
| DESCRIPTION |
|---|
| Field Location: Capitol
Reef National Park and vicinity.
Geologic Feature: Cretaceous marine, shoreline, and continental units, including coal. Necessary Background Information: Coal forming environments. The coal resources in Utah. Geologic Problem: Develop a summary of climate change in central Utah for the Pennsylvanian through the Cretaceous. Justify all interpretations with data collected in the field or from references. Rock Units Exposed Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation to Emery Sandstone. Skills: Preparation of geologic reports, citations and reference lists. Other Questions to Consider: (1) How are the sedimentary units linked to one another? (2) Compare the different units, and estimate depositional rates for each. (3) Under what conditions does coal form and become preserved? (4) Where else (in Utah, in the U.S.) would an exploration geologist look for coal? Anticipated Outcomes: Consolidation of field evidence into a cohesive and understandable format. Understanding of depositional environments based on field observations. Derivation of climatic conditions from the rock record. |