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At least 523 records · Page 29Linked to original sources
USGS2002

Stratigraphy of the Proterozoic Revett Formation, Coeur d'Alene District, Idaho

The Proterozoic Revett Formation of the Belt Supergroup contains three informal members that can be identified throughout the Coeur d'Alene mining district of northern Idaho. The lower Revett Formation is dominated by quartzite, but also contains intervals of siltite. The middle Revett consists predominantly of siltite, though quartzite and argillite locally form significant intervals. The upper Revett consists of intervals of quartzite that alternate with intervals of siltite and/or thin-bedded argillite. These units show dramatic changes in thickness and sedimentary facies within the Coeur d'Alene mining district; changes that are more abrupt and extreme than seen elsewhere in the Belt basin. The regionally significant Osburn fault bisects the district, with 20 to 30 km of post-mineralization right-lateral strike-slip offset. South of this fault, the upper Revett is 640 m thick at the Bunker Hill mine in the west, 450 to 500 m thick in the centrally located Silver Belt, and over 550 m thick at the Reindeer Queen deposit to the east. North of the Osburn fault, the upper Revett is approximately 120 m thick in the vicinity of the Lucky Friday mine, but abruptly thins to 45 to 90 m to the north and northeast, in the southern end of the western Montana copper sulfide belt. The middle Revett Formation south of the Osburn fault appears to be 400 to 450 m thick. North of the Osburn Fault, the middle Revett thins to approximately 120 m in the Lucky Friday area, and to approximately 60 m at Military Gulch. The lower Revett Formation is approximately 1650 m thick south of the Osburn fault, but thins to 400 to 450 m thick to the north of the Osburn fault. Observed thickness changes support previous hypotheses that the current Osburn fault coincides with a Proterozoic synsedimentary fault that controlled sedimentation in this region.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2003

High-resolution Quaternary seismic stratigraphy of the New York Bight continental shelf

A principal focus for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Coastal and Marine Geology Program (marine.usgs.gov) is regional reconnaissance mapping of inner-continental shelf areas, with initial emphasis on heavily used areas of the sea floor near major population centers. The objectives are to develop a detailed regional synthesis of the sea-floor geology in order to provide information for a wide range of management decisions and to form a basis for further investigations of marine geological processes. In 1995, the USGS, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACOE), New York District, began to generate reconnaissance maps of the continental shelf seaward of the New York - New Jersey metropolitan area. This mapping encompassed the New York Bight inner-continental shelf, one of the most heavily trafficked and exploited coastal regions in the United States. Contiguous areas of the Hudson Shelf Valley, the largest physiographic feature on this segment of the continental shelf, also were mapped as part of a USGS study of contaminated sediments (Buchholtz ten Brink and others, 1994; 1996). The goal of the reconnaissance mapping was to provide a regional synthesis of the sea-floor geology in the New York Bight area, including: (a) a description of sea-floor morphology; (b) a map of sea-floor sedimentary lithotypes; (c) the geometry and structure of the Cretaceous strata and Quaternary deposits; and (d) the geologic history of the region. Pursuing the course of this mapping effort, we obtained sidescan-sonar images of 100 % of the sea floor in the study area. Initial interpretations of these sidescan data were presented by Schwab and others, (1997a, 1997b, 2000a). High-resolution seismic-reflection profiles collected along each sidescan-sonar line used multiple acoustic sources (e.g., watergun, CHIRP, Geopulse). Multibeam swath-bathymetry data also were obtained for a portion of the study area (Butman and others, 1998;). In this report, we present a series of structural and sediment isopach maps and interpretations of the Quaternary evolution of the inner-continental shelf off the New York - New Jersey metropolitan area based on subbottom, sidescan-sonar, and multibeam-bathymetric data.

New York↗
USGS2004

Invertebrate Paleontology of the Wilson Grove Formation (Late Miocene to Late Pliocene), Sonoma and Marin Counties, California, with some Observations on Its Stratigraphy, Thickness, and Structure

The Wilson Grove Formation is exposed from Petaluma north to northern Santa Rosa, and from Bennett Valley west to Bodega Bay. A fauna of at least 107 invertebrate taxa consisting of two brachiopods, 95 mollusks (48 bivalves and 46 gastropods), at least eight arthropods, and at least two echinoids have been collected, ranging in age from late Miocene to late Pliocene. Rocks and fossils from the southwest part of the outcrop area, along the Estero de San Antonio, were deposited in a deep-water marine environment. At Meacham Hill, near the Stony Point Rock Quarry, and along the northern margin of the outcrop area at River Road and Wilson Grove, the Wilson Grove Formation was deposited in shallow marine to continental environments. At Meacham Hill, these shallow water deposits represent a brackish bay to continental environment, whereas at River Road and Wilson Grove, fossils suggest normal, euhaline (normal marine salinity) conditions. A few taxa from the River Road area suggest water temperatures slightly warmer than along the adjacent coast today because their modern ranges do not extend as far north in latitude as River Road. In addition, fossil collections from along River Road contain the bivalve mollusks Macoma addicotti (Nikas) and Nuttallia jamesii Roth and Naidu, both of which are restricted to the late Pliocene. The late Miocene Roblar tuff of Sarna-Wojcicki (1992) also crops out northeast of the River Road area and underlies the late Pliocene section at Wilson Grove by almost 300 m. Outcrops in the central part of the region are older than those to the northeast, and presumably younger than deposits to the southwest. The Roblar tuff of Sarna-Wojcicki (1992) occurs at Steinbeck Ranch in the central portion of the outcrop area. At Spring Hill, also in the central part of the outcrop area, the sanddollar Scutellaster sp., cf. S. oregonensis (Clark) has been recently collected. This species, questionably identified here, is restricted to the late Miocene from central California through Oregon. Outcrops at Salmon Creek, northeast of Steinbeck Ranch and also in the central part of the outcrop area, contain Aulacofusus? recurva (Gabb) and Turcica brevis Stewart, which are both restricted to the Pliocene, as well as Lirabuccinum portolaensis (Arnold) known from the early Pliocene of central and northern California and into the late Pliocene in southern California. These data suggest an overall pattern of older rocks and deeper water to the south and west, and younger rocks and shallower water to the east and north. Outcrops to the southwest, south of the Bloomfield fault, are not well dated but presumably are older than the late Miocene Roblar tuff of Sarna-Wojcicki (1992). Fossils in this part of the section are rare and are not useful in determining a precise age or environment of deposition for the lower part of the Wilson Grove Formation. However, sedimentary sequences and structures in the rocks here are useful and suggest probable outer shelf and slope water depths. Lituyapecten turneri (Arnold) which occurs in this part of the section has previously been restricted to the Pliocene, but its occurrence below the Roblar tuff of Sarna-Wojcicki (1992) indicates a revised late Miocene age for this taxon. Three possibly new gastropods (Mollusca) are reported here: Calyptraea (Trochita) n. sp. and Nucella sp., aff. N. lamellosa (Gmelin), both from the Bloomfield Quarry area, and Acanthinucella? n. sp. from the River Road area. These species are not described here because this venue is deemed insufficient for the description of new taxa.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2004

Quaternary stratigraphy and tectonics, and late prehistoric agriculture of the Safford Basin (Gila and San Simon river valleys), Graham County, Arizona

This guidebook accompanied the 46th annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Cell of the Friends of the Pleistocene (FOP) and the 2002 Fall Field Trip of the Arizona Geological Society. The meeting and field trip were held in the Safford Basin, southeastern Arizona. The Friends of the Pleistocene is an informal gathering of Quaternary geologists, geomorphologists, and pedologists who meet annually for a field conference. The first part of the guidebook consists of road logs with descriptions of stops covering the three days of the field trip. An overview of the geology of the Safford Basin is given in Stop 1-1. The second part of the guidebook consists of four short papers that discuss adjacent areas or that expand upon the road log descriptions of the field trip stops. The first paper by Reid and Buffler is a summary of upper Cenozoic depositional facies in the Duncan Basin, the first basin to the east of the Safford Basin. The next three papers expand upon (1) the soil study of the gridded field agricultural complex (Stop 2-3, Homburg and Sandor), (2) the vertebrate fossils of the San Simon Valley in the southeastern part of the Safford Basin (Stop 3-1, Thrasher), and (3) paleoIndian irrigation systems and settlements in Lefthand Canyon at the foot of the Pinaleno Mountains (Stop 3-2, Neely and Homburg).

Arizona↗
USGS2006

Coastal circulation and sediment dynamics in Hanalei Bay, Kaua'i, Hawaii: Part II: Tracking recent fluvial sedimentation: Isotope stratigraphy obtained in Summer 2005

Delivery and dispersal of fluvial sediment in Hanalei Bay, Kaua’i, Hawaii, have important implications for the health of local coral reefs. The reef community in Hanalei Bay represents a relatively healthy ecosystem. However, the reefs are periodically stressed by storm waves, and increases in sediment and dissolved substances from the Hanalei River have the potential to cause additional stress. Increased turbidity and sedimentation on corals during Hanalei River floods that occur in seasons of low wave energy, when sediment would not be readily remobilized and advected out of the bay, could affect the health and sustainability of coral reefs and the many associated species. Measurements of short-lived isotopes 7 Be and 137 Cs in sediment cores have been used to trace the thickness and distribution of terrestrial sediment in Hanalei Bay, in order to assess spatial and temporal patterns of sediment deposition and remobilization relative to coral-reef locations. A third isotope, 210 Pb, derived primarily from seawater, provides additional information about recent sedimentary history. Isotope profiles and observations of sedimentary facies from cores collected at multiple locations in June 2005, and again in August 2005, indicate the presence of recent fluvial sediment and organic debris in the east part of the bay near the mouth of the Hanalei River. Away from the immediate vicinity of the river mouth, sediment in the uppermost 1 m below the sea floor had not retained a significant quantity of fluvial sediment within the eight months prior to either sampling effort. During the study interval in summer 2005 the Hanalei River had no major floods and there was relatively little sediment input to the bay. Sediment away from the river mouth was dominated by carbonate sand, although some terrestrial sediment was present in sub-sea-floor horizons. Sedimentary facies and isotope inventories throughout the bay showed substantial spatial heterogeneity. Sediment cores will be collected again at the same sites discussed here during early and late summer 2006. If possible, additional sites will be sampled in the Black Hole depocenter near the river mouth. Major floods in winter and spring 2006 are expected to leave a significant new sediment signal in the bay that should be detected in summer 2006.

Hawaii↗
USGS2007

Type region of the Ione Formation (Eocene), central California: Stratigraphy, paleogeography, and relation to auriferous gravels

The middle Eocene Ione Formation extends over 200 miles (320 km) along the western edge of the Sierra Nevada. Our study was concentrated in the type region, 30 miles (48 km) along strike. There a bedrock ridge forms the seaward western side of the Ione depositional tract, defining a subbasin margin. The eastern limit of the type Ione is locally defined by high-angle faults. Ione sediments were spread over Upper Mesozoic metamorphic and plutonic bedrock, fed by gold-bearing streams dissecting the western slope of the ancestral Sierra Nevada. By middle Eocene time, a tropical or subtropical climate prevailed, leading to deep chemical weathering (including laterization) and a distinctively mature mineral assemblage was fed to and generated within Ione deposits. The Ione is noted for its abundant kaolinitic clay, some of it coarsely crystalline; the clay is present as both detrital grains and authigenic cement. Quartz is abundant, mostly as angular grains. Heavy mineral fractions are dominated by altered ilmenite and zircon. Distribution of feldspar is irregular, both stratigraphically and areally. Non-marine facies are most voluminous, and include conglomerates, especially at the base and along the eastern margins of the formation where they pass into Sierran auriferous gravels. Clays, grading into lignites, and gritty sands are also common facies. Both braided and meandering fluvial facies have been recognized. Shallow marine waters flooded the basin probably twice. Tongues of sediment exhibiting a variety of estuarine to marine indicators are underlain and overlain by fluvial deposits. Marine body fossils are found at only a few localities, but burrows identified as Ophiomorpha and cf. Thalassinoides are abundant in many places. Other clues to marginal marine deposition are the occurrence of glauconite in one bed, typical relations of lagoonal to beach (locally heavy-mineral-rich) lithofacies, closed-basin three-dimensional morphology of basinal facies, and high sulfur content of some marginal coals. The Ione has been said to be deltaic; however the two transgressional-regressional cycles we propose imply that only the regressional parts were deltaic. At other times, much of the type Ione would better be termed an intertidal estuary. Because the lower marine sequence was deposited against a paleobasin margin on the west, deltaic morphology was constrained, but apparently progradation was from north to south despite drainage into the basin from the east. Relations to the south are unclear due to the Stockton arch. The eastern margin of the type-Ione basin, and to some extent even its marine facies, are poorly constrained. A surface on Sierran bedrock to the east may have been stripped of some Ione basinal facies, leaving only coeval entrenched fluvial channel deposits.

California↗
USGS2007

Cenozoic environmental changes along the East Antarctic continental margin inferred from regional seismic stratigraphy

We interpret ~40,000 km of multichannelseismic reflection lines collected by the Russian Antarctic Expedition along the East Antarctic continental margin between 32° E and 115° E, and present a revised seismic stratigraphic model for depositional paleoenvironments of the region. Variations in acoustic facies characteristics observed across major seismic horizons are correlated with paleoenvironmental changes deciphered from Antarctic drilling data and deep-sea “proxy” records. Our results, as well as otherstudies, indicate that the East Antarctic margin was glaciated at different times. Glacial ice first reached the western Wilkes Land margin in the Middle Eocene and then advanced onto most parts ofthe East Antarctic continentalshelf during the earliest Oligocene. During the Neogene, bottom currents deposited a variety of drift deposits along the margin

Open-File Report↗
USGS2007

Tectonic history of mid-Miocene to present southern Victoria Land Basin, inferred from seismic stratigraphy in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica

New and existing seismic reflection data in southern McMurdo Sound have been used to investigate Neogene tectonic history of the Terror Rift adjacent to the Transantarctic Mountains and along the western margin of the West Antarctic Rift System. Seismic data image a young rifting episode that is largely unsampled by CRP and CIROS drill holes. Data reveal up to 3.5 km of post middle Miocene strata deposited in this part of the NNW- SSE trending Terror Rift basin. Mapped fault trends in the southern Terror Rift parallel the axis of the basin and are prominent in a 40 km wide zone north of Ross Island. Displacement on individual faults in this zone can exceed 100 m and faults collectively accommodate approximately 10-15 km of middle Miocene to recent extension.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2007

Stratigraphy, structure, and geologic and coastal hazards in the Penuelas to Salinas area, southern Puerto Rico: A compendium of published literature

The Puerto Rico Electrical Power Authority has proposed construction of a pipeline to convey natural gas from the municipio of Peñuelas to the Aguirre thermoelectric power plant in the municipio of Salinas in southern Puerto Rico. To ensure that the geologic conditions along the possible routes do not represent a threat to the physical integrity of the natural gas pipeline, and thus comply with State and Federal regulations, the Puerto Rico Electrical Power Authority requested the U.S. Geological Survey to provide a synthesis of published literature of the geology of the coastal plain in the Peñuelas to Salinas area. The study area is located in part of the Southern Coastal Plain of Puerto Rico. In the area that extends from the municipio of Peñuelas eastward to the Laguna de las Salinas at Ponce, a distance of about 5 miles, the study area is underlain by middle Tertiary carbonate units. Eastward from the Laguna de las Salinas to the pipeline terminus at the Aguirre power plant in Salinas, a distance of about 30 miles, the terrain is underlain by fan-delta deposits of Quaternary age. The carbonate units and the fan-delta deposits are underlain by early Tertiary and older-age volcaniclastics with subordinate sedimentary rocks and lavas. The Great Southern Puerto Rico Fault Zone is the principal geologic structural feature in southern Puerto Rico. At present, the Great Southern Puerto Rico Fault Zone is considered largely quiescent, although it apparently is associated with minor earthquakes. There is no evidence of terrestrial, late Quaternary faulting within the Peñuelas to Salinas area. Seismic activity in this area mostly originates from extension zones of more distal shallow sources such as Mona Canyon to the northwest and the Anegada Trough northeast of the island of Puerto Rico. The magnitude of completeness of earthquakes in the study area ranges from 2.0 to 2.5. The seismic density for the southern coast including the study area is about 0.128 earthquakes per square mile, which is close to the average for southwestern Puerto Rico. The estimated maximum peak ground acceleration most likely to occur in the study area, due to shallow depth seismicity with 2 percent probability of exceedance in 50 years, is 9 feet per second squared, as obtained by modeling results. The estimated peak ground acceleration with 2 percent probability of exceedance in 50 years, due to deep seismicity is 7 feet per second squared. In Ponce, the probability of exceedance per year is higher than 0.1 for the peak ground acceleration values less than 1 that result from shallow depth seismicity sources such as the Mona Passage extension zone. The potential for liquefaction due to seismic activity may exist in areas near the coastline that have loosely to poorly consolidated sedimentary deposits and a water table close to or at the land surface. Slope failure susceptibility within the study area, due to rainfall and seismic activity, may be limited to the area that extends westward from Laguna de las Salinas to Peñuelas. In this area, foothills with slopes exceeding 10 degrees are close to the coastline and are underlain by clayey limestone and marls. In the remaining part of the study area, eastward from Laguna de las Salinas to Salinas, the land is either nearly flat or has a slope of less than 10 degrees; consequently, the susceptibility to landsliding (slope failure) caused by seismic activity and rainfall is considered to be minimal or nonexistent. Based on modeling results from a previous study, the estimated maximum inland extent of tsunami-induced flooding is 2,600 feet in the Laguna de las Salinas and Boca Chica, located in Ponce and Juana Díaz, respectively. Flooding about 3,000 and 2,800 feet from the coastline are estimated for areas near Punta Cabullón and Jobos areas, respectively. According to the modeling results, the estimated maximum runup of the tsunami-induced flooding ranges from 9 to 14 feet for the Boca Chica and Punta Cabullón areas, respectively.

Puerto Rico↗
USGS2007

Quaternary stratigraphy, drainage-basin development, and geomorphology of the Lake Manix basin, Mojave Desert: Guidebook for fall field trip, Friends of the Pleistocene, Pacific Cell, October 4-7, 2007

The 2007 field trip of the Pacific Cell, Friends of the Pleistocene, visited features of the Quaternary geology and geomorphology of the Lake Manix basin in the Mojave Desert. This report is the guidebook for this trip and includes some discussion of relations observable along the road and at various field trip stops. The Mojave River originates in the San Bernardino Mountains and in high-water years flows north and east to its terminus in Silver Lake playa north of Baker, Calif. Along this course, the river passes through or near several basins that were internally drained prior to integration by the Mojave River, including the Victorville, Harper, Manix, and Soda Lake basins. Sediments in the Lake Manix basin record Mojave River discharge and lake fluctuations that began during the middle Pleistocene and continued through most of the late Pleistocene.

California↗