Stratigraphic comparison of the Precambrian Wyman and Johnnie Formations in the Western Great Basin, California

Author

Johnnie Nathan Moore, University of California - Los Angeles

Award Date

1973

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Geology

First Committee Member

Clemens A. Nelson, Chair

Number of Pages

60

Abstract

The Precambrian Johnnie Formation in the Death Valley area and to the south is separable into two facies. The southern facies contains six distinct members: the transitional, quartzite, lower carbonate-bearing, siltstone, upper carbonate-bearing, and Rainstorm members. Dolomite, quartzite, and mudstone characterize the southern facies, as does the presence of the Johnnie oolite. To the north the Johnnie oolite pinches out and the amount of mudstone in the formation increases. The dominantly mudstone northern facies contains local gray limestone lenses closely similar to limestone in the Wyman Formation in the White-Inyo Mountains. Generally outcrops of the northern facies of the Johnnie are indistinguishable from those of the correlative Wyman Formation.

A significant unconformity separates the Wyman Formation from the overlying Reed Dolomite and locally the Stirling Quartzite unconformably rests on the Johnnie. This supports a correlation model that omits strata in the White-Inyo Mountains equivalent to the lower Stirling and includes the Johnnie and underlying formations as equivalent to the Wyman.

A shallow sea with local reef-like areas and low-lying temporary islands in the northwestern or western areas was the site of deposition for the Johnnie and Wyman Formations. The sea covered a westward subsiding open basin or a northwestward subsiding trough.

Keywords

Formations (Geology); Geology; Stratigraphic; Precambrian Geologic Period; Sedimentary rocks; United States – Death Valley

Disciplines

Geology | Sedimentology | Stratigraphy

File Format

pdf

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Comments

Supplemental file contains 27 pages of plates and descriptions.

Repository Citation

Moore, Johnnie Nathan, "Stratigraphic comparison of the Precambrian Wyman and Johnnie Formations in the Western Great Basin, California" (1973). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 1437.
http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/3431616

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/