Paleofluvial Study of Lower Cretaceous River Beds in Utah

Location

CSU 253/254/255

Start Date

12-4-2004 1:45 PM

End Date

12-4-2004 3:15 PM

Student's Major

College of Science, Engineering and Technology

Student's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Mentor's Name

Donald Friend

Mentor's Department

Geography

Mentor's College

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Description

This study involved researching Cretaceous period (144-66 Ma) channel-fill deposits of the Cedar Mountain Formation in present day Utah. At many sites throughout Utah lithofacie descriptions, paleocurrents, and clast size counts were mapped and recorded in an effort to gain a further understanding of how the Sevier orogeny (mountain building episode) influenced the morphology of rivers along with their direction of flow. The direction was determined by the paleocurrents, while the distances of sites from the Sevier orogeny were determined by the size and angularity of the pebbles. Using the density and angularity of the pebbles we determined which were locally derived and which were transported in the rivers. It is our conclusion that the streams went from the Sevier orogeny, the present day Rockies, toward the Western Interior Seaway, the present day Great Plains.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS
 
Apr 12th, 1:45 PM Apr 12th, 3:15 PM

Paleofluvial Study of Lower Cretaceous River Beds in Utah

CSU 253/254/255

This study involved researching Cretaceous period (144-66 Ma) channel-fill deposits of the Cedar Mountain Formation in present day Utah. At many sites throughout Utah lithofacie descriptions, paleocurrents, and clast size counts were mapped and recorded in an effort to gain a further understanding of how the Sevier orogeny (mountain building episode) influenced the morphology of rivers along with their direction of flow. The direction was determined by the paleocurrents, while the distances of sites from the Sevier orogeny were determined by the size and angularity of the pebbles. Using the density and angularity of the pebbles we determined which were locally derived and which were transported in the rivers. It is our conclusion that the streams went from the Sevier orogeny, the present day Rockies, toward the Western Interior Seaway, the present day Great Plains.