Rocks of Augusta, Rockingham Highland, and Bath Counties, Virginia
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COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES FIELD TRIP TO THE IGNEOUS ROCKS OF AUGUSTA, ROCKINGHAM HIGHLAND, AND BATH COUNTIES, VIRGINIA ROBERT W. JOHNSON, JR. CHARLES MILTON, AND JOHN M. DENNISON INFORMATION CIRCUI.AR I 6 VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES Jomes L. Colver Commissioner of Minerol Resources ond Stote Geologist CHARLOTTESVILLE, VIRGINIA 't971 COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES FIELD TRIP TO THE IGNEOUS ROCKS OF AUGUSTA, ROCKINGHAM, HIGHLAND, AND BATH COUNTIES, VIRGINIA ROBERT W. JOHNSON, JR. CHARLES MILTON, AND JOHN M. DENNISON INFORMATION CIRCULA,R I 6 VIRGINIA DIVISION OF MINERAL RESOURCES Jomes L. Colver Commissioner of Minerol Resources ond Stoie Geologisl CHARLOTTESVILLE, VI RGINIA 1971 CoMMoNWEALTH or VIncrr.rr.l DnrAnt1vrsNr or Puncnesss AND Suppl,y RTCHMoND !97L Portions of this publication may be quoted if credit is given to the Virginia Division of Mineral Resources. It is recomrnended that reference to this repor."t be made in the following form: Johnson, R, W., Jr., Milton, Charles, and Dennison, J. M., 1971, Field trip to the igneous rocks of Augusta, Rockingham, I{ighland, and Bath counties, Virginia: Virginia Division of Mineral Resources Information Circ. 16, 68 p. DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Richmond, Virginia MARVIN M. SumnnLAND, Director Culnlps A. CnnrsropHERsEN, DeputA Director A. S. RlcnAL, JR., E*ecutiae Assi,stant BOARD Wrllrlu H. KrNc, Burkeville, Chuirman Wrr,r,rAu H. Sraxn,q.cEN, Alexandria, Vi,ce Chairman D. HnNny ALMoND, Richmond Ml.ron T. BENToN, Suffolk Josnps C. Canrnn, Jn., Richmond Aoor,r' U. HoNxRr,a, Richmond Cr,aunn A. Jpssup, Charlottesville Gpnam L. LlvoNstpIN, Virginia Beach Gnoncn C. McGnnn, Middleburg Roepnr PltrpnsoN, Charlottesville Cor,lrNs SNYonn, Accomac Fnnnnnrcr< W. War,xnn, Roanoke CONTENTS Pacn Introduction ..........., , 1 Road log and locality descriptions 6 First day of field conference . 6 Second day of field conference .... ... .. 32 References 45 Appendix I: Stop 8; Tioga Bentonitq 2.0 miles southwest of Williamsville, Virginia, by John M. Dennison and Daniel A. Textoris 47 References 50 Appendix II: Stop 9; Felsic roeks, along U. S. Highway 220. 2.0 miles northeast of Monterey, Virginia, by John M. Dennison 51 References oo Appendix III: Second day noad log, mileage 116.3, by John M. Dennison . ........ 56 References 56 Appendix IV: Radiornetric ages of igneous rocks in the Valley and Ridge province of Virginia, by Paul D. Fullagar and Michael L. Bottino 57 D'T Radiometric age determinations o't Summary 59 References 62 Appendix V: Devonian Tioga tuff, by John M. Dennison and Daniel A. Textoris 64 Introduction 64 Stratigraphy 64 Petrology 65 Summary 66 References 67 ILLUSTRATIONS Pr,atr Plcp 1. Triassic and younger volcanic rocks in west-central Virginia In pocket FIGURE 1. Mole Hill, near Bridgewater, Rockingham County, Virginia .. 2. Paft, of the Bridgewater ?.5-minute topographic quad- rangle 8 3. Mole Hill olivine-spinel basalt 9 4. Parts of the Parnassus and Mount Sidney 7.5-minute topographic quadrangles t2 o. Nepheline syenite, "Old Arey Farm," Augusta County, Virginia ... ... 13 6. "Quartz gabbror" "Old Arey Farm," Augusta County, Virginia t4 7. "Qaartz gabbro," "Old Arey Farm," Augusta County, Virginia 15 8. Garnet-wollastonite calc-hornfels, "Old Arey Farm," Augusta County, Virginia 16 9. Part of the Parnassus 7.5-minute topographic quad- rangle 18 10. Part of the Stokesville ?.5-minute topographic quad- rangle 20 11a, b. Stribling Springs, Augusta County, Virginia; natrolite-nepheline syenite 22 t2. Teschenite, 0.5 mile south of Spring Hill, Augusta County, Virginia 24 13. Parts of the Staunton and Parnassus ?.5-minute topo- graphic quadrangles 26 1"[. Part of the Staunton 7.5-minute topographic quad- rangle 28 15. Parts of the Waynesboro West and Fort Defiance 7.5- minute topographic quadrangles .............. 31 16. Part of the Williamsville ?.5-minute topographic quad- rangle 34 Frcunp Pncn 17. Pafi of the Monterey 7.5-minute topographic quad- rangle 37 18. Part of the Monterey ?.5-minute topographic quad- rangle 38 19. Basalt; Trimble Knob, Highland County, Virginia.......... 39 20. Parts of the Monterey and Hightown 7.5-minute topo- graphic quadrangles .. ........ .. ........ 40 21. Photomicrograph showing basalt and an amygdule ........ 42 22. Andesite, County Road Quarry, Blue Grass Valley, Highland County, Virginia 43 23. Cross section of, exposures southwest of Williamsville, Bath County, Virginia . ... 47 24. Cross section of exposures along U. S. Highway 220 northeast of Monterey, Virginia ..... .. 51 25. Generalized cross seetion of Monterey syncline, High- land County, Virginia 52 26. Thickness of tuffaceous beds in Devonian Tioga Ben- tonite ..... ... 54 TABLES Pacn 1. Geologic formations in western Highland County, Virginia 2 2. Potassium-argon and rubidium-strontium ages for in- trusive rocks in west-central Virginia ........... 60 3. Rubidium-strontium ages for extrusive rocks in west- central Virginia ....... 6L FIELD TRIP TO THE IGNEOUS ROCKS OF AUGUSTA, ROCKINGHAM, HIGHLAND, AND BATII COUNTIES, VIRGINIA By Robert W. Johnson, Jr.,1 Charles Milton,2 and John M. Dennisons INTRODUCTION This two-day field trip of the Geological Society of America, October 30-31-, 1971 includes inspection of representative locali- ties of the alkalic complex of Augusta County, including Jurassic nepheline-natrolite syenites, teschenites with baseme.nt xenoliths, and a calc-silicate contact hornfels during the first day (Plate 1). Characteristic of alkalic rock occurrences are rare minerals containing titanium, niobium, and rare earths; in Augusta County nenadkevichite, astrophyllite, and bastnaesite have been found. Peripheral to the 400-square-mile, elliptical area contain- ing the alkalic rocks are olivine diabases, indistinguishable from the common Triassic diabases of the eastern North American seaboard, and in Rockingham County, an unusual spinel-olivine basalt, age unknown. On the second day, in Highland County, will be seen the Tioga Bentonite of Devonian age (Appendix V) that is wide- spread in the middle-eastern states, whose source from isopach studies is believed to be in nearby central-western Virginia. Many basaltic and andesitic volcanics of Eocene age (the young- est known igneous rocks of the eastern United States) will be seen, and typical exposures visited. One andesitic dike(?) has undergone striking barium metasomatism, with harmotome, a barium zeolite, replacing normal rock-forming minerals and formation of barite with * -cristobalite. In Pendleton and Pocohontas counties in contiguous West Virginia, are further extensive occurrences of basaltic and ande- sitic volcanics with pyroxenites, peridotites, and igneous brec- cias; their age is unknown. First recognized in 1837, the igneous rocks of this region have been studied by many geologists. Darton (1894, L899) sum- marized and mapped the then known petrology; Watson and Cline (1913) described the general area of alkalic rocks in Augusta County; Garnar (1956) described the basalt-andesite ' Tennessee Vallqr Authority, Geologic Branch, Knoxville, Tennessee. ' G,eorge Washington University, Department of Geology, Washington, D.C. " Department of Geology, Universi,ty of North Carolirra, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. VrncrNrn Drvrsrox op Mrum.ol, Rrsouncps complex in Pendleton County, West Virginia. Many master's theses at the University of Virginia and'the Virginia Poly- technic Institute describe igneous rocks of the region in selected areas. Almost 400 such outcrops have been recorded, and more recently, Kettren (1970) has added several dozen. It is believed that.the yet undiscovered occurrences outnumber those now known; however, it is likely that enough have been examined so that the broad outlines of the complex regional petrology, covering Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Tertiary volcanism, are now known. Johnson and Milton have studied and mapped these roeks since 1950, obtaining detailed petrographic, chemieal, and geo- physical data on almost all of the presently known alkalic rocks. Dennison and Johnson (1971) reviewed the regional petrology as related to structure, geothermics (warm springs), geophysical data, ,and Appalachian geological history. Radiometric ages of igneous rocks in the Valley and Ridge province of Virginia are discussed in Appendix IV. The geologic formations of the field trip area are generally similar to those as shown in Table 1. Table l.-Geologic formations in western Highland County, Virginra. Generalized thickness Age Name Char,acter in feet Holo- Alluvium Sand to rounded boulders 0-10 t>. cene in stream valleys. sl F (l) Pleisto. Colluvium Angular rubble to sub 0-20 cene rounded boulders on valley slopes and capping terraces. por- *r, Eocene ,.F elsic dikes and Andesite, andesite 9H sills phyry, and trachyte. Triassic ( ?) Mafie dikes and Basalt, olivine-basalt plugs porphyry, and diatreme breccias. TBrP To IcNnous Rocrs Generalized Age Name Character thickness in feet Mississippian Pocono Formation Chiefly yellowish-gray 400 sandstone with siltstone and shale. Hampshire Nonmaring reddish-gray 1000 Formation siltstone, sandstone, and shale with some yellow- ish-gray sandstone. Foreknobs forma- Marine, lightolive gray 2300 tion (Dennison, sandstone and siltstone 1970) with some reddish streaks and conglomeratic layers. Brallier Marine shale and turbidite 1500 Formation silts'tone; weathers