Interactions Between Axial and Transverse
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INTERACTIONS BETWEEN AXIAL AND TRANSVERSE DRAINAGE SYSTEMS IN THE LATE CRETACEOUS C ORDILLERAN FORELAND BASIN: EVIDENCE FROM DETRITAL ZIRCONS IN THE STRAIGHT CLIFFS FORMATION, SOUTHERN UTAH by Tyler Scott Szwarc A thesis submitted to the faculty of The University of Utah in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geology Department of Geology and Geophysics The University of Utah May 2014 Copyright © Tyler Scott Szwarc 2014 All Rights Reserved The University of Utah Graduate School STATEMENT OF THESIS APPROVAL The thesis of ____________________ Tyler Scott Szwarc has been approved by the following supervisory committee members: Cari L. Johnson , Chair 10/4/2013 Date Approved ____________Lisa E. Stright2 __________________ ■, Member 10/4/2013__ Date Approved Diego P. Fernandez , Member 10/4/2013 Date Approved and by ___________________ John M. Bartley___________________ , Chair/Dean of the Department/College/School o f ____________ Geology and Geophysics___________ and by David B. Kieda, Dean of The Graduate School. ABSTRACT New detrital zircon geochronologic data from the Straight Cliffs Formation of southern Utah provide insight into the controls on stratigraphic architecture of the Western Interior basin during Turonian-Campanian time. Straight Cliffs Formation deposition was influenced by the development of topography in the Sevier fold-thrust belt, but to date, little emphasis has been placed on the tectonic development of the Mogollon highlands of central Arizona. Detrital zircon ages (N=40, n=3650) derived from linked fluvial and shallow marine depositional systems throughout the Kaiparowits Plateau indicate the majority of fluvial sediment was derived from the Mogollon highlands (67%), with subordinate contributions delivered from the Sevier thrust belt (17%) and Cordilleran volcanic sources (16%). The proportion of Sevier detritus increases upsection from 17% in basal fluvial samples to 27% in uppermost strata. Fluvial strata record sediment transport sub parallel to the Sevier thrust belt, implying the presence of a northeast-flowing axial fluvial system fed by transverse distributive fluvial systems (DFSs) draining the Mogollon highlands and Sevier thrust belt. Shallow marine samples contain Mogollon (44%), volcanic arc (14%), and an increase (relative to contemporaneous fluvial strata) of Sevier thrust belt-derived sediment (42%), which was delivered via longshore currents into southern Utah. Upsection architectural trends in the Straight Cliffs Formation are linked to trends in detrital zircon geochronologic data, indicating that the driving force behind provenance changes also influenced stratigraphic architecture in the Cordilleran foreland basin. The axial fluvial system depositing Straight Cliffs alluvial strata was primarily fed by distributive fluvial systems (DFS) draining the Mogollon highlands during a period of high tectonic activity in the Maria thrust belt and high subsidence rates in the foreland basin (Turonian-Santonian). However, activation of the Paxton duplex in the Sevier thrust belt (early Campanian) uplifted proximal foreland basin strata and enabled DFSs draining the Sevier thrust belt to feed into the axial fluvial system more prominently. This influx of Sevier-derived sediment into the axial fluvial system was recorded by a shift in detrital zircon ages and sandstone modal composition of Straight Cliffs fluvial strata. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. iii LIST OF FIGURES....................................................................................................... vii LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ ix ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................ x INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................... 1 REGIONAL GEOLOGY............................................................................................ 11 Straight Cliffs Formation................................................................................. 11 Regional Sediment Source Areas.................................................................... 14 METHODOLOGY....................................................................................................... 22 Detrital Zircon U - Pb Geochronology.......................................................... 23 RESULTS...................................................................................................................... 29 Paleocurrent Measurements............................................................................. 29 Sandstone Petrology......................................................................................... 31 Clast Counts ...................................................................................................... 34 U - Pb Geochronology..................................................................................... 34 DISCUSSION................................................................................................................ 65 Spatial Provenance Trends............................................................................... 65 Temporal Provenance Trends.......................................................................... 67 Distribution and Evolution of Transverse and Axial Drainages................... 68 Tectonic Controls on Basin Subsidence, DFS Progradation, and Stratigraphic Architecture ......................................................................... 70 CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................................... 86 APPENDIX: DETRITAL ZIRCON ISOTOPIC DATA............................................ 89 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 197 vi LIST OF FIGURES 1 Examples of modern foreland basin drainage networks composed of axial and transverse drainages....................................................................... 5 2 Map of the Kaiparowits Plateau in southern U tah........................................ 7 3 Regional stratigraphic framework of the Straight Cliffs Formation depicting the southwest-northeast transition from fluvial deposition (Rock House Cove and Bull Canyon) to tidal, estuarine (Kelly Grade) and shallow marine deposition (Rogers Canyon and Left Hand Collet)............................................................................................................... 9 4 Schematic cross section of the Straight Cliffs Formation through several study areas across the Kaiparowits Plateau....................................... 18 5 Paleoreconstruction of southwestern North America during Coniacian- Santonian time (after DeCelles, 2004)............................................................ 20 6 Generalized measured sections from Heward Creek, Bull Canyon, Kelly Grade, Left Hand Collet, and Buck H ollow........................................ 26 7 Paleocurrent (PC) and accretion set (AS) measurements from Rock House Cove (Gooley, 2010), Bull Canyon (Pettinga, 2012), Kelly Grade (Gallin, 2010), and Left Hand Collet (Dooling, 2012)............ 41 8 Sandstone modal compositions indicating relative proportions of total quartz (Qt), feldspar (F), and unstable lithics (L u)............................... 43 9 Relative proportions of total quartz (Qt), feldspar (F), and unstable lithics (Lu) from several stratigraphic intervals spanning the Kaiparowits Plateau............................................................................. 45 10 Relative probability plot containing ages from all detrital zircons in this study (N=40 samples, n=3650 grains)................................................ 47 11 Relative probability histograms for each detrital zircon sample from the Straight Cliffs Formation.......................................................................... 49 12 Relative probability histogram containing the youngest 470 grains from all Straight Cliffs Formation samples representing Population A ...... 51 13 Detrital zircon ages (<300 Ma) from Mesozoic sedimentary units in the Sevier thrust b e lt.................................................................................... 53 14 Relative probability plots containing the youngest seven ages from several prominent stratigraphic intervals throughout the Straight Cliffs Formation................................................................................ 55 15 Detrital zircon ages (>295 Ma) from stratigraphic units within the Sevier thrust b elt.............................................................................................. 57 16 Detrital zircon ages corresponding to shoreface, tidal, and fluvial facies ... 74 17 Relative proportions of each detrital zircon age population are plotted for each sample according to location and stratigraphic interval (Population D not shown due to relatively low percentages)....................... 76 18 Paleogeographic reconstruction of the Cordilleran foreland basin during Santonian tim e...................................................................................... 78 19 Upsection trends in Straight Cliffs fluvial architecture, sandstone modal composition, and detrital zircon ages.................................................