The book cliffs form a large continuous escarpment 250 km that is aligned. These 5 to 7 day trips are available on a firstcome, firstserved basis. A road log and guide for public school teachers geological society of america 2002 rocky mountain section annual meeting, cedar city, utah larry e. The western end of the section is located south of the book cliffs, near the northern end of the san rafael swell.
Summary introduction late cretaceous depositional setting stop 1. Middlelate campanian strata of the book cliffs, utah, usa, archive three clastic wedges of the north american cordilleran foreland basin east of the sevier fold and thrust belt. 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. Mountains syncline formed on the western margin of the. Winding for 250 miles across utah and colorado, it is the longest continuous escarpment in the world.
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 patterns parasequences. Cretaceous and tertiary formations of the book cliffs, carbon, emery. Cretaceous and tertiary formations of the book cliffs. The book cliffs are a series of desert mountains and cliffs in western colorado and eastern utah in the western united states. 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 patterns. Chart showing stratigraphic nomenclature and correlation of major albian to middle eocene rock units from the sanpete valley to the book cliffs. Guidebook 2010 cochair for 3 agu, 2 aapg, and 2 gsa meeting sessions 2003present. Stratigraphy and sedimentation of the book cliffs, utah cole. Subsurface correlation and structure eastwest section of. Eastern book cliffs unit north of green river, utah, the 2,000foothigh escarpment of the book and roan cliffs marks the southern perimeter of a millionacre wilderness of exceptional geographic and biological diversity. Several miles out from the utah town of kanab, all five stair steps of the grand staircaseescalante national monument can be seen. They are so named because the cliffs of cretaceous sandstone that cap many of the southfacing buttes appear similar to a shelf of books. Associate editor for gsa memoir 2015, utah geological assoc. These six frontier coalbed gas plays are in various stages of testing or development.
Price, utah fall 2012 sequence stratigraphy deltaic, tidal, and wave dominated deposition core analysis oil, gas, and coal implications. The cliffs are found in southern uintah county and northern grand county. Maps stratigraphic cross section of measured sections and drill holes of the neslen formation and adjacent formations, book cliffs area, colorado and utah, by mark a. Please see document availability for additional information on obtaining the fulltext. Cost per participant includes five nights single occupancy accommodation, suv field transportrentalinsurancegas, continental breakfast, sack lunches, field snackswater, core viewingexercise. Base of formation revised to include sandstone formerly assigned to the star point sandstone called spring canyon tongue, upper unit of star point. Department of geology and geophysics, university of utah 5 south 1460 east, room 717, salt lake city, ut 84112. Comprehensive safety discussion kicks off the trip on day 1, followed by. Book cliffs in the remote eastern part of the state, the 2000foot cliffs will astound you when you first see them. Book cliffs geological feature, utah, united states britannica.
This book will enrich the experience of enthusiastic amateur geologists who want to understand and explore the development of utah s highlands and the history of this dynamic landscape. Paunsaugunt means home of the beavers and the name was given by john wesley powell. Numerous field trips routinely stop at gentile wash fig. Geology and exploration trends in the gulf of mexico superbasin us and mexico. Hydrologic reconnaissance of the wasatch plateaubook. Mar 16, 2016 it describes the geology of the three main geological provinces, ancient elevations, cliffs, valleys, and the history of the regions climate. 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.
They were named by almon thompson in honor of joseph henry, the first secretary of the smithsonian institution. Expression of sequence stratigraphy in outcrop, the book cliffs, utah. Sep 12, 20 the book cliffs of utah to say the book cliffs mountain range unfolds over 200 miles between utah s price canyon and colorados grand valley is inexact. A multidecadelong highresolution outcrop study has revealed that the campanian desert member blackhawk formation to lower castlegate sandstone interval in the book cliffs of utah and colorado western usa does not fit the conventional sequence stratigraphic model. An integrated highresolution sedimentologic, ichnologic, and geocellular modelling study of the segoneslen formation transition, book cliffs, utah. Formation of the book cliffs 72 million years ago on vimeo. Eves, division of geosciences, southern utah university, cedar city, ut 84720. The uintah and ouray indian reservation is located on the west side. The book cliffs create the northern backdrop for the entire grand valley from.
The henry mountains is a mountain range located in the southeastern portion of the u. Introduction several controversies have emerged in forelandbasin stratigraphy since the mid1980s, and two key questions are at the heart of these debates. Although remote, youll find a trip to the cliffs will provide a wide array of outdoor activities. Geology 20072010, basin research 2010present associate editor for gsa memoir 2015, utah geological assoc. Check out our book cliffs utah selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Abundant material in the spring canyon member of the blackhawk formation at coal creek. Detailed descriptions, photos and maps guide you to some of the best gem collecting sites in the state. Thompson canyon, blackhawk formation and castlegate sandstone. Book cliffs, geological feature of eastcentral utah and western colorado, u. Clicking the geologic period in this column will take you to the corresponding. Butler geological survey water supply paper 2068 prepared in cooperation with the u. The book cliffs coal field is part of the southern rim of the uinta basin, which is an immense structural trough in western colorado and eastern utah, around whose margin the outcrop of coalbearing rocks can be traced for more than 500 miles. The upper cretaceous of the book cliffs in central utah and western colorado exhibits intricate lateral and vertical intertonguing of marine and nonmarine facies. Elevations range from a low of 2,350 ft above sea level along the beaver dam moun.
The trace fossil ophiomorpha irregulaire frey, howard and pryor, 1978, has been described chiefly from the campanian upper cretaceous of the book cliffs of carbon county, central utah, u. Along the utah colorado state border sits a mountain range resembling a shelf of books. Lodging will be in a motel in the town of green river, utah. The authors smooth prose brings the rocks of utah and their long history into sharp and enjoyable focus. Tectonic control on coarsegrained forelandbasin sequences.
Aug 01, 2018 book cliffs elk habitat udwr assigns a value to elk habitat in the state of utah e. Stratigraphy and sedimentation of the book cliffs, utah. The division uses pertinent information from many sources, e. Hydrologic reconnaissance of the wasatch plateaubook cliffs. The university of utah and the utah geological survey ugs are starting the final year of a threeyear, multidisciplinary study of the. Using classic outcrops to revise sequence stratigraphic. Weather in the book cliffs during the month of june is likely to be dry and hot, though thunder storms are not unusual. The cliffs are largely composed of sedimentary materials with. Eastern book cliffs deep history field seminar two nights. This applies throughout a fields lifecycle, all the way from the exploration phase. Wasatch plateau, book cliffs county weather and climate. The nearly vertical book cliffs are carved into cretaceous 14565 mya sandstones and shales of marine origin. Clarence dutton he was the first to see the entire region of sedimentary rock layers as a staircase.
Geology of the grand staircaseescalante national monument. Utah is a land of stark con trast with high mountains, plateaus, ridges, uplands, plains, basins, and canyons. Physiographic provinces and surface geology of utah. Pattison continues to actively research the cretaceous strata in utah. The book cliffs coal field in emery and grand counties, utah. The book cliffs of utah have become the premier locality globally for field teaching of sequence stratigraphy. Book cliffs, utah have become the premier locality globally for field teaching of sequence stratigraphy. There are currently six frontier coalbedgas plays in utah attracting industry interest. Between price, utah and grand junction, colorado, highway 6 and interstate 70 cross 170 miles of barren and windswept terrain.
With the level of erosion that occurs here, exposing millennia of earth tones. Leader arrives a few days early for pretrip safety reconnaissance of all field stops and roadstracks. They extend west from near page, arizona, for a considerable distance, in both arizona and utah. Beginning near helper, utah, and joined at green river, utah. The book cliffs form a sinuous southwardfacing escarpment that extends in a general eastward direction from the wasatch plateau in central utah to grand mesa in western colorado.
Excellent exposures permit detailed observations and facilitate tracing of individual units. Variations in wedge geometries provide an opportunity to evaluate controls on foreland basin stratigraphic architecture. The staircase is huge, consisting of almost twomillion acres of plateaus, mesas, buttes, slot canyons all in a primitive setting. The book cliffs v cumulative impact area cia is located in carbon county, utah, south of the town of sunnyside plate 1. The depositional period is in the cretaceous, but time periods vary widely depending on your location. Hydrologic reconnaissance of the wasatch plateau book cliffs coalfields area, utah by k. Paleoenvironmental evolution of the mixed carbonateclastic strawn group middesmoinesian, eastern shelf. Relative to many cretaceous units in other regions, these rocks also exhibit 10115.
Book cliffs geological feature, utah, united states. Geological survey library has cataloged this publication as follows. Continuous, wellexposed and easilyaccessible outcrops make it possible to analyze facies relationships of stratigraphic sequences in great detail, both in terms. Top of the castlegate sandstone, sagers canyon, book cliffs, eastern utah. Organic matter from these swamps became the coal deposits of western colorado. Willis bureau of economic geology, the university of texas at austin, austin, tx 78758 usa e. Following deposition and lithification, these sedimentary rocks were slowly uplifted to form the magnificent scenery in the western interior of canada and the united states. The book cliffs are an enormous area that spans two states. The study area is defined generally as an area that could be impacted by the proposed highway. Map showing locations of measured sections, uinta basin, utah n3 2. Abundant wildlife and rugged beauty have made the book cliffs wilderness one of utahs most popular backcountry destinations. Towards a sequence stratigraphic solution set for autogenic. Geological survey bulletin 1229 geology of the circle. Sequence and facies architecture of the upper blackhawk.
A good appreciation of the nature of reservoir and nonreservoir rocks in the subsurface is of fundamental importance to sound ep decision making. A guide to the bedrock geology of range creek canyon, book cliffs, utah, geology of the intermountain west, utah geological association, v. Department at the university of utah has a long history of successful partnerships with geosciencerelated. Such transformation was augmented by exercises in sequence stratigraphy at the book cliffs, neotectonics and glacial geology at bells canyon, and geologic mapping of various structures and rock types in elk basin, wildhorse, idaho and alta, utah. The roan cliffs found to the north and at higher elevations, are composed of river and flood plain deposits of paleocene 5565 mya and eocene 3455 mya origin. Banner the physical features of utah provide some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere. The graceful sweep and pastel colors of the geological.
Rather, the bluffs and basins bend around and against themselves, revealing steep ravines and canyons cut by rivers long ago. Geology of the grand staircaseescalante national monument, utah. Book cliffs from grand junction, colorado, to woodside. Rating required select rating 1 star worst 2 stars 3 stars average 4 stars 5 stars best. The nearest town of any size is hanksville, utah, which is north of the mountains. I offer proprietary companyspecific book cliffs geological field trips. The book cliffs, utah have become the premier locality globally for. Geological survey geographic names information system. Cretaceous and tertiary formations of the book cliffs, carbon. Architecture and origin of an amalgamated fluvial sheet. The area extends from the book cliffs on the south to the red wash oil field on the north. Suu geology field trip to book cliffs near price, utah. Sedimentology, mineralogy, palynology, and depositional. Coalbedgas exploration in utah utah geological survey.
Upper cretaceous trace fossils, book cliffs of utah. Intermountain assoc, petroleum geologists guidebook 5th ann. Wasatch plateau, book cliffs county weather and climate synopsis. A broader range of geological information, including that regarding sediment supply. A prime exam ple is the cretaceous of the northern book cliffs, near helper, utah, usa. Cretaceous and tertiary formations of the book cliffs carbon. Owing to the lack of type specimens and a welldefined type locality, a neotype and new paratypes are designated.
Physiographic provinces and surface geology of utah roger e. The book cliffs, utah have become the premier locality globally for field teaching of sequence stratigraphy. Environmental protection agency united states government printing office, washington. The vermilion cliffs are the second step up in the fivestep grand staircase of the colorado plateau, in northern arizona and southern utah. Book cliffs the book cliffs are a series of desert mountains and cliffs in western colorado and eastern utah in the western united states.
One of the most spectacular regions is the canyonlandsarea of eastcentral utah which is home to two national parks and one of the longest continuous clifflines in the world, the 300kmlong book cliffs. Detrital zircon upb geochronology and paleodrainage. Guidebook 2010 cochair for 3 agu, 2 aapg, and 2 gsa meeting sessions 2003present department of geology and geophysics faculty research award 2015 university of utah faculty fellow award 20. The steps include the grand canyon, zion national park, bryce canyon, cedar breaks and the lands between. Comprehensive safety discussion kicks off the trip on day 1, followed by daily safety briefings at each field stop. We entered utah from the east and exited near harley dome just west of rest area. Book cliffs desolation canyon region between price, utah and grand junction, colorado, highway 6 and interstate 70 cross 170 miles of barren and windswept terrain. The drive would be lonely but for a constant companion. Brian willis outcrop analog studies have long been used to define subsurface correlation strategies and improve predictions of reservoir heterogeneities that can complicate production behavior.
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