Cretaceous and Tertiary Formations of the Book Cliffs Carbon, Emery, and Grand Counties, Utah, and Garfield and Mesa Counties, Colorado By D. JEROME FISHER, CHARLES E. ERDMANN, and JOHN B. REESIDE, JR. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 332 A description of J,OOO feet of strata ranging in age from Early Cretaceous to Eocene UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1960 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FRED A. SEATON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director The U.S. Geological Survey Library has cataloged this publication as follows: Fisher, Daniel Jerome, 1896- Cretaceous and Tertiary formations of the Book Cliffs, Carbon, Emery, and Grand Counties, Utah, and Garfield and Mesa Counties, Colorado, by D. Jerome Fisher, Charles E. Erdmann, and John B. Reeside, Jr. Washington, U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1959. iv, 80 p. illus., maps, diagrs., tables. 30 cm. (U.S. Geological Sur­ vey. Professional paper 332) Part of illustrative matter in pocket. Bibliography: p. 76-78. 1. Geology, Stratigraphic Cretaceous. 2. Geology, Stratigraphic Tertiary. 3. Geology Utah. 4. Geology Colorado. I. Erdmann, Charles Edgar, 1897- joint author. II. Reeside, John Bernard, 1889-1958, joint author. III. Title: Book Cliffs. (Series) For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.C. Pago Page Abstract _________--__________-----_-_-_--_______ 1 Tertiary system Continued Introduction _______________________________________ 1 "Wasatch" formation.__________________________ 22 Location and character of the area.________________ 2 Green River formation._________________________ 22 Fieldwork and acknowledgments.__-_.___--______.. 2 Age and correlation of the formations. -_-_-----_-_____- 22 Previous work in the region._____._____-___-_-_-______ 4 Standard sequence of Cretaceous of the western The formations._____________-___--___-__---____-___ 5 interior region.__-_-__-__----_--__--__________ 22 Pre-Cretaceous formations.____-_--___-_--.______ - 5 Lower Cretaceous units__-_-__--_--____________ 24 Cretaceous and Tertiary formations.______________ 6 Dakota sandstone_____________________________ 24 Sources of the nomenclature of the Cretaceous formations _ 6 Mancos shale__________---____-_--____-______ 26 Cretaceous system __________________________________ 7 Mesaverde group_______________________________ 31 Lower Cretaceous units_______---___-__-_______ 7 Blackhawk formation _______________________ 31 Dakota sandstone_____________________________ 7 Castlegate sandstone._______________________ 31 Man cos shale. --__-___-_--__--_--_---___-____-_- 8 Price River formation (restricted)___________ 31 Mesaverde group_-_____-_____----------_-_----_ 9 Buck tongue of Mancos shale ________________ 32 Blackhawk formation.__________________________ 11 Sego sandstone_____________________________ 33 Formations above Blackhawk formation. __________ 13 Neslen formation ___________________________ 33 Utah west of the Green River (western Book Cliffs) _ 13 Farrer formation__________________________ 33 Castlegate sandstone.___________________ 13 Tuscher formation____.-___---_-____________ 34 Price River formation (restricted)_______ 14 Mount Garfield formation and Rollins sandstone Utah east of the Green River and in Colorado member, Bowie shale member, and Paonia (central and eastern Book Cliffs) ______ 14 shale member of the Mesaverde formation.___ 34 Castlegate sandstone.___________________ 15 Hunter Canyon formation and undifferentiated Buck tongue of Mancos shale__________ 15 member of Mesaverde formation.___________ 36 Sego sandstone and included Anchor Mine North Horn and Flagstaff formations undifferen­ tongue of the Mancos shale____________ 15 tiated _______________________________________ 36 Units between the Sego sandstone and the Unnamed sandstone___________________________ 36 Tertiary formations.__________________ 16 Colton and "Wasatch" formations.__-_____________ 36 Neslen formation _______________________ 17 Green River formation._________________________ 36 Farrer formation______-_____---___--. 17 Nonmarine faunas in the sequence.____________________ 36 Tuscher formation,_____________________ 18 Origin of the formations__-_-___-__._--_-____________ 38 Mount Garfield formation. _ ______________ 19 Lower Cretaceous units________________________ 38 Hunter Canyon formation._______________ 20 Dakota sandstone_____----__-----__-_________ 38 Cretaceous and Tertiary systems._____________________ 20 Mancos shale and Mesaverde group _______________ 38 North Horn and Flagstaff formations undifferen- Post-Mesaverde formations ______________________ 40 tiated ______________________________________ 21 Regional relations_________________________________ 40 Tertiary system____________________________________ 21 Local sections ______________________________________ 41 Colton formation___________-_----___-_---_-__-_ 21 References_________________________________________ 76 Unnamed sandstone__-_-__-----____-----______ 22 Index.____________________________________________ 79 ILLUSTRATIONS Page Page PLATE 1. Generalized geologic map of Book Cliffs._ In pocket PLATE 5. A, East side of canyon of West water Wash at 2. A, Boulder-strewn shale slope at base of Book the Roberson Ranch, Utah: B, weathered sur­ Cliffs east of Desert, Utah; B, Mancos flat face of upper, white, part of Sego sandstone, south of Beckwith Plateau, Utah; C, Blue- [12 north of Cisco, Utah; C, rippled surface of castle Canyon in Beckwith Plateau, Utah. Follows Castlegate sandstone, northwest of Cisco, 3. A, Southwest edge of Beckwith Plateau, Utah____________________ Follows 28 Utah; B, Gunnison Butte, Utah; C, Book 6. A, Crescent Wash and Crescent Butte, Utah; Cliffs east of Tuscher Wash, Utah __ Follows 12 B, Sego sandstone northwest of Thompson, 4. A, Basal conglomerate in "Wasatch" forma­ Utah; C, "Wasatch" strata on east side of tion, east side of Nash Wash, northwest of Nash Wash, Utah____________ Follows 28 Cisco, Utah; B, Castlegate sandstone and 7. A, Book Cliffs, 7 miles north of Woodside, upper part of Blackhawk formation, west Utah, looking northeast; B, Castlegate and face of Beckwith Plateau, Utah; C, Castle­ Blackhawk formations, Nash Wash re-en­ gate sandstone in side canyon of Crescent trant, northwest of Cisco, Utah; C, wide al- [28 Wash, Utah..._____________. Follows 28 luvial flat, canyon of Saleratus Wash, Utah. Follows m IV CONTENTS Page Page PLATE 8. Views in Horse Canyon area, Utah. A, PLATE 10. Columnar sections of Book Cliffs and adjacent Castlegate sandstone; B, fault cutting Blue- areas in Utah and Colorado_._________ In pocket castle sandstone member of Price River formation; C, Patmos Head; D, contact of 11. Cretaceous strata encircling the Canyon North Horn and Flagstaff formations un- Lands-______-_-_-_-________________ In pocket differentiated on Bluecastle member of Price River formation.____________ Follows 36 12. Perspective diagram of correlations from 9. Views in Horse Canyon area. A, view southwestern Utah across east-central Utah looking into Sheep Canyon; B, view of for­ to southwestern Colorado-__________ In pocket mations in sec. 4, T. 16 S., R. 14 E.; C, con­ tact of Colton formation on North Horn and FIGURE 1. Index map showing relation of Book Cliffs, Flagstaff formations undifferentiated-. Follows 36 Utah and Colorado, to adjacent areas.____ 3 TABLES Page Page TABLE 1. Correlation of formations in Book Cliffs and TABLE 11. Fossils found at various localities in the other areas.___________________________ 24 Castlegate sandstone__________________ 32 2. Invertebrate fossils from the Dakota sand­ 12. Fossils found at various localities in the Price stone _________________________________ 25 River formation (restricted)_____________ 32 3. Fossils found at various localities in the upper 13. Fossils found at various localities in the Buck Greenhorn equivalent._________________ 26 tongue of Mancos shale___________._____ 32 4. Fossils found at various localities in the lower 14. Fossils found at various localities in the Sego Carlile equivalent._____________________ 27 sandstone.____________________________ 33 5. Fossils found at various localities in the middle 15. Fossils found at various localities in the Neslen Carlile equivalent_______________----_-_ 28 formation. ____________________________ 34 6. Fossils found at various localities in the Ni- 16. Fossils found at various localities in the Farrer obrara equivalent, to base of Telegraph formation _____________________________ 34 Creek equivalent.______________________ 29 17. Fossils found at various localities in the lower 7. Fossils found at various localities in the Tele­ part of the Mount Garfield formation _____ 35 graph Creek equivalent______-____-_____ 29 18. Fossils found at various localities in the upper 8. Fossils found at various localities in the Eagle part of the Mount Garfield formation and equivalents.___________________________ 35 equivalent- ____________________________ 29 19. Fossils found at various localities in the un­ 9. Fossils found' at various localities in the differentiated member of the Mesaverde equivalents of the lower part of the Pierre formation _____________________________ 36 shale.. __________________________ 30 20. Fossils found at various localities in the North 10. Fossils found at various localities in the upper Horn and Flagstaff formations undifferenti­ part of the Blackhawk formation _________ 32 ated- _______------_____-_--_-------___ 36 CRETACEOUS AND TERTIARY FORMATIONS OF THE BOOK CLIFFS, CARBON,