Observations in the Uinta

Followers Accidental visitors of this blog may have noticed my trademark neglect has been a little higher than usual, but in this case I can justifiably blame it on my new job, which has eaten up more than its fair share of my free time. This new occupation has exposed me to the wonders of the Uinta Formation, a Middle Eocene (46.5 – 40 Ma; Prothero, 1996), predominantly fluvial, accumulation of sediment shed from the Uinta Mountains to the north (Stokes, 1986; Rasmussen et al., 1999; Townsend 2004). Specifically, my observations are based almost exclusively in the middle Wagonhound Member, but that’s probably only of interest to serious stratigraphers…

Marmaduke has died of dysentery.

Part I: Known knowns

The Wagonhound Member (hereafter Uinta B) is composed almost exclusively of thick, trough cross-bedded sandstones, thick overbank fines, and thinner massive sandstones and siltstones, with the thick sandstones forming the most blatant outcrops. These same sandstones are also commonly afflicted with a feature that looks like old war wounds (see left).

This feature can be seen at many scales, from the very small:

…to moderate and localized:

…to occupying an entire cliff face:

This is a geologic feature known as tafoni, a consequence of salt growth inside rocks. Water, either ground or meteoric, contains salts, and in a porous rock such as sandstone, when water in the pore spaces evaporates, it leaves behind salts which crystallize to a larger volume. This displaces grains and increases pore space, and any time additional water is introduced, the process starts over, and a larger void is created. (For a more detailed explanation, as well as appropriate references, I would suggest the excellent Tafoni website.) The occurrence of tafoni in the Uinta B is not at all surprising, as signs of salt precipitate can be seen everywhere:

This feature has erroneously been attributed to fossil termite mounds in the past (J. Strauss, personal communication), which is so wrong on many levels, the least of which being that this feature is most common in channel sandstones, and any termite colony that fancied placing their nests in an active stream channel would be quickly eliminated from the gene pool.

Part II: Known unknowns

Another common feature of the Uinta B is nodules, spherical to subspherical to elongate “balls” of well-cemented sediment which can often be found littering outcrops like an ancient bowling range (see left). Precisely what causes these nodules to form is unknown to me – in part, this is due to my own lack of reading on the subject, but several sources I’ve encountered seem to casually suggest that their formation might be unknown in general. I haven’t seen anything to suggest the nodules are formed by different sediment than their host material – as you can see in example in the lower left, the nodule is eroding at just the same rate as the surrounding rock.

Additionally, in the example below (you may have to click on the picture for full size), you can see in the cross-section of an elongate nodule (L), the sediment is clearly the same cross-bedded sandstone found a few meters away in the same outcrop (R):

Some nodules I have encountered have certainly hinted at the importance of a nucleation site, which, as evidenced by the mammal vertebra (L) and turtle shell fragment (R) below, can often be fossils themselves:

Part III: Unknown unknowns

Tragically, the most intruiging thing I have discovered about the Uinta Formation was not in the field, but in the literature – the sedimentology and stratigraphy of the Uinta is woefully not understood, despite the impressive work of a few individuals (Townsend, 2004, Townsend et al., 2006; Murphey et al. 2011). Part of this is due to the complexity of the Uinta beds and host fossils (Walsh, 1996), but part is probably also due to interest in the Uinta only being recently reignited, thanks to a booming oil industry (in overviews of the Uinta Formation geology, publications between ca. 1930 and 1990 are usually sparse). For someone with time and energy to dedicate to the formation, there’s probably no shortage of geologic information to be uncovered. That won’t be me, ironically, as I will soon be moving out of the area. But that’s a subject for future posts…

REFS

Murphey, P.C., Townsend, K.F.B., Friscia, A.R., and Evanoff, E. 2011. Paleontology and stratigraphy of the middle Eocene rock units in the Bridger and Uinta Basins, Wyoming and Utah, in Lee, J., and Evans, J.P., eds., Geologic Field Trips to the Basin and Range, Rocky Mountains, Snake River Plain, and Terranes of the U.S. Cordillera: Geological Society of America Field Guide 21, p. 125–166, doi:10.1130/2011.0021(06). (pdf here)

Prothero, D.R. 1996. Magnetic stratigraphy and biostratigraphy of the Middle Eocene Uinta Formation, Uinta Basin, Utah, in Prothero, D.R., and Emry, R.J., eds., The Terrestrial Eocene-Oligocene Transition in North America, Cambridge University Press, pp. 75-119.

Rasmussen D.T., Conroy, G.C., Friscia, A.R., Townsend, K.E., and Kinkel, M.D. 1999. Mammals of the Middle Eocene Uinta Formation, in Gillette, D.E., Vertebrate Paleontology in Utah, Utah Geological Survey Miscellaneous Publication, 99-1, pp. 401-410.

Stokes, W.L. 1986. Geology of Utah: Utah Museum of Natural History, University of Utah and Utah Geological and Mineral Survey, Department of Natural Resources.

Townsend, K.E. 2004. Stratigraphy, paleoecology, and habitat change in the Middle Eocene of North America, unpublished dissertation, Washington University, 418 pp.

Townsend, K.E., Friscia, A.R., and Rasmussen, D.T. 2006. Stratigraphic distribution of Upper Middle Eocene fossil vertebrate localities in the eastern Uinta Basin, Utah, with comments on Uintan biostratigraphy: The Mountain Geologist, v. 43, no. 2, p. 115-134.

Walsh S.L., 1996. Middle Eocene mammalian faunas of San Diego County, California, in Prothero, D.R., and Emry, R.J., The Terrestrial Eocene-Oligocene Transition in North America, Cambridge University Press, p. 75-119.

An Afternoon Spent Packing Heat, or, An Introduction to the Chadron

The focus on Badlands National Park persists, with a post inspired by a recent field outing. In this case, the objective was potentially radioactive sedimentary rocks, but a brief introduction to one of the formations of Badlands NP is warranted:

Act I: A troubled upbringing

The Chadron Formation (32 – 37 Ma) has a troubled history, not unlike many formations in the western United States. It was originally (and still commonly) distinguished by its “Titanotherium beds/graveyards” (e.g. Hayden, 1857; Clark, 1937), referring to the remains of the huge (Asian elephant-sized) animals now called brontotheres (reconstruction seen at right from here). This is a problematic term, as brontotheres are actually rare in the formation (Prothero and Whittlesey, 1998), and the famous “graveyards” may not actually be plural (see Harksen and Macdonald, 1969). Regardless, brontotheres are very large and distinct fossils, and are restricted to the Chadron in the area of Badlands NP, as far as I know. A type section for the Chadron was eventually assigned (Harksen and Macdonald, 1969), but is admittedly of poor quality, and the boundary with the overlying Brule is “basically continuous” (Stoffer, 2003), causing some individuals (including myself) to wonder why they are considered separate formations…

Anyways, the Chadron Formation is one of the lowermost beds in the stratigraphy of Badlands National Park, directly underlying the cliff-forming Brule Formation. It is predominantly green to grey massive mudrocks and (particularly towards the top) thin marls and limestones. It is also relatively shy in the north unit of the park, but is (allegedly) beautifully exposed in the south unit*. Assigning rocks to the Chadron is a rather casual affair in the park, as most poorly consolidated mudrocks of Late Eocene age are uncritically tossed into the formation (Stoffer, 2003). The high clay content in the Chadron causes them to weather into rolling “haystack” buttes, in contrast to the sharp cliff-like buttes of the Brule (image at left from Stoffer, 2003). The Chadron exhibits the last of the environment that existed in the Eocene in the Badlands NP area, documenting extensive streamside forests, low sedimentation rates, and strongly developed paleosols (Retallack, 1983). Also, in contrast to later beds, mammal fossils are most common in channels sands, not paleosols (Retallack, 1983).

* I have not yet explained – Badlands NP has a north unit and a south unit, with a thin strip connecting the two; the park is shaped like a big, sheared dumbbell. And there’s also a chunk of park to the east of the south unit. 

Act II: I defy the basic physics of radiation

Anyways, in the upper Chadron Formation just outside the park boundary in the south unit is an exposure of channel sandstones with uranium-rich minerals at its base. It is suspected that downward-moving meteoric water carried uranium from overlying ash beds until it reached the base of the sandstone, which is underlain by an impenetrable claystone (Moore and Levish, 1955). I made it my duty last Sunday to try and find this exact sandstone. Thankfully, the original publication on the sandstone (Moore and Levish, 1955), includes a marked topographic map and photographs, so I was in luck. After roughly two hours of hiking over distinctly different terrain depending on which side of the tables I was on, I came upon the following exposure (photo from Moore and Levish (1955) on left, with the same ridge marked "A" in both images for comparison):

As I approached the area marked by the arrow of Moore and Levish (1955) (it's in the middle, and very small), the infamous sandstone was exposed in all its glory (backpack at lower right for scale):

I collected a few samples from the base of the (very well cemented) sandstone, but I won’t know if I was truly successful until I find a Geiger Counter or a bored petrologist. Interestingly, some bone fragments were also found nearby, with distinct coloration. Here, for instance is a cross-section of a distal ungulate tibia (cyan book cover background for color enhancement):

The yellow "rim" is notable - bright oranges and yellows are not uncommon for fossils from the area of Badlands NP, and are suspected to indicate the fossils might be radioactive (M. Cherry, personal communication). Considering the nature of the nearby uranium-bearing sandstones, this is not particularly surprising. As I mentioned before, fossils are most common in channel sandstones in the Chadron (Retallack, 1983), and bones commonly show high concentrations of certain minerals relative to the surrounding rocks, due to their difference in porosity. However, while radioactive fossils are not uncommon (e.g. Farmer et al., 2008), I have not been able to find literature that details why these brightly-colored fossils in Badlands NP are specifically suspected to potentially be radioactive. For now, I am left unsure if this assumption is based on mineralogical studies (good) or just color comparison (bad).

 

REFS

Clark, J. 1937. The stratigraphy and paleontology of the Chadron Formation in the Big Badlands of South Dakota: Carnegie Museum Annals, v. 25, p. 261-350. 

Farmer C.N., Kathren, R.L., and Christensen, C. 2008. Radioactivity in fossils at the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument: Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, vol. 99, no. 8, p. 1355-1359. 

Harksen, J.C., and Macdonald, J.R. 1969. Type sections for the Chadron and Brule Formations of the White River Oligocene in the Big Badlands of South Dakota: South Dakota Geological Survey Report of Investigations 99, 23 p.

Hayden, F.V. 1857. Notes on the geology of the Mauvaises Terres of White River, Nebraska: Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, v. 9, p. 151-158.

Moore, G.W., and Levish, M. 1955. Uranium-bearing sandstone in the White River Badlands, Pennington County, South Dakota: U.S. Geological Survey Circular 359, 7 p.

Prothero, D. R., and Whittlesey, K.E. 1998. Magnetic stratigraphy and biostratigraphy of the Orellan and Whitneyan land mammal "ages" in the White River Group, in Terry, D.O., Jr., LaGarry, H.E., and Hunt, R.M., Jr., eds, Depositional Environments, Lithostratigraphy, and Biostratigraphy of the White River and Arikaree Groups (Late Eocene to Early Miocene, North America): Geological Society of America, Special Paper 325, p. 39-61.

Retallack, G.J. 1983. Late Eocene and Oligocene paleosols from Badlands National Park, South Dakota: Geological Society of America Special Paper 193, 82 p.

Stoffer, P.W. 2003. Geology of Badlands National Park: A Preliminary Report: U.S. Geological Survey, Open-File Report 03-35, 62 p. (pdf available here)