Summary of Paleozoic stratigraphy and history of western Colorado and eastern Utah
— John A. Campbell

The area covered by this report extends from about Moab and Blanding, Utah on the west to Glenwood Springs and Gunnison, Colorado on the east (fig. 1). The Paleozoic Systems in this area are characterized by two different tectonic styles of sedimentation. The lower Paleozoic, Cambrian through Mississippian, consists of thin, stable shelf deposits that are commonly separated by major unconformities. The upper Paleozoic, Pennsylvanian and Permian, consist of thick basin deposits, a result of active tectonism.

The major structural elements of the region are shown on Figure 2. These structural elements are largely the product of Laramide deformation; however, the Paradox basin is a Paleozoic feature, and the Uinta and Uncompahgre Uplifts have influenced sedimentation throughout various parts of the Paleozoic (Baars, 1966; Baars and See, 1968; Lochman-Balk, 1972; Spoelhof, 1976; Weimer, 1980).

The stratigraphic terminology (fig. 3a, b) is from the San Juan Mountains for the area west of the Uncompahgre Uplift and from the White River Uplift for the area east of the Uncompahgre. East of the area discussed in this report in central Colorado, the stratigraphic sequence and terminology is somewhat different (Ross and Tweto, 1980; and DeVoto, 1980, a, b).