Lithostratigraphy Correlation Exercise

Try to recognize the rock units from the different locations. Look for the unconformities, similar lithologies, and facies changes. How were the ages of the rock units determined?

Location FRM is the western most of these three sites.

Descrriptions of rock units exposed at FRM are as follows:


FRM6 Devonian 574’, 174 m conspicuous dark-gray dolomite

FRM5 upper Cambrian 110’, 33 m dolomite;

FRM4 middle - upper Cambrian 2,000”, 610 m dolomite

FRM3 Cambrian 584’, 177 m upper 1/2 burrow mottled limestone

FRM2 Cambrian 132’, 40 m coarse crossed bedded sandstone; unconformable base

FRM1 Precambrian unmeasured diffuse granite masses & garnet biotite schist, large K-feldspar phenocrysts; unconformable top

Location VRG is inbetween the other two sites.

Photo 2 is from www.insidegretchenshead.com/

Descrriptions of rock units exposed at VRG are as follows

VRG4 upper Devonian 360..6’, 109.2 m medium grained dolomite with fairly prominent layers of flint and rusty weathering quartzite; substantial fine grained limestone

VRG3 Cambrian 440.8’, 133.6 m very fine grained, light gray dolomite; weathers to lighter brown that the VRG1

VRG2 Cambrian 33’ thinly interbedded green shale and dolomite

VRG1 middle & upperCambrian 33’, 9 m dolomite, weathers brown, fine-meduim grained dolomite with interbedded limestone and dolomite; one glauconitic layer

 

Location BGRCA is the eastern most of the sites.

Photo 3 is from the author.

Descrriptions of rock units exposed at BGRCA are as follows:

BGRCA4 undifferentiated (Grand Wash Dolomite) upper Cambrian 426’, 130 m white -buff massive dolomite; white to yellow very fine grained thick bedded dolomite; gray fine grained thick bedded dolomite; horizontal trace fossils

BGRCA3 middle - upper middle Cambrian 136’-827’, 42-252 m resistant cliffs, gradational basal contact; thin to thick bedded; commonly mottled; dolomitic and calcareous mudstone and packstone; thin beds of micaceous shale and siltstone; small scale trough and planar tabular and low angle cross stratification at many localities; fenestral fabric and dessication cracks also reported; trace fossils not as abundant as in BGRCA2

BGRCA2 upper lower Cambrian to middle Cambrian 270’-450’, 82-137 m dominate lithology is greenish clay; slope forming, interbedded fine-grained sandstone, siltstone and shale; conglomerate and sandstone contain quartz and minor feldspar, sedimentary rock fragments and glauconite, many sandstones and siltstone greenish color, a number of reddish sandstones and siltstone contain hematitic ooids and iron cement; inarticulate brachiopods, trilobites, trace fossils and Hyolithes locally abundant


BGRCA1 lower C in west to middle C in east 100-325’, 30-100 m medium-coarse grained feldspar and quartz rich sandstone with granule to pebble size conglomerate at base; cliff with beds typically <1 m thick, planar and trough cross-beds decreasing in scale up section; overlying main cliff is a thinner zone of interbedded fine-medium grained sandstone, smaller scale trough and ripple cross stratification


Click here for the lithologic description as a Word document.

 

 

References

Roland, S.M.; 1987; Paleozoic stratigraphy of Frenchman Mountain, Clark County, Nevada in: Hill, M.L.; Centennial Field Guide volume 1 Cordilleran Section of the Geologic Society of America; GSA, pp53-56 . call #Qe77.c46v.1

Langenheim, R.L. jr. and Schulmeister, M.K.; 1987; Virgin River Gorge’ Boundary between the Colorado plateau and the Great Basin in northwestern Arizona in: Hill, M.L.; Centennial Field Guide volume 1 Cordilleran Section of the Geologic Society of America; GSA, pp43-48 . call #Qe77.c46v.1

 

This exercise illustrates the correlation of the Cambrian Tonto Group ( Tapeats SS, Bright Angel Shale, Mauv Limestone) ifrom the Grand Canyon, through the Virgin River Gorge, to Frenchman Mountain near Las Vegas, Nevada.

RBJ 2004