Glacial-eustatic sea-level curve for early Late Pennsylvanian sequence in north-central Texas and biostratigraphic correlation with curve for midcontinent North America

Journal Article · Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · Geology; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1989)017<0802:GESLCF>2.3.CO;2· OSTI ID:7135819

Boardman, II, D R ^[1]; Heckel, P H ^[2]

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1. Texas Tech Univ., Lubbock (USA)
2. Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City (USA)

At least 30 transgressive-regressive cycles of deposition are recognized from the upper Desmoinesian East Mountain Shale to the mid-Virgilian Wayland Shale in north-central Texas. Maximum regressive deposits are typically paleosol mudstones and fluvial sandstones; maximum transgressive deposits are typically widespread, ammonoid-bearing, conodont-rich, dark phosphatic shales in more major cycles, and persistent fossiliferous shales or limestones overlying terrestrial deposits in more minor cycles. Delta complexes dominate the regressive sequences of many cycles. Using biostratigraphic criteria of first, last, sole, or acme occurrence of ammonoid, conodont, and fusulinid taxa, the authors correlate 17 cycles in the Texas sequence directly with 17 glacial-eustatic cycles of similar magnitude in the northern midcontinent. This correlation suggests that glacial eustacy was the basic control over the cyclic sequence in Texas, that tectonic masking of the eustatic signal by nearby orogenic movement in Texas was negligible, and that delta shifting, though conspicuous, was only a secondary control over the cyclicity there. Minor cycles recognized between the correlated cycles also match well enough between Texas and the midcontinent to further discount potential tectonic or deltaic masking of glacial-eustatic cyclicity. This strengthens the likelihood of correlating glacial-eustatic events across larger parts of North America, and perhaps with other parts of the world.

• OSTI ID: 7135819
• Journal Information: Geology; (USA), Vol. 17:9; ISSN 0091-7613
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
STRATIGRAPHY
SEA LEVEL
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
TEXAS
CARBONIFEROUS PERIOD
CORRELATIONS
DEPOSITION
FOSSILS
GEOLOGIC MODELS
GLACIERS
SANDSTONES
SHALES
SILTSTONES
TECTONICS
FEDERAL REGION VI
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGY
LEVELS
NORTH AMERICA
PALEOZOIC ERA
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
USA
580000* - Geosciences