Carbonate petrography of lower and middle paleozoic sediments, West Flank, Teton Mountains, Idaho-Wyoming

Approximately 2,700 feet of Lower and Middle Paleozoic sediments, dissected by several glacially modified canyons, crop out on the west flank of the Teton Mountains, Idaho- Wyoming. Although minor amoixnts of shale and sandstone are present, limestone and dolomite predominate.

The carbonate units studied are fine-grained with little insoluble residue. Preliminary petrographic investigation indicates that extensive dolomitization and recrystallization have destroyed much of the original texture; however, enough remains to suggest that the rocks originated as calcite and/or aragonite with various allochemical associations. Such an origin is indicative of deposition on a shallow shelf under relatively stable conditions.