Summer 2005 
Ongoing research in southern Utah
In July of 2004 we returned to Utah again, this time focusing on stratigraphic thickness, sedimentology, and seismogenic soft-sediment deformation in the capping sandstone member of the Cretaceous Wahweap Formation.

The short, completely non-technical explanation:

These rocks were MESSED UP by earthquakes 80 million years ago!  The more we see, the more fascinating the story becomes.

  
  These folds formed as a result of nearby earthquakes...80 million years ago.  
The research team was larger than ever, too.  Dr. Tindall (the shortest person in the photo on the right) worked with Kutztown students Jon Bernard (far left) and Tim Jenesky (far right) for two weeks.  Next to Dr. Tindall are Hannah Wolf, a Parkland High School student, and her Earth Science teacher Wendy Simpson.  Hannah and Wendy came to Utah to do a sub-project on ancient seismites, the earthquake-generated folds and fluidization features we observe throughout the field area.
 

After Tim and Jon left, we were joined by Dr. Ed Simpson (standing in front of us all in the photo on the left) and Kutztown undergraduates Megan Orsulak and Ed Tester.

Megan is pictured (lower left) measuring the orientation of a deformation band shear zone.  Deformation bands are related to faulting...in this case, we hope the deformation bands will help us figure out exactly what slip directions, fluid movements and pressures occurred during ancient earthquakes in this area.

Ed Tester (lower right) poses next to some soft-sediment folds. 

 
Much was learned, of course, but we had a lot of fun too. We hiked in slot canyons, went horseback riding, and marveled at the gorgeous scenery.

We presented a whopping FOUR abstracts at a Geological Society of America meeting in Gunnison, Colorado in May, 2006.  All four research students received travel grants from the Rocky Mountain Section of GSA to attend the meeting. Simpson and Tindall have started synthesizing the data from 2003-2005 for publication in geology journals.  The work is far from done, but our ideas are congealing!

 

Publications (* denotes undergraduate student co-author)

*Orsulak, Megan, *Tester, Edward, *Jenesky, Timothy, *Bernard, Jonathan, Tindall, Sarah E., Simpson, Edward L., Simpson, Wendy S., and Wolf, Hannah, 2006, Effects of local faulting on sedimentation of the Late Cretaceous upper and capping sandstone members of the Wahweap Formation, Kaibab uplift, Utah: Geological Society of America – Rocky Mountain Section 58th annual meeting.

*Bernard, Jonathan, *Jenesky, Timothy, *Tester, Edward, *Orsulak, Megan, Tindall, Sarah E., and Simpson, Edward L., 2006, Timing of Late Cretaceous fault-fold interactions, East Kaibab monocline, Utah: Implications for the onset of Laramide deformation: Geological Society of America – Rocky Mountain Section 58th annual meeting.

Simpson, Edward L., Wolf, Hannah, Simpson, Wendy S., Tindall, Sarah, and *Jenesky, Timothy, 2006, Eolian strata of the Upper Cretaceous capping sandstone member, Wahweap Formation, Cockscomb area, Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument, Utah: Geological Society of America – Rocky Mountain Section 58th annual meeting.

 Wolf, H., Simpson, Wendy S., Simpson, Edward L., Tindall, Sarah, *Bernard, J.J., *Jenesky, T. A., *Orsulak, M., and *Tester, E.W., 2006, Sleuthing epicenter direction from seismites: Cretaceous Wahweap Formation, Cockscomb area, Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument, Utah: Geological Society of America – Rocky Mountain Section 58th annual meeting.