Stratigraphy of the Upper Cretaceous Mancos Shale (upper part) and Mesaverde Group in the southern part of the Uinta and Piceance basins, Utah and Colorado

Cross section A–A' was constructed in support of the oil and gas assessments of the Mesaverde and Mancos/Mowry Total Petroleum Systems in the Uinta and Piceance Basins of Utah and Colorado (fig. 1) (U.S. Geological Survey Uinta-Piceance Province Assessment Team, in press). This citation is referred to henceforth as simply “USGS, in press.” The Mesaverde Total Petroleum System contains continuous gas derived primarily from carbonaceous shale and coal in the Mesaverde Group [chapter by Johnson and Roberts in USGS (in press)]. The Mancos/Mowry Total Petroleum System contains continuous gas derived primarily from marine source rocks in the Mancos and Mowry Shales [chapter by Kirschbaum in USGS (in press)]. Cross section A–A' illustrates the stratigraphy of these Upper Cretaceous rocks, emphasizing the fluvial, coal-bearing coastal plain, nearshore marine, and offshore marine strata. The cross section is presented as a hard copy in this report and as a chapter by Hettinger and Kirschbaum (USGS, in press).