Structural Geology and Geothermal Investigation of the White Sulphur Springs Area, Montana
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Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 4-1987 Structural Geology and Geothermal Investigation of the White Sulphur Springs Area, Montana William G. Gierke Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Geology Commons Recommended Citation Gierke, William G., "Structural Geology and Geothermal Investigation of the White Sulphur Springs Area, Montana" (1987). Master's Theses. 1217. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/1217 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY AND GEOTHERMAL INVESTIGATION OF THE WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS AREA, MONTANA by William G. Gierke A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Department of Geology Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan April 1987 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY AMD GEOTHERMAL INVESTIGATION OF THE WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS AREA, MONTANA William G. Gierke, M.S. Western Michigan University, 1987 Sevier thrusting in the White Sulphur Springs area was associated with le ft-la te ra l movement along the Lewis and Clark lin e . During Middle Miocene time, the Lewis and Clark line exhibited right-lateral movement, forming extensional features that either truncated Sevier structures or followed preexisting Sevier zones of weakness. The Smith River Valley is a pull-apart basin that is filled with Tertiary volcanic ash and clay-rich sediments that are thermally nonconductive relative to surrounding rocks. Hydrothermal activity in the area is associated with a structurally controlled circulation system accompanied by a high thermal gradient. Thermal discharge is constrained along the north-trending White Sulphur Springs normal fa u lt. Calculated reservoir temperatures ranging from 52° C (Na-K-Ca-Mg) to 99° C (Quartz) indicates that variable degrees of mixing occur. The estimated reservoir temperature (72° C ± 10° C) lim its thermal development in the area to space heating and recreational use. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the following people who provided assistance during the formulation of this thesis. Foremost thanks go to Dr. John Sonderegger of the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (MBMG) for providing this thesis topic, field assistance, necessary literature, constructive criticism, and pleasant hospitality. I am obliged to the MBMG for financial support and analyses of water samples; Michael Stickney (MBMG) for contributing his gravity data and interpretations of the White Sulphur Springs area; John Gogas (Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology) for supplying his gravity maps, models, and interpretations of the area; S. L. Groff (MBMG, retired) for sharing his knowledge of the area studied; and Mitchell Reynolds (USGS) for his structural advice and geologic contributions of the area. Special gratitude is given to my committee chairman Christopher J. Schmidt (Western Michigan University) for his assistance in the fie ld and direction throughout this project; Western Michigan Univer sity professors Dr. W. Thomas Straw, Dr. William Sauck, Dr. John Grace, and Robert Havira fo r th e ir support and contributions; and Mark Sheedlo (Western Michigan University) for his geologic advice and moral support. I would like to thank Frank Murphy, Howard Zehtner, Mr. Bodell, Mr. and Mrs. Saunders, Bob Hanson, Ronald Jackson, and the people of White Sulphur Springs for their hospitality and kindness. Thanks i i Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. also to Sue Gibson for typing the thesis. Finally, I would like to thank my wife Suzanne for her steadfast support, motivation, and encouragement. William G. Gierke i i i Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INFORMATION TO USERS This reproduction was made from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technology has been used to photograph and reproduce this document, the quality of the reproduction is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. 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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Order Number 1330384 Structural geology and geothermal investigation of the White Sulphur Springs area, Montana Gierke, William Gordon, M.S. Western Michigan University, 1987 Copyright ©1987 by Gierke, William Gordon. All rights reserved. UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed in the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been identified here with a check mark V 1. Glossy photographs or pages. 2. Colored illustrations, paper or print \/ 3. Photographs with dark background 4. Illustrations are poor copy / 5. Pages with black marks, not original copy \/ 6. 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Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . ....................................................... ....... i i LIST OF TABLES ..... v iii LIST OF FIGURES . ix LIST OF PLATES ................ ............. xi CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................... 1 Location and Description ................... 1 Objective and Procedures ........................ ....... 1 Previous and Related Works . 3 I I . GEOLOGIC SETTING . ............................................................... 7 Regional Setting ■.'.................................................... 7 Local Stratigraphy ..... 11 Introduction ............ 11 Precambrian Belt Supergroup ........... 13 Paleozoic Strata ............................................... 14 Mesozoic Strata .............................................................. 1 5 Tertiary Sediments ........................................................... 16 Lower Miocene Fort Logan Formation .................... 17 Upper Miocene Deep River Formation ...... 18 Quaternary A llu v iu m ................... ........................ .... 19 Igneous A