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Depositional Environments in the Monterey Formation, Cuyama Basin, California

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Depositional Environments in the Monterey Formation, Cuyama Basin, California Depositional environments in the Monterey Formation, Cuyama Basin, California MARTIN B. LAGOE* ARCO Exploration Co., Geological Services, P.O. Box 5540, Denver, Colorado 80217 ABSTRACT borderland province, an area of discrete depositional basins that are inter- connected to various degrees, similar to the modern continental border- The Monterey Formation of the Cuyama Basin accumulated in an land off southern California. Such a borderland (Fig. 1) existed during the inboard basin within a Miocene borderland analogous to the Recent Miocene in California (Ingle, 1980). The diverse basin topography asso- continental borderland off southern California. Analysis of benthic ciated with such a borderland, and its interaction with a variety of océano- foraminiferal biolfacies, lithology, and sedimentary structures permits graphie and depositional processes, produces basin-filling sediments recognition of several depositional environments within the Monterey characterized by internal stratigraphic complexities and significant regional Formation in this; basin. The lower member of the Monterey Forma- variations. tion, the Saltos Shale (early Miocene), contains basin-plain, slope, and The Miocene Monterey Formation exhibits many of these stratigra- various submarine-fan subenvironments. These predominantly ter- phic complexities which have attracted the attention of California ¡itratig- rigenous rocks are interbedded with impure carbonates composed raphers for decades (for example, Reed, 1933; Bramlette, 1946; Kleinpell, primarily of foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils. The upper 1938; Woodring and Bramlette, 1950; Isaacs, 1983). Several recent studies member, the Whiterock Bluff Shale (middle Miocene), contains highly biogenous deposits representing slope and basin-plain environments. Both siliceous and calcareous biogenous rocks are prominent in this unit. The complex: array of lithofacies within the Monterey Formation is the product of the interplay between terrigenous and biogenous sedimentation. Various factors control this interplay, including global sea level, climate, paleo-oceanographic changes, local tectonics, and paleogeography. The Monterey Formation in the Cuyama Basin is more terrige- nous than coeval sections in more outboard basins of the Miocene borderland (as represented by the Santa Barbara Basin). These latter areas contain many lithofacies indicative of low terrigenous sedimen- tation rates: highly siliceous and calcareous rocks, phosphatic rocks, and highly organic rocks. The inboard Cuyama Basin acted as a sedi- ment trap during much of the Miocene and is partly responsible for these lithofacies patterns. Both inboard and outboard basins contain variations in bulk-accumulation rates that correlate to variations in relative sea level. This study demonstrates the importance of deposi- tional patterns, psJeogeography, and multidisciplinary analysis for un- derstanding the complex stratigraphic units found along active continental margins. INTRODUCTION Statement of Purpose Ü3GRANITIC EH FRANCISCAN ROCKS COMPLEX This paper discusses the deposition of the Monterey Formation within a Miocene basin developed along the tectonically active continental Figure 1. Major depositional basins in central California. The margin of California. Basin development along such margins is complex basins west of the San Andreas fault formed a borderland during the (for example, Blake and others, 1978) and commonly incorporates a Miocene. Major faults: SAF, San Andreas fault; GF, Garlock fault; RNF, Rinconada-Nacimiento fault; BPF, Big Pine fault; SGF, San •Present address: Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at Gabriel fault; SYF, Santa Ynez fault. Cities: B, Bakersfield; SLO, San Austin, Austin, Texas 78712. Luis Obispo; SB, Santa Barbara; LA, Los Angeles. Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 96, p. 1296-1312, 19 figs., 3 tables, October 1985. 1296 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/96/10/1296/3444919/i0016-7606-96-10-1296.pdf by guest on 29 September 2021 DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENTS, MONTEREY FORMATION, CALIFORNIA 1297 in the Santa Barbara and Santa Maria Basins of coastal California have of the Monterey Formation will provide the basis for understanding how greatly increased our knowledge of the lithologic variations, diagenetic regional controls interact with local basin settings to produce a variety of aspects, and depositional components of the Monterey Formation (for depositional responses across the Miocene borderland. example, Pisciotto, 1978, 1981a, 1981b; Isaacs, 1981a, 1981b, 1981c, 1981 d, 1983; Surdam and Stanley, 1981a, 1981b). It is unclear from these Objectives studies, however, whether these local relationships are typical for the Miocene borderland as a whole. In order to understand the depositional Previous studies (Lagoe, 1981, 1982) demonstrated that the Monte- history of the Miocene borderland from a regional context, it is necessary rey Formation in the Cuyama Basin is a bathyal marine deposit with to examine coeval sediments in a variety of tectonic, geographic, and several subenvironments. The present study describes these subenviron- depositional settings. This regional context needs to include (1) the geo- ments in detail and assesses their importance in understanding the deposi- graphic and local basin setting within the Miocene borderland and its tional history of the Miocene borderland in California. Specifically, these development through time; (2) the types of lithofacies present, their distri- objectives are: (1) to define lithofacies within the Monterey Formation of bution, and their depositional significance; and (3) the major controls on the Cuyama Basin on the basis of lithology and sedimentary structures of this deposition and their variation through time. the rocks; (2) to review the paleobathymetry of these lithofacies as based The purpose of this paper is to discuss the depositional environments on biofacies patterns of benthic foraminifera; (3) to infer depositional in the Monterey Formation within the Cuyama Basin of central California environments on the basis of lithofacies associations and biofacies patterns; (Fig. 2). This information, when compared with similar information from (4) to document distribution of these depositional environments within a adjacent basins, will contribute to the formation of the regional context part of the Cuyama Basin; (5) to develop a preliminary depositional model mentioned above. The subsidence history and general stratigraphic rela- for the Monterey Formation in the Cuyama Basin; and (6) to briefly tionships of this basin were described previously (Lagoe, 1984). This study compare the depositional character of the Monterey Formation in the will show that the Monterey Formation contained a variety of deep- Cuyama Basin with the outboard Santa Barbara Basin. marine basinal environments which varied greatly, both temporally and geographically. The nature of lithofacies within these environments was Methods predominantly terrigenous with significant biogenous inputs ranging from calcareous during the early Miocene, to mixed calcareous/siliceous during Lithofacies are based on the description of well and outcrop samples. the middle Miocene. These basinal rocks graded laterally into shallow- Samples were described with respect to lithology and sedimentary struc- marine and nonmarine rocks, which dominated the late middle and late tures. These descriptions were plotted on graphic logs (see Lagoe, 1982, Miocene history of the basin. for examples) for key well and outcrop sections and provide the basis for The nature and distribution of basinal sediments are related to a defining lithofacies. Additional information is provided by sample descrip- variety of controls, including local basin topography, global eustatic sea tions from oil company well files and correlation of lithofacies to electric level, regional variations in biotic productivity, and access to sources of log response. terrigenous sediment. Mutti and Ricci Lucchi (1972) presented a lithofacies classification Comparison of the Cuyama Basin with the more "outboard" (in the for deep-marine clastic rocks. This classification is useful for describing the sense of being more seaward within the Miocene borderland) Santa Bar- Monterey Formation in the Cuyama Basin. The lithofacies used in this bara Basin shows that Cuyama contained, on average, more terrigenous study are a modification of the Mutti and Ricci Lucchi scheme. The lithofacies. This was due to its position adjacent to the primary Miocene modifications used adapt their classification to subsurface information (see strandline; thus, paleogeographic position within the Miocene borderland Lagoe, 1982; Fig. 3). was also an important control on Monterey deposition. Such comparisons The biostratigraphy of Miocene deep-marine rocks in California is Figure 2. Index map of the Cuyama Basin. Major faults: SAF, San Andreas fault; BSF, Big Spring fault; SJCF, San Juan-Chi- mineas fault; MF, Morales fault; WBF, Whiterock Bluff fault; RF, Russell fault; CF, Cox fault zone; OF, Ozena fault; SCF, South Cuyama fault; LPF, La Panza fault; RNF, Rinconada-Nacimiento fault. Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/96/10/1296/3444919/i0016-7606-96-10-1296.pdf by guest on 29 September 2021 1298 M. B. LAGOE MODIFIED MUTTI AND RICCI LUCCHI LITHOFACIES LITHO- LITHOLOGY BEDDING SEDIMENTARY E-LOG FACIES CHARACTERISTICS STRUCTURES SP 1 MOHAWK LUNDSTR UM 48-2JRES DOMINANTLY
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