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ll <br />• south of Pueblo, within Tract "B" of the proposed RGPCC quarry site. Such high <br />carbonate /low non-calcareous percentages could be evidence of a distal paleogeographic <br />position from the western shoreline of the seaway for the Huerfano Park area and Rock <br />Canyon Anticlinorium. An upsection trend towards higher CaCOy percentages in the <br />- shale intetbeds, with the most prominent increases occurring at or near the datum line, <br />can be observed in all 3 sections. Further, this upwards increase in carbonate is mirrored <br />by increasingly negative isotopic oxygen values (a trend best developed at Wolcott), <br />interpreted as a microplanktonic response to steadily warming paleoceanographic <br />conditions within the Western Interior seaway. <br />The fluctuations in C°tg through each shale-limestone couplet in the tower Fort <br />Hays Member is somewhat cyclic in nature, as can be seen in the record from Wagon <br />Mound (having two samples per bed). These variations, however, rarely exceed 0.5 <br />between successive samples. In contrast, the globally-recognized Honarelli Anoxic Event <br />which encompasses the Cenomanian-Turonian stage boundary, has yielded Cars values as <br />high as 4.5% and variations between successive samples of similaz magnitude (Pratt, <br />1985). Evidence has been presented for aworld-wide oceanic anoxic event (OAI:) during <br />the Coniacian (Arthtu el a[., 1990; Jenkyns, 1991), but this relatively short-term event <br />was largely restricted [o the Late Coniacian, thereby having little beating on the <br />deposition of the Fort Hays Member. Were there an anoxic episode in the Western <br />• Interior during deposition of the FoR Hays, then Cora values greater than 1.0 % (by <br />weight) would be expected from the shale intetbeds. As it is, only a single sample <br />reached organic carbon levels of 1.0 % (shale 5.5, Wolcott section). Black, laminated, <br />organic-rich shale from the upper part of the lower shale unit (Smoky Hill Member), -6 <br />m above the top of the Fort }Iays Member, likely correspond to the purported anoxic <br />event. <br />The piettue presented by carbon and oxygen isotopes is more complex than that <br />from total organic cazbon. In terms of magnitude of perturbation(s) between successive <br />samples, especially between shales and limestones, the isotopic data produced from this <br />study only marginally qualify as significant towards paleoecological interpretations and <br />reconstructions. Great taution was used in making inferences based on attained isotopic <br />oxygen and isotopic cazbon values. The average, or "background" isotopic carbon signal <br />for the Turonian through Santottian of the Westcm Interior is approximately +1.0 ppm <br />(shown by vertical line in Figs. 7 & 8, and background isotopic oxygen levels approach <br />-6.0 ppm. Limestone beds of the lower Fort Hays Member generally tend to be more <br />depleted !lighter in isotopic carbon than shale intetbeds, and ofren have slightly heavier <br />• zoot <br />