Stratigraphy and depositional environments of the Lower Mississippian Joana Limestone in southern White Pine and northern Lincoln Counties, Nevada

Journal Article · Sun Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1990 · Mountain Geologist; (USA)

OSTI ID:6220531

Gilmore, T J ^[1]

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1. Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories, Richland, WA (USA)

The Lower Mississippian Joana Limestone in the southern Schell Creek and Egan ranges of east-central Nevada is composed of three depositional facies: the unbedded wackestone with grainstone/packstone facies or Facies 1; the bedded wackestone with mudstone facies or Facies 2; and the restricted wackestone, mudstone/shale facies, or Facies 3. Facies 1 is characterized by Waulsortian-type carbonate buildups with massive unbedded wackestone cores, grainstone flanking beds and grainstone/packstone capping units. Facies 2 is characterized by an upward progression of sedimentary bedding types from thinly laminated to large scale trough cross-bedding that indicates a shoaling upward of this facies. Facies 3 is characterized by sparse wackestones, mudstones, and shale which show a decrease in both faunal types and diversity and an increase in fine clastics. The restricted wackestone, mudstone/shale facies grades upward into the Mississippian Chainman Shale. The age of the Joana Limestone is confirmed as late Kinderhookian to early Osagean based primarily on conodonts and foraminifera. In the middle beds of the Joana Limestone, the previously unreported upper Siphonodella crenulata conodont zone occurs which helps correlate the Joana Limestone with regional transgressive/regressive sea level events. Color alteration indices of these conodonts are 1.5 to 2, and occur in the oil generation window. Additionally, oil staining was observed in numerous samples located primarily in the lower half of the formation, represented by Facies 3, the unbedded wackestone with grainstone/packstone facies.

• OSTI ID: 6220531
• Journal Information: Mountain Geologist; (USA), Vol. 27:2; ISSN 0027-254X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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