Date of Award
Spring 5-2012
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Program
Geology
Department
Earth and Environmental Sciences
Major Professor
M. Royhan Gani
Second Advisor
Nahid Gani
Third Advisor
Mark Kulp
Abstract
Facies and stratigraphic architecture right at the transition from marine to non-marine environments is poorly documented. In the Cretaceous outcrops of Utah, Star Point and Blackhawk Formations are well studied. The nature of spatio-temporal transition of these two Formations, in the deposition-strike orientation, remains undocumented. This study characterizes facies and stratigraphic complexity at the transition of the two Formations that crop out in depositional-strike orientation in the Wasatch Plateau. Data from outcrop including photomosiacs and measured sections demonstrate this complexity at a range of scales. The Star Point constitutes a shoreface environment. The Blackhawk constitutes a coastal-fluvial environment.
In the northern part of study area, the transition from marine to continental strata is expressed by intertonguing succession. The dip-oriented outcrops show pinch-outs of two parasequences into coastal-plain deposits. This complexity decreases southward, the southern outcrops show a simple transition. At least two sequence boundaries are correlated across the outcrop belt.
Recommended Citation
Ranson, Andrew M., "Transitional Facies and Sequence Stratigraphic Complexity of Shallow-Marine Star Point Formation to Coastal-Plain Blackhawk Formation Along Depositional-Strike, Wasatch Plateau, Utah" (2012). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 1476.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1476
Included in
Geology Commons, Sedimentology Commons, Stratigraphy Commons
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.