Date of Award

2026-05-01

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Geological Sciences

Advisor(s)

Richard P. Langford

Abstract

This study documents the halokinetic evolution of the Sinbad Valley salt wall and flanking megaflap through the characterization of its lithofacies, stratigraphy, and major structures. Sinbad Valley salt wall is in the northern Paradox Basin, in western Colorado, and is the most proximal salt diapir to the Uncompahgre Uplift, the clastic sediment source for the basin. Megaflaps are recently defined structures involving early minibasin strata that are folded up to form steeply dipping "stratal panels" along the sides of steep diapirs. The Sinbad Valley megaflap crops out as a ~7.5km long and 400m wide panel of folded and deformed Pennsylvanian- and Permian-aged stratigraphy striking 145 degrees southeast and dipping steeply southwest. This study combines petrographic facies analysis with detailed geological mapping and correlation of measured stratigraphic sections to document the significant lateral changes in stratal thicknesses and lithofacies across the strike length of the megaflap. The megaflap stratigraphy and lithofacies were correlated using three limestone marker beds. This study demonstrates that deposition of the Sinbad Valley megaflap strata was synkinematic, with megaflap strata deposited on a mobile and eroded salt pillow, earlier than that shown by earlier studies. Deformation continued during deposition of the megaflap strata. Rotation of the megaflap also began much earlier, providing a Pennsylvanian age for diapirism initiation.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

208 p.

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Michael David Laase

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Geology Commons

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