Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- PART I The Chronostratigraphy of the Uintan through Arikareean
- 1 Magnetic stratigraphy and biostratigraphy of the middle Eocene Uinta Formation, Uinta Basin, Utah
- 2 Biostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy of the Bridgerian-Uintan Washakie Formation, Washakie Basin, Wyoming
- 3 Magnetic stratigraphy, sedimentology, and mammalian faunas of the early Uintan Washakie Formation, Sand Wash Basin, northwestern Colorado
- 4 Theoretical biochronology, the Bridgerian-Uintan boundary and the “Shoshonian Subage” of the Uintan
- 5 Middle Eocene mammalian faunas of San Diego County, California
- 6 Stratigraphy and paleomagnetism of the middle Eocene Friars Formation and Poway Group, southwestern San Diego County, California
- 7 Magnetostratigraphy of the upper middle Eocene Coldwater Sandstone, central Ventura County, California
- 8 Stratigraphy and paleomagnetism of the upper middle Eocene to lower Miocene (Uintan to Arikareean) Sespe Formation, Ventura County, California
- 9 Magnetostratigraphy of the Eocene-Oligocene transition in Trans-Pecos Texas
- 10 Magnetic stratigraphy of the Duchesnean part of the Galisteo Formation, New Mexico
- 11 Stratigraphy and vertebrate faunas of the Bridgerian-Duchesnean Clarno Formation, north-central Oregon
- 12 Eocene-Oligocene faunas of the Cypress Hills Formation, Saskatchewan
- 13 Magnetic stratigraphy of the White River Group in the High Plains
- 14 Magnetostratigraphy and biostratigraphy of the Eocene-Oligocene transition, southwestern Montana
- 15 The Whitneyan-Arikareean transition in the High Plains
- PART II Common Vertebrates of the White River Chronofauna
- Summary
- Index
3 - Magnetic stratigraphy, sedimentology, and mammalian faunas of the early Uintan Washakie Formation, Sand Wash Basin, northwestern Colorado
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 July 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- PART I The Chronostratigraphy of the Uintan through Arikareean
- 1 Magnetic stratigraphy and biostratigraphy of the middle Eocene Uinta Formation, Uinta Basin, Utah
- 2 Biostratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy of the Bridgerian-Uintan Washakie Formation, Washakie Basin, Wyoming
- 3 Magnetic stratigraphy, sedimentology, and mammalian faunas of the early Uintan Washakie Formation, Sand Wash Basin, northwestern Colorado
- 4 Theoretical biochronology, the Bridgerian-Uintan boundary and the “Shoshonian Subage” of the Uintan
- 5 Middle Eocene mammalian faunas of San Diego County, California
- 6 Stratigraphy and paleomagnetism of the middle Eocene Friars Formation and Poway Group, southwestern San Diego County, California
- 7 Magnetostratigraphy of the upper middle Eocene Coldwater Sandstone, central Ventura County, California
- 8 Stratigraphy and paleomagnetism of the upper middle Eocene to lower Miocene (Uintan to Arikareean) Sespe Formation, Ventura County, California
- 9 Magnetostratigraphy of the Eocene-Oligocene transition in Trans-Pecos Texas
- 10 Magnetic stratigraphy of the Duchesnean part of the Galisteo Formation, New Mexico
- 11 Stratigraphy and vertebrate faunas of the Bridgerian-Duchesnean Clarno Formation, north-central Oregon
- 12 Eocene-Oligocene faunas of the Cypress Hills Formation, Saskatchewan
- 13 Magnetic stratigraphy of the White River Group in the High Plains
- 14 Magnetostratigraphy and biostratigraphy of the Eocene-Oligocene transition, southwestern Montana
- 15 The Whitneyan-Arikareean transition in the High Plains
- PART II Common Vertebrates of the White River Chronofauna
- Summary
- Index
Summary
ABSTRACT
The Sand Wash Basin in northwestern Colorado is a southern sub-basin of the Washakie Basin of Wyoming. It contains several hundred meters of the middle Eocene Washakie Formation, overlying a thick sequence of the lacustrine Green River Formation. Late Bridgerian and earliest Uintan mammalian faunas have been recovered from several localities within the basin. Key biochronological indicators of the earliest Uintan age of the fauna include the earliest agriochoerids (Protoreodon), oromerycids (Oromeryx), as well as hyracodontids (Triplopus) and eomyids (Namatomys).
Abundant petrified wood, nonmarine stromatolites, gastropods, bivalves, fish, turtles, and crocodilians show that the Washakie Formation in the Sand Wash Basin was deposited in a marginal lacustrine-fluvial setting. Paleocurrents indicate sediment transport from the north, and the composition of the sandstones is mostly devitrified volcaniclastics derived from the Absaroka volcanic field of northwest Wyoming, or possibly the Challis volcanic field of Idaho. No sediments appear to be derived from the nearby Uinta uplift to the west.
The lower part of the sequence is all of reversed magnetic polarity, and the upper part is of normal polarity. Based on correlations with the revised magnetic stratigraphy of the Washakie Basin, the Sand Wash Basin sequence was deposited during Chrons C21r and C21n (47-48 Ma).
INTRODUCTION
During the latest Cretaceous through early Eocene, the Laramide Orogeny caused Rocky Mountain intermontane basins to subside and collect thick piles of terrestrial sediments (Dickinson et al., 1988).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1996
- 11
- Cited by