Stratigraphy and Sedimentary Petrology of the Mesozoic Rocks of the Waterman Mountains, Pima County, Arizona
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Stratigraphy and sedimentary petrology of the Mesozoic rocks of the Waterman Mountains, Pima County, Arizona Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic); maps Authors Hall, Dwight Lyman, 1953- 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 02/10/2021 07:43:16 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/558034 STRATIGRAPHY AND SEDIMENTARY PETROLOGY OF THE MESOZOIC ROCKS OF THE WATERMAN MOUNTAINS PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA by Dwight Lyman Hall A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF GEOSCIENCES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 9 8 5 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 acknowledgement 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 judgement the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED A M c l KX APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: ///-S' "JOSEPH F: SCHREIBER^/JR. Date Professor of Geosciences ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thanks are due to Professor Joseph F. Schreiber, Jr. for time spent in the office and the field. My father, Lyman S. Hall, and my wife, Debbie, generously acted as unpaid field assistants. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS............................. vi ABSTRACT .............. ix 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................... 1 Previous Work . (Tt 00 HVO CN CN Location and Access Local History and Mining Activity Climate and Topography ........ Method of S t u d y .......... .. Photography .................... 2. REGIONAL FRAMEWORK ............................... 10 Tucson M o u n t a i n s ............ ................ 10 Roskruge Mountains .......................... 11 Sierrita Mountains .............. .......... 11 Papago Indian Reservation .................... 12 Santa Rita M o u n t a i n s ........................ 12 Whetstone and Empire Mountains .............. 13 Silver Bell Mountains.................... 14 3. STRATIGRAPHY..................................... 15 Bounding Units ............................... 15 Recreation Redbeds Equivalent ................ 16 Cobble Conglomerate ...................... 16 Variegated Red Siltstone and Sandstone . 19 Massive Red Sandstone ..................... 22 Salmon Pink Sandstone.................... 24 Purple Volcaniclastic Conglomerate .... 26 Amole Arkose Equivalent...................... 29 Lower Arkosic Sandstones ................ 30 Fine-Grained Olive and Gray Rocks ........ 32 Measured Sections ............................. 36 4. PETROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS . ................ 43 Clastic and Igneous Rocks .................... 43 Sandstones of the Recreation Redbed E q u i v a l e n t .......................... 43 Volcaniclastic Sandstone and Conglomerate U n i t .................... 45 Very Fine Red S a n d s t o n e s ................ 47 iv V TABLE OF CONTENTS— Continued Page Coarse Arkosic Sandstones .............. 48 Fine Olive Sandstones .................... 49 L i m e s t o n e s ................................... 51 Structureless Micrites .................. 51 Laminated and Banded Micrites ............ 52 Pelecypod Packstones and Wackestones . 55 Limestone Conglomerate .................. 55 Speckled Limestone Marker Bed . ........... 57 5. SEDIMENTARY STRUCTURES .......................... 58 Planar Lamination ............ 58 Ripple Stratification ........................ 62 Cross-Bedding ................................. 62 Silica Nodules ............................... 67 6. PALEONTOLOGY.......... 71 M o l l u s k s ..................................... 71 Charophytes................................... 72 Oncolites..................................... 73 Trace Fossils................................. 77 7. STRUCTURE....................................... 78 F a u l t s ....................................... 78 F o l d s ......................................... 80 Unconformities.............. 81 8. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS...................... 84 Correlation and A g e .......................... 84 Depositional Environments .................... 86 Suggestions For Further Study ............... 88 REFERENCES ....................................... 90 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Page Figure 1. Location Map ................................... 3 2. Access M a p ..................................... 4 3. Topography and Vegetation............. ......... 7 4. Arroyo Exposure................ ................ 7 5. Cobbled Surface............ 18 6. Cobble Conglomerate Outcrop .................... 18 7. Interbedded Red Siltstone and Pink to Tan Fine-Grained Sandstone .................... 20 8. Platy Weathering in Red S h a l e ............ 20 9. Limestone W e d g e ................ 23 10. Weathering on Fine-Grained Red SandstoneOutcrop 23 11. Salmon Pink Sandstone Outcrop .................. 25 12. Tabular Cross-Beds in Salmon Pink Sandstone.. 25 13. Purple Volcaniclastic Conglomerate ............ 27 14. Sandstone of the Purple Volcaniclastic Unit . 27 15. Pebbly Sandstone ............................... 31 16. Matrix-Supported Cobble Conglomerate ......... 31 17. Mixed Sandstone, Shale, and Limestone Outcrop . 34 18. Typical Thin L i m e s t o n e ........................ 34 19. Generalized Geologic M a p .......... .. in pocket 20. Legend for Figs. 2 1 - 2 4 ........................ 38 21. Measured Section A ............................. 39 22. Measured Sections B and C ...................... 40 vi vii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS— Continued Page 23. Measured Sections D, E, and F .................. 41 24. Composite Stratigraphic Section ................ 42 25. Quartz-Feldspar-Lithic Triangular Diagram .... 46 26. Algal-Laminated Limestone ...................... 54 27. Banded Limestone ............................... 54 28. Pelecypod Wackestone .......................... 56 29. Pelecypod Packstone ............................ 56 30. Planar Lamination .............................. 59 31. Planar and Low-Angle Lamination ................ 59 32. Parting Lineation........................ 60 33. Planar-Laminated Bed Capped by Ripple Surface . 60 34. Rippled Surface................................. 63 35. Ripple Close-Up................................. 63 36. Rippled Parting Surfaces ...................... 64 37. Climbing Ripples ............................... 64 38. Arkose Channel ................................. 66 39. Tabular-Planar Cross-Bed Set .................. 66 40. Septarian Silica Nodule ........................ 68 41. Silica Nodule Cross-Section .................... 68 42. Large Silica Nodule in Place .................. 69 43. Double Nodule in Place . ....................... 69 44. Charophyte Stem Fossils........................ 74 45. Silicified Oncolites .......................... 74 46. Oncolites With Sandstone Cores ................ 75 viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS— Continued Page 47. Oncolites in Sandy Limestone .................. 75 48. Large Oncolite .................... 76 49. Speckled Limestone ............................ 76 50. Fault and F o l d ................................. 82 51. Tight F o l d .................................... 82 52. Angular Unconformity 83 ABSTRACT A previously little-known sequence of Mesozoic sedimentary rocks is located in the southern Waterman Mountains of Pima County, Arizona. Relatively uncomplicated structure and lack of metamorphism make this an ideal place to study a section of this age. Variegated red and white conglomerates, sandstones, and siltstones rest disconformably upon Permian age limestone. The middle of the sequence consists of purple volcaniclastic conglomerates and sandstones with some interbedded andesitic volcanics. These are overlain, possibly disconformably, by white and pink conglomeratic coarse arkosic sandstone. This is followed by a sequence of fine-grained olive and gray sandstones, shales, and thin, dark, somewhat fetid limestones containing occasional pelecypod and charophyte fossils. Principal environments of deposition include alluvial fans, braided streams, and lakes. The entire sequence appears correlative with the Recreation Redbeds and Amole Arkose of the Tucson Mountains. ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION This thesis was undertaken to help in the ongoing study of the relationships between various Mesozoic units in Southeastern Arizona. The section in the Waterman Mountains, while previously reported only briefly (McClymonds, 1957), had not been studied in detail, or often visited by workers interested in the regional Mesozoic stratigraphy. This seems surprising, given the proximity to Tucson and ease of access. The area offers an intriguing and significant stratigraphic sequence, which is nevertheless limited enough to lend itself to study within