Brighan Young University Geology Studies
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BRIGHAM GEOLOGY YOUNG STUDIES UNIVERSITY Volume 15: Part 1 October 1968 CONTENTS A program for generation of synthetic stratigraphic sections ................................ Robert F. Blakely and Paul Edwin Potter 3 Techniques for obtaining fabric data from coarse clastic sediments ........................................................................ Alan R. Smith 13 Middle and Upper Cambrian stratigraphy in the autoch- thon and allochthon of northern Utah .................... Richard J. Rigo 31 Structural development of the Toquerville-Pintura seg- ment of the Hurricane Cliffs, Utah ........................ Robert A. Watson 67 Gravitational gliding in the Flagstaff Formation near Soldier Summit, Utah ........................ .. ........... Mounir T. Moussa 77 Geology of the Desert Mountains intrusives, Juab County, Utah ................................................... Donald F. Kattelman 85 Note on the distribution and morphology of the fern genus Astralopteris .... Samuel R. Rushforth and William D. Tidwell 109 Early Pennsylvanian crinoids from the south-central Wasatch Mountains of central Utah ....................... Alan T. Washburn 115 Publications and maps of the Geology Department .................................. 133 Brigham Young University Geology Studies Volume 15: Part 1 - October 1968 Contents A program for generation of synthetic stratigraphic sections ............................. Robert F. Blakely and Paul Edwin Potter 3 Techniques for obtaining fabric data from coarse clastic sediments ..................................................................... Alan R. Smith 13 Middle and Upper Cambrian stratigraphy in the autoch- thon and allochthon of northern Utah .................... Richard J. Rigo 31 Structural development of the Toquerville-Pintura seg- ment of the Hurricane Cliffs, Utah ....................... Robert A. Watson 67 Gravitational gliding in the Flagstaff Formation near Soldier Summit, Utah ........................................... Mounir T. Moussa 77 Gedlogy of the Desert Mountains intrusives, Juab County, Utah ...................................................... Donald F. Kattelman 85 Note on the distribution and morphology of the fern genus Astvcllopterjs .... Samuel R. Rushforth and William D. Tidwell 109 Early Pennsylvanian crinoids from the south-central Wasatch Mountains of central Utah .................. Alan T. Washburn 11 5 Publications and maps of the Geology Department ................................. 133 A publication of the Department of Geology Brigham Young University Provo, Utah 84601 Editor J. Keith Rigby Associate Editors Morris S. Petersen, Lehi F. Hintze, W. Kenneth Hamblin Brigbarn Young U~ziuersityGeology Slurlies is published annually by the department. Geology 9ndie.r consists of graduate student and staff re- search in the department, and occasional papers from other contributors. Distributed October 15, 1968 Price $4.00 Structural Development of the Toquerville-Pintura Segment of the Hurricane Cliffs, Utah ROBERTA. WATSON Colorado School of Miner, Golden, Colorado ABSTRACT.-T~~section of the Hurrlcane Cliffs north of Toquerville, Utah, IS struc- turally an asymmetrical anticline which plunges to the north and is truncated on the south by the eastward bend of the Hurricane fault trace. Minor structures within the anticline include thrust faults and related compressional folds, antithetlc faults, normal faults, and drag folding Into the west-dipping Hurricane fault zone. The east flank of the fold dips eastward at about 40". Dips on the west flank range from 25" to 30" but increase abruptly to nearly 65" where the limb :, flexed Into the Hurrlcane fault zone Asymmetry of this fold and the associated minor structures indicate that the overail structure is the result of. several periods of deformation beg~nning in the Cretaceoui period. The first disturbance resulted ln a long north-trending anticline, subsequenti) faulted along its axis north of Toquerville by a succession of later periods of normal faultlng wh~chmod~fied the structure to its present configuration. It is concluded tha: the east flank of the structure represents the remnant Late Cretaceous-Early Tertiarv (Laramide) fold whereas the steeper west limb is interpreted as a later drag flexure. CONTENTS TEXT ILLUSTRATIONS page Text-figures Page Introduction ......................................... 67 1. Index map of the Toquer- Acknowledgments ................................ 69 ville-Pintura segment of the Hurricane Fault, near Cedar Stratigraphy .......................................... 69 City, in southwestern Utah .... 68 Permian System ................................ 69 2. Geologic map of the Toquer- Pakoon Limestone ........................ 69 ville-Pintura segment of the Undivided Quantoweap and Hurricane Cliffs ........................ 71 Coconino Sandstones ................ 69 3. Geologic cross section Toroweap Formation .................. 69 through the Hurricane Fault zone and the northern part Ka~babLimestone ....................... 69 of the asymmetrical anticline Triassic System ................................ 70 north of Toquerville, along Moenkopi Formation .................... 70 line A-A' .................................... 72 Quaternary System .......................... 70 4. Geologic map showing rela- Basalt Flows ................................ 70 tionships of the Virgin Anti- Unconsolidated Debris ................ 70 cline near Pintura and To- Structure ................................................ 70 querville, to the north ............ 74 5. Block diagrams of structural Geologic History and Tectonlc developmerrt of the mapped Development .................................... 73 area from Early Tertiary to References Cited .................................. 76 Recent ........................................ 75 INTRODUCTION The southwestern quarter of the Colorado Plateau is characterized by vast expanses of nearly horizontal strata broken by large noah-south trending fault-flexures, well known for their extensive length. Dutton (1882, p. 19) described these features as "the Great Faults and Flexures which traverse lengthwise the district of the high plateaus and the Grand Canyon .. ." 68 ROBERT A. WATSON The Grand Wash Fault, the westernmost of these large fault zones, marks the southwest boundary of the province from the Grand Canyon to the Utah- Arizona border. Near St. George, Utah, this fault dies out and the province boundary is located several miles to the east along the prominent escarpment associated with the Hurricane Fault zone (Dutton, 1880, p. 7) (Text-fig. 1). TEXT-FIGURE1.-Index map of Toquerville-Pintura segment of the Hurricane Fault, near Cedar City, in southwestern Utah. This escarpment can be traced from south of the Grand Canyon in Arizona north into Utah for over 160 miles. Near Toquemille, Utah, the escarpment, the Hurricane Cliffs, attains a vertical relief of slightly over 2,000 feet and over- looks the northern end of the St. George Basin. The Hurricane Cliffs is a composite fault escarpment which owes its relief primarily to vertical displace- ment along the Hurricane Fault zone. The section of the cliffs immediately north of Toquemille, Utah, is anticlinal (Text-fig. 2). The east limb of the anticline tends to dip more steeply than the west limb. Along the fault zone, where recent drag has accentuated flexure of an older structure, the westward flexure increases to nearly 70' locally. A history of at least four major periods of deformation since deposition of the oldest rocks, the Permian Pakoon Lime- stone, is evident from structural and stratigraphic relationships in this area. STRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF HURRICANE CLIFFS 69 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer is indebted to Dr. W. K. Harnblin and Dr. L. F. Hintze of Brigham Young University who suggested the study and gave support during the investigation. Appreciation is also extended to Dr. H. J. Bissell and Dr. M. G. Best of Brigham Young University for consultation on stratigraphic and petrological problems, to Dr. K. L. Cook of the University of Utah, and to A. E. Kurie of Salt Lake City for encouragement during the research, and to Dr. L. T. Grose and Dr. R. H. DeVoto who guided final preparation of the manuscript. The National Science Foundation gave financial assistance through the undergraduate research program at Brigham Young University. STRATIGRAPHY The stratigraphic units present in the Toquerville-Pintura segment of the Hurricane Cliffs include sedimentary rocks of Wolfcampian, Leonardian, Guadalupian, and Early Triassic ages. These older sediments are partially covered by Quaternary basalts, alluvium and colluvium. The following discussion of these units is based on the investigations of Averitt (1962), Bissell (1963), Stokes (1963), and Watson (1967). PERMIAN SYSTEM Pakoon Limestone The Pakoon Limestone is a Lower Permian (Wolfcampian) thin- to thick- bedded dolomitic limestone. Upper zones contain interbedded gypsiferous siltstones. Thicknesses in the mapped area exceed 300 feet. One thousand and forty feet were measured in the Pan American Petroleum Company No. 1 Pintura Well near Pintura, Utah (Bissell, 1963, p. 43). Undivided Quantoweap Sandstone-Coconino Sandstones The Quantoweap-Coconino Sandstone is a subrounded, fine- to medium- grained, light buff, cross-bedded, calcareous to dolomitic quartzose sandstone and is Late Wolfcampian to Leonardian. The upper portion of the formation is better sorted, lacks dolomite in the cement, and is thought to represent the Coconino