Pennsylvanian Subsurface Stratigraphy of the Black Mesa Basin and Four Corners Area in Northeastern Arizona
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Pennsylvanian subsurface stratigraphy of the Black Mesa Basin and Four Corners area in northeastern Arizona Item Type text; Thesis-Reproduction (electronic); maps Authors Ijirigho, Bruce Tajinere 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 26/09/2021 15:40:24 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/566529 PENNSYLVANIAN SUBSURFACE STRATIGRAPHY OF THE BLACK MESA BASIN AND FOUR CORNERS AREA IN NORTHEASTERN ARIZONA by Bruce Tajinere Ijirigho 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 7 7 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of re quirements 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 judg ment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholar ship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: Date ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The investigation covered in this report was originally sug gested by Dr. Richard F. Wilson and developed under his direction. Well logs and.sample descriptions were supplied by Dr. Richard F. Wilson, Dr. Wesley Pierce of the Arizona Bureau of Geology and Mineral Technology, and Mr. Jack Conely of the Arizona Oil and Gas Conserva tion Commission. The writer is especially indebted to Dr. Pierce who gave very freely of his time to make suggestions, answer questions, and provide both data and research material on the study area. His advice and guidance greatly influenced the outcome of this research. Dr. Richard F. Wilson, Dr. Joseph Schreiber, Jr., and Dr. Dietmar Schumacher critically read this paper and made useful sugges tions. Their time, assistance, concern and friendship is gratefully acknowledged as well as that of other faculty members and graduate students who discussed and contributed to this effort. The National Sports Commission of Nigeria, Union Oil Corpora tion of America, with the recommendation of Dr. Joseph Schreiber, Jr., and the Department of Geosciences, The University of Arizona, with the recommendation of Dr. Richard F. Wilson, provided funds at one time or another, without which it would have been impossible for the writer to complete requirements culminating in the completion of this study. To my family and friends, for their encouragement, patience and assistance in the preparation of this manuscript, I am very deeply grateful. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS . ........................... vi ABSTRACT .......................................................... vii INTRODUCTION .................................................... 1 Purpose Area of Investigation Method of Investigation Previous Work .... REGIONAL GEOLOGY ........ Tectonic Setting .... The Pedregosa Basin San Juan Basin . Paradox Basin . Paleogeology ...... H ru oovn vn oo -F"Vi vo \o Units Underlying the Pennsylvanian ..................... 11 Units Overlying the Pennsylvanian ........ 13 MOLAS FORMATION .................................................. 15 Previous W o r k .................... 15 Lower Boundary..................................... • • • 15 Upper Boundary ........... ........ ..... 15 Age of the Molas Formation.............. 17 Lithologic Description ................................. 18 Depositions! History and Environment...................... 18 General Discussion .......................................... 20 HERMOSA F O R M A T I O N ........................... 21 Previous W o r k .................. 21 Lower Boundary......................................... 23 Upper Bou n d a r y ........................... 23 Age of the Hermosa Formation '..............................24 Lithologic Description ................................. 25 Depositional History and Environment ....................... 25 Discussion ......................... 26 iv V TABLE OF CONTENTS— Continued Page NACO FORMATION.................................................... 29 Previous Work ........ ............. ........ 29 Lower Boundary............................................ 29 Upper Boundary............................................ 30 Lithologic Description................................. 31 Age of the Naco F o r m a t i o n ................................32 Depositional History and Environment ....................... 32 General Discussion ..................... 3^ REGIONAL TRENDS OF THE PENNSYLVANIAN ........................... 36 General Discussion .......................................... 36 S U M M A R Y ........................................* .............. 40 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY ................................. 4l APPENDIX A: NAME AND LOCATION OF SUBSURFACE DRILL HOLES .... 42 APPENDIX B: NAME AND LOCATION OF SURFACE E X P O S U R E S ...........4? APPENDIX C: MAP CONSTRUCTION D A T A ................................49 LIST OF REFERENCES................................................ 38 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Index map ....................................... in pocket 2. Pennsylvanian paleotectonic setting ............. .... 6 3. Pre- and post-Pennsylvanian paleogeology ............... 10 4. Pre-Pennsylvanian paleogeologic map ............. • in pocket 5» Summary of previous work on the Molas ........ 16 6. Isopach map of the Molas Formation . in pocket 7* Lithofacies map of the Molas Formation -» . .. • . in pocket 8. Summary of previous work on the Hermosa Formation .... 22 9. Isopach map of the Hermosa and Naco Formations . in pocket 10. Cross section A-A’ ..................... .. in pocket 11. Cross section B-B* ................ in pocket 12. Cross section C-C* ................ in pocket 13* Fence diagram ...................... .............. .. in pocket 14. Lithofacies map of the Hermosa and Naco Formations in pocket 13. Paleoenvironmental map of halfway through the Hermosa and Naco Formations ............ in pocket 16. Isopach map of the entire Pennsylvanian system . • in pocket 17. Lithofacies map of the Pennsylvanian system .... in pocket 18. Paleotectonic map of the Pennsylvanian ...... in pocket vi ABSTRACT The Pennsylvanian system in northeast Arizona, correlated and analyzed from 59 subsurface well logs and eight surface exposures, is made up of the Molas and Hermosa Formations in the northeast and the Naco Formation in east-central Arizona. The lower part of the Naco Formation is a combination of terrestrial and fresh water deposits, that is both lithologically and genetically similar to the Molas Formation. The upper part of the Naco, a shallow marine deposit, is lithologically, genetically, and time equivalent to the Hermosa Formation. , Results of this investigation indicate that both the Hermosa and the Naco Formations were deposited in response to the same tectonic manifestations that caused the rapid subsidence of the Paradox Basin in the north and the Pedregosa Basin in the south of the study area. The striking lithologic similarity of the Pennsylvanian formations in this area is the result of a shallow sea connection between the two depositional basins. The important tectonic elements that influenced deposition the most are the Zunl-Deflance positive and the Uncompahgre uplift. The Zuni-Deflance element defined in this study, extends from latitudes 34-36°N along the Arizona-New Mexico state line to as far west as Range 26°E. Very drastic thinning over short distances, suggestive of faulting were observed within the Naco and Hermosa Formations. vii INTRODUCTION The Pennsylvanian system in northeast Arizona is represented by the Hermosa and Molas Formations, in the north, and the Naco Forma tion in east-central Arizona and along the Mogollon Rim. The Naco and Hermosa Formations are dominantly marine sequences of alternating lime stone and terrigeneous clastic units. The Kolas Formation, based upon studies by Wengerd and Strickland (1954, pp. 2166-68) consists of non marine claystone, siltstone, shale, and an upper marine red and green shale and sandstone. Pennsylvanian rocks in most of the area studied overlie Mississippian limestone and dolomite with a karst topography, charac terized by abundant sinkholes, caverns and well-developed collapse features. Purpose Although numerous studies have been done on the Pennsylvanian system of Arizona in the past (Wengerd and Strickland 1954; Wengerd and Matheny 1958; Winters 1963; Brew 1965; McKee 1975; Ibirce 1976), no attempt to carry out a detailed stratigraphic synthesis and correlation of the system in the subsurface of northeastern Arizona has been pub lished. The objective of this study was, therefore, to correlate in detail the Hermosa and Molas Formations in the subsurface of the Black 1 2 Mesa basin and Four Corners area with the Naco Formation