Studies of the Permian Phosphoria Formation and Related Rocks, Great Basin- Rocky 1\Jountain Region
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Studies of the Permian Phosphoria Formation and Related Rocks, Great Basin- Rocky 1\Jountain Region GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1163-A, B, C, D Studies of the Permian Phosphoria Formation and Related Rocks, Great Basin- Rocky Mountain Region Bruce R. Wardlaw, Editor Transgression of the Retort Phosphatic Shale Member of the Phosphoria Formation (Permian) in Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming By BRUCE R. WARDLAW The Murdock Mountain Formation: a new unit of the Permian Park City Group By BRUCE R. WARDLAW, JAMES W. COLLINSON, and EDWIN K. MAUGHAN Stratigraphy of Park City Group Equivalents in southern Idaho, northeastern Nevada, and northwestern Utah By BRUCE R. WARDLAW, jAMES W. COLLINSON, and EDWIN K. MAUGHAN Biostratigraphic zonation of the Park City Group By BRUCE R. WARDLAW and jAMES W. COLLINSON GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1163-A, B, C, D UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON: 1979 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR CECIL D. ANDRUS, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY H. William Menard, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 79-607907 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 Stock Number 024-001-03257-1 CONTENTS (Letters designate the chapters} Page (A) Transgression of the Retort Phosphatic Shale Member of the Phosphoria Formation (Permian) in Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming, by Bruce R. Wardlaw---------- 1 (B) The Murdock Mountain Formation: a new unit of the Permian Park City Group, by Bruce R. Wardlaw, James W. Collinson, and Edwin K. Maughan------------------------- 5 (C) Stratigraphy of Park City Group Equivalents in southern Idaho, northeastern Nevada, and northwestern Utah, by Bruce R. Wardlaw, James W. Collinson, and Edwin K. Maughan ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 (D) Biostratigraphic zonation of the Park City Group, by Bruce R. Wardlaw and James W. Collinson --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 III Transgression of the Retort Phosphatic Shale Member of the Phosphoria Formation (Permian) in Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming ByBRUCER. WARDLAW STUDIES OF THE PERMIAN PHOSPHORIA FORMATION AND RELATED ROCKS, GREAT BASIN-ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 1163-A CONTENTS Page Abstract ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Brachiopod evidence ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 Montana localities ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Idaho localities -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------·------------------- 2 Utah localities ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Wyoming localities -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 References cited ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3 ILLUSTRATIONS Page FIGURE 1. Map of location of geologic sections-------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 2. Fence diagram of Retort Phosphatic Shale Member of the Phosphoria Forma- tion, showing occurrences of brachiopods immediately below the Retort--- 3 3. Diagram of relative age of the base of the Retort Phosphatic Shale Member of the Phosphoria Formation in Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming------ 4 STUDIES OF THE PERMIAN PHOSPHORIA FORMATION AND RELATED ROCKS, GREAT BASIN-ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION TRANSGRESSION OF THE RETORT PHOSPHATIC SHALE MEMBER OF THE PHOSPHORIA FORMATION (PERMIAN) IN IDAHO, MONTANA, UTAH, AND WYOMING By BRUCE R. WARDLAW ABSTRACT linson, and Maughan, this volume, Chapter C) as the The transgression of the Permian Retort Phosphatic Shale Thamnosia, Kuvelousia, and Yakovlevia Zones. All Member of the Phosphoria Formation is dated by the occurrence of three of the diagnostic brachiopods (Thamnosia, diagnostic brachiopods. The complex pattern of this transgression reflects the paleogeography and indicates two initial basins of Kuvelousia, and Yakovlevia) are found in much of the deposition: one in southwestern Montana and one in southeastern area discussed. Other diagnostic brachiopods of the Idaho. Yakovlevia Zone are Timaniella n. sp. and Bathy myonia n. sp. B (Wardlaw and Collinson, 1978a, 1979). INTRODUCTION Because the brachiopods maintain a consistent Relative ages for the Phosphoria, Park City, and biostratigraphic position over the Great Basin-Rocky Shedhorn Formations of Idaho, Montana, and Wyo Mountain area in many different facies, it seems ming can be determined by an application of the reasonable to use the zones as relative time indicators. regional biostratigraphic zonation proposed by The zones show a complex transgression of the Retort Wardlaw and Collinson (1977; 1978a; this volume, Phosphatic Shale Member of the Phosphoria Forma Chapter D) for the Park City Group in Nevada and tion over Wyoming and Utah. Geologic sections used Utah. Many of the key brachiopods are the same in to illustrate the transgression are shown in figure 1. both areas; conodonts also support this determination Figure 2 shows the distribution of the Retort (Wardlaw and Collinson, 1978b, 1979). Most of the Phosphatic Shale Member and the brachiopods that brachiopod collections referred to in this report are occur just below it. Though much of the data is taken listed by Wardlaw (1978). The brachiopods are not from the thrust belt in Idaho and Wyoming, and inter always present but are prevalent enough for dating the pretations are made across it, the thrusts do not ap time of initial transgression of the Retort Phosphatic pear to alter the relative position of each section for the Shale Member of the Phosphoria Formation. scale of this analysis. Sections on different thrust Brachiopods are rare and seem to have found it un plates show similar east-west trends and these trends favorable to live in the environments of deposition of vary north and south. the Phosphoria and Park City Formations in or below the Retort Phosphatic Shale Member in much of BRACHIOPOD EVIDENCE western Wyoming. Elsewhere, in the Retort deposi MONTANA LOCALITIES tional area, brachiopods seem to be fairly common. Wardlaw and Collinson (1977, 1978a) proposed three Dalys Spur.-Thamnosia depressa (Cooper) occurs 1 just below the Retort Phosphatic Shale Member in the Wordian (lower Guadalupian ) zones. They are, in ascending order: the Thamnosia depressa Zone, the Shedhorn Sandstone, indicating correlation of initial Kuvelousia leptosa Zone, and the Yakovlevia deposition of the conformable Retort during the Tham multistriata-Neogondolella bitteri Zone. The zones nosia Zone. have since been more simply referred to (Wardlaw, Col- Big Sheep Creek.-Thamnosia depressa (Cooper) oc curs just below the Retort in the Shedhorn Sandstone, indicating initial deposition of the Retort during the 1 Assigned to the Early Permian by the U.S. Geological Survey. Thamnosia Zone. 1 2 PHOSPHORIA FORMATION AND RELATED ROCKS, GREAT BASIN-ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION UTAH LOCALITIES Crawford Mountains.-No diagnostic fossils exist below the Retort, but at the Frank mine prospect, in a very thin Retort, occurs an abundant brachiopod fauna A Dalys Spur MONTANA including Timaniella n. sp. This probably represents r----------------- sedimentation beginning at or near the Kuvelousia 1wvoMING Yakovlevia zonal boundary. The Retort has been t''\: greatly reduced by erosion prior to Triassic sedimenta /-~:: '1 tion. I Dry BreadHollow.-Kuvelousia leptosa Waterhouse I occurs below the Retort in the Franson Member of the I I Park City Formation, indicating initial deposition of I the Retort during the Kuvelousia Zone. 1 Teton Pass WYOMING LOCALITIES 43° Teton Pass.-No diagnostic fossils occur below the Twin Creek Retort in the Franson Member of the Park City Forma tion. Tosi Creek.-No diagnostic fossils occur below the Retort in the Franson Member of the Park City Forma 42° UTAH tion. Bull Lake.-Yakovlevia multistriata (Meek) and 50 Timaniella n. sp. occur just below the Retort in the Franson Member of the Park City Formation. In the Ervay Carbonate Member of the Park City Formation (just above the Retort), Yakovlevia multistriata (Meek), Timaniella n. sp., and Bathymyonia n. sp. B oc FIGURE I.-Location of geologic sections. cur at its base. Therefore, diagnostic fossils of the Yakovlevia Zone bracket the Retort. Anchor Canyon.-Timaniella n. sp. and Bathy myonia n. sp. B occur just below and in the very thin Retort, indicating initial deposition of the Retort dur IDAHO LOCALITIES ing the Yakovlevia Zone. Twin Creek.-Timaniella n. sp. and Bathymyonia n. Fall Creek.-N eospirifer striatoparadoxus (Toula) oc sp. B occur in the Retort, indicating initial deposition curs below the Retort in the Franson Member of the of the Retort during the Yakovlevia Zone. Park City Formation, along with several other The inferred age for the base of the Retort (fig. 3), brachiopods (Wardlaw, 1978). This probably along the traverses shown in figure 1, indicates a represents