ISGC Field Trips
FT01. Aeolian Sedimentary Structures, from wind ripples to compound dunes
| REGISTRATION CLOSED TRIP FULL This 1-day field trips takes participants to two stops that illustrate outstanding examples of aeolian sedimentary structures, from the smallest fine structures (wind ripples, grainfall, and grainflow stratification) to larger assemblages of compound cross-bedding deposited by small dunes migrating over larger dunes. The outcrops also contain less common structures including cyclic cross-bedding produced by seasonally reversing winds, replaced evaporites, small dinosaur burrows, deformational structures, and fluid-escape structures. DETAILS On the road by 8:00AM. Drive ~ 2 hours to Page, AZ. Visit first outcrop. Eat box lunches there. Visit second outcrop ~20-30 minutes away. Also outcrops are near Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam, and while we are driving or stopped for lunch David Topping will discuss the science behind the USGS sediment program and the attempted restoration of sediment resources downstream in Grand Canyon as part of the Glen Canyon Adaptive Management Program. Safety - Terrain is rocky and off-trail, but no climbing or hand-holds required. Just hiking over rocks. Weather might be hot, but we don’t walk more than a mile or 2 on either stop. |
FT02. Jurassic of Kane County, South-central Utah Revisited: Eolian, Wadi, & Microbialite Facies in the Carmel Formation and Disturbed Facies in the Navajo Sandstone
| CANCELLED DUE TO LOW REGISTRATION White House camp adjacent to Paria River in the Paria Wilderness south of and adjacent to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument; Middle Jurassic Carmel Formation. Attention is given to: 1) Eolian, wadi, and shoreline processes that deposited signature internal structure of facies, 2) Remarkably exposed interfingering between wind- and water-laid beds, 3) Distinguishing diagenetic and weathering traits related to grain size, packing, porosity, and permeability in eolian sandflow strata and resulting sand clusters on outcrop surfaces, and 4) Internal structure of microbial build-ups. DETAILS Thursday 9 May – Travel Day Departure Flagstaff, AZ Rest stop at Visitor Center, Glen Canyon Dam, Page AZ. Arrive Kanab, UT, and check-in at Parry Lodge. Announcements and information on the next day’s start time and activities. Ice Breaker included then dinner at participant’s own expense. Friday 10 May Breakfast in dining room at Parry Lodge Depart Parry Lodge. Arrive Paria Contact Station. Park vehicles in circular gravel drive for meet-and-greet, rest stop, and local and regional geologic overview. Arrive White House campground. Assemble as a group and hike through campground on sandy and slickrock path to Field Stops that feature exposures of the Thousand Pockets Member, Carmel Formation. Return to Parry Lodge and trip dinner included Saturday 11 May Breakfast in dining room at Parry Lodge Check-out of Parry Lodge, assemble in front parking area, and load passenger vehicles. Arrive at parking area for trailhead to Wire Pass/Coyote Wash trail. •Load daypacks with lunch, water, snacks, and other personal items. A 0.75 mile (1.2 km), easy downslope walk on sandy, gravelly stream bed of Wire Pass/Coyote Wash trail ends at exposure of disturbed facies in the Lower Jurassic Navajo Sandstone. End of field trip and return to Flagstaff, AZ. Safety: ✓Sturdy boots with skid-free lug soles, hiking pants and shirt, hat, day packs for lunches, water, snacks, and other personal items, hand lens, camera, notebook and writing tools. ✓No need for hard hats, water travel by boat, swimming, or wading through water. ✓First Day, Site 1: Light to moderate vertical ascents and descents on rounded slickrock slopes and benches, and on loose sand. ✓Second Day, Site 2: A 1.5 mile (2.4 km) round-trip walk along a sandy, gravelly wash. |
FT03. Mural Limestone of Arizona: Depositional Facies and Cyclicity in a Peak Greenhouse Ramp Interior Setting and Implications for Reservoir Characterization
| CANCELLED DUE TO LOW REGISTRATION Improve understanding of depositional processes, facies architecture and environmental factors associated with carbonate development during Oceanic Anoxic Event 1b (Cretaceous) within a ramp interior sequence stratigraphic setting, with applications for subsurface characterization. We will spend two and a half days examining Aptian-Albian exposures of ramp interior and patch-reef facies that mark the maximum marine transgression into the study area and the circum-Gulf of Mexico region. Day 1 (Thursday May 9) AM: Drive to Bisbee (~6 hrs). PM: Visit to Freeport McMoRan Copper Queen Branch for safety orientation. Stratigraphic overview of the Bisbee Group and Mural Limestone. Dinner on your own. Day 2 (Friday May 10) Visit the Paul Spur patch-reef outcrop. Discuss facies associations, cyclicity and environmental conditions for reef diversification & evolution. Identify potential reservoir facies and compare to productive Maverick Basin (Glen Rose) patch-reefs. Tie back to Grassy Hill facies on the way back to the hotel and discuss overall maximum flooding of the circum-Gulf of Mexico region. Dinner on your own. Drone view of Paul Spur - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27qKySn-Ado **Note this is Field Trip #3, not #5 in the video title. Day 3 (Saturday May 11) AM: meet at the cars and drive to hike up to Grassy Hill (~1.5hr) via Freeport McMoRan property, discuss stratigraphic setting and rudist biostrome geometry. Have lunch on the outcrop, then hike back to cars (~1 hr). PM: Drive to Tucson Airport (~2hr), estimated arrival at airport is 2:30-3:00 pm. Note: some people may need to stay another night in Tucson and fly out in the morning, so please check flight availability before registering. Safety 1) Rocky and exposed arid terrain with little to no shade, sun protection needed. 2) Day 3 hike to Grassy Hill is ~2 miles one way with 900’ elevation gain. Long pants, long sleeves, hat, full height hiking boots are required. Leg gaiters required (brush and rattlesnake protection) |
FT04. Algal Mounds and Fractures in Upper Paleozoic mixed carbonates siliciclastics cycles of the Paradox Basin
| REGISTRATION CLOSED TRIP FULL Upper Paleozoic rocks in the Paradox Basin of southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah are the result of cyclic deposition of mixed carbonates, siliciclastics and evaporites. Deeply incised canyons along the San Juan River provide spectacular exposures of rocks. We will utilize these outcrops to examine the cyclic nature of Pennsylvanian strata and the vertical and lateral facies variations. We will observe the dimensions and heterogeneities of an exhumed algal mound field and relate it to subsurface data. The goals of the field trip are to illustrate some fundamental processes in mixed sedimentation, high-resolution sequence stratigraphy and mechanical stratigraphy. This trip includes landside and river trip outcrops. DETAILS Day 1 (Thursday May 9): Travel from Flagstaff to Bluff, Utah Day 2 (Friday May 10): The second day (= first day in the field) starts with a Goosenecks overview to see the general cyclicity of the stratigraphy in the Paradox Basin. Walking along the Honaker trail into the canyon with spectacular exposures of rocks will allow us to examine the cycles of mixed carbonate-siliciclastic depositional systems and to study the vertical variability of the strata. We will examine the fracture patterns and demonstrate how high-resolution sequence stratigraphy is related to mechanical stratigraphy. Day 3 (Saturday May 11): The day will be devoted entirely to a raft trip on the San Juan River. We will examine the exposed algal buildups at 8-foot Rapids, which are the main reservoir facies in the subsurface. Mound development, unfilled accommodation space and cycle thickness varaitons will be the main objectives of the day. Day 4 (Sunday May 12): We will walk along an old road into Raplee Anticline through the entire section to observe the facies and the stratigraphic cycling of the Pennsylvanian strata. High-resolution sequence stratigraphy, vertical facies changes and the comparison of the fracture pattern with the one at Honaker Trail will be the main focus of the day. Early afternoon – evening, return trip to Flagstaff. Safety: All the field stops are off the road and the first day is a long walk into and out of the canyon (4 – 6 hours). Be prepared with sturdy hiking boots, sun protection, etc. For the boat trip, the outfitter will provide the necessary equipment (vests) and first aid kits. |
