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The Middle Jurassic San Rafael Group and Related Rocks in East-Central Utah Robert B

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The Middle Jurassic San Rafael Group and Related Rocks in East-Central Utah Robert B New Mexico Geological Society Downloaded from: http://nmgs.nmt.edu/publications/guidebooks/32 The Middle Jurassic San Rafael Group and related rocks in east-central Utah Robert B. O'Sullivan, 1981, pp. 89-96 in: Western Slope (Western Colorado), Epis, R. C.; Callender, J. F.; [eds.], New Mexico Geological Society 32nd Annual Fall Field Conference Guidebook, 337 p. This is one of many related papers that were included in the 1981 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. No material from the NMGS website, or printed and electronic publications, may be reprinted or redistributed without NMGS permission. Contact us for permission to reprint portions of any of our publications. One printed copy of any materials from the NMGS website or our print and electronic publications may be made for individual use without our permission. Teachers and students may make unlimited copies for educational use. Any other use of these materials requires explicit permission. This page is intentionally left blank to maintain order of facing pages. New Mexico Geological Society Guidebook, 32nd Field Conference, Western Slope Colorado, 1981 89 THE MIDDLE JURASSIC SAN RAFAEL GROUP AND RELATED ROCKS IN EAST-CENTRAL UTAH ROBERT B. O'SULLIVAN U.S. Geological Survey Denver, Colorado 80225 INTRODUCTION outcrop is interrupted and concealed by faulting. In the San The San Rafael Group of Middle Jurassic age is widely exposed in Rafael Swell the group consists of five formations, in ascending the uplands of the San Rafael Swell (fig. 1) and throughout much of order, Page Sandstone, Carmel Formation, Entrada Sandstone the lowlands of the Green River Desert. Eastward from the Green and the Curtis and Summerville Formations. In the Westwater River, the San Rafael Group is well displayed in high escarpments Canyon area near the eastern border of Utah, the San Rafael that form an almost continuous line of outcrop to Westwater Can Group is represented yon. Between Courthouse Rock and Salt Valley the line of 90 O'SULLIVAN solely by the Entrada Sandstone. Throughout the area the group is everywhere are characterized by ubiquitous chert pebbles and underlain by the Glen Canyon Group of Triassic and Jurassic age granules (fig. 2A). An unconformity within the San Rafael referred and is overlain by the Morrison Formation of Late Jurassic age. to as J-3 at the top of the Entrada Sandstone is much less wide- spread and is difficult to recognize east of White Wash. The J-4 un- STRATIGRAPHY conformity above the J-3 surface is truncated southward by the J-5 The distribution of the various parts of the San Rafael Group and unconformity far to the north of Moab and is absent in east-central their relationship to overlying and underlying rocks is shown on Utah. The unconformities and their regional stratigraphic Figure 1. The stratigraphic diagram, as well as most of this report, significance are discussed more completely in a report by Pipirin- is primarily a summary of two separate investigations (O'Sullivan, gos and O'Sullivan (1978). 1980 and 1981) describing Jurassic rocks from the Green River eastward about 74 km to Dewey Bridge. Some additional observa- Page Sandstone tions to the west in the San Rafael Swell and to the east near West- The Page Sandstone (Peterson and Pipiringos, 1979, p. B20-B30) water Canyon are included. crops out primarily in a broad belt 65-80 km wide that trends about N. 15° E. and extends from the Straight Cliffs area of south- Sources of Data central Utah through the San Rafael Swell and into northern Utah. The stratigraphic diagram (fig. 1) is derived from several sources. relatively small outliers of the Page Sandstone are recognized be- Most of the section in the San Rafael Swell (sec. 1) is from Wright tween the Green River and Salt Valley in east-central Utah. The and others (1979, p. 43-56) and was measured in secs. 3 and 4, Page is a light gray to reddish-tan fine-grained sandstone. In the T. 19 S., R. 12 E. The Page Sandstone in the San Rafael Swell (sec. San Rafael Swell, the Page is a highly crossbedded eolian sand- 1) was measured by G. N. Pipiringos (oral commun., 1964) in sec. stone (fig. 2B) about 30 m thick. In the swell, the Page is very 18, T. 19 S., R. 11 E. The Carmel Formation and Entrada similar to the underlying Navajo Sandstone in bedding and lithol- Sandstone in the composite section at the Green River (sec. 2) is ogy, because it was undoubtedly derived from the Navajo and de- from Wright and others (1962, fig. 2, no. 1 sec.) and was described posited in a similar environment. Near Tenmile Butte (sec. 3) the from exposures in sec. 4, T. 24 S., R. 16 E. The upper part of the Page is 10 m thick and consists of a series of interdune flat beds as Green River section was measured by the writer near much as 1.5 m thick alternating with eolian crossbedded units as Dellenbaugh Butte in secs. 12 and 13, T. 23 S., R. 16 E. The much as 3 m thick. At Courthouse Rock (sec. 5), the gray Page Entrada Sandstone at Ten- mile Butte is from Craig and others (1959, Sandstone is locally at least 30 m thick and consists almost no. 204 sec.) and was described in sec. 23, T. 24 S., R. 18 E. The entirely of flat-bedded units (fig. 2C) with only one crossbedded upper part of the Tenmile Butte section was measured by the writer unit near the middle which is less than 1 m thick. Most of the Page in secs. 1 and 12, and the Page Sandstone was measured in sec. of Courthouse Rock in all probability represents deposition in 27, T. 24 S., R. 18 E. All the other measurements are by the writer water. The Page Sandstone in east-central Utah appears to and the locations of the stratigraphic sections are as follows: Salt have been deposited in broad erosional depressions formed in the Valley (sec. 4) in secs. 30 and 32, T. 22 S., R. 20 E.; Courthouse top of the Navajo Sandstone, possibly during the time the J-2 Rock (sec. 5) in secs. 20, 28 and 29, T. 24 5., R. 20 E.; Dewey Bridge unconformity developed. (sec. 6) in sec. 7, T. 23 5., R. Carmel Formation 24 E.; and Westwater Canyon (sec. 7) in secs. 9 and 16, T. 20 S., R. The Carmel Formation is of diverse lithology. In the stratigraphic 25 E. section at the San Rafael Swell (sec. 1) about 75 percent of the Unconformities Carmel Formation consists of greenish-gray and minor reddish- Three unconformities are associated with the San Rafael Group brown siltstone and shale in units as much as 10 m thick (Wright in east-central Utah. Two of these unconformities—termed J-2 at and others, 1979, p. 52-56): Limestone, sandstone and gypsum the base of the San Rafael and J-5 at the top—are also recognized form a subordinate lithology. Gypsum is present in massive beds throughout much of the Western Interior of the United States. as much as 3.6 m thick, as a disseminated constituent and in veins The J-2 erosion surface is also informally termed the "chert pebble un- and thin seams that cut other lithologies. Gypsum is most con- conformity" because basal beds of the San Rafael Group nearly Figure 2. Views of San Rafael Group and Morrison Formation. A Closeup of pebbles on 1-2 unconformity near Courthouse Rock in NW'/, sec. 28, T. 24 S., R. 20 E. B Page Sandstone in San Rafael Swell in sec. 18, T. 19 S., R. 11 E. Feet of the geologists are on J-2 unconformity, which is basal unconform- able contact of Page and underlying Glen Canyon Group. Photograph by G. N. Pipiringos. C Lower part of Page Sandstone near Courthouse Rock in SWY, sec. 28, T. 24 S., R. 20 E. D Jurassic rocks near Duma Point in NW'/4 sec. 30, T. 23, S., R. 18 E. Top of Slick Rock Member (SR) of Entrada Sandstone; lower Summer- ville of McKnight (1940) includes lower beds (LB), bed at Black Steer Knoll (K) and upper beds (UB); the basal red ledge (RL) of Summe rville Formation; bed A (A) at base of Morrison Formation overlies the J-5 unconformity. The lower beds of the Salt Wash Member are 10.8 m thick and extend from the I-5 unconformity to the thick fluviatile sandstones on upper part of mesa.
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