Tectonic control of nested sequence architecture in the. 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. The occurrence of firmgrounds, compaction around concretions, and high minuscement porosities indicate that cementation occurred during early diagenesis. 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. Towards a sequence stratigraphic solution set for autogenic. Northern colorado plateau by keith rigby geologic history of utah by lehi hintze purchase information. And with the exception of a few privately held parcels of land, almost 96% of the 2. Sequence stratigraphy, paleogeography, and tectonic controls. Sequence stratigraphy of the upper cretaceous sego. No evidence for an unconformity at the base of the lower. Synthetic seismic modelling of a largescale geological.
Fielding, christopher 1 1 earth and atmospheric sciences, university of nebraskalincoln, lincoln, ne. Stratigraphic variations within the sego sandstone, book. Stratigraphic control on laterally persistent cementation, book cliffs. As the sister journal of micropaleontology, articles can be downloaded by ipcontrolled access to connections. Part of the southern edge of this wsa is dominated by the 2,000foothigh face of the book cliffs. 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, utah, united states. A comparison of book cliffs stratigraphy with that of the henry mountains area. Desert member to lower castlegate sandstone stratigraphic interval along the southeastern. Sequence stratigraphy of the upper cretaceous sego sandstone. High resolution correlation of the upper cretaceous. Stratigraphy is the journal of record for the north american commission on stratigraphic nomenclature, established in 2004. Formation of deep incisions into tidedominated river. Highlights upper cretaceous fluvial strata exposed in the book cliffs, utah.
High resolution correlation of the upper cretaceous stratigraphy between the book cliffs and the western henry mountains syncline, utah, u. Book cliffs data sets are often used as outcrop analogues for similar subsurface settings worldwide. Sequence stratigraphy, paleogeography, and tectonic controls article in journal of sedimentary research 714. Main canyon, coal canyon, cottonwood canyon and spring canyon. Sandstone and sego sandstone members in the book cliffs area in utah and colorado, where they have been interpreted as. Outcrop analysis and facies model of an upper permian. An outcropbased dataset has been used in preference to well data though well data have been incorporated into the study section. Topographically the mancos shale also forms the broad valley paralleling the book cliffs to the south. Location of book cliffs, utah, and sections described in this paper. Petrographic observations indicate an early diagenetic origin. The book cliffs of eastern utah and western colorado figs.
The book cliffs of central utah have been a key testing ground for the concepts of high resolution sequence stratigraphy since the early 1990s. Reevaluating the sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of. Recent publications since 1995 refereed journal articles miall, a. Price river basin book cliffs carbon county utah paleogeography mesozoic castlegate sandstone upper cretaceous utah clastic rocks united states sedimentary rocks sandstone cretaceous you do not currently have access to this article. An examination of the chronostratigraphy and sedimentary history of the. The upper cretaceous sego sandstone member of the mesaverde group has been extensively studied in the book cliffs area of utah and colorado, and has been the focus of stratigraphic reconstruction aimed at developing an understanding of the evolution of the western cretaceous interior seaway. The journal is published online with a subscription to print copies as an added option in four issues per year. Upper cretaceous strata exposed in the book cliffs of eastcentral utah are widely used as an archetype for the sequence stratigraphy of marginalmarine and shallowmarine deposits. Extensive carbonate cementation of fluvial sandstones.
Reevaluating the sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy. 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 shallowmarine deposits. March, pages 414433 a sedimentological and sequence stratigraphic reinterpretation of the upper cretaceous prairie canyon member mancos b and associated strata, book cliffs area, utah, u. Late cretaceous strata that crop out in the book cliffs, eastern utah have. T1 sequence, parasequence, and intraparasequence architecture of the grassy member, blackhawk formation, book cliffs, utah, usa. Simon provides expertise in the areas of sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy and reservoir geologymodelling and has considerable knowledge of the book cliffs. Outcrop analysis and facies model of an upper permian tidally.
Using classic outcrops to revise sequence stratigraphic models. Regional highresolution correlations of the campanian desert member of the blackhawk formation to the lower castlegate sandstone interval, book cliffs, utahcolorado, show no evidence for a single, throughgoing unconformity separating the amalgamated channel sandstones of the castlegate from the underlying blackhawk formation coastalplain deposits. The exceptional quality of the wasatch plateau outcrop has given rise to a plethora of stratigraphic studies and serves as a natural laboratory in. Stratigraphic variations within the sego sandstone, book cliffs, central utah article pdf available january 2007 with 5 reads how we measure reads.
One powerful method for studying sealevel change in the past is sequence stratigraphy. Pdf the book cliffs of eastern utah and western colorado have been pivotal in the development of outcropbased sequence stratigraphic concepts for. These data are used to define the earth filter for a synthetic seismic section. The book cliffs are a range of eroding, steepsloping cliffs, also called escarpments. 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. 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 mancos shale, book cliffs, eastern utah, represents the open marine mudstones of the cretaceous western interior seaway and contains a number of detached sandstone bodies open quotesmancos bclose quotes which are located 30150 km down depositional dip from contemporaneous highstand shoreline deposits in the blackhawk formation. Sequence stratigraphy and stratigraphic trap potential of the. Dolomite cement bodies up to 250 m in size abundant in distal fluvial strata. Stratigraphic control on laterally persistent cementation, book cliffs, utah. Article pdf available in journal of sedimentary research 855.
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. The campanian book cliffs strata of eastern utah and western colorado has been used to develop, test and refine sedimentological and stratigraphic ideas and models over the years, including the principles and concepts of sequence stratigraphy. Field data from the upper cretaceous blackhawk formation in the book clitfs utahcolorado demonstrate the presence of laterally extensive carbonate cements beneath major marine flooding surfaces. Chinese journal of geophysics 20002018 earth interactions. Correlation table for the castlegate sandstone and related units, book cliffs, utah. Jan 03, 20 the book cliffs are one of the most recognizable landforms in western colorado and eastern utah. Locally it is known as castle valley, clark valley, gunnison valley and. Information was gathered from a number of sources see info for more information. Mixed meteoricmarine coastal aquifer resulted from baselevel shifts. In that period over 100 scientific articles have been published on the outcrops and thousands of people have visited the. Sequence stratigraphy and stratigraphic trap potential of.
No evidence for sea level fall in the cretaceous strata of the book. The book cliffs coal field is part of the southern rim of the uinta basin, which is an immense structural trough in western colorado. The book cliffs are a series of desert mountains and cliffs in western colorado and eastern utah, in the western united states. Fielding, christopher 1 1 earth and atmospheric sciences, university of nebraskalincoln, lincoln, ne this study presents highresolution correlations of the upper cretaceous stratigraphy between the book cliffs and the western henry. Facies analysis and sequence stratigraphic framework of upper. 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.
Gold occurrence in the cretaceous mancos shale eastern utah. The book cliffs form a large continuous escarpment 250 km that is aligned wnwese. Sequence stratigraphy in the book cliffs, utah goal. Sequence stratigraphy and petroleum potential of the san joaquin basin, california 20022003. Sequence, parasequence, and intraparasequence architecture of. An introduction to the book cliffs in utah and their importance in geology. Sequence stratigraphy has developed over the last four decades through the. The exceptional quality of the wasatch plateau outcrop has given rise to a plethora of stratigraphic studies and serves as a. Fluvial systems sequence stratigraphy wiley online library. 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.
International journal of geomagnetism and aeronomy. Reevaluating the sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of classic book cliffs outcrops at tusher and thompson canyons, eastern utah, usa. 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. These four larger systems are also accompanied by many smaller side canyons. Stratigraphic control on laterally persistent cementation. Colorado to central utah, the book cliffs are the worlds largest continuous escarpment. No evidence for significant sea level fall in the cretaceous. This study presents detailed highresolution correlations of the upper cretaceous stratigraphy between the book cliffs, the wasatch plateau, and the western henry mountains syncline in utah with emphasis on the campanian interval. A core component of the sequence stratigraphic model is the implicit. 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. Formation of deep incisions into tidedominated river deltas.
Carbonate cementation potentially has significant impact upon reservoir quality. The book cliffs are one of the most recognizable landforms in western colorado and eastern utah. Gold occurrence in the cretaceous mancos shale, eastern utah contract report 915 utah geological and mineral survey a division of by. Stratigraphy and sedimentation of the book cliffs, utah. Using classic outcrops to revise sequence stratigraphic. Feb 17, 2011 an introduction to the book cliffs in utah and their importance in geology.
Highresolution correlation of upper cretaceous stratigraphy between the book cliffs and the western henry mountain syncline, utah. Sequence, parasequence, and intraparasequence architecture. The lower slope exposes marine shales of the cretaceous mancos shale while interfingering. Their stratal architectures are classically interpreted in terms of accommodation controls that were external to the sediment routing system allogenic, and that forced the formation of flooding surfaces. Book cliffs, geological feature of eastcentral utah and western colorado, u. Stretching 200 miles from grand junction, colorado to central utah, the book cliffs are the worlds largest continuous escarpment. 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. Sequence stratigraphy of the book cliffs of eastern utah.
Adamson, use of spectral gammaray data to refine subsurface fluvial stratigraphy. In that period over 100 scientific articles have been published on the outcrops and thousands of people have visited the region on academic and commercial fieldtrips. These colorado cliffs look like books on a shelf outthere. The book cliffs, utah have become the premier locality globally for field teaching of sequence stratigraphy. A good appreciation of the nature of reservoir and nonreservoir rocks in the subsurface is of fundamental importance to sound ep decision making. The little book cliffs wilderness study area is characterized by gentlysloping plateaus, various small canyons, and four major canyon systems. 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. Sequence stratigraphy of the book cliffs of eastern utah, the. The book cliffs of utah have become the premier locality globally for field teaching of sequence stratigraphy.
For about 200 miles this escarpment extends from where the colorado river descends south through debeque to price canyon near price, utah. Reevaluating the campanian desert member blackhawk formation to lower castlegate sandstone interval, book cliffs, utah and colorado, usa. Implications for the stratigraphy of the sego sandstone, book cliffs, utah, u. Willis, bj and gabel, sl 2003 formation of deep incisions into tidedominated river deltas. Sequence stratigraphy in the upper cretaceous mesaverde group, price canyon, utah.
623 165 1266 212 777 161 604 620 1111 925 222 606 480 928 1276 1588 885 225 1575 504 738 1320 945 858 994 1595 918 345 1154 458 1084 539 644 1300 628 737 22 1033 215 866 913 1483 440 37 704 642 1213