Correlation and Paleoenvironments above West T9.3 Tuff, Pisco Formation, Peru

110 Pages·2016·9.82 MB·English

by  Caleb Stanton

Loma Linda University
TheScholarsRepository@LLU: Digital Archive of Research,
Scholarship & Creative Works
Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects
6-2014
Correlation and Paleoenvironments above West
T9.3 Tuff, Pisco Formation, Peru
Caleb Stanton
Follow this and additional works at:http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd
Part of theGeology Commons
Recommended Citation
Stanton, Caleb, "Correlation and Paleoenvironments above West T9.3 Tuff, Pisco Formation, Peru" (2014).Loma Linda University
Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects. 219.
http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/219
This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by TheScholarsRepository@LLU: Digital Archive of Research, Scholarship & Creative Works. It
has been accepted for inclusion in Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects by an authorized administrator of
TheScholarsRepository@LLU: Digital Archive of Research, Scholarship & Creative Works. For more information, please contact
[email protected].
LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY
School of Medicine
in conjunction with the
Faculty of Graduate Studies

____________________

Correlation and Paleoenvironments above West T9.3 Tuff,
Pisco Formation, Peru

by

Caleb Stanton

____________________

A Thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of
the requirements for the degree
Master of Science in Geology

____________________

June 2014
© 2014

Caleb Stanton
All Rights Reserved
Each person whose signature appears below certifies that this thesis in his/her opinion is
adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree Master of Science.

, Chairperson
Kevin E. Nick, Associate Professor of Earth and Biological Sciences

Ronald Nalin, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Earth and Biological Sciences

Leonard R. Brand, Chair and Professor of Earth and Biological Sciences

iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author is thankful to several people and institutions that collaborated for the
success of this research. The department of Earth and Biological Sciences at Loma Linda
University provided funds for this project and supported the author with a tuition waiver
and stipend for his degree completion. Additional funding came from the Geoscience
Research Institute.
The committee members Dr. Kevin Nick, Dr. Ronald Nalin and Dr. Leonard
Brand were vital. Preparation and organization of this research would not have been
possible without the assistance of Dr. Kevin Nick in the field and lab. Dr. Brand and Dr.
Nalin were vital in the revision and corrections of drafts of this manuscript. The
discussions and teamwork by Dr. Nick, Jankel Coronado, Dan O’Hare and Monte
Fleming throughout the process of this research were invaluable. Finally, I would like to
thank fellow students for providing an atmosphere and collaborative environment that
made this experience worthwhile.
To my family and friends, your love and support through this long endeavor has
been invaluable and I could not have finished without you. To my beautiful and loving
fiancée Julie, I am so thankful for your support and commitment. You have been a source
of peace and fulfillment during this long and sometimes arduous process. And finally, I
would like to thank God for providing me the opportunity to study Creation and for His
gift of insatiable curiosity that has made this process rewarding.
iv
DEDICATION

To my father, who has always believed in me and helped me to persevere.

v
CONTENT

Approval Page .................................................................................................................... iii

Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv

Dedication ............................................................................................................................v

Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi

List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix

List of Figures ......................................................................................................................x

List of Abbreviations ....................................................................................................... xiii

Abstract ............................................................................................................................ xiv

Chapter

1. Introduction ..............................................................................................................1

Shelf Sedimentation ...........................................................................................2

Wave-Dominated Coasts .............................................................................2

Tempesite Deposition ........................................................................................4
Phosphogenesis ..................................................................................................4
References Cited ..............................................................................................14

2. High Resolution Correlation and Paleoenvironments of Diatomaceous
Siltstones and Sandstone Intervals, Miocene Pisco Formation, Peru ....................16

Abstract ............................................................................................................17
Introduction ......................................................................................................18
Geologic Setting...............................................................................................19
Stratigraphy ......................................................................................................20
Sedimentology .................................................................................................25
Objectives and Significance of the Study ........................................................25
Methods............................................................................................................25
Basis of Correlation .........................................................................................27

Identification of Marker Tuff .....................................................................27
Correlation Based on the Marker Tuff .......................................................27

vi
Sedimentology .................................................................................................31

Introduction to the Facies and Sections .....................................................31

Facies ...............................................................................................................31

Introduction to Sandstone Unit: SS .........................................................31
vf

Very fine sandstone........................................................................31

D .............................................................................................................33
DL

Diatom drapes, laminated mudstone, and
sandy siltstone ................................................................................33

SS ........................................................................................................33
vf-N3

Bioturbated, hummocky cross-bedded, and
wave-rippled sandstone ..................................................................33

SS ........................................................................................................36
vf-N2

Massive/cross/planar sandstone with minimal
bioturbation ....................................................................................36

SS ........................................................................................................36
vf-N1

Massive/cross-bedded/planar sandstone with
rip-ups, bioclasts, and minimal bioturbation..................................36

SS ........................................................................................................37
vf-N0

Friable massive sandstone with fluid escape
and load structures .........................................................................37

Sl & Sl ...................................................................................................37
D M

Hummocky/swaley cross-bedded & sub-
parallel parted diatomaceous siltstone, silty
diatomite, and muddy siltstone ......................................................37

D ..............................................................................................................42
sl

Dolomite-cemented diatomaceous siltstone
and silty diatomite ..........................................................................42

vii
C .............................................................................................................49
mp

Phosphate pebble/fossil conglomerate ...........................................49

T ..............................................................................................................51
uff

Massive tuff with biotite ................................................................51

Introduction to the Sections .............................................................................51
Facies Interpretations .......................................................................................64

Sandstone Unit ...........................................................................................64

Lower shoreface sand bars .............................................................64

Sl & Sl ...................................................................................................66
D M

Offshore/transitional marine shelf siltstones
and diatomite ..................................................................................66

D ..............................................................................................................67
sl

Diagenetic cementation during upwelling
and sulfate reduction; suboxic conditions in
the subsurface.................................................................................67

C .............................................................................................................68
mp

Condensed phosphate pebbles/fossils ............................................68

T ..............................................................................................................70
uff

Air fall tuff .....................................................................................70

Paleoenvironmental Trends .............................................................................71
Depositional Model ..........................................................................................74
Conclusions ......................................................................................................80
References Cited ..............................................................................................88

3. Conclusions and Future Research ..........................................................................91

Appendices
A. Compositional and Textural Data ......................................................................92

viii
TABLES

Tables Page

1. Physical description of tuffs...................................................................................28
2. Compositional weight percent from XRD for the sandstone unit..........................39
3. Weight percent composition for the Sl facies from XRD ...................................44
D
4. Weight percent composition from X-ray diffraction for samples from the D
sl
facies ......................................................................................................................47
5. X-ray diffraction weight percent data for samples from the C facies ................50
mp
6. Grain sizes of the largest mode and standard deviation for the T facies ............52
uff
7. Chemical data on glass in tuff samples ..................................................................52
8. Chemical data on biotite in tuff samples ................................................................52
9. Textural data for Section Z1 showing facies designation, grain size mode,
magnetic susceptibility (MS), and clay volume percent ........................................92
10. Textural data for Section Z2 showing facies designation, grain size mode,
magnetic susceptibility (MS), and clay volume percent ........................................93
11. Textural data for Section Z3 showing facies designation, grain size mode,
magnetic susceptibility (MS), and clay volume percent ........................................93

ix