Stratigraphic Architecture and Characterization of a Neoproterozoic Continental Slope System, Windermere Supergroup, East-Central British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

At the Castle Creek study area, exceptionally well exposed strata of the Isaac Formation (Neoproterozoic Windermere Supergroup) crop out over a strike length of 4 km. This ~ 1 km-thick succession of continental slope deposits consist of six channel complexes (ICC1-ICC6) composed of three main architectural elements: mass transport deposits (MTDs), channel, and overbank deposits. Together, these elements stack in a repeating and systematic pattern that illustrates periodic forcing on the system related to the combined effect of long- and short-term changes in relative sea level that controlled the development of the continental shelf, and ultimately, the make up of the sediment resedimented into the deep-marine system. Understanding these stacking patterns in ancient slope systems and the conditions under which they formed, is important for assessing regional and potentially global changes in ancient climate and eustasy.