Utah Muddy Creek Mapping Project

This project involved mapping synsedimentary growth faults (Muddy Creek), in the Cretaceous Ferron sandstone in Utah. The Ferron sandstone is a superbly exposed ancient delta deposit that provides an important outcrop analog to fluvio-deltaic subsurface reservoirs. It has been the focus of many traditional outcrop studies. The purpose of this work was to provide a 3D rendering of a structurally and stratigraphically complex area, as well as to provide an opportunity to test GPS mapping over an area intermediate in scale between Corbula Gulch and Wyoming. During two half day's digital mapping, we generated more than 60,000 data points, including local terrain, major bounding surfaces, and faults.

More on this project can be seen from Dr. Bhattacharya's Home Page.

Our famous 3D perspective view of surveyed points, looking north. Note the bounding surface lines.

Detailed photomosaic of the Ferron Sandstone member, taken towards the northeast. Several growth faults are indicated accompanied by overthickened strata. The units overlaying the green surface are relatively flat. Note circled person for scale.

This above two figures show various view of the faulted strata from slightly different perspective.

Photomosaic of Ferron outcrops in Muddy Creek. Note large growth fault in the middle of photo overlain by flat undeformed strata. Growth faulted strata are restricted to the sands immediately overlying the Tununk shales.

Key stratigraphic surfaces (100 and 200 in above figure) were mapped along the walls of Muddy Creek Canyon using the reflectorless laser rangefinder. Using these data, surfaces were fitted to allow them to be interpolated across the canyon and visually rendered in 3-D. This perspective view shows these interpolated surfaces. Growth faulted strata lie below surface 100.