Preliminary Catalog of the Sedimentary Basins 

of the United States

By James L. Coleman, Jr., and Steven M. Cahan

Open-File Report 2012–1111

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

KEN SALAZAR, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Marcia K. McNutt, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2012

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Suggested citation:

Coleman, J.L., Jr., and Cahan, S.M., 2012, Preliminary catalog of the sedimentary basins of the United States: 

U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012–1111, 27 p. (plus 4 figures and 1 table available as separate files)

Available online at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2012/1111/.
iii

Contents

Abstract...........................................................................................................................................................1

Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1

Basin Classification.......................................................................................................................................3

Intracratonic..........................................................................................................................................3

Rift and Transtensional Basin including Intracratonic Aulacogens....................................3

Sag Basin ......................................................................................................................................3

Pericratonic ...........................................................................................................................................3

Rift (proto-ocean) Basin .............................................................................................................3

Passive Margin Basin (including Deltaic) ...............................................................................4

Foreland Basins and Thrust Belts.............................................................................................4

Borderland Basin.........................................................................................................................4

Transtensional/Transpressional Basin.....................................................................................4

Intercratonic..........................................................................................................................................4

Passive Margin Basin (extending onto oceanic crust) .........................................................4

Accreted Back-Arc Basin ..........................................................................................................4

Accreted Fore-Arc Basin ...........................................................................................................4

Oceanic...................................................................................................................................................4

Back-Arc Basin............................................................................................................................4

Fore-Arc Basin .............................................................................................................................5

Peripheral Volcanic Apron .........................................................................................................5

Brief Description of Individual Sedimentary Basins................................................................................5

Intracratonic..........................................................................................................................................5

Pericratonic .........................................................................................................................................12

Intercratonic........................................................................................................................................20

Oceanic.................................................................................................................................................22

Summary........................................................................................................................................................24

References Cited..........................................................................................................................................24

Figures

1. Maps showing Cenozoic sedimentary basins of the United States.........Separate pdf file

2. Maps showing Mesozoic sedimentary basins of the United States........Separate pdf file

3. Maps showing Paleozoic sedimentary basins of the United States........Separate pdf file

4. Maps showing Neoproterozoic sedimentary basins 

of the United States..........................................................................................Separate pdf file

Table

1. Sedimentary basins of the United States .....................................................Separate pdf file
iv

Conversion Factors

Inch/Pound to SI

Multiply By To obtain

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)

mile, nautical (nmi) 1.852 kilometer (km)

SI to Inch/Pound

kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi)

kilometer (km) 0.5400 mile, nautical (nmi)

meter (m) 1.094 yard
Abstract

One hundred forty-four sedimentary basins (or groups 

of basins) in the United States (both onshore and offshore) 

are identified, located, and briefly described as part of a 

Geographic Information System (GIS) data base in support 

of the Geologic Carbon Dioxide Sequestration National 

Assessment Project (Brennan and others, 2010). This catalog 

of basins is designed to provide a check list and basic 

geologic framework for compiling more detailed geologic 

and reservoir engineering data for this project and other future 

investigations. 

Introduction

The purpose of this GIS data base and derivative maps 

is to provide an initial listing of sedimentary basins of the 

United States and a preliminary reference map for current and 

future geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration national 

assessment studies. One hundred forty-four sedimentary 

basins (or groups of basins) are identified, located, and briefly 

described (table 1). Figures illustrating the basins according 

to geologic age are included to show the distribution and 

size of the basins (figs. 1–4). However, the reader is referred 

to the GIS to locate any specific basin. All of the basins 

within this catalog are shown on each figure. The line color, 

which delimits each basin, does not signify any geologic or 

geographic attribute. The color fills, however, do correspond 

to the plate tectonic setting and geologic era of each basin. 

In some instances, basin polygons may overlie one another. 

In these cases, the smaller basin is placed on top of the larger 

basin. If superimposed basins are of different ages, it may be 

difficult to distinguish a basin with no polygon color fill from 

the underlying basin with a polygon color fill. The reader 

is urged to examine table 1 or the accompanying GIS to 

determine the category of each basin.

Both onshore and offshore basins are recognized in this 

compilation. As research continues on this topic, it is expected 

that a revised version of this study will follow, including more 

details on basin volume, geologic history, fluid flow characteristics, and CO2

 storage potential.

Preliminary Catalog of the Sedimentary Basins 

of the United States

By James L. Coleman, Jr., and Steven M. Cahan 

The text accompanying this catalog gives a very brief 

synopsis of the age and style of the listed sedimentary basins 

and is not intended to be a substantial discussion of all of 

the factors involved in sedimentary basin creation, fill, and 

preservation or of the full-cycle evolution of the sediments and 

sedimentary rocks contained within the basin. The processes 

of plate tectonics and sedimentary basin formation and 

preservation are more complex than that described here. The 

reader interested in a more complete discussion of sedimentary 

basin processes, origin, and evolution are urged to review 

Dickinson (1976), Bally and Snelson (1980), Klemme (1980), 

Kingston and others, (1983), and the collection of Foster and 

Beaumont (1987). More detailed discussions of many of the 

basins or composite basins reviewed in this report can be 

found in the Geological Society of America “Decade of North 

America” (DNAG) volumes (especially Sloss, 1988; Bally 

and Palmer, 1989; Hatcher and others, 1989; Winterer, 1989; 

Salvador, 1991; Burchfiel and others, 1992; Reed and others, 

1993; Plafker and Berg, 1994) and “The Sedimentary Basins 

of the United States and Canada” (Miall, 2008). Recent 

basin analyses in many areas have not been incorporated into 

this initial report. Specifically, new interpretations by Bird 

and Houseknecht (2011), K.J. Bird and D.W. Houseknecht 

(unpub. data, 2010), Houseknecht and Bird (2011), Houseknecht and Till (2011), Houseknecht and others (2011), and 

Houseknecht and Bird (2012, in press a, b) in Arctic Alaska 

and adjacent Arctic Canada will likely result in an improved 

understanding and a reinterpretation of the basins listed herein. 

For the purposes of this discussion, a sedimentary basin 

is considered to be that volume of sedimentary rocks within 

a three dimensional container, the boundaries of which are 

definable geologic features such as fault zones, closing structural contours, or up stratigraphic dip pinchout of wedges or 

sediments or sedimentary rocks. These sedimentary containers 

have an areal extent that is recorded in the accompanying GIS 

shapefile. The classification terms used in the text were created 

by the authors to help explain the nature and association of 

individual sedimentary basins with other similarly formed and 

preserved basins. Most basins have an evolutionary history 

and advance from one style to another throughout their life.

Sedimentary basins in their most simplistic form are 

containers in which a preserved volumetric accumulation of 
2 Preliminary Catalog of the Sedimentary Basins of the United States

sediments may over time and exposure to elevated temperature 

and pressure be lithified into sedimentary rocks. Many basins 

form as the result of plate tectonic activity through a variety of 

structural processes. These processes generate relief necessary 

for erosion, carbonate deposition (where possible), and the 

accommodation space for the accumulation and preservation 

of sediment.

The surface of the Earth can be divided into cratons 

(tectonically stable interior areas of continents, with thick 

lithospheric roots overlying anomalously cold mantle), 

cratonic margins (variably tectonically active areas of crust 

transitional in nature between the thick crust of the craton 

and the relatively thin crust of the oceans), and ocean basins 

(variably tectonically active areas of thin crust, generally 

overlying hot mantle). At times in the Earth’s history, sea level 

was higher than today, and vast, shallow seas covered the 

cratons, leaving behind thick accumulations of sediments and 

sedimentary rock termed here platform (or shelf) sediments. 

Typically, these platform sediments increase in thickness 

into basins within or peripheral to the cratons. In complete 

sedimentary basin sequences, platform sediments transition 

seaward through several depositional facies mosaics ranging 

from continental to shallow water marine to marine slope 

finally ending in marine accumulations of potentially deep 

water settings.

Sedimentary processes may fill the basins with a variety 

of siliclastic and carbonate sediments, the character of which 

is determined in part by the proximity of older, relatively 

high standing sedimentary, metamorphic, or igneous rocks, 

which can be eroded and the resulting sediment deposited 

into the basin. Additional factors controlling the character 

of accumulated sediments are the areal extent and hydraulic 

gradients of erosional and depositional systems delivering 

sediments to the basin, climate throughout the erosional and 

depositional systems, the time involved in sediment transport 

to a final depositional site, extra-basinal influences (such as 

volcanic ash contributions, bolide impacts, and tsunamis), 

and post-depositional diagenetic, igneous, and metamorphic 

activity. These basins can form just about anywhere on a 

tectonic plate where tectonic forces permit and may vary in 

size from small “pocket basins” of a few acres in size to large 

ocean basins. Continued plate tectonic activity may preserve 

many of these basins, but likewise, many basins are destroyed 

by plate convergence leading to orogenic compression, 

folding, metamorphism, uplift, and erosion or subduction and 

incorporation into deep crustal regions.

A sedimentary basin may form as one type of basin and 

evolve through time into another type of basin. Cratonic basins 

may have their origin as rift basins. Foreland basins may have 

earlier phases as rift basins and passive margin basins. Basins 

that form on active plate margins may have a highly varied 

history of style development, modification commonly by 

transpressional or transtentional tectonics, and change, even 

though their life spans may be geologically very short.

As indicated above, most basins may grade from one 

style to another through both time and space; each basin 

discussed in this report is placed into a single classification 

based on its predominant geological style as determined from 

published descriptions and interpretations.

For this report, the basins are grouped further by geologic 

age: Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Paleozoic, and Neoproterozoic, 

based primarily on the age of greatest basin subsidence and 

sediment accumulation (table 1). Pre-Neoproterozoic basins 

are not considered as present-day sedimentary basins. 

For this study, basins are categorized in general sizes 

relative to one another. These categories are small, medium, 

large, very large, and huge. No specific size dimensions are 

inferred.

In some instances, sub-basins or mini-basins are grouped 

under a single basin name. For instance, the Gulf of Mexico 

sedimentary basin includes the Rio Grande Embayment, the 

East Texas Basin, the North Louisiana Salt Dome Basin, the 

Mississippi Interior Salt Dome Basin, and the Gulf Coast Salt 

Dome Basin. Numerous Cenozoic basins within the Basin 

and Range Province are included within the Basin and Range 

Basins. Each of these groupings will be explained in more 

detail in the following section on basin descriptions.

Where data were available, basins were delineated based 

on the shallowest closed structural contour or fault boundary 

if that element controls the extent of the basin’s sedimentary 

rocks. In some areas, structural contours were not available, 

and published basin outlines were used. In most instances 

where basins extend beyond the national border or exclusive 

economic zone, the geologic basin outlines were truncated to 

coincide with the U. S. national or national maritime border. 

The basin boundaries for this study were selected to 

represent those areas of the United States with thick accumulations of sedimentary rocks. These boundaries were not meant 

to coincide with the boundaries of the U.S. Geological Survey 

(USGS) National Oil and Gas Assessment project assessment units or total petroleum systems. Because petroleum 

is more buoyant than water, petroleum will naturally flow 

toward lower pressure regimes, displacing water as it moves. 

Commonly this flow direction is up structural dip. Consequently, petroleum can normally be expected to flow out of 

sedimentary basins into structurally high areas adjacent to the 

petroleum kitchen area (Magoon and Dow, 1994). Therefore, it 

would not be unexpected to find some petroleum fields outside 

of the sedimentary basins identified in this report.

In this investigation and data base, basin outlines within 

the contiguous 48 United States were interpreted from Cohee 

and others (1962), Frezon and Finn (1988), and selected 

volumes in the series “The Decade of North American Geology” by the Geological Society of America (1989, 1991, 1992, 

1993, 1994; see individual basin references). Additional data 

for the contiguous 48 United States were drawn from King 

and Beikman (1974). Basin outlines for Alaska were taken 

primarily from Beikman (1980), Kirschner (1994), the U.S. 

Geological Survey (1997), and Troutman and Stanley (2002). 

The basin outline for Hawaii was adapted from Winterer 

(1989) and Sherrod and others (2007). The bounding elements 

for most of the basins described in the text are not identified 
Basin Classification 3

by name within the GIS. The reader is referred to the cited 

map sources (for example, Cohee and others, 1962) for their 

locations.

The majority of the data used in this compilation was 

taken from maps at scales of 1:2,500,000 (Cohee and others, 

1962; King and Beikman, 1974; Beikman, 1980; Ewing and 

Flores Lopez, 1991) and 1:5,000,000 (Frezon and Finn, 1988). 

Additional supplemental data were taken from a variety 

of larger scale (that is, greater detail) maps. The shapefile 

polygon data in this data base are reconnaissance in nature and 

best used at scales no larger than 1:1,000,000. 

Basin Classification 

Numerous schemes have been suggested for the classification of sedimentary basins such as those by Dickinson 

(1976), Bally and Snelson (1980), and Klemme (1980). The 

classification used in this study is a simple one and is based 

on the following scheme: intracratonic (basins formed within 

the boundaries of a craton), pericratonic (basins formed near 

or accreted to the margins of the craton), intercratonic (basins 

formed between cratons and extending onto oceanic crust), 

and oceanic (basins formed independent of the cratons mostly 

on oceanic crust). These are subdivided one additional step to 

further highlight their primary style during their geologic life. 

Intracratonic

Rift and Transtensional Basins (including 

intracratonic aulacogens)

Sag Basins

Pericratonic

Rift Basins (proto-oceanic rifting)

Passive Margin Basins (including Deltaic Basins)

Foreland Basins and Thrust Belts

Borderland Basins

Transtensional/Transpressional Basins

Intercratonic

Passive Margin Basins (extending onto mostly 

oceanic crust)

Accreted Back-Arc Basins

Accreted Fore-Arc Basins

Oceanic

Back-Arc Basins

Fore-Arc Basins

Peripheral Volcanic Apron

Intracratonic

Rift and Transtensional Basin including 

Intracratonic Aulacogens

For this report, rift basins are those basins that form 

within continental masses as a result primarily of extensional 

forces, resulting in a normal-fault bounded basin. Typically 

the basin-bounding fault zone on one side of the rift has more 

offset than the zone on the other side. Because pure orthogonal 

extension is relatively rare, most normal faults associated with 

rift basins have some component of transcurrent or strike-slip 

faulting. Those basins with a substantial amount of strike-slip, 

but net extensional, faulting are termed transtensional basins. 

If rifting progresses long enough, proto-oceanic basins may 

form. Aulacogens are those rift basins that form as the failed 

arm of a triple junction or the point where three tectonic 

plates meet. As oceanic rifting leaves the failed arm behind, 

its inherent structural weakness may permit renewed rifting 

throughout its history. All three of these basins are elongated 

and may have very thick sedimentary accumulations. Classic 

modern examples of intracratonic rift and transtensional basins 

are those basins that formed along the East Africa Rift and the 

Rio Grande Rift of the western United States. The Reelfoot 

Rift and Anadarko Basin of the United States are considered 

examples of aulacogen basins.

Sag Basin

For this report, sag basins are those basins that form 

within continental masses, possibly as the result of asthenospheric downwelling or isostatic equilibrium following 

termination of rifting. They are rarely fault-bounded with 

major fault zones but may contain internal strike-slip faulting 

(Middleton, 2007). Sag basins are commonly circular to oval 

in shape and may have multiple histories of basin subsidence. 

They may be large and thick or small and thin. They may 

form over older basins and inherit only some of the previously 

existing structural grain. Many intracratonic sag basins in the 

United States are Paleozoic in age. Classic examples are the 

Michigan and Williston Basins of the United States.

Pericratonic 

Rift (proto-oceanic) Basin

For this report, rift (proto-oceanic) basins are those 

basins that form along the margins of continents by processes 

that lead to the opening of an oceanic basin. These basins 

are elongated and have may have variable thicknesses. The 

Red Sea and Gulf of Suez rifts of the Middle East contain 

examples of this type of basin.
4 Preliminary Catalog of the Sedimentary Basins of the United States

Passive Margin Basin (including Deltaic)

For this report, passive margin basins are those basins 

that form on the margins of continents that are not active 

tectonic or fault-bounded margins. In this study, they are 

restricted to those passive margin basins that form over 

continental and transitional oceanic crust. They are typically 

very large and may have a substantial thickness of sedimentary 

rock. In many instances, the basin opens into oceanic areas 

away from continental crust. Here, the thickest passive margin 

basins may build over previously deposited mobile substrates 

such as massive salt or shale intervals that deform plastically 

and permit sedimentary intervals to slide slowly toward the 

open ocean. Where continental drainage delivers siliciclastic 

sediment to the shoreline, thick deltaic accumulations can 

develop, further accentuating sediment loading, resulting 

in gravity deformation of the basinward transported mass. 

Where possible, large carbonate bank complexes produced 

by biogenic processes may also accumulate in passive margin 

basins. Classic examples of these types of basins are the Gulf 

of Mexico and the West Atlantic Basins of the United States.

Foreland Basins and Thrust Belts

For this report, foreland basins are those basins that form 

adjacent to orogenic thrust belts and fault-bounded uplifts. 

Two types of foreland basins are included in this category: 

(1) foreland basins that form adjacent to decollement fault 

thrust and fold belts and (2) foreland basins that form adjacent 

to basement-cored anticlinal uplifts. Where sedimentary rocks 

are involved in the thrust faulting, they are included in the 

basin proper, as they are correlative to those undeformed rocks 

within the basin. Foreland basins adjacent to decollement 

thrust and fold belts are typically elongated and parallel to the 

structural grain of the orogenic belt. Foreland basins adjacent 

to basement-cored anticlinal uplifts are typically elliptical. 

Both types may have very thick accumulations of sedimentary 

rocks. Classic examples of these basins are the Appalachian 

Basin and many of the Mesozoic Rocky Mountain Basins of 

the United States and Canada and the Po Basin of Italy.

Borderland Basin

For this report, borderland basins are those basins 

that form along the margins of a continent as a result of 

transtensional and transpressional faulting associated with 

the oblique collision of tectonic plates. They form at major 

bends along the collisional boundary. The combination of 

basin forming (transtensional faulting) and mountain forming 

(transpressional faulting) produces relatively small basins 

and uplifts along the plate boundary. Classic examples of this 

type of basin are the California borderland basins of southern 

California, such as the Santa Maria and Los Angeles Basins.

Transtensional/Transpressional Basin

For this report, transtensional/transpressional basins are 

those basins that form at the margins of continents, typically 

along plate tectonic boundaries. These plate boundaries appear 

to have substantially fewer bends than those boundaries that 

produce borderland basins and associated uplifts. Transtensional/transpressional basins form along both restraining and 

releasing bends and may be completely surrounded by faults. 

Classic examples of this type of basin are the basins, which 

formed along the Dead Sea Rift Zone in the Middle East.

Intercratonic 

Passive Margin Basin (extending onto 

oceanic crust)

For this report, passive margin basins, which extend onto 

oceanic crust, are those passive margin basins that typically 

develop between cratonic masses and extend onto transitional 

and oceanic crust. There is obviously a continuum between 

this type of basin and pericratonic passive margin basins 

(including deltaic). A possible example of this type of basin is 

the Canada Basin of the United States and Canada.

Accreted Back-Arc Basin

For this report, accreted back-arc basins are those basins 

that are hypothesized to form on oceanic crust as a result of 

trench roll-back beneath the landward side of a volcanic chain 

(on the other side of the subduction zone) and then accretion 

onto the continental margin. These basins typically are very 

long and very narrow. An example of these basins is the 

Bristol Bay Basin in Alaska.

Accreted Fore-Arc Basin

For this report, accreted fore-arc basins are those basins 

that form on oceanic crust between the subduction zone and 

an associated volcanic arc as a result of development and 

growth of an accretionary prism and then are accreted onto the 

continental margin. They may be deformed by faulting associated with the subduction zone. These basins are typically very 

long and narrow. A classic example of this type of basin is the 

Great Valley of California and the Cook Inlet Basin of Alaska.

Oceanic

Back-Arc Basin 

For this report, back-arc basins are those basins that are 

hypothesized to form on oceanic crust as a result of trench 

roll-back beneath the landward side of a volcanic chain (on 

the other side from the subduction zone). These basins are 
Brief Description of Individual Sedimentary Basins 5

typically very long and very narrow. These basins have not yet 

fully accreted onto the continental margin. An example of this 

type of basin is the Aleutian Basin in Alaska.

Fore-Arc Basin

For this report, fore-arc basins are those basins that form 

on oceanic crust between the subduction zone and an associated volcanic arc as a result of development and growth of an 

accretionary prism. These basins have not fully accreted onto 

the continental margin. They may be deformed by faulting 

associated with the subduction zone. These basins are typically 

very long and narrow. An example of this basin is the Western 

Washington–Oregon Basin of the United States.

Peripheral Volcanic Apron

For this report, peripheral volcanic aprons are those 

sedimentary and volcano-sedimentary accumulations proximal 

to volcanic uplands (usually islands) consisting of material 

derived by erosional, sedimentary, and volcanic activity 

intercalated with background sedimentation. An example of 

these basins is the area around the Hawaiian Islands.

Brief Description of Individual 

Sedimentary Basins

Intracratonic 

Rift and Transtensional including Intracratonic 

Aulacogens

Cenozoic

Southeast Oregon–Northern California Basins 125 1

The Southeast Oregon–Northern California Basins 

contain a group of sedimentary basins beneath the geologic 

province commonly called the Columbia River Basalt Plateau. 

Within this group designation are the Harney Basin, Warner 

Graben, Catlow Basin, and Alford Graben, plus other smaller 

or unnamed basins, including some basins of unmetamorphosed sedimentary rocks of Mesozoic age. The boundary for 

this basin is derived primarily from geology shown on Cohee 

and others (1962).

1

 The numbers following the basin names refer to numbered basins on 

accompanying figures.

Snake River Downwarp 95

The Snake River Downwarp includes those sedimentary 

and mixed sedimentary and igneous strata beneath the Snake 

River Plain. The boundary for this basin is derived primarily 

from the geology shown on Cohee and others (1962) and King 

and Beikman (1974).

Ruby Basin 10

The Ruby Basin is a small basin in southern Montana. 

The boundary for this basin is derived primarily from the basin 

outline shown on Frezon and Finn (1988).

Mesilla Basin 16

The Mesilla Basin is a small rift basin in southern New 

Mexico that is part of the Rio Grande Rift system. The boundary for this basin is derived primarily from the basin outline 

shown on Frezon and Finn (1988).

Jornada Basin 15

The Jornada Basin is small rift basin in southern New 

Mexico that is part of the Rio Grande Rift system. The 

boundary for this basin is derived primarily from the basin 

outline shown on Frezon and Finn (1988) and modified from 

King and Beikman (1974).

Tularosa Basin 53

The Tularosa Basin is a basin dominated by rift development in southern New Mexico and westernmost Texas. The 

Cenozoic rift portion is part of the Rio Grande Rift system. 

The basin outline also includes Permian strata correlative with 

the equivalent strata of the Permian Basin to the east. The 

boundary for this basin is derived primarily from the basin 

outline shown on Frezon and Finn (1988) and Cohee and 

others (1962).

Estancia Basin 2

The Estancia Basin is a composite basin dominated by 

rift basin development in central New Mexico. The basin 

outline also includes Permian strata correlative with the Permian of the Permian Basin to the southeast. The boundary for 

this basin is derived primarily from the basin outline shown on 

Frezon and Finn (1988).

Albuquerque Basin 28

The Albuquerque Basin is a large rift basin that is part 

of the Rio Grande Rift system. The boundary for this basin is 

derived primarily from the basin outline shown on Cohee and 

others (1962).
6 Preliminary Catalog of the Sedimentary Basins of the United States

Espanola Basin 18

The Espanola Basin is a medium rift basin that is part 

of the Rio Grande Rift system. It also includes the east flank 

of the volcanic and volcano-sedimentary rocks of the Jemez 

Volcanic Field. The boundary for this basin is derived primarily from the basin outline shown on Frezon and Finn (1988).

San Luis Basin 34

The San Luis Basin is a rift basin between the Sangre 

de Christo Uplift and the San Juan Volcanic Field in southern 

Colorado and northern New Mexico. The boundary for this 

basin is derived primarily from the basin outline shown on 

Cohee and others (1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

Basin and Range Basins 142

Basin and Range Basins is a complex of various Cenozoic rift basins in the Basin and Range Province that are south 

of Snake River Downwarp volcanic and other volcanic areas 

to the west of the Snake River Downwarp in southern Idaho 

and northern Nevada. This basin complex is located between 

the Sierra Nevada Uplift (Mountains) and the California 

Transverse Range on the west and the Colorado Plateau on the 

east. The southern boundary is arbitrarily picked as the 

U.S.–Mexican national border, as the basin complex continues 

across that border into central Mexico. The Basin and Range 

Basins includes the Salton Trough Basin of southern California. The boundary for this basin is derived primarily from 

the basin outline shown on Frezon and Finn (1988), with the 

northern border drawn from Cohee and others (1962) at their 

zone of transition between primarily volcanic terrain to the 

north and primarily sedimentary basin fill to the south.

Susitna Basin 36

The Susitna Basin is a medium Cenozoic rift–

transtensional basin in south central Alaska. It is bordered on 

the east by the Talkeetna Mountains and the Alaska Range, on 

the south by the Castle Mountain Fault Zone, and on the west 

and north by the Alaska Range. The boundary for this basin is 

derived from the basin outline shown on Kirschner (1994) and 

the U.S. Geological Survey (1997).

Holitna Basin 23

The Holitna Basin is a medium Cenozoic rifttranstensional basin in south-central Alaska. It is bordered on 

all four sides by the Kuskokwim and older flysch belts and 

bifurcated by the Fairwell Fault Zone. The boundary for this 

basin is derived from the basin outline shown on Kirschner 

(1994) and the U.S. Geological Survey (1997).

Hope Basin 78

The Hope Basin is a large, complex Cenozoic rifttranstensional basin in western Alaska. It is bordered on the 

west by the U.S.–Russian national maritime boundary, on the 

north by Herald Arch and the Lisburne Hills, on the east by the 

Colville foreland basin and Northern Brooks Range, and on 

the south by the Kotzebue Arch. The boundary for this basin 

is derived from the basin and ocean resource management 

outlines shown on Kirschner (1994), the U.S. Geological 

Survey (1997), and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 

Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) (2010a).

Kobuk-Selawik Basin 45

The Kobuk-Selawik Basin is a composite term for the 

small Kobuk and Selawik Cenozoic rift-transtensional basins 

in west central Alaska. It is bordered on the north by the 

Brooks Range, on the east by the Kobuk Flysch Belt and the 

Hogatza Plutonic Belt, on the south by the Hogatza Plutonic 

Belt, and on the west by folds, which separate it from the 

Kotzebue Basin to the west. The boundary for this basin is 

derived from the basin outline shown on Kirschner (1994) and 

the U.S. Geological Survey (1997).

Kotzebue Basin 77

The Kotzebue Basin is a medium Cenozoic rifttranstensional basin in west-central Alaska. This southern 

extension of the Hope Basin is bordered on the north by the 

western Brooks Range and the Kotzebue Arch, on the east by 

folds, which separate it from the Kobuk-Selawik Basin to the 

east, on the south by western Brooks Range structures, and 

on the west by the U.S.–Russian national maritime boundary. 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin and 

ocean resource management outlines shown on Kirschner 

(1994), U.S. Geological Survey (1997), and the Bureau of 

Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement 

(BOEMRE) (2010a).

Minchumina Basin 72

The Minchumina Basin is a medium Cenozoic rifttranstensional basin in central Alaska. It is bordered on the 

northwest by high grade igneous and metamorphic rocks and 

the Iditarod Fault Zone, on the southwest by the Kuskokwin 

Flysch Belt and older high grade metamorphic rocks, on the 

southeast by the Farwell Fault Zone and the Alaska Range, 

and on the northeast by a structural saddle between it and the 

Nenana Basin. The boundary for this basin is derived from the 

outline shown on Kirschner (1994) and the U.S. Geological 

Survey (1997).
Brief Description of Individual Sedimentary Basins 7

Nenana Basin 86

The Nenana Basin is a large, complex, Cenozoic 

rift-transtensional basin in central Alaska. It is bordered on 

the north by the Kaltag Fault Zone, the Kokrine-Hodzana 

Highland, the Livengood Flysch Belt, and the Yukon-Tanana 

Upland, on the east by the Yukon-Tanana Upland, on the south 

by the Alaska Range, the structural saddle between it and 

the Minchumina Basin, high grade metamorphic rocks and 

structures lateral to the Kuskokwim Flysch Belt, and on the 

west by the Kaiyuh Mountains. The boundary for this basin is 

derived from the basin outline shown on Kirschner (1994) and 

the U.S. Geological Survey (1997).

Norton Basin 110

The Norton Basin is a large, complex Cenozoic rifttranstensional basin in western Alaska. It is bordered on the 

north by basin-bounding faults and high grade metamorphic 

rocks of the Seward Peninsula extension of the Brooks Range, 

on the east by the Yukon-Koyukuk Flysch Belt, on the south 

by the structural saddle between it and the St. Matthew Basin 

and the high grade metamorphic rocks of St. Lawrence Island, 

and on the west by basin-bounding faults and the U.S.–Russian national maritime boundary. The boundary for this basin 

is derived from the basin and ocean resource management 

outlines shown on Kirschner (1994), the U.S. Geological 

Survey (1997), and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 

Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) (2010a).

Yukon Flats Basin 88

The Yukon Flats Basin is medium, complex rifttranstensional Cenozoic basin in east-central Alaska. It is 

bordered on the north by the Brooks Range, on the west by 

the Hodzana Highlands, on the south by several fault zones, 

including the Tintina Fault Zone, and on the east by the 

Kandik Flysch Belt. The boundary for this basin is derived 

from the basin outline shown on Kirschner (1994) and the U.S. 

Geological Survey (1997).

Mesozoic

Newark Group Basins 70, 135

The Lower Jurassic–Triassic rift basins of the eastern 

United States are termed the Newark Group Basins for this 

report. Approximately 40 basins of variable sizes have been 

identified within this group, including the exposed Hartford, 

Newark, Gettysburg, Culpeper, Richmond, and Durham–

Sanford basins and the buried South Georgia, Florence, 

Norfolk, and Taylorsville basins among others. These basins 

extend from offshore Maine to northern Florida. The boundaries for these basins are derived from King and Beikman 

(1974), Benson (1992), and recent unpublished USGS research 

associated with the National Oil and Gas Assessment (NOGA) 

Eastern Mesozoic Basins Oil and Gas Resource Assessment 

task. Some of these basins in the Southeastern United States 

appear to have characteristics of rift (proto-oceanic) basins.

Copper River Basin 43 

The Copper River Basin is a medium Cenozoic rifttranstensional basin in central Alaska. It is bordered on the 

north by the Talkeetna Mountains, on the east by the Hutzotin 

Flysch Belt and the Wrangell Mountains, on the south by 

thrusted metamorphic rocks associated with the Eagle River 

Fault Zone, and on the west by folded flysch rocks between 

the Talkeetna Mountains and the Eagle River Fault Zone. 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown on Kirschner (1994) and the U.S. Geological Survey 

(1997).

Paleozoic

Palo Duro Basin 74

The Palo Duro Basin is a large Paleozoic rift basin in the 

panhandle of northern Texas. It lies between the 

Amarillo-Wichita Uplift on the north and the Matador Arch–

Red River Uplift on the south. It is the structural extension 

of the Hollis-Hardeman Basin to the east and the Tucumcari 

Basin to the west. The boundary for this basin is derived 

primarily from the basin outline shown on Cohee and others 

(1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

Hollis-Hardeman Basin 30

The Hollis-Hardeman Basin is a medium Paleozoic 

rift basin in the panhandle of northern Texas and southwest 

Oklahoma. It lies between the Amarillo-Wichita Uplift on the 

north and the Matador Arch–Red River Uplift on the south. It 

is the structural extension of the Marietta Basin to the east and 

the Palo Duro Basin to the west. The boundary for this basin is 

derived primarily from the basin outline shown on Cohee and 

others (1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

Anadarko Basin 124

The Anadarko Basin is a very large Paleozoic rift basin 

in southwest Kansas, the northern panhandle of Texas, and 

central and western Oklahoma. This basin was reactivated 

as a foreland basin during Pennsylvanian-Permian tectonics associated with the Ancestral Rocky Mountains. The 

Anadarko Basin, as used in this study, includes the Hugoton 

Embayment (of the Anadarko Basin). It is bordered on the 

south by the Amarillo-Wichita Uplift, on the east by the 

Arbuckle Uplift and the Nemaha Uplift, on the northeast by 

the Central Kansas Uplift, on the northwest by the Las Animas 

Arch, and on the west by the Cimarron Uplift. The boundary 

between the Anadarko Basin and the smaller Sedgwick Basin 

to the northeast is arbitrarily drawn parallel to the structural 
8 Preliminary Catalog of the Sedimentary Basins of the United States

contours of the Anadarko Basin, cutting off the bulge that is 

the Sedgwick Basin. The boundary for this basin is derived 

primarily from the basin outline shown on Cohee and others 

(1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

Narragansett Basin 13

The Narragansett Basin is a medium Paleozoic rift basin 

in eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The boundary for 

this basin is derived from the basin outline shown on King and 

Beikman (1974).

Rome Trough 104

The Rome Trough is a long and narrow Paleozoic rift 

basin that extends from northeastern Pennsylvania to southeastern Kentucky. The Rome Trough is not exposed in the core 

of the Appalachian Basin and has been defined by drilling and 

seismic profiling. The boundary for this basin is derived from 

the basin outline of Ryder and others (2005).

Rough Creek Graben 55

The Rough Creek Graben is a long and narrow Paleozoic 

(and possibly late Neoproterozoic) rift basin that extends 

east-west across western Kentucky and southeastern Illinois. 

It is also known as the Moorman Syncline. It has a surface 

expression and is discernible on local and regional geologic 

maps of the area. It is bounded on the north by the transpressional Rough Creek Fault Zone and on the south by a series of 

lesser faults. The boundary for this basin is derived from the 

basin outline shown on Cohee and others (1962).

Reelfoot Rift 56

The Reelfoot Rift is a complex intracontinental Paleozoic 

rift that has a major central inversion structure of probable 

Mesozoic and Cenozoic age. It is bounded on the northwest 

and southeast by major normal faults and on the northeast by 

the Pascola Arch and the southwest by the Ouachita Frontal 

Thrust Zone. The boundary for this basin is derived from 

the basin outline shown in McKeown and others (1990) and 

Coleman (2009).

Birmingham Graben 26

The Birmingham Graben is a Paleozoic rift basin that lies 

beneath the Appalachian Thrust Belt in northeastern Alabama 

and northwestern Georgia. The rift does not have a surface 

expression and has been defined with gravity, aeromagnetic, 

seismic, and well data. The boundary for this basin is derived 

from the basin outline shown in Coleman (1988) and Thomas 

and Bayona (2005).

Neoproterozoic

Midcontinent Rift 136

The Midcontinent Rift is a large arcuate Mesoproterozoic 

rift zone (included with the Neoproterozoic basins for this 

report) that extends from southeastern Ontario, Canada, to 

northern Michigan and ending in northeast Kansas. For most 

of its extent, this rift does not have a surface expression as 

a rift basin; however, it is exposed in western Michigan, 

northern Wisconsin, and southeastern Minnesota. Its extent 

has been determined by aeromagnetic maps, seismic profiles, 

and well penetrations. The boundary for this basin is derived 

from the basin outline shown in Ojakangas and others (2001).

Boston Basin 1

The Boston Basin is a small Neoproterozoic to early 

Paleozoic rift basin in eastern Massachusetts. The boundary 

for this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in King 

and Beikman (1974).

Chuar Group Area Basin 128

Chuar Group Area Basin is the name given to an area 

of Neoproterozoic rift basin sedimentary rocks in the Grand 

Canyon area of northern Arizona, central Utah, southwestern 

Wyoming, and southeastern Idaho. For much of its extent, 

the Chuar Group Area Basin extends in the subsurface and is 

delineated primarily with geophysical data, supplemented with 

sparse well control. The boundary for this basin is simplified 

from the basin outlines shown in Palacas (1997) and Seeley 

and Keller (2003).

Sag

Cenozoic

Clarno Basin 41

The Paleocene-Eocene Clarno Basin is interpreted here 

as a small sag basin in central Oregon. The boundary for this 

basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Miller and 

others (1992).

Blue Mountains Basin 9

The Paleocene-Eocene Blue Mountains Basin (also 

considered by some to part of the Clarno Basin) is interpreted 

here as a small sag basin in central Oregon. The boundary for 

this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Miller 

and others (1992).
Brief Description of Individual Sedimentary Basins 9

Montgomery Creek Basin 3

The Paleocene-Eocene Montgomery Creek Basin is 

interpreted here as small sag basin in northern California. 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown in Miller and others (1992).

Round Valley Basin 14

The Paleocene-Eocene Round Valley Basin is interpreted 

here as a small sag basin in northern California. The boundary 

for this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Miller 

and others (1992).

Clarno–John Day Basin 96

The Cenozoic Clarno–John Day Basin is interpreted 

here as an early post-Laramide orogeny successor sag basin 

developing northwest of the earlier Clarno and Blue Mountain 

basins in central Oregon. The boundary for this basin is 

derived from the basin outline shown in Christiansen and 

Yeats (1992).

Copper–Bull Run–Elko–Indian Wells Basin 101

The Copper–Bull Run–Elko–Indian Wells Basin is a 

grouping of four smaller early post-Laramide orogeny sag 

sub-basins. The boundary for this basin is derived from the 

basin outline shown in Christiansen and Yeats (1992).

Bozeman Basin 52

The Bozeman Basin is interpreted here as a small early 

post-Laramide sag basin in western Montana. The boundary 

for this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in 

Christiansen and Yeats (1992).

Bridger Basin 63

The Bridger Basin is interpreted here as a small early 

post-Laramide sag basin in southwestern Wyoming. The 

boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown in Christiansen and Yeats (1992).

White River–Split Rock Basin 80

The White River–Split Rock Basin is interpreted here 

as a small early post-Laramide sag basin in south-central 

Wyoming. The boundary for this basin is derived from the 

basin outline shown in Christiansen and Yeats (1992).

Claron Basin 54

The Claron Basin is interpreted here as a small early 

post-Laramide sag basin in southwestern Utah. The boundary 

for this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in 

Christiansen and Yeats (1992).

Sheep Pass Basin 66

The Sheep Pass Basin is interpreted here as a small early 

post-Laramide sag basin in east-central Nevada. The boundary 

for this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in 

Christiansen and Yeats (1992).

Brown’s Park Basin 48

The Brown’s Park Basin is interpreted here as a small 

early post-Laramide sag basin in northwestern Colorado. 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown in Christiansen and Yeats (1992).

Baca Basin 117

The Baca Basin is interpreted here as a large early postLaramide sag basin in east central Arizona and west-central 

New Mexico. The boundary for this basin is derived from the 

basin outline shown in Christiansen and Yeats (1992).

Tascotal Basin 84

The Tascotal Basin is interpreted here as a medium early 

post-Laramide sag basin in west Texas. The boundary for this 

basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Christiansen 

and Yeats (1992).

Columbia River Plateau Basins 89

The Columbia River Plateau Basins is a collective term 

to include all of the sedimentary and volcanic-sedimentary 

basins within the Columbia River Plateau of northern Oregon 

and southern Washington. This grouping includes the Swauk, 

Yakima, Umatilla, Pasco, and Quincy Basins, plus several 

smaller basins. These basins are separated from each other 

by anticlinal folds. The boundary for this collective basin 

is interpreted from Cohee and others (1962) and King and 

Beikman (1974).

Galena Basin 37

The Galena Basin is interpreted here as a medium Cenozoic sag basin in western Alaska. It is bordered on the west by 

the Yukon-Koyukuk Flysch Belt, on the north by the Hogatza 

Plutonic Belt, on the east by the southwestern extension of the 

Kobuk Flysch Belt, and on the south by the Kaltag Fault Zone 

and the Kaiyuh Mountains. The boundary for this basin is 

derived from the basin outline shown on Kirschner (1994) and 

the U.S. Geological Survey (1997).
10 Preliminary Catalog of the Sedimentary Basins of the United States

Innoko Basin 31

The Innoko Basin is a medium Cenozoic sag basin in 

west-central Alaska. It is bordered on the north by the Kaiyuh 

Mountains, on the east and southeast by high grade metamorphic rocks, on the southwest Yukon-Koyukuk Flysch Belt, 

and on the west by the Kuskokwin Flysch Belt. The boundary 

for this basin is derived from the basin outline shown on 

Kirschner (1994) and the U.S. Geological Survey (1997).

Noatak Basin 7

The Noatak Basin is a small Cenozoic sag basin in 

western Alaska. It is surrounded entirely by the Brooks Range. 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown on Kirschner (1994) and the U.S. Geological Survey 

(1997).

Northway Lowlands 25

The Northway Lowlands is a Cenozoic sag basin in 

eastern Alaska. It is surrounded on the west, north, and east 

sides by the Yukon-Tanana Upland and on the southwest 

by the Denali Fault Zone and the Nutzotin Flysch Belt. 

The southeastern border is truncated by the U.S.–Canadian 

national boundary. The boundary for this basin is derived from 

the basin outline shown on Kirschner (1994) and the U.S. 

Geological Survey (1997).

Mesozoic

Kennedy Basin 67

The Kennedy Basin is a medium Mesozoic sag basin 

in north-central Nebraska and south-central South Dakota. 

It is bordered on the southwest by the Chadron Arch, on the 

southeast by the Siouxana Arch, and by ill-defined structural 

saddles on the northeast and northwest. The boundary for this 

basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee and 

others (1962).

San Juan Basin 85

The San Juan Basin is a large Mesozoic sag basin in 

northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado. It is 

bordered on the north by the San Juan Volcanic Area (and 

associated San Juan Mountains), on the west by the Defiance 

Uplift, on the south by the Zuni Uplift, and on the east by rift 

shoulder faulting associated with the Nacimiento Uplift, the 

Albuquerque Basin, and the Jemez Volcanic Field. The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in 

Cohee and others (1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

Mississippi Embayment 122

The Mississippi Embayment is interpreted here as a large 

Mesozoic sag basin in southernmost Illinois, western Kentucky, southeastern Missouri, western Tennessee, northwestern 

Arkansas, and northern Mississippi. This structural and 

depositional feature rests unconformably above the inverted 

Reelfoot Rift Basin and the Black Warrior and Arkoma 

foreland basins and was probably controlled by reactivation 

of the rift boundary faults and cross rift inversion structures 

(Pascola and Blytheville Arches). The boundary for this basin 

is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee and others 

(1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

Apalachicola Embayment 98

The Apalachicola Embayment is interpreted here as 

large northeast-trending Mesozoic sag basin in panhandle 

Florida and southwestern Georgia. The basin is bordered on 

the northeast by a large, buried Mesozoic volcanic highland in 

southern Georgia, on the northwest by the rift shoulder of the 

underlying Newark Group South Georgia Rift Basin (Chattahoochee Arch), and on the south and southeast by the Florida 

Middle Ground High and a major Jurassic-age transform fault 

zone. The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin 

outline shown in Frezon and Finn (1988) and Ewing and 

Flores Lopez (1991).

South Florida Basin 123

The South Florida Basin is interpreted here as a large 

Mesozoic sag basin in the southern peninsula of Florida. It is 

bordered on the north and northeast by the Peninsula Arch, 

the southeast by the Pine Key Arch and Largo High, on the 

south and southwest by the Florida Escarpment, and on the 

northwest by the Tampa-Sarasota Arch. The boundary for this 

basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Frezon and 

Finn (1988) and Pollastro and others (2001).

Paleozoic

Holbrook Basin 46

The Holbrook Basin is a medium Paleozoic sag basin, 

primarily of Permian age in east-central Arizona. It is bordered 

on the east by the Defiance-Zuni Uplift and on the north and 

northwest by the Sedona Arch; the basin margins on the south 

are ill-defined. The boundary for this basin is derived from the 

basin outline shown in Cohee and others (1962) and Blakey 

(2008).
Brief Description of Individual Sedimentary Basins 11

Hogeland Basin 8

The Hogeland Basin is a medium Paleozoic sag basin in 

northern Montana. It is bordered on the east by the Bowdoin 

Dome, on the south by the Little Rocky Mountains and the 

Bearpaw Intrusive Complex, and on the west by monoclinal 

dip away from the Sweetgrass Arch. The northern border is 

limited by the U.S.–Canadian national border. The boundary 

for this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee 

and others (1962).

Pedregosa Basin 51

The Pedregosa Basin is a medium Paleozoic sag basin 

in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that 

underwent modification by Early Cretaceous rifting. It is 

bordered on the northeast by the Florida Uplift (also known 

as the Burro Uplift), on the west by faults currently associated 

with the Basin and Range Province, and on the south by the 

U.S.–Mexican national border. The boundary for this basin is 

derived from the basin outline shown in Blakey (2008).

Salina Basin 76

The Salina Basin is a medium Paleozoic sag basin 

in north central Kansas and south-central Nebraska. It is 

bordered on the north by normal faults, which have developed 

south of the Siouxana Arch, on the west by the Cambridge 

Arch and Central Kansas Uplift, on the southeast by the 

Abilene Arch, and on the northeast by the closing structural 

contours associated with a structural high near Lincoln, 

Nebraska. The boundary for this basin is derived from the 

basin outline shown in Cohee and others (1962) and Frezon 

and Finn (1988).

Sedgwick Basin 75

The Sedgwick Basin is a medium Paleozoic sag basin in 

south-central Kansas and north central Oklahoma that may 

have had its initial development as a rift basin. It is bordered 

on the east by the Nemaha Ridge, on the north by the confluence of the Central Kansas Uplift and the Abilene Arch, and 

on the west and southwest by its boundary with the Anadarko 

Basin. The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin 

outline shown in Frezon and Finn (1988).

Dalhart Basin 29

The Dalhart Basin is a medium Paleozoic sag basin in 

western panhandle Oklahoma and northern panhandle Texas. 

It is bordered on the east by the Cimarron Uplift, the south by 

the western extension of the Amarillo Uplift, the west by the 

Sierra Grande Arch, and the north by Keyes Dome and the 

southeastern extension of the Apishapa Uplift. The boundary 

for this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee 

and others (1962).

Williston Basin 132

The Williston Basin is a large Paleozoic sag basin in 

western North Dakota, northwestern South Dakota, and 

eastern Montana. It is bordered on the west by Bowdoin 

Dome, Porcupine Dome, and Miles City Arch, on the south 

by the Black Hills Uplift, on the east by an arbitrary structural 

contour coming off of the Precambrian structural high in 

Minnesota, and to the north by the U.S.–Canadian national 

border. The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin 

outline shown in Cohee and others (1962) and Frezon and 

Finn (1988).

Paradox Basin 82

The Paradox Basin is a medium Paleozoic sag basin in 

southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado. Late Paleozoic 

intrabasinal salt deposition and subsequent intrabasinal and 

extrabasinal structural movement during the Ancestral Rocky 

Mountain development and Laramide Orogeny significantly 

modified the character of the sedimentary rocks within the 

basin. It is bordered on the northeast by the Uncompahgre 

Uplift, on the east by the Needle Mountain Uplift, on the 

southeast by a structural saddle between it and the San Juan 

Basin, on the south by the north plunge of the Defiance Uplift, 

and on the west by the Monument Uplift and the San Raphael 

Swell. The Paradox Basin in this report includes the Blanding 

Basin. The boundary for the Paradox Basin is derived from the 

basin outline shown in Cohee and others (1962), Frezon and 

Finn (1988), and Nuccio and Condon (1996).

Permian Basin 115

The Permian Basin is a large Paleozoic basin in west 

Texas and southeastern New Mexico. For this study, it is 

included with other Paleozoic sag basins, although it is clear 

that its pre-Permian geologic history is structurally complex. 

It is bordered on the north by the western extension of the 

Matador Arch, on the northwest by the Sacramento Uplift, on 

the southwest by the Diablo Platform and the Van Horn Uplift, 

on the south by the Marathon Uplift and Thrust Belt, and on 

the east by structural contours coming off of the Edwards 

Arch and the Bend Arch in central Texas. The Permian Basin 

is divided into two major sub-basins, the Midland Basin to the 

east and the Delaware Basin to the west by the Central Basin 

Platform and the northwestward extension of the Pecos Arch. 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown in Cohee and others (1962) and Frezon and Finn 

(1988).
12 Preliminary Catalog of the Sedimentary Basins of the United States

Forest City Basin 94

The Forest City Basin is a medium Paleozoic sag basin 

in northeastern Kansas, southeastern Nebraska, northwestern 

Missouri, and southwestern Iowa. It is bordered on the west by 

the Nemaha Ridge, on the north by closing contours coming 

off of the Precambrian structural high in southern Minnesota 

and eastern South Dakota, on the east by closing contours 

coming off of the Mississippi River Arch, and on the south by 

the Bourbon Arch. The boundary for this basin is derived from 

the basin outline shown in Cohee and others (1962), Frezon 

and Finn (1988), and the Kansas Geological Survey (2005).

Cherokee Basin 69

The Cherokee Basin is a medium Paleozoic sag basin in 

southeastern Kansas, southwestern Missouri, and northeastern 

Oklahoma. It is bordered on the north by the Bourbon Arch, 

on the east by the Ozark Uplift, on the south by the Seminole 

Arch, and on the west by closing structural contours coming 

off of the Nemaha Ridge. The boundary for this basin is 

derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee and others 

(1962), Frezon and Finn (1988), Tully (1996), and the Kansas 

Geological Survey (2005).

Michigan Basin 131

The Michigan Basin is a large Paleozoic sag basin 

that occupies most of Michigan’s “mitten” and extends into 

easternmost Wisconsin, northeastern Indiana, northwestern 

Ohio, and southwestern Ontario. It is bordered on the southeast by the Findlay Arch in Ohio and the Algonquin Arch in 

Ontario, on the east, northeast, and north by closing contours 

coming off of the Canadian Shield, on the west by closing 

contours coming off of the Precambrian Shield in the Upper 

Peninsula of Michigan and northern Wisconsin, on the west 

by the Wisconsin Arch, and on the southwest by the Kankakee 

Arch. The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin 

outline shown in Cohee and others (1962) and Frezon and 

Finn (1988).

Illinois Basin 133

The Illinois Basin is a large Paleozoic sag basin in 

Illinois, western Indiana, western Kentucky, northwestern 

Tennessee, and a narrow zone along the Mississippi River 

in Missouri and Iowa. It is bordered on the northeast by the 

Kankakee Arch, the east and southeast by the Cincinnati Arch 

and the Nashville Dome, the southwest by the Pascola Arch, 

the west by the Precambrian core of the Ozark Uplift, the Lincoln Anticline, and the Mississippi River Arch, and the north 

by the Savanna Anticline and the Ashton Arch. The boundary 

for this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee 

and others (1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

Post-Ouachita Successor Basin 168

The post-Ouachita successor basin contains that volume 

of rock that lies south of the Ouachita Thrust Belt and is 

stratigraphically younger than the folded rocks of Ouachita 

Thrust Belt. The basin area is defined to the north by the updip 

stratigraphic pinchout of the post-Ouachita strata in Arkansas 

and northeast Texas and within structurally elevated areas 

of the Arkansas–Louisiana–Texas (ARKLATEX) salt basin 

where deep wells have penetrated Paleozoic sedimentary 

strata. In all likelihood, post-Ouachita sedimentary rocks 

are present in places outside the basin area, but there is no 

geophysical or geological evidence for their occurrence. 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown in Coleman (2009).

Neoproterozoic

Belt Basin 120

The Belt Basin comprises that volume of Neoproterozoic 

rocks included within the Belt Supergroup in western 

Montana, northern Idaho, and eastern Washington. Following 

initial deposition, the rocks of the Belt Supergroup were 

heavily deformed by thrust faulting and folding during the 

Mesozoic. As defined here, the Belt Basin also includes the 

Helena Embayment. The Belt Basin is bordered on the east by 

the eastern extent of Belt Supergroup rocks within the Montana Thrust Belt, on the north by the U.S.–Canadian national 

boundary, and on the west where Belt Supergroup rocks 

plunge beneath the Columbia River Basalt Plateau. The Belt 

Basin extent also includes several areas disconnected from 

the main basin area in order to include isolated occurrences 

of Belt Supergroup rocks. In all likelihood, Belt Supergroup 

rocks and their stratigraphic equivalents extend beyond the 

boundaries of this basin as currently drawn. The boundary for 

this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee 

and others (1962) and Miall and Blakey (2008).

Pericratonic

Rift (proto-oceanic)

Cenozoic

At present, there are no recognized pericratonic protooceanic rift basins of Cenozoic age within the United States.

Mesozoic

Nuwuk–Dinkum–Kaktovik Basin 97

The Nuwuk–Dinkum–Kaktovik Basin is a string of 

basins made up of the Nuwuk, Dinkum, and Kaktovik basins 

on the offshore of the north slope of Alaska. In this report, this 

composite basin is categorized as a proto-oceanic rift basin, 

although the Nuwuk and Kaktovik basins are mostly Cenozoic 
Brief Description of Individual Sedimentary Basins 13

passive margin depocenters that also include Mesozoic strata. 

Additional rift basins are also present in this area, including 

the Kuparuk graben. The Nuwik–Dinkum–Kaktovik Basin 

is bordered on the north by the Beaufort Sea shelf and rift 

shoulder structures, on the east by the U.S.–Canadian national 

maritime boundary, on the south by the main rift shoulder 

that generally parallels the trend of the Barrow Arch, and on 

the west by closing structural contours. The boundary for this 

basin is derived from the basin and resource management 

area outlines shown in Kirschner (1994), the U.S. Geological 

Survey (1997), and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 

Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) (2010a).

Paleozoic

At present, there are no recognized pericratonic protooceanic rift basins of Paleozoic age within the United States.

Neoproterozoic

At present, there are no recognized pericratonic protooceanic rift basins of Proterozoic age within the United States.

Passive Margin (including Deltaic)

Cenozoic

Recent work by Bird and Houseknecht (2011) and 

Houseknecht and Bird (2011) indicate that the Canadian Basin 

within the United States has components of a passive margin 

(including deltaic) basin. However, the Canadian Basin is 

discussed in this report under passive margin (extending onto 

oceanic).

Mesozoic

Gulf of Mexico Basin 143

The Gulf of Mexico Basin is a very large Mesozoic and 

Cenozoic passive margin basin in the southern United States. 

For this study, the Gulf of Mexico Basin contains that volume 

of sedimentary rock that extends south, southwestward, and 

southeastward from a zone of normal faulting named variously 

the Balcones, Mexia-Talco, South Arkansas, and PickensGilbertown fault zones in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and 

Mississippi, and northward from the U.S.–Mexico national 

border and the U.S.–Mexico national maritime border within 

the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico Basin as used in 

this report includes the Rio Grande Embayment in Texas, 

the East Texas Basin (also called the East Texas Salt Dome 

Basin), the Houston Embayment, the North Louisiana Salt 

Basin, the Mississippi Salt Basin, the western portion of the 

Northeast Gulf Basin in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and 

Georgia, and the western portion of the Tampa Embayment, 

Florida, in addition to the approximate northern half of 

the main, deep water Gulf of Mexico Basin containing the 

Mississippi Fan Foldbelt and the northern extension of the 

Perdido Foldbelt. It also includes the underlying, but sparsely 

defined, Triassic-Jurassic rift basins filled with Eagle Mills 

(and equivalent) rift-fill sedimentary rocks. The northern, 

western, and eastern boundaries for this basin are simplified 

from a number of sources, including outlines shown in Cohee 

and others (1962), Frezon and Finn (1988), and Ewing and 

Flores Lopez (1991). The southern boundary is derived from 

the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and 

Enforcement (BOEMRE) (2010b). Sediments and sedimentary 

rocks probably extend for an undetermined distance beyond 

the southern boundary of this basin but are not included in this 

discussion. 

West Atlantic Basin 144

The West Atlantic Basin is a very large Mesozoic and 

Cenozoic passive margin basin in the eastern United States. 

It extends from northeastern Florida to offshore Maine and 

is limited for this study to that volume of sedimentary rock 

south of the U.S.–Canadian national maritime boundary, west 

of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Atlantic Ocean 

boundary, north of the U.S.–Bahama Islands national maritime 

boundary, and east of a line that approximates the beginning of 

down depositional dip thickening of sedimentary rocks to the 

east. The West Atlantic Basin includes the Southeast Georgia 

Embayment, the Blake Plateau Basin, the Carolina Trough, 

the Baltimore Canyon Trough, and the U.S. portion of the 

Georges Bank Basin. It lies unconformably above the Newark 

Group rift basins described above. The northern, western, 

and southern boundaries for this basin are simplified from a 

number of sources, including outlines shown in Cohee and 

others (1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988). The eastern boundary is derived from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 

Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) (2010c). Sediments 

and sedimentary rocks probably extend for an undetermined 

distance to east of the eastern boundary of this basin but are 

not included in this discussion. 

Paleozoic

West Nevada Permian-Triassic Basin 102

The West Nevada Permian-Triassic Basin is a passive 

margin evolutionary successor basin to the Paleozoic Havallah 

accreted back-arc basin in western Nevada. The boundaries for 

this basin are adapted from Seismic Exchange (2003).

Neoproterozoic

At present, there are no recognized passive margin basins 

exclusively of Neoproterozoic age within the United States.
14 Preliminary Catalog of the Sedimentary Basins of the United States

Foreland Basins and Thrust Belts

Cenozoic

Jackson Hole Basin 11

The Jackson Hole Basin is a small foreland basin 

developed east of the Teton Uplift in western Wyoming. It 

is bordered on the west by the frontal thrust faults of the 

Teton Uplift, on the south by the Gros Ventre Uplift, on the 

east by the westward plunge of the Wind River Uplift and 

the Washakie Uplift, and on the north by Yellowstone Park 

Volcanic Area. The boundary for this basin is derived from the 

basin outline shown in Cohee and others (1962) and Frezon 

and Finn (1988).

Hanna Basin 5

The Hanna Basin is a small Cenozoic and Mesozoic foreland basin developed south of the Sweetwater Uplift in south 

central Wyoming. It is bordered on the north by the frontal 

thrust faults of the Sweetwater Uplift, on the east by a complex of faults separating the Carbon sub-basin of the Laramie 

Basin and propagating westward from the Laramie Uplift, on 

the south by the northern extent of the Medicine Bow Uplift, 

and on the west by the Rawlins Uplift. The boundary for this 

basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee and 

others (1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

Shirley Basin 4

The Shirley Basin is small Cenozoic and Mesozoic 

foreland basin east of the Sweetwater Uplift in south central 

Wyoming. It is bordered on the west by the eastern plunge of 

the Sweetwater Uplift, on the northwest by a structural saddle 

between it and the Wind River Basin, on the northeast by closing structural contours coming off of the Laramie Mountains, 

on the southeast by a small thrust faulted anticline separating it 

from the Laramie Basin to the southeast, and on the southwest 

by a high-angle reverse fault that separates the Hanna Basin 

from the Shirley Basin. The boundary for this basin is derived 

from the basin outline shown in Dyman and Condon (2007).

Middleton-Yakataga Basin 99

The Middleton-Yakataga Basin is a collective term for 

these two medium Cenozoic foreland basins and the Yakutat 

Terrain, which lie in the Gulf of Alaska, southern Alaska. 

They are bordered on the north by a series of thrust faults 

associated with the Kenai-Chugach Mountains and the St. 

Elias Mountains, on the east by the Fairweather Fault Zone, on 

the south by the Transition Fault Zone (of Kirschner, 1994), 

and on the west by thrust faulted and highly deformed strata 

that underlie Prince William Sound. The three basin areas are 

compartmentalized by major fault zones. The boundary for 

this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Kirschner 

(1994) and the U.S. Geological Survey (1997).

Colville Basin and Foldbelt 138

As used herein, the Colville Basin and Foldbelt is a very 

large Mesozoic foreland basin and thrust belt that extends 

across the entire north slope of Alaska from the U.S.–

Canadian national boundary to the U.S.–Russian national 

maritime boundary. Its northern border is a closing structural 

contour downdip from the crest of the Barrow Arch and its 

structural extension to the east. Its southern border is the 

northern thrust fault zone of the main Brooks Range. In 

the southwest, its border is the boundary between the Hope 

Basin and the Herald Arch–Lisburne Hills thrusted area. The 

boundary for this basin is derived from the basin and resource 

management area outlines shown in Kirschner (1994), the U.S. 

Geological Survey (1997), and the Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) 

(2010a).

Zuni Basin 24

The Zuni Basin is a small Cenozoic and Mesozoic 

foreland basin that developed southwest of the Zuni Uplift in 

west central New Mexico. It is bordered on the northeast by 

the Zuni Uplift, on the northwest by the Defiance Uplift, and 

on the southwest, south, and southeast by the White Mountains 

Volcanic Area and the Datil Volcanic Area. The boundary for 

this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee 

and others (1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

Crazy Mountains Basin 35

The Crazy Mountains Basin is a small Cenozoic and 

Mesozoic foreland basin that developed northeast of the 

Beartooth Mountains. It is bordered on the northeast by a 

complex set of structural highs, which include Little Elk 

Dome, Big Elk Dome, Shawmut Anticline, Hailstone Dome, 

and the Lake Basin Fault Zone, to the southeast by Golden 

Dome and the structural saddle between the Crazy Mountains 

Basin and the Bighorn Basin, to the south and southwest by 

the Beartooth Mountains, and to the northwest by the Battle 

Ridge monocline. For this report, the Crazy Mountains Basin 

includes the Reed Point Syncline. The boundary for this basin 

is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee and others 

(1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

North Montana Thrust Belt 119

The North Montana Thrust Belt is a structurally deformed 

foreland basin, which rides over and incorporates rocks of the 

Belt Supergroup of the Belt Basin. The basin is bordered on 

the east by the eastern limit of deformation, on the southeast 

by the closing contour defining the Crazy Mountains Basin, 

on the southwest by a series of faults and anticlines, which 

may be the northwestern extent of the Beartooth Uplift, to the 

southwest and west by the Idaho Batholith and the Boulder 

Batholith promontory, to the northwest by the Loon Lake 

Batholith, and to the north by the U.S.–Canadian national 
Brief Description of Individual Sedimentary Basins 15

border. The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin 

outline shown in Cohee and others (1962) and Frezon and 

Finn (1988).

Powder River Basin 92

The Powder River Basin is a large Cenozoic and 

Mesozoic foreland basin in eastern Wyoming and southeastern 

Montana. It is bordered on the north by the Miles City Arch, 

on the east by the Black Hills Uplift, on the south by the 

Hartville Uplift and the Laramie Uplift, and on the west by 

the Bighorn Uplift. The boundary for this basin is derived 

from the basin outline shown in Cohee and others (1962) and 

Frezon and Finn (1988).

Bighorn Basin 39

The Bighorn Basin is a large Cenozoic and Mesozoic 

foreland basin in northwestern Wyoming and south central 

Montana. It is bordered on the northeast by the Bighorn 

Uplift, on the south by the Owl Creek Uplift, on the west 

and southwest by the Yellowstone Park Volcanic Area, on 

the northwest by the Beartooth Uplift, and on the north by 

the structural saddle between the Crazy Mountains Basin (as 

defined herein) and the Bighorn Basin. The boundary for this 

basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee and 

others (1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

Wind River Basin 47

The Wind River Basin is a large Cenozoic and Mesozoic 

foreland basin in central Wyoming. It is bordered on the north 

by the Owl Creek Uplift, on the east by the Casper Arch, on 

the south by the Sweetwater Uplift, and on the west by the 

Wind River Uplift. The boundary for this basin is derived 

from the basin outline shown in Cohee and others (1962) and 

Frezon and Finn (1988).

Uinta Basin 65

The Uinta Basin is a large Cenozoic and Mesozoic 

foreland basin in northeast Utah and northwest Colorado. It is 

bordered on the north by the Uinta Uplift, on the east by the 

Douglas Creek Arch, on the southeast by the Uncompahgre 

Uplift, on the south by the structural saddle between it and the 

Paradox Basin and the north plunge of the San Raphael Swell, 

and on the west by thrust faults associated with the IdahoWyoming thrust belt (western component of the Greater Green 

River Basin). The boundary for this basin is derived from the 

basin outline shown in Cohee and others (1962) and Frezon 

and Finn (1988).

Piceance Basin 40

The Piceance Basin is a large Cenozoic and Mesozoic 

foreland basin in northwestern Colorado. It is bordered on 

the north by the east plunge of the Uinta Uplift, on the east 

by the White River Uplift, on the south by the Gunnison and 

Uncompahgre Uplifts, and on the west by the Douglas Creek 

Arch. The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin 

outline shown in Cohee and others (1962) and Frezon and 

Finn (1988).

Idaho-Wyoming Thrust Belt–Greater Green River Basin 116

As described here, the Greater Green River Basin is a 

large Cenozoic and Mesozoic foreland basin that includes the 

Idaho-Wyoming thrust belt, and the thrust-faulted portion of 

that basin as well as the Great Divide Basin, the Washakie 

Basin, and the Sand Wash Basin. The Rock Springs Uplift is 

a large anticline near the center of the basin that separates the 

basin into two portions. The basin as described here is bordered on the west by Basin and Range Province, on the south 

by the structural saddle between it and the Uinta Basin and the 

Uinta Uplift, on the east by the Sierra Madre Uplift and the 

Rawlins Uplift, on the north by the Wind River Uplift, and on 

the northwest by the Snake River Downwarp. The boundary 

for this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee 

and others (1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

Denver Basin 112

The Denver Basin is a large Cenozoic and Mesozoic 

foreland basin in eastern Colorado, southeastern Wyoming, 

and northwestern Nebraska. It is bordered on the northeast by 

the Chadron Arch, on the southeast by the Las Animas Arch, 

on the south by the Apishapa Uplift, on the west by the Rocky 

Mountain Front Range Uplift and the Laramie Uplift, and on 

the northwest by the Hartville Uplift. The boundary for this 

basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee and 

others (1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

Laramie Basin 21

The Laramie Basin is a medium Cenozoic and Mesozoic 

foreland basin in southeastern Wyoming and northeastern 

Colorado. It is bordered on the east by the Laramie Uplift, 

on the south by the Rocky Mountain Front Range Uplift, on 

the west by the Medicine Bow Uplift, and on the north by the 

structural saddle between it and the Hanna Basin. The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in 

Cohee and others (1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).
16 Preliminary Catalog of the Sedimentary Basins of the United States

Raton Basin 27

The Raton Basin is a medium Cenozoic and Mesozoic 

foreland basin in south-central Colorado and northeastern 

New Mexico. It is bordered on the northeast by the Apishapa 

Uplift, on the southeast by the Cimarron Arch, on the west 

by the Sangre de Christo Uplift, and on the north by the Wet 

Mountains. The boundary for this basin is derived from the 

basin outline shown in Cohee and others (1962) and Frezon 

and Finn (1988).

Kaiparowits Basin 62

The Kaiparowits Basin is a medium Cenozoic and 

Mesozoic foreland basin in southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona. It may have had its beginnings as an intracratonic 

sag basin. It is bordered on the north by the High Plateaus 

Volcanic Area, on the east by the Circle Cliffs Uplift, on the 

south by the Kaibab Uplift, and on the west by major northsouth faults associated with the Basin and Range Province and 

the southwestern extent of the High Plateaus Volcanic Area. 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown in Cohee and others (1962) and Frezon and Finn 

(1988).

Black Mesa Basin 58

The Black Mesa Basin is a medium Cenozoic and 

Mesozoic foreland basin in northeastern Arizona. It, too, may 

have had its beginnings as an intracratonic sag basin. It is 

bordered on the east by the Defiance Uplift, on the north by 

the Monument Uplift, on the west by the Kaibab Uplift, and 

on the southwest and south by closing contours coming off of 

the volcanic highland between the Flagstaff, Arizona, and the 

White Mountains Volcanic Area. The boundary for this basin 

is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee and others 

(1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

North Park Basin 20

The North Park Basin is a medium Cenozoic and Mesozoic foreland basin in north central Colorado. It is bordered on 

the east by the Medicine Bow Uplift and the Rocky Mountains 

Front Range Uplift, on the south by a complex fault zone and 

uplift, which separates it from the Middle Park Basin to the 

south, on the west by the Sierra Madre Uplift, and on the north 

by the confluence of the Sierra Madre and Medicine Bow 

Uplifts. The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin 

outline shown in Cohee and others (1962) and Frezon and 

Finn (1988).

Middle Park Basin 6

The Middle Park Basin is a small Cenozoic and Mesozoic 

foreland basin in central Colorado. It is bordered on the east 

by the Rocky Mountains Front Range Uplift, on the south by 

the Wet Mountains, on the west by the Sawatch Uplift, and on 

the north by a complex fault zone and uplift, which separates 

it from the North Park Basin to the south. The South Park 

Basin, the southern geomorphic basin of the three Park Basins, 

is not included as a foreland basin in this report, because it is 

considered to be part of the igneous complex at the north end 

of the Wet Mountains. The boundary for this basin is derived 

from the basin outline shown in Cohee and others (1962) and 

Frezon and Finn (1988).

Judith–Wheatland–Bull Mountains Basins 50

These three small, geologically connected Cenozoic and 

Mesozoic foreland basins are grouped for convenience into 

one basin. Within these basins is also included the Ashland 

Syncline. These basins are bordered on the south by the Lake 

Basin Fault Zone, and the Big Coulee–Hailstone Dome, a 

series of small anticlines separating the Crazy Mountains 

Basin from the Wheatland Syncline portion of these basins; 

on the west by the Little Belt Uplift; on the northwest by the 

southeast plunge of the Sweetgrass Arch; on the north and 

northeast by the Moccasin Mountains, Big Snowy Uplift, 

and the structural saddle between the Bull Mountains Basin 

portion and the Sumatra Syncline; and on the southeast by the 

structural saddle between these basins and the Powder River 

Basin. The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin 

outline shown in Cohee and others (1962) and Frezon and 

Finn (1988).

Paleozoic

Sweetwater Trough 59

The Sweetwater Trough is recognized as a medium 

Paleozoic foreland basin that lies beneath the Mesozoic fill 

of the Greater Green River Basin of western Wyoming. Its 

center is approximately the center of the Rock Springs Uplift. 

Its bounding elements are not well defined. The boundary for 

this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Blakey 

(2008).

Central Colorado–Taos Trough 103

The Central Colorado–Taos Trough is a narrow, but large, 

Paleozoic foreland basin that developed in central Colorado 

and northern New Mexico between the Uncompahgre and 

San Luis Uplifts on the west and southwest and the Rocky 

Mountains Front Range, Apishapa, and Sierra Grande Uplifts 

on the east and northeast. The southern extent is marked by 

the north end of the Pedernal Uplift, and the northern extent is 

marked by the eastern extent of the Uinta Uplift and the Sierra 

Madre Uplift. The boundary for this basin is derived from the 

basin outline shown in Blakey (2008).
Brief Description of Individual Sedimentary Basins 17

Bird Spring Basin 60

The Bird Spring Basin is a medium Paleozoic foreland 

basin, which lies beneath the Basin and Range Province of 

southern Nevada and southeastern California. Its bounding 

elements are not well defined. The boundary for this basin is 

derived from the basin outline shown in Blakey (2008).

Oquirrh Basin 113

The Oquirrh Basin is a large Paleozoic foreland basin 

in north-central Utah and southern Idaho. For this report, 

the Wood River Basin in central Idaho is included within 

the Oquirrh Basin. For the most part the Oquirrh Basin lies 

beneath the Basin and Range Province and the Snake River 

Downwarp. A small portion of this basin is recognized from 

outcrop in the Uinta Uplift and fault blocks containing upper 

Paleozoic strata within the Basin and Range. The boundary for 

this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in National 

Park Service (2007) and Blakey (2008).

Ely Basin 93

The Ely Basin is a medium Paleozoic foreland basin in 

eastern Nevada. It lies beneath the Basin and Range Province 

and Paleozoic Antler foreland basin. The boundary for this 

basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Blakey 

(2008).

Orogrande Basin 83

The Orogrande Basin is a medium Paleozoic foreland 

basin in south-central New Mexico, westernmost Texas, 

and northern Mexico. It lies beneath the Cenozoic Mesilla, 

Jornada, and Tularosa Basins and west of the Sacramento 

Uplift (also known as the Pedernal Uplift). The basin boundary is arbitrarily truncated at the New Mexico–Texas and 

New Mexico–Mexico borders. The boundary for this basin is 

derived from the basin outline shown in Blakey (2008).

Las Vegas Basin 17

The Las Vegas Basin is a small Paleozoic foreland basin 

in northwestern New Mexico. It is bordered on the east by 

the Sierra Grande Arch, on the north by a structural saddle 

between it and the Raton Basin, on the west by the Sangre de 

Christo Uplift, and on the south by a structural saddle between 

it and the Espanola Basin. The boundary for this basin is 

derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee and others 

(1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

Tucumcari Basin 22

The Tucumcari Basin is a small Paleozoic foreland 

basin. It is bordered on the northwest by the south plunge of 

the Sierra Grande Arch and by structural saddles between the 

Tucumcari Basin and the Pedernal Uplift on the southwest, 

the Matador Arch on the southeast, and Bravo Dome on the 

northeast. The boundary for this basin is derived from the 

basin outline shown in Cohee and others (1962) and Frezon 

and Finn (1988).

Antler Foreland Basin 137

The Antler Foreland Basin is a large Paleozoic foreland 

basin that extends from the Canadian border with northeast 

Washington and northern Idaho to disappear under Death 

Valley and the Sierra Nevada of southern California. It lies in 

the footwall and east of the Roberts Mountain Thrust Fault 

and west of the great Mississippian carbonate bank composed 

of Lodgepole, Madison, Great Blue, Leadville, Redwall, and 

Escabrosa limestones. The boundary for this basin is derived 

from the basin outline shown in Dickinson (2006).

Appalachian Basin 139

The Appalachian Basin is a large Paleozoic foreland 

basin and thrust belt that extends from the Canadian border 

with Vermont to the border area between central Mississippi 

and central Alabama. It is a composite basin containing 

Cambrian-Ordovician, Silurian, and Mississippian passive 

margin carbonates and Taconic (Ordovician), Acadian 

(Devonian), and Alleghenian (Pennsylvanian-Permian) 

foreland basin sedimentary wedges. For this report, it is 

bordered on the east and southeast by the Blue Ridge Thrust 

Fault (and its structural equivalents), which brings Paleozoic 

and Precambrian metamorphic rocks into structural contact 

with Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, on the southwest by a 

transverse fault zone that forms the structural boundary 

between the Ouachita Thrust Belt and Foreland Basin; on the 

west and northwest by the Nashville Dome, the Cincinnati 

Arch, the Findley Arch, and the Adirondack Uplift; and on the 

north by the U.S.–Canadian national border. The boundary for 

this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee 

and others (1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

Mississippi Ouachita Thrust Belt–Black Warrior Basin 90

The Mississippi Ouachita Thrust Belt–Black Warrior 

Basin is the westward extension of the Appalachian Basin 

and Thrust Belt. The Mississippi Ouachita Thrust Belt is 

the folded and thrust faulted portion of the foreland basin, 

whereas the Black Warrior Basin is that portion of the area 

that is dominated by normal faulted and expanded Paleozoic 

sedimentary rocks. The Black Warrior Basin as described by 

most geologists extends eastward into Alabama to include 

the Pennsylvanian coal fields there. The Mississippi Ouachita 

Thrust Belt–Black Warrior Basin extends from the junction 
18 Preliminary Catalog of the Sedimentary Basins of the United States

with the Appalachians along the Mississippi-Alabama border 

area to an arbitrary north-south line in northwestern Mississippi where it meets the Arkoma Basin–Ouachita Thrust Belt. 

It is bounded on the east by the transpressional fault zone that 

separates it from the Appalachians, on the south by a line that 

is down structural dip and parallel to the Mesozoic basinforming expansion faults (Pickens-Gilbertown Fault Zone), 

on the west by an arbitrary north-south line roughly parallel 

to the Mississippi River, and on the north by the northern set 

of down-to-the-south normal faults that expand the Paleozoic 

section in the Black Warrior Basin. The boundary for this 

basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee and 

others (1962), Ewing and Flores Lopez (1991), and Thomas 

(1989).

Arkoma Basin–Ouachita Thrust Belt 126

The Arkoma Basin–Ouachita Thrust Belt is the structural 

extension to the west of the Mississippi Ouachita Thrust Belt–

Black Warrior Basin. The Ouachita Thrust Belt is a thrusted 

and folded orogenic belt of foreland basin sedimentary rocks, 

whereas the Arkoma Basin is primarily an area of normal 

faulted and expanded Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. It extends 

from an arbitrary north-south dividing line with the Mississippi Ouachita Thrust Belt and Black Warrior Basin in western 

Mississippi to an arbitrary northwest-southeast dividing line 

in east Texas that separates this area from the Sherman Basin. 

The Arkoma Basin–Ouachita Thrust Belt is bounded on the 

east by the arbitrary north-south line in western Mississippi, 

on the north by the northernmost trend of normal faults that 

expanded the Paleozoic section, on the northwest by the 

Seminole Arch, on the west by the high-angle, transpressional faults that define the Ardmore Uplift and an arbitrary 

northwest-southeast line that separates it from the Sherman 

Basin, and on the south by the general trend of the Mesozoic 

normal faults, which define the Gulf of Mexico Basin, here 

termed the Mexia-Talco and South Arkansas Fault Zones. 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown in Cohee and others (1962), Frezon and Finn (1988), 

and Ewing and Flores Lopez (1991). 

Sherman Basin 32

The Sherman Basin is a small Paleozoic foreland basin 

that is located in northeast Texas. It includes both the thrust 

faulted and folded portion of the area as well as the normal 

faulted and unfaulted portion. It is bordered on the northeast 

by an arbitrary line that separates it from the Arkoma Basin–

Ouachita Thrust Belt, on the northwest by an arbitrary line 

that approximates the Red River boundary between Oklahoma 

and Texas, on the southwest by the Muenster Arch, and on the 

southeast by the Mesozoic normal faults that define the Gulf 

of Mexico Basin, here termed the Mexia-Talco Fault Zone. 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown in Cohee and others (1962), Frezon and Finn (1988), 

and Ewing and Flores Lopez (1991).

Fort Worth Basin 107

The Fort Worth Basin is a large Paleozoic foreland 

basin in east Texas. It includes both the unfaulted, normal 

faulted, and thrust faulted and folded components of the area. 

It is bordered on the northeast by the Muenster Arch, on the 

southeast by the Mesozoic normal faults that delimit the Gulf 

of Mexico Basin, here termed the Mexia-Talco Fault Zone, on 

the west by the Llano Uplift, the Lampasas Arch, and the Bend 

Arch, and on the north by the Red River Uplift. The boundary 

for this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee 

and others (1962), Frezon and Finn (1988), and Ewing and 

Flores Lopez (1991).

Kerr Basin 57

The Kerr Basin is a medium Paleozoic foreland basin 

in south-central Texas. It includes both the unfaulted, normal 

faulted, and thrust faulted and folded components of the area. 

It is bordered on the east by an arbitrary northwest-southeast 

line separating it from the Fort Worth Basin, on the southeast 

by the Mesozoic normal faults of the Gulf of Mexico Basin, 

here termed the Balcones Fault Zone, on the west by the 

Devils River Uplift, on the northwest by the Edwards Arch, 

and on the north by closing structural contours coming off of 

the Llano Uplift. The boundary for this basin is derived from 

the basin outline shown in Cohee and others (1962), Frezon 

and Finn (1988), and Ewing and Flores Lopez (1991).

Val Verde Basin 49

The Val Verde Basin is a medium Paleozoic foreland 

basin in southwest Texas. It is bordered on the south and 

southeast by the Devil’s River Uplift, on the south and southwest by an arbitrary line that approximates the U.S.–Mexican 

national border and the approximate southern extent of known 

Marathon (Ouachita) Thrust Belt strata, on the west by an 

arbitrary line that separates it from the Marathon Basin, and 

on the north by the Pecos Arch. The boundary for this basin 

is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee and others 

(1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

Marathon-Marfa Basins 64

The Marathon-Marfa Basins are two medium Paleozoic 

foreland basins in southwest Texas. Both basins are primarily 

a thrust faulted and folded interval of Paleozoic foreland 

basin sedimentary rocks. The Marfa Basin, however, has a 

shallow, but extensive, cover of Tertiary volcanic rocks, the 

Davis Mountains Volcanic Area. The boundary for this basin 

is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee and others 

(1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).
Brief Description of Individual Sedimentary Basins 19

Neoproterozoic

Grand Canyon Embayment 42

The Grand Canyon Embayment is the term used here 

for a foreland basin in northwestern Arizona containing 

Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic sedimentary rocks. Its borders 

are poorly defined, because most of the Neoproterozoic 

sedimentary rocks are buried beneath a thick Paleozoic cover. 

It is bordered on the east by the Kaibab Uplift and on the west 

by the Sand Wash Fault and the Basin and Range Province. 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown in Blakey (2008).

Borderland

Cenozoic

San Joaquin Basin 79

The San Joaquin Basin is a large Cenozoic borderland 

basin in southern California. It is bordered on the east by 

the Sierra Nevada batholiths and mountains, on the south by 

the Garlock Fault Zone, on the west by the San Andreas and 

other fault zones, and on the north by an arbitrary line that 

approximates the Stanislaus River and the southern end of the 

Sacramento Basin to the north. The boundary for this basin 

is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee and others 

(1962), Frezon and Finn (1988), and the California Department of Conservation (2001).

Central Coastal Basin 38

The Central Coastal Basin is a large Cenozoic borderland 

basin in southern California. It is bordered on the east by the 

San Andreas and other fault zones, on the north by an arbitrary 

line separating it from the Northern California Borderland 

Basins to the north, on the west by the Kings City, Cuyama, 

and other fault zones, and on the south by the Big Pine Fault 

Zone. The Central Coastal Basin includes the Cuyama and 

Ridge basins. The boundary for this basin is derived from the 

basin outline shown in Cohee and others (1962), Frezon and 

Finn (1988).

Sonoma-Livermore Basin 19

The Sonoma-Livermore Basin is a large Cenozoic 

borderland basin in west central California. It is bordered on 

the west by the Hayward and other fault zones, on the north by 

structural uplifts associated with the San Andreas Fault zone, 

on the east by a variety of fault zones and structural features 

that separate it from the Great Valley Basin to the east, and on 

the south by structural features associated with the Calaveras 

Fault Zone. The boundary for this basin is derived from the 

basin outline shown in Cohee and others (1962), Frezon and 

Finn (1988), and the California Department of Conservation 

(2001).

Northern California Borderland Basins 91

The Northern California Borderland Basins are a 

collection of mostly offshore basins in northern California. 

It extends from near Monterey, California, to the OregonCalifornia state line. It includes the Santa Cruz, Bodega, Point 

Arena, Eel River, and Humboldt Basins. It is bordered on 

the north by the north end of the Eel River Basin, on the east 

by San Andreas and other fault zones that approximate the 

Pacific Coastline, on the south by the south end of Monterey 

Bay and the structural uplifts associated with the Kings City 

Fault Zone, and on the west by the base of continental slope. 

Sediments and sedimentary rocks probably extend for an 

undetermined distance to west of the western boundary of this 

basin but are not included in this discussion. The boundary for 

this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee 

and others (1962) and Frezon and Finn (1988).

Southern California Borderland Basins 127

The Southern California Borderland Basins are a collection of mostly offshore basins in southern California. It 

extends from near Monterey, CA, to the U.S.–Mexico national 

maritime boundary. It includes the Santa Maria, Santa Barbara 

Channel, Ventura, Santa Monica, Santa Cruz, San Pedro, Los 

Angeles, Catalina, San Nicolas, Tanner, Poway, and San Diego 

basins. It is bordered on the east by a series of fault zones, 

including the Santa Ynez, San Gabriel, Mission Creek, and 

San Andreas fault zones, on the south by the U.S.–Mexico 

national and national maritime boundaries, on the west by the 

bathymetry isobath that approximate the base of the continental slope, and on the north by the south shoulder of Monterey 

Canyon. Sediments and sedimentary rocks probably extend for 

an undetermined distance to the west of the western boundary 

of this basin but are not included in this discussion. The 

boundary for this basin is derived from the basin and resource 

management area outlines shown in Cohee and others (1962), 

Frezon and Finn (1988), and the Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Regulation and Enforcement (2010d).

Mesozoic

At present, there are no recognized pericratonic borderland basins of Mesozoic age within the United States.

Paleozoic

At present, there are no recognized pericratonic borderland basins of Paleozoic age within the United States.

Neoproterozoic

At present, there are no recognized pericratonic borderland basins of Neoproterozoic age within the United States.
20 Preliminary Catalog of the Sedimentary Basins of the United States

Transtensional/Transpressional

Cenozoic 

Amak–St. George–Pribilof–Walrus Basin 118

The Amak–St. George–Pribilof–Walrus Basin is a large 

Cenozoic composite transtensional-transpressional basin that 

includes the Amak, St. George, Pribilof, Walrus, Otter, and 

Inner basins. This basin complex is bordered on the northeast 

by basin-bounding normal faults or flexures within the Bering 

Sea Shelf, on the east by structural saddles between it and the 

Bristol Bay Basin to the east, on the south and southwest by 

closing structural contours, and on the northwest by structural 

saddles between it and the Navarin Basin to the northwest and 

the Pribilof Ridge. The boundary for this basin is derived from 

the basin outline shown on Kirschner (1994) and the U.S. 

Geological Survey (1997).

Navarin Basin 111

The Navarin Basin is a large Cenozoic composite 

transtensional–transpressional basin in western offshore 

Alaska. For this report, it also includes the smaller Zhemchug 

Basin. The Navarin Basin is bordered to the northwest by the 

U.S.–Russian national maritime boundary, to the northeast by 

structural contours down structural dip from the St. Matthew–Nunivak Arch, on the southeast by the structural saddle 

between it and the Amak–St. George–Pribilof–Walrus Basin, 

on the south by the general trend of the 1000-m isobath, and 

on the west by continuation of the 1000-m isobath and closing 

structural contours between the Navarin Basin and those Russian basins along trend. The boundary for this basin is derived 

from the basin and resource management area outlines shown 

on Kirschner (1994), the U.S. Geological Survey (1997), and 

the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and 

Enforcement (BOEMRE) (2010a).

Mesozoic

Bethel Basin 130

The Bethel Basin is a large Cenozoic transtensional–

transpressional basin in western Alaska. It also includes the 

unnamed and postulated “Cretaceous Low?” of Kirschner 

(1994). It is bordered on the north and east by a variety of 

folded and faulted flysch belts, including the Yukon–Koyukuk 

and Kuskokwim flysch belts and the Ahklun Mountains, on 

the east and southeast by closing structural contours off of the 

Goodnews Arch, on the west by an assumed structural saddle 

between the Bethel Basin and the Inner Basin of the Amak–

St. George–Pribilof–Walrus basin complex, and on the north 

by closing structural contours coming off of the St. Matthew–

Nunivak Arch and the structural saddle between the Bethel 

Basin and the St. Matthew Basin. The boundary for this basin 

is derived from the basin outline shown on Kirschner (1994) 

and the U.S. Geological Survey (1997).

Paleozoic

At present, there are no recognized pericratonic transtensional/transpressional basins of Paleozoic age within the 

United States.

Neoproterozoic

Great Smoky Mountains Rift Basin 81

The Great Smoky Mountains Rift Basin is medium 

transtensional and transpressional composite basin of 

Neoproterozoic age. It includes the Mt. Rogers, Ocoee, and 

Grandfather Mountain Basins within the highly deformed Blue 

Ridge Allocthon. It is located east of the Appalachian foreland 

basin and fold belt, extending from northern Georgia to southeastern Virginia. For most of its extent, it is an inverted basin 

demonstrating high topographic relief and containing low- to 

high-grade metamorphic rocks. It is bordered on the south 

by the confluence of the Cartersville and Dahlonega fault 

zones, on the northwest by the Cartersville and Great Smoky 

fault zones, on the northeast by the northeastward plunge of 

several, large antiformal structures, and on the southeast by 

the Brevard and Dahlonega fault zones. The boundary for this 

basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee and 

others (1962) and King and Beikman (1974).

Intercratonic 

Passive Margin (extending onto Oceanic)

Cenozoic 

Canada Basin 134

The Canada Basin is huge Cenozoic passive margin basin 

that extends from the offshore of the Alaskan North Slope 

well into the international waters of the Arctic Ocean. It is 

bordered on the north by the northern limit of U.S. Exclusive 

Economic Zone for Alaska and a general straight-line extension of the northern limit of the EEZ to the U.S.–Canadian 

national maritime boundary, on the east by the U.S.–Canadian 

national maritime boundary and its northern extension, and on 

the southeast, south, southwest, and west by the approximate 

2500-m isobath. Sediments and sedimentary rocks probably 

extend for an undetermined distance beyond the boundaries of 

this basin but are not included in this discussion. The boundary 

for this basin is derived from the basin and resource management area outlines shown on Kirschner (1994), the U.S. 

Geological Survey (1997), and the Bureau of Ocean Energy 

Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) 

(2010a).
Brief Description of Individual Sedimentary Basins 21

North Chukchi Basin 68

The North Chukchi Basin is a medium Cenozoic passive 

margin basin in northeastern offshore Alaska. It has an early 

history as a Mesozoic rift basin. It is bordered on the west by 

the U.S.–Russian national maritime boundary, on the north 

by the northern extent of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, 

and on the east and south by structural contours indicating 

basin development to the west and north of the Chukchi 

Platform. Sediments and sedimentary rocks probably extend 

for an undetermined distance to west and north of those 

basin boundaries but are not included in this discussion. The 

boundary for this basin is derived from the basin and resource 

management area outlines shown on Kirschner (1994), the 

U.S. Geological Survey (1997), Grantz and others (2010), and 

the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and 

Enforcement (BOEMRE) (2010a).

Mesozoic

At present, there are no recognized intercratonic passive 

margin basins extending onto oceanic crust of Mesozoic age 

within the United States.

Paleozoic

At present, there are no recognized intercratonic passive 

margin basins extending onto oceanic crust of Paleozoic age 

within the United States.

Neoproterozoic

At present, there are no recognized intercratonic passive 

margin basins extending onto oceanic crust of Neoproterozoic 

age within the United States.

Accreted Back-Arc

Cenozoic

Bristol Bay Basin 164

The Bristol Bay Basin is a large accreted Cenozoic backarc basin in southwestern Alaska. It is bordered on the north 

by closing structural contours coming off of folded and faulted 

flysch belts to the north and northeast, on the southeast by the 

Alaska Peninsula Fold Belt and a string of volcanoes, on the 

south by the Black Hills Ridge, on the west by the structural 

saddle between it and the Amak–St. George–Pribilof–Walrus 

Basin, and on the north and northwest by closing structural 

contours coming off of the Goodnews Arch. The Bristol Bay 

Basin includes the North Aleutian Basin of Worrall (1991). 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown on Kirschner (1994) and the U.S. Geological Survey 

(1997).

St. Matthew–Hall Basin 121

The St. Matthew–Hall Basin is a composite of at least 

four basins within a very large area of the Bering Sea Shelf. 

It includes the St. Matthew Basin, the Hall Basin, and at 

least two unnamed basins (Kirschner, 1994). The complex is 

bordered on the north by a structural saddle between it and 

the Norton Basin to the north and closing structural contours 

coming off of St. Lawrence Island, on the east by a structural 

saddle between it and the Bethel Basin, on the southeast, 

south, and southwest by closing structural contours coming 

off of the St. Matthew–Nunivak Arch, and on the west by 

closing structural contours (inferred from Kirschner, 1994). 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown on Kirschner (1994) and the U.S. Geological Survey 

(1997).

Mesozoic

At present, there are no recognized intercratonic accreted 

back-arc basins of Mesozoic age within the United States.

Paleozoic

Havallah Basin 106

The Havallah Basin is a medium intercratonic accreted 

back-arc Paleozoic basin. It is located in western Nevada 

beneath the Basin and Range Province. Its bounding elements 

are not well defined. The boundary for this basin is derived 

from the basin outline shown in Li and Peters (1998).

Auld Lang Syne Basin 41

The Auld Lang Syne Basin is a small intercratonic 

accreted back-arc Paleozoic basin. It is located in western 

Nevada beneath the Basin and Range Province. It is situated 

west of the Golconda Thrust Front and east of the incipient 

Cordilleran magmatic arc. The boundary for this basin is 

derived from the basin outline shown in Dickinson and 

Gehrels (2008).

Neoproterozoic

At present, there are no recognized intercratonic accreted 

back-arc basins of Neoproterozoic age within the United 

States.

Accreted Fore-Arc

Cenozoic

At present, there are no intercratonic accreted fore-arc 

basins of Cenozoic age within the United States as defined 

above.
22 Preliminary Catalog of the Sedimentary Basins of the United States

Mesozoic

Sacramento Basin 73

The Sacramento Basin is a large, Mesozoic accreted forearc basin in northern California. It is bordered on the north 

by the Klamath Mountains, on the east by the Sierra Nevada 

Mountains, on the south by the north end of the San Joaquin 

Basin, and on the west by structural contours dipping east off 

of the Franciscan metamorphic complex. The boundary for 

this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee 

and others (1962), King and Beikman (1974), and Frezon and 

Finn (1988).

Great Valley Basin 105

The Great Valley Basin is a large Mesozoic accreted 

fore-arc basin in central California. This name is commonly 

given to the Mesozoic Sacramento and Cenozoic San Joaquin 

Basins where they are grouped together. The term “Great 

Valley Basin” is probably best used to describe the true 

fore-arc basin that developed in Jurassic times and was later 

succeeded in time and space by the northern Sacramento Basin 

and the southern San Joaquin Basin. The Great Valley section 

would have suffered Nevadan orogenic deformation, whereas 

the younger, overlying basins would not have undergone that 

event. The Great Valley Basin (as used herein) is bordered on 

the east by the Sierra Nevada Mountains and batholiths, on 

the south by the confluence of the San Andreas and Garlock 

fault zones, on the west by a number of fault zones that form 

the border between the Franciscan metamorphic complex and 

the Great Valley, and on the north by the Klamath Mountains. 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown in Cohee and others (1962), King and Beikman (1974), 

Frezon and Finn (1988), Ingersoll (2008), and the California 

Department of Conservation (2001).

Hornbrook-Ochoco Basin 114

The Hornbrook-Ochoco Basin is medium Mesozoic 

accreted fore-arc basin in northern California and southern 

Oregon. The original basin was possibly a northward 

extension of the Great Valley fore-arc basin and has now 

been divided into the Hornbrook and Ochoco basins. The 

Hornbrook-Ochoco basin is bordered on the west by the 

Klamath Mountains, on the north by the paleogeographic 

position of the continental shelf-slope transition into the 

Paleo-Pacific Ocean, on the east by the northern extent of the 

Sierra Nevada Mountains (as of Late Cretaceous times), and 

on the south by an arbitrary line dividing the Great Valley 

basin from the Hornbrook-Ochoco Basin in the Lassen Peak at 

the southern end of the Modoc Lava Plateau. The boundary for 

this basin is derived from the basin outline shown in Ingersoll 

(2008).

Cook Inlet Basin 61

The Cook Inlet Basin is a medium Mesozoic accreted 

fore-arc basin in southern Alaska. It is bordered on the north 

by the Castle Mountain Fault Zone, on the east by the KenaiChugach accretionary prism, on the south and southwest by a 

structural saddle between it and the Shelikov Basin, and on the 

west by the magmatic arc of the Alaska Peninsula Fold Belt 

and the Bruin Bay Fault Zone. The boundary for this basin is 

derived from the basin outline shown on Kirschner (1994) and 

the U.S. Geological Survey (1997).

Shelikov Basin 33

The Shelikov Basin is a medium Mesozoic accreted 

fore-arc basin in southern Alaska. It is bordered on the north 

by the structural saddle between it and the Cook Inlet Basin, 

on the east and southeast by closing structural contours 

down structural dip from thrust faults, on the southwest by a 

structural saddle between it and the Sanak-Shumagin-Tugidak 

Basins complex, and to the northwest by structural contours 

down structural dip from the Alaska Peninsula Fold Belt. 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown on Kirschner (1994) and the U.S. Geological Survey 

(1997).

Paleozoic 

At present, there are no recognized intercratonic accreted 

fore-arc basins of Paleozoic age within the United States.

Neoproterozoic

At present, there are no recognized intercratonic accreted 

fore-arc basins of Neoproterozoic age within the United 

States.

Oceanic

Back-Arc

Cenozoic

Aleutian Basin 141

The Aleutian Basin is a huge Cenozoic oceanic back-arc 

basin that extends from the western Aleutian Islands and 

Bering Sea Shelf of southwest Alaska to the Russian continental shelf. For this report, the Aleutian Basin also includes 

the Bowers Basin. It is bordered on the southeast, south, 

and southwest approximately by the continental shelf-slope 

break north of the Aleutian Islands volcanic chain, on the 

northwest by the U.S.–Russian national maritime boundary, 

and on the northeast and southeast approximately by the 

continental shelf-slope break southwest of the Bering Sea 

Shelf. Sediments and sedimentary rocks probably extend for 
Brief Description of Individual Sedimentary Basins 23

an undetermined distance to the northeast, northwest, and 

southeast of these basin boundaries but are not included in 

this discussion. The boundary for this basin is derived from 

the basin and resource management area outlines shown on 

Hall and others (1988), Kirschner (1994), the U.S. Geological 

Survey (1997), and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 

Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) (2010a).

Umnak Plateau Basin 44

The Umnak Plateau Basin is a small Cenozoic oceanic 

back-arc basin that lies at the confluence of the Aleutian 

Island volcanic chain and the shelf-slope break of the Bering 

Sea Shelf, offshore southwestern Alaska. It is bordered on 

the northeast by a structural saddle between it and the Amak 

Basin to the northeast, to the southeast by the Aleutian Island 

volcanic chain, and on the southwest, west, and northwest 

by closing structural contours within the Bering Sea Shelf. 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown on Kirschner (1994) and the U.S. Geological Survey 

(1997).

Mesozoic

At present, there are no recognized oceanic back-arc 

basins of Mesozoic age within the United States.

Paleozoic

At present, there are no recognized oceanic back-arc 

basins of Paleozoic age within the United States.

Neoproterozoic

At present, there are no recognized oceanic back-arc 

basins of Neoproterozoic age within the United States.

Fore-Arc

Cenozoic

Western Washington–Oregon Basins 129

The Western Washington–Oregon Basins is a collective 

term for the Cenozoic onshore and offshore fore-arc basins 

along the Pacific Coast of Washington and Oregon. This 

grouping includes the Whatcom, Tofino Fluca, West Olympic, 

Olympic, Willipa, Willapa Hills, Puget Sound Consolidated, 

Heceta, Astoria, Newport, Astoria-Nehalem, Tyee, Umpqua, 

Willamette Trough, and Coos Bay basins. Its border is defined 

on the north by the U.S.–Canadian national and national 

maritime boundaries, on the west by the approximate break 

in slope between the continental shelf and continental slope, 

on the south by the contact with the Gold Beach terrain near 

Cape Blanco, and on the east by the approximate eastern edge 

of the main basin sedimentary rocks and their transition or 

contact with the Coast Range volcanic complex. Sediments 

and sedimentary rocks probably extend for an undetermined 

distance to the west of the western boundary of this basin but 

are not included in this discussion. The boundary for this basin 

is derived from the basin outline shown in Cohee and others 

(1962), King and Beikman (1974), Frezon and Finn (1988), 

and WESTCARB (2010).

Sanak-Shumagin-Tugidak Basin 100

The Sanak-Shumagin-Tugidak Basin is a collective term 

for these three basins, which are divided locally by anticlines. 

It is bordered on the north and northwest by closing structural 

contours coming off of the Alaska Peninsula Fold Belt, on the 

east by the Kodiak Mountains, on the southeast and south by 

the 1000-m isobaths, and on the west by presumably closing 

structural contours on the continental shelf southeast of 

Tigalda Island, Alaska. The boundary for this basin is derived 

from the basin outline shown on Kirschner (1994) and the U.S. 

Geological Survey (1997).

Stevenson-Albatross Basin 87

The Stevenson-Albatross Basin is a series of medium and 

small Cenozoic oceanic fore-arc basins on the Kodiak Shelf 

between the Kodiak Mountains and the Aleutian Trench in 

southern Alaska. It is bordered on the northwest by the Kodiak 

Mountains and associated fault zones, on the northeast by 

closing structural contours coming off of the Kodiak Shelf, 

on the southeast approximately by the 1000-m isobath, and 

on the southwest by the structural saddle between it and the 

Sanak-Shumagin-Tugidak Basins complex to the southwest. 

The boundary for this basin is derived from the basin outline 

shown on Kirschner (1994) and the U.S. Geological Survey 

(1997).

Mesozoic

At present, there are no recognized oceanic fore-arc 

basins of Mesozoic age within the United States.

Paleozoic

At present, there are no recognized oceanic fore-arc 

basins of Paleozoic age within the United States.

Neoproterozoic

At present, there are no recognized oceanic fore-arc 

basins of Neoproterozoic age within the United States.
24 Preliminary Catalog of the Sedimentary Basins of the United States

Peripheral Volcanic Apron

Cenozoic

Amukta Basin 12

Because of its location and characteristics, the Amukta 

Basin is interpreted to be a small oceanic peripheral volcanic 

apron developed between Seguam and Amukta Island in the 

Aleutian volcanic chain. The boundary for this basin is derived 

from the basin outline shown on Kirschner (1994) and the U.S. 

Geological Survey (1997).

Hawaii Sedimentary Basin 140

The Hawaii Sedimentary Basin includes those Cenozoic 

sediments and sedimentary rocks that have accumulated on 

the flanks of the various volcanoes that make up the chain of 

Hawaiian Islands. The boundary of this basin is the 0.2-km 

isopach line of Winterer (1989), except where that line is 

truncated by the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone boundary 

(NOAA, 2008). It also includes those areas of the islands 

containing sedimentary and volcano-sedimentary rocks 

described by Sherrod and others (2007).

Mesozoic

At present, there are no recognized oceanic peripheral 

volcanic apron basins of Mesozoic age within the United 

States.

Paleozoic

At present, there are no recognized oceanic peripheral 

volcanic apron basins of Paleozoic age within the United 

States.

Neoproterozoic

At present, there are no recognized oceanic peripheral 

volcanic apron basins of Neoproterozoic age within the United 

States.

Summary

One hundred forty-four sedimentary basins (or collections of basins) are presented here as a preliminary checklist 

and data base for the Geologic Carbon Dioxide Sequestration 

National Assessment Project. In addition to the list and brief 

basin description are accompanying shapefiles for GIS study 

and application. As a preliminary catalog, it is reasonable and 

expected that other basins will be added and some may be 

removed in succeeding versions of this report. Also, as more 

data relevant to the assessment are collected, further revisions 

of this report should also be expected.

Note added in review:

During review of this manuscript, several additional 

basins were suggested for inclusion in this initial version 

of the catalog. Because of time constraints on publication 

completion, the following basins are not discussed here and 

may be included in updates and revisions of this report:

Southwest Montana Thrust Belt

Sevier Orogenic Belt

East Continent Rift Basin

Fort Wayne Rift

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