Comparison of Mechanical and Fracture Stratigraphy Between Failed Seal Analouges

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Comparison of Mechanical and Fracture Stratigraphy Between Failed Seal Analouges Utah State University DigitalCommons@USU Graduate Student Posters Browse all Graduate Research 2012 Comparison of Mechanical and Fracture Stratigraphy between Failed Seal Analouges Elizabeth S. Petrie Utah State University James P. Evans Utah State University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/graduate_posters Recommended Citation Petrie, Elizabeth S. and Evans, James P., "Comparison of Mechanical and Fracture Stratigraphy between Failed Seal Analouges" (2012). EAGE 3rd International Conference on Faults and Top Seals Montpellier 2012. Graduate Student Posters. Paper 10. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/graduate_posters/10 This Poster is brought to you for free and open access by the Browse all Graduate Research at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Posters by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Comparison of Mechanical and Fracture Stratigraphy between Failed Seal Analogues E.S. Petrie & J.P. Evans -- Utah State University 4505 Old Main Hill - Logan, UT 84322-4505 USA [email protected]; [email protected] P1 K2 K2 Qe J2 114°W 112°W 110°W J2 INTRODUCTION 42°N K2 Qa Qa 2 Qe Qao Tununk Mbr. K1 Earthy Entrada Logan K1 P1 J2 J2 K1 K2 J1 The presence of discontinuties in seal lithologies affects their mechanical P1 Qa m m WY J2 Qe 1 Jg J1 4 Tr1 Salt Lake City Qe Tr1 Qe NV J1 P1 and hydro-geologic properties. We examine the mechanical and fracture Qe K2 Curtis Fm. Jg K1 Tr1 8 40°N J2 CO Qe J1 J2 J1 Tr1 Jg J1 J1 60 stratigraphy of failed Paleozoic and Mesozoic seal analogues in J1 Qe Green River Qe P1 Tr1 south-east Utah to understand the nature and distribution of fluid flow San Rafael Moab Uncompaghre Tr1 & Travertine Colluvium Swell Highlands 7 Qe K1 Green River N 38°N J1 pathways in various seal lithologies. Outcrop surveys provide data for Qe K2 J1 PP 0 60 120 K1 50 Km Monument comparison between each locality to identify relationships between Uplift River Colorado J 114°W 112°W 110°W 2 m AZ J2 Jg J1 Qa 6 Jg Qa depositional composition, diagenesis, and loading history. These data K1 Tr1 J1 N J2 Qe P1 W E K2 characterize the distribution and morphology of open mode fractures, with Colorado Plateau N: 36 J2 Mean Direction: 280.5° Qao Counting interval: 10° towns Qe Jg 40 5 changes in lithology and provide input for accurate quantitative Qe uplifts Tr1 J2 maximum edge of Paradox basin salt P subsurface geomechanical and fluid flow models. Qao 0.15 faults P1 50 Qe Ti Tr1 outcrop localities J1 P1 35 Jg 20 J2 Qe Tr1 MEAN: 1.03 MEAN: 6.98 K1 P 45 Tr1 P1 4 30 30 STD DEV: 1.35 STD DEV: 3.21 Tr2 1 Jurassic Earthy Entrada K3 Ti Qa SKEWNESS: 3.1 K2 SKEWNESS: 0.09 PP 25 15 40 0.10 Control Scanline Ti METHODS P1 2 Cretaceous Tununk Member 3 Jg 20 Fracture Scanline Qao Tr2 10 Percent Outcrop 3 Permian Organ Rock Shale K1 35 Percent 15 J1 3 J2 (Darcy) 4 Jurassic Carmel Formation Tr1 Measured stratigraphic sections -- detailed rock descriptions, identification of lithologic eld derived 10 0.05 5 Km 30 Slickrock Mbr. eld permeability 5 changes including grain size, bed thickness, & mineralogy 0 20 40 80 20 strength compressive 25 0 2 0 Scanlines - determine fracture distribution, morphology and interaction types 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 5 10 15 N Spacing (m) Spacing (m) Rock strength and Permeability - field-derived compressive strength modied from: Hintze, et al., 2000 UGS Digital Geologic Map of Utah 20 0.00 (N-type Schmidt hammer) and permeability (TinyPermII). unbleached 10 bleached 1 Petrography OUTCROP OBSERVATIONS N 2 XRD- mineralogic composition comparison between host and fractured rocks Thinsection - characterization of micro-structures and structural diagenesis All localities show: 0 evidence for mineralization and uid ow in the subsurface 0 Theoretical W E 2 N: 146 1 Mean Direction: 350.7° Burial History & Stress Evolution - burial histories merged with simple Mohr-Coulomb Counting interval: 10° mineralogic dierences between host rock and fracture ll 20 MEAN: 0.52 analysis to constrain Sv, SH, and Sh failure models through time MEAN: 20.9 STD DEV: 0.55 STD DEV: 29.5 SKEWNESS: 1.54 Mohr-Coulomb - stress changes & failure modeled through time where: 15 SKEWNESS: 2.3 σ ρ ν σ σ ν ν Fracture Scanline C=0 & C= 5; Sv= 1= gz, =0.25, SH=Sh= 2= 3=( / -1)(Pp-Sv)+Pp (from Eaton, 1969) meso-scopic fault and fracture orientations which follow 30 10 Control Scanline Percent Percent regional structural trends 20 5 1 10 fracture spacing <0.25-0.5 fractures/meter 0 m Organ Rock Shale 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 0 Spacing (m) 0 50 100 150 120 White Rim Sst Spacing (m) fracture densities and morphology which vary with lithology From: Doelling, 2002 and bed thickness OUTCROP MECHANICAL STRATIGRAPHY: CARMEL FORMATION 110 Unit 2 -13 Bed Thickness (m) Permeability (m x 10 ) Number KEY 2 m m 0 1 2 3 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 bed thickness (m) calcareous siltstone Carmel Formation fracture density (frac/m) limestone mudstone Schmidt Hammer Partial Section 35 gypsum sandstone Permeability, K ( m2) 100 m 50 30 Using a modied rock mass ratings, MEAN: 0.202 Windsor STD DEV: 0.306 35 40 0.3m (Bieniawski, 1989; Priest, 1993; Zhang, 2005), SKEWNESS: 3.22 5 0.3m combined with quantitative stratigraphic 90 30 C 25 Fracture Scanline analysis of fracture density distribution Percent 1m 20 (Bertotti et al, 2007) we delineate 10 PLAN VIEW 20 mechanostratigraphic units. 30 Paria River NO DATA NO DATA 80 0 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 Formation Carmel Spacing (m) Mechano-stratigraphic units have similar: 15 20 MEAN: 2.81 4 STD DEV: 2.32 bed thickness 70 15 SKEWNESS: 1.4 10 cm 25 10 Control Scanline B Crystal Creek 10 Percent C fracture density 3 5 60 5 eld derived permeability 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Spacing (m) 20 2 Co-op Creek eld derived compressive strength 0 1 K > 10x10-12m2 50 Navajo 0 2 4 6 8 10 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 0.5 cm A 0.5 cm Fracture density (frac/m) Schmidt Hammer R- Value From: Petrie, et al., in press Landscape scale alterations associated with faults 15 Cedar Mesa Joint Orientations N 25 N MEAN: 0.31 40 20 STD DEV: 0.27 SKEWNESS: 1.3 INPUT DATA FOR GEOMECHANICAL MODELING Schmidt Hammer Young’s 15 Field Data Based Mechano-stratigraphic Units Compressive Stress Modulus Fracture Scanline 10 70 0 50 Percent 10 30 W E N: 342 10 Estimates of dynamic Young’s Mean Direction: 313.4° W Counting interval: 10° E 5 N: 132 Modulus variability W B Mean Direction: 36.3° 0 Organ Rock Joint Orientations Counting interval: 10° 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 derived from wireline logs N Spacing (m) N 80 Well-bore estimates of 20 MEAN: 0.46 70 STD DEV: 0.96 dynamic Young’s Modulus show F2 SKEWNESS: 3.2 5 60 meter scale variability. 50 W E F1 (15-34 GPa) Control Scanline N: 108 A 40 0 10 0 150 normal fault joints modified from: Willis, 2012 Percent 10 m Mean Direction: 303.5° Young’s Fractures/m Gamma Ray Organ Rock Shale 1.5 km Counting interval: 10° 30 10 Cedar Mesa Sandstone N W E Modulus N = 50 20 0 50 Potential Model Layers Based on Mechano- Potential Model Layers Based on Derived Circle = 20 % Stratigraphic Units and Wireline Log Shifts Young’s Modulus Averaged Over 61 cm 10 33 Field-based fracture density and Navajo Sandstone fault deformation 36 band trends, measured on bedding plane 0 compressive strength also show & in cross-section 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 o (mean strike orientation F1 = 21 ) Spacing (m) 29 meter scale variability 0 30 0 Joint trend, measured on Navajo Sandstone Navajo bedding plane (mean strike orientation F2 = 337o) 3 Sst 25 24 Variability in elastic moduli will 19 4 22 be used in future geomechanical modeling 13 17 0 150 Gamma Ray 10 m 10 m MODEL 1 MODEL 2 BURIAL HISTORY AND STRESS EVOLUTION: ORGAN ROCK SHALE From: Petrie, et al., in press Permian Triassic Jurassic Cretaceous Tertiary 0.0 τ μ=0.6 CONCLUSIONS C=5 MPa Stratigraphic variability and resulting changes in mechanical properties inuence the variability Tr-1 μ=0.6 0.5 C=0 MPa of fracture morphology and density over the cm to m scale. 1.0 J-1 21 Mpa 19.5 Mpa Understanding fracture morphology in dierent seal types, across interfaces, and in various Depth (km) 1.5 structural settings is key to understanding how seals respond to hydraulic failure. σn 2.0 T=C/2 10 20 30 40 Calculated variability in elastic moduli correlates to the mechano-stratigraphic variability Laramide COP Sevier B&R TIME observed in outcrop --- the variations in elastic moduli will be modeled to quantify their eects. 2.5 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 Age (Ma) Extensional fractures open by locally applied tectonic stress Increasing Depth Overpressure during burial (lithostatic loading) can induce open-mode tensile failure that can 25 25 or by internal uid pressure (see Laubach, 1988). differential stress hydrostat MPa Fracture Formation: eect future seal integrity: Are most seals fractured then re-cemented/re-sealed in some way? Pp for failure at C=5 1) response to thermoelastic contraction during exhumation 20 20 Pp for failure at C=0 2) due to tectonic stress 21.0 MPa change in effective stress REFERENCES required for failure, C=5 21.0 MPa 3) hydraulic fractures due to overpressure at depth Bertotti, G., N., Hardebol, J.K.
Recommended publications
  • Geology and Stratigraphy Column
    Capitol Reef National Park National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Geology “Geology knows no such word as forever.” —Wallace Stegner Capitol Reef National Park’s geologic story reveals a nearly complete set of Mesozoic-era sedimentary layers. For 200 million years, rock layers formed at or near sea level. About 75-35 million years ago tectonic forces uplifted them, forming the Waterpocket Fold. Forces of erosion have been sculpting this spectacular landscape ever since. Deposition If you could travel in time and visit Capitol Visiting Capitol Reef 180 million years ago, Reef 245 million years ago, you would not when the Navajo Sandstone was deposited, recognize the landscape. Imagine a coastal you would have been surrounded by a giant park, with beaches and tidal flats; the water sand sea, the largest in Earth’s history. In this moves in and out gently, shaping ripple marks hot, dry climate, wind blew over sand dunes, in the wet sand. This is the environment creating large, sweeping crossbeds now in which the sediments of the Moenkopi preserved in the sandstone of Capitol Dome Formation were deposited. and Fern’s Nipple. Now jump ahead 20 million years, to 225 All the sedimentary rock layers were laid million years ago. The tidal flats are gone and down at or near sea level. Younger layers were the climate supports a tropical jungle, filled deposited on top of older layers. The Moenkopi with swamps, primitive trees, and giant ferns. is the oldest layer visible from the visitor center, The water is stagnant and a humid breeze with the younger Chinle Formation above it.
    [Show full text]
  • Part 629 – Glossary of Landform and Geologic Terms
    Title 430 – National Soil Survey Handbook Part 629 – Glossary of Landform and Geologic Terms Subpart A – General Information 629.0 Definition and Purpose This glossary provides the NCSS soil survey program, soil scientists, and natural resource specialists with landform, geologic, and related terms and their definitions to— (1) Improve soil landscape description with a standard, single source landform and geologic glossary. (2) Enhance geomorphic content and clarity of soil map unit descriptions by use of accurate, defined terms. (3) Establish consistent geomorphic term usage in soil science and the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS). (4) Provide standard geomorphic definitions for databases and soil survey technical publications. (5) Train soil scientists and related professionals in soils as landscape and geomorphic entities. 629.1 Responsibilities This glossary serves as the official NCSS reference for landform, geologic, and related terms. The staff of the National Soil Survey Center, located in Lincoln, NE, is responsible for maintaining and updating this glossary. Soil Science Division staff and NCSS participants are encouraged to propose additions and changes to the glossary for use in pedon descriptions, soil map unit descriptions, and soil survey publications. The Glossary of Geology (GG, 2005) serves as a major source for many glossary terms. The American Geologic Institute (AGI) granted the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service) permission (in letters dated September 11, 1985, and September 22, 1993) to use existing definitions. Sources of, and modifications to, original definitions are explained immediately below. 629.2 Definitions A. Reference Codes Sources from which definitions were taken, whole or in part, are identified by a code (e.g., GG) following each definition.
    [Show full text]
  • Economic Impact of Mountain Biking in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre & Gunnison National Forests
    Economic Impact of Mountain Biking in the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre & Gunnison National Forests JAMES N. MAPLES, PhD MICHAEL J. BRADLEY, PhD Report submitted to Outdoor Alliance: November 2018 Study funded by Outdoor Alliance Image Credit: Carl Zoch 1 Executive Summary of Study Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest (GMUG) is an important American mountain biking destination. Mountain bikers visited the GMUG over 150,000 times per year. An estimated 70% of these visits were from persons living outside the GMUG and surrounding region. Over 576 mountain bikers from around the nation responded to our survey collecting their economic expenditures on their most recent trip to the GMUG. Based on the economic impact analysis and NVUM visitation figures, the research team estimates: 1. Mountain bike visitors who are not local residents annually spend $24 million in the GMUG. 2. Mountain bike visitors’ expenditures in the GMUG support 315 jobs and $7.9 million in job income within the region. REPORT CONTENTS Meet Your Research Team 2 Methodological Notes 3 Study Regions 4 Visitor Mean Expenditures 5 Economic Impact Terminology 8 Economic Impact Modeling 9 Taxation Generation within the Study Areas 10 Visitor Expenditures beyond Study Area but in State 11 Local Resident Expenditures by Study Area 12 Local Resident Expenditures beyond Study Area but Inside State 15 Omissions, Considerations 16 1 Meet Your Research Team DR. JAMES N. MAPLES is an associate professor of sociology at Eastern Kentucky University, where he examines the political economy of renewable tourism. His research interests include the economic impact of outdoor recreation and social change in rural areas.
    [Show full text]
  • Geologic Story of Canyonlands National Park
    «u GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1327 JUL 1 7 1990 Dacus Library Wmthrop College Documents Department -T7 LOOKING NORTH FROM EAST WALL OF DEVILS LANE, just south of the Silver Stairs. Needles are Cedar Mesa Sandstone. Junction Butte and Grand View Point lie across Colorado River in background. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1327 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ROGERS C. B. MORTON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY V. E. McKelvey, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 74-600043 Reprinted 1977 and 1990 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1974 For sale by the Books and Open-File Reports Section, U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Center, Box 25425, Denver, CO 80225 . Contents Page A new park is born 1 Major Powell's river expeditions 4 Early history 9 Prehistoric people 9 Late arrivals 14 Geographic setting 17 Rocks and landforms 20 How to see the park 26 The high mesas 27 Island in the Sky 27 Dead Horse Point State Park 30 North entrance 34 Shafer and White Rim Trails 34 Grand View Point 36 Green River Overlook 43 Upheaval Dome 43 Hatch Point 46 Needles Overlook 47 Canyonlands Overlook 48 U-3 Loop 49 Anticline Overlook 50 Orange Cliffs 54 The benchlands 5g The Maze and Land of Standing Rocks 58 The Needles district 60 Salt, Davis, and Lavender Canyons _ 64 The Needles and The Grabens 73 Canyons of the Green and Colorado Rivers 85 Entrenched and cutoff meanders 86 Green River 87 Colorado River _ 96 Summary of geologic history H2 Additional reading H7 Acknowledgments H8 Selected references n% Index 123 VII Illustrations Page Frontispiece .
    [Show full text]
  • Hogback Is Ridge Formed by Near- Vertical, Resistant Sedimentary Rock
    Chapter 16 Landscape Evolution: Geomorphology Topography is a Balance Between Erosion and Tectonic Uplift 1 Topography is a Balance Between Erosion and Tectonic Uplift 2 Relief • The relief in an area is the maximum difference between the highest and lowest elevation. – We have about 7000 feet of relief between Boulder and the Continental divide. Relief 3 Mountains and Valleys • A mountain is a large mass of rock that projects above surrounding terrain. • A mountain range is a continuous area of high elevation and high relief. • A valley is an area of low relief typically formed by and drained by a single stream. • A basin is a large low-lying area of low relief. In arid areas basins commonly have closed topography (no river outlet to the sea). Mountains • Typically occur in ranges. • Glaciated forms –Horn –Arête • Desert Mountains – Vertical Cliffs – Alluvial Fans 4 Mountain Landforms: Horn Deserts: Vertical Cliffs and Alluvial Fans 5 Valleys and Basins • River Valleys – U-shape (Glacial) – V-shape (Active Water erosion) – Flat-floored (depositional flood plain) • Tectonic (Fault) Valleys (Basins) – Tectonic origin – San Luis Valley – Jackson Hole – Great Basin U-shaped Valley: Glacial Erosion 6 V-shaped Valley: Active water erosion Flat-floored Valley: Depositional Flood Plain 7 Desert and Semi-arid Landforms • A plateau is a broad area of uplift with relatively little internal relief. • A mesa is a small (<10 km2)plateau bounded by cliffs, commonly in an area of flat-lying sedimentary rocks. • A butte is a small (<1000m2) hill bounded by cliffs Plateau, Mesa, Butte 8 Colorado National Monument Canyonlands 9 Desert and Semi-arid Landforms • A cuesta is an asymmetric ridge in dipping sedimentary rocks as the Flatirons.
    [Show full text]
  • A Geomorphic Classification System
    A Geomorphic Classification System U.S.D.A. Forest Service Geomorphology Working Group Haskins, Donald M.1, Correll, Cynthia S.2, Foster, Richard A.3, Chatoian, John M.4, Fincher, James M.5, Strenger, Steven 6, Keys, James E. Jr.7, Maxwell, James R.8 and King, Thomas 9 February 1998 Version 1.4 1 Forest Geologist, Shasta-Trinity National Forests, Pacific Southwest Region, Redding, CA; 2 Soil Scientist, Range Staff, Washington Office, Prineville, OR; 3 Area Soil Scientist, Chatham Area, Tongass National Forest, Alaska Region, Sitka, AK; 4 Regional Geologist, Pacific Southwest Region, San Francisco, CA; 5 Integrated Resource Inventory Program Manager, Alaska Region, Juneau, AK; 6 Supervisory Soil Scientist, Southwest Region, Albuquerque, NM; 7 Interagency Liaison for Washington Office ECOMAP Group, Southern Region, Atlanta, GA; 8 Water Program Leader, Rocky Mountain Region, Golden, CO; and 9 Geology Program Manager, Washington Office, Washington, DC. A Geomorphic Classification System 1 Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 5 I. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 6 History of Classification Efforts in the Forest Service ............................................................... 6 History of Development .............................................................................................................. 7 Goals
    [Show full text]
  • A Brief Guide to Parent Material and Landforms Developed for the New Mexico Envirothon Introduction
    A Brief Guide to Parent Material and Landforms Developed for the New Mexico Envirothon Logan Peterson, NRCS Introduction When soil scientists make maps of soil, we search above the ground for clues before we dig holes. As explained in “From the Surface Down,” a soil gets its unique properties from the interaction of five major factors: climate, living organisms, landscape position, parent material, and time. Once we learn how to read a landscape, we can identify differences in each of these factors and, thus, predict differences in soil properties. A steep north-facing slope will be cooler and support different vegetation than a steep south- facing slope of the same mountain. Because these two slopes will differ in their landscape position, microclimate, and living organisms, we can expect that they will have different soil properties. As another example, let’s compare two landforms: a mountain slope and a floodplain along a stream. The mountain slope is made up of bedrock which is several million years old, while the floodplain is made up of sediments which were recently deposited by water. The mountain slope is relatively steep, and water readily runs off of it, while the floodplain is flat and often flooded. Lastly, the hillslope hasn’t changed much in shape for several thousand years, while the floodplain was deposited during a heavy rainstorm just thirty years ago. We can see that the soils on these two landforms differ in their parent material, landscape position, and in the amount of time they have had to form. Because of its landscape position, the floodplain soil receives much more water, so it will grow a very different plant community (organisms) than the mountain slope soil.
    [Show full text]
  • Colorado Plateau
    MLRA 36 – Southwestern Plateaus, Mesas and Foothills MLRA 36 – Southwestern Plateaus, Mesas and Foothills (Utah portion) Ecological Zone Desert Semidesert* Upland* Mountain* Precipitation 5 -9 inches 9 -13 inches 13-16 inches 16-22 inches Elevation 3,000 -5,000 4,500 -6,500 5,800 - 7,000 6,500 – 8,000 Soil Moisture Regime Ustic Aridic Ustic Ustic Ustic Soil Temp Regime Mesic Mesic Mesic Frigid Freeze free Days 120-220 120-160 100-130 60-90 Percent of Pinyon Percent of Juniper production is Shadscale and production is usually usually greater than blackbrush Notes greater than the Pinyon the Juniper Ponderosa Pine production production 300 – 500 lbs/ac 400 – 700 lbs/ac 100 – 500 lbs/ac 800 – 1,000 lbs/ac *the aspect (north or south) can greatly influence site characteristics. All values in this table are approximate and should be used as guidelines. Different combinations of temperature, precipitation and soil type can place an ecological site into different zones. Southern Major Land Resource AreasRocky (MLRA) D36 Mountains Basins and Plateaus s D36 - Southwestern Plateaus, Mesas, and Foothills Colorado Plateau 05010025 Miles 36—Southwestern Plateaus, Mesas, and Foothills This area is in New Mexico (58 percent), Colorado (32 percent), and Utah (10 percent). It makes up about 23,885 square miles (61,895 square kilometers). The major towns in the area are Cortez and Durango, Colorado; Santa Fe and Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Monticello, Utah. Grand Junction, Colorado, and Interstate 70 are just outside the northern tip of this area. Interstates 40 and 25 cross the middle of the area.
    [Show full text]
  • Flood Surfaces and Deflation Surfaces Within the Cutler Formation and Cedar Mesa Sandstone (Permian), Southeastern Utah
    Flood surfaces and deflation surfaces within the Cutler Formation and Cedar Mesa Sandstone (Permian), southeastern Utah RICHARD LANGFORD 1 „ „ . tr, , . „ , . „ . , rr . r , , , . 0,,,, MARJORIE A CHAN J Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112 ABSTRACT of dune masses and intervening interdune deposits results in the formation of first-order bounding surfaces (Mckee and Moiola,1975; Brookfield, Areally extensive erosion surfaces in eolian deposits have been 1977; Rubin and Hunter, 1982). First-order surfaces are limited in areal interpreted as long hiatuses in eolian deposition. Such erosion surfaces extent (several square kilometers) and form during relatively continuous form during deflationary episodes or during periods of erg stabiliza- eolian deposition. tion or contraction). They are called "super surfaces" and can be useful for stratigraphic correlation because of their regional extent. TOie Permian Cedar Mesa Sandstone and Cutler Formation con- tain a type of super surface (herein termed "flood surfaces"), -10-400+ tan2. Flood surfaces form as a result of fluvial floods into active dune seas. The surfaces may expand through nonclimbing mi- gration of eolian dunes but do not imply long hiatuses in eolian deposi- tion as do other types of super surfaces. Cutler and Cedar Mesa flood surfaces are overlain by shales and sandstones which thicken laterally and merge with fluvial channel-fill deposits. Flooding of active dune fields in the Cedar Mesa Sandstone is suggested by intertonguing of eolian dune and fluvial deposits. Flood surfaces can easily be mistaken for deflationary super surfaces but are distinguished by evidence of dune migration coincident with flood events and by an increase in the number of surfaces adjacent to associated aqueous deposits.
    [Show full text]
  • Canyon Country
    CANYONLANDS TRAVEL REGION ANYONANYON OUNTRYOUNTRY CCA Land Of EnchantmentCC his vast rock desert in southeastern Utah showcases deep, colorful T canyons, majestic natural monuments pictured in western movies, a fantasy land of towering pinnacles and slot canyons, rock arches and ANYONANYON OUNTRYOUNTRY bridges, and breathtaking vistas atop mesas. Much can be seen by car, and more of this endlessly intriguing country is accessible by foot, mountain Explanation CC CC bike, four-wheel-drive vehicle, or watercraft. Collapsed salt anticline You do not have to be a geologist to enjoy or interpret the scenery, for the Arches rocks easily divulge their stories of forming in seas or on land, in deserts or in deltas, in rivers or along beaches. What a fascinating heritage: dinosaurs Bridges once sauntered through lush lowlands leaving huge footprints in mud that Petroglyphs has now turned to rock, vast sand dunes that drifted across the area are Dinosaur tracks preserved as large sweeping lines in sandstone walls, and oceans that once Indian ruins covered this region left fossilized corals and seashells embedded in lime- Paradox basin salt boundary stone. Parks, monuments, recreation areas This guide introduces you to the rocks’ stories, to enhance your travels and Indian reservations your appreciation of the region. Along designated scenic byways, which are portrayed at the end of this pamphlet, look for the specific features Scenic byways described here and learn what their journey has been as you make yours. During your visit, tread lightly on this delicate land so that the pristine and 0 10 20 miles unique landscape remains unchanged.
    [Show full text]
  • Paleontology of the Bears Ears National Monument
    Paleontology of Bears Ears National Monument (Utah, USA): history of exploration, study, and designation 1,2 3 4 5 Jessica Uglesich ,​ Robert J. Gay *,​ M. Allison Stegner ,​ Adam K. Huttenlocker ,​ Randall B. ​ ​ ​ ​ Irmis6 ​ 1 Friends​ of Cedar Mesa, Bluff, Utah 84512 U.S.A. 2 University​ of Texas at San Antonio, Department of Geosciences, San Antonio, Texas 78249 U.S.A. 3 Colorado​ Canyons Association, Grand Junction, Colorado 81501 U.S.A. 4 Department​ of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, 53706 U.S.A. 5 University​ of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90007 U.S.A. 6 Natural​ History Museum of Utah and Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, 301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108-1214 U.S.A. *Corresponding author: [email protected] or [email protected] ​ ​ ​ Submitted September 2018 PeerJ Preprints | https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.3442v2 | CC BY 4.0 Open Access | rec: 23 Sep 2018, publ: 23 Sep 2018 ABSTRACT Bears Ears National Monument (BENM) is a new, landscape-scale national monument jointly administered by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service in southeastern Utah as part of the National Conservation Lands system. As initially designated in 2016, BENM encompassed 1.3 million acres of land with exceptionally fossiliferous rock units. Subsequently, in December 2017, presidential action reduced BENM to two smaller management units (Indian Creek and Shash Jáá). Although the paleontological resources of BENM are extensive and abundant, they have historically been under-studied. Here, we summarize prior paleontological work within the original BENM boundaries in order to provide a complete picture of the paleontological resources, and synthesize the data which were used to support paleontological resource protection.
    [Show full text]
  • CANYONLANDS GEOLOGY INFORMATION Canyonlands
    CANYONLANDS GEOLOGY INFORMATION Canyonlands National Park offers the visitor a grand spectacle of what earth forces can do to once flat and uniform rock layers. The different rock for­ mations here all have two things in common. One, they are all sedimentary rocks, and two, they have all been subjected to natural forces such as weath­ ering, erosion, and faulting. A major shaping force in Canyonlands has been a 3,000 foot thick deposit of salt and gypsum, known as the Paradox member of the Hermosa formation. The Paradox salts were left behind when the water evaporated from a large basin of sea water that once covered this area. The salt deposits provide an un­ stable platform for the countless millions of tons of rock that overly them. In the Needles district of Canyonlands is a series of parallel canyons known as the Grabens. Graben is a geological term for a canyon formed by a block of earth subsiding in relation to the rest of the area. The Grabens in Canyon­ lands formed as a result of the salt beneath the sandstone flowing away to areas of less pressure. The sandstone settled along pre-existing fault lines to create the Grabens. The Needles themselves result from weathering and erosion along joint and fault lines. The Needles area is crisscrossed with such fractures in the rocks. You can hike right through one such crack on the Joint Trail, which leaves from the four-wheel drive parking area near Chesler Park and ends up at the edge of Chesler Park. At the present time the joint through which the trail runs is only a couple of feet wide, but in the not too distant geologi­ cal future it will be many feet wide due to the constant work of weathering and erosion.
    [Show full text]