SEARCH · USGS Science

Results for “Northwest Geology”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

SourceResearch connectionFrom yearThrough year

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 559 records · Page 31Linked to original sources

USGS1998

Upper crustal structure and Neogene tectonic development of the California continental borderland

Multichannel seismic-reflection data, sonobuoy seismic-refraction data, and regional geology are used to define the upper crustal structure of the southern California continental borderland and to delineate the characteristics of the main lithotectonic belts of the region. The Catalina Schist belt is separated on its west side from the gently deformed Nicolas forearc belt by faults that have steep west dips and pronounced normal separations. On its east side the schist belt is bounded by a large detachment fault that dips gently to the east beneath the west edge of the Peninsular Ranges belt at the coastline near Oceanside. The Catalina Schist was uplifted from middle crustal depths and exposed during a major event of extensional tectonism that started in early Miocene time in conjunction with about 10° of clockwise rotation of the western Transverse Ranges belt. Part of the uplift of the Catalina Schist could have occurred on the detachment fault, but it is thought to have mostly occurred on the steep faults that bound the west edge of the schist belt. A large amount of uplift is required, and it probably involved strong footwall flexural deformation in the wake of the translating and rotating western Transverse Ranges and Nicolas forearc belts. Extension, accompanied by probable large amounts of right slip, continued in the borderland region during and after middle Miocene time. The later stage of extension was accompanied by rapid clockwise rotation of the western Transverse Ranges of at least 90°. Most of the borderland, including the belt of schist that was uplifted in early Miocene time, was further deformed into numerous basins and ridges during this stage of oblique extension. The primary driving force for the deformation is thought to have been derived from the rapid northwest motion of the Pacific plate after it had become coupled to the Farallon plate system, which had previously been subducted beneath the borderland.

Geological Society of America Bulletin↗

USGS2011

Geology and mammalian paleontology of the Horned Toad Hills, Mojave Desert, California, USA

The Horned Toad Formation includes five lithostratigraphic members that record alluvial fan, fluvial, lake margin, and lacustrine deposition within a relatively small basin just south of the active Garlock fault during the late Miocene to early Pliocene. These sediments experienced northwest-southeast contractional deformation during the Pliocene-Pleistocene associated with basement-involved reverse faults. Member Two of the Horned Toad Formation has yielded 24 taxa of fossil mammals, referred to as the Warren Local Fauna, including Cryptotis sp., cf. Scapanus, Hypolagus vetus, Hypolagus edensis,? Spermophilus sp., Prothomomys warrenensis n. gen., n. sp., Perognathus sp., Repomys gustelyi, Postcopemys valensis, Peromyscus sp. A, Peromyscus sp. B, Jacobsomys dailyi n. sp., Borophagus cf. B. secundus, cf. Agriotherium, Machairodus sp. cf. M. coloradensis, Rhynchotherium sp. cf. R. edensis, Pliomastodon vexillarius, Dinohippus edensis, Teleoceras sp. cf. T. fossiger, cf. Prosthennops, Megatylopus sp. cf. M. matthewi, Hemiauchenia vera, Camelidae gen. et. sp. indet., and the antilocaprid cf. Sphenophalos. The majority of fossil localities are confined to a 20 m thick stratigraphic interval within a reversed polarity magnetozone. The fauna demonstrates affinity with other late Hemphillian faunas from California, Nevada, Nebraska, Texas, and Mexico. The Lawlor Tuff, dated elsewhere in California at 4.83 ?? 0.04 Ma and geochemically identified in the Horned Toad Formation, overlies most of the fossil mammal localities. Magnetic polarity data are correlated with Chrons 3n.3r, 3n.3n, and 3n.2r, suggesting an age of approximately 5.0 - 4.6 Ma. These constraints indicate an age for the late Hemphillian Warren Local Fauna of 4.85 - 5.0 Ma. ?? Society of Vertebrate Paleontology November 2011.

Palaeontologia Electronica↗

USGS1985

Aeromagnetic map and analysis of aeromagnetic and aeroradioactivity data in the Blood Mountain, Chattahoochee, and Tray Mountain Roadless Areas, northern Georgia

The data for the aerornagnetic map of the Blood Mountain, Chattahoochee, and Tray Mountain Roadless Areas and vicinity were compiled from two separate airborne surveys {U.S. Geological Survey, 1977, 1981) produced in cooperation with the State of Georgia. These surveys were flown by fixed - wing aircraft in 1976 and 1981 at 500 ft (150 m) above mean terrain along rarallel flight lines oriented northwest-southeast. Flight-line spacing is 0.5 mi (0.8 km} for the 1981 survey, which covers the major part of the map, and l mi (1.6 km) for the 1976 survey, which covers the southeast corner of the map. The 1976 survey was adjusted to the magnetic level of the 1981 survey and recontoured where the surveys join. The International Geomagnetic Reference Field (Barraclough and Fabiano, 1975) has been removed from the data of each survey.

Georgia↗

USGS1979

Geologic evaluation of major Landsat lineaments in Nevada and their relationship to ore districts

Analysis of diverse geologic, geophysical, and geochemical data shows that eight major lineament systems delineated in Landsat images of Nevada are morphological and tonal expressions of substantially broader structural zones. Southern Nevada is dominated by the 175 km-wide northwest-trending Walker Lane, a 150 km-wide zone of east-trending lineament systems consisting of the Pancake Range, Warm Springs, and Timpahute lineament systems, and a 125 km-wide belt of northeast-trending faults termed the Pahranagat lineament system. Northern Nevada is dominated by the northeast-trending 75-200km wide Midas Trench lineament system, which is marked by northeasterly-oriented faults, broad gravity anomalies, and the Battle Mountain heat flow high; this feature appears to extend into central Montana. The Midas Trench system is transected by the Northern Nevada Rift, a relatively narrow zone of north-northwest-trending basaltic dikes that give rise to a series of prominent aeromagnetic highs. The northwest-trending Rye Patch lineament system, situated at the northeast boundary of the Walker Lane, also intersects the Midas Trench system and is characterized by stratigraphic discontinuities and alignment of aeromagnetic anomalies. Field relationships indicate that all the lineament systems except for the Northern Nevada Rift are conjugate shears formed since mid-Miocene time during extension of the Great Basin. Metallization associated with volcanism was widespread along these systems during the 17-6 m.y. period. However, these zones appear to have been established prior to this period, probably as early as Precambr-an time. These lineament systems are interpreted to be old, fundamental, structural zones that have been reactivated episodically as stress conditions !changed in the western United States. Many metal districts are localized within these zones as magma rose along the pre-existing conduits.

Open-File Report↗

USGS2023

Groundwater flow model investigation of the vulnerability of water resources at Chaco Culture National Historical Park related to unconventional oil and gas development

Chaco Culture National Historical Park (CCNHP), located in northwestern New Mexico, protects the greatest concentration of Chacoan historical sites in the American Southwest. Geologically, CCNHP is located within the San Juan structural basin, which consists in part of complex Cretaceous stratigraphy and hosts a variety of energy resources. As part of a larger study to investigate the vulnerability of water resources at CCNHP related to oil and natural gas extraction activities, a MODFLOW groundwater model of the Mancos Shale and Gallup Sandstone units was created by the U.S. Geological Survey, as a part of a cooperative study with the National Park Service, to assess advective groundwater flow paths and traveltimes. The model determined that groundwater flow directions currently trend from south-southeast to north-northwest within the vicinity of CCNHP, groundwater traveltime through the Gallup Sandstone ranges from thousands to tens of thousands of years, and traveltime through the Mancos Shale may range from millions to tens of millions of years. The capture zone of the main CCNHP well (referred to as the “Chaco well”) extends to the south-southeast and ranges in width from approximately 1 to 12 miles, depending on pumping rate. Eighteen inactive hydrocarbon related wells are located within the capture zone and within 10 kilometers of the Chaco well. Given model estimates of traveltimes of groundwater in the Gallup Sandstone aquifer, advective groundwater transport to the Chaco well would take approximately 430 years from the nearest inactive hydrocarbon related wells. Differencing of historical and modern-day potentiometric surfaces of the Gallup Sandstone indicate a drop in groundwater levels between 34 and 96 feet within the CCNHP boundaries. Hydraulic fracturing, simulated as increased hydraulic conductivity zones, decreased groundwater traveltimes (from millions to thousands of years) and acted as permeable pathways from the Mancos Shale to the Gallup Sandstone.

Arizona, New Mexico↗

USGS2002

Geologic map of the Tetilla Peak Quadrangle, Santa Fe and Sandoval counties, New Mexico

This digital geologic map summarizes all available geologic information for the Tetilla Peak quadrangle located immediately southwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The geologic map consists of new polygon (geologic map units) and line (contact, fault, fold axis, dike, flow contact, hachure) data, as well as point data (locations for structural measurements, geochemical and geochronologic data, geophysical soundings, and water wells). The map database has been generated at 1:24,000 scale, and provides significant new geologic information for an area of the southern Cerros del Rio volcanic field, which sits astride the boundary of the Espanola and Santo Domingo basins of the Rio Grande rift. The quadrangle includes the west part of the village of La Cienega along its eastern border and includes the southeasternmost part of the Cochiti Pueblo reservation along its northwest side. The central part of the quadrangle consists of Santa Fe National Forest and Bureau of Land Management lands, and parts of several Spanish-era land grants. Interstate 25 cuts through the southern half of the quadrangle between Santa Fe and Santo Domingo Pueblo. Canada de Santa Fe, a major river tributary to the Rio Grande, cuts through the quadrangle, but there is no dirt or paved road along the canyon bottom. A small abandoned uranium mine (the La Bajada mine) is found in the bottom of the Canada de Santa Fe about 3 km east of the La Bajada fault zone; it has been partially reclaimed. The surface geology of the Tetilla Peak quadrangle consists predominantly of a thin (1-2 m generally, locally as thick as 10? m) layer of windblown surficial deposits that has been reworked colluvially. Locally, landslide, fluvial, and pediment deposits are also important. These colluvial deposits mantle the principal bedrocks units, which are (from most to least common): (1) basalts, basanites, andesite, and trachyte of the Pliocene (2.7-2.2 Ma) Cerros del Rio volcanic field; (2) unconsolidated deposits of the Santa Fe Group, mainly along the western border, in the hanging wall of the La Bajada fault zone, but locally extending 2-3 km east under the Cerros del Rio volcanic field; (3) older Tertiary volcanic and sedimentary rocks (Abiquiu?, Espinaso, and Galisteo Formations); (4) intrusive rocks of the Cerrillos intrusive center that are roughly coeval with the Espinaso volcanic rocks; and (5) Mesozoic sedimentary rocks ranging in age from the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation to the Upper Cretaceous Mancos Shale.

New Mexico↗

USGS2002

Structural and tectonic setting of the Charleston, South Carolina, region: Evidence from the Tertiary stratigraphic record

Eleven upper Eocene through Pliocene stratigraphic units occur in the subsurface of the region surrounding Charleston, South Carolina. These units contain a wealth of information concerning the long-term tectonic and structural setting of that area. These stratigraphic units have a mosaic pattern of distribution, rather than a simple layered pattern, because deposition, erosion, and tectonic warping have interacted in a complex manner through time. By generating separate structure-contour maps for the base of each stratigraphic unit, an estimate of the original basal surface of each unit can be reconstructed over wide areas. Changes in sea level over geologic time generate patterns of deposition and erosion that are geographically unique for the time of each transgression. Such patterns fail to persist when compared sequentially over time. In some areas, however, there has been persistent, repetitive net downward of upward movement over the past 34 m.y. These repetitive patterns of persistent motion are most readily attributable to tectonism. The spatial pattern of these high and low areas is complex, but it appears to correlate well with known tectonic features of the region. This correlation suggests that the tectonic setting of the Charleston region is controlled by scissors-like compression on a crustal block located between the north-trending Adams Run fault and the northwest-trending Charleston fault. Tectonism is localized in the Charleston region because it lies within a discrete hinge zone that accommodates structural movement between the Cape Fear arch and the Southeast Georgia embayment.

South Carolina↗

USGS2011

Late Holocene slip rate of the San Andreas fault and its accommodation by creep and moderate-magnitude earthquakes at Parkfield, California

Investigation of a right-laterally offset channel at the Miller's Field paleoseismic site yields a late Holocene slip rate of 26.2 +6.4/−4.3 mm/yr (1σ) for the main trace of the San Andreas fault at Parkfield, California. This is the first well-documented geologic slip rate between the Carrizo and creeping sections of the San Andreas fault. This rate is lower than Holocene measurements along the Carrizo Plain and rates implied by far-field geodetic measurements (∼35 mm/yr). However, the rate is consistent with historical slip rates, measured to the northwest, along the creeping section of the San Andreas fault (<30 mm/yr). The paleoseismic exposures at the Miller's Field site reveal a pervasive fabric of clay shear bands, oriented clockwise oblique to the San Andreas fault strike and extending into the uppermost stratigraphy. This fabric is consistent with dextral aseismic creep and observations of surface slip from the 28 September 2004 M6 Parkfield earthquake. Together, this slip rate and deformation fabric suggest that the historically observed San Andreas fault slip behavior along the Parkfield section has persisted for at least a millennium, and that significant slip is accommodated by structures in a zone beyond the main San Andreas fault trace.

California↗

USGS2014

Mode of igneous intrusion in La Plata Mountains, Colorado

The La Plata Mountains, in southwestern Colorado, have long been known as an example of a mountain group of the laccolithic type, although it has been recognized that the igneous geology was much more complex than that of typical laccoliths. A restudy of the ore‐deposits of the District, now in progress, has thrown new light on the mode of intrusion of the igneous rocks (E. B. Eckel, Resurvey of the geology and ore‐deposits of the La Plata Mining District, Colorado, Proc. Colorado Sci. Soc, v. 13, No. 9, pp. 508–546, 1936). The Mountains, which include parts of La Plata and Montezuma Counties, are 8 to 18 miles northwest of Durango and occupy an oval area 10 to 15 miles in diameter. The altitude ranges from about 8000 to 13,225 feet above sea‐level. ©1937. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

Colorado↗

USGS1991

Late Cretaceous and early Tertiary plutonism and deformation in the Skagit Gneiss Complex, north Cascade Range, Washington and British Columbia

The Skagit Gneiss Complex forms a more-or-less continuous terrane within the northern, more deeply eroded part of the North Cascade Range. The complex comprises abundant plutons intruded at mid-crustal depths into a variety of metamorphosed supracrustal rocks of both oceanic and volcanic-arc origin. A plethora of syntectonic pegmatite, small plutons, and granitic dikes gives the complex a migmatitic aspect. U-Pb zircon ages from gneissic plutons within and near the Skagit Gneiss Complex indicate magmatic crystallization between 75 and 60 Ma. Deformation, recrystallization, and migmatization in part postdate intrusion of the 75-60 Ma plutons. This latest Cretaceous and earliest Tertiary plutonism and migmatization may reflect thermal relaxation following early Late Cretaceous orogeny documented else-where in the North Cascades. The complex was ductilely extended northwest-southeast shortly after intrusion of granite dikes at ∼45 Ma, but before emplacement of the earliest (∼34 Ma) plutons of the Cascade arc. Outcrops of Late Cretaceous and earliest Tertiary plutons, migmatites of the Skagit Gneiss Complex, and rocks with young ductile deformation are roughly coextensive, all apparently marking a region of greater middle Eocene unroofing. Unroofing was apparently contemporaneous with east-west extension in the Okanogan region to the east and north-south and northwest-southeast strike-slip faulting within the North Cascades.

Washington↗

USGS1973

Cretaceous mafic conglomerate near Gualala offset 350 miles by San Andreas fault from oceanic crustal source near Eagle Rest Peak, California

Upper Cretaceous mafic conglomerate and quartz-plagioclase arkose that crop out on the southwest side of the San Andreas fault near Gualala, Calif., may have been eroded from a gabbroic terrane that now lies about 350 miles to the southeast, on the opposite side of the San Andreas fault. The plagioclase arkose near Gualala contains little or no K-feldspar, and the conglomerate is characterized by quartz-bearing mafic rocks that lack K-feldspar volcanic rocks, diabase, and diorite to gabbro. Hornblendes from these clasts yield K/Ar ages of 141±4,175±7, and 186±7 m.y. The arkose and conglomerate appear to have been eroded from a chert-poor ophiolite (oceanic crust) sequence that, according to paleocurrent evidence, lay east of the present San Andreas fault. Near Eagle Rest Peak, 350 miles southeast of Gualala, similar mafic quartz-bearing volcanic rocks, diabase, and gabbro are exposed in a small structurally isolated area that abuts the San Andreas fault on the southwest. These rocks yield hornblende K/Ar ages of 134±4, 165±4, and 207±10 m.y. They may also be the source of two small fault slivers of similar mafic rocks, which yield hornblende K/Ar ages between 144 and 172 m.y. These slivers now lie 100 and 200 miles to the northwest along the San Andreas fault at Gold Hill and Logan.

California↗

USGS1999

Cruise report; RV Coastal Surveyor Cruise C1-99; multibeam mapping of the Long Beach, California continental shelf; April 12 through May 19, 1999

The greater Los Angeles area of California is home to more than 10 million people. This large population puts increased pressure on the adjacent offshore continental shelf and margin with activities such as ocean disposal for dredged spoils, explosive disposal, waste-water outfall, and commercial fishing. The increased utilization of the shelf and margin in this area has generated accelerated multi-disciplinary research efforts in all aspects of the environment of the coastal zone. Prior to 1996 there were no highly accurate base maps of the continental shelf and slope upon which the research activities could be located and monitored. In 1996, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Pacific Seafloor Mapping Project began to address this problem by mapping the Santa Monica shelf and margin (Fig. 1) using a state-of-the-art, high-resolution multibeam sonar system (Gardner, et al., 1996; 1999). Additional seafloor mapping in 1998 provided coverage of the continental margin from south of Newport to the proximal San Pedro Basin northwest of Palos Verdes Peninsula (Gardner, et al., 1998) (Fig. 1). The mapping of the seafloor in the greater Los Angeles continental shelf and margin was completed with a 30-day mapping of the Long Beach shelf in April and May 1999, the subject of this report. The objective of Cruise C-1-99-SC was to completely map the broad continental shelf from the eastern end of the Palos Verdes Peninsula to the narrow shelf south of Newport Beach, from the break in slope at about 120-m isobath to the inner shelf at about the 10-m isobath. Mapping the Long Beach shelf was jointly funded by the U.S. Geological Survey and the County of Orange (CA) Sanitation District and was conducted under a Cooperative Agreement with the Ocean Mapping Group from the University of New Brunswick (OMG/UNB). The OMG/UNB contracted with C&C Technologies, Inc. of Lafayette, LA for use of the RV Coastal Surveyor and the latest evolution of high-resolution multibeam sonars, a dual Kongsberg Simrad EM3000D.

California↗

USGS1980

Minisparker profiles from Jeffreys Ledge and adjacent areas in the western Gulf of Maine

A total of 250 kilometers of single-channel seismic-reflection data (28 minisparker profiles) were collected in the coastal waters of Massachusetts, north of and immediately south of Cape Ann, and on the western flank of Jeffreys Ledge, western Gulf of Maine, during the September 1978 cruise of the R/V ASTERIAS. The survey was conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the Massachusetts Cooperative Marine Geologic Program. The seismic systems used included a 1Del Norte minisparker and streamer, an Energy International Streamer, and EPC 3200 and 4100 recorders. Navigational control was established by Radar and Loran-C. The Loran-C navigation data were recorded on a Northstar 6000 system. The purpose of the cruise was to discover the significance and extent of the folded and faulted internal reflections that were first noticed on the esternmost tip of Jeffreys Ledge in line 14 of esternmost tip of Jeffreys Ledge in line 14 of rninisparker data from the 1976 R/V FAY 023 cruise. Sixteen northwest-trending lines were run off Cape Ann to investigate the deformed reflectors, now thought to represent a moraine formed by readvance of continental ice over the last glacial marine Presurnpscot Formation. Lines north and south of Cape Ann were run to locate the offshore extension of the Clinton-Newbury and Bloody Bluff fault systems. The original records can be studied at the U.S. Geological Survey offices at Woods Hole, Mass. Microfilm copies of the records can be purchased only from the National Geophysical and Solar-Terrestrial Data Center, NOAA/EDIS/NGSDC, Code D621, 325 Broadway; Boulder, CO 80303 (303-497-6338)

Open-File Report↗

USGS2008

Methanogenic pathways of coal-bed gas in the Powder River Basin, United States: The geologic factor

Coal-bed gas of the Tertiary Fort Union and Wasatch Formations in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana, U.S. was interpreted as microbial in origin by previous studies based on limited data on the gas and water composition and isotopes associated with the coal beds. To fully evaluate the microbial origin of the gas and mechanisms of methane generation, additional data for 165 gas and water samples from 7 different coal-bed methane-bearing coal-bed reservoirs were collected basinwide and correlated to the coal geology and stratigraphy. The C1/(C2 + C3) ratio and vitrinite reflectance of coal and organic shale permitted differentiation between microbial gas and transitional thermogenic gas in the central part of the basin. Analyses of methane ??13C and ??D, carbon dioxide ??13C, and water ??D values indicate gas was generated primarily from microbial CO2 reduction, but with significant gas generated by microbial methyl-type fermentation (aceticlastic) in some areas of the basin. Microbial CO2 reduction occurs basinwide, but is generally dominant in Paleocene Fort Union Formation coals in the central part of the basin, whereas microbial methyl-type fermentation is common along the northwest and east margins. Isotopically light methane ??13C is distributed along the basin margins where ??D is also depleted, indicating that both CO2-reduction and methyl-type fermentation pathways played major roles in gas generation, but gas from the latter pathway overprinted gas from the former pathway. More specifically, along the northwest basin margin gas generation by methyl-type fermentation may have been stimulated by late-stage infiltration of groundwater recharge from clinker areas, which flowed through highly fractured and faulted coal aquifers. Also, groundwater recharge controlled a change in gas composition in the shallow Eocene Wasatch Formation with the increase of nitrogen and decrease of methane composition of the coal-bed gas. Other geologic factors, such as burial, thermal and maturation history, lateral and vertical continuity, and coalification of the coal beds, also played a significant role in controlling methanogenic pathways and provided new perspectives on gas evolution and emplacement. The early-stage gas produced by CO2 reduction has mixed with transitional thermogenic gas in the deeper, central parts of the Powder River Basin to form 'old' gas, whereas along the basin margins the overprint of gas from methyl-type fermentation represents 'new' gas. Thus, a clear understanding of these geologic factors is necessary to relate the microbiological, biogeochemical, and hydrological processes involved in the generation of coal-bed gas.

International Journal of Coal Geology↗

USGS2017

Geologic map of the Beacon Rock quadrangle, Skamania County, Washington

The Beacon Rock 7.5′ quadrangle is located approximately 50 km east of Portland, Oregon, on the north side of the Columbia River Gorge, a scenic canyon carved through the axis of the Cascade Range by the Columbia River. Although approximately 75,000 people live within the gorge, much of the region remains little developed and is encompassed by the 292,500-acre Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, managed by a consortium of government agencies “to protect and provide for the enhancement of the scenic, cultural, recreational and natural resources of the Gorge and to protect and support the economy of the Columbia River Gorge area.” As the only low-elevation corridor through the Cascade Range, the gorge is a critical regional transportation and utilities corridor (Wang and Chaker, 2004). Major state and national highways and rail lines run along both shores of the Columbia River, which also provides important water access to ports in the agricultural interior of the Pacific Northwest. Transmission lines carry power from hydroelectric facilities in the gorge and farther east to the growing urban areas of western Oregon and Washington, and natural-gas pipelines transect the corridor (Wang and Chaker, 2004). These lifelines are highly vulnerable to disruption by earthquakes, landslides, and floods. A major purpose of the work described here is to identify and map geologic hazards, such as faults and landslide-prone areas, to provide more accurate assessments of the risks associated with these features. The steep canyon walls of the map area reveal extensive outcrops of Miocene flood-basalt flows of the Columbia River Basalt Group capped by fluvial deposits of the ancestral Columbia River, Pliocene lavas erupted from the axis of the Cascade arc to the east, and volcanic rocks erupted from numerous local vents. The Columbia River Basalt Group unconformably rests on a sequence of late Oligocene and early Miocene rocks of the ancestral Cascade volcanic arc, which underlies most of the map area. The resistant flood-basalt flows form some of the famous landforms in the map area, such as Hamilton Mountain. Extensive landslide complexes have developed where the basalt flows were emplaced on weak volcaniclastic rocks.

Washington↗

USGS1995

Stratigraphy and paleoenvironments of the Shell 410-1 well, Georges Bank Basin, US North Atlantic outer continental shelf

The Shell 410-1 well is the most downdip (seaward) hydrocarbon exploratory well in the Georges Bank Basin. It was drilled to a total depth of 4745 m RKB, and penetrated a section composed of Middle Jurassic to Quaternary sedimentary rocks. The lithostratigraphy of the section is described. The strata penetrated by the Shell 410-1 well are more marine than rocks at the updip (landward) COST G-1, Exxon 975-1, COST G-2, and Conoco 145-1 well sites. Limestones and calcareous mudstones dominate at the Shell 410-1 site. Dolomite and anhydrite are much more abundant in the Bajocian-Callovian strata of the Shell 410-1 well, which is evidence that the carbonate-bank palaeoenvironments recorded in the Iroquois and Abenaki Formations were more restricted (less marine) here than 47 km to the west-northwest at the Mobil 312-1 well site near the edge of the Jurassic carbonate platform. -from Authors

Northeastern Geology and Environmental Sciences↗

USGS1951

Geology of the Humboldt region and the Iron King mine, Bigbug mining district, Yavapai County, Arizona

The Humboldt region is in central Yavapai County, Arizona. The intersection of the 112? 15' meridian and the 34? 30' N parallel is in the approximate geographical center of the region, and the Iron King mine is about 2000 feet west-northwest of the intersection. Pre-Cambrian rocks form the bedrock in the Humboldt region. Late Cenozoic unconsolidated river wash and valley fill, including some interbedded basalt, locally mantle the pre-Cambrian rocks, especially in the north-central part of the region (Lonesome Valley). The pre-Cambrian rocks consist of five newly defined metavolcanic formations derived from flows and tuff s, and of six intrusive units ranging in composition from granite to gabbro or perhaps more mafic types. Relic bedding-and pillow structures are locally prominent in the metavolcanics; geopetal structures are uncommon, but where present, generally indicate that the top is toward the west, though the evidence is too meager to be conclusive. Low-grade dynamothermal metamorphism altered the metavolcanics and to a lesser extent the intrusive rocks, forming textures, structures, and mineral assemblages characteristic of low temperature and moderate stress. The Texas Gulch formation, which is the easternmost metavolcanic formation, consists of five lithologic units. Arranged in the general order of their appearance from east to west they are meta-andesite breccia, purple slate, metarhyolite tuff, meta-andesite, and green slate. The boundary between the Texas Gulch formation and the Iron King meta-andesite is apparently gradational. The Iron King meta-andesite consists of three meta-andesite tuff units, two meta-andesite flow units and one metarhyolite tuff and conglomerate unit. The assemblage chlorite-albite-epitode with or without quartz is dominant in the meta-andesites. Mafic intrusive rocks, which may be approximately contemporaneous with metamorphism, may explain the presence of actinolitic hornblende in the central part of the formation. Toward the west the Iron King meta-andesite appears to grade into the Spud Mountain metabreccia through a zone containing beds characteristic of either one formation or the other. The Spud Mountain metabreccia consists of interbedded metabreccia and metatuff beds. The metatuffs are largely andesitic in composition, but a few thin beds of metarhyolite tuff occur. The fragments in the metabreccia beds consist chiefly or porphyritic meta-andesites and the matrix is meta-andesite tuff. Pre-Cambrian faults now marked by dikes separate the Chaparral Gulch metavolcanics, which lie west of the Spud Mountain metabreccia, from underlying and overlying formations. The Chaparral Gulch metavolcanics contain metarhyolite tuff, metarhyolite flow, and meta-andesite tuff that locally was contaminated by rhyolitic detritus. The Indian Hills metavolcanics, which are northeast of the Chaparral Gulch metavolcanics, consist of two broad units, one composed of metarhyolites and the other of meta-andesites. Metamorphosed tuffs and flows are believed to be represented in both units and flow breccia in the meta-andesites. Granite and alaskite; granodiorite and quartz diorite; diorite, mafic quartz diorite, gabbro and diabase; metarhyolite (?); and quartz porphyry comprise the pre-Cambrian intrusive units mapped. They include both deep-seated and hypabyssal types. Dynamothermal metamorphism has foliated the smaller bodies and the margins of the larger masses and partly converted them into mineral assemblages stable under low-grade metamorphic conditions. Planar structures (chiefly foliation) are omnipresent and linear structures are common in the pre-Cambrian meta-volcanic rocks. North-trending planar structures dominate in the Indian Hills metavolcanics, and in the Spud Mountain metabreccia, whereas northeast-trending planar structures are dominant in the Texas Gulch formation, Iron King meta-andesite, and Chaparral Gulch metavolcanics. To a lesser extent northeast-trending st

Open-File Report↗

USGS1984

Analytical results, geology, and sample locality map of mercury-sulfur-gypsum mineralization at Crater, Inyo County, California

The Crater mercury-su l fur-gypsum ~ineral ized area is located in east-central California along the crest of the Last Chance Range, west of the north end of Death Valley (fig. 1). The area is in the northwest quarter of the Last Chance Range 15-minute quadrangle and occupies the area between 117 39 and 117 45 longitude and 37 10 and 37 15 latitudP.. The area studied lies between 5000 ( 1525 m) and 6000 ( 1830 m) feet above sea level. Relief isgenerally moderate but can be extreme in some places, as at Hanging Rock Canyon (plate 1). The climate is arid, and there are no active streams in the area. The range fronts east and west of the area are precipitous and incised by many steep canyons, whereas the range crest has relatively low relief. The old abandoned town and mine site of Crater 1 ie in this area of low relief. Access to the Crater area is by paved and dirt roads from Big Pine to the west or from the north end of the Death Valley National Monument to the southeast.

California↗