Permian Castile Varved Evaporite Sequence, West Texas and New Mexico

Research Article| January 01, 1972 Permian Castile Varved Evaporite Sequence, West Texas and New Mexico ROGER Y ANDERSON; ROGER Y ANDERSON Department of Geology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar WALTER E DEAN, JR.; WALTER E DEAN, JR. Department of Geology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13210 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar DOUGLAS W KIRKLAND; DOUGLAS W KIRKLAND Mobil Research and Development Corporation, Dallas, Texas 75221 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar HENRY I SNIDER HENRY I SNIDER Department of Physical Sciences, Eastern Connecticut State College, Willimantic, Connecticut 06226 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information ROGER Y ANDERSON Department of Geology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87106 WALTER E DEAN, JR. Department of Geology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13210 DOUGLAS W KIRKLAND Mobil Research and Development Corporation, Dallas, Texas 75221 HENRY I SNIDER Department of Physical Sciences, Eastern Connecticut State College, Willimantic, Connecticut 06226 Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 19 Oct 1970 Revision Received: 19 Jul 1971 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Copyright © 1972, The Geological Society of America, Inc. Copyright is not claimed on any material prepared by U.S. government employees within the scope of their employment. GSA Bulletin (1972) 83 (1): 59–86. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1972)83[59:PCVESW]2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 19 Oct 1970 Revision Received: 19 Jul 1971 First Online: 02 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 ROGER Y ANDERSON, WALTER E DEAN, DOUGLAS W KIRKLAND, HENRY I SNIDER; Permian Castile Varved Evaporite Sequence, West Texas and New Mexico. GSA Bulletin 1972;; 83 (1): 59–86. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1972)83[59:PCVESW]2.0.CO;2 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 SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Laminations in the Upper Permian evaporite sequence in the Delaware Basin appear in the preevaporite phase of the uppermost Bell Canyon Formation as alternations of siltstone and organic layers. The laminations then change character and composition upward to organically laminated claystone, organically laminated calcite, the calcite-laminated anhydrite typical of the Castile Formation, and finally to the anhydrite-laminated halite of the Castile and Salado.Laminae are correlative for distances up to 113 km (70.2 mi) and probably throughout most of the basin. Each lamina is synchronous, and each couplet of two laminated components is interpreted as representing an annual layer of sedimentation—a varve.The thickness of each couplet in the 260,000-varve sequence (a total thickness of 447.2 m, 1467 ft) has been measured individually and recorded and provides the basis for subdividing and correlating major stratigraphic units within the basin. The uppermost 9.2 m (30.3 ft) of the Bell Canyon Formation contains about 50,850 varve couplets; the Basal Limestone Member of the Castile about 600; the lowermost anhydrite member of the Castile (Anhydrite I) contains 38,397; Halite I, 1,063; Anhydrite II, 14,414; Halite II, 1,758; Anhydrite III, 46,592; Halite III, 17,879; and Anhydrite IV, 54,187. The part of the Salado collected (126.6 m) contains 35,422 varve couplets. The Bell Canyon-Castile sequence in the cores studied is apparently continuous, with no recognizable unconformities.The dominant petrologic oscillation in the Castile and Salado, other than the laminations, is a change from thinner undisturbed anhydrite laminae to thicker anhydrite laminae that generally show a secondary or penecontem-poraneous nodular character, with about 1,000 to 3,000 units between major oscillations or nodular beds. These nodular zones are correlative throughout the area of study and underly halite when it is present. The halite layers alternate with anhydrite laminae, are generally recrystallized, and have an average thickness of about 3 cm. The halite beds were once west of their present occurrence in the basin but were dissolved, leaving beds of anhydrite breccia. The onset and cessation of halite deposition in the basin was nearly synchronous.The Anhydrite I and II Members thicken gradually across the basin from west to east, whereas the Halite I, II, and III Members are thickest in the eastern and northeastern part of the basin and thicken from southeast to northwest. This distribution and the synchroneity indicate a departure from the classical model of evaporite zonation. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.