Basin‐axial progradation of a sediment supply driven distributive fluvial system in the Late Cretaceous southern Utah foreland

Abstract

The Turonian-Coniacian Smoky Hollow Member of the Straight Cliffs Formation in the Kaiparowits basin of southern Utah records a stratigraphic transition from isolated fluvial channel bodies to increasingly amalgamated channel belts capped by the Calico bed, a sheet-like sand-gravel unit. Characteristics of the Smoky Hollow Member are consistent with a prograding distributive fluvial system including: up-section increases in average grain size, bed thickness, channel-body amalgamation, a fan-shaped planform morphology and a downstream increase in channel sinuosity. The system prograded to the northeast based on thickness and facies patterns, and palaeocurrent indicators. This basin-axial sediment-dispersal trend, which was approximately parallel to the fold-thrust belt at this latitude, is supported by provenance data including detrital zircons and modal sandstone compositions indicating sediment derivation mainly from the Mogollon Highlands and Cordilleran magmatic arc to the southwest, with episodic input from the more proximal Sevier fold-thrust belt to the west. Progradation occurred during a eustatic still-stand, relatively stable climatic conditions, and continuous tectonic subsidence, thus suggesting increased extrabasinal sediment supply as a primary control on basin-fill. Progradation of the Smoky Hollow Member fluvial system culminated in a~2-3 My hiatus at the top of the lower Calico bed. Correlation with the Notom delta of the Ferron Sandstone, 80 km northeast in the Henry basin, is proposed on the basis of facies relationships and geochronology. The Calico bed unconformity is linked to regional tectonically driven tilting and erosion observed in both basins.

Predicting sediment discharges and erosion rates in deep time—examples from the late Cretaceous North American continent

“…Drainage capture or episodic sediment transport from different source regions may also lead to underprediction of drainage area. For example, in Utah, provenance studies on strata both time‐correlative and younger/older than the Ferron Sandstone have suggested intermittent sourcing from the Mogollon Highlands (Arizona) and Cordilleran magmatic arc to the south (Bartschi et al, 2018; Owen et al, 2015; Primm, Johnson, & Stearns, 2018; Szwarc et al, 2015), which may also potentially be true for the Ferron. These examples highlight the necessity of considering the implications of highstand palaeoshorelines and drainage areas on a case‐by‐case basis, in conjunction with sensitivity analyses, where the interest is in catchment/regional scale studies.…”

Does fluvial channel-belt clustering predict net sand to gross rock volume? Architectural metrics and point-pattern analysis of a digital outcrop model

“…The Salt Wash DFS is estimated to be ~450 km wide based on maps from Owen et al (2015). Thus, the scale of observation for this study is significantly smaller than the full scale of the DFS, such that only a portion of the DFS is observed (Primm et al 2017).…”

“…The John Henry Member was deposited in a retroarc foreland basin from mid-Coniacian to early Campanian time. Accommodation was generated by the Sevier fold-thrust belt and dynamic topography (Liu and Nummedal 2004;Painter and Carrapa 2013), with sediment supplied from the Mogollon Highlands to the south and the Cordilleran magmatic arc to the southwest, in addition to the orogenic belt to the west (Szwarc et al 2015;Primm et al 2017).…”

“…The basal and upper contacts of the John Henry Member are well-defined, regional correlation surfaces in this area (Figs. 2, 3;Primm et al 2017;Gooley et al 2016;Peterson 1969b). An unmanned aircraft system, the DJI Phantom 3 Professional quadcopter, was used to collect georeferenced photographs of each outcrop.…”

Depositional facies and the sequence stratigraphic control of a mixed‐process influenced clastic wedge in the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway: The Gallup System, New Mexico, USA

“…B). However, sediment supply is considered to be high during the FSST as a result of delta progradation; hence, based on the mapped channels close to the town of Gallup on the strike‐direction cross‐section of Nummedal & Molenaar (), a depositional model of river‐delta system is speculated close to the Mogollon Highlands south‐east of the study area (Primm et al ., ) and to laterally transit to non‐deltaic shorefaces in the study area (Fig. B).…”