Geology of the Du Noir Area Fremont County Wyomin
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Geology of the Du Noir Area Fremont County Wyomin By WILLIAM R. KEEFER SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 294-E A detailed study of the geology ofa2$o-square-mile area in the extreme northwestern part of the Wind River Basin, Wyoming. Prepared in cooperation with the Geological Survey of Wyoming and the Department of Geology of the University of Wyoming as part of a program of the Department of the Interior for development of the Missouri River basin UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1957 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FRED A. SEATON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. CONTENTS Page Stratigraphy—Continued Abstract._ _________________________________________ 155 Cretaceous system—Continued Page Introduction.______________________________________ 156 Frontier formation,________________________ 184 Location and extent of the area.__________________ 156 Cody shale_____________ ___________________ 186 Purpose and scope of the report- ________________ 157 Tertiary system- ____________-_------__________ 187 Previous investigations and publications __________ 157 Paleocene(?) series._______________________ 187 Field work_ ___________________________________ 157 Fort Union(?) formation________________ 187 Acknowledgments. ___________________ 159 Eocene series._____________________________ 187 Geography,___________________________________ 159 Indian Meadows formation _ __________ 187 Surface features. ________________________ 159 Wind River formation,______________ 18& Drainage and water supply ___________________ 160 Tepee Trail formation. _______________ 193 Climate and vegetation.. ______________________ 160 Eocene rocks, undifferentiated___________ 194 Transportation and settlement. _____________ 161 Oligocene series_ _ _ _____________________ 195 Stratigraphy. ______________________________ 161 Wiggins formation. _________________ 195 Precambrian rocks_ _______________________ 163 Quaternary system____________________________ 196 Cambrian system. ______________________ 164 Residual basalt debris_ _ ___________________ 196 Flathead sandstone. ________________ 164 Moraines_ ________________________________ 197 Gros Ventre formation _______________ 164 Landslide and glacial debris, undifferentiated. 197 Gallatin limestone. _______________ 165 Landslide debris, undifferentiated_________ 197 Ordovician system. ______________________ 166 Terrace deposits and collu vium_ ___________ 19& Bighorn dolomite. ___________ _________ 166 Travertine._______________________________ 199 Devonian system. ________________________ 167 Alluvium _______________________ 200 Darby formation, ____________________ 167 Igneous rocks _______________________ 200 Carboniferous systems, ___________________ 168 Dikes _______-_--__-_----_---__ 200 Mississippian system. J.<.._ ______________ 168 Structure,__________--__-_-.-__--___-__--___--____ 200 Madison limestone_ __________________ 168 Method of structure contouring. ______________ 202 Wind River Range.____________________________ 202 Pennsylvania!! system. ________________ 169 Synclinal basin structures___ __________________ 202 Amsden formation _____________ _ _ _ _ _ 169 Washakie Range_______________---__--____--_-_ 205 Tensleep sandstone. _______________ 172 Summary of Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary events. 207 Permian system ____________________________ 174 Geomorphology _ _ __________________________________ 209 Phosphoria formation ____________________ 174 Erosion cycles_______________________________ 210 Triassic system,________________________________ 175 Black Rock cycle__-________________________ 210 Dinwoody formation, ________________ 175 Circle cycle- ______________________________ 211 Chugwater formation- ____________________ 176 Lenore cycle_ _____________________________ 212 Jurassic system.________________________________ 177 Postglacial erosion. ______________!_________ 232 Nugget sandstone_.__ ___________ _______ 177 Glacial stages ________________________ 213 Gypsum Spring formation, ______________ 178 Buffalo stage_ _______________________ 213 "Lower Sundance"_________________________ 179 Bull Lake and Pinedale stages. ________ 214 "Upper Sundance"____ _____________________ 180 Economic geology._ ___________________ _________ 215 Jurassic and Cretaceous systems.__________________ 180 Oil and gas___________________________________ 215 Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous series____ 180 Coal._-_-_-_ ______-_-----_----_-- 216 Morrison and Cleverly formations, undiffer- Bentonite_ ________.__________---__---__ 217 entiated. ___________________________ 180 GolcL _.__---_-,----- — --_---------_---_-- — -- 217 Cretaceous system.______________________________ 182 Uranium. _ __________-_------_-_--_ 217 Thermopolis shale __________________ 182 Literature cited__ _________________________________ 217 Mowrv shale,______________________________ 183 Index._________ ______.____. _______ _____ 220 in IV ILLUSTRATIONS ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 26. Geologic map and structure sections of the Du Noir area________________________________________ In pocket 27. Geologic map and sections of a part of the Dubois anticlinal complex _ _ ________________________ In pocket FIGURE 56. Index map of Wyoming showing location of Du Noir area_ ______________________________________________ 156 57. Index map showing major physiographic features and areas of recent geologic mapping in west-central Wyoming- 158 58. Generalized columnar section of rocks in the Du Noir area______ ________________________________________ 162 59. Index map showing location of measured sections.__________-------__-_---------_- ____-___-_---_---____ 163 60. Flathead sandstone and Gros Ventre formation along Warm Spring Creek_________________________________ 164 61. Gallatin limestone and Bighorn dolomite on north side of Warm Spring Canyon.___________________________ 165 62. Diagram showing thickness variation of Darwin sandstone member of the Amsden formation_________________ 171 63. Correlation of Carboniferous strata from Dubois southeast along flank of Wind River Range ________________ 173 64. Outcrop of Nugget sandstone west of Dubois__________--------_---------------------------------------- 177 65. Fort Union (?) formation and Mowry shale strongly folded and faulted at southeastern end of Dubois anticlinal complex_ ________________________________________________________________________________________ 187 66. View of lower Eocene rocks along north side of Wind River southeast of Dubois____________________________ 187 67. Angular unconformity between Indian Meadows formation and Chugwater formation on east side of Horse Creek___________________________________________________________________________________________ 188 68. Chart showing lateral variation of the Wind River formation_____________________________________________ 189 69. Diagrammatic cross section showing apparent relations of facies of Wind River forma tion___ ________________ 190 70. Exposures of a part of the Wind River formation.______________________________________________________ 191 71. Angular unconformity between the Wind River formation and Mowry and Frontier formations on Dubois anti clinal complex.________________________________________________________________________________ 192 72. Sketch of the Ramshorn_____________________________________________________________________________ 195 73. Angular blocks of basalt on southwest flank of Spring Mountain.. _______________________________________ 196 74. Mudflow at north end of Table Mountain_____---__------_-----------------------------_---.-_--------- 199 75. View of front edge of mudflow_ _____________________________----------___--_-_--------_----_-_---_-_- 199 76. Sketch map showing major structural divisions of the Du Noir area_______________________________________ 200 77. Tectonic map of a part of west-central Wyoming._____________-_________---_---___---_____---_---_--__- 201 78. Wind Ridge fault_____________________"_________________________________-_________-_-----___-_-_____ 204 79. View looking east toward Stony Point____________________-_-_-________________________________________ 212 80. Lateral moraine of Buffalo stage of glaciation along Fourmile Creek. _____________________________________ 213 SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY GEOLOGY OF THE DU NOIR AREA, FREMONT COUNTY, WYOMING By WILLIAM R. KEEPER ABSTRACT The Du Noir area includes about 250 square miles in the Younger Upper Cretaceous rocks, commonly found in adjacent northwestern part of the Wind River Basin, Fremont County, regions, are not present. Wyo. It is bounded on the south by the Wind River and Warm Tertiary strata, which cover a large part of the Du Noir area, Spring Creek, which flow along the northeast flank of the have been divided into 5 units: the Fort Union (?) formation Wind River Range, and on the north by the steep scarps of the of Paleocene age, Indian Meadows and Wind River formations southern margin of the Absaroka Range. Rugged mountainous of lower Eocene age, Tepee Trail formation of late Eocene age, terrain dominates both the southwest and northern portions and Wigging formation of Oligocene(?) age. Rocks of middle of the mapped area whereas badland topography and deeply Eocene age have not been confirmed, but they could be present. dissected upland surfaces characterize the central part. One In some areas the lower