California State University, Northridge Depositional Environments of the Eocene Domengine Formation Near Coalinga, Fresno County
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CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENTS OF THE EOCENE DOMENGINE FORMATION NEAR COALINGA, FRESNO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geology by Kathleen Ann Roush May, 1986 The Thesis of Kathleen Ann Roush is approved: L. Squires California State University, Northridge ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The writer would like to thank Drs. A. Eugene Fritsche, Richard Squires, and Stephan Graham for critically reviewing the manuscript and their constructive advise and guidance in completing this project. Special thanks to the Harris Feeding Company for allowing access to the type area and to Loretta Martin for typing the thesis. The writer would also like to thank Alan Hershey who analyzed the microfossil samples. Special appreciation is directed to James Roush for his help and patience. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Acknowledgements iii List of Illustrations ........................................................................ vii Tables ........................................................................................... ix Abstract .. .. .. ... ...... ... .. .. ... ..... .. .. .. ... ............ .. .... ...... ..... ... x Introduction ................................................................................... 1 Purpose ............................................................................... 1 Location and Accessibility 1 Previous Work ...................................................................... 4 Methods ••••••••....•••....•.••.•.•.•..••.•••.•.••••.•••...••.•.••••••.•••.•••••••.••• 4 Geologic Setting 22 Structure ....... ......... ........................................................ 2 2 Stratigraphy................................................................... 25 Lithosomes and Depositional Environments 29 Introduction .... ... .. .. .. ... .. .. .. ......... .. ........ ..... ...... ... .. .. 2 9 Coal 33 Description 33 Interpretation ................................................................. 3 5 Carbonaceous Mudstone ................... .............................. ....... 3 5 D~scription ..................................................................... 3 5 Interpretation 36 Cia ystone ........................................ ················.,.)··················· 3 8 Description ..................................................................... 3 8 iv PAGE Interpretation ................................................................. 3 9 Pebble Conglomerate 40 Description ..................................................................... 4 o Interpretation ................................................................. 4 1 Gray Sandy Mudstone 42 Description ..................................................................... 4 2 Interpretation ................................................................. 4 2 Mudstone-Pod-Bearing Sandstone 43 Description ..................................................................... 4 3 Interpretation ................................................................. 4 4 Ostrea-Bearing Sandstone 45 Description ..................................................................... 4 5 Interpretation 47 Coarse Sandstone 49 Description ..................................................................... 4 9 Interpretation ................................................................. 5o Fossiliferous Sandstone ......................................................... 5 1 Description ... .............................................................. .... s 1 Interpretation ................................................................. 55 Fine Structureless Sandstone 58 Description ·····································••••••o•••••···················· 58 Interpretation ................................................................. 59 Con glomera tic Sandstone ····················································~· 6 0 v PAGE Description ..................................................................... 6 o Interpretation ................................................................. 63 Fine Sandstone ..................................................................... 6 4 Description ..................................................................... 6 4 Interpretation ................................................................. 6 5 Sandy Mudstone ................................................................... 66 Description ..................................................................... 66 Interpretation ................................................................. 6 7 Glauconitic Sandstone 68 Description..................................................................... 68 Interpretation ................................................................. 7 0 Diagenesis of the Formation 70 Paleogeography .............................................................................. 7 2 Age and Correlation ............................................................. 7 2 Domengine-Kreyenhagen Unconformity 74 Provenance ·········································································· 76 Paleogeography 79 Climate . ................ ....... ..... ........ .. ... .. .. .. .... ..... ... ... 7 9 Paleogeography .:............................................................. 8 0 Domengine-A venal Equivalence ............................................. 8 4 References .......•....•............•.•...............••...•..•...•......••.........••..••....• 86 Appendix 1 93 Appendix 2 95 Appendix 3 ...................................................................... .............. 9 7 vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FIGURE PAGE 1. Index map of the study area. 2 2. General geologic map of the study area along the 3 southern Diablo Range. 3. Location of measured sections. 5 4. Explanation for measured stratigraphic sections. 7 5. Stratigraphic section of the Domengine Formation 8 measured in Coalmine Canyon, east corner section 27 and west corner section 26, T.20S., R.l4E., Alcalde Hills quandrangle, California. 6. Stratigraphic section measured on the west-facing 10 side of the Oil City Peak ridge in the southeast corner of section 17, T.l9S., R.l5E., Joaquin Rocks quadrangle, California. 7. Stratigraphic section measured on the west side of 11 Oil City Peak in the east corner of section 17, T.l9S., R.l5E, Joaquin Rocks quadrangle, California. 8. Stratigraphic section measured on the west-facing 1 2 ridge near the center of section 9, T.l9S., R.l5E., Joaquin Rocks quadrangle, California. 9. Stratigraphic section measured on the east side of 1 3 Domengine Creek, southern corner of section 29, T.l8S., R.15E., Joaquin Rocks quadrangle, California. 10. Stratigraphic section measured on the north side of 14 Salt Creek, central portion of section 1 O, T.l8S., R.l4E., Joaquin Rocks quadrangle, California. 11. Regional structure in the vicinity of the southern 23 portion of the study area. 12. Regional structure in the northern portion of the 24 study area. Outcrops of lower Tertiary sequences are indicated by the blackened areas. vii 13. i'J'Jrth to south stratigraphic cross section along the 26 south limb of the Vallecitos Syncline. Thicknesses south of Oil Canyon are approximated. 14. Nomenclatural history of the names and ages of 30 the formations in the study area. 15. North to south cross section showing the 3 1 distribution of lithosomes in the Domengine Formation plotted versus time. 16. Lowermost coal seam within the Coalmine Canyon 34 section. 17. Coal pods within the carbonaceous mudstone 37 lithosome. Pods do not necessarily follow bedding. 18. Fossiliferous sandstone lithosome in the Oil City 52 section. A fine sandstone lithosome bed is near the top of the photo. 19. Mottled appearance of the fossiliferous sandstone 53 lithosome in the Oil City section. 20. Alpha index plot of the foraminifera of the 56 fossiliferous sandstone and sandy mudstone lithosomes. 21. Conglomeratic sandstone lithosome in the 61 Domengine Creek section. 22. The conglomeratic sandstone lithosome of Salt 61 Creek. The lithosome is interbedded with the fine structureless sandstone lithosome and shows A) channel structure and B) normal parallel-bedded structure. 23. Correlation chart of the Domengine Formation 73 with various authors tor comparison of the age assignment. 24. Ternary diagrams showing the composition of rocks 78 from the Domengine, Panoche, and Yokut Formations. 25. Paleogeography of the study area during the 82 deposition of the Domengine Formation. 26. Paleogeography of the Alcalde Hills and Reef 83 Ridge during the deposition of the Domengine Formation. viii TABLES TABLE PAGE 1. Petrology and field location of rock samples. 1 5 2. Heavy mineral analysis of seven samples from the 16 Domengine Formation. 3. Composition of conglomeratic samples from the 17 Domengine Formation. 4. Macrofossils from the Domengine Formation. 19 5. Microfossils from the Domengine Formation. 20 6. Lithosomes within the Domengine Formation and 32 the associated depositional environments. ix ABSTRACT DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENTS OF THE EOCENE DOMENGINE FORMATION NEAR COALINGA, FRESNO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA by Kathleen Ann Roush Department of Geological Sciences California State University, Northridge Northridge, California The upper lower through lower middle Eocene Domengine Sandstone crops out in the southern Diablo Range in the Alcalde and Big Blue Hills. The formation reaches a maximum thickness of 65 m and is overlain by the deep-