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The transgressive Grand Canyon Cambrian contains basal fluvial sands (Tapeats Sandstone) and overlying shallow marine sands and shales (Bright Angel Shale) in which textures and structures permit a detailed reconstruction of clastic sediment dispersal across a broad cratonic margin.

Dominantly trough cross-bedded basal Tapeats Sandstone, containing buried regolith in bed-rock depressions, a low-variance, unimodal paleocurrent trend down the regional paleoslope, and well to moderately sorted medium to coarse-grained sands, records pre-vegetation bed-load fluvial sedimentation. Bed-load sands (> 200 mµ) mature from arkosic to orthoquartzitic within 5 to 10 m of the base. Finer, suspension-transported sands remain subarkosic through the entire 250 to 500 m of Cambrian section implying rapid dispersal.

The Bright Angel Shale is composed of shallowing upward sedimentary cycles 1 to 6 m thick. Lower parts of the cycles are thinly interbedded fine sand and shale layers whose sedimentary structures and textures record level-bottom storm resuspension, dispersal, and deposition (sand layers) alternating with quiescent periods of finer silt and clay dispersal and accumulation. Bed-load transported sands are absent. Sand bed thickness up to a maximum (5 to 20 cm) represents variation in storm intensities with maximum thicknesses controlled by water depth, which limits volume in suspension.

Upper parts of cycles are cross-laminated fine sands with glauconite and U-shaped or vertical burrows. These represent shoaling phases with increased bottom agitation, decreased sedimentation rate, and winnowing bypass of silts and clays. Organism structures, tadpole ripples, and rare mud cracks record shallowing.

Cycle caps are 1 to 20-cm thick layers of medium to very coarse quartz sand, hematitic ooids, phosphatic, and dolomite cemented clasts that record phases of emergence and complete bypass of all suspension load.

Recently recognized dunes 3 to 5 m in height provided bed load dispersal at the close of sedimentation cycles. Structures and textures suggest dunes are eolian.

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