Geology of the Near Islands, Alaska
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Geology of the Near Islands, Alaska By OLCOTT GATES, HOWARD A. POWERS, and RAY E. WILCOX With a section on SURFICIAL GEOLOGY By JOHN P. SCHAFER INVESTIGATIONS OF ALASKAN VOLCANOES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1028-U Prepared in cooperation with the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1971 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 72-609789 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 2«4«2 PREFACE In October 1945 the War Department (later, Department of the Army) requested the U.S. Geological Survey to undertake a program of volcano investigations in the Aleutian Islands-Alaska Peninsula area. The first field studies, under the general direction of G. D. Robinson, were made during 1946-48. The results of the first year's field, laboratory, and library work were hastily assembled as two administrative reports, and most of these data have been revised for publication in Geological Survey Bulletin 1028. Part of the early work was published in 1950 in Bulletin 974-B, "Volcanic Activity in the Aleutian Arc," and in 1951 in Bulletin 989-A, "Geology of Buldir Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska," both by Robert R. Coats. During 1949-54, additional fieldwork was carried out under the direction of H. A. Powers. Unpublished results of the early work and all the later studies are incorporated as parts of Bulletin 1028. The geological investigations covered by this chapter of Bulletin 1028 were reconnaissance, and most of the results were written in the present form by 1956. The factual information presented is believed to be accurate, but many of the tentative interpretations and conclusions will be modified as knowledge grows. The investigations of 1946 were supported almost entirely by the Military Intelligence Division of the Office, Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army. From 1947 to 1955 the Departments of the Army, Navy, and Air Force joined to furnish financial and logistic assistance. The Geological Survey is indebted to the Office, Chief of Engineers, for its early recognition of the value of geologic studies in the Aleutian region, and to the several military departments for their support. ni -i CONTENTS Page Abstract_____-___.___.__________ ____.___._ r .__.________._...____ 709 Introduction._-----------________._____._______._____.____..._..__ 710 Attu Island...._____________._._______..._.__._____.._____._.._._. 714 Stratigraphy. _________________________________________________ 714 Basement rocks___________________________________________ 715 Sedimentary rocks._._______...__-_____.____._______.__ 715 Pyroclastic rocks._____________________________________ 718 Lavas._______________________________________________ 719 Amphibolites________________________________________ 721 Typical sections.______________________________________ 724 Age.....-._---._..._._..__._.__._..._................ 728 Origin_____________________,__________________________ 728 Nevidiskov Formation.____________________________________ 729 Chuniksak Formation___________.,_____-___________--__-__-_ 731 Age-___-__-._-_._____________________________________ 736 Origin of the Nevidiskov and Chuniksak Formations. ___-._ 737 Chirikof Formation.________________________________________ 738 Massacre Bay Formation.__________________________________ 739 Faneto Formation.________________________________________ 742 Surficial deposits.____.________..____-___...-._____._..-_-. 743 Intrusive rocks___________________-_______--_-___._------ 744 Diabase and gabbro.-._-_--____--_------_____-__--_---_ 744 Albite granite.________________________________________ 746 Quartz keratophyre porphyry._______-___-______-_--__-- 747 Hornblende andesite and dacite porphyries.______________ 749 Pyrite mineralization. ________________________________________ 751 Structure.____________________________________________________ 752 Agattu Island_____._-____._____.___.______.____._.__.__..--.----__ 758 Stratigraphy. _-_-____-_____________________-_-_--_-_-.-_---_-- 758 Basement rocks._--______--------_---__-------_----------- 758 Sedimentary rocks.________-_____---____--_--__-----_-- 759 Pyroclastics_ _ __ _______________________-_____-___---_ 761 Lavas._______________________________________________ 763 Krugloi Formation.._______________________________________ 766 Surficial deposits._________________________________________ 768 Intrusive rocks.___-___..____.__-_.____--__-.-____--------_ 768 Diabase...----...___.-_-.--__---_---------_---------- 768 Dacite porphyry....___________________________________ 771 Structure-____________________________________________________ 771 Shemya Island.___________________________________________________ 775 Stratigraphy. _________________________________________________ 775 Basementrocks___----_________---___--_--_---_----------- 775 Andesitic and basaltic tuff and tuff-breccia.____________--__-- 777 Hornblende porphyry______________________-_-____-_------- 777 Basalt porphyry___-____________________-__----__----__---- 778 Structure- -__._________._....._._._._.___..__________-_------- 778 VI CONTENTS Page Surficial geology of the Near Islands, by John P. Schafer.__-____-_-_-__ 779 Pre-Wisconsinan marine erosion.________________________________ 780 Attu Island_.._..._______________.__'__________________ 780 Agattu Island._-_______.____.............__.__-_______-_.. 781 Semichi Islands._________________________________-!________ 782 Terrace correlations______-_____________-_____---__---_-__ 784 Glaciation.___________________________________________________ 784 Glacial erosion.___________________________________________ 78.4 Glacial deposition.________________________________________ 787 Glacial history___-___________-________________________ 788 Postglacial stream action.______________________________________ 791 Erosion._________________-_______________-_._------------ 791 Deposition__ __-_--__-_-____---_-__________-_-----_-_---- 791 Postglacial marine action.______________________________________ 792 Marine erosion._______________________________--_----_---- 792 Sea cliffs.________-___:_____-___--__-.__-__--_-___-- 792 Shore platforms.__.-_.._________-__-______----_--__--_ 794 Marine shoreline deposition._________-_____-_-__--_--------_ 797 Changes of altitude._____________________________'__._______ 801 Wind action.______________________________________________ 802 Frost action__________________________________________________ 803 Frost-breaking of rock___'__________________________________ 803 Mass movement of frost-broken material_________---_--__-__- 804 Turf-banked terraces and stone stripes _______________________ 805 Frost-produced ponds and tussocks.__________________ _______ 809 Early postglacial frost action______________________________ 811 Summary of geologic history of the Near Islands.______-_---_--.______ 812 References cited___________________________________________________ 814 Index____________________________________________________________ 817 ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 80. Geologic map of Attu, Near Islands, Alaska______ In pocket 81. Geologic map and sections of Agattu, Near Islands, Alaska.--..-------------------------------- In pocket 82. Structural trend map of Agattu, Near Islands, Alaska__-____-_-___-____________-_____--___ In pocket FIGURE 105. Map of Aleutian Islands, Alaska, showing location of Near Islands.-...______________________________ 711 106-110. Photographs: 106. Laminated cherty and argillitic basement rocks, East Arm of Nevidiskov Bay, Attu_ _ 716 107. Laminated basement rocks, East Arm of Nevidiskov Bay, Attu___--_--------_-_- 716 108. Limy nodule in Chuniksak Formation, Chuniksak Point, Attu.___.-___-.______ 734 109. Quartz keratophyre dike, Steller Cove, Attu_ _ 748 110. Andesitic dikes intruding basement con glomerates, Abraham Bay, Attu_________ 749 CONTENTS VII Page FIGURE 111. Geologic map of basement rocks (Mesozoic or Tertiary) on east shore of Casco Point, Massacre Bay, Attu.. 754 112. Photograph showing varicolored laminated siltstone, chert, and argillite of the basement rocks on the north shore of Agattu_----------------__-----_-__--_- 760 113. Photograph showing thin-bedded siltstone between basaltic tuff-breccia units of the basement rocks on the north shore of Agattu.___----______-____-___ 762 114. Rose diagram of fracture trends on Agattu__________ 773 115. Geologic map of Shemya._________________________ 776 116-121. Photographs: 116. Raised marine terraces transected by sea cliff, Mikhail Point, Attu..___..___._... 781 117. Plateau on Agattu_-----____----.-___.--_ 781 118. Raised marine platform, western quarry, Shemya_______________________________ 783 119. Furrowed trough wall, postglacial gullies, and alluviated valley floor in West Steller Valley, Attu_.__,________.___.__ __._.__ 786 120. Shore platform, inactive sea cliff, and col- luvial bench, Chuniksak Point, Attu_-__- 793 121. Shore platform, inactive sea cliff, and col- luvial bench, Armeria Bay, Agattu_______ 794 122. Sketch of shore profiles, Auburn Cove, Etienne Bay, and Murder Point Peninsula, Attu______________ 798 123. Photograph showing turf-banked terraces, Peak 5, ----_--_-----_-------------------_---_- 806 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Chemical data for rocks of the Near Islands, Aleutian Islands, Alaska_______________________________ 722 2. Results of insoluble-residue tests on rock specimens from the Chuniksak Formation, Attu _____________ 733 ~ J.- GEOLOGY