Graphic correlation of early Pennsylvania-Middle Permian strata of the southwestern United States using a modified version of Shaw's method

Conference · Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:6138982

Benoist, S L; Nestell, M K ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Texas, Arlington, TX (United States). Dept. of Geology

A composite standard reference section (CSRS) to act as an objective standard of reference for Early Pennsylvanian-Middle Permian strata (Morrowan to Leonardian) of the southwestern US is made using a modified version of Shaw's graphic correlation method. The first and last occurrences of fusulinaceans from 45 measured sections are used as a data base. A section located on Ferguson Mt., northeastern Nevada, was selected as a standard reference section (SRS) because it contains a long and well documented Early Pennsylvanian to Middle Permian fusulinacean-bearing sequence. Graphic compositing of the data, using a manual placement of the line of correlation (LOC), proceeded in a west-to-east pattern employing sections in northeastern and southern Nevada, southeastern Arizona, southern New Mexico, and western Texas. Graphcor, a commercial software package, was used to ease data manipulation. Several rounds of compositing were necessary to stabilize the range data in the CSRS in which the ranges of fusulinacean genera closely mirror published range data. Factors hindering the evaluation of the CSRS range data are: (1) the inability to place confidence intervals due to the semi-quantitative nature of the correlation method, (2) the difficulty in accurately placing the LOC between sections due to a paucity of shared data points, reflecting the facies-controlled and endemic nature of fusulinacean distributions; and (3) the uncertainty of published species assignments. Therefore, though a refined, objective zonation can be generated using composite standard ranges of fusulinacean species, the correlative utility of the zonal boundaries is limited.

• OSTI ID: 6138982
• Report Number(s): CONF-9303212-; CODEN: GAAPBC
• Journal Information: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 25:1; Conference: 27. annual Geological Society of America (GSA) South-Central Section meeting, Fort Worth, TX (United States), 15-16 Mar 1993; ISSN 0016-7592
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
GEOLOGIC STRATA
AGE ESTIMATION
PALEONTOLOGY
NEVADA
NEW MEXICO
TEXAS
CARBONIFEROUS PERIOD
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COMPILED DATA
DATA COMPILATION
DIAGRAMS
FORAMINIFERA
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
PERMIAN PERIOD
STRATIGRAPHY
ANIMALS
DATA
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EVALUATION
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
INFORMATION
INVERTEBRATES
MICROORGANISMS
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
PALEOZOIC ERA
PROTOZOA
SARCODINA
USA
580000* - Geosciences