McElmo Canyon Stratigraphy

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For a while, I won't have all the stratigraphy in McElmo Canyon figured out. I shot this picture on the Sand Canyon Trail and was able to figure out everything below the J5 unconformity. Above it is the Morrison Formation. At the top of the distant mesa, Cretaceous Burro Canyon and Dakota exist, but I'm not sure if they are visible here. I cannot pick out the various members of the Morrison in this shot, but Turner and Peterson have a road log and several mini-papers that give a great deal of detail. There are other areas, such as to the east of Sand Canyon, where the Morrison is closer to the road. In this shot, I have listed the various members of the Morrison, in order, but without contacts. Click HERE for a larger image.

Please refer to the work of Turner and Peterson in New Mexico Geological Society Fall Field Conference Guidebook – 61; Geology of the Four Corners Country, James E. Fassett, Kate E. Zeigler, and Virgil Lueth, [editors], 2010, 246 pages.