UGA 50:06 - Controls on Organic Matter Variation During Deposition of the Mahogany Oil Shale Zone of the Parachute Creek Member, Green River Formation, Utah Off-Canvas Toggle Member Login Donate About Publications Geology of the Intermountain West Guidebooks UGA Geosites Special Publications UGA 28 Topical Papers Members Member Benefits Become a Member Resources Newsletter Meeting Minutes Geologic Road Signs Geology Links UGA Constitution Outreach Student Scholarship Fund Teacher of the Year Become a Sponsor UGA Sponsors & Affiliates Lehi Hintze Award Events Contact UGF About UGF Donate to UGF Off-Canvas Toggle About Publications Geology of the Intermountain West Guidebooks UGA Geosites Special Publications UGA 28 Topical Papers Members Member Benefits Become a Member Resources Newsletter Meeting Minutes Geologic Road Signs Geology Links UGA Constitution Outreach Student Scholarship Fund Teacher of the Year Become a Sponsor UGA Sponsors & Affiliates Lehi Hintze Award Events Contact UGF About UGF Donate to UGF Off-Canvas Toggle thisistheplace2.jpeg subpage1.jpeg subpage2.jpeg subpage3.jpeg UGA 50:06 - Controls on Organic Matter Variation During Deposition of the Mahogany Oil Shale Zone of the Parachute Creek Member, Green River Formation, Utah Amy L. Elson - Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton John Marshall - Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton Jessica H. Whiteside - Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton DOI: https://doi.org/10.31711/ugap.v50i.110 Abstract The Green River Formation of Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming represents a ~10 million-year early-middle Eocene record of an unusually large, productive lacustrine system composed of several interconnected basins. This system gave rise to one of the largest oil shale deposits in the world, which preserves a rich trove of information about the climate and ecosystems that prevailed during the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum. This study uses multiple analytical approaches, including both traditional methods and novel proxies, to determine what brought about the accumulation of the unusually-rich oil shales (>40% TOC) of the Mahogany Zone in the Uinta Basin portion of the Green River Formation. The organic-rich mudstones of the Mahogany Zone exhibit strong micro-scale heterogeneity, indicating complex controls on organic matter production and distribution. Petrographic observations indicate highly variable amounts of terrestrial organic matter (spores, wood and plant debris), with the most abundant being amorphous organic material in thin organic-rich laminae. Biomarker ratios indicate that the organic-rich laminae consist of different types of microbially derived organic matter, primarily bituminite and organo-minerallic aggregates of the fluorescent liptinite group. These largely lacustrine-derived laminated deposits are argued to have been produced by large intrato inter-annual algal blooms and other enhanced microbial productivity events paced by longer-term sub-orbital cycle fluctuations, such as El Niño–Southern Oscillation or sunspot variations. The Mahogany Zone deposits appear to have sequestered enough carbon (~64.25 Gt estimated) to suggest that, in aggregate, they were large enough to cause a draw-down of terrestrial CO2 and exert a significant negative feedback effect on climatic warming. During the climatic cooling that occurred on the declining limb of the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum, the sedimentary provenance in the Uinta Basin shifted from southerly sources dominated by large ephemeral fluvial systems, to northerly sources rich in feldspathic and carbonate detritus derived from northern sites in Wyoming. The latter were delivered to the Uinta Basin via a network of interconnected lacustrine basins. Increasing volcaniclastic material delivered from these northerly basins infilled the Uinta Basin from east to west, and their arrival heralded the end of organic-rich deposition, most notably the prolific oil shales for which the Green River Formation is renowned. Order It ($5.00) Cart Your cart is empty Login Form Login for discounted rates on document downloads and to access members only content Username Password Show Password Remember Me Log in Forgot your password? Forgot your username? Create an account Utah Geological Association P.O. Box 526356 Salt Lake City, UT 84152-0100  Facebook  YouTube © 2025 Utah Geological Society | Site by Third Sun MEMBER LOGIN Off-Canvas Toggle About Publications Geology of the Intermountain West Guidebooks UGA Geosites Special Publications UGA 28 Topical Papers Members Member Benefits Become a Member Resources Newsletter Meeting Minutes Geologic Road Signs Geology Links UGA Constitution Outreach Student Scholarship Fund Teacher of the Year Become a Sponsor UGA Sponsors & Affiliates Lehi Hintze Award Events Contact UGF About UGF Donate to UGF