Paleogeography of the Southwestern United States

[From Paleogeography of the Southwestern US, by Ronald C. Blakey,
"http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~rcb7/paleogeogwus.html"]

The images presented here show the paleogeography of the SW US from
1.8 billion years ago to 10 million years ago. When played in order,
the paleogeographic evolution of the region unfolds. Emphasis is on
the Mesozoic where two or more images of each period are shown. Two
different interpretations are presented for some of the periods. One
shows a tectonic interpretation in which most elements of the western
US were derived from North America; the second shows a tectonic
interpretation in which some elements originated far from North
America (exotic elements). Debate continues concerning these two
different tectonic models.

The images were prepared by placing various stratigraphic, tectonic,
and sedimentologic data on a base map, plotting land vs. sea over this
data, and then adding more detailed landforms such as mountains, shelf
edges, rivers, arc-trench systems, and lowlands. The data was then
painted in Photoshop 5.5. Climatic data is also added as tones of
browns and reds for arid and greens for humid.

The database for the images consists of many papers published on the
geology of SW NAM. Dr. Blakey's work is incorporated onto the Colorado
Plateau portion of the maps. Plate patterns are from PGIS MAC, a
plate-tectonic computer program by the Paleomap Project,
"http://www.scotese.com/Default.htm". Major sources of data are listed
below:
- Geology of North America, vol G3; GSA DNAG Series, Burchfiel et
al, 1992: Poole et al; E. L. Miller et al; Saleeby et al; Cowan and
Bruhn; D. M. Miller et al
- Ingersoll and Schweickert, 1986, Tectonics, vol 5, p. 901-912
- Pacific Coast Paleogeography Syp 1 (Pacific Sect SEPM), Stewart
et al, 1977: Ross; Poole et al; Poole and Sandberg; Rich; Stevens
- Riggs and Blakey, 1993, in Dunne and McDougall, Mz Paleogeography
Western US (Pacific Sect SEPM)
- Blakey, R.C., 1994, Paleogeographic and tectonic controls on some
Lower and Middle Jurassic erg deposits, Colorado Plateau, in Caputo,
M.V., Peterson, J.A., and Franczyk, K.J., (eds.), Mesozoic systems of
the Rocky Mountain region, USA: Rocky Mountain Section, Society of
Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists, Special Publication,
p. 273-298.
- Blakey, R. C., 1996, Permian eolian deposits, sequences, and
sequence boundaries, Colorado Plateau, in Longman M, W. and
Sonnenfeld, M. D. (eds), Paleozoic systems of the Rocky Mountain
Region: Rocky Mountain Section SEPM, p. 405-426.
- Blakey, R. C., Havholm, K. G., and Jones, L.S., 1996,
Stratigraphic analysis of eolian interactions with marine and fluvial
deposits, Middle Jurassic Page Sandstone and Carmel Formation,
Colorado Plateau, U.S.A.: Journal of Sedimentary Research, V. 66,
p. 324-342.