Basin and Range Province Near It Lake City, Utah
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retaceous and Paleogene SeG locks and Isotonir Acrpcr of PEkonnQenP T f+ id the Beginning of Rapid Regior Extension, Eastern Boundary of thk Basin and Range Province Near It Lake City, Utah -- ) - - . - - - "-' ' - r e r " . f1 - : - -- r -- - - - - - - -_ _- -_-_* - *- - - - - - - - - - .-- K ~ ~. - - - -"- --- -- - - - - - --- - - - - - - et 'r" . e . - r - - - - * - - --- -- -- -"- - - - - -- _-- - i - - - ~ -, - -** -. q... - ----.. -- - - - * - -' --, -o - - e. metadc34452 - \\\ \\ \ \ q * ::000: , 0 .:_b:!". *9O..o. - l Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene Sedimentary Rocks and Isotopic Ages of Paleogene Tuffs, Uinta Basin, Utah By BRUCE BRYANT, C. W. NAESER, R. F. MARVIN, and H. H. MEHNERT Ages of Late Paleogene and Neogene Tuffs and the Beginning of Rapid Regional Extension, Eastern Boundary of the Basin and Range Province Near Salt Lake City, Utah By BRUCE BRYANT, C. W. NAESER, R. F. MARVIN, and H. H. MEHNERT Chapters J and K are issued as a single volume and are not available separately U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1787-J,K EVOLUTION OF SEDIMENTARY BASINS-UINTA AND PICEANCE BASINS DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MANUEL LUJAN, JR., Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1989 For sale by the Books and Open-File Reports Section U.S. Geological Survey Federal Center Box 25425 Denver, CO 80225 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene sedimentary rocks and isotopic ages of Paleogene tuffs, Uinta Basin, Utah / by Bruce Bryant ... [et al.]. Ages of late Paleogene and Neogene tuffs and the beginning of rapid regional extension, eastern boundary of the basin and range province near Salt Lake City, Utah / by Bruce Bryant ... [et al.]. p. cm. - (Evolution of sedimentary basins-Uinta and Piceance basins; ch. J-K) (U.S. Geological Survey bulletin ; 1787) Includes bibliographies. Supt. of Docs. no.: I 19.3:11787J-K 1. Volcanic ash, tuff, etc.-Utah. 2. Geology, Stratigraphic-Cretaceous. 3. Geology, Stratigraphic-Paleogene. 4. Uinta Basin (Utah and Colo.) 5. Geology, Stratigraphic-Neogene. 6. Rocks, Sedimentary-Utah. I. Bryant, Bruce. II. Ages of late Paleogene and neogene tuffs and the beginning of rapid regional extension, eastern boundary of the basin and range province near Salt Lake City, Utah. 1990. III. Series. IV. Series: U.S. Geological Survey bulletin ; 1787. QE75.B9 no. 1787 J-K [QE461] 557.3 s-dc20 [552'.23] 89-600160 CIP Chapter J Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene Sedimentary Rocks and Isotopic Ages of Paleogene Tuffs, Uinta Basin, Utah By BRUCE BRYANT, C. W. NAESER, R. F. MARVIN, and H. H. MEHNERT A multidisciplinary approach to research studies of sedimentary rocks and their constituents and the evolution of sedimentary basins, both ancient and modern U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1787 EVOLUTION OF SEDIMENTARY BASINS-UINTA AND PICEANCE BASINS CONTENTS Abstract Ji Introduction Ji Previous work J3 Stratigraphy J4 Currant Creek Formation J4 North Horn Formation J4 Green River Formation J5 Uinta Formation J7 Duchesne River Formation J7 Brennan Basin Member J8 Dry Gulch Creek Member J8 Lapoint Member J8 Starr Flat Member J8 Undivided Duchesne River Formation J9 Faunal ages of the deposits J10 Isotopic ages of the tuffs J10 Previous work J10 Present work Jil Source of the tuffs J16 Future studies J16 Conclusions J16 References cited J17 Appendix. Description of sample localities J21 PLATE [Plate is in pocket] 1. Geologic map of uppermost Cretaceous and Paleogene rocks in the Uinta basin, Utah. FIGURES 1. Map showing tectonic setting of Uinta basin, northeastern Utah J2 2-4. Charts showing: 2. Fission-track ages of zircon from tuffs in upper Green River Formation, Duchesne River Formation, and conglomerate J12 3. Comparison of biotite and zircon ages from tuffs in upper part of Green River Formation and in Duchesne River Formation J12 4. Fission-track ages of zircon from tuffs in upper part of Green River Formation and in Duchesne River Formation in pseudosection in Indian Canyon-Bluebell-Neola-Uinta River area J14 5. Diagram showing age and distribution of upper part of Green River Formation, Uinta Formation, Duchesne River Formation, and Bishop Conglomerate in east-west cross section across Uinta basin J15 Contents III TABLES 1. Fission-track ages of zircon from tuffs in the western and central Uinta basin Jtt 2. Potassium-argon ages of biotite from tuffs in the Uinta basin J11 CONVERSION FACTORS FOR SOME SI METRIC AND U.S. UNITS OF MEASURE To convert from To Multiply by Feet (ft) Meters (m) 0.3048 Miles (mi) Kilometers (km) 1.609 Pounds (lb) Kilograms (kg) 0.4536 Degrees Fahrenheit (*F) Degrees Celsius (*C) Temp *C = (temp *F-32)/1.8 IV Contents EVOLUTION OF SEDIMENTARY BASINS-UINTA AND PICEANCE BASINS Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene Sedimentary Rocks and Isotopic Ages of Paleogene Tuffs, Uinta Basin, Utah By Bruce Bryant, C.W. Naeser, R.F. Marvin, and H.H Mehnert Abstract Tuffs interbedded with Paleogene sediments from 24 localities in the Uinta basin were dated by using isotopic Reconnaissance geologic mapping and isotopic dating methods. Potassium-argon ages of biotite and fission-track of tuff beds in the Uinta basin of Utah show that Lake Uinta ages of zircon indicate that lacustrine deposition in the probably persisted into late Eocene time in the area between western part of the basin continued until latest Eocene time, Duchesne and Strawberry Reservoir. In the area east of perhaps to 37.6 Ma. Ages determined for tuffs near the type Duchesne, contemporaneous deposition occurred on mud- Duchesnean faunal locality in the eastern part of the basin flats that were occasionally inundated by lake waters. The near the base of the Lapoint Member range from 35 to 37 Ma, sediments deposited in Lake Uinta form the Green River or very earliest Oligocene. An unconformity at the base of the Formation, and those deposited adjacent to Lake Uinta form Starr Flat Member at the northern margin of the basin has the Uinta Formation. North of Lake Uinta and west of Du- been dated as early Oligocene and indicates that a pulse of chesne, deposition of quartz sand from the Uinta Mountains uplift occurred in the southern part of the Uinta Mountains at produced rocks here included in the Duchesne River that time. Some of the isotopic ages from the Starr Flat Formation. Member of the Duchesne River are approximately the same Uplift of the central Uinta Mountains in late Eocene time as ages obtained in studies of the Bishop Conglomerate on produced a flood of quartz sand from the north that was the southern flank of the eastern Uinta Mountains; mild deposited across the axis of the basin to form the Duchesne tectonism probably continued in the area of the Uinta basin River Formation in the central and eastern parts of the basin. into the middle of Oligocene time, a time during which the West of the Duchesne River, the Uinta Mountains continued area of the Uinta Mountains was tectonically quiescent. to be the source of the alluvial-facies sediments that were Many of the biotite potassium-argon and zircon fission- deposited on top of deposits of Lake Uinta. track ages are discordant. In the tuffs for which the biotite In the central Uinta Mountains, relief decreased such ages are older than the zircon ages, this discordance may that siltstones and tuffs were deposited in the area of the result from minor amounts of detrital Precambrian biotite; in present-day surface structural axis of the basin, quite close to tuffs for which the biotite ages are younger, it may result from the Uinta Mountains, to form the Lapoint Member of the alteration of the biotite. The fission-track ages generally agree Duchesne River Formation. Continued uplift of the central with the stratigraphic order of the samples, but their large and western Uinta Mountains in Oligocene time led to analytical uncertainty makes them less than ideal for precise truncation of upturned beds of the lower part of the Duchesne geochronological work. River at the northern margin of the basin and deposition of the Starr Flat Member of the Duchesne River Formation, which consists of boulder to pebble conglomerate and INTRODUCTION sandstone at the edge of the mountains but grades southward into dominantly sandstone. The Starr Flat Member cannot be distinguished from the overlying Bishop The Uinta basin is in northeastern Utah, at the Conglomerate with certainty. northern margin of the Colorado Plateau and south of the east-trending Uinta Mountains (fig. 1). During latest Cretaceous and Paleogene time, as much as 6 km of rocks was deposited in alluvial and lacustrine envi- Manuscript approved for publication, May 5, 1989. ronments in the deepest part of the basin adjacent to the Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene Sedimentary Rocks, Utah J1 113* 112* 111* 110" 109* 108* 107" 420 UTAH GtSI Great alt 41*-- Lake IWYUMINGi Keetley COLORADO 4 Salt Lake City "r ounntans O M As - SOUTH FL Area of plate 1 Oquirrh Mountains vC, q/ 40 _ East Tintic Kj 400 Mountains E Goldens Ranch 7PCA Formation /|SjBASIN Moroni Formation1Y 390 I/ COLORADO PLATEAU 0 100 200 KILOMETERS EXPLANATION - - Present margin of uppermost Cretaceous and Paleocene sedimentary rocks of the Uinta and Piceance basins; dashed where discontinuous because of later deformation or cover by younger rocks Structural axis of Uinta basin 4- - Axis of Uinta uplift High-angle fault; bar and ball on downthrown side V-V-V Thrust fault; teeth on upper plate --- -T Eastern margin of Sevier orogenic belt; teeth on upper plate 9 Late Eocene and Oligocene intrusive rocks 1 Late Eocene and Oligocene volcanic field Figure 1. Tectonic setting of Uinta basin, northeastern Utah.