Elizabeth Machuca 12/4/2023

Dickinson and Gehrels Summary

Citation
William R. Dickinson, George E. Gehrels; U-Pb Ages of Detrital Zircons in Relation to Paleogeography:
Triassic Paleodrainage Networks and Sediment Dispersal Across Southwest Laurentia. Journal of
Sedimentary Research 2008

Introduction
The purpose of this summary is to provide a brief overview of the assigned article and answer specific
questions provided by the instructor. For each section of the reading an outline was written to help
write the summary. This paper will cover the following sections: Introduction, Moenkopi Deposystem,
Chinle-Dockum Interval, Lower Chinle-Dockum, Upper Chinle-Dockum, Paleodrainage summary.

Summary

Chinle-Dockum strata is a gray fluvial sandstone and part conglomeratic with variegated successions of
finer grained overbank strata. Extensive interstratification represents deposition within a complex
sedimentological combo of solitary channel lenses, stacked multistory channel complexes, channel-
margin levees, floodplains and backswamps. Floodplains formed in humid to sub humid environments
with seasonal streamflow of monsoonal character. Channel conglomerates consisted of mature clasts
that represent extensive weathering of source rocks and floodplains.
Lower part of the Chinle-Dockum formation is a basal sandstone lithosome sandstones that
were mostly prominent are located in the Painted Desert and Vermilion Cliffs paleo valleys. The arm of
the paleovalley represents a souther tributary arm with a trunk stream flowing westward from the High
Plains. The isopach patterns suggests that deposition occurred within an elongated furrow trending
subparallel to the growing magmatic arc along the US and MX border. Paleocurrents studies in the basal
sandstone lithosomes show a longitudinal paeoflow moving W to NW except for some local transverse
tributaries. Dynamic back arc subsidence due to the subduction of the mantle slab from the magmatic
arc accounts for the deposition of the Chinle-Dockum formation.
The Upper Chinle-Dockum formation also has basal sandstone lithosomes with sub channel
scours underneath. Most were deposited within the Cottonwood paleovalley and the Trujillo of the High
plains represents headwater reaches of the same paleodrainage system. Paleocurrent studies show that
paleoflow in the Cottonwood valley was NW. Sonsela distrubutionpattern is suggested to be a
progadational fluvial megafan with multiple diverging paleochannles.
Analysis of the Chinle-Dockum depositional system indicated that there are three master
paleodrainage paths active during fluvial evolution. The Eagle paleo river had its headwaters near the
Amarillo-Wichita uplift, with many Cambrian detrital zircons and moved across the roots of the
Ancestral Rocky Mountains. The lower Chinle-Dockum paleodrainage was a younger trunk paleoriver
moving from the Ouachita foreland onto the High plains. Many tributaries accessed the trunk paleoriver
from the south and transported detrital zircons similar to the Pre-Chinle-Moenkopi strata found along
the fringe of a foreland basin ratted to Sonoma or Golconda thrusting in central Nevada.

Machuca 1