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Bedrock Geology of the Mount Carmel and Southington Quadrangles

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Bedrock Geology of the Mount Carmel and Southington Quadrangles ' 6 f" / BEDROCK GEOLOGY OF THE MOUNT CARMEL AJTD SOUTHINGTON QUADRANGI£Sf COHNECTIGUT Crawford E. Fritts, U. 8. Geological Survey Open File Report 1962 This report is preliminary and has not been edited for conformity with Geological Survey format ...' . 8796 BEDROCK GEOLOGY OF THE MOUNT CARMEL AND SOUTHIJOTON QUADRAM3LES, CONNECTICUT by Crawford E. Fritts New data concerning the geologic structure, stratigraphy, petrography, origin, and ages of bedrock formations in an area of approximately 111-square miles in south-central Connecticut were obtained in the course of detailed geologic mapping from 1957 to 1960. tapping was done at a scale of 1:24,000 on topographic base maps having a 10-foot contour interval. Bedrock formations are classified in two principal categories. The first includes metasedimentary, meta-igneous, and igneous rocks / / of Precambrian to Devonian age, which crop out in the western parts of both quadrangles. The second includes sedimentary and igneous i/ \s rocks of the Newark Group of Late Triassic age, which crop out in the eastern parts of the quadrangles. Diabase dikes, which are Late Triassic or younger in age, intruded rocks in both the western and eastern parts of the map area. Rocks in the western part of the area underwent progressive regional metamorphism in Middle to Late Devonian time. The arrange­ ment of the chlorite, garnet, biotite, staurolite, and kyanite zones here is approximately the mirror-image of metamorphic zones in Dutchess County, New York. However, garnet appeared before biotite in pelitic rocks in the map area, because the ratio MgO/FeO is low. / / Waterbury Gneiss and the intrusive Woodtick Gneiss are parts of « ,/ a basement complex of Precambrian age, which forms the core of the i Waterbury dome. This structure is near the southern end of a line of similar domes that lie along the crest of a geanticline east of the */ Green Mountain anticlinoriunu The Haterbury Gneiss is believed to have been metamorphosed in Precambrian time as well as in Paleozoic time. The Woo^tick Gneiss also may have been metamorphosed more than once. In Paleozoic time, sediments were deposited in geosynclines / ' during two main cycles of sedimentation. The Straits, Southington ./ / Mountain, and Derby Hill Schists, which range in age from Cambrian / to Ordovician, reflect a transition from relatively clean pelitic sediments to thinly layered sediments that contained rather high percentages of fine-grained volcanic debris. Metadiabase and meta- / basalt extrusives above Derby Hill Schist south of the map area represent more intense volcanic activity before or during the early stages of the Taconic disturbance in Late Ordovician time. Impure argillaceous, siliceous, and minor calcareous sediments of the S s s Wepawaug Schist, which is Silurian and Devonian in age, were deposited unconformably on older rocks during renewed subsidence of a geosyncline. The Wepawaug now occupies the trough of a tight syncline, which formed before and during progressive regional meta- morphisa at the time of the Acadian orogeny in middle to Late s Devonian time. Felsic igneous rocks were intruded into the met a sedimentary K formations of Paleozoic age before the climax of the latest progressive regional metamorphism. Intrusives that gave rise to * / the Prospect and Ansonia Gneisses were emplaced mainly in the / Southington Mountain Schist, and the igneous rocks as well as the host rocks were metamorphosed in the staurolite zone. Although it is possible that these two intrusives were emplaced during the Taconic disturbance, the writer believes it more likely that the igneous rocks from which the Prospectv and AnsonIa^ Gneisses formed were emplaced during the Acadian orogeny. Woodbridge Granite, which intruded the / i/ Wepawaug Schist, is Devonian in age and undoubtedly was emplaced during the Acadian orogeny. In this area the granite is essentially unmetamorphosed, because it is in the chlorite, garnet, and biotite zones. Southwest of the map area, however, metamorphic equivalents / s of the Woodbridge are found in Wepawaug Schist in the staurolite zone. The Ansonia Gneiss, therefore, may be a metamorphic equivalent of the Woodbridge Granite. Rocks of Late Triassic age formerly covered the entire map area, but were eroded from the western part after tilting and faulting in Late Triassic time. The New Haven Arkose of the Newark Group was deposited unconformably on an irregular surface above the metamorphic rocks, but is in fault contact with them for more than 11 miles* A sheet of West Rock Diabase at least 18 miles long and as much as 700 feet thick intruded the arkose instate/m< Newark time, but changed stratigraphic position by more than 1,000 feet. Dikes of Buttress Diabase were emplaced along faults and fissures that cut across other formations in the map area. Barite and copper minerals were deposited along dikes and in fault breccias at that time. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES........................................*........... viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS............................................. ix Chapter I. INTRODUCTION................................................ 1 Purposfe and scop«...................................... 1 Previous work.......................................... 3 Current investigations................................. 4 Acknowledgements....................................... 4 II. GENERAL SETTIN3............................................. 7 Location and access.................................... 7 Main geologic units.................................... 9 Topography and drainage................................ 9 Outcrops and glaciation................................ 10 Relationship between bedrock and surficial geology..... 11 / IJI. PRE-TRIASSIC ROCKS.......................................... 13 Introductory statements................................ 13 Metasediaentary rocks.................................. 15 General features.............................*.... 15 / Haterbury Gneiss.................................. 16 General features............................. 16 Petrography.................................. 18 Paragneiss.............................. 18 ^ ' Hitchcock Lake member................... 20 Amphibolites............................ 21 Calc-silicate rocks,.................... 22 TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) III. PRE-TRIASSIC ROCKS Continued Metasedimentary rocks Continued Ifaterbury Gneiss Continued Page Origin....................................... 23 Thickness.................................... 25 Straits Schist.................................... 26 General features............................. 26 Petrography.................................. 28 Mica Schist........*.................... 28 Paragnelss.............................. 30 Amphibolites............................ 30 Impure marble........................... 31 Chloritic schist..............*........7 32 Calc-silicate rock...............*...... 32 Origin.......*............................... 32 Thickness.................................... 33 Southington Mountain Schist...................*... 34 General features.................*........... 34 Petrography.................................. 38 Banded schist........................... 38 Porphyroblastic schist.................. 41 Chloritic schist....*............*...... 41 Anphibolites............................ 41 Calc-silicate rock...................... 43 Impure marble........................... 44 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) / III. PRE-TRIASSIC ROCKS Continued Jfetasedimentary rocks Continued Southington Mountain Schist Continued Page Origin....................................*.. 44 Thickness.................................... 45 Derby Hill Schist................................. 46 General features............................. 46 Petrography.................................. 47 Origin....................................... 48 Thickness.................................... 49 / Wepawaug Schist................................... 49 General features............................. 49 Petrography.................................. 52 Phylllte and phyllitic schist........... 52 Impure crystalline limestones........... 53 Anphibolite............................. 54 Origin....................................... 54 Thickness.................................... 55 Meta-igneous and igneous rooks......................... 56 General features.................................. 56 / Woodtick Gneiss................................... 57 General features............................. 57 Petrography.................................. 57 Origin....................................... 58 Granitic to quartz dioritic gneisses, undivided... 59 iii TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) / III. PRE-TRIASSIC ROCKS Continued Meta-igneous and igneous rocks Continued Granitic to quartz dioritic gneisses, undivided Continued Page General features............................. 59 Petrography.................................. 59 Origin....................................... 61 Metamorphosed 'pegmatite .......................... 62 General features............................. 62 Petrography.................................. 62 Origin....................................... 63 Prospect Gneiss................................... 63 General features............................. 63 Petrography.................................. 66 Granodiorite gneiss..................... 66 Quartz monzonite gneiss................. 68 Granitic to quartz monzonitic gneiss.... 69 Origin......................................
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