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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1990

Thrust-ridge paleodepositional model for the Upper Freeport coal bed and associated clastic facies, Upper Potomac coal field, Appalachian Basin, U.S.A.

A blind-thrust-ridge model is proposed to explain the lack of coarse clastic material in the vast minable Upper Freeport coal bed (UF). This coal bed contains only fine elastic partings and is overlain by regionally extensive, closely spaced channel-belt deposits in the Upper Potomac coal field of the Appalachian basin. A blind-thrust ridge may have formed a sediment trap and prevented c coarse fluvial sediments from entering the swamp during a period (Westphalian D) when the thick Upper Freeport peat accumulated. Anticlinal thrust ridges and associated depressions may have existed uninterrupted for about 40 km parallel to the Appalachian orogen. Sediment shed from the breached anticlinal ridges accumulated in the sediment trap and was carried out of the ends of the trap by streams that occupied the shear zone at the ends of the blind-thrust ridge. The extent, parallel to the orogen, of thick, areally extensive UF is related to the length of the blind-thrust ridge that, in turn, controlled the spacing of the river-derived coarse clastic sediments that entered the main basin from the east. The thrust plane eventually emerged to the surface of the blind-thrust ridge and peat accumulation was terminated when the ridge became eroded and the sediment trapped behind it was released. The peat was buried by abundant coarse clastic sediment, which formed closely spaced channel belts and intervening flood basins. This model has implications for widespread peat deposits (now coal) that developed in tropical regions a few hundred kilometers from the sea in a tectonically active foreland basin.

International Journal of Coal Geology↗
USGS1996

Metamorphic facies map of southeastern Alaska: Distribution, facies, and ages of regionally metamorphosed rocks

Nearly all of the bedrock in Southeastern Alaska has been metamorphosed, much of it under medium-grade conditions during metamorphic episodes that were associated with widespread plutonism. The oldest metamorphisms affected probable arc rocks near southern Prince of Wales Island and occurred during early and middle Paleozoic orogenies. The predominant period of metamorphism and associated plutonism occurred during Early Cretaceous to early Tertiary time and resulted in the development of the Coast plutonic-metamorphic complex that extends along the inboard half of Southeastern Alaska. Middle Tertiary regional thermal metamorphism affected a large part of Baranof Island.

Alaska↗
USGS2013

Traces in the dark: sedimentary processes and facies gradients in the upper shale member of the Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, North Dakota, U.S.A.

Black, organic-rich rocks of the upper shale member of the Upper Devonian–Lower Mississippian Bakken Formation, a world-class petroleum source rock in the Williston Basin of the United States and Canada, contain a diverse suite of mudstone lithofacies that were deposited in distinct facies belts. The succession consists of three discrete facies associations (FAs). These comprise: 1) siliceous mudstones; 2) quartz- and carbonate-bearing, laminated mudstones; and 3) macrofossil-debris-bearing massive mudstones. These FAs were deposited in three facies belts that reflect proximal to distal relationships in this mudstone system. The macrofossil-debris-bearing massive mudstones (FA 3) occur in the proximal facies belt and contain erosion surfaces, some with overlying conodont and phosphate–lithoclast lag deposits, mudstones with abundant millimeter-scale siltstone laminae showing irregular lateral thickness changes, and shell debris. In the medial facies belt, quartz- and carbonate-bearing, laminated mudstones dominate, exhibiting sub-millimeter-thick siltstone layers with variable lateral thicknesses and localized mudstone ripples. In the distal siliceous mudstone facies belt, radiolarites, radiolarian-bearing mudstones, and quartz- and carbonate-bearing, laminated mudstones dominate. Overall, total organic carbon (TOC) contents range between about 3 and 10 wt %, with a general proximal to distal decrease in TOC content. Abundant evidence of bioturbation exists in all FAs, and the lithological and TOC variations are paralleled by changes in burrowing style and trace-fossil abundance. While two horizontal traces and two types of fecal strings are recognized in the proximal facies belt, only a single horizontal trace fossil and one type of fecal string characterize mudstones in the distal facies belt. Radiolarites intercalated into the most distal mudstones are devoid of traces and fecal strings. Bedload transport processes, likely caused by storm-induced turbidity currents, were active across all facies belts. Suspended sediment settling from near the ocean surface, however, most likely played a role in the deposition of some of the mudstones, and was probably responsible for deposition of the radiolarites. The distribution pattern of high-TOC sediments in proximal and lower-TOC deposits in some distal facies is interpreted as a function of higher accumulation rates during radiolarian depositional events leading to a decrease in suspension-derived organic carbon in radiolarite laminae. The presence of burrows in all FAs and nearly all facies in the upper Bakken shale member indicates that dysoxic conditions prevailed during its deposition. This study shows that in intracratonic high-TOC mudstone successions such as the upper Bakken shale member bed-load processes most likely dominated sedimentation, and conditions promoted a thriving infaunal benthic community. As such, deposition of the upper Bakken shale member through dynamic processes in an overall dysoxic environment represents an alternative to conventional anoxic depositional models for world-class source rocks.

North Dakota↗
USGS1991

Facies development in the Lower Freeport coal bed, west-central Pennsylvania, U.S.A.

The Lower Freeport coal bed in west-central Pennsylvania is interpreted to have formed within a lacustrine-mire environment. Conditions of peat formation, caused by the changing chemical and physical environments, produced five coal facies and two mineral-rich parting facies within the coal bed. The coal bed facies are compositionally unique, having developed under varying conditions, and are manifested by megascopic, petrographic, palynologic and quality characteristics. The initial environment of the Lower Freeport peat resulted in a coal facies that is relatively high in ash yield and contains large amounts of lycopod miospores and moderate abundances of cryptotelinite, crypto-gelocollinite, inertinite and tree fern miospores. This initial Lower Freeport peat is interpreted to have been a topogenous body that was low lying, relatively nutrient rich (mesotrophic to eutrophic), and susceptible to ground water and to sediment influx from surface water. The next facies to form was a ubiquitous, clay-rich durain parting which is attributed to a general rise in the water table accompanied by widespread flooding. Following formation of the parting, peat accumulation resumed within an environment that inhibited clastic input. Development of doming in this facies restricted deposition of the upper shale parting to the margins of the mire and allowed low-ash peat to form in the interior of the mire. Because this environment was conducive to preservation of cellular tissue, this coal facies also contains large amounts of crypto-telinite. This facies development is interpreted to have been a transitional phase from topogenous, planar peat formation to slightly domed, oligotrophic (nutrient-poor) peat formation. As domed peat formation continued, fluctuations in the water table enabled oxidation of the peat surface and produced high inertinite concentrations toward the top of the coal bed. Tree ferns became an increasingly important peat contributor in the e upper facies, based on the palynoflora. This floral change is interpreted to have resulted from the peat surface becoming less wet or better drained, a condition that inhibited proliferation of lycopod trees. Accumulation of the peat continued until rising water levels formed a freshwater lake within which clays and silts were deposited. The development of the Lower Freeport peat from a planar mire through transitional phases toward domed peat formation may be an example of the type of peat formation of other upper Middle and Upper Pennsylvanian coal beds.

International Journal of Coal Geology↗
USGS1966

Hydrochemical facies and ground-water flow patterns in northern part of Atlantic Coastal Plain

The part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain that extends from New Jersey through Virginia was selected as a suitable field model in which to study the relationships between geology, hydrology, and chemical character of ground water. The ground-water flow pattern is the principal hydrologic control on the chemical character of the water. Within the Coastal Plain sediments, the proportions of clay, glauconitic sand, and calcareous material are the principal lithologic controls over the chemistry of the water. A subsurface body of salt water extends from southern New Jersey through southern Virginia and occupies the deposits deeper than about 500 feet below land surface in the eastern part of the Coastal Plain. The position of its top is determined by the relative head, which in turn is influenced by topography, drainage density, and the thickness and permeability of the Coastal Plain sediments. Hydrochemical facies is a term used in this paper to denote the diagnostic chemical aspect of ground-water solutions occurring in hydrologic systems. The facies reflect the response of chemical processes operating within the lithologic framework and also the pattern of flow of the water. The distribution of these facies is shown in trilinear diagrams and isometric fence diagrams and on maps showing isopleths of chemical constituents within certain formations. The occurrence of the various facies within one formation or within a group of formations of uniform mineralogy indicates that the ground-water flow through the aquifer system modifies the distribution of the facies. Flow patterns of fresh ground water shown on maps and in cross sections have been deduced from available water-level data. These patterns are controlled by the distribution of the higher landmasses and by the depth to either bedrock or to the salt-water interface. The mapping of hydrochemical facies shows that at shallow depths within the Coastal Plain (less than about 200 ft) the calcium-magnesium cation facies generally predominates. The bicarbonate anion facies occurs within more of the shallow Coastal Plain sediments than does the sulfate or the chloride facies. In deeper formations, the sodium chloride character predominates. The lower dissolved-solids content of the ground water in New Jersey indicates less upward vertical leakage than in Maryland and Virginia, where the shallow formations contain solutions of higher concentration.

Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virg↗
USGS2012

Sequential development of platform to off-platform facies of the great American carbonate bank in the central Appalachians

In the central Appalachians, carbonate deposition of the great American carbonate bank began during the Early Cambrian with the creation of initial ramp facies of the Vintage Formation and lower members of the Tomstown Formation. Vertical stacking of bioturbated subtidal ramp deposits (Bolivar Heights Member) and dolomitized microbial boundtsone (Fort Duncan Member) preceded the initiation of platform sedimentation and creation of sand shoal facies (Benevola Member) that was followed by the development of peritidal cyclicity (Daragan Member). Initiation of peritidal deposition coincided with the development of a rimmed platform that would persist throughout much of the Cambrian and Early Odrovician. At the end of deposition of the Waynesboro Formation, the platform became subaerially exposed because of the Hawke Bay regression, bringing the Sauk I supersequence to and end. In the Conestoga Valley of eastern Pennsylvania, Early Cambrian ramp deposition was succeeded by deposition of platform-margin and periplatfrom facies of the Kinzers Formation. The basal Sauk II transgression during the early Middle Cambrian submerged the platform and reinitiated the pertidal cyclicity that had characterized the pre-Hawke Bay deposition, This thick stack of meter-scale cycles is preserved as the Pleasant Hill and Warrior Formations of the Nittany arch, the Elbrook Formation of the Great Valley, and the Zooks Corner Formations of the Conestoga Valley. Deposition of peritidal cycles was interrupted during deposition of the Glossopleura and Bathuriscus-Elrathina Biozones by third-order deepening episodes that submerged the platform with subtidal facies. Regressive facies of the Sauk II supersequence produced platform-wide restrictions and the deposition of the lower sandy member of the Gatesburg Formation, the Big Spring Station Member of the Conococheague Formation, and the Snitz Creek Formation. Submergence of the platform was initiated during the late Steptoean ( Elvinia Zone) with the epansion of extensive subtidal thrombotic boundstone facies. Vertical stacking of no fewer than four of these thrombolite-dominated intervals records third-order deepening episodes separated by intervening shallowing episodes that produced peritidal ribbony and laminated mudcracked dolostone. The maximum deepening of the Sauk III transgression produced the Stonehenge Formation in two separate and distinct third-order submergences. Circulation restriction during the Sauk III regression produced a thick stack of meter-scale cycles of the Rockdale Run Formation, and the lower Bellefonte Dolomite of the Nittany arch (central Pennsylvania). This regressive phase was interrupted by a third-order deepening event that produced the oolitic member of the lower Rockdale Run and the Woodsboro Member of the Grove Formation in the Frederick Valley. Restricted circulation continued into the Whiterockian, with deposition of the upper Rockdale Run and the Pinesberg Station Dolomite in the Great Valley and the missile and upper parts of the Bellefonte Dolomore and the Nittany Arch region. This deposition was continuous from the Ibexian into the Whiterockian; the succession lacks significant unconformities and there are no missing biozones through this interval, the top of which marks the end of the Sauk megasequence. During deposition of the Tippecanoe megasequence, the peritidal shelf cycles were reestablished during deposition of the St. Paul Group. The vertical stacking of lithologies in the Row Park and New Market Limestones represents transgressive and regressice facies of a third-order deepening event. This submergence reached its maximum deepening within the lower Row Park Limestone and extended with the Nittany arch region with deposition of equivalent Loysburg Formation.. Shallow tidal-flat deposits were bordered to the south and east by deep-water ramp deposits of the Lincolnshire Formation. The St. Paul Group is succeeded upsection by ramp facies of the Chamersberg and the Edinburg Formations in the Great Valley, whereas shallow-shelf sedimentation continued in the Nittany-arch area with the depostion of the Hatter Limestoen and the Snyder and Linden Hall Formations. Carbonate deposition on the great American carbonate bank was brought to an end when it was buried beneath clastic flysch deposits of the Martinsberg Formation. Foundering of the bamk was diachronus, and the flysch seidments prograded from east to west.

Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia↗
USGS2026

An integrated mudstone facies classification scheme and revised interpretation of the sedimentologic processes driving carbon burial in the Cenomanian–Turonian Greenhorn Formation, Colorado, U.S.A.

Standardizing facies descriptions has proven key to integrating interpretations of depositional processes and environments from sedimentologic observations with geochemistry data for mudstone lithologies. Because of their fine-grained nature, high degree of compaction, and heterogeneous composition, standardizing methods for mudstone descriptions has proven difficult, but it is critical to formulating meaningful interpretations of the processes that govern the accumulation of organic-rich lithologies and their role in both petroleum systems and the global carbon cycle. In this study, we have developed a modified facies classification scheme for mudstone lithologies that incorporates sedimentologic and compositional observation at the hand-sample and thin-section scales with geochemical measurements, including bulk organic and inorganic geochemistry, to characterize these rocks and their variability more completely for improved interpretations of depositional environments during a low-order sea-level transgression. The facies described in this study are of the Cenomanian–Turonian Greenhorn Formation in the USGS #1 Portland Core drilled in Fremont County, Colorado. Strata of the Greenhorn Formation span Oceanic Anoxic Event 2 (OAE-2) and the preceding interval. Lithologies range from organic-rich argillaceous mudstones with varied sedimentary structures to organic-lean, highly bioturbated limestones. Six facies were identified, each differentiated by varied sedimentary structures and geochemical composition. These facies occur in a predictable stratigraphic stacking pattern that represents a low-order sea-level transgression with interpreted depositional environments ranging from terrigenous-dominated pro-delta and muddy continental shelf at the base of the interval to pelagic offshore marine at the top of the Greenhorn Formation. Though the facies are consistent with previous interpretations of depositional environments at this locale in the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway during the Greenhorn cyclothem, the sedimentary processes governing the accumulation of organic-rich strata that have defined this interval are significantly revised. Variability in the proximity and intensity of bottom currents driven by storms and geostrophic flows were key to the accumulation of each facies, with significant sediment transport occurring even through deposition in the most oxygen-depleted bottom waters. The methodology and interpretations provided here are now being employed to basin-scale predictions of organic enrichment utilizing calibrated petrophysical methods. The approach and results from this study improve understanding of how organic and inorganic carbon was sequestered during perturbations to the global carbon cycle associated with events such as OAE-2.

Colorado↗
USGS1954

Sedimentary facies of iron-formation

The sedimentary iron -formations of Precambrian age in the Lake Superior region can be divided on the basis of the dominant original iron mineral into four principal facies : sulfide, carbonate, oxide, and silicate. As chemical sediments, these rocks reflect certain aspects of the chemistry of the depositional environments. The major control, at least for the sulfide, carbonate, and oxide types, probably was the oxidation potential. The evidence indicates that deposition took place in restricted basins, which were separated from the open sea by thresholds that inhibited free circulation and permitted development of abnormalities in oxidation potential and water composition. The sporadic distribution of metamorphism and of later oxidation permits description of the primary facies on the basis of unoxidized, essentially unmetamorphosed material. The sulfide facies is represented by black slates in which pyrite may make up as much as 40 percent of the rock. The free-carbon content of these rocks typically ranges from 5 to 15 percent, indicating that ultra-stagnant conditions prevailed during deposition. Locally, the pyritic rocks contain layers of iron -rich carbonate. The carbonate facies consists, in its purer form, of interbedded iron -rich carbonate and chert. It is a product of an environment in which oxygen concentration was sufficiently high to destroy most of the organic material but not high enough to permit formation of ferric compounds. The oxide facies is found as two principal types, one characterized by magnetite and the other by hematite. Both minerals appear to be of primary origin. The magnetite-banded rock is one of the dominant lithologies in the region; it consists typically of magnetite interlayered with chert, carbonate, or iron silicate, or combinations of the three. Its mineralogy and association suggest origin under weakly oxidizing to moderately reducing conditions, but the mode of precipitation of magnetite is not clearly understood. The hematite-banded rocks consist of finely crystalline hematite interlayered with chert or jasper. Oolitic structure is common. This facies doubtless accumulated in a strongly oxidizing, probably near-shore, environment similar to that in which younger hema-titic ironstones such as the Clinton oolite were deposited. The silicate facies contains one or more of the hydrous ferrous silicates (greenalite, minnesotaite, stilpnomelane, chlorite) as a major constituent. Granule structure, similar to that of glauconite, is typical of some varieties; others are nongranular and finely laminated. The most common association of the silicate rocks is with either carbonate- or magnetite-bearing rocks, which suggests that the optimum conditions for deposition ranged from slightly oxidizing to slightly reducing. The relationship between the iron -rich rocks and volcanism, stressed by many authors, is considered by the writer to be structural, not chemical: in the Lake Superior region both iron -deposition and volcanism are believed to be related to geosynclinal development during Huronian time. In Michigan, the lower Huronian rocks are iron -poor quartzite and dolomite-typical "stable-shelf" deposits; much of the upper Huronian consists of iron -poor graywacke and slate with associated volcanic rocks -a typical "geosynclinal" assemblage. Thus the iron -rich beds of the middle Huronian and lower part of the upper Huronian were deposited during a transitional stage in structural history. The major environmental requirement for deposition of iron - formation is the closed or restricted basin; this requirement coincides in time with what would be a normal stage in evolution of the geosyncline: namely, structural development of offshore buckles or swells that subsequently develop into island arcs characterized by volcanism.

Lake Superior↗
USGS2007

Modern foraminiferal facies in a subtropical estuarine channel, Bertioga, São Paulo, Brazil

Numerical analyses of modern foraminiferal abundance and environmental data from the Bertioga Channel (Sa??o Paulo, Brazil) reveal multiple biofacies within an overall paralic setting. Despite its fisheries, mariculture and attraction to tourists, the environmental state of Bertioga Channel remains poorly studied. The present investigation is an attempt to partly fill this gap; the parameters examined include depth, salinity, temperature, organic carbon, sulfur content and bottom sediment type. Muddy sediments with high organic carbon content derived from land drainage are found in the inner parts of the channel, whereas sandy sediment dominates the areas adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. In the eastern entrance to the channel, sandy sediment contain species of Rotaliida from Facies 1 (including Elphidium discoidale, Elphidium poeyanum, Hanzawaia boueana, Pararotalia cananeiaensis and Nonionella atlantica), reflecting normal marine salinity. Sediments with high percentages of silt and clay in polyhaline and eurybaline environments of the eastern part and Itapanhau?? River contain Facies 2, which includes Ammonia beccarii and Pararotalia cananeiaensis. In the western entrance and central, western and eastern parts, where salinities vary from 18 to 30 psu and the sediments contain both low and high organic carbon, the foraminifera from Facies 3 are dominated by Quinqueloculina milletti, Arenoparrella mexicana, Pararotalia cananeiaensis, Ammonia beccarii, Buliminella elegantissima, Elphidium sp., Elphidium excavatum, Elphidium gunteri and Elphidium poeyanum. In mesohaline and polyhaline waters of the central part, the organic-carbon-rich silt and clay contain Facies 4, which includes Ammonia beccarii, Pararotalia cananeiaensis, Elphidium excavatum and Elphidium sp. Most of organic-carbon-enriched, silty-clay substrates that are subject to the highest fresh-water discharge and high bottom temperatures support two different assemblages: one of mostly Rotaliina and the other mostly of Textulariida (Facies 5 and 6). Facies 5 includes Ammonia beecarii, Elphidium excavatum, Arenoparrella mexicana, Haplophragmoides wilberti, Siphotrochammina lobata, Trochammina inflata and Trochammina sp., all of which are typical of mesohaline sites (mainly Crumau?? and Trindade rivers), and Facies 6 includes Bolivina sp., Ammoastuta salsa, Arenoparrella mexicana, Haplophragmoides wilberti and Trochammina sp., all of which are typical of oligohaline and mesohaline mangrove fringes. The foraminiferal species from the present study are frequently found in paralic environments in Brazil, western Africa and other estuaries around the world.

Journal of Foraminiferal Research↗
USGS1993

Distribution, facies, ages, and proposed tectonic associations of regionally metamorphosed rocks in east- and south-central Alaska

Most of the exposed bedrock in east- and south-central Alaska has been regionally metamorphosed and deformed during Mesozoic and early Cenozoic time. All the regionally metamorphosed rocks are assigned to metamorphic-facies units on the basis of their temperature and pressure conditions and metamorphic age. North of the McKinley and Denali faults, the crystalline rocks of the Yukon- Tanana upland and central Alaska Range compose a sequence of dynamothermally metamorphosed Paleozoic and older(?) metasedimentary rocks and metamorphosed products of a Devonian and Mississippian continental-margin magmatic arc. This sequence was extensively intruded by postmetamorphic mid-Cretaceous and younger granitoids. Many metamorphic-unit boundaries in the Yukon-Tanana upland are low-angle faults that juxtapose units of differing metamorphic grade, which indicates that metamorphism predated final emplacement of the fault-bounded units. In some places, the relation of metamorphic grade across a fault is best explained by contractional faulting; in other places, it is suggestive of extensional faulting. Near the United States-Canadian border in the central Yukon- Tanana upland, metamorphism, plutonism, and thrusting occurred during a latest Triassic and Early Jurassic event that presumably resulted from the accretion of a terrane that had affinities to the Stikinia terrane onto the continental margin of North America. Elsewhere in the Yukon-Tanana upland, metamorphic rocks give predominantly late Early Cretaceous isotopic ages. These ages are interpreted to date either the timing of a subsequent Early Cretaceous episode of crustal thickening and metamorphism or, assuming that these other areas were also originally heated during the latest Triassic to Early Jurassic and remained buried, the timing of their uplift and cooling. This uplift and cooling may have resulted from extension. South of the McKinley and Denali faults and north of the Border Ranges fault system, medium-grade metamorphism across much of the southern Peninsular and Wrangellia terranes was early to synkinematic with the intrusion of tonalitic and granodioritic plutons of primarily Early and Middle Jurassic age in the Peninsular terrane and Late Jurassic age in the Wrangellia terrane. Areas metamorphosed during the Jurassic episode that crop out near the Border Ranges fault system were subsequently retrograded and deformed in Cretaceous and early Tertiary time during accretion of younger units to the south. North of the Jurassic metamorphic and plutonic complex, low-grade metamorphism affected the rest of the Wrangellia terrane sometime during Jurassic and (or) Cretaceous time. North of the Wrangellia terrane and immediately south of the McKinley and Denali faults, flyschoid rocks, which were deposited within a basin that separated the Wrangellia terrane from the western margin of North America, form a northeastward-tapering wedge. Within the western half of the wedge, flysch and structurally interleaved tectonic fragments were highly deformed and weakly metamorphosed; much of the metamorphism and deformation probably occurred sometime during mid- to Late Cretaceous time. In the eastern half of the wedge, flyschoid rocks form an intermediate-pressure Barrovian sequence (Maclaren metamorphic belt). Metamorphism of the Maclaren metamorphic belt was synkinematic with the Late Cretaceous to earliest Tertiary intrusion of foliated plutons of intermediate composition. Isotopic data suggest metamorphism extended into the early Tertiary and was accompanied by rapid uplift and cooling. Low- to medium-grade metamorphism throughout the wedge was probably associated with the accretion of the outboard Wrangellia terrane, as has been proposed for the Maclaren metamorphic belt. South of the Border Ranges fault system lie variably metamorphosed sequences of oceanic rocks that comprise the successively accreted Chugach, Yakutat, Ghost Rocks, and Prince William terranes. The Chugach terrane consists of three successively accreted sequences of differing metamorphic histories. Metamorphism in all the sequences was associated with north-directed underthrusting beneath either the combined Peninsular-Wrangellia terrane or the older and inner parts of the Chugach terrane. These sequences, from innermost to outermost are: (1) intermediate- to highpressure, transitional greenschist- to blueschist-facies metabasalt and metasedimentary rocks that were metamorphosed during the Early and Middle Jurassic; (2) prehnite-pumpellyite-facies melange that was metamorphosed sometime during the Jurassic and Cretaceous; and (3) low-pressure prehnite-pumpellyite- or greenschist- facies flysch and metavolcanic rocks that were initially metamorphosed during latest Cretaceous to early Tertiary time and, in the eastern Chugach Mountains, were subsequently overprinted by low-pressure amphibolite-facies metamorphism that accompanied widespread intrusion during Eocene time. A similar low-pressure-facies series also developed within melange and flysch of the Yakutat terrane; these rocks are also intruded by Eocene plutons and are correlated with similar rocks of the Chugach terrane. Seaward of the Chugach terrane are the strongly deformed but weakly metamorphosed (prehnite-pumpellyite-facies) deep-sea metasedimentary rocks and oceanic metavolcanic rocks of the Ghost Rocks and Prince William terranes. Metamorphism and deformation occurred during underthrusting of these terranes beneath the Chugach terrane in early Tertiary time and predated, perhaps by very little, intrusion by early Tertiary granitoids.

Alaska↗
USGS2017

Analysis of glacier facies using satellite techniques

The different snow and ice types on a glacier may be subdivided according to the glacier-facies concept. The surficial expression of some facies may be detected at the end of the balance year by the use of visible and near-infrared image data from the Landsat multispectral scanner (MSS) and thematic mapper (TM) sensors. Ice and snow can be distinguished by reflectivity differences in individual or ratioed TM bands on Brúarjökull, an outlet glacier on the northern margin of the Vatnajökull ice cap, Iceland. The Landsat scene shows the upper limit of wet snow on 24 August 1986. Landsat-derived reflectance is lowest for exposed ice and increases markedly at the transient snow line. Above the slush zone is a gradual increase in near-infrared reflectance as a result of decreasing grain-size of the snow, which characterizes drier snow. Landsat data are useful in measuring the areal extent of the ice facies, the slush zone within the wet-snow facies, the snow facies (combined wet-snow, percolation and dry-snow facies), and the respective positions of the transient snow line and the slush limit. In addition, fresh snowfall and/or airborne contaminants, such as soot and tcphra, can limit the utility of Landsat data for delineation of the glacier facies in some cases.

Journal of Glaciology↗
USGS2010

The Middle Jurassic basinal deposits of the Surmeh Formation in the Central Zagros Mountains, southwest Iran: Facies, sequence stratigraphy, and controls

The lower part of the Lower to Upper Jurassic Surmeh Formation consists of a succession of shallow marine carbonates (Toarcian-Aalenian) overlain by a deep marine basinal succession (Aalenian-Bajocian) that grades upward to Middle to Upper Jurassic platform carbonates. The termination of shallow marine carbonate deposition of the lower part of the Surmeh Formation and the establishment of deep marine sedimentation indicate a change in the style of sedimentation in the Neotethys passive margin of southwest Iran during the Middle Jurassic. To evaluate the reasons for this change and to assess the basin configuration during the Middle Jurassic, this study focuses on facies analysis and sequence stratigraphy of the basinal deposits (pelagic and calciturbidite facies) of the Surmeh Formation, referred here as 'lower shaley unit' in the Central Zagros region. The upper Aalenian-Bajocian 'lower shaley unit' overlies, with an abrupt contact, the Toarcian-lower Aalenian platform carbonates. It consists of pelagic (calcareous shale and limestone) and calciturbidite facies grading to upper Bajocian-Bathonian platform carbonates. Calciturbidite deposits in the 'lower shaley unit' consist of various graded grainstone to lime mudstone facies containing mixed deep marine fauna and platform-derived material. These facies include quartz-bearing lithoclast/intraclast grainstone to lime mudstone, bioclast/ooid/peloid intraclast grainstone, ooid grainstone to packstone, and lime wackestone to mudstone. The calciturbidite layers are erosive-based and commonly exhibit graded bedding, incomplete Bouma turbidite sequence, flute casts, and load casts. They consist chiefly of platform-derived materials including ooids, intraclasts/lithoclasts, peloids, echinoderms, brachiopods, bivalves, and open-ocean biota, such as planktonic bivalves, crinoids, coccoliths, foraminifers, and sponge spicules. The 'lower shaley unit' constitutes the late transgressive and the main part of the highstand systems tract of a depositional sequence and grades upward to platform margin and platform interior facies as a result of late highstand basinward progradation. The sedimentary record of the 'lower shaley unit' in the Central Zagros region reveals the existence of a northwest-southeast trending platform margin during the Middle Jurassic that faced a deep basin, the 'Pars intrashelf basin' in the northeast. The thinning of calciturbidite layers towards the northeast and the widespread Middle Jurassic platform carbonates in the southern Persian Gulf states and in the Persian Gulf area support the existence of a southwest platform margin and platform interior source area. The platform margin was formed as a result of tectonic activity along the preexisting Mountain Front fault associated with Cimmerian continental rifting in northeast Gondwana. Flooding of the southwest platform margin during early to middle Bajocian resulted in the reestablishment of the carbonate sediment factory and overproduction of shallow marine carbonates associated with sea-level highstand, which led to vertical and lateral expansion of the platform and gradual infilling of the Pars intrashelf basin by late Bajocian time. ?? 2010 Springer-Verlag.

Carbonates and Evaporites↗
USGS1994

Comparison of drier- to wetter-interval estuarine roof facies in the Eastern and Western Interior coal basins, USA

Many of the Carboniferous coals in the eastern interior of the US are associated with siliciclastic roof facies that were deposited within a fluvio-estuarine transition. These facies include a variety of rhythmites, some of which exhibit tidal cycles. Drier-interval coals (Westphalian B-C, Stephanian) tend to be more laterally restricted and more commonly are associated with paleovalleys. Conversely, wetter-interval coals (Westphalian D) are very widespread and are not restricted to paleovalleys. Throughout the Lake Carboniferous, wet paleoclimates associated with these coals lead to valley incision during sea-level lowstand when large tropical rivers downcut older sediments deposited during previous sea-level highstands. During subsequent rise of sea level, these fluvial valleys were flooded and converted to estuaries where tidal ranges and sedimentation rates were significantly amplified. Based on modern analogs and interpretation of many examples of Carboniferous tidal rhythmites, the localized depositional rates in these settings are exceptionally high. The estuaries became sediment sinks, trapping sediment that is pumped in from both fluvial and marine sources. As a result, sedimentation readily keeps pace with rising baselevel. Extensive intertidal flats and shallow subtidal flats are created and prograde over the valley-confined mires. Thick tidal cycles and upright trees (some with attached foliage) record rapid burial of mires. This model is supported with examples of roof facies from the Westphalian B-C of the Eastern Interior Basin, and the Stephanian of the Western Interior Basin. In these areas facies within each cycle range from well-developed, extensive paleosols and coals, to widespread marine shales or limestones. Variations in both sea level and climate resulted in a complex history of valley fill during which coals could be developed at any time (except during widespread flooding). Minable, low-sulfur and low-ash coals occur, but the coals are relatively thin and discontinuous. Conversely, the Westphalian D coals are very widespread and significant peat accumulations were not confined to paleovalleys. Nonetheless, the lowest sulfur coals are related to rapid deposition of roof facies that occurred within the paleovalley whereas high-sulfur coals were formed in areas of lower sedimentation rate of roof facies that occurred beyond the confines of the paleovalley.

Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentuck↗
USGS2022

Biosiliceous, organic-rich, and phosphatic facies of Triassic strata of northwest Alaska: Transect across a high-latitude, low-angle continental margin

The Shublik Formation (Middle and Upper Triassic) is a mixed siliciclastic-carbonate-phosphatic unit in northern Alaska. It generated oil found in Prudhoe Bay and other accumulations and is a prospective self-sourced resource play on Alaska’s North Slope. Its distal, deeper-water equivalent—the Otuk Formation—consists largely of radiolarian chert, mudstone, and limestone and contains potential gas accumulations in the Brooks Range foothills to the south. New petrographic, fossil, geochemical, spectral gamma-ray, and zircon U-Pb data yield insights into facies changes in these units, which were deposited across a shallowly dipping shelf margin in a high-latitude setting. Samples come from four localities along a transect that extends ~410 km from present-day northeast (proximal) to southwest (distal) in northwest Alaska. Proximal Shublik facies (Brontosaurus 1 well) contain abundant siliciclastic detritus and local phosphate. Shublik-Otuk transitional facies occur in the probable onshore extension of the Hanna Trough (Surprise Creek); new zircon U-Pb data indicate an early Norian age for a bentonite bed in this section. Distal Otuk facies (Red Dog district, Cape Lisburne) are fine grained, biosiliceous, and organic rich. New detrital zircon U-Pb data from a distinctive sandstone member in the Otuk Formation at Cape Lisburne reinforce previous interpretations of a provenance to the present-day northwest and indicate a protracted history of Triassic magmatism for this source area. Triassic facies patterns in northwestern Alaska were shaped by sea-level change, climate, and regional tectonism. Organic-rich facies developed best at times (Ladinian–middle Norian) and/or in settings (distal shelf, Hanna Trough) with minimal dilution of organic matter by other detritus.

Alaska↗
USGS2009

Late Devonian glacigenic and associated facies from the central Appalachian Basin, eastern United States

Late Devonian strata in the eastern United States are generally considered as having been deposited under warm tropical conditions. However, a stratigraphically restricted Late Devonian succession of diamictite- mudstonesandstone within the Spechty Kopf and Rockwell Formations that extends for more than 400 km along depositional strike within the central Appalachian Basin may indicate other wise. This lithologic association unconformably overlies the Catskill Formation, where a 3- to 5-m-thick interval of deformed strata occurs immediately below the diamictite strata. The diamictite facies consists of several subfacies that are interpreted to be subglacial, englacial, supraglacial meltout, and resedimented deposits. The mudstone facies that overlies the diamictite consists of subfacies of chaotically bedded, clast-poor mudstone, and laminated mudstone sub facies that represent subaqueous proximal debris flows and distal glaciolacustrine rhythmites or varvites, respectively. The pebbly sandstone facies is interpreted as proglacial braided outwash deposits that both preceded glacial advance and followed glacial retreat. Both the tectonic and depositional frameworks suggest that the facies were deposited in a terrestrial setting within the Appalachian foreland basin during a single glacial advance and retreat. Regionally, areas that were not covered by ice were subject to increased rainfall as indicated by wet-climate paleosols. River systems eroded deeper channels in response to sea-level drop during glacial advance. Marine facies to the west contain iceborne dropstone boulders preserved within contemporaneous units of the Cleveland Shale Member of the Ohio Shale.The stratigraphic interval correlative with sea-level drop, climate change, and glacigenic succession represents one of the Appalachian Basin's most prolific oil-and gas-producing intervals and is contemporaneous with a global episode of sea-level drop responsible for the deposition of the Hangenberg Shale/Sandstone of Europe. This interval records the Hangenberg biotic crisis near the Devonian-Carboniferous boundary. ?? 2009 Geological Society of America.

Geological Society of America Bulletin↗
USGS2008

Response of Late Cretaceous migrating deltaic facies systems to sea level, tectonics, and sediment supply changes, New Jersey Coastal Plain, U.S.A.

Paleogeographic, isopach, and deltaic lithofacies mapping of thirteen depositional sequences establish a 35 myr high resolution (> 1 Myr) record of Late Cretaceous wave- and tide-influenced deltaic sedimentation. We integrate sequences defined on the basis of lithologic, biostratigraphic, and Sr-isotope stratigraphy from cores with geophysical log data from 28 wells to further develop and extend methods and calibrations of well-log recognition of sequences and facies variations. This study reveals the northeastward migration of depocenters from the Cenomanian (ca. 98 Ma) through the earliest Danian (ca. 64 Ma) and documents five primary phases of paleodeltaic evolution in response to long-term eustatic changes, variations in sediment supply, the location of two long-lived fluvial axes, and thermoflexural basement subsidence: (1) Cenomanian-early Turonian deltaic facies exhibit marine and nonmarine facies and are concentrated in the central coastal plain; (2) high sediment rates, low sea level, and high accommodation rates in the northern coastal plain resulted in thick, marginal to nonmarine mixed-influenced deltaic facies during the Turonign-Coniacian; (3) comparatively low sediment rates and high long-term sea level in the Santonian resulted in a sediment-starved margin with low deltaic influence; (4) well-developed Campanian deltaic sequences expand to the north and exhibit wave reworking and longshore transport of sands, and (5) low sedimentation rates and high long-term sea level during the Maastrichtian resulted in the deposition of a sediment-starved glauconitic shelf. Our study illustrates the widely known variability of mixed-influence deltaic systems, but also documents the relative stability of deltaic facies systems on the 106-107 yr scale, with long periods of cyclically repeating systems tracts controlled by eustasy. Results from the Late Cretaceous further show that although eustasy provides the template for sequences globally, regional tectonics (rates of subsidence and accommodation), changes in sediment supply, proximity to sediment input, and flexural subsidence from depocenter loading determines the regional to local preservation and facies expression of sequences. Copyright ?? 2008, SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology).

Journal of Sedimentary Research↗
USGS2002

Depositional sequences and facies in the Torok Formation, National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska (NPRA)

Brookian turbidites (Cretaceous through Tertiary) have become oil exploration objectives on the North Slope of Alaska during the past decade, and it is likely this focus will extend into the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska ( NPRA ). A regional grid of 2- D seismic data, sparse well control, and field work in the Brooks Range foothills provide constraints for an ongoing effort to establish a sequence stratigraphic framework for Brookian turbidites in the Torok Formation across NPRA . The Torok Formation and overlying Nanushuk Formation (both mostly Albian) display the overall seismic geometry of bottomset-clinoform-topset strata indicating northeastward migration of a shelf margin. Within bottomset and clinoform strata of the Torok , depositional sequences have been identified that represent four distinct phases of shelf-margin sedimentation. (1) Regression, representing low relative sea level, is characterized by the development of an erosional surface on the shelf and upper slope , and the deposition of turbidite channel deposits on the middle to lower slope and submarine fan deposits at the base of slope. These deposits constitute a lowstand systems tract (LST). (2) Transgression, representing rising relative sea level, is characterized by the deposition of a mudstone drape on the basin floor, slope, and outer shelf. This drape comprises relatively condensed facies that constitute a transgressive systems tract (TST). (3) Aggradation, representing high relative sea level, is characterized by the deposition of relatively thick strata on the outer shelf and moderately thick mudstones on the slope. (4) Progradation, also representing high relative sea level, is characterized by the deposition of relatively thin strata on the outer shelf and very thick mudstones on the slope. Together, deposits of the aggradation and progradation phases constitute a highstand systems tract (HST). Large scale geometries of Torok strata vary across the Colville basin. In southern NPRA, high rates of subsidence accommodated the deposition of a "foredeep clinoform wedge" that contains a high proportion of sand-rich LST deposits. In northern NPRA, lower rates of subsidence favored the accumulation of mud-rich HST deposits. The most favorable stratigraphic trapping geometries in the Torok Formation occur where amalgamated sandstones deposited in turbidite channels incised on the mid- to lower-slope and on the proximal parts of submarine fans during regression (LSTs) are capped by relatively condensed mudstone facies deposited during transgression (TSTs). Common successions observed in Torok cores include a spectrum of slope and turbidite facies. Upper slope facies comprise laminated mudstones and siltstones that locally display evidence of slumping, sliding, and chaotic failure. Lower slope facies comprise heterolithic turbidites at some locations and interlaminated mudstones and thin, very fine-grained sandstones at others. Torok turbidites include amalgamated sandstones deposited in channel systems as well as thin-bedded, widespread sandstones deposited by unconfined flows on lobes or in channel overbank settings. These turbidite facies likely occur in both channel-lobe systems and slope apron systems within the Torok.

Alaska↗