University of Arkansas, Fayetteville ScholarWorks@UARK Theses and Dissertations 12-2017 Paleozoic Sandstones in the Tri-State Region, Southern Ozarks: Tectono-Stratigraphic Sequence Development and Compositional Evolution, the Source and Delivery Conundrum, and the Regional Tectonic History Elvis Chekwube Bello University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd Part of the Geology Commons, Sedimentology Commons, and the Stratigraphy Commons Recommended Citation Bello, Elvis Chekwube, "Paleozoic Sandstones in the Tri-State Region, Southern Ozarks: Tectono-Stratigraphic Sequence Development and Compositional Evolution, the Source and Delivery Conundrum, and the Regional Tectonic History" (2017). Theses and Dissertations. 2573. http://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/2573 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UARK. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UARK. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Paleozoic Sandstones in the Tri-State Region, Southern Ozarks: Tectono-Stratigraphic Sequence Development and Compositional Evolution, the Source and Delivery Conundrum, and the Regional Tectonic History A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geosciences by Elvis Chekwube Bello Delta State University Bachelor of Science in Geology, 2001 University of Arkansas Masters of Science in Geology, 2013 December 2017 University of Arkansas This dissertation is approved for recommendation to the Graduate Council. --------------------------------------------- Dr. Walter L. Manger Dissertation Director ---------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------- Dr. Doy L. Zachry Dr. Mohamed Aly Committee Member Committee Member ---------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------- Dr. Ralph Davis Dr. John G. Hehr Committee Member Committee Member Abstract The Paleozoic stratigraphic record of the Ozark Region, southern midcontinent has been divided into at least 33 formations, with the most significant thickness of 9692 feet preserved in northwest Arkansas. The potential thickness would have been much greater, but epeirogenic movements and sea-level rise and fall produced regional surfaces of erosion reducing the record. That interplay between tectonics (epeirogenic movements) and eustatic change (transgressive- regressive cycles) preserved in the Ozark sedimentary history provides the basis for recognition of five distinct, but related, tectonostratigraphic units designated TS 1 through TS 5: Late Precambrian-Middle Cambrian (TS 1), Late Cambrian-Earliest Ordovician (TS 2), Early Ordovician-Early Devonian (TS 3), Middle Devonian-Late Mississippian (TS 4), and Early- Middle Pennsylvanian (TS 5), and a better understanding of the effects of two independent, but potentially simultaneous, processes: eustasy – variation of ocean water volume, which causes sea-level rise and fall and controls sediment supply; and tectonism – changes in elevation of earth’s crust, either by uplift or subsidence, providing or reducing accommodation space and ultimately recorded sedimentary succession. The studies of the stratigraphic succession preserved in the southern midcontinent illustrate the interaction of tectonics, eustasy, as well as the effects of weathering, erosion, transport, and depositional processes through the Paleozoic Era. This succession of events is recorded in the stratal configurations, stratigraphic style, and lithologic changes in the geologic record of the southern Midcontinent. The three studies examine the evidence and interpret the record of compositional evolution with the tectono-stratigraphic sequences, the source and delivery conundrum for the terrigenous clastic sediments, and finally, the regional tectonic history of the southern Ozark Dome and its effect on the stratigraphic succession. While perhaps leaving some questions still unresolved, this is the first study that has recognized and “read” the record of these tectono-stratigraphic sequences in the southern Midcontinent. Copyright © Elvis Chekwube Bello 2017 All Rights Reserved Acknowledgements I would like to thank my dissertation director, Walter L. Manger for his support which made the completion of this project possible. I would also like to thank the dissertation committee members Doy. L. Zachry, Ralph Davis, Mohamed Aly, and John G. Hehr for reviewing this work and their constructive critiques. Doy L. Zachry especially provided invaluable input and support. Angela Chandler and Richard Hutto, staff members of the Arkansas Geological Survey, provided the thin section data for the Lower Ordovician through earliest Mississippian and Upper Mississippian sandstones. The Stephens Production Company in Fort Smith provided the geophysical log data. Robert Liner assisted in acquiring the logs and provided expertise on IHS Petra Workstation. A special acknowledge goes to Monte C. Mashall, Professor Emeritus, San Diego State University for his insights on paleostructures. Table of Contents Chapter 1: Paleozoic Sandstones in the Tri-State Region, Southern Ozarks: Tectono- Stratigraphic Sequence DevelopmentaAnd Compositional Evolution, the Source and Delivery Conundrum, and the Regional Tectonic History ............................................................................ 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Location ...................................................................................................................................... 1 Regional Context and Importance .............................................................................................. 2 Tectonostratigraphic Sequences of the Paleozoic Record, Southern Ozark Region, Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma ................................................................................................................. 5 The Source and Delivery Conundrum for Paleozoic Sandstones, Southern Ozarks, Tri-State Region, Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma .................................................................................. 8 Tectonic History of the Ozark Dome Determined by Structural and Stratigraphic Analysis ....... 10 References ..................................................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 2: Tectono-Stratigraphic Sequences of the Paleozoic Record, Southern Ozark Region, Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma .............................................................................................. 16 Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... 16 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 17 Geologic Setting............................................................................................................................ 18 Paleozoic Sandstone Succession, Southern Ozark Region ........................................................... 21 Thickness Variations, Paleozoic Record of the Southern Ozark Region...................................... 25 Tectonostratigraphy ...................................................................................................................... 26 Tectonostratigraphic Interval 1 (Ts ) – Late Precambrian to Middle Cambrian, > 1 Ga in Duration. ....................................................................................................................................... 35 Tectonostratigraphic Interval 2 (Ts 2) – Late Cambrian to Early Ordovician, ~ 19+ Ma Duration. ....................................................................................................................................................... 36 Tectonostratigraphic Interval 3 (Ts 3) - Lower Ordovician-Lower Devonian, ~ 85 Ma in Duration. ....................................................................................................................................... 39 Tectonostratigraphic Interval 4 (Ts 4) - Middle Devonian-Upper Mississippian, ~ 70 Ma in Duration. ....................................................................................................................................... 45 Tectonostratigraphic Interval 5 (Ts 5) - Lower-Middle Pennsylvanian, ~ 16 Ma in Duration. ... 53 Geologic Evolution of the Region ................................................................................................ 60 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 63 References ..................................................................................................................................... 66 Chapter 3: The Source and Delivery Conundrum for Paleozoic Sandstones, Southern Ozarks, Tri-State Region, Arkansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma ................................................................. 72 Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... 72 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................