Geography, Geology, and Mineral Resources of the Portneuf Quadrangle, Idaho
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Roy 0. West, Secretary U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY George Otis Smith, Director Bulletin 803 GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, AND MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE PORTNEUF QUADRANGLE, IDAHO GBOKGE ROGERS MANSFIELD UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON 1029 ADDITIONAL COPIES OF THIS PUBLICATION MAT BE PROCURED FROM! THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS U.S.GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D. C. AT 40 CENTS PER COPY '.* *« .. » » CONTENTS Abstract. ___-_------.- ________________--_----_--_----,_________-_ 1 Introduction __ _____________________---_---_-__..__--_____________ I Scope of the work._____________. ______________________________ 1 Location and area of the quadrangle_____-_--_______-__ _________ _ 2 Field work. __----_- ___ ________--__-_-___--__-__ _ ___ _ __. 3 Historical notes. ______________________________________________ 3 The Hayden surveys___________________-______________________ 5 Later geologic work. _____________-_-___-___________________. 6 Geography- __------_ __.__-_____. __ _._ _______ 0 Summary of regional physiographic development. ______________ _ 6 Principal topographic units-_---__-_-_-___-_-_-_-_-___________-_ 7 \ Blackfoot Mountains. _____________________________________ 8 Blackfoot Valley__ __ _ __ _.-______ _ _ ___ ___ ____ _ 8 Chesterfield Range... __ _ ____.__-__ __ _. __ ____ __ _ 8 Soda Springs Hills __ _____________________________________ 10 Portneuf Valley.. ______ __ __ ___ _.._ ___ __ ___ __ _ 10 Portneuf Mountains_-_--__-_---_-__--_-_--------_--____--- 10 Drainage- _.-.-_-___--__-.-.-_---_-_-_-_--------__---__-___--- 11 Rivers _____-_-__-__--______-_-----------------_--_____--- 11 Springs ____-_-_-___--__--__---_-----__---____-________-_- 12 Climate. _______ ... ____ _. _ _____ 12 Vegetation _______-_-_---_-_-___---_----_--__----____-_____--,. 13 Settlements and industries_______-__-___-__________ .______.___.__ 13 Transportation facilities __ ____-_----_---_---_-____.. _ ____ _, 13 Geology.-..-.- ---------------------------------------..------_---- 14 Stratigraphy . __ ... .. 14 The stratigraphic column. _-___-___._____________.___._..., 14 Cambrian system____. ____________________________________ 16 General features ___._._____._-_____.________._______.-__ 15 Brigham quartzite. _ _-_--___-_-.-_-____.______.____ 16 Langston limestone. _.__--____-_-_-___--___________,_ 16 Ute limestone __ ___-___-_.-__.__-_____-_-__________ 16 Blacksmith limestone... _______________________________ 17 Bloomington formation __ _____.__-.-___-___________._- 17 Nounan limestone.. _ __________________________________ 17 St. Charles limestone..-.-..-.... _-_-_-___-.__________. 18 UndifTerentiated Cambrian.. _.__-_____-_-_.___.. ______ 18 Ordovician system. _____________________________ _ _ ______ 19 Garden City limestone-.-.-----.---.---.---..^..!.-,.-- 19 Swan Peak quartzite----_---_-------_-_-_-______I__-_- 20 Fish Haven dolomite_---_--------------__--__________, 20 Silurian system. _________.___--____-_-__________________ 20 Laketown dolomite _ _.___--_-_-_-_-_______________ _ 21 Devonian system... _______________________________________ '21 Jefferson limestone___-_-__-_-__-_-_-_-_-_____________, 21 Threeforks limestone.. _-__----_-_--__________ _ __.__.. 21 IV . CONTENTS Geology Continued. Stratigraphy Continued. Page Carboniferous system.-____________________________________ 22 Mississippian series_______-_________________-__-___-___ 22 Madison limestone-__--____________-___-__-____-_- 23 Brazer limestone._________________________________ 25 Pennsylvanian series.-__________________.______________ 26 Wells formation______________.____________________ 26 Permian series._________-_-______--__---___-___-_-__-_ 27 Phosphoria formation,._____________________________ 27 Triassic system______________-__-____-..-_-__._____________ 29 Lower Triassic series__-_---________________---________ 30 Woodside shale.___--___-______-_-___--------__-__ 30 Thaynes group_______.___________ _______________ 31 Timothy sandstone..._____.-_____-_____.-__-__---- 33 Triassic (?) formations..____-___--__-__---___--_--_____---_ 34 Higham grit._________________________________________ 34 Jurassic system.___________________________________________ 35 f Cretaceous system._______________________________________ 35 c Cretaceous or Tertiary rocks___ __--_____________-_-_--_-___ 35 Tertiary system..___-___________---______________---____-_ 36 Pliocene (?) series._____________________________________ 36 Salt Lake formation.______________________________ 36 Quaternary system._______________________________________ 37 Pleistocene series.._-___-___-_____-_________-_-_-_-_-__ 37 Travertine-_----_--_-__-___---__-_-___--_-____--- 37 Hill wash and older alluvium________.______________ 38 Recent series_____-_---_--___-____-_-__-___-_----_-__- 39 Alluvium_ _____________________________________ 39 Igneous rocks.._______________________________________________ 40 General occurrence._______________________________________ 40 Hornblende andesite porphyry.--__-_-_-_________--__-______ 40 Rhyolite... ... ___--.._________________----_._--_ 41 Olivine basalt.....__._____-.__..______..____....-__---.- 42 Relations of igneous rocks to sediments______________________ 44 Relations of igneous rocks to each other..__.____.__-____-_--_ 44 General igneous activity of the region______________________ 44 Age of the igneous rocks_________________._________________ 45 Structure_ -____________ ____________________________________ 45 Earlier geologic work--_-____________._.._.___._-_-__-____. 45 General features._-_--_._-__-___-__-._.-__-______.___--_-_ 46 Structure contours__-------_-_-__-_-_________-._-----_-_-_ 47 Detailed descriptions-___--__---_-__-___________-_-______-- 47 Corral Creek anticline._________________________________ 48 Nigger Creek syncline...___________..__ _______.________ 48 Grizzly Creek anticline._______________________________ 49 Graves Creek syncline.________________________________ 51 Twentyfourmile anticline_____________________________ 52 Rock Creek syncline..--__-_____-______________--_--_-_ 53 Otherfolds---_---------__-____________.__,----__..-_.- 55 Bannock overthrust.__________________________________ 55 Other faults.______.*__________________.--_____-..- 59 Age of the folding._____ ____________________________' 61 , ;Age of the faulting.____________________________._ 62 Relation of structure to phosphate beds__________,--__-__.___ 63 CONTENTS Geology Continued. Geologic history__________-____________.___-._----_----_-_-_-_- 63 Summary of record..___-_____________-_-___--__-_-_-__-__- 63 Proterozoic era_______-____________-__-_-_---_-_-_-__-_-- 63 Paleozoic era_-____---_--________---------_---.----_--_---- 63 \ Mesozoic era_ ..............................j....^........ 65 Cenozoic era...____________________________________________ 66 Mineral resources ____________-_-_--__-____-____-.-..--__-_-_-__-_-_ 67 Phosphate rock__________-____-_________-_--__.._-_-__-_-__--_- 67 General character._._-________________-__-_---__---__.-___ 67 Iron and alumina content,_________________..----_-_____-___ 68 Vanadium content. ....................................... 68 Distribution of phosphate in Portneuf quadrangle..._._..__... 68 Description of townships that contain phosphate___.____-_._ 69 T. 5 S., R. 38 E.._......_......_..._..__.--.......-... 69 T. 6 S., R. 38 E._.___ ................................. 72 T. 5 S., R. 39 E_ -.-_-.__.--- --_ -._ -. 73 T. 6S., R. 39E. - - ,- .. - -_ - 77 T. 5 S., R. 40 E. _ ..............._........_ 81 T. 6 S., R. 40 E_._ " - - - -_ - 86 T. 7 S., R. 40 E....................................... 88 Government investigations relating to phosphate._____________ 89 Geological Survey_..-______-_--_---___---------..____ 89 Bureau of Soils..--------_--_------_-----------------__ 90 Bureau of Standards__-_-__-_----_---__----___.___-__ 90 Bureau of Mines----._-_____-_--_________---_____,____ 91 Comparison of phosphate rock from different fields.___________ 91 Occurrence and physical characteristics._________________ 91 Chemical and mineral composition___,___----__________ 93 Phosphate reserves of the United States______-_--_-_.______ 94 Florida..........-_--______._______.._.-___-...___..__ 94 Western States.______-._________-_____--_-__-_.__-__. 94 Revised estimates of tonnage..___.._________________________ 95 Further notes on phosphate__._________-__,__---___-_____- 95 Limestone___. .-.........-.........-^.......-.-............ 96 "Earlier Paleozoic limestones.._._-__________,-_-_._-.-__.-__ 96 Carboniferous limestones.._______._.____-..,__.._.__.___.__ 96 Triassic limestones.____-__-__.___-_-_._______--______-_.__ 97 \ Tertiary limestones___.____________-__.__----_-__-__-._. 97 \ Quaternary limestones. .................................... 97 \ Road metal____._.-____.------_____-__-__--_-_-_--_-__-___--_ 97 V Building stone....-___.__-..______.-__-..____-_--____-___--. 98 / Quartzite ......_____......__._._..__.......___._..... 98 Water resources____-._,--___._____-________________-____-_. 99 Surface water..........--_--____,_._-_-____^4-V-:.----- r --- 99 Blackfoot River...__ ...........................L :l;.'.. 99 Portneuf River-_------___-_----__--_._-- __-_..--..I 100 ' Ground water.._____--_--__.-__----____-__-_--_-_-__-___- 102 General distribution and availability......._____-___--.__ 102 Springs.____--_---___-__-__-__.____---_-__.___-_- 103 General character and distribution______-_____-___. 103 Mineral springs._-___.___-___-______--___-____--_. 103 f Thermal springs._-_____-_--_-__-___---__---__--__