Timpoweap Canyon Tar Sand Deposit

Occurrence in Washington county in Utah, United States with commodity Oil Sands
Sections on this page
  1. Identification information
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Site location context
  4. Geographic areas
  5. Public Land Survey System information
  6. Commodities
  7. Alteration
  8. Host and associated rocks
  9. Nearby scientific data
  10. Geologic structures
  11. Ore body information
  12. Controls for ore emplacement
  13. Economic information about the deposit and operations
  14. Mining district
  15. Land status
  16. Links to other databases
  17. Bibliographic references
  18. General comments
  19. Reporter information

Geologic information

Identification information

Deposit ID 10088796
MRDS ID M058734
Record type Site
Current site name Timpoweap Canyon Tar Sand Deposit

Geographic coordinates

Geographic coordinates: -113.21662, 37.20165 (WGS84)
Elevation 1061
Relative position 8,000 FEET WEST OF THE TOWN OF VIRGIN

Site location context

Political divisions (FIPS codes)

Washington(county)

Utah(state)

United States(country)

North America(continent)

Land(continent)

USGS map quadrangles

Virgin(quadrangle 1:24,000 scale)

Saint George(quadrangle 1:100,000 scale)

Cedar City(quadrangle 1:250,000 scale)

Hydrologic units (watersheds)

Upper Virgin(hydrologic unit)

Lower Colorado-Lake Mead(hydrologic accounting unit)

Lower Colorado-Lake Mead(hydrologic subregion)

Lower Colorado(hydrologic region)

Geographic areas

Country State County
United States Utah Washington

Public Land Survey System information

Meridian Township Range Section Fraction State
Salt Lake 041S 012W 19,20,21 E2 (19); S2 (20); S2 (21) Utah

Comments on the location information

  • TAR SAND DEPOSIT LOCATED MOSTLY ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE VIRGIN RIVER IN TIMPOWEAP CANYON, 1 TO 3 MILES WEST OF THE TOWN OF VIRGIN ; INFO FROM LAND.ST :(1975)

Commodities

Commodity Importance
Oil Sands Primary

Alteration

  • (Local) Oxidation Of Bitumen

Host and associated rocks

  • Host or associated Host
    Rock type Sedimentary Rock > Clastic Sedimentary Rock > Calcarenite
    Rock unit name Timpoweap Member Of The Moenkopi
    Rock description Timpoweap Member Of The Moenkopi
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic
    Stratigraphic age (youngest) Late Triassic

Nearby scientific data

(1) -113.21662, 37.20165

Economic information

Geologic structures

Type of structure Regional
Structure description Hurricane Fault System, Cordilleran Hingeline, Sevier Overthrust Bellt
Type of structure Local
Structure description Small Amplitude, Northwest Striking, Broad Folds Or Swales

Ore body information

  • General form TABULAR
    Length 3657.6M
    Width 1524M

Controls for ore emplacement

  • Timpoweap Member Of The Moenkopi Formation.

Economic information about the deposit and operations

Development status Occurrence
Deposit size Small
Significant No

Mining district

District name Virgin Area

Land status

Ownership category Private

Comments on the workings information

  • NO KNOWN WORKINGS

Comments on development

  • DESCRIBED BY BASSLER AND REESIDE IN 1921 AND BY BLAKEY IN 1979. BLAKEY PROVIDES A SKETCH MAP OF THE DEPOSIT

Reference information

Bibliographic references

  • Deposit

    BLAKEY, R.C., 1979, OIL IMPREGNATED CARBONATE ROCKS OF THE TIMPOWEAP MEMBER MOENKOPI FORMATION, HURRICANE CLIFFS AREA, UTAH AND ARIZONA: UTAH GEOLOGY, VOL. 6, NO. 2, P. 45 TO 54.

  • Deposit

    BASSLER, H. AND REESIDE, J.B., 1921, OIL PROSPECTS IN WASHINGTON COUNTY, UTAH: U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULL. 726-C, P. 87-107.

General comments

Subject category Comment text
Deposit DEPOSIT IS HOSTED BY THE UPPER HALF OF THE TIMPOWEAP MEMBER OF THE MOENKOPI FORMATION. THIS STRATIGRAPHIC POSITION IS MARKED BY HIGHLY POROUS CALCARENITE. HYDROCARBONS OCCUR AS DEAD OIL IN VUGS, SEPS, AND MINOR LIVE OIL. THE DISTRIBUTION OF HYDROCARBON SHOWS ALONG THE PEROUS UNIT IS DISCONTINUOUS AND SPUTTY. BLAKEY SUGGESTS THAT THE TAR SAND MAY BE A SURFACE MANIFESTATION OF THE VIRGIN OIL FIELD LOCATED SEVERAL MILES TO THE NORTH

Reporter information

Type Date Name Affiliation Comment
Reporter 01-JAN-1985 Shubat, Michael A. Utah Geological and Mineral Survey

Beyond USGS

Supplemental information added by qvyshift.com. Not part of the original USGS MRDS record.