PAUL AVERITT U. S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colo. Upper
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PAUL AVERITT U. S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colo. Upper Tertiary Surficial Deposits near Cedar City, Iron County, Utah Abstract: Along the Hurricane fault in south- terrace on the east, or upthrown side of the fault. western Utah, fanglomerate, pediment, and stream- Much of the difference is the result of displacement channel deposits ranging in age from Miocene(?) to on the fault in Pliocene and Pleistocene time. Dif- Recent have been dated through studies of the ferences in composition of gravel also establish the composition and size of gravel components and existence of an approximate late Tertiary drainage distance from sources of materials. The deposits divide between two westward-flowing streams that range in elevation from 6000 feet at the base of the formerly headed about 8 miles east of the Hurricane Hurricane Cliffs on the west, or downthrown side fault. The channels of these streams have since been of the Hurricane fault, to 9000 feet on the Kolob obliterated by uplift, erosion, and basalt flows. CONTENTS Introduction 37 Plate Facing Deposits on Kolob terrace 40 1. Abandoned stream-channel deposits on Kolob Abandoned stream-channel deposits 40 terrace, southwestern Utah 42 Urie Creek pediment deposit 41 2. Coarse gravel in abandoned stream-channel de- Fanglomerate deposits at base of Hurricane Cliffs 41 posits and Urie Creek pediment, south- Conclusions 44 western Utah 43 References cited 44 Figure Table 1. Outline map of southeastern Iron County, 1. Diagnostic volcanic rocks in surficial deposits Utah, showing upper Tertiary snrficial near Cedar City, Iron County, Utah... 42 deposits and section 38 (A) Abandoned stream-channel deposits INTRODUCTION (B) Urie Creek pediment deposit The Hurricane fault in southwestern Utah (2) Deposits at the base of the Hurricane has been active since Miocene(?) time. At Cliffs on the downthrown (west) side of Cedar City, near the north end of the fault, the the Hurricane fault at elevations of total displacement is 8000-10,000 feet. As a about 6000 feet consequence of the prolonged movement and (A) Cross Hollow Hills fanglomerate the large displacement, an enormous amount deposit of material has been eroded from the upthrown (B) North Hills fanglomerate deposit block and transported westward to the Great The Cross Hollow Hills and North Hills Basin and southward to the Colorado River. fanglomerate deposits have been described by Part of this material has been deposited on both Thomas and Taylor (1946) and by the writer the upthrown and downthrown sides of the (Averitt, 1957; 1962, p. 35-37). the present Hurricane fault. Most of the surficial deposits paper is based on recent work and provides a are Quaternary, but a few of distinctive com- more complete statement concerning the origin position or of unusually high altitude are of and the relationships between the deposits. upper Tertiary. These deposits and the vertical relationship The upper Tertiary deposits may be grouped between the Urie Creek pediment deposit and into the following categories: the Cross Hollow Hills fanglomerate deposit (1) Deposits on the Kolob terrace on the are shown on Figure 1. upthrown (east) side of Hurricane fault The Kolob terrace (Fig. 1) forms a broad at elevations of about 9000 feet bench between the Hurricane Cliffs on the Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 75, p. 37-44, 1 fig., 2 pis., January 1964 37 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/75/1/37/3416950/i0016-7606-75-1-37.pdf by guest on 29 September 2021 38 PAUL AVERITT—UPPER TERTIARY SURFICIAL DEPOSITS, UTAH fvay ^ HDON3 j . .'-x , Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/75/1/37/3416950/i0016-7606-75-1-37.pdf by guest on 29 September 2021 INTRODUCTION 39 c> *- ^ -2? *& I.E ^2 || °-i O T3 QJ <D ** .c O <y ° ^ <= G W) OJ'tr <-> O' — ^.-^1 co « .. — O CD y* ** O - CJ -* ? ^ Q ij {jfo ^ ^ •f| '5S OJ O ^ "O °|! 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I** ^ E •I'o c-s ii * S^ S" § "" X^ ^^ J o,.!;'*^^* az>: i (/> O ^ .S-S-B i i«i OSo C. °S « iS o ijiill illflil « §• n S"S, 1 I 1 1 I ^^ |.§ g,.2 g pUD (</} 9U93OIW Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/75/1/37/3416950/i0016-7606-75-1-37.pdf by guest on 29 September 2021 40 PAUL AVERITT—UPPER TERTIARY SURFICIAL DEPOSITS, UTAH west and cliffs developed on the Wasatch For- early Eocene age, volcanic rocks of inter- mation of early Eocene age on the east. The mediate composition of Eocene (?) to early terrace is developed on nonresistant beds in Miocene(?) age, and basalt of Quaternary age. the Wahweap Sandstone of Late Cretaceous These gravel deposits formed at the foot of age. It is now highly dissected by Crystal Creek, the precipitous Wasatch Cliffs at a time when Deep Creek, and other southward-flowing the cliffs stood farther west than at present. tributaries of the Virgin River, but upland The process by which the ridges were formed is surfaces locally exhibit a gently rolling, mature going on today at the base of the present Wa- topography that is considered to be relic of an satch Cliffs. The familiar sequence of events is earlier stage in the erosion cycle (Gregory, as follows: A steep, V-shaped valley is formed 1950, p. 134; Pi. 46; Averitt, 1962, p. 45-46; initially by headward erosion of the swift- Fig. 14). moving streams heading in the cliffs. The gra- The cliffs developed on the Wasatch Forma- dient of the valley is very steep at the head but tion, hereinafter termed the Wasatch Cliffs, lie becomes less steep at the base of the cliffs. At mostly east and northeast of the area shown on the point where the gradient flattens, the valley Figure 1 and stand 1000-2000 feet above the becomes filled with heterogeneous material Kolob terrace. At many places east and north- washed in from above and from the sides. The east of this area the Wasatch Cliffs are capped accumulated material in the valley bottom is by volcanic rocks of intermediate composition highly permeable. Flowing water sinks into this and of Eocene (?) to early Miocene (?) age and material, is slowed to a trickle, and thus loses by basalt flows of Quaternary age. its erosive power. During periods of heavy The surficial deposits were derived in con- runoff the water in the channel flows on the siderable part from the Wasatch Formation sides of the gravel filling and in time cuts below and from the overlying volcanic rocks. The and isolates it. several classes of surficial deposits are dis- The preserved high-level channels range cussed separately. outward from the present Wasatch Cliffs according to age; the oldest channels are 5 DEPOSITS ON KOLOB TERRACE miles west of the cliffs. This age relationship is confirmed by the composition of the channel Abandoned Stream-Channel Deposits gravels. In the Kolob terrace-Hurricane fault The deposits interpreted as abandoned region, volcanic rocks of intermediate com- stream-channel deposits are shown in black on position are uniformly older than basalt Figure 1. These deposits are the highest on (Gregory, 1950, p. 97). Whereas the older vol- the Kolob terrace. They cap long narrow ridges, canic rocks of intermediate composition are some of which are more than 1000 feet above considered to be Eocene(?) to early Miocene(?) present drainage. Considered individually and (Mackin, 1960, p. 97-104), the basalt is con- collectively the deposits are very streamlike in sidered to be Quaternary (Gregory, 1950, p. length, width, slope, spacing, and orientation. 100). The oldest basalt may be late Tertiary Plate 1 shows longitudinal and side views of (Thomas and Taylor, 1946, p. 33, 34; Cook, two prominent ridges, and Figure 1 of Plate 2 1957, p. 69); the youngest is certainly Recent. shows the typical coarse gravel on a third ridge. The older abandoned stream-channel de- This ridge is half a mile long and is as straight posits contain abundant volcanic material of and narrow as a railroad embankment. The intermediate composition but no basalt. Be- crest slopes northwest with a gradient of about cause of their lack of basalt and their distance 400 feet per mile. The view in Figure 1 of from the parent Wasatch Cliffs these deposits Plate 2 is of the eroded southeast end of the are considered to be Miocene or Pliocene. ridge. The younger deposits, which are considered to The material in the abandoned stream- be Quaternary, either contain basalt in abun- channel deposits ranges in size from coarse sand dance or head against the Wasatch Cliffs at to boulders 12 feet in diameter.