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Problems of Stratigraphy of the Colorado Plateau and Adjoining Areas Clay T

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Problems of Stratigraphy of the Colorado Plateau and Adjoining Areas Clay T New Mexico Geological Society Downloaded from: http://nmgs.nmt.edu/publications/guidebooks/2 Problems of stratigraphy of the Colorado Plateau and adjoining areas Clay T. Smith, 1951, pp. 99-103 in: San Juan Basin (New Mexico and Arizona), Smith, C. T.; Silver, C.; [eds.], New Mexico Geological Society 2nd Annual Fall Field Conference Guidebook, 163 p. This is one of many related papers that were included in the 1951 NMGS Fall Field Conference Guidebook. Annual NMGS Fall Field Conference Guidebooks Since 1950, the New Mexico Geological Society has held an annual Fall Field Conference that visits 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 papers. 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This page is intentionally left blank to maintain order of facing pages. i NEW MEXICO GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY * SECOND FIELD CONFERENCE * SAN JUAN BASIN I to arriveat a satisfactorycorrelation of the Jurassic FiguresI-4) which are used include little data other rocksof theNavajo country and a satisfactoryinter- than¯surface sections because of thegreat difficulty I pretationof theirenvironmental history, in separatingmany of thegroup sequences in well logs.In southwesternColorado and adjacentparts PROBLEMS OF JURASSIC STRATIGRAPHYOF THE of Utah,the Dolores formation contains equivalents COLORADO PLATEAU AND ADJOINING of boththe Chinleformation and the GlenCanyon I REGIONS. Groupthroughout much of its extent.Other units whichhave variously been included with both the ClayT. Smith* Morrisonformation or withparts of theSan Rafael I Grouphave been placed where most of the present Stratigraphicproblems in theJurassic section day workersin thearea believe they belong. of theColorado Plateau and surrounding regions can be groupedinto three closely related categories: McKee(1951, p. 488)has suggested that during I thefirst type of problemsare those which are con- Poleozoictime there were two: consistently postive cernedwith the areal distribution of the various rock areasin Arizona;one occupying roughly the position unitsand their correlations. A second type of problem of theDefiance uplift in northeasternArizona and I is paleogeographicin nature: the delineation of source the otherin southwesternArizona. The Uncompahgre areasfor thecomplex sedimentary series which have andFront Range positive elements and the Sierra alreadybeen defined and whose distribution is at GrandeArch were also well-deflned structural highs leastpartly known. A thirdtype of problemis more in Coloradoand New Mexico., By upperTriassic I detailed;it involvesthe recognition of facies changes timethese positive elements were greatly reduced,. : withinthe units and interpretation of sedimentary particularlythe Defianceuplift. The Chin le form- environments.Solutions for all theseproblems have ationwas a verywidespread formation accumulating becomecritical because of theextensive distribution materialfrom mult’iple sources (See figure I). I of uraniumore in the Jurassicsystem. Extensive and continuingrevision of correlationsand nomenclature A markedchange from earlier time in thedis- i tributionof positiveareas accompanied the transition Ihasoften contributed to confusion and misunderstanding evenamong those who are most: familiar with the area. to GlenCanyon time; these changes exerted continuing i controlsover all of Jurassicsedimentation. The De- fianceposHive element, was reduced to the extent ¯ Severalfacts regarding this rock sequence bear repeating:The section is composedalmost entirely thatit wasno longereffective in contr01~lingsediment- I ationin the FourCorners area. A new positive of clasticsediments with considerably more than half : theaccumulation being silt or coarsersized. Cross elementtrending slightly north of westbegan to rise beddingof all:typesis thegeneral rule and evenly or in centralArizona and New Mexico;it apparently parallelbedded sediments comprise a subordinatepart restrictedChinle deposition from extending southward. I of theassemblage. Fossils are so rareas to be essen- Thispositive element mlghtbe termed the "Navajo tiallynon-existent and age assignments are based Highland"because of itsmarked, and continuing uponeither over-extended lithologic correlations or effectson therocks exposed on theNavajo Reservation. I uponbroader relationships with overlying and under- Two thlngsare noteworthyabout the Navajo Highland; lyingsediments. Volcanic rocks or intrusiveigneous first,it didnot contribute materially to the accumu- masseswhich characterize the Jurassicrocks farther lationsof GlenCanyon time, exceptperhaps to the fluviatilefacies of theWingate formation described westare absent; a considerableproportion of someof I theclaystone sequences contain ash beds.Mineral- by Harshbargerwhich may haveder:ived some of its oglcallythe sedimentsare monotonoussand heavy materielfrom this area; second the gradualrise of mlneralswhlchmight be Of considerableassistance :in the Navajoelement caused a generalwestward tilt- correlationaresparse, ingof theGlen Canyon depositional basin so thatits I Kayentaand Navajoformations extend only a short Theclassic three-fold division of theJurassic distanceeastward into New Mexicoand the.deepest rockunits on the¯ColoradoPlateau is utilizedto partsof thedepositional basin lie several hundred I illustratethe broad features of thedistribution patterns milesto the westof the New Mexlco-Arlzonastate of theserocks. The isopach and faciesmaps (See line. I * New MexicoInstitute of Miningand Technology. ii 99 II | NEW .MEXICO GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY * SECOND FIELD CONFERENCE * SAN JUAN BASIN n Figure2 illustratesthe distribution of the Glen Canyon (seefigure 3) combinesmost of thecorrelations and Groupof sedimentsin termsof ithecombined thick- equivalentssuggested in theprevious papers. n nessesof all units.The Wingate sandstoneand its ¯ equivalentsare the only representatives of the group Theextreme facieschanges in theSan Rafael in most of NewMexico.The Navajosandstone is groupand a lackof. consistently recognizable form- theonly representative in far western Arizona and ationalbreaks suggest.that thegroup should be re- ¯ fartherwest. The depositionalbasin of GlenCanyon ducedto formationaistatus or at leastshould comprise timeseems, in manyways, a continuationof the a two-folddivision rather than the present four-fold upperTriassic deposifional area although more or .. sequence;furthermore, some of thefacies changes lesscontinuously restricted toward the end of Glen are so Well-markedthat new formatlonal names are ¯ Canyontime. Some authorities have argued that this justified. coincidenceof distribution pattern and the lack of a well-definedhiatus at thetop of theChinle formation The facieschanges in theCarmel formation ¯ in someareas is strongevidence for including all Of describedin theprevious papers probably reflect the GlenCanyon group in theTriassic period, the upliftand westward tilting of theNavajo high- | : landin lateGlen Canyon time. Durlng.Entrada The problemsposed by the GlenCanyon group timesome rejuvenation.of theearlier positive masses ¯ aresummarized as follows: musthave taken place to resultin thethinning of I. Is ithecommonly accepted Jurassic (?) age Entradasandstone across the Sierra Grande arch in .thegroup correct? .. northeasternNew Mexico and distortion of its mm 2. Whatwere the sourceareas for these rocks? isopachsaround the Four Corners area above the old ¯ The Uncompahgreand FrontRange highlands Defiance¯highland ¯. The Uncompahgrehighland may n weretoo worndown to furnishmuch detritus, havehad localrejuvenation but depositionwas not althoughthey served as. effective blocks to completelyblocked across it as hadbeen the case ¯ deposition, earlierin.Mesozoic time. The extreme easterly 3. Whatsedimentary environmentresults in the extentof themassive sandstane..facies of the Entrada thickaccumulation
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