Feast to famine: Sediment supply control on Laramide basin fill

Abstract

Research Article| March 01, 2006 Feast to famine: Sediment supply control on Laramide basin fill Alan R. Carroll; Alan R. Carroll 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, 1215 W. Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Lauren M. Chetel; Lauren M. Chetel 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, 1215 W. Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar M. Elliot Smith M. Elliot Smith 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, 1215 W. Dayton Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2006) 34 (3): 197–200. https://doi.org/10.1130/G22148.1 Article history received: 18 Aug 2005 rev-recd: 04 Nov 2005 accepted: 09 Nov 2005 first online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Alan R. Carroll, Lauren M. Chetel, M. Elliot Smith; Feast to famine: Sediment supply control on Laramide basin fill. Geology 2006;; 34 (3): 197–200. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G22148.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Erosion of Laramide-style uplifts in the western United States exerted an important first-order influence on Paleogene sedimentation by controlling sediment supply rates to adjacent closed basins. During the latest Cretaceous through Paleocene, these uplifts exposed thick intervals of mud-rich Upper Cretaceous foreland basin fill, which was quickly eroded and redeposited. Cretaceous sedimentary lithologies dominate Paleocene conglomerate clast compositions, and the volume of eroded foreland basin strata is approximately twice the volume of preserved Paleocene basin fill. As a result of this sediment oversupply, clastic alluvial and paludal facies dominate Paleocene strata, and are associated with relatively shallow and ephemeral freshwater lake facies. In contrast, large, long-lived, carbonate-producing lakes occupied several of the basins during the Eocene. Basement-derived clasts (granite, quartzite, and other metamorphic rocks) simultaneously became abundant in lower Eocene conglomerate. We propose that Eocene lakes developed primarily due to exposure of erosion-resistant lithologies within cores of Laramide uplifts. The resultant decrease in erosion rate starved adjacent basins of sediment, allowing the widespread and prolonged deposition of organic-rich lacustrine mudstone. These observations suggest that geomorphic evolution of the surrounding landscape should be considered as a potentially important influence on sedimentation in many other interior basins, in addition to more conventionally interpreted tectonic and climatic controls. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.