Stratigraphy and paleogeographic setting of Paleozoic rocks in the San Bernardino Mountains, California
- Pluess-Staufer Inc., Lucerne Valley (United States)
Extensive exposures of pre-Mesozoic metasedimentary rocks are present in the San Bernardino Mountains. Overlying Precambrian basement are quartzite-dominated sequences previously correlated with late Precambrian and Early Cambrian miogeoclinal strata of the Johnnie Formation, Stirling Quartzite, Wood Canyon Formation, Zabriskie Quartzite, and Carrara Formation. Overlying is a thick section of carbonate rocks previously lumped into the Furnace Limestone of Carboniferous age. During the last decade extensive detailed mapping and chemical and paleontological data have shown that the sequence can be subdivided and correlated with the Cambrian Bonanza King and Nopah formations, the unconformably overlying Sultan Limestone of Devonian Age, Mississippian Monte Cristo Limestone, and the unconformably overlying Bird Spring Formation of Pennsylvanian through Permian age. Ordovician and Silurian strata have not been recognized in the area. The carbonate strata are identical to cratonal and transitional miogeoclinal strata exposed in several ranges in the Mojave Desert region, and were deposited in a shallow-marine environment. Regional isopachous and facies trends originally extended southwest across the Mojave, and suggest a westward bulge in the continental margin prior to Mesozoic truncation and compressional tectonics.
- OSTI ID:
- 5142229
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9103128--
- Journal Information:
- AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States), Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States) Vol. 75:2; ISSN AABUD; ISSN 0149-1423
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
580000* -- Geosciences
CALIFORNIA
CAMBRIAN PERIOD
CARBONATE ROCKS
CARBONIFEROUS PERIOD
CORRELATIONS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DEVONIAN PERIOD
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GEOLOGY
MAPPING
METAMORPHIC ROCKS
MOUNTAINS
NORTH AMERICA
PALEOZOIC ERA
QUARTZITES
ROCKS
SAN BERNARDINO MOUNTAINS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
STRATIGRAPHY
USA