Marine to nonmarine facies transition in Permian evaporites of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas: geochemical response

The late Paleozoic Palo Duro Basin evolved from a marine to non-marine environment as it was infilled. The evaporitic part of the sequence (Leonardian through Ochoan) is composed of regressive carbonate-anhydrite-halite cycles that displaced open-marine enviroments toward the south during basin filling. Variable rates of reflux and marine recharge control residence times of brines in the depositional environment. These are two key processes in relating evaporite geochemistry to depositional environment. -from Authors