The Book Cliffs, USA, is a classic locality for sedimentological and sequence stratigraphic studies of deltaic progradation into a shallow marine basin. The University of Oslo (UiO) has in recent years carried out detailed fieldwork on a series of extensional faults cross-cutting the Upper Cretaceous Blackhawk Formation in the Floy Canyon area in Utah, and in this connection found several indications of syndepositional fault activity in an area previously considered to exhibit structurally stable platform conditions.
The aim of the master project is to construct a depositional model using existing and new sedimentological, stratigraphic and structural data, to assess if the depositional environment of the Blackhawk Formation was locally influenced by syntectonic activity. The picture below illustrates one of the identified areas for fieldwork in the Floy Canyon.
The project should aim to:
- Establish a three-dimensional model of Blackhawk Formation locally around the Floy Canyon faults using existing drone-based photogrammetry and sedimentological logs.
- Map and interpret the depositional facies architecture around the faults.
- Plan and carry out further fieldwork in Utah in Spring 2024 to collect data that may add further detail to the model.
- Characterise the relations between depositional facies architecture and the intersecting faults based on the above.
The student will have the following learning outcomes:
- Creation and interpretation of virtual outcrop models
- Sedimentological fieldwork techniques
- Sequence stratigraphy and sedimentology of deltaic environments
The successful student should have:
- Some prior knowledge of sedimentology, stratigraphy and structural geology
- A desire and ability to do fieldwork in a relatively remote and rugged area
- Eligibility for a tourist visa to the USA
- A valid driver’s license.