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Geology of Saipan Mariana Islands Part 2

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Geology of Saipan Mariana Islands Part 2. Petrology and Soils GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 280-B-D Geology of Saipan Mariana Islands Part 2. Petrology and Soils GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 280-B-D Chapter B. Petrology of the Volcanic Rocks By ROBERT GEORGE SCHMIDT Chapter C. Petrography of the Limestones By J. HARLAN JOHNSON Chapter D. Soils By RALPH J. McCRACKEN UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1957 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fred A. Seaton, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. CONTENTS OF PART 2 Page Chapter B. Petrology of the Volcanic Rocks .... 127 Chapter C. Petrography of the Limestones ...... 177 Chapter D. Soils ................................ 189 m GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 280 Geology of Saipan, Mariana Islands Part 1. General Geology Chapter A. General Geology By PRESTON E. CLOUD, JR., ROBERT GEORGE SCHMIDT, and HAROLD W. BURKE Part 2. Petrology and Soils Chapter B. Petrology of the Volcanic Rocks By ROBERT GEORGE SCHMIDT Chapter C. Petrography of the Limestones By J. HARLAN JOHNSON Chapter D. Soils By RALPH J. McCRACKEN Part 3. Paleontology Chapter E. Calcareous Algae By J. HARLAN JOHNSON Chapter F. Discoaster and Some Related Microfossils By M. N. BRAMLETTE Chapter G. Eocene Radiolaria By WILLIAM RIEDEL Chapter H. Smaller Foraminifera By RUTH TODD dhapter I. Larger Foraminifera By W. STORRS COLE ^Chapter J. Echinoids By C. WYTHE COOKE ~Part 4. Submarine Topography and Shoal-Water Ecology ^Chapter K. Submarine Topography and Shoal-Water Ecology By PRESTON E. CLOUD, JR. .Professional Paper 280 is being published in the foregoing sequence of parts and chapters Petrology of the Volcanic Rocks By ROBERT GEORGE SCHMIDT GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 280-B A study of the physical and chemical character­ istics of the volcanic rocks of Saipan^ their relation to rocks of adjoining regions^ and their origin CONTENTS Page Page Abstract________________________________ 127 Petrography—Continued Introduction _______________________________________ 127 Andesites—Continued Previous petrologic investigations._______________---_- 130 Augite-hypersthene andesite—Continued Acknowledgments__ _ ______________________________ 131 Secondary rock types__---------_-_------ 146 Classification of rocks.______________________________ 131 Quartz-bearing augite-hypersthene an­ desite---------_________________ 146 Mineralogy ________________________________________ 132 Quartz-bearing augite-hypersthene an­ Primary minerals._-____________________-_-_---- 132 desite porphyry.__________________ 147 Plagioclase feldspar.________________________ 132 Augite andesite_-_-_-_-_-_-___-_--_-______-_ 148 Alkali feldspar.____________________ 133 Hypersthene andesite_______________________ 149 Silica minerals____________________________ 134 Chemical composition of the major rock types________ 150 Pyroxenes.________________________________ 135 Comparison with volcanic rocks of other Pacific islands Hornblende__--______________________ 138 and with Daly's average rock types _________________ 153 Accessory minerals__-_______-__-________-_------ 138 Tinian, Rota, and Guam_______________________ 153 Biotite_ __________________________ 138 Palau, Yap, and Bonin Islands__________________ 154 Magnetite. ________________________________ 138 Northern Mariana and Volcano Islands-___________ 156 Izu Peninsula region of Japan and Izu Islands------ 158 Ilmenite__ ____________________________ 138 Hawaiian Islands_______________________________ 160 Hematite __________________________________ 138 Daly's average rock types______________________ 161 Rutile_____---______________________ 138 Summary and conclusions_______________________ 162 Apatite_________________________ 138 Petrogenesis _______________________________________ 163 Zeolites__________________________________ 138 Compositional variation of the rocks ______________ 163 Alteration minerals.- ___________________________ 139 Variations between and within major rock types. 163 Petrography __ _____________________________________ 139 Comparison between bulk and groundmass com­ Dacites__-_______________________________ 139 position of porphyritic andesites and dacites_ 163 Dacite—— —— _ — ___ —— . — — _ — — — 139 Evidence of contamination___________________ 165 Dacite vitrophyre and perlite_____-___-_----_- 141 Origin of the roeks______________________________ 165 Nature of a parent magma___________________ 165 Hornblende-bearing dacite porphyry __________ 142 Fractional crystallization and assimilation. _ _ __ 166 Andesites-_-___-_---__--_______-_-_-___-------- 143 Relationship of voleanism to the development Augite-hypersthene andesite________________ 143 of the Mariana are_. ____________________ 170 General features._______________________ 143 Conclusions._______________________________ 172 Phenocrysts_ ___________________________ 143 The petrogenetic significance of the andesite line____ 172 Groundmass___ ________-___-_______-_-- 144 Literature cited_ ___________________________________ 173 Alteration. ____________________________ 145 Index.____________________________________________ 175 ILLUSTRATIONS Plates 2, 4 in pocket; plates 26-30 follow index] PLATE 2. Generalized geologic map and sections of Saipan, Mariana Islands. 4. Locality-finding map of Saipan. 26-27. Photomicrographs of dacites from Saipan. 28-30. Photomicrographs of andesites from Saipan. Page FIGURE 11. Index map of the western north Pacific Oeean_____________________-__---_---------_-_-------------_-- 128 12. Simplified bathymetric chart of the Mariana are-------------------------------------------------------- 129 13. Composition diagram of normative feldspar of analyzed andesites from Saipan, analyzed dacites from Saipan, and Daly's average rock types_________.____-____-_-___-_------_---_------------------------------- 134 14. Composition diagram of phenoeryst pyroxenes of andesites from Saipan, groundmass pyroxene of andesites from Saipan, and normative pyroxene of analyzed andesites from Saipan____________________---__----_-----_- 136 vn VIII CONTENTS Page FIGURE 15. Composition diagram of phenocryst pyroxenes, groundmass pyroxene, and normative pyroxene of analyzed basalts and andesites from the Izu Peninsula region of Japan and the Izu Islands.._______________________ 137 16. Harker variation diagram of andesites and dacites from Saipan_______________.___________________________ 150 17. Triangular ACF and SKM diagrams of andesites and dacites from Saipan. _ _______________________________ 152 18. Triangular ACF and SKM diagrams of andesites and dacites from Saipan and volcanic rocks from Guam, the Palau Islands, and the Bonin Islands________________________________________________________________ 155 19. Triangular ACF and SKM diagrams of andesites and dacites from Saipan and volcanic rocks from the northern Mariana and Volcano Islands._____________________-_-_-_-____-____-__-----------_--_-_--__-__--.--- 156 20. Triangular ACF and SKM diagrams of andesites and dacites from Saipan, volcanic rocks from the Izu Peninsula region of Japan and the Izu Islands, and average rocks of the Hawaiian Islands- __________________ ______ ^ 161 21. Triangular ACF diagram of average andesite and dacite of Saipan, average groundmass of andesite from Saipan, average basalt of the Izu Peninsula region of Japan, and Daly's average rock types_______________________ 162 22. Triangular SKM diagram of average andesite and dacite of Saipan, average groundmass of andesite and dacite from Saipan, average basalt of the Izu Peninsula region of Japan, and Daly's average rock types___________ 162 23. Composition diagram of normative feldspar of average andesite and dacite of Saipan, average basalt of the northern Mariana Islands, average olivine basalt of the Hawaiian Islands, and average basalt of the Izu Peninsula region of Japan.________________________________________________________________________ 166 24. Position of dacites of Saipan with respect to the low-temperature trough of the system nepheline-kaliophilite- silica_______________ _____________________________________________________________________ 170 TABLES TABLE 1. Volcanic formations of Saipan_________________________________________________________________________ 130 2. Specific gravity and composition of plagioclase feldspar phenocrysts from various andesites of the Hagman forma­ tion, Saipan _______________________________________________________________________________________ 132 3. Optical properties and composition of pyroxenes in andesites from Saipan___________________________________ 136 4. Estimated mineral composition of the principal volcanic-rock types of Saipan________________________________ 140 5. Chemical analyses and norms of volcanic rocks from Saipan and Guam___________________________-_____-__-_ 151 6. Chemical analyses and norms of volcanic rocks from the northern Mariana Islands___________________________ 157 7. Sequence of Tertiary volcanic rocks of the Izu Peninsula region, Japan______________________________________ 159 8. Sequence of Quaternary volcanic rocks of the Izu Peninsula region, Japan.___________________________________ 160 9. Volume percent of phenocrysts, bulk chemical composition, and calculated composition of the groundmass of analyzed porphyritic andesites and dacites from Saipan__________________________________________________ 164 10. Average chemical composition of olivine
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