--> Abstract: Fluvial Stratigraphic Architecture of the John Henry Member of the Straight Cliffs Formation, Kaiparowits Plateau, Southern Utah, by William Gallin; #90083 (2008)

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Fluvial Stratigraphic Architecture of the John Henry Member of the Straight Cliffs Formation, Kaiparowits Plateau, Southern Utah

William Gallin
University of Utah, Department of Geology and Geophysics Salt Lake City, Utah; [email protected]

A salient issue in fluvial sedimentology is the lack of consensus regarding 1) the primacy of autogenic versus allogenic factors in control of fluvial stratigraphic architecture; 2) the relationship between allogenic processes and perceived boundaries between coastal plain successions; 3) the location of boundaries representing regional base level fall. Preliminary observations of the John Henry Member of the Straight Cliffs Formation in the Kaiparowits Plateau, southern Utah suggest 1) autogenic controls dominate the fluvial stratigraphic architecture; 2) scoured basal contacts caused by local avulsion were previously misinterpreted as regional sequence boundaries. Data consists of three 200 meter thick measured sections, including inspection of lateral extent of beds, paleocurrents, and petrography. Revised architecture of key surfaces is correlated with ongoing work on adjacent shoreface facies. Constraint of the relationship between key surfaces, associated facies assemblages, and dominant autogenic control of fluvial stratigraphic architecture has important implications in petroleum exploration for modeling the subsurface.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90083 © 2008 AAPG Foundation Grants in Aid