Date of Award
12-2020
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science - Geology
Department
Geology
First Advisor
Dr. R. LaRell Nielson
Second Advisor
Dr. Michael Read
Third Advisor
Dr. Melinda Faulkner
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Don Pratt
Abstract
The Kaibab Formation has two members, the Fossil Mountain Member below and the Harrisburg Member above. They were deposited in shallow-marine shelf to restricted coastal settings. Stratigraphically above are the Rock Canyon Conglomerate and the Moenkopi Formation; consisting of the Timpoweap and Lower Red members; which are the only members present in the study area. The Rock Canyon Conglomerate was deposited in depressions and as a regolith. The Timpoweap and Lower Red members were deposited in shallow marine to tidal environments.
Nine stratigraphic units were identified in the Harrisburg Member. Units one, two, three, five, six, seven, and nine are cherty dolostones. Unit four is a siltstone and unit eight is interpreted to be dolostone. The Rock Canyon Conglomerate, Timpoweap member, and Lower Red member each are composed of one unit.
Fossils present in units five and seven include: nautiloids, gastropods, sponges, bivalves, lophophorates, and trilobites. Fossils are preserved by rust-red silica. The interior of the fossils are composed of drusy silica or dolomudstone.
Fourth order sequences are present. Sequence one consists of the Fossil Mountain Member; units one, two, and three representing a highstand to falling stage systems tract. The top of unit three was subaerially exposed during a lowstand systems tract creating sequence boundary one. Sequence two consists of units four through nine which represent a transgressive stems tract. The Permian-Triassic unconformity above the Harrisburg Member represents a forced regression and sequence boundary two.
Sequence three consists of the Rock Canyon Conglomerate and the Moenkopi Formation. The Rock Canyon Conglomerate represents a lowstand systems tract, and the Moenkopi Formation represents a transgressive systems tract.
Repository Citation
Case, Zachery T., "Stratigraphy, Petrology, Diagenesis, Paleontology, and Depositional Environments of the Harrisburg Member of the Kaibab Formation in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah" (2020). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 380.
https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/380
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
