, book cliffs, central utah find, read and cite all. Flint, 1999, a sedimentological and sequence stratigraphic reinterpretation of the upper cretaceous prairie canyon member mancos b and associated strata, book cliffs area, utah, u. Leader arrives a few days early for pretrip safety reconnaissance of all field stops and roadstracks. A further goal is to contrast the shallowwater delta documented to a comparatively.
Extensive carbonate cementation of fluvial sandstones. The book cliffs, utah have become the premier locality globally for field teaching of sequence stratigraphy. Cost includes tuition, fees, food, lodging and transportation to. The mancos formation and its stratigraphic equivalent to the east known as the pierre shale, often contain concretions. Sequence stratigraphic interpretations are tightly constrained along 2d cliff. Stratigraphic cross section of measured sections and drill. Tectonic controls on late cretaceous sediment provenance. Pdf the castlegate sandstone of the book cliffs, utah. Geological evolution of the colorado plateau of eastern utah and western colorado, including the san juan river, natural bridges, canyonlands, arches, and the book cliffs. Free web tutorials sequence stratigraphy, tutorials carbonate petrology. The cretaceous books cliffs of utah are best known as the mecca of sequence stratigraphers, but besides excellent exposures that allow tracing of sandstone bodies and sequence boundaries the succession also contains abundant shales and mudstones. Cretaceous shales book cliffs of utah kenilworth member of the blackhawk formation. Beginning near helper, utah, and joined at green river, utah, by a second escarpment, the roan cliffs, the 2,000foot 610metre tall mountain wall, winds a 250mile 400km course along the tavaputs and roan plateaus, ending near grand junction, colorado. Cretaceous and tertiary formations of the book cliffs carbon.
The book cliffs of utah have become the premier locality globally for field teaching of sequence stratigraphy. Section summary accessible from the selection map, the stratigraphic columns section will eventually be one of the most extensive parts of our database. Book cliffs horse canyon area book cliffs green river area westwater. Sequence stratigraphy, paleogeography, and tectonic controls. Comprehensive safety discussion kicks off the trip on day 1, followed by. Dolomite cement bodies up to 250 m in size abundant in distal fluvial strata. Kirschbaum 2002 pamphlet to accompany geologic investigations series i2764.
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