U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Paleogeography of the Western Transverse Range Province, California: New Evidence From the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene Vaqueros Formation Stratigraphy of the Fine-Grained Facies of the Sisquoc Formation, Santa Maria Basin, California Paleoceanographic and Tectonic Implications The Sisquoc Formation-Foxen Mudstone Boundary in the Santa Maria Basin, California: Sedimentary Response to the New Tectonic Regime Bulletin 1995-T, U, V Geophysical section offshore Santa Maria basin Geologic section onshore Santa Maria basin uses science for a changing world AVAILABILITY OF BOOKS AND MAPS OF THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Instructions on ordering publications of the U.S. Geological Survey, along with prices of the last offerings, are given in the current-year issues of the monthly catalog "New Publications of the U.S. Geological Survey." 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Residents of Alaska may order maps from STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Mississippi-Bldg. 3101 U.S. Geological Survey Earth Science Information Center 101 Twelfth Ave., Box 12 Fairbanks, AK 99701 Paleogeography of the Western Transverse Range Province, California: New Evidence From the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene Vaqueros Formation By CATHERINE A. RIGSBY Stratigraphy of the Fine-Grained Facies of the Sisquoc Formation, Santa Maria Basin, California Paleoceanographic and Tectonic Implications By PEDRO C. RAMIREZ and ROBERT E. GARRISON The Sisquoc Formation-Foxen Mudstone Boundary in the Santa Maria Basin, California: Sedimentary Response to the New Tectonic Regime By RICHARD J. BEHL and JAMES C. INGLE, Jr. Chapters T, U and V are issued as a single volume and are not available separately U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1995 EVOLUTION OF SEDIMENTARY BASINS/ONSHORE OIL AND GAS INVESTIGATIONS- SANTA MARIA PROVINCE Edited by Margaret A. Keller U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BRUCE BABBITT, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas J. Casadevall, Acting Director Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON: 1998 For sale by U.S. Geological Survey Information Services Box 25286 Denver Federal Center Denver, CO 80225 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Rigsby, Catherine A. Paleogeography of the western Transverse Range Province, California: new evidence from the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene Vaqueros Formation / by Catherine A. Rigsby. Stratigraphy of the fine-grained facies of the Sisquoc Formation, Santa Maria Basin, California : paleoeanographic and tectonic implications / by Pedro C. Ramirez and Robert E. Garrison. The Sisquoc Formation-Foxen Mudstone boundary in the Santa Maria Basin, California: sedimentary response to the new tectonic regime / by Richard J. Behl and James C. Ingle, Jr. p. cm. (U.S. Geological Survey bulletin ; 1995) (Evolution of sedimentary basins/onshore oil and gas investigations Santa Maria Province; ch. T, U, V) "Chapters T, U and V are issued as a single volume and are not available separately." Includes bibliographical references. Supt. of Docs, no.: I 19.3:1995-1, U, V 1. Paleogeography California, Southern. 2. Geology, Stratigraphic Tertiary. 3. Geology California Santa Maria Basin. 4. Vaqueros Formation (Calif.) 5. Sisquoc Formation (Calif.) I. Garrison, Robert E. II. Ingle, James C. III. Ramirez, Pedro C. Stratigraphy of the fine-grained facies of the Sisquoc Formation, Santa Maria Basin, California. IV. Behl, Richard J. Sisquoc Formation-Foxen Mudstone boundary in the Santa Maria Basin, California. V. Title. VI. Title: Stratigraphy of the fine-grained facies of the Sisquoc Formation, Santa Maria Basin, California. VII. Title: Sisquoc Formation-Foxen Mudstone boundary in the Santa Maria Basin, California. VIII. Series. IX. Series: Evolution of sedimentary basins/onshore oil and gas investigations Santa Maria Province ; ch. T, U, V. QE75.B9 no. 1995-T, U, V [QE501.4} 557.3 s dc21 [551.7'8'09794] 98-4760 CIP Chapter T Paleogeography of the Western Transverse Range Province, California: New Evidence From the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene Vaqueros Formation By CATHERINE A. RIGSBY U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1995-T EVOLUTION OF SEDIMENTARY BASINS/ONSHORE OIL AND GAS INVESTIGATIONS- SANTA MARIA PROVINCE Edited by Margaret A. Keller CONTENTS Abstract Tl Introduction Tl Acknowledgments Tl Tectonic setting T2 Stratigraphy T3 Lithostratigraphy T3 Chronostratigraphy T4 Lithofacies T8 Fan-delta conglomerates T8 Shoreline sandstones and conglomerates T8 Inner-shelf sandstones T8 Deltaic sandstones and siltstones T9 Gibraltar Reservoir area T9 Paleocurrents Til Provenance Til Petrofacies 1 Til Petrofacies2 T13 Discussion T14 Regional paleogeography T14 Stratigraphic implications T14 Tectonic implications T14 References cited T16 FIGURES 1. Map showing extent of Vaqueros Formation in the western Transverse Ranges study area T2 2. Palinspastic reconstruction of southern California during early Tertiary time T3 3. Facies relations between the Vaqueros Formation and laterally equivilent units in the western Transverse Ranges province T4 4. Hypothetical Chronostratigraphy of the Vaqueros Formation T7 5. Present-day geographic extent of Vaqueros Formation lithofacies tracts in the western Transverse Ranges and in the offshore T9 6. Generalized, diagrammatic measured sections of the Vaqueros Formation in the coastal area outcrops T10 7. Vaqueros Formation strata of the deltaic fades tract in the Gibraltar Reservoir area T12 8. Sandstone QFLt and QtFL triangular diagrams showing two Vaqueros Formation petrofades T13 9. Palinspastic paleogeographic map of the western Transverse Ranges province during deposition of the late Oligocene and early Miocene Vaqueros Formation T15 TABLES 1. Strontium isotope data and apparent equivalent ages for samples from the Vaqueros, Rincon, and Alegria Formations in the study area T5 2. Apparent age of the Vaqueros Formation in various parts of the western Transverse Ranges T6 Paleogeography of the Western Transverse Range Province, California: New Evidence From the Late Oligocene and Early Miocene Vaqueros Formation By Catherine A. Rigsby1 Abstract Outcrops of the Vaqueros Formation in the westernmost in the development of the southern California transcurrent con­ Transverse Ranges, and Vaqueros hydrocarbon reservoir strata tinental margin. The Vaqueros strata also record the onset of in the adjacent Santa Barbara Channel, reveal dual sediment eustatic sea level rise in a tectonically active marginal basin sources and a complex late Oligocene/early Miocene shore­ (Howard, 1988, 1995; Rigsby 1988b, 1994a). An apprecia­ line geometry. Shelf deposits in the central Santa Ynez Moun­ tion of the Vaqueros sedimentary record is important in un­ tains separate a gently sloping, west- and southwest-facing derstanding the tectonic history of this complex area of mainland shoreline to the east (eastern Santa Ynez Mountains southern California. and Santa Monica Mountains; all depositional coordinates are