Fluvial Depositional Settings Research Articles

Transitions in a Fluvial System--Abo Formation, Southeastern Nacimiento Mountains, New Mexico: ABSTRACT

The Abo Formation (Wolfcampian) in the southeastern Nacimiento Mountains, New Mexico, is an alluvial plain red-bed sequence which records the evolution of a fluvial system within the distal reaches of a large clastic wedge. Sediment was derived from the southern Uncompahgre uplift, with a paleoflow to the southwest. The Abo Formation consists of mudstone, feldspathic sandstone, and intraformational conglomerate. Three major lithofacies associations, representing distinct fluvial depositional settings, may be distinguished. The lowermost division (Unit A) (100+ m, or 330+ ft, thick) is mudstone dominant with isolated sandstone bodies showing cutbanks and lateral accretion surfaces. Ridge-and-swale features were noted on an exhumed point bar surface. The sandstones commonly show a progressive upward decrease in the scale of internal bedforms with a lower scour surface containing intraformational conglomerate. Trough cross-bedding is the dominant bedform in the sandstones with common planar-tabular and flat-bedded interbeds. The uppermost sandstones, characteristic of levee and crevasse-splay sands, are ripple cross-bedded with abundant bioturbation and some plant roots. The overbank mudstones contain numerous pedogenic horizons characterized by calcrete nodules (representative of all stages of evolution), vein networks, pseudo-anticlinal structures, slickensides, color mottling, and bioturbation. Vertebrate remains are found in the mudstones. The middle division (Unit B) (approximately 70 m, or 230 ft, thick) is characterized by thick multilateral channel sandstones and thinner mudstones. The sandstones are coarse grained and contain common intraformational conglomerate. Large-scale trough cross-stratification is the dominant bedform. Pedogenic horizons are present but less common than in unit A. The uppermost division (Unit C) (approximately 30 m, or 100 ft, thick) is entirely composed of reddish-orange, very fine-grained sandstone. Flat bedding is the dominant bedform. High aggradation is indicated by abundant dish structures in the sandstones and aggradational ripple cross-bedding. Mudstone is rare and preserved as thin laminae. End_Page 466------------------------------ The fluvial sequence from Unit A to Unit B is thought to represent the transition from a fine-grained to a coarse-grained meander-belt system. The transition to Unit C reflects a change to flash-flood, ephemeral-stream controlled sedimentation. Allocyclic phenomena are suggested as probably cause of these fluvial transitions. End_of_Article - Last_Page 467------------