Biostratigraphy of the Phosphoria, Park City, and Shedhorn Formations
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Biostratigraphy of the Phosphoria, Park City, and Shedhorn Formations GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 313-D Work done partly on behalf of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Biostratigraphy of the Phosphoria, Park City, and Shedhorn Formations By ELLIS L. YOCHELSON With a Section on Fish By DIANNE H. VAN SICKLE GEOLOGY OF PERMIAN ROCKS IN THE WESTERN PHOSPHATE FIELD GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 313-D Work done partly on behalf of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission Distribution of megafossils in more than collections, mainly from measured sections^ and their paleoecological interpretation UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1968 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 - Price 60 cents (paper cover) CONTENTS Page Page Abstract., ________________________________________ 571 Age of the Phosphoria and correlative formations Con. Introduction.______________________________________ 572 Shedhorn Sandstone.__________-____----------__ 626 Stratigraphic setting.___________________________ 573 Summary of age relationships,___________________ 627 Previous work..________________________________ 573 Geographic distribution of collections-________-___---- 630 Acknowledgments ______________________________ 574 Grandeur Member of Park City Formation-------- 630 Pr ocedures_ ________________________________________ 574 Idaho-__________________________________ 631 Identification__ _ _ _____________________________ 574 Montana.____--____-__________---___--_-_- 631 Abundance.___________________________________ 575 Utah ______--_-------_---_----_----- 932 Arrangement of summary data.____-__________--- 576 Wyoming. _____________________--__-------- 632 Ecological considerations.___________________________ 577 Lower chert member of Phosphoria Formation. _ _ _ _ 632 Fauna! elements._______________________________ 577 Meade Peak Phosphatic Shale Member of Phos Protozoa_________________________________ 579 phoria Formation.. _ __________________________ 633 Porif era_ __________________________________ 580 Idaho___________ -_ ---_ 633 Coelenterata_ ______________________________ 580 Montana.------_-----_----_---------_----- 633 Echinodermata_ ____________________________ 580 Utah_____-______-____--_____-__--_--.--- 633 Bryozoa_ __________________________________ 581 Wyoming. ____________________--_-____-_--- 634 Brachiopoda_ ______________________________ 582 Franson Member of Park City Formation.-_ _______ 634 Inarticulata. ___________________________ 582 Idaho._____________________________ 635 Articulata.____________________________ 583 Montana. _______^_-_-_______-_--__-------- 635 Moil us ca __________________________________ 585 Utah__________________________________ __ 635 Pelecypoda_ ___________________________ 585 Wyoming- ____________________-_-_-_-_--__- 636 Protobranchs_ ____________________ 586 Rex Chert Member of Phosphoria Formation-_____ 638 Pectenoids and mytiloids____________ 587 Idaho-_--_--_-----_---_----_---------___ 638 Other pelecyods.___________________ 588 Montana.__-_---_-___--_-__---.----.------ 639 Scaphopoda_ ______ _ ___________________ 588 Utah___________________________-_____-_--- 639 Gastropoda. ____________________________ 588 Wyoming. _________________________________ 639 Cephalopoda.__________________________ 589 Lower member of Shedhorn Sandstone.___________ 640 Arthropoda_ _______________________________ 590 Montana.---______--___-_-__--_---_--_--_- 640 Fish, by Dianne H. Van Sickle-______________ 591 Wyoming- _________________________________ 640 Associations of the fauna._______________________ 591 Retort Phosphatic Shale Member of Phosphoria Fossil categories ____________________________ 591 Formation _-___________________--_-_-_____--- 640 Interpretation of categories._________________ 594 Idaho._____-_______---____------_-_----_-- 641 Paleoecological interpretations______________________ 597 Montana._________________________________ 641 Park City Formation__________________________ 597 Wyoming. __-________________-----_---__-_- 641 Grandeur Member.____ ____________________ 597 Cherty shale member of Phosphoria Formation....- 642 Franson and Ervay Members.__________-_--_ 598 Ervay Carbonate Rock Member of Park City Phosphoria Formation_________________________ 600 Formation. _ _--______---_____-________----- 642 Meade Peak and Retort Phosphatic Shale Mem Utah_-___.________-__-___--___---_----_--- 642 bers., ___________________________________ 600 Wyoming. ______________-__-___--_-___--__- 642 Lower chert, Rex, and Tosi Chert Members.__.. 614 Tosi Chert Member of Phosphoria Formation._____ 643 Shedhorn Sandstone.___________________________ 616 Montana._________________________________ 643 Age of the Phosphoria and correlative formations.______ 617 Wyoming..... _____________ ________________ 643 Phosphoria Formation_________________________ 622 Upper member of Shedhorn Sandstone.___________ 643 Meade Peak and Retort Phosphatic Shale Mem Montana._________________________________ 643 bers... __________________________________ 622 Wyoming__________________----__--_____- 644 Lower chert, Rex, and Tosi Chert Members.___ 623 Register of localities._______________________________ 644 Park City Formation__________________________ 624 Unstudied and discarded collections.._________________ 653 Grandeur Member._________________________ 624 References.________________--_-__-____-_--__-_---_- 654 Franson and Ervay Members._______________ 625 Index ____-______-_--___-__-_-----_-___--_--__---_- 657 m IV CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 157. Distribution of sections from which fossils were collected. _______________-___________-__---_-_------- 578 158-166. Position of collections in sections of Meade Peak Member from 158. Mud Spring to North Wooley Range, Idaho_______________________ 603 159. Ballard Trench to Conda mine, Idaho____-__-_-_-_--__-____---_---_----------_-------_- 604 160. Trail Canyon to West Dairy, Idaho___________________________________ ____ 605 161. Swan Lake Gulch to Hot Spring, Idaho_________________________ 606 162. Little Brush Creek to Strawberry Valley, Utah__________________ _ 607 163. Hobble Creek to Laketown Canyon, Utah__________________________________ 608 164. Cumberland to Basin Creek, Wyo_____________-_-_-_-_____-_______.________-- 609 165. Fall Creek, Idaho, to Wheat Creek, Wyo___________________________________-__ 610 166. Fall Creek, Idaho, to Bull Lake, Wyo_.__________________________________. 611 167, 168. Position of collections in sections of Retort Member from 167. Kelley Gulch to Little Sheep Creek, Mont___ -_-___._ . 612 168. Big Sheep Canyon to Canyon Camp, Mont-____________________-____-___-_--______-__-_- 613 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Occurrences of fossil categories in the Park City Formation__ _ _____________________________________________ 597 2. Occurrences of fossil categories in Phosphoria and Shedhorn Formations..______________________-_----__---.-_ 601 3. Occurrence by State and stratigraphic member of coelenterates, echinoderms, bryozoans, arthropods, vertebrates, and generically identifiable brachiopods and mollusks within the Phosphoria, Park City, and Shedhorn For mations. ________________________________________________________________________________________ 618 4. Stratigraphic occurrence of brachiopods and mollusks in the Phosphoria rock complex_______________________ 627 5. Distribution and preliminary identification of fish remains in Wyoming________________________-___---__--- 629 GEOLOGY OF THE PERMIAN ROCKS IN THE WESTERN PHOSPHATE FIELD BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE PHOSPHORIA, PARK CITY, AND SHEDHORN FORMATIONS BY ELLIS L. YOCHELSON ABSTRACT dance. A few species of mollusks and brachiopods constitute the preponderate number of individuals. The fauna is remark During fieldwork on the Phosphoria, Park City, and Shedhorn able in that it contains many sponge spicules locally and Formations, 1,509 collections of fossils were obtained. This unusually abundant inarticulate brachiopods, cephalopods, and report is concerned (1) with the identity and stratigraphic and fish fragments. The deviations from a more normal fauna geographic distribution of these fossils, (2) with paleoeco- might be due to the effects of sea water rich in silica and logical inferences which may be drawn from these fossils, and phosphate but slightly reduced in salinity. (3) with the age of the formations collectively termed the The brachiopods can be divided into two main groups by Phosphoria rock complex, for the sake of convenience. occurrence. In one group, found only in limestones and cal The Phosphoria rock complex consists of three formations: the careous shales, the brachiopods have three main modes of Shedhorn Sandstone, divided into a lower and upper member; life: cemented, attached by a pedicle, and free living. The other the Phosphoria Formation, divided in ascending order into the group, found only in phosphatic shales, contains generally lower chert member, Meade Peak Phosphatic Shale Member, smaller specimens that were both free living and attached by a Rex Chert Member, cherty shale member, Retort Phosphatic pedicle. The mollusks show this division with swimming forms, Shale Member, and Tosi Chert Member; and the Park City cephalopods, that are characteristic of the "claystones facies" Formation, divided in ascending order into the Grandeur Mem and shallow burrowers, scaphopods, that