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What kinds of sediments were deposited in the Carmel and Sundance seas?
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Jurassic Period
Distribution of landmasses, mountainous regions, shallow seas, and deep ocean basins during the late Jurassic Period. Included in the paleogeographic reconstruction are the locations of the interval's subduction zones.
In the epicontinental seaways of the western interior of North America, known collectively as the Carmel and Sundance seas, the primary sediments deposited were marine sandstones, mudstones, limestones, and shales.1
These deposits formed during a series of six marine incursions in the Middle Jurassic. The sequences within these seaways often contain marine fossils and are found interfingering with both terrestrial sedimentsādeposited during periods of lower sea levelsāand marginal marine sediments that accumulated in environments bordering the seaways. While the Carmel Sea was older and shallower than the Sundance Sea, both are characterized by these recurring accumulations of marine strata.12