CPCP: Colorado Plateau Coring Project100 Million Years of Early Mesozoic Climatic, Tectonic, and Biotic Evolution of an Epicontinental Basin Complex

Paul E Olsen,John W Geissman,Dennis V Kent

doi:10.2204/iodp.sd.6.12.2008

Abstract

No abstract available. doi:10.2204/iodp.sd.6.12.2008

Highlights

Mesozoic epicontinental basins of western North America contain a spectacular record of the climatic and tectonic development of northwestern Pangea as well as what is arguably the world’s richest and most-studied Triassic-Jurassic continental biota
The two medium depth sections (Fig. 2) are targeted for 1) the Rock Point area, ~600 m from basal Wingate Formation to Permian Kiabab Formation, 5) Thick eolianite successions should be avoided while key limestone and eolianite tongues must be intersected for age control by lateral correlation to outcrop
The Rock Point area is a critical target because it exposes the Triassic-Jurassic boundary section in the largely eolian Wingate Formation, based on both vertebrate paleontology and magnetostratigraphy, and i t is a natural complement to the lacustrine-dominated Moenave Formation near St

Summary

Introduction

Mesozoic epicontinental basins of western North America contain a spectacular record of the climatic and tectonic development of northwestern Pangea as well as what is arguably the world’s richest and most-studied Triassic-Jurassic continental biota. Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) and U.S National Science Foundation (NSF) funded International Workshop for a Climatic, Biotic, and Tectonic, Pole-to-Pole Coring Transect of Triassic-Jurassic Pangea A p le n a r y s e s s io n w i th s p e a k ers highlighting the major science issues, precedents, and geoinformatics priorities was followed b y th e m a ti c b r e a k o u t groups These included Stratigraphy, Geochronology and Magnetostratigraphy, Climate and Environments, Paleontology and Biotic Change, and Geoinformatics and Core-log O u t c r o p I n t e g r a t i o n. As developed by consensus at the workshop, the goal of the CPCP is to transform our understanding of the interplay between major biotic transitions, global climate change, plate position, and tectonics over 100 Ma of Earth histories (Fig. 2)

Overall Concept and Goals

Coring Plans