Giant stromatolites and a supersurface in the Navajo Sandstone, Capitol Reef National Park, Utah

Abstract

At Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, 5-m-high stromatolites are present locally on interdune carbonate lenses in the Early Jurassic Navajo Sandstone. The stromatolites display both finely laminated and fenestral internal fabrics, and grew along south-facing interdune margins. These stromatolites formed during a high-water-table episode engendered by a dune-dammed paleodrainage in a stabilized Navajo erg. These stromatolites, and the thick interdune section associated with them, suggest a hiatus in erg accumulation and the presence of a super bounding surface.