Analysis of coastal-plain fluvial architecture and high-frequency stacking patterns in the Upper Cretaceous Masuk Formation, Utah, U.S.A.: Climate-driven cyclicity?

ABSTRACT Most sequence stratigraphic models are based on the premise that relative changes in sea level (RSL) control stacking patterns in continental-margin settings. An alternative hypothesis, however, is that upstream factors, notably variations in relative water discharge (RQW) or the ratio of water to sediment discharge can influence or control stratal stacking patterns in fluvial systems. Sequence boundaries of RQW-driven systems differ from those driven by base-level fluctuations in that: 1) the depth of incision increases updip, and 2) rates of erosion are spatially uniform, leading to the formation of widespread, planar sequence boundaries. This paper presents an architectural and stratigraphic analysis of the well-exposed Masuk Formation of the Henry Mountains Syncline in southern Utah, an Upper Cretaceous coastal-plain fluvial succession that is interpreted to have been influenced significantly by RQW. Six lithofacies are recognized, three (Facies 1–3) recording floodbasin, mire, and (in one short interval) estuarine environments, and three (Facies 4–6) record different kinds of channel fills on a coastal alluvial plain. Seven major composite channel bodies (Facies 4–6), separated by intervals of non-channel deposits (Facies 1–3), are recognized in the stratigraphic interval. Composite channel bodies display planar, sheet-like geometry and are laterally continuous to a significantly greater extent (> 10 km) than would be expected from purely autogenic channel-belt construction. Together, these intervals record a series of high-frequency sequences, formed along the western margin of the Western Interior Seaway. In each individual sequence is a repetitive facies succession from a basal chaotic sandstone with admixed mudrock and sandstone transitioning upward to a more organized cross-bedded and stratified sandstone. This is interpreted to record cyclical changes from a peaked (flashy) discharge regime to a more normal runoff regime. Paleoflow data indicate a dominance of transverse (eastward-directed) dispersal early in the accumulation of the Masuk Formation, shifting to a pattern of greater axial (northward) dispersal over time. The RQW signal is strong in the lower part of the formation, decreasing upward. This suggests that the relatively short-headed streams draining from the rising Sevier fold–thrust belt were strongly influenced by climatic cyclicity, whereas more distally sourced systems were not. This study provides new insights into the architecture and stacking patterns of coastal-plain fluvial successions, emphasizing the plausible role that climate can play in shaping alluvial architecture in the rock record.