Using sequence stratigraphic tools to find and develop prospects at both local and basinwide scales duration. Frey department of geology university of georgia athens, georgia 30602 james d. In exercise 2, students work either with polarized microscopic photographs linked online to specific units in their measured section or directly. Book cliffs geological feature, utah, united states. Also includes a glossary of sequence stratigraphy terms. Changes in climate and depostional environment has left an interesting mix of rocks present today. Triassic and jurassic macroinvertebrate faunas of utah. Sequence stratigraphy, paleogeography, and tectonic controls, authorandrew d. The white rim sandstone member of the cutler, as herein defined and as shown on plate 1, consists of two units in the circle cliffs area. The book cliffs are a series of desert mountains and cliffs in western colorado and eastern utah, in the western united states. It is a thick, homogenous, organicrich shale, and like many black shales is enriched in metals.
Outcrop and subsurface examples from the cretaceous of north america, aapg memoir, vol. They are so named because the cliffs of cretaceous sandstone that cap many of the southfacing buttes appear similar to a shelf of books. Book cliffs, geological feature of eastcentral utah and western colorado, u. 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. Depositional sequence stratigraphy and architecture of the cretaceous ferron. The exercises below involve the analysis of parasequence from outcrops. Architecture of the upper sego sandstone, book cliffs, utah. The mesaverde group is wellexposed in the book cliffs of eastcentral utah and western colorado. Stratigraphy is the study of rock layers and their relative ages. Canyonlands national park includes a diverse geologic history ranging from dry deserts to being at the bottom of an inland sea. The objective of this study is to understand changes in patterns of. This program takes viewers on a virtual field trip to. Stratigraphic variations within the sego sandstone, book cliffs.
Desert member to lower castlegate sandstone stratigraphic interval along the southeastern face of. Simon provides expertise in the areas of sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy and reservoir geologymodelling and has considerable knowledge of the book cliffs. Lovellhighfrequency sequence stratigraphy and paleogeography of the kenilworth member, blackhawk formation, book cliffs, utah, u. Boundaries are diachronous, though the sequence represents an isochronous event. 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. High resolution correlation of the upper cretaceous stratigraphy between the book cliffs and the western henry mountains syncline, utah, u. Highfrequency sequence stratigraphy and paleogeography of the kenilworth member, blackhawk formation, book cliffs, utah, u. Stratigraphic variations within the sego sandstone, book. The cross section is presented as a hard copy in this report and as a chapter by hettinger and kirschbaum usgs. Sealevel change has occurred throughout earths history. Book cliffs dictionary definition book cliffs defined. The sequence stratigraphy of the book cliffs of eastern utah.
For about 200 miles this escarpment extends from where the colorado river descends south through debeque to price canyon near price, utah. The sedimentary successions of the book cliffs in eastcentral utah have been extensively studied with respect to sequence stratigraphy e. Shallowmarine strata within the campanian kenilworth member of the blackhawk formation that crop out in the book cliffs of eastcentral utah were examined from their updip to downdip depositional limits. Sequence stratigraphy, a branch of sedimentary stratigraphy, is a methodology that uses the order sedimentary strata accumulated within a framework of major depositional and erosional surfaces to interpret the depositional setting of clastic and carbonate sediments from continental, marginal marine, basin margins, and downslope settings. In this lab, you will put together your knowledge of nearshore facies and sequence stratigraphy to correlate sections and interpret facies changes in the cretaceous stratigraphy of the book cliffs. Upper cretaceous trace fossils, book cliffs of utah. And with the exception of a few privately held parcels of land, almost 96% of the 2.
Synthetic seismic sections have been generated from a 125 km long, depositional dip orientated crosssection compiled from outcrop data from the book cliffs of eastern utah, usa. The campanian book cliffs strata of eastern utah and western colorado has been used to. Stratigraphy and sedimentation of the book cliffs, utah cole 1989 field trip guidebooks. Stratigraphy and sedimentation of the book cliffs, utah. Sequence stratigraphy in the book cliffs, utah goal. In summary, this book is an invaluable addition to the sequence stratigrapher or indeed any geologist dealing with siliciclastic successions, it provides a tremendously detailed reference which can be dipped into time and time again. Stratigraphy and sedimentation of the book cliffs, utah cole 1989 field trip guidebooks wiley online library. Mancos shale, eastern utah by gordon mar latt 1 the cretaceous mancos shale of eastern utah fig. The altitude ranges from around 8000 feet to 4500 feet, the differing altitude providing a variety of colors and smells. The book cliffs are one of the worlds best places to study sequence stratigraphy. Sequence, parasequence, and intraparasequence architecture. The book cliffs are an enormous area that spans two states. Facies analysis and sequence stratigraphic framework of upper campanian strata neslen and mount garfield formations, bluecastle tongue of the castlegate sandstone, and mancos shale, eastern book cliffs, colorado and utah by mark a. The initial exercise is followed by the examination of the stacking patterns of the parasequences.
Member mancos b and associated strata, book cliffs area, utah. Information was gathered from a number of sources see info for more information. The desert member of the blackhawk formation and the castlegate sandstone in the book cliffs of utah and colorado were analyzed to develop a model of sequence stratigraphy and facies architecture in foreland basins. A good appreciation of the nature of reservoir and nonreservoir rocks in the subsurface is of fundamental importance to sound ep decision making. Free web tutorials sequence stratigraphy, tutorials carbonate petrology. Outcrops of kf1rock canyon in this area are only fair, being partially covered with debris, but become better in the cliffs to east, on the south side of overhand point. Formation in the book cliffs of eastern colorado and western utah, in. Suu geology field trip to book cliffs near price, utah. The term grand staircase was first applied to this region by charles keyes 1924. This geological wonder cuts through beautiful desert terrain and parallels steep canyons and raging rivers, making it a yearround destination for scenic viewing, hiking, camping and rafting below. Hunt government 1 well near the north end of wagon box mesa. In geology, the law of superposition suggests that rocks in the deepest layers are older than the rocks near the surface. It constitutes a classic foreland basin clastic wedge, which developed in response to uplift and erosion along the sevier orogen during the late cretaceous. The lower slope exposes marine shales of the cretaceous mancos shale while interfingering.
The division refers to the existing horse canyon mines mining and reclamation plan. The little book cliffs of this landscape drawing are nothing more than the far eastern. Highresolution correlation of upper cretaceous stratigraphy between the book cliffs and the western henry mountain syncline, utah. Utah stratigraphic columns selection map utahgeology. Stratigraphic nomenclature of the book cliffs changes with geographic.
Cost includes tuition, fees, food, lodging and transportation to. Book cliffs elk habitat udwr assigns a value to elk habitat in the state of utah e. Abstract 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. Kf1rc has a well defined landward pinchout on the southfacing cliffs east of coyote basin, on.
The risers correspond to cliffs and the steps correspond to the broad benches, terraces, or. 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 parasequences. Reevaluating the sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of. The cliffs are noted for their exposed sedimentary layers.
Isolated highstand shelf sandstone body of turbiditic. 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. Abstract upper cretaceous strata exposed in the book cliffs of east central utah are widely used as an archetype for the sequence stratigraphy of marginalmarine and. Tectonic control of nested sequence architecture in the castlegate sandstone upper cretaceous, book cliffs, utah the castlegate sandstone at its type section, price canyon, near price, utah, encompasses a single stratigraphic sequence spanning approximately 5 m. 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 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 first meaning comes from the look of the flatlying stratathe hard. Abstract detailed outcrop analysis of a wavedominated, shoreface shelf parasequence exposed in the book cliffs, utah reveals minor stratigraphic discontinuities, which define clinoforms.
Tectonic control of nested sequence architecture in the. Kf1rock canyon is defined on the cliffs south of rock canyon area. Sequence stratigraphy, a branch of sedimentary stratigraphy, is a methodology that uses the order sedimentary strata accumulated within a framework of major depositional and erosional surfaces to interpret the depositional setting of clastic and carbonate sediments from. 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. Utah stratigraphic columns overview page these stratigraphic columns are dynamically created on the fly from information stored in a database.
Section summary accessible from the selection map, the stratigraphic columns section will eventually be one of the most extensive parts of our database. The late cretaceous upper sego member of the mancos shale exposed in the book cliffs of eastcentral utah is a 30 m thick sandstone wedge that overlies the anchor mine tongue of the mancos shale and underlies coastal plain deposits of the neslen formation. Management in moab, utah added significantly to this study by his willingness and interest in. Digital reproduction of plates 115 from subsurface stratigraphy of the wasatch formation of the uinta basin, utah j. Ammonite biozones define a biostratigraphic framework of c. The parasequences are separated from each other using subdividing major surfaces that include ts transgressive surfaces, mfs maximum flooding surface, and sb sequence boundary. The book cliffs of utah have become the premier locality globally for field teaching of sequence stratigraphy. What can the past tell scientists today about the rise and fall of the planets oceans.
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. Do not fit the conventional sequence stratigraphic model. Pages in category stratigraphy of utah the following 3 pages are in this category, out of 3 total. The exceptional quality of the wasatch plateau outcrop has given rise to a plethora of stratigraphic studies and serves as a natural laboratory in. The exceptional quality of the wasatch plateau outcrop has given rise to a plethora of stratigraphic studies and serves as a natural laboratory in which to apply sequence stratigraphic principles to clastic sedimentary suc. 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. Stratigraphy is the science of the layered character of rocks, be these sedimentary, volcanic, metamorphic, or igneous rocks. Films media group open university sealevel change has occurred throughout earths history. The book cliffs provide scenery ranging from the red rock often seen in southern utah to the usual green color of the northern alpine regions. The book cliffs are one of the most recognizable landforms in western colorado and eastern utah. These data are used to define the earth filter for a synthetic seismic section.
They follow instructions to construct a measured section. The series of topographic benches and cliffs, hich form the grand staircase, step progressively up in elevation from southw to north figure 1. 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. The book cliffs coal field is part of the southern rim of the uinta basin, which is an immense structural trough in western colorado and eastern utah, around whose margin the outcrop of coalbearing.
Basement highs defined the position of the mesozoic. Sequence stratigraphy of the book cliffs of eastern utah. Expression of sequence stratigraphy in outcrop, the book cliffs, utah. 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 seemingly endless stretch of the stratigraphic sequence of the rocks is visible.
Stretching 200 miles from grand junction, colorado to central utah, the book cliffs are the worlds largest continuous escarpment. Van wagonersequence stratigraphy and marine to nonmarine facies architecture of foreland basin strata, book cliffs, utah, usa j. Therefore rock layers can be thought of as pages in a history book that was written backwards with the most current events in the front and the most ancient. Pdf stratigraphic variations within the sego sandstone. The book cliffs v cumulative impact area cia is located in carbon county, utah, south of the town of sunnyside plate 1. Book cliffs an escarpment stretching from eastcentral utah to western colorado. The book cliffs of eastern utah and western colorado figs. Both units are sandstone, and their total thickness is about 500 feet in the n. The book cliffs appear mostly along the southern and western edge of the tavaputs plateau. Seymour department of earth and atmospheric sciences, university of nebraskalincoln, 214 bessey hall, lincoln, nebraska 68588, u. The upper cretaceous book cliffs of eastern utah and western colorado are a worldclass field laboratory for studying clastic sedimentology, sedimentary architecture, and sequence stratigraphy.
Upper cretaceous strata exposed in the book cliffs of eastcentral utah are widely used as an archetype for the sequence stratigraphy of marginalmarine and. Stratigraphic variations within the sego sandstone, book cliffs, central utah article pdf available january 2007 with 165 reads how we measure reads. An outcropbased dataset has been used in preference to well data though well data have been incorporated into the study section. The sequence stratigraphy of the book cliffs of eastern. Aug 17, 2014 a depositional sequence is defined as a relatively conformable succession of geneticallyrelated according to walthers law strata bound by unconformities and correlative conformities. Together with his experience from spdc shell nigeria, simon effectively demonstrated both theoretical and applied aspects at all levels in a clear, concise and thoughtful manner. Facies analysis and sequence stratigraphic framework of upper. Outcrop sections of 31 localities were measured, recording facies, stratal surfaces, and paleoflow indicators. Expression of sequence stratigraphy in outcrop, the book. Book cliffs field trips geology southern utah university.
At some point, this section will contain hundreds of stratigraphic columns from all over the colorado plateau. Pdf the castlegate sandstone of the book cliffs, utah. Gold occurrence in the cretaceous mancos shale eastern utah. Facies architecture of the upper sego member of the mancos. Cretaceous and tertiary formations of the book cliffs carbon. Sequence stratigraphy of the book cliffs of eastern utah, the.
Fielding, christopher 1 1 earth and atmospheric sciences, university of nebraskalincoln, lincoln, ne. High resolution correlation of the upper cretaceous. Upper cretaceous strata, book cliffs, utah, usa journal of the. Kirschbaum 2002 pamphlet to accompany geologic investigations series i2764 printed on recycled paper.
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