DOCSLIB.ORG

Salt Tectonic Controls on Facies and Sequence Stratigraphy of the Triassic Chinle Formation, Gypsum Valley Salt Wall, Colorado

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Salt Tectonic Controls on Facies and Sequence Stratigraphy of the Triassic Chinle Formation, Gypsum Valley Salt Wall, Colorado SALT TECTONIC CONTROLS ON FACIES AND SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY OF THE TRIASSIC CHINLE FORMATION, GYPSUM VALLEY SALT WALL, COLORADO ELIZABETH ANNE HENESS Master’s Program in Geological Science APPROVED: Richard P. Langford, Ph.D., Chair Katherine A. Giles, Ph.D. Carl Lieb, Ph.D. Charles Ambler, Ph.D. Dean of the Graduate School Copyright © by Elizabeth Anne Heness 2016 Dedication For my neighbor Len, many summers were spent in his garden learning about the earth. SALT TECTONIC CONTROLS ON FACIES AND SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY OF THE TRIASSIC CHINLE FORMATION, GYPSUM VALLEY SALT WALL, COLORADO by ELIZABETH ANNE HENESS, B.S. THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of The University of Texas at El Paso in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Geological Science THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO May 2016 ProQuest Number: 10118803 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ProQuest 10118803 Published by ProQuest LLC (2016). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 - 1346 Acknowledgements I would like to thank my professors, family, and friends who supported me, through good and bad times. Many of us do not realize the impact that we have on each other, for those who have impacted me I am truly blessed. v Abstract This study focuses on mapping the facies geometry and depositional sequences of the Chinle Formation adjacent to the Gypsum Valley Salt Wall (GVSW). Interactions between salt tectonics and fluvial systems can affect sediment distribution. The upper Triassic Chinle Formation was deposited across the western U.S. in an intra-cratonic, fluvial environment. Throughout the Paradox Basin in Utah and Colorado, deformation associated with rising salt anticlines and subsiding minibasins coincided with Chinle deposition. In most areas, only small and isolated remnant Chinle outcrops actually expose the contact between Chinle sediments and the salt diapir. In Gypsum Valley three study areas were mapped and sampled based on proximity to the GV diapir, and a fourth location, 12 km from the diapir was chosen as a standard to compare and contrast with Chinle facies documented proximal to the diapir. Fifteen correlated stratigraphic sections illustrate the stratigraphy and the distribution of the Chinle facies. Near the diapir, conglomeratic facies contain clasts predominately composed of carbonate eroded from the diapir caprock. The carbonate conglomeratic lenses disappear within 0.7 km of the diapir. Individual sandstone channels are 0.5 – 1.0 m thick and extend roughly 2.0 m on outcrop. Channels are laterally stacked and, in some units, vertically stacked. Red siltstones, over 16 m thick form overbank deposits, that separate channel complexes. Within the expanse of overbank deposits, paleosols 0.5 meters in thickness consist of blocky clay peds, and in some instances exhibit extensive sand-rich lateral rooted horizons. Along strike channels, overbank deposits and lacustrine deposits are traceable for ~3.5 km. Lacustrine units contain abundant septerian nodules and sandstone concretions. Debris flows are restricted to areas where the Chinle Formation is in contact with the underlying diapir caprock. By contrast, 12 km from the diapir, ~50 meters of coarse to medium grained sandstone predominate, no caprock conglomerates occur, indicating that the material either breaks down before traveling far, or the presence of a depositional barrier to the diapir derived carbonate clast/grain dispersal. Petrographic analysis indicates a complex cement history that changes with proximity to the diapir. A fourth Halokinetic Sequence is reported that records angular unconforities of 3-10 degrees. vi Table of Contents Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................v Abstract .................................................................................................................. vi Table of Contents .................................................................................................. vii List of Tables ......................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................1 1.1 Background and Geological Setting: .....................................................3 1.2 Salt Tectonism and Sedimentation: .....................................................10 1.3 Regional Setting of Gypsum Valley: ...................................................11 1.4 Previous Work: Salt Tectonism and Chinle Stratigraphy: ...................14 1.5 Study Areas: .........................................................................................16 1.6 Methods (Analysis): .............................................................................16 Chapter Two: Chinle Lithofacies and Facies Associations of the late Triassic Chinle Formation ..........................................................................................19 2.1 Lithofacies ............................................................................................25 2.2 Facies Associations ..............................................................................30 2.3 Differences in Facies Association by Locality ....................................51 Chapter Three: Petrographic Facies and Diagenesis .............................................56 3.1 Petrofacies Association (PFA) .............................................................58 3.2 Petrofacies Interpretation .....................................................................76 3.3 Diagenetic Sequences ..........................................................................79 Chapter Four: Sequence Stratigraphy ....................................................................88 4.1 Halokinetic Sequence Stratigraphy ......................................................88 4.2 Fluvial Sequence Stratigraphy .............................................................89 Chapter Five: Discussion .....................................................................................104 5.1 Discussion ..........................................................................................104 vii Chapter Six: Conclusion ......................................................................................111 References ............................................................................................................114 Appendix 1 ...........................................................................................................122 Appendix 2 ...........................................................................................................123 Appendix 3 ...........................................................................................................124 Appendix 4 ...........................................................................................................125 Vita ....................................................................................................................126 viii List of Tables Table 1: Lithofacies table with corresponding codes, grain size, abundance, and geometry. ...................................................................................................................28 Table 2: Facies Associations with corresponding Miall facies. .................................50 Table 3: Facies Association Percentages by Stratigraphic Section. ..........................51 ix List of Figures Figure 1: Map of study area and surrounding salt structures of Utah and Colorado.2 Figure 2: Geologic Map of Gypsum Valley. .............................................................5 Figure 3: Lithostratigraphic Members of the Late Triassic Chinle Formation. .......8 Figure 4: Stratigraphic Distribution of Facies Associations of Bridge Canyon. ......20 Figure 5: Stratigraphic Distribution of Facies Associations of the Box Canyon Transect. ...............................................................................................................22 Figure 6: Stratigraphic Distribution of Facies Associations of Summit Canyon. .....24 Figure 7: Lithofacies as seen in outcrop. ..................................................................30 Figure 8: Facies Association 1. .................................................................................33 Figure 9: Facies Association 2. .................................................................................35 Figure 10: Facies Association 3. ...............................................................................37 Figure 11: Facies Association 4. ...............................................................................39 Figure 12: Facies Association 5. ...............................................................................43 Figure 13: Facies Association 6. ...............................................................................45 Figure 14: Facies Association
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Hydrogeology of the Chinle Wash Watershed, Navajo Nation Arizona, Utah and New Mexico
    Hydrogeology of the Chinle Wash Watershed, Navajo Nation Arizona, Utah and New Mexico Item Type Thesis-Reproduction (electronic); text Authors Roessel, Raymond J. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 07/10/2021 19:50:22 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/191379 HYDROGEOLOGY OF THE CHINLE WASH WATERSHED, NAVAJO NATION, ARIZONA, UTAH AND NEW MEXICO by Raymond J. Roessel A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF HYDROLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE WITH A MAJOR IN HYDROLOGY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1994 2 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his or her judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author.
    [Show full text]
  • Tse' Nikani Draft Corridor Management
    Tse'nikani Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan DRAFT August 2013 Introduction Purpose Tse’nikani Scenic Byway was established The purpose of a byway corridor as an Arizona Byway in 2005 and given the management plan is not to create more name Tse’nikani ‘Flat Mesa Rock’ Scenic regulations or taxes. Rather, a corridor Byway. management plan documents the goals, strategies, and responsibilities for preserving and enhancing the byway’s most Byway Description valuable qualities. Promoting tourism can Tse’nikani Scenic Byway, U.S. Highway be one target, but so are issues of safety or (US) 191 is located in northeast Arizona preserving historic or cultural structures. in Apache County and entirely within the 160 The Corridor Management Plan can: Navajo Nation. The portion of US 191 that 1 160 Tse’nikani is a designated Arizona Scenic Byway is Scenic Road ◊ document community interest from Milepost (MP) 467.0, south of Many ◊ document existing conditions and Farms, to MP 510.4, at the junction with history US 160, near Mexican Water. The highway ◊ guide enhancement and safety is the primary route to access Canyon de improvement projects ARIZONA Chelly National Monument, about 13 miles mexico new south of the south end of the byway. ◊ promote partnerships for conservation Chinle and enhancement activities US 191 is a two-lane asphalt paved road for ◊ suggest resources for project development almost its entire length with no median and programs and few left-turn lanes. The roadway is ◊ promote coordination between residents, managed by the Arizona Department communities, and agencies of Transportation (ADOT) through the 264 Ganado ◊ support application for National Scenic Navajo Nation.
    [Show full text]
  • English Information
    National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Capitol Reef National Park … the light seems to flow or shine out of the rock rather than to be reflected English from it. – Clarence Dutton, geologist and early explorer of Capitol Reef, 1880s A Wrinkle in the Earth A vibrant palette of color spills across the landscape before bridges, and twisting canyons. Over millions of years geologic forces you. The hues are constantly changing, altered by the play shaped, lifted, and folded the earth, creating this rugged, remote area of light against the towering cliffs, massive domes, arches, known as the Waterpocket Fold. Panorama Point at Sunset Erosion creates waterpockets and potholes that collect The Castle is made of fractured Wingate Sandstone perched upon grey Chinle and red Moenkopi Formations. rainwater and snowmelt, enhancing a rich ecosystem. From the east, the Waterpocket Fold appears as a formidable barrier Capitol Dome reminded early travelers of the US Capitol to travel, much like a barrier reef in an ocean. building and later inspired the name of the park. Creating the Waterpocket Fold Capitol Reef’s defining geologic feature is a wrinkle in Uplift: Between 50 and 70 million years ago, an ancient fault was Earth’s crust, extending nearly 100 miles from Thousand reactivated during a time of tectonic activity, lifting the layers to the Lake Mountain to Lake Powell. It was created over time by west of the fault over 7,000 feet higher than those to the east. Rather three gradual, yet powerful processes—deposition, uplift, than cracking, the rock layers folded over the fault line.
    [Show full text]
  • Geology and Stratigraphy Column
    Capitol Reef National Park National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Geology “Geology knows no such word as forever.” —Wallace Stegner Capitol Reef National Park’s geologic story reveals a nearly complete set of Mesozoic-era sedimentary layers. For 200 million years, rock layers formed at or near sea level. About 75-35 million years ago tectonic forces uplifted them, forming the Waterpocket Fold. Forces of erosion have been sculpting this spectacular landscape ever since. Deposition If you could travel in time and visit Capitol Visiting Capitol Reef 180 million years ago, Reef 245 million years ago, you would not when the Navajo Sandstone was deposited, recognize the landscape. Imagine a coastal you would have been surrounded by a giant park, with beaches and tidal flats; the water sand sea, the largest in Earth’s history. In this moves in and out gently, shaping ripple marks hot, dry climate, wind blew over sand dunes, in the wet sand. This is the environment creating large, sweeping crossbeds now in which the sediments of the Moenkopi preserved in the sandstone of Capitol Dome Formation were deposited. and Fern’s Nipple. Now jump ahead 20 million years, to 225 All the sedimentary rock layers were laid million years ago. The tidal flats are gone and down at or near sea level. Younger layers were the climate supports a tropical jungle, filled deposited on top of older layers. The Moenkopi with swamps, primitive trees, and giant ferns. is the oldest layer visible from the visitor center, The water is stagnant and a humid breeze with the younger Chinle Formation above it.
    [Show full text]
  • Mesozoic Stratigraphy at Durango, Colorado
    160 New Mexico Geological Society, 56th Field Conference Guidebook, Geology of the Chama Basin, 2005, p. 160-169. LUCAS AND HECKERT MESOZOIC STRATIGRAPHY AT DURANGO, COLORADO SPENCER G. LUCAS AND ANDREW B. HECKERT New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 1801 Mountain Rd. NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104 ABSTRACT.—A nearly 3-km-thick section of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks is exposed at Durango, Colorado. This section con- sists of Upper Triassic, Middle-Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous strata that well record the geological history of southwestern Colorado during much of the Mesozoic. At Durango, Upper Triassic strata of the Chinle Group are ~ 300 m of red beds deposited in mostly fluvial paleoenvironments. Overlying Middle-Upper Jurassic strata of the San Rafael Group are ~ 300 m thick and consist of eolian sandstone, salina limestone and siltstone/sandstone deposited on an arid coastal plain. The Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation is ~ 187 m thick and consists of sandstone and mudstone deposited in fluvial environments. The only Lower Cretaceous strata at Durango are fluvial sandstone and conglomerate of the Burro Canyon Formation. Most of the overlying Upper Cretaceous section (Dakota, Mancos, Mesaverde, Lewis, Fruitland and Kirtland units) represents deposition in and along the western margin of the Western Interior seaway during Cenomanian-Campanian time. Volcaniclastic strata of the overlying McDermott Formation are the youngest Mesozoic strata at Durango. INTRODUCTION Durango, Colorado, sits in the Animas River Valley on the northern flank of the San Juan Basin and in the southern foothills of the San Juan and La Plata Mountains. Beginning at the northern end of the city, and extending to the southern end of town (from north of Animas City Mountain to just south of Smelter Moun- tain), the Animas River cuts in an essentially downdip direction through a homoclinal Mesozoic section of sedimentary rocks about 3 km thick (Figs.
    [Show full text]
  • Analysis of a Sponge Bioherm from the Hermosa Group, Molas Lake Area, Colorado
    Bowling Green State University ScholarWorks@BGSU Honors Projects Honors College Spring 2014 Analysis of a Sponge Bioherm from the Hermosa Group, Molas Lake Area, Colorado Joanna Hamilton [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/honorsprojects Part of the Paleobiology Commons Repository Citation Hamilton, Joanna, "Analysis of a Sponge Bioherm from the Hermosa Group, Molas Lake Area, Colorado" (2014). Honors Projects. 116. https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/honorsprojects/116 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the Honors College at ScholarWorks@BGSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors Projects by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@BGSU. Analysis of a Sponge Bioherm from the Hermosa Group, Molas Lake Area, Colorado Joanna Hamilton Bowling Green State University Department of Geology April 2013 Introduction: The Hermosa Group The Hermosa Group is a Pennsylvanian (~310 Ma) rock unit found in the southwestern San Juan Mountains and the Paradox Basin. The Paradox Basin is a northwest-southeast trending basin related to the Uncompahgre Uplift in the north, salt deposition and movement throughout, and a Precambrian fault system in the underlying basement rocks (Brown 2002, Trudgill and Arbuckle 2009). The Uncompahgre Uplift occurred in response to the Ouachita – Marathon Orogeny (related to the Ancestral Rocky Mountains Orogeny) caused by the collision of North America and South America-Africa during the Late Mississippian (~ 320 Ma) (Trudgill and Arbuckle 2009, Pazzaglia et al. 1999). The Paradox Basin formed as a complimentary subsidence basin alongside the uplifted area (Brown 2002). When the basin subsided, smaller structural features formed within it, including step-down grabens close to the uplift and folded areas further away (Baars and Stevenson 1981, Brown 2002).
    [Show full text]
  • Permian Stratigraphy of the Defiance Plateau, Arizona H
    New Mexico Geological Society Downloaded from: http://nmgs.nmt.edu/publications/guidebooks/18 Permian stratigraphy of the Defiance Plateau, Arizona H. Wesley Peirce, 1967, pp. 57-62 in: Defiance, Zuni, Mt. Taylor Region (Arizona and New Mexico), Trauger, F. D.; [ed.], New Mexico Geological Society 18th Annual Fall Field Conference Guidebook, 228 p. This is one of many related papers that were included in the 1967 NMGS Fall Field Conference Guidebook. Annual NMGS Fall Field Conference Guidebooks Every fall since 1950, the New Mexico Geological Society (NMGS) has held an annual Fall Field Conference that explores some region of New Mexico (or surrounding states). Always well attended, these conferences provide a guidebook to participants. Besides detailed road logs, the guidebooks contain many well written, edited, and peer-reviewed geoscience papers. These books have set the national standard for geologic guidebooks and are an essential geologic reference for anyone working in or around New Mexico. Free Downloads NMGS has decided to make peer-reviewed papers from our Fall Field Conference guidebooks available for free download. Non-members will have access to guidebook papers two years after publication. Members have access to all papers. This is in keeping with our mission of promoting interest, research, and cooperation regarding geology in New Mexico. However, guidebook sales represent a significant proportion of our operating budget. Therefore, only research papers are available for download. Road logs, mini-papers, maps, stratigraphic charts, and other selected content are available only in the printed guidebooks. Copyright Information Publications of the New Mexico Geological Society, printed and electronic, are protected by the copyright laws of the United States.
    [Show full text]
  • Rainfall-Runoff Model for Black Creek Watershed, Navajo Nation
    Rainfall-Runoff Model for Black Creek Watershed, Navajo Nation Item Type text; Proceedings Authors Tecle, Aregai; Heinrich, Paul; Leeper, John; Tallsalt-Robertson, Jolene Publisher Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science Journal Hydrology and Water Resources in Arizona and the Southwest Rights Copyright ©, where appropriate, is held by the author. Download date 25/09/2021 20:12:23 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/301297 37 RAINFALL-RUNOFF MODEL FOR BLACK CREEK WATERSHED, NAVAJO NATION Aregai Tecle1, Paul Heinrich1, John Leeper2, and Jolene Tallsalt-Robertson2 ABSTRACT This paper develops a rainfall-runoff model for estimating surface and peak flow rates from precipitation storm events on the Black Creek watershed in the Navajo Nation. The Black Creek watershed lies in the southern part of the Navajo Nation between the Defiance Plateau on the west and the Chuska Mountains on the east. The area is in the semiarid part of the Colorado Plateau on which there is about 10 inches of precipitation a year. We have two main purposes for embarking on the study. One is to determine the amount of runoff and peak flow rate generated from rainfall storm events falling on the 655 square mile watershed and the second is to provide the Navajo Nation with a method for estimating water yield and peak flow in the absence of adequate data. Two models, Watershed Modeling System (WMS) and the Hydrologic Engineering Center (HEC) Hydrological Modeling System (HMS) that have Geographic Information System (GIS) capabilities are used to generate stream hydrographs. Figure 1. Physiographic map of the Navajo Nation with the Chuska The latter show peak flow rates and total amounts of Mountain and Deance Plateau and Stream Gaging Stations.
    [Show full text]
  • The Geology of Quail Creek State Park Itself, the Park Is Surrounded by a Landscape of Enormous Geological and Human Interest
    TT HH EE G E O L OO GG Y OO FF Q UU AA II LL C R E E K SS T A TT EE PP A R K T H E G E O L O G Y O F Q U A I L C R E E K S T A T E P A R K T H E GEOLO G Y O F Q UA IL CREEK STAT E PA R K by Robert F. Biek Introduction . 1 Layers of Rock. 3 Regional overview . 3 Moenkopi Formation . 4 Shnabkaib Member . 6 Upper red member . 7 Chinle Formation . 7 Shinarump Conglomerate Member . 7 Petrified Forest Member . 8 Surficial deposits . 9 Talus deposits . 9 Mixed river and slopewash deposits . 9 Landslides. 9 The Big Picture . 10 Geological Highlights . .14 Virgin anticline . .14 Faults . .14 Gypsum . .14 “Picture stone” . .15 Boulders from the Pine Valley Mountains . .16 Catastrophic failure of the Quail Creek south dike . .17 Acknowledgments . .19 References . .19 T H E G E O L O G Y O F Q U A I L C R E E K S T A T E P A R K I N T R O D U C T I O N The first thing most visitors to Quail Creek State Park notice, apart from the improbably blue and refreshing waters of the reservoir itself, are the brightly colored, layered rocks of the surrounding cliffs. In fact, Quail Creek State Park lies astride one of the most remarkable geologic features in southwest- ern Utah. The park lies cradled in the eroded core of the Virgin anticline, a long upwarp of folded rock that trends northeast through south-central Washington County.
    [Show full text]
  • Earliest Jurassic U-Pb Ages from Carbonate Deposits in the Navajo Sandstone, Southeastern Utah, USA Judith Totman Parrish1*, E
    https://doi.org/10.1130/G46338.1 Manuscript received 3 April 2019 Revised manuscript received 10 July 2019 Manuscript accepted 11 August 2019 © 2019 The Authors. Gold Open Access: This paper is published under the terms of the CC-BY license. Published online 4 September 2019 Earliest Jurassic U-Pb ages from carbonate deposits in the Navajo Sandstone, southeastern Utah, USA Judith Totman Parrish1*, E. Troy Rasbury2, Marjorie A. Chan3 and Stephen T. Hasiotis4 1 Department of Geological Sciences, University of Idaho, P.O. Box 443022, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA 2 Department of Geosciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA 3 Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, 115 S 1460 E, Room 383, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-0102, USA 4 Department of Geology, University of Kansas, 115 Lindley Hall, 1475 Jayhawk Boulevard, Lawrence, Kansas 66045-7594, USA ABSTRACT with the lower part of the Navajo Sandstone New uranium-lead (U-Pb) analyses of carbonate deposits in the Navajo Sandstone in across a broad region from southwestern Utah southeastern Utah (USA) yielded dates of 200.5 ± 1.5 Ma (earliest Jurassic, Hettangian Age) to northeastern Arizona (Blakey, 1989; Hassan and 195.0 ± 7.7 Ma (Early Jurassic, Sinemurian Age). These radioisotopic ages—the first re- et al., 2018). The Glen Canyon Group is under- ported from the Navajo erg and the oldest ages reported for this formation—are critical for lain by the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation, understanding Colorado Plateau stratigraphy because they demonstrate that initial Navajo which includes the Black Ledge sandstone (e.g., Sandstone deposition began just after the Triassic and that the base of the unit is strongly Blakey, 2008; Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Oil and Gas Plays Ute Moutnain Ute Reservation, Colorado and New Mexico
    Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation Cortez R18W Karle Key Xu R17W T General Setting Mine Xu Xcu 36 Can y on N Xcu McElmo WIND RIVER 32 INDIAN MABEL The Ute Mountain Ute Reservation is located in the northwest RESERVATION MOUNTAIN FT HALL IND RES Little Moude Mine Xcu T N ern portion of New Mexico and the southwestern corner of Colorado UTE PEAK 35 N R16W (Fig. UM-1). The reservation consists of 553,008 acres in Montezu BLACK 666 T W Y O M I N G MOUNTAIN 35 R20W SLEEPING UTE MOUNTAIN N ma and La Plata Counties, Colorado, and San Juan County, New R19W Coche T Mexico. All of these lands belong to the tribe but are held in trust by NORTHWESTERN 34 SHOSHONI HERMANO the U.S. Government. Individually owned lands, or allotments, are IND RES Desert Canyon PEAK N MESA VERDE R14W NATIONAL GREAT SALT LAKE W Marble SENTINEL located at Allen Canyon and White Mesa, San Juan County, Utah, Wash Towaoc PARK PEAK T and cover 8,499 acres. Tribal lands held in trust within this area cov Towaoc River M E S A 33 1/2 N er 3,597 acres. An additional forty acres are defined as U.S. Govern THE MOUND R15W SKULL VALLEY ment lands in San Juan County, Utah, and are utilized for school pur TEXAS PACIFIC 6-INCH OIL PIPELINE IND RES UNITAH AND OURAY INDIAN RESERVATION Navajo poses. W Ramona GOSHUTE 789 The Allen Canyon allotments are located twelve miles west of IND RES T UTAH 33 Blanding, Utah, and adjacent to the Manti-La Sal National Forest.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulletin July 28, 2021
    PRSRT STD News From Ute Country US Postage PAID Fort Duchesne, UT Permit No. 1 Bulletin P.O. BOX 190 FORT DUCHESNE, UTAH 84026 UINTAH & OURAY INDIAN RESERVATION VOL. 55 #22 JULY 28, 2021 Tribes Struggle for Water in Colorado River Basin as Drought Sears the West BY PALOMA GREEN ON 7/12/21 AT 1:33 PM EDT With the west in extreme drought, Lake Mead, fed by the Colorado River and formed by the Hoover Dam, reached historic lows in June. The water level continues to fall, continuing a trend that began more than 20 years ago. The Federal government is expected to declare a water shortage in the lower basin of the Colorado River by 2022 at the latest, which will trigger mandatory water cuts in Arizona and Nevada. These cuts will particularly impact farmers. But they are likely to hit indigenous communities particularly hard, as they have struggled to get their legal share of Colorado River water for years—even when those waters have been abundant. "Water issues in the west are already difficult to deal with, even when the Lake Powell water is there," Jason John, director of water resources for the Navajo Nation, told Newsweek. "And when the water is not there, it just makes everything that much harder to deal with." American Indians are 19 times more likely to not have access to running water, according to the Washington, D.C.-based non-profit US Water Alliance. The Navajo Nation, located in the Colorado River Basin, is the largest reservation in the United States.
    [Show full text]