JenniferCrowell

Geo1225
JohnnyMacLean
March8,2016
ReportTwo:CedarCityandtheMesozoic
TheMesozoicEratookplaceduringthePhanerozoicEon.TheMesozoicbegan250
millionyearsagoandended65millionyearsagowiththemassextinctionofthedinosaurs.It
consistsoftheTriassic,Jurassic,andCretaceousperiods.Duringthisera,thesupercontinent
Pangaeabegantobreakapart,someofthelargestanimalsthateverlivedroamedtheEarth,and
floweringplantsstartedtotakeovertheplanet.
InCedarCanyon,theTriassicageMoenkopiFormationandtheChinleFormationare
exposed.WithintheChinleFormationistheShinarumpMember.Thismemberindicatesa
fluvialdepositionalenvironment.ItfollowsWalthersLawbygoingfromerosionresistant
sandstonetoeasilyerodedshaleandmudstone.ThegrainsizesintheShinarumparesmalland
fine.Thegrainsarealsoroundedandwellsorted.Ripplemarks,mudcracks,andfiningupward
sequencesareevidenceofariverenvironment.AdetailedfieldsketchoftheChinleFormation
oftheShinarumpMemberinCedarCanyonislocatedonpagethree.WithintheMoenkopi
Formationaresixmembers.ThemosteasilyrecognizedmemberistheShnabkaibMember,
whosewhiteandredpatternsresemblebaconstripes.AsonemovesuptheMesozoic
stratigraphyinCedarCanyon,theycometoJurassicageformations.Oftheseformations,the
biggestaretheKayentaFormationandtheCarmelFormation.Cretaceousagestratigraphyis
exposedveryclearlyneartheParowanGap.TheformationsaroundthisareaincludetheStraight

CliffsFormation,theGrandCastleFormation,andtheIronSpringsFormation.Belowisabasic
representationoftheMesozoicstratigraphicsectionsfoundinCedarCity.

TheMesozoicformationsinCedarCanyonshowavarietyofdifferentdepositional
environments.TheChinleFormationshowsariverenvironmentthatwasdepositedonshoreafter
aregressionwhiletheMoenkopiFormationshowspassivemarginsedimentation.Inthe
MoenkopiFormationtherocksarecomposedofgypsum,shale,andsilicateclayminerals.The
presenceofgypsumsuggeststhatsomeoftherocksareevaporites.Therocksarewellsortedand
havesmallroundedgrains.ThelaminabedsfoundintheMoenkopiarethinandfine.
Throughoutthebedsaremudcracksandsymmetricripplemarks.Theredcolorofsomeofthe
rocksindicateanoxidizedenvironmentwhilegrayorwhitecoloredrocksindicateareduced
environment.TheseevidencespointtothelowerMesozoicenvironmentinCedarCitytohave
beenatidalflat,mostlikelyformedduringaregressionwheretherewasmoreenergybecause
theoceanmayhavebeenmovingoutandstreamsweremovingin.
FossilassemblagesaregreatindicatorsofMesozoicevents.Evidenceofstreamsmoving
inland(asmentionedintheaboveparagraph)isshownbyaclusterofpetrifiedwoodfoundin
theShinarumpMemberofthe
ChinleFormation.The
petrifiedwoodwasmost
likelyformedalonga
prehistoricriver.Walthers
Lawcanbeappliedtothe
Mesozoiceventsinand
aroundCedarCity.AccordingtoWalthersLaw,thepetrifiedwoodprobablyoncebelongedtoa
forestthatwouldhavebeenlocatedonthebackshorewherelittleoftheoceanswaveenergy

couldhavereachedandwhereariverbegan.CoalcanbefoundintheStraightCliffsFormation
neartheParowanGap.ThisalsofollowsWalthersLawbecausecoalisexpectedtobefoundin
areassuspectedtohaveoncebeenabackshoreenvironment.AlsofoundintheStraightCliffs
Formationaremanysmallmarineinvertebratessuchassnailsbelongingtothegastropodaclass.
IntheIronSpringsFormation,alsoneartheParowanGap,aregiganticrockscontaining
beautifullypreserveddinosaurfootprints.Specificallythefootprintsbelongtoagroupof
dinosaurscalledOrnithopods.MostlikelytheywerehadrosaursfromtheCretaceous.
Manyunconformitiesarefoundthroughoutthe
MesozoicformationsaroundCedarCity.Oneisfound
beforethepetrifiedwoodassemblage.Accordingtothe
stratigraphicsectiononpagetwo,thereareatleasteight
unconformities.AninterestingunconformityoccursontopoftheStraightCliffsFormation.Itis
anangularunconformityinwhichahorizontallayeroftheGrandCastleFormationisvisible
rightontopofatilted,nearverticallayerofStraightCliffsFormation.
MovingalongtotheJurassicageCarmelFormation,thereisstructuralevidencethat
givescluestosomeofthepastorderofevents.Folds,faults,andcleavageplaneorientationdata
suggestthatmountainbuildingprocesseswereoccurringduringtheJurassicperiod.Duringfield
workintheCarmelFormation,thefollowingmeasurementsweretakenofafold.Thestrikeand
dipoftheaxialplanewasN5W,12NE.ThestrikeanddipofeachlimbwasN85E,26NWand
N20W,90.Theplungeofthehingelinewas26/25SEandthebearingofthehingelinewas
N15W.AnearbyfaultwasmeasuredwhichhadthestrikeanddipofN20E,87NW.Lastly,a

cleavageplanewasmeasured.ThestrikeanddipwasN85E,85SE.Theperpendicularbearing
linewasN5W.
IntheParowanGaparea,thefirstformationtobedepositedwastheStraightCliffs
Formation.Thegrainsareverywellsorted.Mostoftherocksaresandstone.Someofrocksare
cementedtogetherfromcalciumcarbonate.Themostlikelyenvironmentofdepositionforthe
StraightCliffsFormationwasatidalflat,suchasabeach.Thenextformationtobedeposited
wastheIronSpringsFormation.Rocksfromthisformation
areclasticsedimentaryrockmadeupofmostlyquartzand
somechert.Thegrainsarecoarsewithsomebeingrounded
whileothersareangular.Themostabundantrockfoundin
thisformationissandstone.TheIronSpringsFormation
depositionalenvironmentwasadeeptidalflat.Thenewest
formationistheGrandCastleFormation.Itsdepositionalenvironmentwasmostlikelyan
alluvialfandeposit.TheGrandCastleFormationconsistsofthreemainrocktypesquartzite,
sandstone,andlimestone.ItscobblescomefromPaleozoic
rocks.DuringtheSevierOrogeny,Paleozoicagerockswere
thrustupfromunderneaththeIronSpringsFormationwhich
causedtheStraightCliffsFormationtotiltandtheGrand
CastleFormationtodepositontopofit.The
GrandCastleFormationwasthenerodedin
someareas.

CedarCanyonandParowanGapoffersomuchinsightintopasttectonicevents.When
comparingbothareasusinggeologicmaps,itiseasytoseethatmorefaults(bothnormaland
reverse)arepresentinCedarCanyonthanaroundParowanGap.Interestingly,theCedarCanyon
hasduplicatedunitsthatoccurbecauseoffolds.TheCarmelFormationwascompressedand
startedtofoldbecauseitcontainssomeshale,whichiseasiertofoldthantofaultsinceitis
soft.AnexampleistheTrCSandTrMSunits.Theduplicatedunitswereoriginallyoneunit
depositedhorizontallyandthenbecametiltedfromafold.Alllayerswerestillonthesameplane.
Afaultthenoccurredthatbroughtupsomeofthelayerstooverlieotherlayers.Overtime,the
toplayerserodedaway,exposinglayersunderneathandcreatingtheduplicatedunits(leftsideon
thesecondmaponthenextpageinlightblueandlightgreen).Twoveryimportanteventsthat
helpedshapeCedarCitysgeologywastheSevierOrogenyandtheLaramideOrogeny.The
SevierOrogenyoccurredduringtheCretaceousandhelpedtocreatetheBasinandRange.Itwas
thinskinneddeformationthatcreatedfoldsandfaultsinsedimentaryrocksabovethe
basement.TheLaramideOrogenywastheoppositeitwasthickskinneddeformationthat
createdbasementcoreduplifts.Thenextpagecomparestwogeologicmapsthefirstmapisthe
ParowanGapareaandthesecondmapistheCedarCanyonarea.Asanote,blacklineswith
trianglesrepresentfaults.

Toconclude,deposition,deformation,andfossilassemblagesallhelpinunderstanding
howthegeologyofCedarCityhaschangedovermillionsofyearsduetodifferentevents.Cedar
CanyonandtheParowanGaparebothgreatgeologicexamplesthatcanbestudiedtobetter
understandEarthsprocessesbackintheMesozoicera.CedarCityhaswonderfulevidenceof
ancienteventsthathelpedcreatethebeautifullandscapethatisnowpresent.

Picture1:OrnithopodfootprintintheIronSpringsFormation
Picture2:StraightCliffsFormation
Picture3:IronSpringsFormationsandstone
Picture4:ViewofIronSpringsFormationandGrandCastleFormation
Picture5:IronSpringsFormationsandstone