UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR J. A. Krug, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY W. E. Wrather, Director Bulletin 951 GEOLOGY OF THE GREEN RIVER DESERT-CATARACT CANYON REGION EMERY, WAYNE, AND GARFIELD COUNTIES UTAH BY ARTHUR A. BAKER UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1946 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D. C. Price $2.00 CONTENTS Page Abstract.....................:.............................................- 1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................................... 3 Location and extent of area.................................................................................................................. 3 Purpose and scope of report.............................................................................................................. 4 Field work...............................................................^ 5 Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................................... 6 Geography...................................................................^ 6 Surface features ................................................................................................................................................ 6 Drainage and water supply................................................................................................................. 9 Climate and vegetation............................................................................................................................. 15 Population.......................................................................................:.............-.......... 16 Accessibility and routes of travel........................................................... ................................ 18 Previous publications...................................................................................................................... ..................... 19 Stratigraphy.........--..............................................................:............................................................- 22 General features.......................................................................................................................... ................ 22 Carboniferous system...................................................................:................................... ................... 23 Pennsylvanian series............................................................. ................................... 23 Paradox formation................................................................................... ........................... 23 Hermosa formation............................................................. ............................................ 27 Permian system.......................................................................................................................-....... .............. 32 General features.................................................................................................................... .......... 32 Rico formation................................................................................................. ................................... 32 Post-Rico Permian formations.................................................................. ................... 36 Cutler formation........................................................................................................................ 36 Cedar Mesa sandstone member...............................:.................................. 37 Organ Rock tongue.................................................................... ......................... 40 White Rim sandstone member..................................................................... 44 Coconino sandstone.................................................................................... ............. 48 Kaibab limestone................................................................................................ ..........' ...... 50 Triassic system.................................................................................................................................................. 54 Lower Triassic series..................-................................................................. .......................... 54 Moenkopi formation............. ................... ............................................. 54 Upper Triassic'series............................................................................................................... 58 Shinarump conglomerate.................................. ........................................................ 58 Chinle formation.:......................................................................................... ..................... 60 Jurassic( ?) system.-..................................................................... .............,. .......................... 63 Glen Canyon group............................................................................................................... 63 Wingate sandstone................................................................................................... 64 Kayenta formation ........... .:.. ........................:............................... 65 ' Navajo sandstone...................................................................................................... 67 Jurassic system..,-................................................. ....................................................................................... 69 Upper Jurassic series....................................................................................:................................ 69 San Rafael group................................................................ ... ..... .....;....... 69 Carmel formation ...............:.............. .. .........:.................................. 70 Entrada sandstone ................................................................................................... 75 Curtis. formation................................................... .................................... 80 Summerville formation................................ ............................................... 84 Morrison formation........................................ ..................... .................................... 86 in CONTENTS Page Stratigraphy Continued. Cretaceous system _.._............_..._..._.._......................._....._.... ..........._......._.........._......_._.___ 90 Upper Cretaceous series.-................ .......'....... ...._..__......._._..................___.... 90 Dakota (?) sandstone......_............_..................____._____........ 90 Mancos shale................._............_.................._......_...__.._..._.__....__..... 91 Tertiary (?.) and Quaternary systems..__.___..________ 92 Terrace deposits and alluvium.........................................._.._.. .._.._.._..__......... 92 Structure................_..._.............................................................................._................._.. ..._..._... ..._..._...._... 94 Methods of representing structure.-.....-............................................................... .._...... 95 Details of the folds................................................................................................................. 96 San Rafael Swell............................................................................................................................ 96 Monument upwarp................. ..._................_..... .........._............. _. ._..................... 97 Anticlines in the vicinity of the Emery-Wayne County line............ 97 Flattop Buttes anticline and subsidiary Big Flattop Butte and Sweetwater domes.........................................:.................. ................................ 98 Barrier Creek anticline................................................................................................. 99 Blue John anticline............. ............._._.................... ................................ 99 Whitbeck Knoll anticlinal nose...-.-................................... .......................... 100 Attitude of the rocks in the northern part of the Green River Desert...-...................-..-.........-....-......-......-.................-............................... ...._......_ 100 Folds and faults related to flowage in the Paradox formation.. 101 Faults..............................................................................................................................................__.... 103 Periods of deformation. ................................. .. ...._...._............_..._._._.............. 104 Oil and gas....................-...... ............-...-...................-............-....-..-......................_......-.-...._........._...-_ 106 History of drilling.................................................... ............................................................................... 106 ' Possibility of oil and gas production......................................................-....... ................ 110 Records of wells...................................................................................................................................................