Jurassic Stratigraphy of Utah and Colorado Lawrence C
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New Mexico Geological Society Downloaded from: http://nmgs.nmt.edu/publications/guidebooks/2 Jurassic stratigraphy of Utah and Colorado Lawrence C. Craig and Clifford N. Holmes, 1951, pp. 93-95 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. These books have set the national standard for geologic guidebooks and are an important reference for anyone working in or around New Mexico. 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NEW MEXICO AND ARIZONA The Glen Canyongroup consistsof the Wingate I sandstone,Kayenta formation, and Navajosandstone TheJurassic formations of the southand west in ascendingorder. The age assignmentof the Glen sldesofthe San Juan Basin form an extremelycomplex Canyonis in questionbecause of the lackof diagnostic i systemof sediments.They are nearlyal[ non-marine fossils.This group is tentativelyassigned to the and weredeposited in similarenvironments giving rise Jurassic.A recognizablehiatus is lackingat the to nearlyidentical lithologies and sedimentary structures, base of The Glen Canyon;the componentformations Any discussionof theseformations cannot avoid going are separatedin most placesonly by gradational i far afieldfrom the confinesof the SanJuan Basin andarbitrary contacts. properbecause nearly all of the formationalnames usedhave their type localities beyond the margins The Wingatesandstone and Kayentaformation I of theBasin.Generalizeddescriptions of the form- formtwo broadlens-shapeddeposits extending ationsare dividedgeographically, partly because throughall of southeasternUtah and intosouthwestern of the areasUsed as typelocalities and partlybe- Colorado.The Wingateis mostlyeolian in character causeof the familiarityof the authorswith more in the centerof thisarea but shows increasing effects I localizedoccurrences, of subaqueousdeposition to the northand east.The Kayentais fluviatilein origin.The westernlimit The threepapers which comprise this discussion of the Wingateand Kayentais betweenthe Circle werefirst presented at the conferenceon Jurassic Cllffsand Zion Canyonareas of southwesternUtah. I stratigraphyat the annualmeeting of the New Mex- The characterof thislimit is notclearly described ic0 GeologicalSociety on April 6, 1951. Some in the literatureand considerabledifference of conclusionsin thesearticles may alreadybe outdated opinionprevai[s concerning its position.The north- I becauseof currentfield work by variousbranches of westernand northernlimit lies beneaththe Wasatch the U. S. GeologicalSurvey on mineralresources Plateauand the Uinta Basin.To the east the Wingate and groundwater, continued field work by the and Kayentalose theiridenty along a north-south geologicalstaff of the A. E.C.in the regionand the line in southwesternColorado, as a resultof various i activitiesof privatecompanies and individuals.The combinationsof facieschange convergence,and firstpaper describes the formationsas theyappear erosion.The name Doloresformation has been applied in Coloradoand Utah and servesto introducemuch in southwesternColorado to the intervalthought to I of the nomenclature,Thesecondpaperdescribes containinseparableequivalentsof formationsof the the unitsas theyoccur in the NavajoReservation Glen Canyongroup and the UpperTriassic series. and appliesmost directly to thewest side of theSan Juan Basin.The thirdpaper attemptsto sunxnarize The Navajosandstone forms an irregularwedge I the problemspresented by the firsttwo papersand to of predominantlyeolian sandstone extending through suggestregional distribution patterns and their all southernand easternUtah into southwesternCola- controls, rado. The Navajois thickestin southwesternUtah and correspondsto the even thickerAztec Sandstone i JURASSIC STRATIGRAPHY OF UTAH of southernNevada. The Navajothins to the north AND COLORADO* and east and is correlatedwith the Nuggetsandstone of centralUtah and southwesternWyoming. This unit i LawrenceC. Craig and CliffordN. Holmes** extendssoutheastward into the centralColorado basin as far as Rifle.In southwesternColorado the Navajo (Abstractof a paperpresented before the reachesa featheredge,probably as a resultof both New Mexico GeologicalSociety, depositionalconvergence and pre-SanRafael erosion. I April6, 1951) Jurassicrocks of the ColoradoPlateau are I dividedinto threemajor units -- the Glen Canyon group,San Rafaelgroup and Morrlsonformation in *Publicationauthorized by the D~rector,U.S. ascendingorder. This classificationcan be extended GeologicalSurvey. I to mostof the Jurassicrocks of Utahand Colorado. ** Geologists,U. S. GeologicalSurvey. ! 93 | | NEW MEXICO GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY *SECOND FIELD CONFERENCE * SAN JUANBASIN " ggg~ I TheSan Rafael group is divldedinto’four form- greenishsandstone and minor greenish shale; the ations-- the Carmelformation, Entrada sandstone, Summervilleis predominantly redsilty shale and Curtisformation and Summervilleformation, in sandstone.Both overlie the Entrada conformably n ascendingorder. The Carmelhas beendated as exceptin centralUtah, where an angularuncon- II earlyUpper Jurassic and theCurtis as middleUpper formitylocally marks the baseof theCurtis. The Jurassicfrom marine invertebrate fossils. The Curtisformation has beenrecognized in southwestern, gg Entradaand Summerville lack diagnosticfossll remains, centraland northeastern Utah and in northwestern g Colorado.Unfossiliferous thln-bedded sandstones and The Carmelformation was depositedthroughout shalesalong the northern part of theFront Range in southernUtah. It is notpreserved west of south- Coloradomay be equivalentto the Curtis.Thick n westernUtah. It thinsto thenortheast and reaches gypsumdeposits southwest of the AncestralUncompahgre U a featheredgein southwesternColorado. A limes- Upliftand southeast of theAncestral Front Range stone-and gypsum-bearing sandstone and shale Upliftprobably formed in restrictedparts of theCurtis gg Sea.The Summervilleformation has beenrecognized faciesin centraland southwesternUtah has been ¯mm dlstinguishedfrom a redsilty sandstone facies in throughoutsouth-central and southeasternUtah and southeasternUtah. A criticalstudy of faciesrelations partof southwesternColorado. Where both formations in southeasternUtah is necessaryto determinethe arepresent the Summerville overlies the Curtis. In ¯ extentof thered silty sandstone facies of theCarmel northeasternUtah and northwestern Colorado the II intoNew Mexicoand Arizona. Curtisoccupies the entire interval between the Entradasandstone and the Morrlsonformation. South- TheEntrada sandstone was deposited throughout eastwardfrom central and south-central Utah~ the g southernand eastern Utah and most of Colorado.It Curtisgrades into the Summerville and theSummer- HI correlateslocally with the Garo sandstone (Stark et villeoccupies the entire interval between the Entrada al.,1949) Exeter sandstone (Lee, W. T. 1902) and the Morrison.In a north-southbelt through Moab, [] thelower part of theSundance formation in central Utah,the Moabtongue of theEntrada sandstone occupies g and easternColorado. A red earthysandstone facies mostof theinterval between the Entrada and the in centraland southwestern Utah has been distinguished Morrlson.To the eastand westof Moab,and to the froma cleansandstone facies in Coloradoand eastern