Stratigraphic variations within the sego sandstone, book. The upper cretaceous book cliffs of eastern utah and western colorado are a world. At some point, this section will contain hundreds of stratigraphic columns from all over the colorado plateau. This is field trip that focuses specifically on deltaic systems, if you would like a more generalized field trip on shallow marine reservoirs, such as shorefaces, tidal channels, barrier island etc, please click here. Sealevel change has occurred throughout earths history. Continuous, wellexposed and easilyaccessible outcrops make it possible to analyze facies relationships of stratigraphic sequences in great detail, both in terms of lateral variation systems tracts and vertical stacking. Correlate the parasequence s and make a regional sequence stratigraphic interpretation of facies geometries between the surfaces you have identified, establishing the lithofacies. The little book cliffs wild horse area, grand junction. The sequence stratigraphy of the book cliffs of eastern. Reevaluating the sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy of. Bertram, 1995, sequence stratigraphy and marine to nonmarine facies architecture of foreland basin strata, book cliffs, utah, u. The book cliffs appear mostly along the southern and western edge of the tavaputs plateau. A good appreciation of the nature of reservoir and nonreservoir rocks in the subsurface is of fundamental importance to sound ep decision making.
No evidence for an unconformity at the base of the lower. Information was gathered from a number of sources see info for more information. A flute cast, one of many sedimentary structures found in the book cliffs. Sedimentary strata are usually deposited in horizontal beds. A panoramic of the book cliffs best shallow marine clastic exposure in the world duration. Reevaluating the sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy. And with the exception of a few privately held parcels of land, almost 96% of the 2. The cretaceous books cliffs of utah are best known as the mecca of sequence stratigraphers, but besides excellent exposures that allow tracing of sandstone bodies and sequence boundaries the succession also contains abundant shales and mudstones.
One powerful method for studying sealevel change in the past is sequence stratigraphy. Miocene stratigraphy and paleoenvironments of the calvert. The book cliffs create the northern backdrop for the entire grand valley from. The book cliffs create the northern backdrop for the entire grand valley from clifton west to the coloradoutah border. Fielding, christopher 1 1 earth and atmospheric sciences, university of nebraskalincoln, lincoln, ne this study presents highresolution correlations of the upper cretaceous stratigraphy between the book cliffs and the. The book cliffs are one of the worlds best places to study sequence stratigraphy. Sequence stratigraphy of transitional systems book cliffs, utah this field course aims at teaching sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy at an introductory level and illustrate how this can and should be used as a powerful tool both in reservoir description and. A week long exercise in the book cliffs ut focusing on sequence stratigraphy, correlating marine flooding events between stratigraphic sections. Together with his experience from spdc shell nigeria, simon effectively demonstrated both theoretical and applied aspects at all levels in a clear, concise and thoughtful manner. Seymour department of earth and atmospheric sciences, university of nebraskalincoln. The desert and castlegate sandstones, 2001 pages iiii, 181.
Beginning near helper, utah, and joined at green river, utah, by a second escarpment, the roan cliffs, the 2,000foot 610metre tall mountain wall, winds a 250mile 400km course along the tavaputs and roan plateaus, ending near grand junction. The book cliffs, worlds best example of sequence stratigraphy, get their name from a tough caprock layer that appears to be lined up like a stack of books on a shelf. Grand canyon rocks are mostly sedimentary, and sedimentary rocks form layers or strata, one above the other. Stretching 200 miles from grand junction, colorado to central utah. The desert and castlegate sandstones, 2001 the aapgdatapages combined publications database. Book cliffs data sets are often used as outcrop analogues for similar subsurface settings worldwide. High resolution correlation of the upper cretaceous. This unique textbook describes how past changes in sealevel can be detected through an analysis of the sedimentary record. These famous rocks arguably represent the best exposed deltaic rocks in the world and have been used to develop, test and refine sedimentological and stratigraphic ideas and models over the years, including the principles and concepts of sequence stratigraphy.
The distinctive formations offer plenty of hiking, camping and more. High resolution correlation of the upper cretaceous stratigraphy between the book cliffs and the western henry mountains syncline, utah, u. The invasive body of water is called the western interior seaway, or the great cretaceous seaway. A nodule where a pocket of barite and calcite crystals may have been found, in the book cliffs area. This study presents detailed highresolution correlations of the upper cretaceous stratigraphy between the book cliffs, the wasatch plateau, and the western henry mountains syncline in utah with.
Free web tutorials sequence stratigraphy, tutorials carbonate petrology, seismic interpretation sequence stratigraphy exercises lower cretaceous south africa, seismic interpretation sequence stratigraphy exercises bahamas miocene, seismic interpretation sequence stratigraphy exercises lower cretaceous alaska, clastic outcrop interpretation sequence stratigraphy exercises of bookcliffs. These colorado cliffs look like books on a shelf outthere. The campanian book cliffs strata of eastern utah and western colorado has been used to develop, test and refine sedimentological and stratigraphic ideas and models over the years, including the principles and concepts of sequence stratigraphy. The lefthand side of the diptych shows the east end of. Regional highresolution correlations of the campanian desert member of the blackhawk formation to the lower castlegate sandstone interval, book cliffs, utahcolorado, show no evidence for a single, throughgoing unconformity separating the amalgamated channel sandstones of the castlegate from the underlying blackhawk formation coastalplain deposits. The size of the area, and difficult terrain, can make it a very challenging place to hunt. The mancos formation and its stratigraphic equivalent to the east known as the pierre. The trip will explore three distinct types of fluvial systems, with different paleogeographic and tectonic settings, patterns of accommodation, sediment routing, and relations to sealevel change, including the cretaceous blackhawk formation and castlegate sandstone of the book cliffs, and the triassic chinle and late jurassic morrison. Stretching 200 miles from grand junction, colorado to central utah, the book cliffs are the worlds largest continuous escarpment. The book cliffs field is that portion of the southern rim of the uinta basin which includes the bookcliffs and lies between grand river, colo rado, and the wasatch plateau, utah. This geological wonder cuts through beautiful desert terrain. Many times these concretions are quite fossiliferous while others contain beautiful crystals of barite andor calcite. The book cliffs have preserved excellent strata of the. Facies analysis and sequence stratigraphic framework of.
The book cliffs have preserved excellent strata of the foreland basin of the ancient western interior seaway that stretched north from the gulf of mexico to the yukon in the. These colorado cliffs look like books on a shelf outthere colorado. Stratigraphic trip for deltaic reservoirs applied stratigraphix. This study develops a sequence stratigraphic framework for about 600 ft of upper cretaceous strata that are exposed in the book cliffs and traceable into the adjacent subsurface areas, between grand junction, colorado, and green river, utah, a. Stratigraphic variations within the sego sandstone, book cliffs, central utah article pdf available january 2007 with 5 reads how we measure reads. Cretaceous shales book cliffs of utah kenilworth member of the blackhawk formation. Large scale and superbly exposed outcrops in the book cliffs colorado national monument arches national park canyonlands and adjoining areas. The book cliffs area is an exceptional trophy elk and mule deer unit. The geology of the book cliffs was first studied by a. The little book cliffs wild horse area grand junction. The book cliffs region is often cited as an analog for subsurface exploration, particularly in foreland basins, and sequence stratigraphy has become one of the leading methods for correlating and mapping depositional packages, leading to significant discoveries of petroleum in fields that had been abandoned, as well as new discoveries.
Sequence stratigraphy of transitional systems book. The first part of the hike into little book cliffs is a little strenuous as you climb up and over a ridge to get into the canyons. Beginning near helper, utah, and joined at green river, utah, by a second escarpment, the roan cliffs, the 2,000foot 610metre tall mountain wall, winds a 250mile 400km course along the tavaputs and roan plateaus, ending near grand junction, colorado. Earlier stratigraphic work had predicted that at the type section of the castlegate formation, the castle gate, near price, utah, the unit consists of two sequences separated by a sequence boundary representing approximately one million years of unrecorded time. Simon provides expertise in the areas of sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy and reservoir geologymodelling and has considerable knowledge of the book cliffs. May 31, 2016 field course examined sedimentology and stratigraphy of the book cliffs. The mancos formation and its stratigraphic equivalent to the east known as the pierre shale, often contain concretions. Expression of sequence stratigraphy in outcrop, the book. Introduction to stratigraphy grand canyon natural history. The book cliffs are part of an area known as the, colorado plateau. This almost unbroken 400 meter 1,300 foot high escarpment is visible from space. Home to wild horses, theres always something new to see or do in the bookcliffs. Facies analysis and sequence stratigraphic framework of upper. This page lists some of the literature click on pdfadobe icons to download pdf files of papers on the book cliffs sedimentary record and its sequence stratigraphic character in response to base level change.
Section summary accessible from the selection map, the stratigraphic columns section will eventually be one of the most extensive parts of our database. The plateau straddles utah, colorado, new mexico and arizona basically the four corners and is known as high desert. While roan cliffs are remote and inaccessible, the book cliffs run along the edge of the castle, gunnison, and grand valleys and are therefore readily visible from populated areas i. The book cliffs, utah have become the premier locality globally for field teaching of sequence stratigraphy. American association petroleum geologists memoir 64. It is bordered on the north by the bookcliffs and on the south by the umcompaghre uplift colorado national monument. Cretaceous and tertiary formations of the book cliffs carbon. Stratigraphy and sedimentation of the book cliffs, utah. Cretaceous alaska, clastic outcrop interpretation sequence stratigraphy exercises of bookcliffs, exercises sequence stratigraphy interpetation.
Graduate students attend sequence stratigraphy field seminar. The upper cretaceous book cliffs of eastern utah and western colorado are a worldclass field laboratory for studying clastic sedimentology, sedimentary architecture, and sequence stratigraphy. The seemingly endless stretch of the stratigraphic sequence of the rocks is. Baryte and calcite found in concretions ranging from a half an inch to over 6 feet with some concretions in a linear configuration, up to the size of a sedansaloon. In the 1980s, exxon scientists used the cretaceous strata of the book cliffs to develop the science of sequence stratigraphy. Desert member to lower castlegate sandstone stratigraphic interval along. Book cliffs, geological feature of eastcentral utah and western colorado, u. This program takes viewers on a virtual field trip. The book cliffs are a range of eroding, steepsloping cliffs, also called escarpments. The bookcliffs define the skyline of grand junction.
Peale, of the hayden survey, who in 1876 examined the eastern part of the field. Utah stratigraphic columns overview page these stratigraphic columns are dynamically created on the fly from information stored in a database. The book cliffs extend from helper, utah to east of grand junction, colorado fig. Fielding, christopher 1 1 earth and atmospheric sciences, university of nebraskalincoln, lincoln, ne.
Facies analysis and sequence stratigraphic framework of upper campanian strata neslen and mount garfield formations, bluecastle tongue of the castlegate sandstone, and mancos shale, eastern book cliffs, colorado and utah by mark a. In particular, it concentrates on the current sequence stratigraphy model. Digging into the pocket of a nodule in the book cliffs area, working hard trying not to damage any crystals. Book cliffs north of i70 between grand junction, colorado and green river, utah. The key principle of this exercise was connecting field observations to facies descriptions, which could be used to evaluate how paleodepositional environments evolve both spatially and over geologic. There is very little shade, so be prepared with a hat and. The study develops a sequence stratigraphic framework for about 600 ft of upper cretaceous strata that are exposed in the book cliffs and traceable into the adjacent subsurface areas, between grand junction, colorado, and green river, utah, a distance of about 100 mi. The mesa verde group contains bituminous coal which is mined around price, utah. The little book cliffs of this landscape drawing are nothing more than the far eastern end of the book cliffs landform that stretches from the eastern edge of the grand valley near palisade to the san rafael swell 140 miles to the west in utah. It explains this model from basics and shows how the model can be applied to both siliciclastic and carbonate successions. Introduction to stratigraphy understanding grand canyons rock layers. In this lab, you will put together your knowledge of nearshore facies and sequence stratigraphy to correlate sections and interpret facies changes in the cretaceous stratigraphy of the book cliffs. Julia wellner and joel saylor from the university of houston. Sixteen graduate students traveled to grand junction, co, and green river, ut, for a sequence stratigraphy in the field course offered by drs.
Sequence stratigraphy in the book cliffs, utah goal. The book cliffs are an enormous area that spans two states. Stratigraphy and sedimentation of the book cliffs, utah cole 1989 field trip guidebooks wiley online library. Jan 03, 20 book cliffs near grand junction, colorado. The sedimentary record of sealevel change angela l. The book cliffs are a series of desert mountains and cliffs in western colorado and eastern. We include sedimentologic, ichnologic, taphonomic, and molluscan paleoecological evidence. The hunter canyon area of the book cliffs provides an excellent opportunity to compare wellexposed marine and nonmarine rocks of the iles formation of the mesaverde group with nearby well log data.
The book cliffs have served as a field analog and laboratory for siliciclastic alluvial and marginal marine systems as well as sequence stratigraphic concepts. The trip will explore three distinct types of fluvial systems, with different paleogeographic and tectonic settings, patterns of accommodation, sediment routing, and relations to sealevel change, including the cretaceous blackhawk formation and castlegate sandstone of the book cliffs, and the triassic chinle and late jurassic morrison formations in the moab area and capitol reef national park. It was approximately 4800 km long and up to 1600 km wide. This video is a virtual field trip to one of the classic locations in the world book cliffs, utah, usa where the sequence stratigraphy method was developed and tested. South of helper, utah, utahs highway 6 and the price river pierces the western end of utahs books cliffs a 200 kilometer 125 mile escarpment that stretches from price, utah to grand junction, colorado. The book cliffs coal field is part of the southern rim of the uinta basin, which is an immense structural trough in western colorado. An introduction to the book cliffs in utah and their importance in geology.
Book cliffs geological feature, utah, united states. This part of the book cliffs is located on the southwestern flank of the piceance basin, one of the major gasproducing basins in the us. Stratigraphy in the book cliffs during late cretaceous time, a time of worldwide high sea level, the stable cratonic area of north america was inundated by marine waters. This outcrop belt has some of the best exposures of fluviodeltaic deposits in the world. Designed for undergraduate and graduate courses in sequence stratigraphy. These superb exposures of the upper cretaceous blackhawk formation and associated units are used to demonstrate regionalscale, fieldscale, and reservoirscale stratigraphic. What can the past tell scientists today about the rise and fall of the planets oceans. Sequence stratigraphy and marine to nonmarine facies architecture of foreland basin strata, book cliffs, utah, u. Cretaceous and tertiary formations of the book cliffs. Home browse collections grand junction geological society book publication book cliffs sequence stratigraphy. Cretaceous and tertiary formations of the book cliffs, carbon, emery, and grand counties, utah, and garfield and mesa counties, colorado. Introduction facies analysis is an important part of any stratigraphic study.
Sequence stratigraphy of the book cliffs of eastern utah, the. Many times these concretions are quite fossiliferous while others contain beautiful crystals of. The sketch was drawn from one of the small, mancos shale hillocks near the fruitgrowing town of palisades. It is named not for the state, but for the river that partially runs through it. Highresolution correlation of upper cretaceous stratigraphy between the book cliffs and the western henry mountain syncline, utah.
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