Preliminary Investigation of Quaternary Faults in Eastern Jackson Hole, Wyoming
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Interpreting the past, providing for the future Preliminary Investigation of Quaternary Faults in Eastern Jackson Hole, Wyoming By Seth J. Wittke Open File Report 2017-1 March 2017 Wyoming State Geological Survey Thomas A. Drean, Director and State Geologist Preliminary Investigation of Quaternary Faults in Eastern Jackson Hole, Wyoming By Seth J. Wittke Layout by Christina D. George Open File Report 2017-1 Wyoming State Geological Survey Laramie, Wyoming: 2017 For more information on the WSGS, or to download a copy of this Open File Report, visit www.wsgs.wyo. gov or call 307-766-2286. This Wyoming State Geological Survey (WSGS) Open File Report is preliminary and may require additional compilation and analysis. Additional data and review may be provided in subsequent years. The WSGS welcomes any comments and suggestions on this research. Please contact the WSGS at 307-766-2286, or email [email protected]. Citation: Wittke, S.J., 2017, Preliminary investigation of Quaternary faults in eastern Jackson Hole, Wyoming: Wyoming State Geological Survey Open File Report 2017-1, 11 p. ii Table of Contents Abstract . .1 Introduction . 1 Previous Work ........................................................................2 Geologic Setting . .2 Methods . .3 Antelope Flats . .3 General Description. .3 Geomorphology. 4 Scarp Profiles. 5 Summary. .6 Faults South of Blacktail Butte ............................................................6 General Description. .6 Geomorphology. 7 Scarp Profiles .......................................................................7 Summary. .8 Flat Creek Fan Faults ...................................................................8 General Description. .8 Geomorphology. 9 Scarp Profiles .......................................................................9 Summary. 10 Discussion and Conclusions. 10 Acknowledgments .................................................................... 11 References. .12 Appendix . .14 iii ABSTRACT Jackson Hole valley contains numerous faults that are Quaternary age. The Teton fault is the most notable; however, numerous other faults can also be found in the valley. Three fault systems consisting of the faults at Antelope Flats, south of Blacktail Butte, and on the Flat Creek fan, are located along the eastern margin of the valley. The faults displace outwash and alluvial surfaces of Bull Lake (Munger Mountain) or younger age; however, they are not confirmed to be independently seismogenic. Light detecting and ranging (LiDAR) data, coupled with photogrammetric analysis of aerial photography, were used to refine prior mapping of the faults and map local geomorphic features. Elevation profiles across scarp sections were analyzed in order to calculated scarp offsets. In total, 36 pro- files were extracted across the three fault systems. Scarp profile analysis shows scarp offsets across the Antelope Flats system to range from ~0–1.4 m. Net offsets at Blacktail Butte were relatively small (~0.5 m) compared to primary and antithetic offsets within the graben, and on the Flat Creek fan, scarp offsets ranged from ~0–1.7 m. Empirical regressions were used to calculate moment mag- nitudes associated with each fault system. In all three systems, moment magnitude (Mm), based on average and maximum scarp height, averaged Figure 1. Map showing the Jackson Hole valley with relevant ~Mm 6.6. However, based on scarp rupture length, fault locations and features. moment magnitudes were considerably less (~Mm 5.5). This study provides preliminary results based on topographic analysis of the faults. Future studies on specific fault systems are required to determine whether the faults are independently seismogenic or related to other tectonic sources in the area. INTRODUCTION The Jackson Hole valley is bound by the Teton Mountains to the west and the Gros Ventre Range to the east (fig. 1). Jackson Hole is a 71-km-long, asymmetric Tertiary structural basin in the hanging wall of the Holocene-active Teton fault. The Teton fault system on the eastern edge of the Teton Mountains has long been recognized as the most active fault system in the valley (White, 2006). However, the Jackson Hole valley also contains many other faults currently assigned ages ranging from Holocene to Late Quaternary (Machette and others, 2001a). The primary goal of this investigation is to evaluate a system of predominately westward-dipping late-Quaternary faults that form a distributed system of short, unconnected segments along the eastern edge of the valley. In general, the fault systems on the east side of the Jackson Hole valley comprise a zone of north-south trending dis- continuous, west-facing scarps. These distributed faults are described by two entries in the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Quaternary Fault and Fold Database and are made up of both Class A and Class B faults. The USGS designates faults that have an undefined source or unconfirmed Quaternary activity as Class B. Seismogenic faults with recognized Quaternary offset are designated as Class A. 1 Secondary faults in Jackson Hole valley (USGS fault No. 725) include Class B faults that are generally antithetic to the Teton fault (Machette and others, 2001a). The secondary faults include those at the Potholes, north of the Snake River, at Antelope Flats, west of Shadow Mountain, and near Flat Creek, within the National Elk Refuge (fig. 1). Faults south of Blacktail Butte (USGS fault No. 724) are recognized by the USGS as Class A late-Quater- nary faults (Pierce, 2001; fig. 1). Pierce notes that, similar to the Class B secondary faults (No. 725), the faults south of Blacktail Butte could also be secondary features related to a larger fault in the area. It is not clear why the faults south of Blacktail Butte are considered Class A faults while the other faults along the eastern Jackson Hole valley are designated as Class B. This study focuses on the magnitude of vertical surface offsets and the geomorphic expression of fault scarps at Antelope Flats, south of Blacktail Butte, and on the Flat Creek fan (fig. 1). Recently acquired light detecting and ranging (LiDAR) data for the Grand Teton National Park (2014) along with the most recent aerial photographs that maintain stereo coverage in the area (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2004) provide data ideal to revisit prior work regarding these features. In particular, scarp topographic profiles and surface age estimates from previous geologic mapping are used to bracket offset events. PREVIOUS WORK Gilbert and others (1983) studied the Jackson Hole valley faults as part of a seismotectonic study of the Jackson Lake Dam for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. They found that faults south of Blacktail Butte offset loess deposits about 0.6 m (net) along the main scarp (Gilbert and others, 1983). Gilbert and others also report that the faults on the Flat Creek fan show 0.6 m of net displacement over a 2.7 km length. Gilbert and others (1983) recognized that the faults are distributed over a wide (1–2 km) area, but suggest because of their small net offset and short scarp lengths, the faults may be related to strong ground motions associated with another fault in the area. Faults found in Antelope Flats are mentioned briefly in the Gilbert report but are not described in detail. Geologic maps for the eastern portion of Jackson Hole include the Moose and Gros Venture Junction quadrangle maps at 1:24,000 scale (Love 2001a, Love 2001b, respectively). The Moose quadrangle map does not show the faults at Antelope Flats. However, the Gros Ventre Junction quadrangle map does show the extent of the fault south of Blacktail Butte and generalized faults on the Flat Creek fan. In 2000, Wong and others analyzed the seismic hazard for multiple dams in the area, including Island Park, Grassy Lake, and Jackson Lake dams. The report did not address the faults included in this report as they were considered too short to generate earthquakes (≤10 km). GEOLOGIC SETTING This region has undergone numerous episodes of deformation, including Sevier compression, Laramide uplift and compression, and Cenozoic Basin and Range extension. From the late-Tertiary to the present day, some of the Laramide and Sevier structural features have been overprinted or transected by north-south trending Tertiary, and in some cases Quaternary, high-angle normal faulting due to Basin and Range extension (Horberg and others, 1949). Cenozoic-aged normal faults coincide with north-northwest trending folds and thrust faults, which bound uplifts, creating range-front bounding faults that define a series of half-grabens. The Teton fault is the principal structure responsible for the Late Miocene to Holocene footwall uplift of the Teton Range and the hanging wall subsidence of the Jackson Hole basin (Smith and others, 1993). The Neogene Teton Mountains (fig. 1) are superimposed over the northwest portion of the older Gros Ventre Range (Smith and others, 1993). The Teton Range is in the Intermountain Seismic Belt (ISB), which is a major 2 active seismic belt extending 1,300 km from Arizona through Utah, eastern Idaho, western Wyoming, and western Montana. The range is a tilted block of Precambrian basement rocks and overlying Paleozoic sedimentary strata, including significant deposits of limestone and dolomite. The range displays a vertical uplift of more than 7 km, inferred from the highest sedimentary rock to the depth of the basement of approximately 5 km underneath Jackson Hole (Smith and others, 1993). The Gros Ventre Range bounds the eastern flank of