Geology and Coal Resources of the Blackhawk Formation in the Southern Wasatch Plateau, Central Utah
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Chapter S National Coal Resource Geology and Coal Resources of the Assessment Blackhawk Formation in the Southern Wasatch Plateau, Click here to return to Disc 1 Central Utah Volume Table of Contents By Russell F. Dubiel,1 Mark A. Kirschbaum, 1 Laura N.R. Roberts,1 Tracey J. Mercier,2 and A. Heinrich2 Chapter S of Geologic Assessment of Coal in the Colorado Plateau: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah Edited by M.A. Kirschbaum, L.N.R. Roberts, and L.R.H. Biewick U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1625–B* 1 U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado 80225 2 U.S. Geological Survey contract employee, Denver, Colorado 80225 * This report, although in the USGS Professional Paper series, is available only on CD-ROM and is not available separately U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Contents Abstract........................................................................................................................................................S1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 2 Purpose and Scope ............................................................................................................................. 2 Location of Southern Wasatch Plateau Study Area...................................................................... 2 Previous Geologic Studies ................................................................................................................. 8 Mining Activity ................................................................................................................................... 11 Acknowledgments............................................................................................................................. 11 Methods Employed in the Assessment................................................................................................... 12 NCRDS-StratiFact Database............................................................................................................ 12 Lithologic and Stratigraphic Data ................................................................................................... 13 Geologic Maps and Data.................................................................................................................. 22 Cartographic Data and Geographic Boundaries.......................................................................... 23 Geologic Setting.......................................................................................................................................... 23 Structure of the Southern Wasatch Plateau Study Area............................................................ 23 Faults........................................................................................................................................... 23 Folds............................................................................................................................................ 25 Cretaceous Paleogeography of the Southern Wasatch Plateau............................................... 25 General Stratigraphy of Cretaceous Rocks................................................................................... 27 Detailed Stratigraphy of Upper Cretaceous Rocks...................................................................... 29 Sedimentology and Depositional Environments........................................................................... 31 Sequence Stratigraphy and Coal-Bed Correlations .................................................................... 32 Shoreface Sandstone Parasequences .......................................................................................... 32 Coal Distribution, Quality, and Resources of the Blackhawk Formation in the Southern Wasatch Plateau.......................................................................................................... 34 Coal Distribution................................................................................................................................. 34 Earlier Nomenclature and Correlation of Coal Beds .......................................................... 36 Lower Blackhawk (LBH) Coal Zone ....................................................................................... 36 Coal-Bed Correlations in the Southern Wasatch Plateau Study Area ............................ 37 Coal Quality......................................................................................................................................... 38 Coal Resources .................................................................................................................................. 38 GIS (Geographic Information Systems) Methods and Calculations ................................ 38 Coal Resources in the Southern Wasatch Plateau............................................................. 40 Coal Resources in the Lower Blackhawk Coal Zone.......................................................... 44 Bibliography of References Cited and Related Papers........................................................................ 50 Appendix 1—Database [Location, lithologic, and stratigraphic data are available in ASCII format, DBF, and Excel spreadsheets on disc 2 of this CD-ROM set] Appendix 2—ArcView Project of Southern Wasatch Plateau theme [The digital fi les used for the coal resource assessment of the southern Wasatch Plateau are presented as views in the ArcView project. The ArcView project and the digital fi les are stored on both discs of this CD-ROM set—Appendix 2 of chapter S resides on both discs. Persons who do not have ArcView 3.1 may query the data by means of the ArcView Data Publisher on disc 1. Persons who do have ArcView 3.1 may utilize the full functionality of the software by accessing the data that reside on disc 2. An explanation of the ArcView project and data library —and how to get started using the software—is given by Biewick and Mercier (chap. D, this CD-ROM). Metadata for all digital fi les are also accessible through the ArcView project] Plate 1. Location diagram and cross sections showing geology and coal resources of the Blackhawk Formation, southern Wasatch Plateau, central Utah.........................S57 Figure A. Map showing, data points, point labels, and lines of stratigaphic cross section Figure B. Cross section A-A′, oriented parallel to paleoshoreline trends in the Star Point Sandstone Figure C. Cross section B-B′, oriented generally perpendicular to paleoshorelines within the Star Point Sandstone Figures 1A. Map of central Utah showing location of the study area ....................................................S3 1B. Map showing detailed location of the southern Wasatch Plateau...................................... 3 2A. Map showing location of cultural features in and near the Southern Wasatch Plateau study area..................................................................................... 4 2B. Map showing physiography in and near the southern Wasatch Plateau........................... 5 3. Map showing location of 7.5′ quadrangles in and around the Southern Wasatch Plateau study area..................................................................................... 6 4. Index map of southern Wasatch Plateau showing location of data points, geologic units, and townships and ranges .............................................................................. 7 5A. Map showing coal ownership in the southern Wasatch Plateau........................................ 8 5B. Map showing surface ownership in and adjacent to the southern Wasatch Plateau................................................................................................... 9 6. Map showing principal structural features in the Wasatch Plateau................................. 24 7. Late Cretaceous paleogeography ........................................................................................... 26 8A. Time-stratigraphic chart showing nomenclature, facies relations, and coal- and non-coal-bearing strata in the Wasatch Plateau and Book Cliffs...................................... 27 8B. Diagrammatic time-stratigraphic chart showing nomenclature of the Star Point Sandstone and the Blackhawk Formation ............................................... 28 8C. Generalized stratigraphic sections of Star Point Sandstone and Blackhawk Formation showing facies relations, nomenclature, and intertonguing of strata ....................................................................................................... 28 9. Stratigraphic correlations, sedimentary facies relations, and generalized coal-bed correlations in the Mesaverde Group in the southern Wasatch Plateau ....................................................................................................... 29 10. Map showing location of sandstone pinch-outs in the Star Point Sandstone in the southern Wasatch Plateau ............................................................................................ 35 11. Map showing elevation contours on the top of the Star Point Sandstone in the southern Wasatch Plateau ............................................................................................ 41 12. Map showing data point locations, isopachs of net coal, and net-coal-thickness categories in the lower Blackhawk coal zone in the southern Wasatch Plateau ...........................................................................................