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Contributions to the stratigraphy of southwestern Colorado

Professional Paper 90-E
By:  and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/pp90E

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Abstract

In the course of field work of the United States Geological Survey in the San Juan region of Colorado observations have been made in the last three seasons that considerably extend our knowledge of the great stratigraphic break below the La Plata sandstone, which is currently assumed to be of Jurassic age. The new data pertain partly to the relations existing in the Gunnison Valley, north of the San Juan Mountains, where the unconformity marking this break was already known at certain places, and partly to the conditions in the Piedra Valley, on the south side of the mountains, where the unconformity had not before been noted. The Piedra Valley is of special interest, and it seems well to call attention to the relations observed even though they were examined only in a reconnaissance. The first part of this paper is devoted to the evidence of the overlap of the La Plata sandstone; the second to the stratigraphic relations in the Piedra Valley. The section of sedimentary formations in Piedra Canyon is of much interest because none of the pre-La Plata formations are known east of this locality on the south side of the San Juan Mountains. Most of these formations exhibit a notably different facies where they reappear from beneath the overlying beds at their nearest exposures in New Mexico, southeast of the Piedra Valley. It is believed that the character of the formations in the Piedra section should be recorded for the benefit of geologists who may be studying the Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks of New Mexico, and accordingly the second part of the paper presents details of the structure and the stratigraphic section of Piedra Valley.

Study Area

Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title Contributions to the stratigraphy of southwestern Colorado
Series title Professional Paper
Series number 90
Chapter E
DOI 10.3133/pp90E
Year Published 1915
Language English
Description 14 p.
Larger Work Type Report
Larger Work Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Larger Work Title Shorter contributions to general geology, 1914
First page 39
Last page 50
Country United States
State Colorado
Other Geospatial San Juan Region
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