Middle Cambrian Stratigraphy of the House, Wah Wah, and Adjacent Ranges in Western Utah LEHI F. HINTZE Department of Geology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602 RICHARD A. ROBISON Department of Geology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045 ABSTRACT formations in the range. Since 1955, map- of the House Range is shown in Figure 2. ping has been conducted under Hintze's di- For the most part, Walcott's original for- Geologic mapping and paléontologie rection in several ranges in western Utah mational units are readily mappable entities evaluation of Middle Cambrian strata in (Stokes, 1962; Hintze, 1963). Maps of five that can be recognized in the House Range western Utah have extended the usage of 15' quadrangles (Fig. 1) have been pub- and adjacent ranges. several formations first defined in the lished (Hintze, 1974b, 1974c, 1974d, House Range by Walcott and have shown 1974e, 1974f). Field mapping of two addi- Prospect Mountain Quartzite that new units are needed outside of the tional quadrangles, Sand Pass and Fish House Range for upper Middle Cambrian Springs, was also completed in 1974. The Hague (1883, p. 254) named the Pros- strata of different facies. The following mapping has shown that all Middle Cam- pect Mountain Quartzite in the Eureka dis- usage is proposed for the House Range: brian formations in the House Range, ex- trict of central Nevada, and Walcott Lower Cambrian — Prospect Mountain cept the Marjum and Weeks Formations, (1908a, p. 12) first applied the name in the Quartzite and the lower member of the can be satisfactorily mapped in adjacent House Range, 200 km east of the type area. Pioche Formation; Middle Cambrian — ranges. In this paper we discuss Middle The name has subsequently been widely Tatow Member of the Pioche Formation, Cambrian formations mapped in the House used in western Utah and Nevada for the Millard Member and upper members of the Range, define new mappable rock units in predominantly quartzitic rocks at the base Howell Limestone, Chisholm Formation, the upper part of the Middle Cambrian of the Cambrian unit. Misch and Hazzard Dome Limestone, Whirlwind Formation, rocks of adjacent ranges, and correlate (1962, p. 304) recommended restriction of Swasey Limestone, Wheeler Shale, Marjum Middle Cambrian nomenclature in western the name to exclude various Precambrian Formation, and the lower part of the Weeks Utah and eastern Nevada. units that had been included within the Limestone. formation by others. Stewart (1970) rec- New formations defined in the Wah Wah CENTRAL HOUSE RANGE ommended that rocks formerly called Pros- Mountains include the Eye of Needle STRATIGRAPHIC TERMINOLOGY pect Mountain Quartzite in the southern Limestone (Wheeler Shale equivalent), Pier- Great Basin of California and Nevada be son Cove Formation (lower Marjum For- Stratigraphie terminology for Lower and subdivided into other units. Woodward mation equivalent), and the Wah Wah Middle Cambrian rocks in the central part (1968) and Crittenden and others (1971) Summit Formation (Weeks Limestone near followed Misch and Hazzard (1962) in equivalent). The Trippe Limestone is ex- limiting Prospect Mountain to pink, tan, tended from the Deep Creek Range into and brown quartzites of probable Early west-central Utah, and a new member, Fish Cambrian age. It is overlain by the Pioche Springs Member, is defined as a thin but Shale and underlain in Utah by the Mutual widely mappable unit. Formation and in eastern Nevada by the The House Range contains the most con- Stella Lake Quartzite and other Precam- tinuously fossiliferous trilobite sequence, brian formations. but most ranges in western Utah contain 2 Continuation of Walcott's designation of r-. -|8 the following faunas: Albertella, Glos- KEY Prospect Mountain for basal Cambrian sopleura, Ehmaniella, Ptychagnostus gib- quartzite in the House Range conforms to 3«: v7 1. Pioche, Nevada bus, Bathyuriscus fimbriatus, and Eldo- currently accepted usage. The base of the 6 2. Deep Creek Range radia. Key words: stratigraphie nomen- 3. Fish Springs Range and formation is not exposed in the House clature, trilobite faunas, carbonate rocks. t northern House Range Range; the partial thickness measured in •J5 4. Central House Range the range by various authors is shown in INTRODUCTION 5. Wah Wah Mountains - Figure 2. A section of 670 m, measured on southern House Range the west face of the House Range about 22 Walcott (1908a, 1908b) first described 6. Cricket Range km north of Marjum Canyon, is believed to the exceptionally fossiliferous Middle and 7. Drum Mountains be the maximum exposed thickness of the 8. Dugway Range Upper Cambrian strata of the House Range formation in the range. The 670+-m thick- 9. East Tintic Mountains of western Utah. Deiss (1938), Wheeler ness is within the limits of the nearest com- plete sections in adjacent ranges, as indi- (1948), and Robison (1960) recommended Figure 1. Map showing location of Cambrian changes in House Range stratigraphie strata discussed in text. Black areas are Cam- cated in Table 1. nomenclature, and Powell (1959) and brian outcrops. Dashed lines outline quadrangles A detailed description of only the upper- Hanks (1962) published the first geologic where stratigraphic units discussed in text have most 40 m of the formation in the House maps showing the distribution of Cambrian been mapped. Range has been published (Deiss, 1938, p. Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 86, p. 881-891, 5 figs., July 1975, Doc. no. 50701. 881 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/86/7/881/3433456/i0016-7606-86-7-881.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 882 HINTZE AND ROBISON 1139-1140). The 630 m of beds exposed show small-scale cross-bedding. The Pros- are intercalated. Most of Merriam's (1964) below this succession are less varied and pect Mountain Quartzite generally is in comments on lithology and bedding fea- consist of medium- to coarse-grained beds 30 to 60 cm thick; some beds are as tures of the Prospect Mountain Quartzite at pinkish-gray to light brown-gray quartzite much as 2 m thick. A few phyllitic silty Pioche apply equally well in the House and quartzitic sandstone that weather to sandstone beds less than 1 m thick, which Range. Fossils have not been found in the shades of reddish brown and commonly weather greenish gray and are micaceous, formation in the House Range. Pioche Formation (Revised) Robison Walcott Deiss Wheeler Hanks This paper 1938 1948 i960 1962 1908b Walcott (1908a, p. 11-12) named the Weeks Weeks "Weeks" Weeks Weeks Weeks Pioche Formation, designated a type local- limestone limestone limestone formation Limestone Limestone ity near Pioche, Nevada, and identified the 424 m 1,390' 591 m 1,940' 423 m 1,388' 366 m 1,200' formation as part of the Cambrian se- Marjum Marjum "Marjum" Marjum Marjum Marjum quence in the House Range. Merriam limestone limestone limestone formation Limestone Formation (1964) and A. R. Palmer (in Merriam, 415" 1,362- 1964) have most recently evaluated the 336m 1,102' 466 m 1,530' 466 m 1,530' 431m 1,413' lithologic and paleontologic characteristics Wheeler Wheeler Wheeler Wheeler Wheeler Wheeler of this formation in the Pioche district. shales shale shale shale Formation 128- Shale 4]9. 174 m 570' 107 m 350' 175 m 574' 149 m 490' The Pioche Formation in the Pioche dis- trict and the combined Pioche and Tatow Swasey Swasey Swasey <u upper Formations in the House Range show im- Swasey Swasey member limestone Limestone Limestone s-s (restricted) limestone limestone 86 m 281' 76 m 250' portant lithologic and paleontologic i i to .E Condor Whirlwind Whirlwind Whirlwind similarities. In the type area, the Pioche is member Formation Formation predominantly shale with interbedded 104 m 340' 120 m 395' formation 33 m 109' 43 m 140' sandstone and limestone, and the frequency Dome Dome Dome Dome Dome Dome of limestone units increases toward the top limestone limestone limestone limestone Limestone Limestone 108 m 355' 94m 310' 101m 330' 98 m 320' of the formation. In the House Range the Chisholm Chisholm Pioche is predominantly quartzite with in- Burnt Canyon Chisholm Howell Formation Formation terbedded siltstone and shale; the Tatow is limestone limestone formation 79 m 260' 67 m 220' predominantly quartzite with interbedded Howell shale, siltstone, and limestone, and the fre- (interval Burrows upper upper limestone o upper a> V incompletely limestone — c member c member ?f member quency of limestone units increases toward "5 & « s 112m 369' 116 m 380' described) j TÓ > ft the top of the formation. Thus, the 0 J) 0 « Millard 1 E Millard JI Millard 1 E Millard sedimentary sequence is basically the same Member Member limestone member in the two areas, but detrital rocks in the 133 m 435' 255 m 835' 97 m 317' 94 m 310' House Range section have a larger average Spence shale c Tatow Busby Tatow Tatow o Tatow grain size because they are nearer to the 6 m 20' limestone quartzite formation Limestone o Member source area. Paleontologically, the type Langston (?) E limestone o Pioche contains late Early Cambrian olenel- 50 m 165' 53 m 175' 55 m 180' 62 m '205' Li- lid faunas in the lower part of the forma- lower tion, and the uppermost beds contain an Pioche Pioche Pioche Pioche Pioche ai shale shale shale formation Shale -C member early Middle Cambrian Albertella Zone u 38 m 125' 81 m 265' 75 m 246' o 128 m 420' £ fauna with Albertella cf. A. proveedora Prospect Prospect Prospect Prospect Prospect Prospect Lochman and Mexicella sp. (A. R. Palmer, Mountain Mountain Mountain Mountain Mountain Mountain in Merriam, 1964, p. 25-27). The Pioche of sandstones quartzite quartzite quartzite Quartzite Quartzite the House Range contains a late Early 419m+ 1,375'+ 305 m+ 1,000'+ 12 m+ 40'+ 670m + 2,200'+ Cambrian Bonnia-Olenellus fauna (Robi- son and Hintze, 1972) and the upper beds Figure 2.