Paleogeography and the Late Cretaceous of the Western Interior of middle North America; coal distribution and sediment accumulation

Abstract

A synthesis of Late Cretaceous paleogeography of the Western Interior, from Mexico to southwestern Canada, emphasizes the areal distribution of peat-forming environments quring six biostratigraphically constrained time intervals. Isopach maps of strata for each interval reveal the locations and magnitude of major depocenters. A comparison of coal distribution and sediment accumulation within an overall paleogeographic framework provides insight into the relative importance of tectonism, eustasy, and climate on the accumulation of thick peats and their preservation as coals.