Geology topics

Raymond M. Thompson

Publications and source records attributed to Raymond M. Thompson.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2017

Notes on the Archaeology of the Utukok River, Northwestern Alaska

Early in May 1947, a United States Geological Survey field party of five was flown by ski plane to the headwaters of the Utukok River in northwestern Alaska, about 200 miles southwest of Barrow. Three 18–foot canvas boats of a special folding design were taken in along with enough equipment for four months. Food caches had been flown in to six localities on the 200–mile–long river a short time before the group landed. When the “break–up” came late in May the party started down the river working out the geology of the area from a series of 18 camps which were established before reaching the Arctic Ocean in August. During the season 17 archaeological sites were discovered. It is believed that most of these sites are of Eskimo origin and are probably fairly recent. However, an important exception is a well–made Folsom point, announcement of which has been made.

Alaska↗

USGS1965

Bauxite and Kaolin Deposits of the Irwinton district, Georgia

The Irwinton district is in the central part of Georgia at the inner margin of the Coastal Plain province. The oldest rocks exposed in the district are crystalline rocks of the Piedmont province. They are unconformably overlain by nonmarine sedimentary strata of Late Cretaceous age, including gravel, micaceous sand, and lenses of kaolin. Bauxite has been found in a few of the kaolin lenses near the top of the sequence of these strata. During a long period prior to deposition of the over- lying marine beds of the Claiborne and Jackson Groups (middle and upper Eocene), the Upper Cretaceous strata were subjected to subaerial erosion. The bauxite deposits are considered to have formed during this period. They range in thickness from a few inches to more than 10 feet and occupy areas ranging from a few square feet to more than 5 acres. Most of the known bauxite deposits lie along the valleys of Commissioners Creek and Big Sandy Creek in Wilkinson County. The kaolin lenses are much larger than the bauxite deposits; some of the lenses underlie more than 200 acres and are more than 20 feet thick. Bauxite was discovered in the district in 1907 and was mined from 1910 to 1928. A few additional carloads of ore were shipped in 1941 and 1942, but no ore has been mined since that time. Reserves of high-grade bauxite are very small. Reserves of all grades of bauxite plus bauxitic clay may be about 400,000 long tons. The Irwinton district is the principal source of high-grade kaolin in the United States. The presence of kaolin here has been known since early colo- nial time, and it has been mined continuously since 1897. Production in 1959 was 1,940,279 short tons. The reserves of kaolin are very large but have never been adequately measured. Reserves of first and second grade kaolin may be 67 to 84 million short tons. Kaolin of lower grade is present in larger quantity.

Bulletin↗

USGS1947

Preliminary report on the stratigraphy and structure of the area of the Utukok River with notes on the Corwin-Cape Beaufort region, Alaska

U.S. Geological Survey Party 3 studied the geology of the Utukok River area and conducted a short reconnaissance of the Corwin-Cape Beaufort Region during the period May 12 to August 31, 1947. The upper part of the Utukok River was examined for several miles on either side while the lower, or Coastal Plain-portion, was necessarily limited to the few outcrops along the river. During this study, the major emphasis was placed upon rocks of Upper Cretaceous age and their relationships to the underlying Lower Cretaceous rocks. All macrofossils, and numerous samples for porosity, heavy mineral, and microfossil determinations were collected. A triangulation net was established by theodolite from Camp. 1 near the headwaters of the river to the mouth of Carbon Creek. The survey started and ended on measured base lines, and stations were determined by intersection and resection. Stations were selected, insofar as possible, on points that could be pin pricked on aerial photographs where adequate coverage was available, Horizontal control was computed for cartographic purposes. Vertical differences were computed from an elevation at Camp 1 assumed at 2,000 feet above sea level based upon two different airplane altimeter readings. Most of the country is too rough for wheel landings with the exception of several gravel bars in the river between Camp 6 and the coast. Pontoon landings with a Cub plane can be made at most places on the river. Driftwood, Adventure, Disappointment, Carbon, and Elusive Creeks are the main tributaries to the Utukok. At various localities, terrace gravels are common on divides of these streams. A terrace north of Driftwood Creek and about ten miles east of Camp 2 is covered with a deposit of gravel which is apparently, thick and is spread over an irregular area about two miles long and a half mile wide. A thin tundra cover obscures what is probably a much larger continuation of the gravel deposit. With favorable conditions plane landings could be made, but with a little construction work a commercial size airfield could be made.

Alaska↗