Zabriskie Quartzite
| Zabriskie Quartzite | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: [1] | |
Zabriskie Point in Death Valley, the locality after which the formation is named. | |
| Type | Geologic formation |
| Underlies | Carrara Formation |
| Overlies | Wood Canyon Formation |
| Thickness | 0–2,000 feet (0–610 m)[1] |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Quartzite |
| Location | |
| Region | Inyo County, California, Nye County, Nevada |
| Country | United States |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Zabriskie Point |
The Zabriskie Quartzite is a Cambrian Period geologic formation of the northern Mojave Desert, in Inyo County, California and Nye County, Nevada.[2][3]
It is named for its occurrence at Zabriskie Point, located on the eastern slopes of Death Valley in Death Valley National Park.[2]
Geology
The lower unit is defined by the Resting Springs Member, the upper unit by the Emigrant Pass Member.[3]
It overlies the Wood Canyon Formation, and underlies the Carrara Formation.[4]
The Quartzite is mostly massive arid granulated due to shearing, in beds 0.5–2 feet (15–61 cm) thick within the park,[2] and up to 984 feet (300 m) elsewhere.[4]
Paleobiota
The Zabriskie Quartzite contains a wealth of Skolithos trace fossils, although no other fossils have been reported from this formation, despite the underlying and overlying formations containing fossil material.[1]
Color key
|
Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
Ichnogenera
| Genus | Species | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skolithos[1] |
|
Burrows. |
See also
- Cambrian California
- List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in California
- Paleontology in California
References
- ^ a b c d Stewart, J. H. "Upper Precambrian and Lower Cambrian Strata, in the Southern Great Basin California and Nevada" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survery. Geological Survey Professional.
- ^ a b c NPS.gov: Geologic Formations in Death Valley National Park
- ^ a b GSA Bulletin: "Depositional and sequence stratigraphic framework of the Lower Cambrian Zabriskie Quartzite: Implications for regional correlations and the Early Cambrian paleogeography of the Death Valley region of California and Nevada"; by Anthony R. Prave.
- ^ a b Springer.com: "Tidal Deposits in the Zabriskie Quartzite (Cambrian), Eastern California and Western Nevada"; John J. Barnes, George deVries Klein.