scholarly journals Faulty foundations: Early breakup of the southern Utah Cordilleran foreland basin

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela A. Enriquez St. Pierre ◽  
Cari L. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Foreland Basin ◽  
River System ◽  
Thrust Belt ◽  
Marine Strata ◽  
Straight Cliffs Formation ◽  
Average Grain Size ◽  
Straight Cliffs ◽  
Cordilleran Foreland ◽  
Thickness Variations

Anomalous features of Upper Cretaceous strata in southern Utah challenge existing tectonic and depositional models of the Cordilleran foreland basin. Extreme thickness variations, net to gross changes, and facies distributions of nonmarine to marginal marine strata of the Turonian−early Campanian Straight Cliffs Formation are documented across the Southwestern High Plateaus. Contrary to most traditional models of foreland basin architecture, regional correlations demonstrate abrupt stepwise thickening, with a punctuated increase in average grain size of key intervals from west to east, i.e., proximal to distal relative to the fold-thrust belt. Except in the most proximal sections, fluvial drainage systems were oriented predominantly subparallel to the fold-thrust belt. Combined, these results suggest that modern plateau-bounding faults may have had topographic expressions as early as Cenomanian time, and influenced the position of the main axial river system by creating northeast-trending paleotopography and sub-basins. Laramide-style tectonism (e.g., basement-involved faults) is already cited as a driver for sub-basin development in latest Cretaceous−Cenozoic time, but new data presented here suggest that this part of the foredeep was “broken” into distinct sub-basins from its earliest stages. We suggest that flexural foundering of the lithosphere may have caused early stage normal faulting in the foredeep. Regional implications of these new data indicate that both detachment-style and basement-involved structures were simultaneously active in southern Utah earlier than previously recognized. These structures were likely influenced by inherited Proterozoic basement heterogeneities along the edge of the Colorado Plateau. This interpretation suggests that tectonic models for the region should be reevaluated and has broader implications for understanding variability and geodynamics of foreland basin evolution.

scholarly journals Zircon (U-Th)/(He-Pb) double-dating constraints on the interplay between thrust deformation and foreland basin architecture, Sevier foreland basin, Utah

Geosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.J. Pujols ◽  
D.F. Stockli
Keyword(s):  
Foreland Basin ◽  
Sediment Supply ◽  
Sediment Provenance ◽  
Thrust Belt ◽  
Lower Paleozoic ◽  
Magmatic Arc ◽  
Book Cliffs ◽  
Time Estimates ◽  
Stratal Architecture ◽  
Cordilleran Foreland

The Cretaceous Cordilleran foreland basin strata exposed in the Book Cliffs of eastern Utah and western Colorado have motivated important concepts linking thrust belt deformation and foreland basin evolution largely on the basis of sequence stratigraphy, stratal architecture, and sediment provenance evolution. However, these methods and approaches generally cannot provide critical insights into the temporal or causal linkages between foreland basin architecture and thrust belt deformation. This is in part due to discrepancies in age resolution and lack of evidence with which to directly couple sediment supply and basin-fill evolution to thrust belt unroofing. New detrital zircon (DZ) geothermochronometric data from Upper Cretaceous proximal to distal foreland basin strata in the Book Cliffs provide new quantitative insights into sediment origin and dispersal in relation to thrust belt deformation and exhu­mation. Detailed DZ U-Pb and (U-Th)/He double dating reveals that the Book Cliffs foredeep detritus was mainly delivered by transverse routing systems from two major sources: (1) Neoproterozoic and Lower Paleozoic strata from the central Utah Sevier thrust belt, and (2) Permian–Jurassic and synorogenic Cretaceous strata recycled from the frontal part of the thrust belt. A dramatic increase in Sierran magmatic arc and Yavapai-Mazatzal DZ U-Pb ages, as well as Paleozoic DZ He ages, in the deeper marine portions of the foreland basin points to axial fluvial and littoral sediment input from the Sierran magmatic arc and Mogollon highland sources. Both transverse and axial transport sys­tems acted contemporaneously during eastward propagation of the Late Cretaceous thrust belt. DZ He depositional lag time estimates reveal three distinct exhumation pulses in the Sevier thrust belt in the Cenomanian and Campanian. The exhumation pulses correlate with shifts in sediment prove­nance, dispersal style, and progradation rates in the foreland basin. These new data support conceptual models that temporally and causally link accelerated exhumation and unroofing in the thrust belt to increases in sediment supply and rapid clastic progradation in the foreland basin.

scholarly journals Cordilleran Foreland Tectono-Sedimentary Element, Canadian Northern Interior Plains

2021 ◽  
pp. M57-2016-6
Author(s):  
K. M. Fallas ◽  
J. Dixon ◽  
P. K. Hannigan ◽  
B. C. MacLean ◽  
R. B. MacNaughton
Keyword(s):  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Upper Cretaceous ◽  
Foreland Basin ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Canadian Cordillera ◽  
Thermal Maturity ◽  
Marine Strata ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Cordilleran Foreland

AbstractUpper Jurassic to Paleocene siliciclastic strata comprise the Cordilleran Foreland tectono-sedimentary element of Canada's northern Interior Plains. These strata record 4 major packages deposited on top of Paleozoic shelf strata on the northwest margin of the Canadian craton. These packages are: a Jurassic interval interpreted to record deposition associated with extension at the Arctic Ocean margin, a Lower Cretaceous, dominantly marine interval deposited on the flexural margin of the foreland basin, and two Upper Cretaceous intervals of west-to-east progradational marine and non-marine strata deposited on the orogenic margin. The full succession has been affected by Cordilleran deformation within Mackenzie Plain, Franklin Mountains, and Colville Hills. Organic-rich shale is documented from Lower and Upper Cretaceous successions, but these strata only reach thermal maturity in deeper parts of the basin, close to the Canadian Cordillera. Potential reservoirs exist within sandstone-dominated intervals throughout the succession, though some locally lack a top seal. One natural gas discovery has been reported from Upper Cretaceous sandstone of the Little Bear Formation at the Stewart D-57 well in southeastern Mackenzie Plain. Oil sourced from Upper Cretaceous shale is reported from the Mackenzie Plain East Mackay B-45 well.

scholarly journals Sedimentary environment and palaeogeography of the ?Palaeocene-Middle Eocene Kashkan Formation, Zagros fold-thrust belt, SW Iran

Geologos ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bizhan Yeganeh ◽  
Sadat Feiznia ◽  
A. van Loon
Keyword(s):  
Middle Eocene ◽  
Sedimentary Environment ◽  
River System ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Braided River ◽  
Thrust Belt ◽  
Architectural Elements ◽  
Braided Stream ◽  
Average Grain Size ◽  
Sw Iran

Sedimentary environment and palaeogeography of the ?Palaeocene-Middle Eocene Kashkan Formation, Zagros fold-thrust belt, SW IranThe Kashkan Formation (?Palaeocene to Middle Eocene) in the Zagros fold-thrust belt, SW Iran, which is intercalated between to marine limestone formations, consists of conglomerates, sandstones and siltstones. The sedimentology and the palaeogeography of the Kashkan Formation had not received any attention thus far, but have now been studied in seven sections, situated in the province of Lorestan. The sediments form twelve lithofacies, three ichnosubfacies and seven architectural elements, which are described, depicted and analysed. The analysis leads to the conclusion that most sediments accumulated in a low-sinuosity, low-gradient braided-river system (characterised by mainly unidirectional palaeocurrent directions, and by sheetfloods), that occasionally showed meandering characteristics (represented by overbank deposits and large bars). The deposits of this system closely resemble those of the South Saskatchewan River in Canada, which is considered as the classical example of a sand-bed braided river. The river flowed roughly from North to South, as deduced by palaeocurrent indicators such as imbrication and large-to medium-scale trough cross-stratification (direction measured in the trough axes). This current direction is supported by the southward to south-westward thinning of the formation and by the diminishing average grain size in the same direction. The trace fossils in the Kashban Formation fit all in theSkoyeniaichnofacies, which has here three ichnosubfacies which allow a more detailed palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, indicating that the braided stream passed into the low-energy shoreface zone of a tidally-influenced sea.

Sediment provenance in contractional orogens: The detrital zircon record from modern rivers in the Andean fold-thrust belt and foreland basin of western Argentina

2017 ◽  
Vol 479 ◽  
pp. 83-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomas N. Capaldi ◽  
Brian K. Horton ◽  
N. Ryan McKenzie ◽  
Daniel F. Stockli ◽  
Margaret L. Odlum
Keyword(s):  
Detrital Zircon ◽  
Foreland Basin ◽  
Sediment Provenance ◽  
Thrust Belt

scholarly journals Sandstone Petrology and Provenance in Fold Thrust Belt and Foreland Basin System

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore Critelli ◽  
Sara Criniti
Keyword(s):  
Foreland Basin ◽  
Thrust Belt ◽  
Fold And Thrust Belt ◽  
Continental Block ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Geodynamic Processes ◽  
Dual Plate ◽  
History Of ◽  
Sandstone Composition ◽  
Main Producer

The sandstone composition of foreland basin has a wide range of provenance signatures, reflecting the interplay between flexed underplate region and abrupt growth of the accreted upper plate region. The combination of contrasting detrital signatures reflects these dual plate interactions; indeed, several cases figure out that the earliest history of older foreland basin infilling is marked by quartz-rich sandstones, with cratonal or continental-block provenance of the flexed underplate flanks. As upper plate margin grows over the underplate, the nascent fold-and-thrust belt starts to be the main producer of grain particles, reflecting the space/time dependent progressive unroofing of the subjacent orogenic source terranes. The latter geodynamic processes are mainly reflected in the nature of sandstone compositions that become more lithic fragment-rich and feldspar-rich as the fold-thrust belt involves the progressive deepest portions of upper plate crustal terranes. In this context sandstone signatures reflect quartzolithic to quartzofeldspathic compositions.

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