Aeolian sediments: ancient and modern

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Aeolian Sediments

ANCIENT AND MODERN

Aeolian Sediments: Ancient and Modern Edited by K. Pye and N. Lancaster © 1993 The International Association of Sedimentologists ISBN: 978-0-632-03544-1

Aeolian Sediments ANCIENT AND MODERN

Edited by K. Pye and N. Lancaster

SPECIAL PUBLICATION NUMBER

16 OF THE

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SEDIMENTOLOGISTS PUBLISHED BY BLACKWELL SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS OXFORD LONDON EDINBURGH BOSTON MELBOURNE PARIS BERLIN

VIENNA

��:I:

, ,

"

.... �

, ,,

!;1U

,�

2W

eta

,

. "

,

,

Sood Hills

Anteklpe Is.

MNW

::l z

10

! 0

/

/

/

/

.....

20

40

Time lsecl

60

80

100

Fig. 9. The l.I rri va t or coa rsc grains al the bl.;d-Ioad trap III V• • 48cm s I . Thc so li d li nc indicutes Ihe simulalion rcsuhs unci lhe

dashed linc dcnotes the

cxperil11entally mcasured I.;ur"c.

II

Parficle dislodgemellt from a jim ,\'{Iml bed

20 16 '"

.: ..

�12 o -'

Fig. 10. TIle arrival of -

,

"

EOwI.II R,ve,

t

o o Ru,lInll "j.I�.

•

Major dunefield Minor dunefield

•

" " � . V " Caral Sea

o

MOun,

, ..

o ...........

".

Darling

OOWfiS

ISO'"

Fig. I .

Localion of major coastal

duncfields in nonhCaSICl'lt AuSlralili.

.�...

26

K. Pye

morc res t r icte d within the Great B a r rie I' Reef Province (Maxwell, 1968). Pye ( 1 983a) divided the Queensland coast into fou r sect i o ns 011 t h e bHSis of Ihe degree of dune development:

1 t h e west coast of Ca pe York Peninsula

and the

lowlands, characterized by extensive beach r i d ges and ch e n i e r pl ai lls wi t h vcry small·scalc clune d eve lo p m e nt (e.g. Rhodes, 1982): 74% of the total

more i m porHHlI than fun her north. and there is

annual wind energy occurs during the dry season

gre•.I1cr overall directional v ari ab i l i ty

( M a y- Nove m be r) ,

The signific:'lIlcc of local v�H'ialions in wind regime en u sed by coastal OriCnll.Hioll and lhe nature of sUI'I'ounclillg rop()graphy is clc

� w >� � 0

N o Z w U

� >� w >-

Fig,

16, Lithostratigraphy or

palucodutlc systcms preserved within the sOuthern Namib denalion basin.

>w � u

,'-

��

"osits of Southern Africil ( 1959). In: TIl{' Geology of Some Orc Deposit!>· ill SOllthem A/rictl (Ed. Haughton, S . H . ) PI' . 67 t - 728. Spec. Pub!. Geo!. Soc. S. Mr. .

G l.. ll NNIE,

JolHlnncsburg. H"""NA, S.R. ( 1969) The formntion of longitudinal sand dunes by hlrgc helical eddies ill the atmosphcrc. J. AppJ. Meteorol. !oJ. 874- 3 . HOMIKAWA, K . & S I H : N . H . W . ( 1960) Sand movement by wind nctioll - 011 Ihe charactcristics of silnd tmps. JJe(lcli erOSiQI I BOf/l'd Teclt. Mem. IIV. 5 1 Pl'. t LI.llNIII!KGIW, W . K . & RUST, 1. . ( 1 986) Venturi-com· pensnlcd eolian sand Imp for field usc. J. Sed. Pel/'o/.

56. 54 1 -542. JIWllKllYS, H. ( I92S) Some cascs of inswbility ill nuid Pl'Oc. Hoy. Sac. LOlldoll SCI'. A 1 18, 195-208.

mOlion.

KAISl!K, E. ( 1 926) Dic jungell scdimcntllren neubildung

0111 extrelll-aridenklima der Namibwliste. In:

Die

/)j(,­

(Ed. Kaiser. E . ) pp. 317-380. Dietrich Reimer (Ernst Vohscn), Berlin. LI\NCASl'llM. N. ( 1983) Linear dunes of the Namib Sand $c,1. Z. Geo/llo,ph. SII{Jp/, 45. 27-49. IIUllllellwti.\·w SiidelVe�'/{/fl'ikas 2

I. COrbCfI

611

LANCASTlllt. N . ( 1 �85) Winds anti sl.lnd 1TI0W.:IllCnts in the N,imib Sand Set\' EWlh Sill}: PrOt', Lwul}: 1 O. 607 -6 I Y. MI\lUW'IT. J . A . . WOODING, R.A. & JeNNINGS. J . N . ( 1 969) The asymmetry of AU:ill':lliflll dcscn salle! ridges. AIlS/l'lIfiall 1. Sci. 32. 159- 1 60. O'13IU1lN. R. F, ( 1972) The b!l l'clHlIIS of the SOllthern NlHllib: grain size analysis. Prot'. 4(h S. Alr, Ulliv. Ceo};,.. COllf ,

22-3 1 . ROGllI<s. J , ( 1977) Scdirncnl,)lion 0 1 1 tllc conlinent..1 1 ll1i:Ll'gill of the Orongc River and the Namib Desert. Joill/ Ceol.

SIII'I1, S. AJi-, & V'lill, of Cr'l)e TOIIII/ /11(11', CCQSci. Ullil Rep. 7.

Wi\ItD.

J ,I), ( 1 9H4) Aspects of ,Ire Cellozoic J;c!O/08Y ill rite

Klliseb River \lolley, CC/llm! Namib De,w:,-I , Unpublished

Ph . D . thesis. U niversity of Nnw!. Piclcl'rnorilzb�II'g. ;\ 1 0 P I'. W,\lw. J . D . ( 1 9M7) The 'cllQ'loic succession ill Ihc Kuiscl> V:lllcy. central Nmnib I)escrt. Melli. Ceol. Srl/·v. N(lII r iui(1 9, 1 - 1 24. \\I,\Il!:), J . I & OIWI!'I'I'. L B . ( 1 91)0) Towards an age fOI' amib. In: N(//llib Ecology: 25 YC(ll '�' oj' Nlllllib the ReSl1l1l'dr (Ed . Seely. M . K . ) P I'. 17-26. Tl':lllsvaal Mus. Monogr'. 7. WU..ANOI;i(, P. ( 1 %4) onvectivc instability i n a two layer Ouid heated uniformly from above. Te/lll$ 16. 349-359.

Spec.

I�IIIJI� 1111. Ass.

Se(/imelll.

( 1 91)3) 16. 6 1 - 69

Intemal structure of an aeolian dune using ground-penetrating radar _ J. S

I-I E N K ,

D _ L _ G A U T I E R , G , R , O L H O E FT (llId J , E , L U

US Geological Slirvey, MS

97/,

IU

Box 25046, Deliver, CO 80225, USA

A BS T R A CT A grou nd-pcnctrfll i ng rudar survey was made on u large complex lIcolian dune along the 111�lI'gill of Grcnt Salld DUlles Ntltion�lI Monumcnt.

llol'nclo, to dclillCfltc the intcrnal structures formed by dune

migration in tI complex wind rcgime. Radar waves were partially reflected from !)cdimcnl interfaccs that had di frcring densities or moisture (,'()IIICnts. In this wny bounding surfaces between sels could be intcrpreted frolll chrlllgcs in the uttitudc of sets of rencctors. The radur reflectors wcre rccorded to depths of 1 5 m . but thc best resolution of bounding surfaccs was obtained ill the upper 5 111 of the dune s/lml. Bounding surfilces i ntcl'pl'cted from rdlcclors clcfillc a lIIain dUIiC sct 5-8 111 thick, with foresets

up 10 23 m long, Thicknesses of othcr wcdge-shaped and tubular plnnnr sets wngc from U,75

10

1 .5 m.

avcraging 1 m : sct lengths mngc from 6 to 12 m. averaging 8 . 5 m . Trough-shnpcd SCtS range ill Ihiekncss from 0.5 10 3 m , averaging l . l m . and I'ange ill wi(lIh frolll S to 22 m, Ilvcraging 10 m. 'nlesc trough smlc­ lures Illay hove been caused by the lIIigrlllion of seoul' pits associated Wilh smull supcrimposed dUlles, or Illil}' be thc result of seoul' fHl� rormed during rcvc(sing winds. Reversing winds also fOflllcd numcrous subtle boulldingsul'faccs (renetivntioll surfaces) .1I01lg the leudi IIg edge of the dum: as it mignllcd. defining

sets mnging in t hickness frolll 0.5 10 2 m . avcragillg I m. and wilh forescl lengths ranging frolll 15 to 23 Ill. avcr:lging 20 m. This study dClIlonstnHes the usefulness of gl'ound-pel letT of the d unc (small arrow). Southwest winds will cventually remove !his sand and deposit it on Ihe forcsct. The forescl on Ihe bOltom lefl-llllne! side of the figure is about 1 6 m high.

record. The dashed ( i n terpretive) lines on the CI'OSS­

seclion indicate reneclOrs that may represent eithcr a sclected set of cross-strata or the gcnend nuitude

of a sedimem package. GreaLer resolution i n the uppcr 5 III or rhc cross-scction meant that

morc

bounding surfaces were inte rpretcd in that port ion.

Analysis of bounding surfnccs and attitudes of

reflectors i n the cross-section indicatcs thnt

I h is

recorded reflectors that arc i n tcrpretcd as subtle

erosional bounding su rfaces

formcd on

the Icc slope

or the dune. This portion or th e trn nscct is

charac­

terizcd by numerOliS bounding su rr"ccs that par­

t ia lly bevel pre-cxisting foresel cross-strata. Such bounding slIrfnces may be common in the section from 1 1 5 m to 50 111 , but thc lack of rcsolUlioll with

the lower-frcqucncy antCllll:l (300 MHz) precl udes

large clune, which is probubly typical or dunes along

their interpretation.

histol'y of deposi tion and erosion. From 176 m to

section

derine a large dune with forescts up to 23 III in length.

The t roughs arc gcncr�llIy wide

ness. The sweeping, tangential natlll'c of the t'cftectOl's

from 0.5 to 3 III in thickncss, averaging I m .

w i t h aeolian ripple Strata were preserved. This largc

strong reflectors t h a t begin l\rlly re p l a ced hHcrally by the lowcr Middle Unit (PMI) and the Judd Hollow To n gue of thc Ci.lrmcl FOl'mation ( J ) in a stepw ise manner best illustrated in Fi g , 4 E : i n other areaS the tnlns­ g ressi n g marine and sa b kha u n i t s of the J u dd Hollow simply ovel'lie the LowcL' U n i t (c.g. t hc westernmost part. Fig. 40). To the lIorth nlong the axis of the Page S.\I1(\slO lle. the Lower Unit thins 10 lhe north or H a n k sv i l l e . but th e n thickcns again in the San Rafael Swell (se eli o l1 BKW. Fig, 3A), Whe,e il is next seen. north of D u c h esne . it i s thinner l\gni n (section LFK. Fig, 3A) ilnd pi nch es o u t northward, The ma i n part of the Lower U n i t is a finc- to mediu m-grained sa n ds to ne (PL. Figs 3A & 4A. B ,

southCHSl o f Esca l a n te . nile!

'

cast of Wct.herill

allyon (sccliol1 WLC, Fig, 3A). Elsewhere the Lower U n i t is copped hy OllC of a seri es of surfaces extending inland from the ndv(lnc­ i ng transgression that form the base of th e Middle U n i t (c.g. new' Judd Hollow. sections BPT-CME. Fig. 40: frolll Escalante to so u t heast of Ea r l y Weed BCllCh, sccriol1s TBX - DFC, Fig, 4E) or by a latcr s\lpcrs �lrfn ce

(S--�L]») that truncates clOWll to the

Lower Unit cast alollg Lak e

Powel l (e.g. sou th ca st H u rricane Wash. s ectio n s H W A - FM R. Fi g , 4 ) . Loc a ll y there is a :) u pcrsu rfa ce or group l'>f Sur­ faces ( l ower s u rface zone. S--I) wi t h i n this unit (Figs 3A & 4A . D & E) suggeSl ing Ihal it ,'epresents IWO accurn ulHtion cvents. Thi!; s u rfa ce . or an equivalent s urface zone. is clisCO I L l i l1l1olls. tr unca ted by t ro ug hs in the overlyi n g unit (Fig. 40 & E ) , The occurrence of t h i s surf�lcc. or the cqu ivn lc nt ZOne of seve ra l su rl'Hccs. in widely spHced arcas suggests that it may h a ve becil a much more widespread s u rface 01' sur­ face zo ne before t ru n ca tio n . The exprcssion of t h is su pcrsurface varies fro m are described in the text. In the C'lrmc! Formution units. carbOIHllCS arc :-.howl1 with a brick paltern. siltstones tlnd silty slLndstC)ncs iJrc !'ohowll wilh a dOlled pattern. 1111 I conglolllcfIIlcs with 11 grllvcl pallel'll. Page unit.. consist Illuinly of aeolian slInd..wnc. btl! locally ;llso include contorted to structurclc:.s sandstones.

B

B'

B NW

SE

Moo,"" Meso MNW ,

Tse Esgizzi

MMN ,

PAP ,

ANC ANC2 ,

,

LeII:TllKSON, P., /\I'UTO . M.V., GIHiSAMAN. R . . & VOOKIIl!I!S . B.J. ( 1 98.1) I>alcogeograph)' of Middle J urassic continclllnl, shoreline. un{1 sllallow marine sedi­ mentation, southern Utah. I n : Mcsozoic P(lleogeosmpfly 0/ rhe W(!s/-cc/II1'fI1 US ( d. Reynolds. M , W , & Dolly. E.I . ) PI'. 77- \ 00. Rocky MOlJllt,lin IJaleogcog,.uphy Symposi Ll 1l 1 2 . Ro!,!ky MIn Section. Soc. Eeoll, PalcolHol. Miner'a!.. Dc nver. 131.,\Kt�Y. R.C" PIiTUKSON, F. & KocuK�K, G . ( 1 988) Syn­ thesis of latc I)aleo�oic and Mesowic eolian dcposits of t hc Wcstcl'n I merior of Ihe United States. I n : Late Palem.oil ' fllld Mesoz.oi(' Colian O(!po.I'its oJ !lw WCSlel'lJ lllferiOl' of ,lie Ulli/cd Simes (Ed. Kocurek . G . ) PI'. 3- 125,

Sed. Gcol. 56. i\I'I'$, M. ( 1 990) Presellce (Illd sigllijic(Ul(:e 0/ regiol/al bOllndillg slII/(lces tlnd gem:!i, sequences ill (III eoliall �'(//ul.wolI(!: Page S(lIIdsiOIlC (Jw'(lssie), sottt!t·cCIIII'(11 U1(l!t .

Unpublished MS lhcsi�, Northern ArizQnu Uni\'cl'�ity, Flagstaff. CAI'U'ro, M. V. ( 1 9HO) O(!pO.l'iliolUll lJi.l'IOIY of Middle JlIl'lISSit; claslic shO/'elillc .1'CfllleIlCf!S ill SOw/llveSlem Uwll . Unpub­ lishcd MS thcsis, Nonhcrn Arizona Univcrsity. DI!YNOUX. M" KO(:UKI!K, G, & P�OU�T, J,·N, ( \ 989) Latc Protcrozoic pcriglaci,11 aeolian deposits 011 the West African Platform. TaQucicni Basin. western Mali. Sedimf!lIIofogy 36, 53 1 -)49,

EVIlKHTI'. B , I-I , . KOWALLIS. B .,J . . CUKISTli\NStiN , E , I-! . &

DHiNO. A. ( 1 990 )

Correlillion of J u rassic sedimcnts of reck Form,uions of southern the C.lnn e l and Twill Uwh using bClllonitc cha ractc1'istil."S. Utah Gcologicol (111(/ Millel'(ll SlIrvey Opell Pilt! Rf!pol'/ 169. FltvlmIl.G �K. S . O . & KOIll,MI�I .. M . I -I . ( 1 986) Rangely Ficld: eoli:ill syste m-boundal'y trap i n lhc Perrno·Pcnnsylvnnilln Weber Snndlltonc of northwest ColoradQ, I?ocky MOllfl­

I(lill Assof'i(l/ioll of Gcologisl.\' Symposilllll, 1 29- 1 49 . G M.I.OW/\Y. W,E. ( 1 989) lenctic stratigraphic sequencell

in basin :1I1.l I),sis I: architecture and genesis or nooding­ surface bounded depositional units, Am, A�'s, PClrol, Geol. IJulI, 73. 1 25- 1 42 .

GIHISAM/\ N, R . . ( 1 979) Seditm!III(lI'y J{/f:ies of the Cal'llwl POl'Il/olioll, .�f)l/Iltellst Ulaft. Unpublishcd MS thesis, Northern A l'izonn Ullivc r�ity. Gl.t!NN I L I K . W . ( 1 970) Oeser/ Sedill/ell/tII')' E'l1IirOlIIlU!IIIS. Elsevier. AmSlcrdnm. 222 pp. 1-!i\VIIOt.M. K.G. ( 1 9\) 1 ) Eolioll eVl!/II .\'trmigmp/ty: IftcO/'y. (Illd flpplit'(l/irm

/Q Ifte Middle JIIJ'(/.'i.�ic Ptlgl! Stllldstollc. Cofomdo PIII/eall, USA . Unpublished PhD thesis. Uni·

versity or Texas. Austill, JONES, L.S. ( 1 9�) S/I'(ltigrtlplly (III(/ depositiOllal hi.I'IO/,)' of tire j)age S(I/It/Sf()lIe (/lid cOI're/mille IIflits oj file Corlllcl FOl'lluuioll, Middle Jtl/,{/.�.\'I'c. S(JIII/t'C(!flll'(t/ Utn!1 . Unpub­

li�hcd MS thesis. Northcrn Arizona Univcrsity, Flagstaff.

KAMOI.,\, D.L. ( 1 989) Pc nninn - Trinssic boulldary in sout ll·

celllntl Utah: palc()fclicf ancl sequence stratigraphy labsI I'Act ] . Ceol. Soc. Am. AIIII. Mlllg, AIJ.I'tl'(lCIS willi

Pl'OgmJ/J.I' 2 1 , ABO. KINC:, 0 . 0 , ( 1 992) Srmligr(lplric (tI1lI/y,�i,\' of rllf! /(llId1ll(1I'(/ margin of tIle Mit/c//e Jtlrtlssic Page S{lI/clSIOlle, Coconillo COIlIfIY. lIon!t-('clltl'(t! Arizol/{I. Unpublished MS thesis,

Northcrn A ri;wna U ni\'cr::;it)', Flagstaff.

KOCUREK. G, ( 1984) Origin of firsl�orclcr bounding surfaces

in �lcQlian sandsloncs - reply. Sedimentology 3 1 , 1251 27 , Koculo,K, G. ( 1 988) First order und super bounding sur­ faces in eolian seq ucnccs - bounding surfacc.!j revisitcd.

111: Ltlle Pa/cozoic and MC�iowic Eo/itll/ Df!po�'its of tire Wcsrcr" III/erial' of Ihc Ulliled Sillies (Ed, Kocurek, G , ) pp, 1 93-206 . Sed. Gco!. 56. KOCUKI!K, G .. DliYNOUX. M . . BI.AKI:!Y. R.C. & \-I,\VILOLM, K . G , ( \99 1 a ) Amalgamated deposits rcsulling from

107

Page sll'aligmp"y

climatic and eustatic changes. Akchar Erg. Mauritania. Sedimentology 38. 751 - 772. KOCUKEK. G . & H"VII01.M. K . G . ( 1993) Eolian cvcnt stl':ltigraphy - a conceptual framework. In: Recellf AdvlIIlces ill IlIId Applic:aliolts of Silicic/listie Selfllem:e Smlligl'llplty (Ed. Weimer. P. & Posmncnlier. H . ) . Am.

Ass. Petrol. Gco!. Mcmoir. Am. Ass. PetrOl. Ceol .. Tulsu (in prcss). KOCUKI.iK. G. & HUNTEk. R . E . ( 1 9t-16) Origin of polygonal fractures in snml. uppermost NUV(ljO and Page S!ulcl­ stOnes. Pagc. ArizolHl. J. Sed. IJetl'ol. 56. �95-904. KOCUltHK. G . . Kl"IIGt-ll' . J . & l lAVtIOt.M, K. ( 1 9�lb) Outcrop nnd scmi-regional tl irce-climciisionni nl'CllilecLurc lind rCI.:onstruction of 1I ponioll of the eoliull l)l1gc Snndslonc (J urussie). In: Three-llimells;ollal Facies Ard,itec:lllre (Ed. Minll. A. & 1')'ler. N . ). Soc. Ecan. Pnlconl. Minera l . Atlas pp. 25--13. Soc. COIl. P�lconlOl. Mincra l . . Tulsn. LOOl'Il. 0.1l. ( 198.1) pisodie deposition one! prcserv[llion of colifll1 sands: n lute I)a leozoie cxample from sou1h­ eastern Uwh. Geology 13. 73-76. M,\RZOl.l'. J . . ( 1 990) Spcculation on the sequcllce strati­ grnphic signifi(.:n,,(.:e of colion sandstones: exomples from the westcrn iuterior. Absl. IJtlt Jll/el'll(l(ioll(l/ Sedimelll­ ologi(,(11 COl/gress. Noitillg//{/Ill. 334. Me I.Ukll. !- I . A , ( 1978) AI' Rub'al Khali. I n : QU(ffc!I'II(uy Petio(1 il/ Saudi Ambitl (Ed. AI-Soy:u·i. .S. & FilUf'c. J . G . ) PI'. 2.12-263. Spri nger-Vcrl.li;. Wicil. PETEKSON, r. ( l 98() J U nlssie paleoteetoni/,."S i n thc WCi't­ central plll't of the Colorado Plutcau. Utah and Arizona. I n : J"altJOleCIO/lit's (I/ld SC!dimC!II((lIioll. f?oc::k )1 MOII/I/aill J?egioll. US (Eel. Pelcrson. J . A . ) pp. 563'-596. Am, Ass. Petl'Dl. Geo!. Spcc. Mem. 4 1 . Am, Ass, ('etrol. Gcol .. Tulsll. Pl!TIlKSON. r. & l'Il'lltll"lGos. G . N . ( 1 979) Smlligl',q)hic

relution" of the Nuvujo Sundstonc 10 Middle Jurassic formations. southern Utuh Clncl northern Arizonn. US Ceol. Sill'll. IJmf, Pup, IOJ51J. B I - B43. POS"M�l"InI:k. I I .W . . J llRVIlY. M.T. & V,\II.. P.R. ( 1 988) Eustlltic controls 011 clastic dcpositlon l -l.'ollccptuul frul1lewOl'k . In: SC(" /I'I'eJ Chal/ge.,·: lIlI IlItegl'lI/c{1 APf"'O(lch (E(1. Wilgu�. .K . . Hastings. B.S . . Kcnda l l . CG.St C . . POS;)IllClllier. H.W . . Ross. C.A. & Van Wagol1l!r, J . ) pp. t o<J- 124. Soc. Eeon. Palcontol. Mincral. Spec. Pub. 42. SotIH'. C. ( 1 99 1 ) De.\'(·r;J'/;oll ((1/(/ illlel'pt'eilltioll of tlte JlIl'lIs.�ic )·2 II//co/lj()l'fnily of tlte Wc.'t'/em Itllel';ol' (USA). Unpublished MA thesis. University of Tcx[ls. Austin. TAtUO,/,. M . R . ( 1 �85) Major bounding sutfoccs. in ;lcoli:lll San(J:.,loncs-il cli mfllic mOdel. Sel/ill/elltolog), 32. 257265. Vi\I' •

90

�

10

"

O L _ -'-

_ _

•

M<Jxlmum

grain

�

slzo

Faciol>

� �

Fig.

� �

Large trough sets

$m811

trough S619

9. Chcescbox

_

70

uper8urfaces

llHgO planar sols

"

Sand flat

"

Extra-dunal

"

.lnYOIl sect ion .

"

(hut aeol i n n deposition in the Cedar Mesa was cpi�

s od ie and the dcAmioll surfaces were fOfmed during

regional erosional evelllS, In this st udy !

tI�is type of

su rfa ce wilt be rercl'I'cd to as a dej!{I(ioll .nil/ace

fo l lowing the usc by Loopc

Less

( 1 985).

"

, L--h���nf+H�

exte nsi ve erosion surfaces arc associ mcd

with l h e m�\I'gins or t h e dune sea and Occur be tw een the dcAnli()llilry su rfaces (Lnngforcl &

h an , 1988).

These SlIrfnccs rep rese n t more localized aeol i a n CI'O� s i on nnel me associated with non-a eo l in n (ftuvial)

d eposi ts . Coexistence of non-aeolian und neol ia n

� � Small

�

Fecles

Lerge trough sets

�

trough sets

dcpositiotl lllay be demonstrated. illdict H i n£, that t h e

l ess extensive su rfaces formed duril1g pc ri ods of

CI'05iol1 Wilhil) an aCli ve l y uggr.\d i ng erg (L '" � '" 0

..

0(/)

0

u

�

'"

122

R , P, Lansford fwd M. A . 0.26

E

� •

� � ,

�

�

•

e

• •

�

However. the uppermost unit is less biot u rbated, and bec;.)usc bioturbated in te rva l s lend to be com­ posed of nne- (md very fine-grained sandstone. 1'he d i fference in grain size Illay result from d i fferellli
Elsevier. Amsterdalll. SNt:lt. A, ( I �8S) I)CI'Illii.lfi dune pHucrns in nonhwestcrn E U I'opc Ch'lllcll£C(1. J. Sed. Petrol. 58. 44-5 1 . STlllH.l!. R.P. ( 1 9S3) Longi wdin'll (Irtl,1 i n the PCI'mian Yellow SlLnds of north�e('st Ellglond. In: Eolion Sedimellts (llId PrO('(!s.H!S (Ed. Brookficld. M.E. & A h lbrtlnclt. "['.S.) 543- 550. Dev. Sc(limclll. 38. Elsevicr. Amsterdam.

PI'.

ST�El.I!. 13 . R . ( 1 987) Depositionsl ellvironmcllts of the White Rim SillldstOllC member or the lItler FOl'l1llllioll. ilnyolilunds National Pilrk Utah, BIII/. US Ceol. Sill'll. 1592· /3 . 20 PI '. T,\LUO·I'. M , R , ( 1 91:i5) MujoJ' bounding SlI J'f,h::CS in ueolian s.tllldstOIlCS, n climatic model. Sedimellt% gy 32, 257-265. THOMI'SON. D . O , ( 1 969) Dome-shlipcd colion dunes in thc Fl'odshitlll Mcmbc� or thc so-called 'Kcu per' Stindstonc FOI'Ill�llion (Sc)'t hian -Fr�lslli;lll : Tri;1ssie) at Frodsham, tlcshire ( Engll1lld). Sed. Ceol. J , 263-289. W/\SSON. R . J . ( 1 9�3) Dune sediment type. sand colour. sediment prOVel1tL llCC :111edded murine. nuvi:tl and aeolian deposits. We 11:\ve rCCOllstructcd tile tlre,'ll distribu t ion ond rClntivc water depths of murine depositional ellvironmen ts on the basis of l ithology find facies slfIeking order within fourth-order cycles (cswblished through Mtl,'kov eh.lin mlulysis). stimates of water depths for facies make it possible to subdivide fOlll'Jh-order cycles into t ransgressive and regres�ivc fifth-order cycle sels. Fourth-order cycles nrc most often diseonfol'n1l1bly overltlin b)' no n­ marine low-stand deposits. The facies associations within fou rt h-order cycles suggest superimposition on a third-order cycle, Thil'd-ol'
Purpose

U A . h owever .

I n the Parado x Basin of southeast Utnh, imcr· bcdded ca r bo nule ;mel siliciclnstic Slrata of the Late Pcnnsylvanian ( i a te sl nrbonifcrous) upper member of the I l c rm osa Form a t ion ( Fig, I) record cyclic trallsitions from tnarine 1O te rrest r ia l depositional processes. I· l i t e ( 1 960) and Go l d h u m m e r el al. ( 1 989) nOled cyc lic it y of II si m i l a r sc�\lc ill the e va por i t e domin:.ltcd M iddlc PCllnsylv:tnian Pamdox MCll'lbcr of the Hermosa Form a t io n and other workers have rcported cycl ic Pennsylvanian strata from other rcgion s und continents (e.g. Wanlcss & She p a rd , •

Prese nt address: Exxon P roduction Rescilrch Company.

1'0

Box 2 1 R9. I-Iouston. TX 77252·2 189. USA.

Aeolian Sediments: Ancient and Modern Edited by K. Pye and N. Lancaster © 1993 The International Association of Sedimentologists ISBN: 978-0-632-03544-1

127

128

A rcilley lIJ/d D./3. Loope

S.c.

'} . 'D ,

'

.

&

M al i n ky ( 1 985), ( 1 988) have argued Ime

Cedar Mesa Ss,

,).'" '�

North

American

M id-cont inent

Rocky Mountain cyclothe11l�. I::"u rthernlol'e, B oa rd m n n & I leckel ( 1 989) ha ve correlated Texas

cyclothems

one-for-one

with

the

Mid-co n t i n e n t ,

extending the evidence for an inter-regional al locycl ic

Rico Fm. and eouivalents

,:,

( 1 986) and Goldstein

for glacio-custatic control of

and

, ,'

Palaeozoic

Heckel

mcchnn islll for cyclicity. Clearly. however. subsidence dUl'ing Middle to

LaIc Pcnnsylvi:1nian time p rov i dcd accommodation space for t hese strata. Could 'jerky' subsidence

be

the C;,lUSC of sOllle (or all) of the cyclicity? As pointed Out

ThIa

Study

upper member

H a rdie

( 1 986)

and

Koerschncr &

Read

jerky subsidence alone Chic and strutigraphic setting

At t h a t

time, the Pa rad ox Basin was an elo n ga te northwcst - southeast t l'ough

A rca (Blakey. 1%0) (Fig. 2). The Paradox Basin was actively subsiding during Pe n nsy l van i a n t i me. cnus i ng i ncre ased deposition lOwards the basin ax i s . The up pe r Hel'lnosCi increases in th i ck ness from 250m Hlollg the sou t hwesl basin margin (Lewis & arnpbcll. 1965), to more Ih H Il 1 600 III alon g t he basin axis ( Fl'tlhmc & Va ugh n , 1 983).

F A C I ES A N A L Y S I S I nt e r prctat i o n of the preferred facies succession, and therefol'e cycles w i th i n the uppel' i-Iel'lllOStt , req u i res the estnb l ishm en t of critcrin th a t first allow facies di fferentiation. O u tcro p .111(1 su bsu r fa ce sections were constructed wi t h 'tol'Y pr. 77-82.

Nalionnl Academy Press. DALItVMI'Lll. R . W . . NAItIJONNI!. G , M , & S�tlTI I , L. ( 1 986) Eolian aClion and the distribuliorl of fimbrial1 shales i n Nonh Amer'ic,. . Geology 1.3, 607-6 1 0 . DItIES!!. 5 . G . .& DOTl', R . H . , J II . ( 1 984) Model fOI' $nnd� slone-carbonate 'Cyclothems' based 011 upper' member' of MOI'gnll Formation (Middle I" cn nsylvilninn) of Ilot'lilcrn Utah and Colorado. /)HII. Am. Ass. Pel/·ol. Geol. 6H,

574-597.

ENOS. P. ( 1 983) Shelf. In: Carbol/me Deposi/ion(ll £11L'ironlllellt.l· (Ed. Scholle. P . A . Bebout. D . G . & Moorc.

e . I' I . ) Pl'. 267-295. Mem. A m . Ass, retl'Dl . leol. 33. ENOS. I'. & PeRKINS, R , D , ( 1 977) QUfLtcrn[lI'Y sed i ment­ tllion in soutll Flo,·ida. Melli. Ceol. Soc:. Am. 147, 198 PI'· FI\ IIHlIll DGE. R . W . & JOHNSON, D . L . ( 1 978) Eolianite. I I I ! TIll: £m;ydoptuli(i of Sedimt:II(ology ( E d . Foi ,·bl·idgc.

R.W. & Boul'geois, J . ) PI'. 279-283 . l owden . H \ltchill­ SOil & Ross, Stroudsburg. FRAI-IMU, C.W. & V,\UCillN. E . B . ( 1983) Paleoz.oic gcology llnd seismic s l fi.Higrnphy of the northcrn Uneompahgrc fro i l l . Gnlnd ounty. Ulah. I n : Rorky MOIlllftlin Fore­ lalld iJflsiw' and Uplijis ( d. Lowell. J . D . ) PI'. 201-21 1 . Rocky Mcuntl.lin A�sociilljOIl of Geologists. Fk,\ KBS. L.A. ( 1 979) Clima(es tlll'ollgholll Ceologh' Time. Eisevicr, New YOl'k. 3 1 0 pp. GOI.DIIAMM !I( I , R . K .. DUNN. P, A. & HAkDII.!. L.A, ( 1 987) Higll-frequcl1c)' glo..:io-eu!'tillic sea level oscill�ltiolls with Mihll1koviteh chfll·actel·istic.:s rccol'Cled ill Middle Triassic platform cfll'bolHHCS in Ilorthern I tilly. Alii. J. Sci. 287.

853- 892. GOLDHA MMER. R.K .. OSW,\LI), E.J, & DUNN. P . A . ( 1%9)

Tile hicrnn.:hy of strutigraph i..: forci n g - a n cX
Mal'i/le c((r!Jo/wle cycles A/)str. Progl'tllllS 23. A66. LOOI'I!. D.S. & H"VllIU.AND, Z.E. ( 19S8) Giant dcsiccatioll fissuJ'cs filled with clilcureous colian sand, Hermos;, l�orl'r'l (ltiorl (Pcllnsylvllniii n ) . sOuthcastcrn Uwh. I n : LMe Paleozoic (llId Mesozoic £0/;(111 Deposits oj' tlte Wesrenr hrrerior of rlre Unired Sillies (Ed. Kocurek, G . ) pp. 403-413. Sed. Geol. 56. Lool'l!, 0 . 1 3 . & WATKINS. O . K . ( 1 989) Pcnnsylv'lIlian rossils replaced by rcd chert: early oxidalion of p}'1'itic precursors, j, Sed. Petrol. 59, 375- 386. MACK. 1 , 1 = 1 , & RASMU SSEN . K . A . ( 1984) Alluvhll ran scdimcntmion or thc Cutler Formation ( Pcrmo� PCllllsylv