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F

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F

F F

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F

#

!

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#

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

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o

o

o

s

o

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s

o

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o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

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o

o

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o

o

o

o

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o

o

o

o

o

o

o

v

s

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

%

%

% %

%

% %

% %

%

%

%

%

%

% %

%

%

%

%

%

o

o

o o

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v

o

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o

o

o

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o

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o

o

o

o

o

o o

o o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

o

50

45

25

75

30

55

55

70

70

55

65

70

60

45

45

65

35

45

40

40

60

65

55

45

30

40

45

60

25

55

45

50

15

50

30

55

55

60

25

60

60 25

60

25 35

45

25

55

35

40 50

40

45 45

50

70

80

50

50

30

70 75 40

35

70

35

45

40

50

75

10

30

10

60

55 55

60 60

10

20

45

45

60

50

65

50

55

55

55

55 35 45

20

40

10

40

50

40

40

45

45

35

35

45

50 40

60

35

50

50

50

20

35

70

45 50

35

40

45 50

10

45

60

35

40

60

55

35

55 50

45

25

45

20

40

45

55

45

40

40

35

45

45

30

45

60

40

40

30

55

45

45

30

40

25

50 50

40

70

50 40

50

45

35

20

75

?

45

60

20

8

Mi

Mi

Mi

Mi

Pd Pd

Qt

Qt

Po

Po

Po

Pd

Po

Pd

Po

Pd

Po Pd

Po

Po Pd

Pd

Qt

Po

Pd

Po

Pd

Pd

Qt

Po

Po

Qt

Mt

Mi

Mi

Qt

Mi

Jh

Jh

Msr

*b

*b

*b

Qya

QTs

*b

*b Qya

Qya

QTs

Qoa

Qya

Qya

Msr

*b

*b

Msc

*b

*b

*b

*b

Qya

QTs

*b

Mlu

Qoa

QTs

QTs

*b

Qsb

*b

Qya

*b

*b

Msr

Mi

Qt

Pd

Po

Po

Po Po

Pd

Qt

Pd

Qt

Po

Po

Qt

Mi

Qt Mi

QTs

Mi

Po

Po

Po

Pd

Mi

Mi

Mi

*b

Qoa

Msr

Mi

Msr

Msr

Msr

QTs

Msr QTs

*b

Msr *b

*b

*b

*b

Msr

QTs

Qoa

QTs

Qya

Qya

*b QTs

Mi

*b

*b

*b

*b

*b

*b

*b

QTs

Qya

Qya

Qya

Qya

Qya

Qya

Msc

Msr

*b

*b

*b

Msc

*b

Qya

Msc

QTs

Msr

Msr

*b

Msc

QTs

Qoa

Mlu

Mlu

QTs

QTs

Msc

Mlu

Mlu

*b

*b

QTs

Mi

Qt

Qya

Mi

*b

80-MC-3,

S-1487

80-MC-1,

SJS-1087

79-CC-49

09-MC-30

12-MC168

MC-1

CC

MC-2

MC-1A

A'

A

CANYON

1

2

3

4

5

6

21

7

8

9

10

11

PD1 (CRL)

CC-4 (C)

PD17 (C)

CC-1 (C)

MC-1-52 (C, F, CRL, T)

CC-6 (C)

2-3

7-14

7-9

11-14

1 1

2-4

5-6

15

16

4

5-6

10

15

16-18

19

22

23

26

27

39

40

41

44

45-46

47

48

49

50-51

52

53-54

55-56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63-65

66

67

68

71

72

73

74

77

78

79

84

80

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95-96

81-83

75-76

69-70

42-43

20-21

24-25

28-31

32-34

35-38

MC-1-53 (C) 

MC-1-55 (T)

MC-1-52 (C)

MC-1-51 (C)

MC-1-49 (C)

MC-1-48 (T)

SJS 1073 (CRL)

MC-1-46 (C)

S-1508 (F)

S-2100 (F)

MC-1-45 (C)

MC-1-40 (C)

MC-1-37 (C)

MC-1-34 (C)

MC-1-33 (C, T)

MC-1-31 (T)

MC-1-35 (T)

MC-1-26 (C)

MC-1-27 (T)

MC-1-25 (C, T)

MC-1-24 (T)

MC-1-18 (C)

MC-1-16 (C)

MC-1-17 (T)

MC-1-15 (C)

MC-1-14 (T)

MC-1-11 (T)

MC-1-10 (C)

MC-1-9 (C)

MC-1-5 (C)

MC-1-4 (C, T)

MC-1-2 (C, T)

MC-1-1 (C) MC-1A-1 (C, T)

90-MC-1 (C)

MC-1A-2 (T)

MC-1A-3A,-3B (T)

MC-1A-4 (T)

MC-1A-5 (C, T)

MC-1A-6 (T)

MC-1-41 (C, T)

MC-1-42 (C)

S-1507 (F)

6

7

8

9

10

11

12-13

19

20

21-22

23

24

25-27

28-33

34-35

36-38

40-50

39

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60-62

63

64-65

66

67

68-70

71

72

75

79

80

81

82

83

84

73-74

76-78

14-18

5

4

3

2

1

MC-2-19 (C)

MC-2-18 (T)

MC-2-17 (T)

MC-2-16 (T)

MC-2-15 (T)

MC-2-14 (C)

MC-2-12 (T)

MC-2-13 (T)

MC-2-11 (C)

MC-2-10 (C, T)

MC-2-9 (T)

MC-2-5 (T)

MC-2-1 (C)

MC-2-4 (C)

MC-2-3A-D (T)

MC-2-22 (C, T)

MC-2-23 (T)

MC-2-20 (T)

MC-2A-3 (C, T)

MC-2A-2 (T)

MC-2A-1 (T)

Underlying rocks not measured

Overlying rocks not measured

Overlying rocks

not measured

Section CC

Explanation

Section MC-1

Section MC-1A

Base of section covered

Top of section covered

Top of section faulted

Section MC-2

limestone

sandy limestone

sandy limestone

(crossbedded)

silty or argillaceous limestone

detrital limestone

bedded chert

conglomerate

limestone clasts

limestone clasts (spherical)

chert clasts

mudstone, shale, silty mudstone,

and fine siltstone

mudstone containing spherical

limestone concretions

sandstone and

coarse siltstone

sandstone and coarse

siltstone (crossbedded)

covered interval

cherty limestone

(elongate nodules and lenses)

cherty limestone

(spherical nodules)

cherty, silty limestone

(elongate nodules and lenses)

cherty, silty limestone

(spherical nodules)

Measured

unit

Sample

number

(C) = conodont

(F) = fusulinid

(CRL) = coral

(T) = thin section

See pamphlet for unit descriptions

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0

A

FEET

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

1000

1200

1400

800

600

400

200

0 0

A'

FEET

METERS

Jh

b b

b

b

b

b

Po

Po

Po

Po

Pd

Pd

Pd

Qoa

QTs

QTs

Msr

Msr

Msr

Msr

Mlu Msc

Msc

Msc

Mt Msc

Mt

Mt

Mt

Mi

Mi

Mi

Mi

Mi

Darwin Canyon Formation Osborne Canyon Formation Bird Spring Formation Santa Rosa Hills Limestone Indian Springs Formation Stone Canyon Limestone

Mississippian

Tin

Mountain

Limestone

Pennsylvanian

Owens Valley Group

Permian

100

50

0

THICKNESS

(METERS)

MEASURED SECTIONS

member 4 member 1 member 2 member 3 mbr 4 member 3 member 2 member 1 upper member lower member

Artinskian Sakmarian? Kasimovian Moscovian Bashkirian Chesterian Meeramecian Osagean

Qya

Qt Qoa

CORRELATION OF MAP UNITS

Quaternary

Tertiary

Cisuralian

Jh

Pd

Po

Mi

Mt

Mlu

b

Msr

Msc

CENOZOIC

JURASSIC

Upper

Mississippian

Lower

Mississippian

Middle

Mississippian

PERMIAN

PENNSYLVANIAN

MISSISSIPPIAN

Qsb

QTs

DESCRIPTION OF MAP UNITS

Younger alluvium (Quaternary)—Unconsolidated to weakly consolidated sand and 

gravel deposits in modern washes

Talus (Quaternary)—Scree deposits on slopes below bedrock cliffs

Older alluvium (Quaternary)—Moderately consolidated and dissected alluvial gravel 

deposits composed of locally derived Paleozoic sedimentary rock clasts

Slide block (Quaternary)—Coherent slab of dark-gray limestone of the Osborne Canyon 

Formation (Po) resting on bedrock at the base of a sequence of older alluvium (Qoa) 

Sedimentary deposits and minor tuff (Quaternary? and Tertiary)—Consists mainly of 

locally derived conglomerate and sandstone forming perched remnants and dissected 

badlands. Contains clasts of Paleozoic rocks and Hunter Mountain Quartz 

Monzonite. Oldest recognized part of unit consists of coarse-grained arkosic 

sandstone that dips as much as 50°; younger parts of unit dip progressively less 

steeply. Includes Pliocene tuff of Mesquite Spring (~3.28 Ma) of Snow and Lux 

(1999) at locality 12-MC-168 and a tuff of probable Miocene age at locality 

09-MC-30 

Hunter Mountain Quartz Monzonite (Jurassic)—Brown-weathering monzonite and 

quartz monzonite

Owens Valley Group (Cisuralian)

Darwin Canyon Formation—Brown, thick-bedded,very fine grained sandstone; 

sparse graded beds of bioclastic and conglomeratic limestone; and near the top of the 

exposed section, a massive bed of grayish-orange, very fine grained, silty limestone 

containing unsorted limestone clasts and bioclasts that include fusulinids and coral 

fragments. Maximum exposed thickness about 400 m; top of formation not exposed

Osborne Canyon Formation—Silty mudstone, mostly pinkish gray to purplish gray, 

that typically contains sparse to abundant, spherical, dark-gray limestone concretions; thin-bedded, black chert; thin-bedded, medium-gray, fine-grained, calcareous 

sandstone, mainly in lower part of unit; and, in upper part of unit, conglomerate 

composed of poorly sorted, mostly spherical limestone clasts (probably reworked 

concretions) 1 to 15 cm in diameter in a light-gray, silty limestone matrix. About 150 

m thick 

Bird Spring Formation (Pennsylvanian)—Primarily composed of light- to dark-gray, 

light purplish-gray, and tan, thin- to medium-bedded, silty, cherty, very fine grained 

limestone. Upper part includes thick-bedded to massive limestone. Fossils, 

including small fusulinids, are rare. Thickness is about 600 m in eastern part of map 

area but as little as 425 m in western part

Indian Springs Formation (Upper Mississippian)—Fine-grained quartz sandstone; 

coarse-grained, calcarenitic limestone; and greenish-gray siliceous mudstone. 

Thickness generally about 15 to 20 m

Limestone and marble, undivided (Mississippian)—Structurally complex and 

metamorphosed strata equivalent to Santa Rosa Hills Limestone, Stone Canyon 

Limestone, and Tin Mountain Limestone

Santa Rosa Hills Limestone (Middle Mississippian)—Predominantly light-gray 

echinodermal limestone. Uppermost part is darker gray. Commonly massive in 

general appearance, but good exposures locally display well developed bedding. 

About 100 to 120 m thick

Stone Canyon Limestone (Middle Mississippian)—Medium- to dark-gray, thin- to 

medium-bedded limestone that contains abundant beds, lenses, and nodules of brown 

to black chert. Thickness about 420 m

Tin Mountain Limestone (Middle and Lower Mississippian)—Medium- to dark-gray, 

thin- to medium-bedded limestone containing sparse beds, lenses, and nodules of 

brown chert. Base not exposed. Maximum exposed thickness about 100 m 

Jh

Pd

Po

b

Mi

Msr

Mlu

Msc

Mt

Qya

Qt

Qoa

Qsb

QTs

50

65

40

o

s

65

F ?

80-MC-3

09-MC-30

MC-2

!

#

v

F

A A'

Contact—Dashed where approximately located

Fault—Showing dip where known. Bar and ball 

on downthrown side. Dashed where 

inferred, queried where uncertain, dotted 

where concealed

Fault-line scarp—Showing dip where known. 

Hachures point downscarp

Anticline—Trace of axial surface, showing 

plunge of axis. Approximately located

Strike and dip of beds

Inclined

Vertical

Overturned

Fossil locality

Tuff locality

Line of measured section

Line of structural cross section

EXPLANATION OF MAP SYMBOLS

View northeast showing typical exposures of Pennsylvanian Bird Spring Formation 

(b). Note outcrop of Mississippian Santa Rosa Hills Limestone (Msr) faulted against 

Bird Spring Formation in central part of view. Death Valley and Grapevine Mountains in 

distance.

View north-northwest down Marble Canyon showing outcrops of Pennsylvanian Bird 

Spring Formation (b) and Permian Osborne Canyon Formation (Po) and Darwin 

Canyon Formation (Pd). Note west-dipping normal fault along the canyon floor.

View northeast to Mississippian-Pennsylvanian section in east-central part of map area. 

Msc, Stone Canyon Limestone; Msr, Santa Rosa Hills Limestone; Mi, Indian Springs 

Formation; b, Bird Spring Formation. Permian Darwin Canyon Formation (Pd) in 

foreground.

View west-northwest along Mississippian-Pennsylvanian contact on south flank of 

anticline in southern part of map area. Msr, Santa Rosa Hills Limestone (mapped as part 

of undivided limestone and marble unit Mlu); Mi, Indian Springs Formation; b, Bird 

Spring Formation. 

View northwest up tributary to Marble Canyon showing section of Pennsylvanian Bird 

Spring Formation (b) and Permian Osborne Canyon Formation (Po) and Darwin 

Canyon Formation (Pd).

Quaternary(?) and Tertiary conglomerate and sandstone (QTs) in northwestern tributary 

of Cottonwood Canyon. 

b Msr

b

Pd

Pd

Po

b

b

b

b

Mi

Msr

Msc

Pd

Pd

Pd Po

Po

b

Msr

Mi

QTs

QTs

QTs

PHOTOGRAPHS OF MAP AREA

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Scientific Investigations Map 3298

Pamphlet accompanies map

117°22'30"

36°37'30"

117°22'30"

36°33'30"

117°18'30"

36°33'30"

117°18'30"

36°37'30"

Geology mapped by P. Stone, 1980, 

2009-2012

GIS database and digital 

cartography by S.S. Priest

Edited by C. Landowski

Manuscript approved for 

publication April 24, 2014

Base from U.S. Geological Survey, 

7.5-minute Cottonwood Canyon 

quadrangle, 1987

Universal Transverse Mercator 

projection

1927 North American Datum

Clark 1866 Ellipsoid, Zone 11

CALIF.

MAP LOCATION APPROXIMATE MEAN

DECLINATION, 2014

1000 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 FEET

.5

.5

1 0 1 KILOMETER

0

SCALE 1:24 000

CONTOUR INTERVAL 40 FEET

.5 MILE

Geologic Map and Upper Paleozoic Stratigraphy of the

Marble Canyon Area, Cottonwood Canyon Quadrangle,

Death Valley National Park, Inyo County, California

By

Paul Stone,1

 Calvin H. Stevens,2 Paul Belasky,3 Isabel P. Montanez,4 Lauren G. Martin,5

Bruce R. Wardlaw,1 Charles A. Sandberg,1 Elmira Wan,1 Holly A. Olson,1 and Susan S. Priest1

2014

1

U.S. Geological Survey

2

San Jose State University

3

Ohlone College

4

University of California, Davis

5

Apache Corporation

Any use of trade, firm, or product names in this publication is for descriptive

purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

This map was printed on an electronic plotter directly from digital files. Dimensional 

calibration may vary between electronic plotters and between X and Y

directions on the same plotter, and paper may change size due to atmospheric conditions; 

therefore, scale and proportions may not be true on plots of this map.

For sale by U.S. Geological Survey, Information Services, Box 25286,

Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225, 1-888-ASK-USGS

Digital files available at http://pubs.usgs.gov/sim/3298/

Suggested citation: Stone, P., Stevens, C.H., Belasky, P., Montanez, I.P., Martin, L.G., 

Wardlaw, B.R., Sandberg, C.A., Wan, E., Olson, H.A., and Priest, S.S., 2014, Geologic map and 

upper Paleozoic stratigraphy of the Marble Canyon area, Cottonwood Canyon quadrangle, 

Death Valley National Park, Inyo County, California: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific 

Investigations Map 3298, scale 1:24,000, 59 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sim3298.

ISSN 2329–132X (online)