Structural Analysis of a Small Area in the Northeast Border Zone of the Idaho Batholith Idaho
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University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers Graduate School 1969 Structural analysis of a small area in the northeast border zone of the Idaho batholith Idaho Brian G. White The University of Montana Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation White, Brian G., "Structural analysis of a small area in the northeast border zone of the Idaho batholith Idaho" (1969). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 7076. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/7076 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF A SMALL AREA IN THE NORTHEAST BCF'ER ZONE OF THE IDAHO BATHOLITH, IDAHO by Brian G. White B . S., Geophysical Engineering Michigan Technological University, 1966 Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA 1969 Approved by: Chairman, Board 'of Examiners Dea/i, G^rahua Scnoo June 5, 1969 Date UMI Number: EP37877 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMT Oisssrtabon Publishing UMI EP37877 Published by ProQuest LLC (2013). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProOuest ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 ABSTRACT A detailed structural analysis of small scale deformational structures was undertaken in a small area of high metamorphic grade northeast of the Idaho Batho- lithj in the Brushy Fork Creek area of northeastern Idaho. The investigation was confined to feldspathic quartzite, Ravalli Group rocks of the late Precambrian Belt Super group. Orientations of mesoscopic structures were recorded with Brunton compass and plotted on the lower hemisphere of an equal-area (Schmidt) stereonet* Those structures examined include deformed bedding and subparallel schistosity, mesoscopic folds and crenulations and their axial surfaces, and striations. Three dominant fold events are indicated: 1) An early deformation, accompanied by high-grade regional metamorphism, produced large scale isoclinal, recumbent folds, resulting in schistosity largely parallel to bed ding. 2) A second major fold event bent schistosity and produced large, recumbent, dominantly flexural-slip folds with northwest-trending axes. One of these folds was investigated in detail and its core was found to be characterized by abundant folded pegmatites, ptygmatic ii folds, small, tight folds, crinkle lineations, and a generally profound structural complexity. 3) A final fold event important in the Brushy Fork area folded early structures about an axis plunging steeply to the southeast. This fold event is probably related to strike-slip faulting in the region. Geometry of the northwest-trending fold event was made evident by stereographic rotation of bedding and axial planes about the steeply plunging, late axis. Abundant, dominantly bedding plane striations may be in dicative of final pushing in a N 70° W-S 70° E orientation. Ill TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT . ............. .. ........... ii INTRODUCTION . » ........... 1 Location and Accessibility . , .......... 1 Physiographyj Vegetation, and Climate .... 1 Previous Work ........... .. ............ A Present Study ..... ... ............... 6 Acknowledgements ........ ........... 7 REGIONAL GEOLOGY ........... ......... 8 METHODS AND FIELD PROCEDURE .......... 10 DESCRIPTION OF STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS ............. 13 Schistosity and Bedding ........... 13 Mesoscopic Folds and Crenulations , ......... 15 S t r 1 a 11 o n s g................ 1 8 MEASUREMENT AND INTERPRETATION ......... 21 I n t r 0 d u ction . ■> .. 21 Distinguishable Fold Sets .......... 22 Unrolling About Steeply-Plunging Axis .... 26 Striations . ^ . • . ^ ^ . 36 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS ........... 42 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............... 47 iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Index map showing location of project area and outline of Idaho Batholith . , . 2 2. View of Brushy Fork Creek valley . , 3 3. Sub-domain map of the project area .... 12 4. Photograph showing separation of rocks along micaceous layers ...... ............. 14 3. Schematic illustration of early isoclinal folds . 16 6. Photographs showing flexural-flow style of tight mesoscopic folds . 17 7. Photographs of flexural-slip style folds in gently folded layers ................ 19 8. Stereogram illustrating apparent rotation of earlier folds about steep axis ...... 23 9. Stereographic plot of B fold axis orientation c . » . -, * * » . • . « 23 10e Stereographic plot of average-bedding orientations for all stations ....... 2Ô 11. Map View of average-bedding orientations for all stations ............. 29 12. Stereographic plot demonstrating relation ship of folding in northwest and southeast d o m a. 1 n. s. ........ ......... 31 13. Stereographic plot of unrolled bedding. 33 V Figure Page 14. Stereographic plot of axial surfaces of mesoscopic folds 34 15. Stereographic plot of unrolled axial surfaces of mesoscopic folds . 35 16. Stereographic plot of B^ mesoscopic folds and crenulations........................ 37 17. Stereographic plot of unrolled average- axis orientations of B ’ mesoscopic folds and crenulations . » ................ 3^ 18. Stereographic plot of striations .... 39 19. Correlation of deformational phases amongst several workers in the vicinity of the northern Bitterroot Range . ......... 44 20. Schematic cross-section of northwest folds .................. 45 VI INTRODUCTION Location and Accessibility The area investigated covers approximately two square miles along both sides of Brushy Fork Greek, in northeastern Idaho (Fig. 1). The area lies about five miles east of Lolo Pass, and thirty miles southwest of Missoula, Montana. Access to the Brushy Fork project area is gained on the Elk Meadows road, heading east from Lolo Pass. Heavy snow makes access impossible from December through May, but during the summer months the road is accessible with ordinary highway vehicles. Physiography, Vegetation, and Climate Brushy Fork Creek in the project area lies in a steep-sided glacial valley, with elevations ranging from 4600 to 5600 feet (fig. 2). Outcrops commonly occur as isolated, glacially rounded knobs. The northwest“facing side of the valley of Brushy Fork Greek is thickly timbered with spruce and fir, and underbrush is extremely dense. Larch and ponderosa pine are predominant on the southeast-facing side of the valley, 1 114 30 Meadows /MHO CO rr 4 f > ^ 7^ . 1 MILE M o n t a n a Fig, 1,--Index map showing location of the project area. The outline of the Idaho Batholith and Idaho the location of stations are also indicated. "^Batholith % Fig, 2.— View of Brushy Fork Creek valley. Looking east from upper switchback in Elk Meadows Road in the northern part of the project area. 4 and there is considerable less underbrush. Snow depths in the area probably reach six to eight feet or more, based on depths at Lolo Pass, five miles to the west. During the spring, and until mid-June, there are frequent rain showers. Summer weather is generally fair, with daytime temperatures reaching the 70^s, falling at night to the 40^s or low 50^s. Previous Work The general geology of the immediate region has been reported by Nold (1968). He recognized two dominant fold trends, both subsequent to isoclinal folding during regional metamorphism which caused schistosity to develop nearly everywhere parallel to bedding. The folds which he believes to be the earliest of the two plunge gently to the southwest. The second fold trend is oriented in a northwest-southeast direction, The combined effect of the two fold trends is to produce large scale interferring antiforms and synforms. The only other structural analysis in the region, based on detailed geometry of small scale structures, is that undertaken by Chase (196B). He made a detailed analysis of several outcrops in the upper Bass and Kootenai Creeks area, about ten miles east of the Brushy Fork area. Chase found evidence for two flexural slip deformations, 5 which are superposed upon schistosity that is parallel to bedding wherever lithologie layering is apparent. Interpretation of the flexural-slip deformations was based on stereographic treatment of two generations of mesoscopic folds, the first of which plotted as small-circle girdles with a common axis, and the second of which plotted as a great circle girdle passing through that axis. Un rolling of the second flexural-slip folds resulted in a great circle pattern of poles to bedding of the earlier folds, with their ^ axis trending S 45° W and plunging 65^, The second flexural-slip deformation has a N 43° W striking axial plane that dips steeply southwestward. Chase found that the same structural geometry is present on a macroscopic