The green river formation is an eocene geologic formation that records the sedimentation in a group of intermountain lakes in three basins along the presentday green river in colorado, wyoming. The green river formation is an eocene geologic formation that records the sedimentation in a group of intermountain lakes in three basins along the. Book cliffs geological feature, utah, united states. Fossils of the green river formation stefano piccini on. Green river with its beautiful scenery, rugged outdoors and abundant recreation, green river attracts thrillseekers and naturelovers of all stripes. From this dramatic beginning, the water swells into one of the states biggest rivers and winds southward to the utah. Unraveling the geologic history of the greater green river basin in wyoming. Outcrops and cores from the top of the lacustrine tipton member and the base of the wilkins peak member 51. Dolomitization in the uteland butte member of the eocene.
Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2. Mining history books 10 native american books 11 wild west books 10 roadside history books 8 utah history books 29. Geological survey oil shale assessment team, 2011, oil shale resources of the eocene green river formation, greater green river basin, wyoming, colorado, and utah. Unraveling the geologic history of the greater green river.
Nolin river flows primarily south, meeting the green river just north of brownsville. The green river formation of wyoming, colorado and utah contains an important. Following the revolutionary war, many veterans staked claims along the green river as payment for their military service. Geological survey digital data series dds69dd, 6 chapters, pages variable. The geologic history of fossil butte national monument and. Many species of insects are found in the green river formation, including dragonflies. So, if the green river formation is a postdiluvial lake deposit, 3 km of deposition must first occur in a subsiding uinta basin. The timecorrelated cross sections provide a necessary framework for understanding the depositional history of the green river formation and will facilitate evaluation of oil shale and other mineral resources in the piceance creek basin. It was during this regressive period of the lakes history that the wilkins peak member of the green river formation was deposited fig.
The darker bands of rock contain the most organic matter. From worldclass fishing and wildlife watching to family sports complexes, river rafting, kayaking and swimming, you will find everything you need to enjoy this unique corner of wyoming. Creationist views of the green river formation creationists have unique challenges explaining the green river formation within biblical earth history. It is probable that at one time or another all of these lakes were connected. Geology of green river formation and associated eocene. The name green river formation is applied to all of the roughly contemporaneous deposits laid down in lakes of utah, colorado, and wyoming. The green river formation, the topmost layer of rock, contains the most extensive record of fossilized freshwater fish in north america. It records sediment from a group of intermountain lakes. The utah department of natural resources map and bookstore is operated by the utah geological survey. The null hypothesis can be rejected with a high degree of confidence in the latemar limestone probability history books 29 opening the west books 16 astronomy and weather books 8. Green river formation project gutenberg selfpublishing. Green river formation usgs publications repository.
It is very easy to recognize because it contains large fossil snails that stand out in a whitetotan color that contrasts with the brownish agate. The aim of this book series is to focus on syntheses or summaries of modern. There are two views of the deposition of the green river formation published by. It is bounded by the rawlins uplift, uinta mountains, sevier overthrust belt.
Green river formation fossil collecting american fossil quarry in kemmerer, wy, july 2526. Digging fossil fish in the green river formation, wyoming. The sediments are deposited in very fine layers, a dark layer during the growing season and a lighthue inorganic layer in the dry season. Giant stromatolites of the eocene green river formation. It was discovered along with food still inside its body and waste not yet disposed, so some of the flora, algae, pollen and arthropods of the time can be studied.
As an important lagerstatte, the green river formation sediments represent a continuous record of deposition that spans a 5 million year period from 53. Green river formation geological feature, united states. The greater green river basin ggrb is a 21,000 square mile basin located in southwestern wyoming. Creationists have unique challenges explaining the green river formation within biblical earth history. Mineralogy and geology of the green river formation of colorado. Stratigraphy and paleolimnology of the green river formation. The basins of the green river formation in wyoming, utah, and. Johnson rc 1985 early cenozoic history of the uinta and. Tertiary history and formations, including the pliocene.
Third, around 4 to 5 km of sedimentary rocks with the green river formation being the first to erode over an area of about 30,000 km 2, must be taken off the anticline. The geological history of fossil butte national monument and fossil basin. Sedimentology and geochemistry of modern and ancient saline. This is the definitive book on the green river formation fossils it is very well written and. Green river formation fossil butte member angelo member age of the green river formation depositional environment fowkes formation sillem member. Eocene green river formation the rocks of utah duration. Outcrop study of the lower green river formation for reservoir characterization and hydrocarbon production enhancement in the altamontbluebell field, uinta basin, utah. Turritella agate is the popular name used for a brown, translucent to semitransparent, fossiliferous agate found in the green river formation of wyoming. Focusing primarily on the fossils of one localethe fossil butte member, or fossil lake, the locale most abundant with fossilsit covers everything from bacteria through various. Lance grandes latest book on the fossils of the green river formation of wyoming is an outstanding. Chapters 29 provide detailed memberscale synthesis of green river formation strata within the greater green river, fossil, piceance creek and uinta basins, while its final two chapters address its enigmatic evaporite deposits and ichnofossils at broad, interbasinal scale.
Beginning near helper, utah, and joined at green river, utah, by a second escarpment, the roan cliffs, the 2,000foot 610metre tall mountain wall, winds a 250mile 400km course along the tavaputs and roan plateaus, ending near grand junction, colorado. Minor glacier clings to the west face of gannet peak, wyomings highest point at,804 feet. Lance grandes latest book on the fossils of the green river formation of wyoming is an outstanding work, written by the worlds premier expert on this region. Some 19 genera of eocene fish come from the green river formation. In a fictional world of fullswing production, just 30 percent of royalty revenue from the green river formation could be enough to pay off the national debt. The basin was formed during the cretaceous period sourced by underlying permian and cretaceous deposits. The geological history of the formation, essentially a lacustrine deposit in a basin cut off from the sea for millions of years, appears to be unique. Introduction to the green river formation springerlink. Other articles where green river formation is discussed. The green river formation is the site at which the fossil of the oldest known flying mammal was found. Stratigraphic cross sections of the eocene green river. Roadside history books 8 utah history books 29 opening the west books 16 astronomy and weather books 8 childrens books 12 allpurpose maps. Stratigraphy and paleolimnology of the green river formation, western usa. About green river, wyoming john wesley powell recognized.
This organism, a bat, icaronycteris index, was preserved with its skeleton, membranes and cartilage intact. Eocene epoch green river formation deposits are found in colorado, wyoming and utah, generally along the presentday green river. The ggrb is host to many anticlines created during the laramide orogeny trapping many of its hydrocarbon resources. Green river formation likely didnt form in a postdiluvial lake. The green river formation an assemblage of over 1,000 feet of sedimentary rocks that lie beneath parts of colorado, utah, and wyoming contains the worlds largest deposits of oil shale.
Stratigraphy and paleolimnology of the green river. Stromatolites of the green river formation mountain. Lepisosteus atrox is a member of the order lepisosteiformes, family lepisosteidae. In recent years, the unconventional carbonate reservoirs in the uteland butte member ubm, base of the grf, have been targeted because of their significant oil and gas resources. After visiting yellowstone national park this summer, i made a trip to wyoming to collect the famous american fossil. Green river formation simple english wikipedia, the free. The layer is about six feet thick, and the fauna indicates water that was better circulated than that associated with the 18inch layer. This book tells the story of the lost world of fossil lake. Book cliffs, geological feature of eastcentral utah and western colorado, u. Oil shale resources of the eocene green river formation.
The green river formation is an eocene rock formation on the eastern side of the rocky mountains. Already, the 6,000 year old yec time frame is refuted. Green river formation, lake gosiute regressed to cover a much smaller area of the greater green river basin, as well as becoming much shallower. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online. The lacustrine eocene green river formation grf is an important oilproducing formation in the uinta basin, utah usa. Ecocene fossil lake, green river formation, wyoming. The oil shale is exposed on the east side of the white mountain escarpment in the green river basin. Green river, wyoming things to do, places to stay, and. The headwaters of the green river seep from mammoth, minor, sourdough and surrounding glaciers in the northern wind river mountains along the continental divide. Green river formation university of california museum of. The images were taken 752003 during an excavation organized by the western interior paleontological society wips under a permit from the bureau of land management, grand junction office. Rocks of the green river formation contain a story of what the environment was like about 50 million years ago in what is now parts of colorado, utah, and. If you were able to visit the green river locality during the eocene, you would see. By contrast, the socalled splitfish layer is unlaminated making extraction and preparation of the best fossil fish far more difficult.
The river valley also attracted a number of vagrants, earning it the dubious nickname rogues harbor in 1842, the green river was canalized, with a series of locks and dams being built to create a navigable channel as far inland as bowling green, kentucky. In my ongoing quest to collect and document the last remaining public fossil collecting sites for the american fossil hunt book and collecting guide, i crossed a big one off the list. The summer before last 2011, i spent some time in wyoming on an energy resources field trip run by sheridan college, and one stop we made was to look at oil shale really kerogenrich marlstone of the green river formation, an eocene lake deposit in southwestern wyoming. The green river formation is an eocene geologic formation that records the sedimentation in a group of intermountain lakes in three basins along the presentday green river in colorado, wyoming, and utah. The green river formation can be thought of as a gigantic lens of lacustrine sediments enclosed in the fluvial wasatch formation. Sedimentary record of seismic events in the eocene green. Green river formation fossil fish, insects, plants and more. Varves in organic marlstone from a bed about 1800 feet above the base of the green river formation. Of course, things become even worse for yecs, since in their minds, the green river formation either formed during the yearlong flood or in the 4,000 or so years of postflood history. Green river formation likely didnt form in a postdiluvial. When the river was dammed in 1963, the 5,800acre nolin river lake was created in the northeastern part of the county. Remarkably intact fossils of more than 20 species of fish, 100 varieties of insects, a vast number of plants, and many examples of other eocene. The eocene green river formation in the sand wash basin, colorado united states, contains the largest known lacustrine columnar stromatolites.
536 1253 511 195 428 904 1285 1158 1076 1327 781 1427 1471 1069 1017 1028 936 1109 1000 199 841 1168 255 294 292 1388 1377 1329 762 116 519 1093 888 397 867 772 801 1352