A Paleogeographic Reconstruction of the Upper Middle Jurassic (Callovian) of Central Utah

Tyson Perkes and Tom Morris
Brigham Young University

We intend to create a series of paleogeographic maps through the late middle Jurassic (Callovian?) time of central to eastern Utah using outcrop and well log data. In an effort to understand this interval, the poorly studied Twist Gulch Formation must be understood within a chronostratigraphic and sedimentologic context including its relationship with supposed time-equivalent formations such as the Entrada Sandstone, Curtis, and/or Pruess Formations. We will study the Twist Gulch Formation at its type-section along the west flank of the San Pitch Mountains of central Utah, in Salina Canyon, and in other locations in Utah. We will also study the sabkah facies of the Entrada Sandstone in central Utah and reference past studies of the Entrada Sandstone, Curtis, and Pruess Formations in an attempt to fit these formations into a chronostratigraphic framework. A secondary objective is to characterize the reservoir potential of Twist Gulch and Entrada rocks for possible petroleum exploration and CO₂ sequestration.

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