Geologic Map and Map Database of Parts of Marin, San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Sonoma Counties, California
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Geologic map and map database of parts of Marin, San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Sonoma Counties, California By M.C. Blake, Jr.1, R.W. Graymer2, and D.L. Jones2 Digital database by Adam Soule2 and R.W. Graymer2 Pamphlet to accompany MISCELLANEOUS FIELD STUDIES MF-2337, Version 1.0 2000 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey 1 1911 Wilson Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225 2 345 Middlefield Rd., M/S 975, Menlo Park, CA 94025 Contents Geologic explanation and acknowledgements 1 Introduction 1 Stratigraphy 1 Mesozoic Complexes 1 Description of Terranes 1 Tertiary Overlap Sequence 5 Sonoma Volcanics 5 Paleontology 6 Radiometric Ages 6 Structure 6 Acknowledgements 8 Figure 1 9 Figure2 10 Description of Map Units 11 Surficial Deposits 11 Rocks west of and within the San Andreas Fault Zone 11 Rocks east of and within the San Andreas Fault Zone 11 Tertiary overlap sequence 11 Franciscan complex 12 Great Valley complex 14 Digital publication and database description 15 Introduction 15 For those who don’t use digital geologic map databases 15 MF2337 Digital Contents 15 PostScript plotfile package 16 PDF plotfiles package 16 Digital database package 16 TAR files 17 PostScript plot files 18 PDF plot files 18 Obtaining the digital database and plotfile packages 18 To obtain tar files of database or plotfile packages from USGS web pages 18 To obtain tar files of database or plotfile packages by ftp 19 To obtain tar files of database or plotfile packages on tape 19 Obtaining plots from a commercial vendor 19 Obtaining plots from USGS Map On Demand Services 19 Revisions and version numbers 20 Digital database format 20 Converting ARC export files 20 Digital compilation 20 Base maps 20 Faults and landslides 20 Spatial resolution 20 Database specifics 21 References Cited 25 ii Geologic Explanation and Acknowledgements Introduction ophiolite, at least in part, during Late Cretaceous time, after the deposition of the Franciscan complex sandstone This map and map database represent the integration of containing Campanian (Late Cretaceous) fossils that crops previously published and unpublished maps by several out in the map area (Novato Quarry terrane). Because the workers (see Sources of Data index map and the Franciscan complex was accreted under the Great Valley corresponding table or the Arc-Info coverage ma-so and the complex containing the Coast Range Ophiolite, the textfile maso.txt) and new geologic mapping and field contact between the two Mesozoic complexes is checking by the authors and others. The new data also everywhere faulted (Bailey and others, 1964), and the include a new depiction of structural and stratigraphic Franciscan complex presumably underlies the entire San relationships of rock packages (terranes). These new data Francisco Bay area east of the San Andreas Fault Zone. are released in digital form to provide an opportunity for The Salinian complex is composed of granitic regional planners, local, state, and federal agencies, plutonic rocks, and inferred gabbroic plutonic rocks at teachers, consultants, and others interested in geologic depth, overlain in places by strata as old as Cretaceous. In information to obtain the new data long before a the map area, it is separated from the combined Franciscan traditional printed map could be published. and Great Valley complexes on the east by the San Andreas Fault Zone. In places outside the map area, small Stratigraphy outcrops of pre-plutonic (Paleozoic?) rocks, such as marble, hornfels, schist, and metavolcanic rocks, are Mesozoic Complexes preserved (Brabb and others, 1998). The plutonic rocks In general, the Tertiary strata in the map area rest with are part of a batholith that has been displaced northward by angular unconformity on three highly deformed Mesozoic offset on the San Andreas Fault system. Recent isotopic rock complexes: the Great Valley complex, the Franciscan studies plus paleogeographic reconstructions (James and complex, and the Salinian complex. The Great Valley others, 1993; Wentworth and others, 1998b ) suggest that complex is made up of the Jurassic Coast Range these rocks were displaced northward from an original ophiolite, which in the map area consists mostly of position some 310 km to the south, adjacent to the serpentinite with associated smaller amounts of gabbro, Mojave Desert. Earlier paleomagnetic data, suggesting diabase, and basalt, and the Great Valley sequence, made displacements on the order of 2,500 km, are now being up of sandstone and shale of Jurassic and Cretaceous age. questioned. The Salinian complex rocks are for the most Although the sedimentary rocks and ophiolite have been part not included in this study because they have recently tectonically separated everywhere in the map area, the been remapped by Clark and Brabb (1997). Great Valley sequence was originally deposited on the Both the Franciscan and the Great Valley ophiolite. The depositional relationship is known from complexes have been further divided into a number of contacts exposed in Sonoma, Solano, and Alameda fault-bounded tectonostratigraphic terranes (Blake and Counties in the San Francisco Bay region, as well as others, 1982, 1984). When the terranes were first elsewhere in California. This complex represents the established, the prevailing philosophy was to identify accreted and deformed remnants of Jurassic oceanic crust separate terranes if any doubt existed about stratigraphic and a thick sequence of turbidites. linkage between structurally separated entities. As a result The Franciscan complex is composed of weakly of further research, much additional data, in particular new to strongly metamorphosed graywacke, argillite, basalt, fossil localities, are known and the distribution and nature serpentinite, chert, limestone, and other rocks. The rocks of the original terranes have been greatly modified in this of the Franciscan complex in the map area were probably report (see Sheet 2 and below). Jurassic oceanic crust and Jurassic to Cretaceous pelagic deposits overlain by Upper Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous Description of Terranes turbidites. Although Franciscan complex rocks are Great Valley complex dominantly little metamorphosed, high-pressure, low- temperature metamorphic minerals are common in blocks Healdsburg terrane within the complex (Bailey and others, 1964). High-grade KJgv, Kgvn, KJgvs metamorphic blocks in sheared but relatively unmetamorphosed argillite matrix (Blake and Jones, 1974) Near Black Point (Petaluma Point quadrangle), and in reflect the complicated history of the Franciscan complex. several places near Burdell Mountain (Petaluma River The complex was subducted beneath the Coast Range quadrangle, see Sheet 2 for quadrangle locations, Sheet 1 1 for distribution of rock units), Lower Cretaceous All serpentinite in the Coast Ranges was sedimentary rocks crop out that have similar lithology, originally considered to be part of the Franciscan complex structural state, and fossil content to strata found to the (for example, Page, 1966). Later workers noted that in east along the west side of the Great Valley. Identical many places the serpentinite was associated with other rocks are found to the north near Healdsburg where as ophiolitic rocks and structurally over the Franciscan rocks. much as 3,000 m of conglomerate is underlain by basalt, The fault boundary was called the Coast Range thrust and gabbro, and peridotite of the Coast Range ophiolite. was thought to represent the subduction-derived contact Igneous rocks on the map are restricted to a single outcrop between the overlying Great Valley complex rocks and of basalt along Atherton Avenue (east of Novato, Novato underplated Franciscan complex rocks (for example, Irwin, quadrangle) that underlies several meters of friable 1973). Still later workers noted that many serpentinite mudstone containing scattered pebbles and fossils (Buchia outcrops contain high-grade metamorphic blocks and high- sp.) of Early Cretaceous age (Berkland, 1969). Overlying temperature serpentine (antigorite). These workers the mudstone are hundreds of meters of pebble to cobble subdivided the serpentinite into high-grade Franciscan and conglomerate, with scattered lenses of sandstone defining low-grade Coast Range Ophiolite bodies (for example, the bedding. Coleman, 1996). The idea of two different serpentinites The greatest difference between the Healdsburg was supported by the observation that in many places the terrane and coeval Great Valley sequence rocks to the east serpentinite was not structurally over the Franciscan is the composition of the conglomerate, which in the complex rocks, but interleaved within them. However, Healdsburg terrane is dominated by pebbles of light- some outcrops of high-grade serpentinite are structurally colored (often pink) rhyolite porphyry and rhyolitic welded on top of Franciscan complex rocks and are clearly ash-flow tuff plus minor quartz sandstone (Blake and associated with other rock types of the ophiolite suite and others, 1984). Biotite from two cobbles near Black Point even overlying Great Valley sequence strata (for example, yielded a K-Ar age of about 145 Ma (Berkland, 1969). The Evarts, 1977). In addition, many of the interleaved source area for this Late Jurassic rhyolite remains serpentinites are low grade (for example, those at Mount unknown but appears to be somewhere south of the Tamalpais, San Rafael quadrangle). present Sierra Nevada magmatic arc, based on We therefore consider all serpentinites to be sedimentologic and petrologic analyses