Stratigraphic Relations of the Navaio%j Sandstone to Middle Jurassic Formations, Southern Utah and Northern Arizona G E O L O G I C A1 SURVEY PRO FES S;i ONAt PAPER 1035-B Stratigraphic Relations of the Navajo Sandstone to Middle Jurassic Formations, Southern Utah and Northern Arizona By FRED PETERSON and G. N. PIPIRINGOS UNCONFORMITIES, CORRELATION, AND NOMENCLATURE OF SOME TRIASSIC AND JURASSIC ROCKS, WESTERN INTERIOR UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER1035-B A reexamination of the stratigraphy offormations that lie on the Navajo Sandstone UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1979 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR CECIL D. ANDRUS, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY H. WUliam Menard, Director Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Peterson, Fred. Stratigraphic relations of the Navajo Sandstone to Middle Jurassic formations, southern Utah and northern Arizona. (Geological Survey Professional Paper 103 5-B) (Unconformities, correlation, and nomenclature of some Triassic and Jurassic rocks, western interior United States) Bibliography: p. 42 Supt. of Docs, no.: 119.16 1035-B 1. Geology, Stratigraphic Jurassic. 2. Geology Utah. 3. Geology Arizona. I. Pipiringos, George Nicholas, 1918- joint author. II. Title III. Series. IV. Series ; United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 1035-B. QE681.P42 551.7'6 77-608321 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 Stock Number 024-001-03198-1 CONTENTS Page Abstract......................... Bl San Rafael Group Continued Introduction and acknowledgments 2 Carmel Formation Continued Glen Canyon Group............... 4 Upper member .................................. B17 Navajo Sandstone ............ 4 Page Sandstone ................... .............. 20 San Rafael Group.................. 6 Harris Wash Tongue........... .............. 27 Temple Cap Sandstone........ 6 Thousand Pockets Tongue .............. 29 Sinawava Member........ 8 Entrada Sandstone ................ .............. 30 White Throne Member.... 9 Age and correlation.................... .............. 31 Carmel Formation ............ 10 Glen Canyon Group................ .............. 31 Limestone member ....... 11 San Rafael Group.................. .............. 35 Judd Hollow Tongue...... 11 Name and location of measured sections .............. 36 Banded member .......... 13 Measured sections.................... 38 Gypsiferous member...... 14 Winsor Member .......... 14 References cited 42 ILLUSTRATIONS Page FIGURE 1. Index map of southern Utah and northern Arizona ............................................................ B2 2. Restored section from Zion Canyon, Utah, to Red Rock, Arizona................................................ 3 3. Photograph of typical exposures of Navajo Sandstone and Temple Cap Sandstone in Zion Canyon, Utah........... 5 4. Photograph showing typical exposures of Navajo Sandstone in Glen Canyon near Page, Arizona.................. 6 5. Photograph of authigenic chert nodules in limestone bed of Navajo Sandstone ................................... 7 6. Photograph of authigenic chert in sandstone bed of Navajo Sandstone .......................................... 8 7. Photograph showing principal reference section of Temple Cap Sandstone and type section of Sinawava and White Throne Members ....................................................................................... 9 8. Stratigraphic section from Gunlock to Johnson Canyon, Utah.................................................. 10 9. Photograph showing thin Temple Cap Sandstone at Johnson Canyon, Utah ..................................... 11 10. Restored section from Gunlock, Utah, to Cummings Mesa, Arizona ............................................. 12 11. Restored section from Kodachrome Flat, Utah, to Cow Springs, Arizona ........................................ 13 12. Photograph showing good exposures of banded member of Carmel Formation near Mount Carmel Junction, Utah ..... 14 13. Photograph showing interfingering of banded member of Carmel Formation and lower part of Thousand Pockets Tongue of the Page Sandstone ........................................................................... 15 14. Photograph of the Thousand Pockets Tongue of the Page Sandstone and gypsiferous member of the Carmel Formation ............................................................................................. 16 15. Photograph of reference section of Carmel Formation and Page Sandstone at Pine Creek near Escalante, Utah ..... 18 16. Photograph showing typical exposure of upper member of Carmel Formation at Warm Creek ..................... 20 17. Photograph of good exposures of lower part of upper member of Carmel Formation southeast of Escalante, Utah ... 21 18. Photograph showing type section of Page Sandstone near Page, Arizona ........................................ 22 19. Photograph showing evenly distributed small angular chert pebbles at base of Page Sandstone.................... 23 20. Photograph of Glen Canyon at Crossing of the Fathers showing conspicuous notch or bench at contact of Page Sandstone and Navajo Sandstone ........................................................................ 24 21. Photograph showing angular chert pebbles embedded in basal stratum of Page Sandstone........................ 25 22. Photograph of fossil joint crevice at top of Navajo Sandstone .................................................. 26 23. Photograph showing plan view of fossil joint crevices at top of Navajo Sandstone ................................ 27 24. Photograph showing conspicuous difference in colors of Navajo and Page Sandstones at Thousand Pockets ........ 27 25. Photograph of Glen Canyon near Last Chance Creek showing color difference and topographic expression of Page Sandstone and Navajo Sandstone ........................................................................ 28 26. Photograph of small nodules in uppermost part of Navajo Sandstone near Page, Arizona ......................... 29 27. Photograph showing buried hill of Navajo Sandstone on northeast side of Kaiparowits Plateau.................... 30 28. Photograph of small buried ledge of Navajo Sandstone preserved beneath Page Sandstone on northeast side of Kaiparowits Plateau .................................................................................... 31 29. Photograph showing type section of Harris Wash Tongue of Page Sandstone .................................... 32 30. Diagram showing correlation of formations in Glen Canyon Group with European time-stratigraphic units ......... 33 31. Chart showing correlation of rocks at selected sections in southwestern Utah and north-central Arizona with a section in southeastern Idaho, western Wyoming, and north-central Utah ................................... 35 in UNCONFORMITIES, CORRELATION, AND NOMENCLATURE OF SOME TRIASSIC AND JURASSIC ROCKS, WESTERN INTERIOR UNITED STATES STRATIGRAPHIC RELATIONS OF THE NAVAJO SANDSTONE TO MIDDLE JURASSIC FORMATIONS, SOUTHERN UTAH AND NORTHERN ARIZONA By FRED PETERSON and G. N. PIPIRINGOS ABSTRACT Stratigraphic studies in southern Utah and northern Arizona in­ A regional erosion surface termed the J-2 unconformity bevels out dicate that the Navajo Sandstone does not intertongue with the the Temple Cap Sandstone in southwestern Utah and the Navajo overlying Middle Jurassic Carmel Formation. Two crossbedded Sandstone in southeastern Utah and northeastern Arizona. This sandstone bodies previously thought to be tongues of the Navajo in surface is marked by a thin layer of small chert pebbles that are lag the Carmel are, instead, entirely separate from the Navajo. In addi­ concentrates of chert nodules or pebbles derived from the underly­ tion, a regional unconformity is present at the base of the Carmel ing formations. Although it is widespread and occurs throughout and equivalent formations. Thus, the Navajo is a predominantly most of the Western Interior, the J-2 unconformity probably was crossbedded sandstone formation at the top of the Glen Canyon formed during a brief erosion interval in early Middle Jurassic time. Group that does not intertongue with the Carmel Formation. The Middle Jurassic Carmel Formation of the San Rafael Group Early Jurassic palynomorphs were discovered in the Moenave lies on the J-2 unconformity in southwestern Utah. In this area, the Formation, which is at the base of the Glen Canyon Group in Carmel contains, in ascending order, the limestone member, banded southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona. These fossils in­ member, gypsiferous member, and Winsor Member. East of Can- dicate that the Moenave as well as the overlying Kayenta and Nava­ nonville, Utah, the equivalent of the limestone member is termed jo Formations most likely are Early Jurassic in age and that con­ the Judd Hollow Tongue of the Carmel and southwest of Cannon- siderably more of the Glen Canyon Group is Early Jurassic than ville the banded member grades eastward into the Thousand had been thought before. However, the U.S. Geological Survey still Pockets Tongue of the Page Sandstone. Owing to fades changes considers the Navajo Triassic(?) and Jurassic in age pending further east of the Paunsaugunt fault, strata that are equivalent to the gyp­ study of these plant fossils. siferous member and Winsor Member farther west are termed the The Temple Cap Sandstone of southwestern Utah was formerly upper member of the Carmel Formation. considered a member at the top of the Navajo Sandstone,