W. L. FISHER J. E. SORAUF CORRELATION CHART OF THE PERMIAN FORMATIONS OF NORTH AMERICA: DISCUSSION OF THE GRAND CANYON SECTION Abstract: The Callville Formation (Upper Pennsyl- tends to north-central Arizona; the Pakoon extends vanian) and Pakoon Formation (Lower Permian) only to the central part of the Shivwits Plateau. of northern Arizona constitute an eastward-extend- Interfingering relationships of the Hermit and ing wedge of carbonate rocks that laterally grades Supai formations in the Shivwits Plateau contrast into and interfingers with red beds of the Supai with the disconformable contact of these forma- Formation. The Callville or its rock equivalents ex- tions in north-central Arizona. Field studies in the southern part of the consists largely of buff-gray, dolomitic lime- Shivwits Plateau, northwestern Arizona, indi- stones that contain large, Wolfcampian, cate relationships of Lower Permian rocks in schwagerinid fusulinids and abundant corals. this area different from those presented by Eastward, in the southeastern part of the Dunbar et al. (1960, columns 45, 46, 47). The Shivwits Plateau, no diagnostic fossils have differences involve (1) the distribution of been found in the stratigraphic interval be- Lower Permian (Pakoon Formation) and tween the Redwall Limestone and the Supai Upper Pennsylvanian (Callville Formation) Formation. However, a rock sequence identical carbonate rocks, and (2) the contact of the in most respects with the Callville of the Grand Hermit and Supai Formations. Wash Cliffs is present. No rocks lithologically The Pakoon Formation, named by McNair like the Pakoon as described by McNair (1951) (1951, p. 524) from exposures at Pakoon Ridge at Pakoon Ridge or like the Pakoon along the in extreme northwestern Arizona, is shown Grand Wash Cliffs are present in the south- by Dunbar et al. as an eastward-extending central and southeastern parts of the Shivwits tongue in the lower part of the Supai Forma- Plateau. In this area the lower part of the tion from the area of the Grand Wash Cliffs Supai Formation probably is a lateral equiva- as far east in northern Arizona as the mouth of ent of the Pakoon Formation. E. K. Maughan the Little Colorado River. The Callville (Dunbar et al., 1960, p. 1784) discussed the Formation is reported below the Pakoon only rock sequence between the Redwall Limestone in the area between the Grand Wash Cliff's and the Supai Formation in the area between and the Hurricane Cliffs. the Grand Wash and Hurricane cliffs but did The Callville Formation of northwestern not make clear what parts of this sequence he Arizona consists of three subdivisions: a lower would assign to the Callville and Pakoon unit of coarse-grained, thin-bedded, crinoidal formations respectively. The cyclic limestones limestones containing jasperoid chert, and and red beds noted by Maughan as a part of fine-grained red clastic sediments; a middle the Pakoon, in fact, represent a division within cyclic sequence of alternating gray limestones McNair's Callville. If the name Pakoon is to and fine-grained red clastic sediments; and an be used, it should be employed as defined by upper unit of predominantly red-gray, cross- McNair or specifically qualified; unqualified bedded, arenaceous limestones containing jas- use of McNair's term Pakoon implies usage of peroid chert. Locally along the Grand Wash the Callville as restricted and defined by him. Cliffs, lenses of dark-gray limestone in the Eastward from the Grand Wash Cliffs the upper part of the middle unit contain small, middle cyclic unit of the Callville constitutes a Virgilian Triticites. By contrast, the Pakoon progressively greater part of the formation as Formation, as distinguished by McNair (1951) the crinoidal limestones of the lower unit from the underlying Callville Formation, here gradually pinch out and as the upper cross- Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 73, p. 649-652, 1 fig., May 1962 649 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/73/5/649/3442188/i0016-7606-73-5-649.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 650 FISHER AND SORAUF-DISCUSSION, PERMIAN CORRELATION CHART O 1 u iiBji "!l!6w uoiddississiw 1 -"i - • • - Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/73/5/649/3442188/i0016-7606-73-5-649.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 SHORT NOTES 651 bedded, arenaceous limestones thin and are re- lent of a part of the Pakoon Formation (Lower placed laterally by cross-bedded, calcareous Permian), although laterally continuous with sandstones of the Supai Formation. Farther the Callville Formation of northwestern east, red clastic sedimentary rocks constitute Arizona. Faunal evidence necessary to support progressively more of the middle unit as the or negate this possibility is lacking. The regional unit grades laterally into Supai red beds in relationships of these rock units, as interpreted north-central Arizona. Because of its slope- by the writers, are shown in Figure 1; the forming character, this unit can be traced on Callville is interpreted as the predominantly aerial photographs into the Grand Canyon transgressive unit, and the Pakoon as the National Park of north-central Arizona. De- regressive unit of a wedge of carbonate rocks termination of whether or not these rocks are extending from southern Nevada onto the Callville or Supai in the area of the Hurricane shelf area of northern Arizona. Cliffs and eastward into north-central Arizona Dunbar et al, (1960, columns 45, 46, 47) involves the problem of defining laterally indicated a doubtful unconformity between gradational and transitional rock units. The the Hermit and Supai Formations throughout writers judge these rocks to be an eastward northern Arizona. Noble (1922) has discussed extension of rocks representing the Callville and illustrated the unconformable contact of Formation of northwestern Arizona, and not the two formations in parts of the Grand the Pakoon Formation as shown by Dunbar Canyon National Park area. Here the Supai, et al. (columns 45, 46, 47). as well as the Hermit, consists largely of red Westward from northern Arizona, the Call- beds. Westward, beginning near the junction ville Formation thickens in southern Nevada of Kanab Creek and the Colorado River, the to include the fossiliferous sequence described Supai gradually becomes thicker, more mas- by Longwell (1921, p. 46-47). This sequence sively bedded, and largely buff-colored. From of rocks in turn thickens to the west and passes the western part of the Park area as far west into the lower part of the Bird Spring Forma- as the Shivwits Plateau, a physiographic bench, tion. Fusuhnid zonation (Longwell and Dun- the Esplanade, is developed on top of the bar, 1936) indicates that the Bird Spring cliff-forming sandstones of the Supai Forma- represents part of the Mississippian, all of the tion. Although distinct as rock units in the Pennsylvanian, and part of the Permian Shivwits Plateau, the two formations inter- Systems. As this carbonate wedge, represented tongue as a prominent eastward-extending by the Callville Formation, thins to the east tongue of the Supai Formation is present in the across southern Nevada into northern Arizona, red beds of the lower part of the Hermit progressively less of the Pennsylvanian is repre- Formation. Associated with this intertonguing sented. Along the Grand Wash Cliffs, the Call- is a local gypsiferous facies present in the Her- ville contains only Virgilian fusulinids. The mit Formation below the Supai tongue and lateral transgression of faunally defined time above the Esplanade. The relationship of the lines within the carbonate wedge in the area Hermit and Supai Formations in the southern west of the Grand Wash Cliffs suggests that the part of the Shivwits Plateau, and the writers' Callville Formation is time-transgressive east regional interpretation of the formations, based of the Grand Wash Cliffs into northern Arizona. on observations in the Shivwits Plateau and Possibly the easternmost extension of the Call- reported relationships elsewhere in northern ville Formation is Early Permian in which case Arizona, are shown in Figure 1. this eastern extension would be the time equiva- References Cited Dunbar, C. O., et al., 1960, Correlation of the Permian formations of North America: Geol. Soc. America Bull, v. 71, p. 1763-1806 Longwell, C. R., 1921, Geology of the Muddy Mountains, Nevada, with a section to the Grand Wash Cliffs in western Arizona: Am. Jour. ScL, v. 201, p. 39-62 Longwell, C. R., and Dunbar, C. O., 1936, Problems of Pennsylvanian-Permian boundary in southern Nevada: Am. Assoc. Petroleum Geologists Bull., v. 20, p. 1190-1207 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/73/5/649/3442188/i0016-7606-73-5-649.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021 652 FISHER AND SORAUF-DISCUSSION, PERMIAN CORRELATION CHART McNair, A. H., 1951, Paleozoic stratigraphy of a part of northwestern Arizona: Am. Assoc. Petroleum Geologists Bull., v. 35, p. 503-541 Noble, L. F., 1922, A section of the Paleozoic formations of the Grand Canyon at Bass Trail: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 131, p. 23-73 UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, BUREAU OF ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, AUSTIN 12, TEXAS; UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS, DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY, LAWRENCE, KANSAS MANUSCRIPT RECEIVED BY THE SECRETARY OF THE SOCIETY, AUGUST 7, 1961 PUBLISHED WITH PERMISSION OF THE DIRECTOR, BUREAU OF ECONOMIC GEOLOGY, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/73/5/649/3442188/i0016-7606-73-5-649.pdf by guest on 28 September 2021.