Correlation of Late Cenozoic Tuffs in the Central Coast Ranges of California by Means of Trace- and Minor-Element Chemistry
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Correlation of Late Cenozoic Tuffs in the Central Coast Ranges of California by Means of Trace- and Minor-Element Chemistry GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 972 Correlation of Late Cenozoic Tuffs in the Central Coast Ranges of California by Means of Trace- and Minor-Element Chemistry By Andrei M. Sarna-Wojcicki GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 972 A geochemical approach to the correlation of tuffs in Pliocene and Pleistocene marine and nonmarine strata of central California UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON 1976 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR THOMAS S. KLEPPE, Sf'af)lat}' GEOLOGICAL SURVEY V. E. McKelvey, Director Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Sarna-Wojcicki, Andrei M. Correlation of late Cenozoic tuffs in the central coast ranges of California by means of trace- and minor-element chemistry. (Geological Survey Professional Paper 972) Bibliography: p. 29-30. Supt. of Docs. no. I 19.16:972 1. Volcanic ash, tuff, etc. California-Coast Range. 2. Stratigraphic correlation-California-Coast Range. 3. Geochemistry California-Coast Range. 4. Geology, Stratigraphic-Cenozoic. I. Title: Correlation of late Cenozoic tuffs in the central coast ranges of California ... II. Series: United States Geological Survey Professional Paper 972. QE461.S324 552'.2 76-608254 For !tale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 Stock Number 024-oot-o2880-8 CONTENTS Page Page 1\bstract---------------------------------------------------- 1 Discussion __________________________________________________ 24 Introduction and scope of study------------------------------ 1 Description of units ---------------------------------------- 26 i\cknowledgments __ ___ __ _ _ ___ __ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ ___ __ ____ __ 1 Thick sections of volcanic deposits ______________________ 26 Geolo.gic setting __ ______ ____ ____ ______ _________ __ _ _____ ___ __ 3 Sonoma Volcanic, Monticello Road section, southeastern Sonoma volcanic field ---------------------------------- 3 part of Sonoma volcanic field, east of Napa ________ 26 Clear Lake volcanic field -------------------------------- 4 Sonoma Volcanics, southernmost Sonoma volcanic field Southern Cascade Range volcanic field __________________ 4 north of Suisun Bay (Goodyear Station section) ____ 26 i\nalytical methods __ ____ __ ______ __ _______ ________ ______ ___ 4 Pinole Tuff ---------------------------------------- 26 Refractive indices of glass ------------------------------ 4 Widespread tuffs interbedded with detrital sedimentary Mafic-mineral analysis---------------------------------- 4 deposits __________________________________________ 27 X-ray fluorescence spectrometric analysis ________________ 4 Western part of the main study area ---------------- 27 Methods of evaluating chemical data ________________________ 7 Tuff in the type section of the Merced Formation __ 27 Graphic methods________________________________________ 7 Tuff in the Merced(?) and Petaluma Formations of Similarity coefficient------------------------------------ 8 SonomaCounty ------------------------------ 27 Cluster analysis ---------------------------------------- 8 Southeastern part of the main study area ------------ 27 Results of analyses__________________________________________ 9 Lawlor Tuff ------------------------------------ 28 Tuff correlations-------------------------------------------- 14 South of Mount Diablo -------------------------- 28 Tuff in the Merced(?) Formation of Sonoma County ________ 15 Northeastern part of the study area------------------ 29 PinoleTuff -------------------------------------------- 16 Putah Tuff Member of the Tehama Formation ____ 29 Lawlor Tuff-------------------------------------------- 16 Nomlaki Tuff Member of the Tehama Formation-- 29 Putah and Nomlaki Tuff Members of the Tehama Formation 21 References cited _______________________________________ ----- 29 Tuff in the type section of the Merced Formation __________ 23 ILLUSTRATIONS Page FIGURE 1. Generalized geologic map showing location of samples, central Coast Ranges ---------------------------------------- 2 2. Stratigraphic section exposed along Monticello Road, southeastern part of Sonoma volcanic field ---------------------- 4 3. Cross section showing structure of Sonoma Volcanics in vicinity of Monticello Road ---------------------------------- 5 4. Similarity coefficient matrix comparing trace- and minor-element analyses of all glass samples analyzed ______________ 10 5. Dendrogram from cluster analysis of all analyzed samples----------------------------------------------------------- 12 6. Ternary diagram showing provincial differences between tuffs in central Coast Ranges and southern Cascade Range ____ 15 7. Binary diagram showing provincial differences between tuffs in central Coast Range~ and southern Cascade Range ____ 15 8. Maps showing maximum known areal distribution of five major eruptive tuff units ---------------------------------- 16 9. Correlation chart of late Cenozoic tuffs----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 10. Histogram of principal mafic mineral frequencies of three size fractions of tuff in the Merced(?) Formation of Sonoma County _______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 20 11. Ternary diagram showing correlation of the Pinole Tuff with volcanic deposits of the Sonoma Volcanics exposed along Monticello Road east of Napa _______________ _________ __ ___ ______ _____ __ ____ ___ _____ __ ________ ____ ___ __ ____ ____ 20 12. Ternary diagram showing correlation of the Pinole Tuff with tuffs in Tessajara area south of Mount Diablo ____________ 20 13. Diagram showing correlation of the Pinole Tuff at Rodeo with tuffs south of Mount Diablo, in the Highland syncline sec tion, Tassajara area___________________________________________________________________________________________ 20 14. Histograms of concentrations of minor and trace elements in volcanic glass of the Lawlor Tuff and its correlatives------- 20 15. Histograms of concentrations of minor and trace elements in volcanic glass of the Putah and Nomlaki Tuff Members theTehamaFormation --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 16. Similarity coefficient matrix comparing trace- and minor-element analyses of glass samples of the Putah Tuff Member and tuff in the Merced(?) Formation of Sonoma County---------------------------------------------------------- 22 17. Dendrogram from cluster analysis of trace- and minor-element data, using distance function---------------------------- 23 III IV CONTENTS TABLES Page TABLE 1. List of units studied ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ---- 6 2. Analytical data on potassium-argon dates ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 3. Summary of X-ray fluorescence spectrometer analytical conditions -------------------------------------------------- 7 4. Comparison of glass compositions of a silicic and an intermediate tuff------------------------------------------------ 9 5. Chemical analyses and petrographic data _____________________________________________________________ -------------- 13 6. Average minor- and trace-element composition of volcanic glass of the Lawlor Tuff and correlative localities------------ 21 7. Trace- and minor-element analyses of volcanic glass of two thin water-laid tuffs in the Livermore Gravels of Clark (1930) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 8. Average similarity coefficients comparing trace- and minor-element analyses of volcanic glass of two thin water-laid tuffs in the Livermore Gravels of Clark (1930) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 22 CORRELATION OF LATE CENOZOIC TUFFS IN THE CENTRAL COAST RANGES OF CALIFORNIA BY MEANS OF TRACE- AND MINOR-ELEMENT CHEMISTRY By ANDREI M. SARNA-WOJCICKI ABSTRACT the effect of detrital contamination, and the general Deformed late Cenozoic tuffs in the central Coast Ranges of scarcity of material suitable for dating within California have been correlated by means of trace- and minor sedimentary sections. element chemistry of volcanic glass, supported by potassium-argon Because of the problems in fossil and radiometric age dates, petrographic data, and stratigraphy. Cluster analysis of the correlation, many of the late Cenozoic deposits in the chemical data indicates that four orders of chemical variability exist in the trace- and minor-element composition of volcanic glass. The central Coast Ranges are lumped into a broad, ill greatest differences are between tephra of silicic and intermediate defined "Plio-Pleistocene" category. A more detailed composition. Considering silicic tephra alone, the greatest differ regional correlation of these deposits on the basis of ences are observed between tephra erupted in different volcanic tephrochronology, supported by radiometric, strati provinces. Differences between samples of silicic tephra erupted graphic, and paleontological data, can serve as one of within the same volcanic field are smaller, while the smallest differ ences are observed between samples of tephra from individual erup the basic tools in the solution of several longstanding tions. geologic problems, such as the late Cenozoic Five widespread tuffs and composite tephra units erupted during