Geology of the Grande Ronde Lignite Field, Asotin County
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BRIAN J. BOYLE COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC LANDS STATE OF WASHINGTON ART STEARNS, Supervisor RAYMOND LASMANIS, State Geologist DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES GEOLOGY OF THE GRANDE RONDE LIGNITE FIELD, ASOTIN COUNTY, WASHINGTON By Keith L. Stoffel Report of Investigations 27 1984 BRIAN J. BOYLE COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC LANDS STATE OF WASHINGTON ART STEARNS, Supervisor RAYMOND LASMANIS, State Geologist DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES GEOLOGY OF THE GRANDE RONDE LIGNITE FIELD, ASOTIN COUNTY, WASHINGTON By Keith L. Stoff el Report of Investigations 27 Printed in the United States of America 1984 For sale by the Department of Natural Resources, Olympia, Washington Price $4.00 CONTENTS Page Abstract t • t t Ott t t t t t I It t t t t t too It Ott It t It t It t t t Ott t t t t t t t I t t I It t It t t It 1 Introduction . 2 Location and geographic setting . 2 Purpose and scope of study . 3 Methods of study . 3 Acknowledgments . 4 Geology of the Columbia Plateau . 6 General geologic setting . 6 Stratigraphic nomenclature . 7 Columbia River Basalt Group . 7 Ellensburg and Latah Formations . 8 Stratigraphy . 8 Regional stratigraphy . 8 Imnaha and Picture Gorge Basalts . 8 Yakima Basalt Subgroup . 9 Grande Ronde Basalt . 9 Wanapum Basalt . 9 Saddle Mountains Basalt ... .............. .. ........ .... 10 Stratigraphy of the Grande Ronde lignite field . 11 Structure ................................. ...................... .. 13 Evolution of the Blue Mountains province . 13 Structural geology of the Grande Ronde River-Blue Mountains region .......... 15 Folds . ............. .................... .............. 15 Faults . ................. ................ .. ............... 15 Age of tectonism . 16 Geology of the Washington State portion of the Grande Ronde lignite field . ......... 16 Description of stratigraphic units ....... ................. .......... 16 Basalt flows . 16 Umatilla Member .............. ................ ........ 17 Field characteristics . 17 Petrography ........... : . 18 Chemistry . 19 Elephant Mountain Member . 19 Tule Lake flow . 19 Whitetail Butte flow . 20 Field characteristics . 21 Petrography . 21 Chemistry ......... ............ ......... , . 22 Radiometric age dates . 22 III Page Geology of the Washington State portion of the Grande Ronde lignite field - Continued Description of stratigraphic units - Continued Basalt flows - Continued Buford Member . 24 Mountain View flow . 24 Medicine Creek flow . 24 Field characteristics . 25 Petrography . 26 Chemistry . 26 Sedimentary interbeds . 26 Grouse Creek sedimentary interbed .......................... 27 Menatchee Creek sedimentary interbed ....................... 27 Interbed constituents . 27 Source of interbed sediments . 28 Grande Ronde lignites . 28 Distribution and thickness . 28 Quality ... ................................................. 30 Depositional environment . 30 Discussion of complex stratigraphic relationships ............ ............. 31 Sediment deposition ........................................... 31 Development of the Troy basin ......... ........ .......... 31 Flow surface topography . 33 Sediment destruction . 34 Invasive flows . 34 Canyon cutting . 36 Folding ...... ..... ................................... 37 Development of benches . 38 Summary ... ..................... ................... ................ 40 Geologic history . 40 Lignite reserves and suggestions for exploration . 41 References cited ...................... ................. ............... 43 Appendix A - Sample locations . 4 7 Appendix B - Basalt geochemistry . .. 55 Geochemical data . 58 Variation diagrams .................................... ............ 60 Appendix C - Grain size analyses of sediments ................................ 67 Grain size distribution curves .............. ....... .................... 69 Appendix D - Clay mineralogy of sediments ......... .. ......... ......... ... 71 X-ray diffraction patterns . ................ ·. 7 3 IV ILLUSTRATIONS Page Plate 1. Geologic map of the Grande Ronde lignite field, Asotin County, Washington ........................... In pocket Figure 1. Location of the Grande Ronde lignite field and the study area of this report . 2 2. View of the Washington State portion of the Grande Ronde lignite field from the Blue Mountains . 3 3. Schematic cross section of the Washington State portion of the Grande Ronde lignite field . 4 4. Physiographic provinces of Washington and Oregon . 5 5. Generalized map of the northwestern United States, showing distribution of Columbia River Basalt Group . 6 6. Comparison of Columbia River Basalt Group stratigraphic nomenclature . 7 7. Correlation of the formalized stratigraphic nomenclature of the Columbia River Basalt Group with the informal nomenclature of the Saddle Mountains Basalt in the Grande Ronde River-Blue Mountains region . 9 8. View from the northwest of the steeply dipping south limb of the Slide Canyon monocline ......... .. .. .. .. ......... 10 9. Generalized structure map of northeastern Oregon and adjacent Washington . 11 10. Proposed stratigraphy of the Saddle Mountains Basalt in the Washington State portion of the Grande Ronde lignite field ....... 12 11. Schematic cross section of the Blue Mountains ................... 13 12. Structure map of the Grande Ronde River-Blue Mountains region .... 14 13. Cross section through the Grande Ronde River- Blue Mountains region .................................... 14 14. Map of the Grande Ronde Fault System ............. .......... 15 15. Photograph of the Sillusi flow in Grouse Creek . 17 16. Photomicrograph illustrating the microporphyritic texture of the Sillusi flow . .. 18 17. Proposed type locality of the Tule Lake flow (Elephant Mountain Member) ...................... ........... ............ 19 18. Proposed type locality of the Whitetail Butte flow (Elephant Mountain Member) ........................... .. 20 19. The Whitetail Butte flow on the east side of "The Bench" .......... 21 20. View of the cliffs at the head of Grouse Creek . 22 21. Complex, chaotic jointing of the Whitetail Butte flow in the cliff at the head of Grouse Creek . 23 V Page Figure 22. Photomicrograph illustrating the equigranular texture of the Whitetail Butte flow . 24 23. View across Menatchee Creek to the proposed type localities of the Mountain View flow (Buford Member) . 25 24. Proposed type locality of the Medicine Creek flow {Buford Member) ............................................... 26 25. Photomicrograph illustrating the microporphyritic texture of the Mountain View flow . 27 26. View of McLaughlin Spring and two ocher unnamed springs . 29 27. Probable drainage pattern in the Grande Ronde River- Blue Mountains region during early Saddle Mountains Basalt time ............................................. 31 28. Probable drainage pattern in the Grande Ronde River Blue Mountains region during accumulation of the thick peat {now lignite) at the base of the Grouse Creek sedimentary interbed ................................ 32 29. Probable drainage pattern in the Grande Ronde River- Blue Mountains region during middle Saddle Mountains Basalt time . 33 30. Invasive flow of the Elephant Mountain Member exposed in a borrow pit on Grouse Flat . ..