Geologic Map of the Craters of the Moon 30' X 60' Quadrangle, Idaho
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Geologic Map of the Craters of the Moon 30’ x 60’ Quadrangle, Idaho By Mel A. Kuntz1, Betty Skipp1, Duane E. Champion1, Philip B. Gans2, D. Paco Van Sistine1, and Scott R. Snyders1 1U.S. Geological Survey 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of California, Santa Barbara, Calif. Prepared in cooperation with the National Park Service and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Pamphlet to accompany Scientific Investigations Map 2969 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DIRK KEMPTHORNE, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Mark D. Myers, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2007 For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. Suggested citation: Kuntz, M.A., Skipp, Betty, Champion, D.E., Gans, P.B., Van Sistine, D.P., and Snyders, S.R., 2007, Geologic map of the Craters of the Moon 30’ x 60’ quadrangle, Idaho: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 2969, 64-p. pamphlet, 1 plate, scale 1:100,000. iii Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................1 Pleistocene and Holocene Basaltic Volcanism in the Eastern Snake River Plain and the Area of this Map .....................................................................................................................1 Craters of the Moon Lava Field .........................................................................................................1 Craters of the Moon National Monument ........................................................................................1 Evolution, Purpose, and Use of this Map .........................................................................................1 Geochronology ..............................................................................................................................................3 Radiocarbon Ages of Lava Flows of the Craters of the Moon Lava Field ..................................3 40Ar/39Ar Studies of Pre-Holocene Lava Fields ................................................................................3 Methods ........................................................................................................................................3 Results of 40Ar/39Ar Dating ...................................................................................................................3 Whole Rock Potassium-Argon Studies ............................................................................................6 Paleomagnetic Studies .......................................................................................................................6 Nomenclature, Mapping and Petrographic Conventions, and Thickness of Lava Flows ...............12 Notes on Rock Names and Rock Colors in the Description of Map Units ...............................12 Notes on Petrographic Descriptions in the Description of Map Units .....................................12 Notes on Names and Unit Labels Given to Lava Fields and Lava Flows ..................................13 Craters of the Moon Lava Field ...............................................................................................13 Pre-Holocene Lava Fields Surrounding and Within Kipukas of the Craters of the Moon Lava Field .......................................................................................................................13 Thickness of Lava Flows ...................................................................................................................13 Geologic Time Designations ......................................................................................................................13 Subdivisions of Holocene, Pleistocene, and Pliocene Time Used for Basaltic Lava Flows and Lava Fields of this Map ................................................................................................13 Paleozoic and Tertiary Rocks of the Northwestern Part of the Map Area ........................................14 Description of Map Units ...........................................................................................................................15 References Cited .........................................................................................................................................62 Figure 1. Landsat 7 image ............................................................................................................................2 Tables 1. Selected conventional radiocarbon ages of lava flows in the Craters of the Moon and Quaking Aspen Butte lava fields ............................................................................................4 2. 40Ar/39Ar and K-Ar ages and analytical data for samples from the Craters of the Moon 30’ x 60’ quadrangle ...................................................................................................................5 3. Paleomagnetic data for the Craters of the Moon 30’ x 60’ quadrangle, Idaho ..................7 iv Conversion Factors ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________To convert Multiply by To obtain feet (ft) 0.3048 meter (m) meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft) kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi) square kilometer (km2) 0.3861 square mile (mi2) ________________________________________________________________ Note: Measurements in this report are in metric except for elevations, which are in feet on topographic base. Introduction several hundred years or less in duration and separated from other eruptive periods by non-eruptive recurrence intervals of several hundred to about 3,000 yr. The first eruptive period began about 15,000 14C yr ago and the latest one ended about Pleistocene and Holocene Basaltic Volcanism 2,100 14C yr ago. Because the present interval of dormancy in the Eastern Snake River Plain and the Area of has lasted about 2,100 yr, it is likely that another eruptive this Map period will occur within the next 1,000 yr. Basaltic volcanism was a dominant geologic process in Craters of the Moon National Monument the eastern Snake River Plain (ESRP) in Holocene time, as attested by the fact that eight, predominantly Holocene (<15 President Coolidge established the Craters of the Moon ka) lava fields cover about 13 percent of the ESRP (Kuntz, National Monument on May 2, 1924. Since 1924, the monu- Covington, and Schorr, 1992). Three of the eight lava fields, ment has been expanded through five presidential proclama- Craters of the Moon (COM), Kings Bowl, and Wapi, are tions. The most recent and largest expansion of the monument located along the Great Rift volcanic rift zone. The Great Rift occurred November 9, 2000, when President Clinton signed volcanic rift zone is an 85-km-long and 2- to 15-km-wide belt a proclamation enlarging the monument 13-fold, from 55,000 of lava fields of various sizes, tephra cones, lava cones, shield acres to 715,000 acres. The expanded monument assures the volcanoes, eruptive fissures, associated tephra deposits, and protection of the entire Great Rift volcanic zone. It encom- non-eruptive fissures. The Craters of the Moon (COM), Kings passes all of the COM lava field as well as remote areas that Bowl, and Wapi lava fields and the volcanic structures of the include the Kings Bowl lava field, Wapi lava field, and the Great Rift volcanic rift zone are in the Craters of the Moon 30’ proximal parts of the Bear Trap lava tube. The National Park x 60’ quadrangle and the north half of the Lake Walcott 30’ x Service and the Bureau of Land Management manage the 60’ quadrangle (fig. 1). The northern nine-tenths of the COM monument cooperatively. The National Park Service has pri- lava field is in the Craters of the Moon 30’ x 60’ quadrangle; mary authority over the portion of the monument that includes the southern one-tenth and the Kings Bowl and Wapi lava the predominantly Holocene lava fields (COM, Kings Bowl, fields are in the north half of the Lake Walcott 30’ x 60’ quad- and Wapi). The Bureau of Land Management manages the rangle (fig. 1). remaining part of the monument. An excellent visitor center Because widespread loess deposition essentially termi- and camping facilities are provided by the National Park Ser- nated at the end of the late Pleistocene (≈10,000 14C yr B.P.), vice at the north end of the monument, located off Highway probably owing to abrupt climate change associated with retreat 20-26-93 between Arco and Carey, Idaho. of continental and alpine glaciers, the predominantly Holocene lava fields are essentially loess free and they appear as dark objects (blackbody radiators) in Landsat imagery (fig. 1). Evolution, Purpose, and Use of this Map The detailed geology of the northern part of the COM Craters of the Moon Lava Field lava field was previously depicted in a geologic map of the COM, Kings Bowl, and Wapi lava fields