The Upper Devonian Catskill Formation represents marginal marine and alluvial sediments which prograded into the Appalachian Basin during the Acadian Orogeny. Distributive fluvial systems (DFS) are prevalent in modern actively aggrading basins in all tectonic and climatic regimes and may be common in the rock record. In this study, I reinterpret the Catskill Formation as a prograding distributive fluvial system (DFS) on the basis of up-section variability in paleosols, channel sandstone textural trends, and alluvial architecture. At least three distinct pedotypes representative of prevailing soil forming conditions are identified during deposition of the Irish Valley, Sherman Creek, and Duncannon Members of the Catskill Formation. Increased paleosol drainage is inferred from an up-section transition from hydromorphic aqualfs within the Irish Valley Member to non-calcareous, uderts within the Duncannon Member. Qualitative field observations of channel sandstone morphology show an increase in channel size up-section. Channels occur as small isolated bodies at the base of the section, transitioning to relatively larger, amalgamated channels, and finally, large isolated channel bodies up-section. Sandstones are litharenites and coarsen-upward throughout the Catskill Formation overall. This coarsening upward trend results from increasing paleo-flow competency in larger channels up-section. These results are consistent with deposition of the Catskill Formation by DFS processes and demonstrate the utility of paleopedological analysis in interpreting alluvial depositional processes. Identifying DFS in the rock record has implications for paleosol-based paleoclimatic studies, as paleosols forming on prograding DFS have increased paleosol drainage up-section, which could potentially be misinterpreted as a shift from prevailing humid to arid paleoclimatic conditions. Recognition of DFS in the rock record also has implications for basin analysis and exploration of fluvial aquifers and hydrocarbon reservoirs, as the stratigraphic architecture of DFS are fundamentally different from tributary systems at the basin scale. / Geology

Deep-marine channels are conduits for turbidity currents that transport sediment from the continental shelf to the deep ocean floor. Along the way, some of the sediment suspended in the current is deposited within the channel whereas the rest of the sediment makes its way to deeper water to construct basin-floor lobes. Slope channel deposits provide information about past climates and other perturbations to Earth systems; the transfer of nutrients, pollutants, and organic carbon; and can be important subsurface reservoirs (hydrocarbon, groundwater, etc.). However, studying the processes associated with deep-marine channels is challenging and difficult to monitor directly. The Cretaceous Tres Pasos Formation in southern Chile is exposed in an extensive and well-documented outcrop belt where preserved slope channels and their sedimentary fill can be studied. Previous work has focused on these channels at a macroscopic scale (meters to kilometers) but very few studies have been conducted on the microscopic scale. For example, little is known about how the sedimentary texture, specifically grain size and sorting, of channel-fill sandstones vary across the width and along the length of a channel. Here, we quantify grain size and sorting by hand using petrographic analysis of 57 sandstone samples from eight channel-fill transects. Our results show that there are no systematic relationships of deep-water sandstone size and sorting within channel architectural transects (e.g., from axis to margin). We also show that there are no textural trends throughout the entire study area of the Figueroa unit (~25 km length of the slope system). We also find that these sandstones are poorly to very poorly sorted, which has implications to understanding the depositional processes. Finally, we also identify that these rocks should be classified as silty sandstones rather than sandstones according to Folk (1954). Based on our results we can predict that these flows were probably well fit to the channels as well as having similar velocities, concentrations, carrying capacity for grain size in suspension, etc. across multiple flows. We can also make predictions about these samples having a detrital vs. diagenetic matrix based on their volcanic lithic rich composition and looking at hybrid event beds (HEBs) to see if similar processes could be going on at this location. We hope that this human measured dataset can be used as a baseline and for the improvement of automative measuring processes that have started to develop. / Master of Science / Sediments that come from land get transported to the ocean by way of turbidity currents which travel through submarine channels bringing those sediments with them. Along the way, sediments will get deposited in the channel before the current reaches the ocean floor giving us channel-fill sandstones. The sediments that get deposited in these channels can provide us with information on things such as past climates; transfer of nutrients, pollutants, and organic carbon; and can be important subsurface reservoirs. Studying these channels directly in the ocean can be hard to do so we study outcrops which allow us to study sediments that have been buried, lithified, and uplifted onto land. This study looks at the Cretaceous Tres Pasos Formation in southern Chile where we have lots of exposure to these antient submarine channels. Lots of previous work in this area has focused on large scale dynamics (macroscale) but there has been very little study looking at these small-scale dynamics (microscale). For example, little is known about how sedimentary texture, grain size and sorting, of channel-fill sandstones might change across the width and along the length of a channel. In this study we measure the grain size and sorting by hand using petrographic analysis of 57 sandstone samples from eight channel-fill transects. Our results show no trends in deep-water sandstone size and sorting within different transects (e.g., from the middle to outside) or across the whole study area (~25 km). We also find that these sandstones are poorly to very poorly sorted and that the classification of these rocks according to Folk (1954) is silty sandstones rather than sandstones. Based on these results we can make predictions about the flow of turbidity currents in relation to submarine channels such as flows having similar velocities, concentrations, carrying capacity for grain size in suspension, etc. across multiple flows. We can also make predictions about where the matrix of these rocks might have originated based on the composition of the rocks and by looking at another type of flow, hybrid event beds (HEBs), to see if similar processes could be going on at this location. We hope that this human measured dataset can be used as a baseline and for the improvement of automative measuring processes that have started to develop.