--> Tidally Influenced Deposits and Their Relative Importance in the Dakota Sandstone/Naturita Formation of the San Rafael Swell, Utah

AAPG ACE 2018

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Tidally Influenced Deposits and Their Relative Importance in the Dakota Sandstone/Naturita Formation of the San Rafael Swell, Utah

Abstract

The Dakota Sandstone/Naturita Formation of the San Rafael Swell (SRS), Utah contains extensive tidal deposits that, in part, record the initial transgression of the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway (WIS). There are comparatively few studies dedicated to this formation relative to other Cretaceous formations in the area. This study aims to build upon previous and current work, to provide a regional scale look at sand body variability using 3D drone imagery augmented by measured sections. Data has been collected at 15 sites around the SRS including: 3 drone surveys, 9 measured sections, photographs, and paleocurrent measurements. The analysis will provide detailed information regarding sand body dimensions, distribution, facies, and architecture. This data can be used as an analog in geologic and reservoir modelling, and will add to our current understanding of transgressive systems. Of particular interest is the relative importance of tidally influenced deposits, their occurrence within the sequence, and the facies that exist. We believe that tidally influenced deposits represent a large portion of the total sequence, which has implications for the interpretation of paleogeography, the way in which the WIS was flooded, and how to use the data to better predict the architecture of analogous formations.