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Surficial Geology of the Susitna-Chulz~Na Ricer Area, Alaska

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Surficial Geology of the Susitna-Chulz~Na Ricer Area, Alaska SUSITNA BASIN PLANNING BACKGROUND REPORT Surficial Geology of the Susitna- Chulz~na Ricer Area, Alaska Part I: Text KENNESON G. DEAN NOR THERN REMOTE SENSING LABORATORY GEOPHYSICAL INSTITUTE UNI VER SI T Y OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS, ALASKA preparedfo« LAND AND RESOURCE PLANNING SECTION DI VISION OF RESEARCHAND DEVELOPMENT ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES MA R CH, 1980 SURFICIAL GEOLOGY OF THE SUSITNA-CHULITNA RIVER AREA. ALASKA Part 1: Text Susitna Basin Planning Background Report Kenneson G. Dean Northern Remote Sensing Laboratory Geophysical Institute University of Alaska Fairbanks. Alaska prepared for Land and Resource Planning Section Oivision of Research and Development Alaska Department of Natural Resources UN I VF ~ S I T V f) ~ ,. !\ ~ ~ A ARcnc E " · " ~ n .. , ·c •.• I. ' ''C . RMATION /., ' "1 C' j ..1 C . ~ fEB 707 A S ~ d O -K;(J.,Gf . A LA~A 99501 funded in part by NASA Grant NGL 02-001-092 Harch. 1980 ABSTRACT The landscape of the Susitna-Chu1itna River Area of southcentra1 Alaska is interpreted in fourteen 1:125,000 scale maps of landform and geologic hazard. The landscape .i s dominated by glacial landforms from late Wisconsin Naptowne Glaciation. Locally, it is continuously being altered by modern active surface processes. The area 's landforms consist of drum1 inized landforms incl uding positive relief f!atures composed of t ill and glaciofluvia l deposits, and intervening poorly-drained lowlands often containing lakes, ponds, marshes, swamps and bogs. The extent of the glaciofl uv ial deposits suggest that water was pre­ valent beneath the glacier or flowed in troughs between till ridges beyond the glaci ~ ice during its recession. Ice-disintegration features along the margins of the former glacier resulted from intermixing of till and meltwater stream deposits typically distorted by slumping. Landforms on the valley floor grade from disintegration features to drum1inized ridges, drumlins, fluted ground moraine and scoured bedrock to the north. Modern active surface processes often alter the landscape catastrophi­ cally, and are called geologic hazards. Geologic hazards in the study area include flooding, surging glaciers, avalanches and landslides. Surfaces most affected by these hazards are floodplains, lowlands, and lower mountain slopes. PREFACE The Susitna-Chulitna area investigation was conducted for the Land and Resource Planning Section of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) . The study was jointly funded by NASA under grant NGL 02-001-092 and DNR, and was conducted by the Northern Remote Sensing Laboratory of the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska . The invest igat ion is intended to aid DNR in regional planning of relatively inaccessible areas based on inter­ pretations of remote sensing data. Hap units were verified in the field i n accessible portions of the study area. Verified map units were extrapolated to inaccessible areas based on similarity of landforms. Seven landform maps were prepared at a scale of 1:125,000 and seven. geologic hazard maps were prepared at the same scale. These are included in Part 2 of this report. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to thank Thomas H. George for his comments and especially during the field verification, many of the photographs in this report were taken by him; Or. Richard O. Reger, John H. Miller and Albert E. Belon for reviewing this manuscript; Deborah C. Coccia for the many hours spent on drafting the maps and figures; and Karen Ruddell and Sheila Finch for repetitively typing the many revisions to this manuscript. iif TABLE OF CONT ENTS ABSTRACT i PREFACE. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS •1i i TABLE of CONTENTS iv LI ST of FIGURES and TABLES v INTRODUCTION •• • PHYSICAL SETTING • 2 SURFICIAL GEOLOGY 5 MATERIALS and METHOD of INVESTIGATION 8 DISCUSSION 10 Landfonns 10 Glacial Processes 10 Fluvial Processes 19 Mass Movement 22 Geologic Hazards . • 23 Flood ing ..•• 23 Surging Glaciers 26 Mass Movement 27 CONCL US IONS • 28 RECOt+lENDATION 33 REFERENCES • • 34 lv LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figure 1. Location map of the Susitna-Chu1itna area 3 Figure 2. A line draw i ng of the glacial ice in the Susitna area • • • •••••.•.•• 11 Figure 3. A line drawing of the landforms in the Susitna area . .. .... ~ . 12 Figure 4. View to the east of the Susitna Valley 13 Figure 5. Phys iographic divisions of the Susitna-Chu1itna area . 15 Figure 6. View to the south along the Susitna Valley 17 Figure 7. View to the south along the Susitna River • 21 Figure B. View to the south along Cache Creek Valley 24 Figure 9. Awinter Landsat image of the study area 29 Figure 10. A model of the types of depositi onal landscapes expected to develop beneath ice sheets .. 30 Table 1. Glacial advances in the Cook Inlet Bas in 5 Table 2. Landsat i ma gery used in the study •• • • 8 Table 3. Phys ical characteristics of drumlins and fluted topography • • • • •••••••• • • • . •• 14 v INTRODUCTI ON This study uses primarily Landsat imagery to interpret the landforms and geologic hazards of the Susitna-Chulitna region. The methods. geologic setting. and a discussion of the conclusions are included in this text. Part 1. The fourteen 1:125.000 scale maps of landforms and geologic hazards are contained in an accompanying packet. Part 2. Landsat imagery provides a current synoptic view of the earth's surface which is effective in small scale mapping of landforms and active surface proce~ses. Interpretations based on Landsat imagery are especially effec­ tive when used in conjuction with stereo aerial photography and ground verification. Repetitive coverage of Landsat (presently every eighteen days at image nadir points) records seasonal fluctuation of the earth's surface under varying lighting conditions enhancing geologic phenomena. Active surficial phenomena. such as avalanches or landslides. and flooding by streams of low1ying areas are recorded by sate11it~ passes during the spring. Also during the spring. the undeveloped vegetation canopy allows observation of the ground surface. provided the snow cover has been removed. The imagery recorded during the summer months exhibits minimal shadows. geobotanical in­ dicators and relatively quiescent surficial processes. During the winter months. variations in surficial expressions are enhanced by the low sun angle (less than gO in Alaska) and by the contrast between the snow cover and dormant vegetation which improves landform interpretations. Active surface processes are often catastrophic. Hazardous areas should be avoided or special measures taken to mitigate the environmental risks during planning. or studied more closely. -,------------- - - - PHYS ICAL SETT ING The upper Sus itna-Chulitna River area is located in southcent ral Alaska approximately 90 km . north of Anc horage (Fig. 1).The st udy general ly includes areas below t he CIOm (2. 000 ft) contour interval between lati tude 62° OOoN and Colorado Stat ion along the Alaska n Ra i l road. The surround ing mountain s include the Alaska Range to the wes t and no rt h. and the Talkeetna Mou ntai ns to the east . The mou nt>. ins hinder t he northward mi gration of storms coming off of the Pac ific Ocean to the south. causing 74 em. (29 inches )* of precipitation annually (R ieger. 1979) and is the largest amou nt of precipitation in the state excluding coastal areas. Major rivers within the study area include the Susitna. Yentna. Kah ilitna. Chulitna. Tokositna. and Talkeetna. The Susitna River. the dominant stream i n the area. drains southward into Cook Inlet. Glac iers includ ing the Dall. Yentna. Kah iltna. Kan ikula. Tokositna. Ruth and Eldridge are located in the Alaska Ra nge at the headwaters of rivers and several subordinate tributaries. The la ndscape general ly slopes south from 600 m to 60 m elevat ions. Numerous north-south trend ing lakes . swam ps and low rel ief ridges occur on the va lley fl oor . Dec iduous and coniferous vegetation grow on the low-relief ridges. Hos t of t he present topography has res ul ted from glaci al . glaciofluv ial and f luvia l processes. The region is sparse ly popula ted with only one town and several un i ncorporated set tlement s (Fig. 1). Transportation routes include the *Mea surements from the U.S. Weather Service stat ion in Talkeetna. Alaska. 2 '"~' I Jo , . f; \ :,: " ~. '-' "\ _ ....\ ~ ~ _ .dlJ ·1 . '( ---:: J::';~ _ ../ ".. w ! /..\/ -:.,.' C'j." " ~ . ~ roo..,,· .. -, , ill . ... ..-: 0" J' :' .._ I .... ' ' I ' , / .C....- ~ - .,.. of ",7 .' (\ :r-«: J ,••>! / \ ' . ~ r.;'-,.. ' ,'A' ~.....;' _ l ..;.r~ ' .-, r ' \ ~ r '. : ' , "'- . i ~ « " .. ~!-..r ';;o::· ,.pt'-·"---. ~:. ,\. ~\ .... .... ~ . u. I " • 1~\\1,~'9;r .,,".,./ . C. .. ._- ' ..; ., . ' '~.' 0 -~ " ",,", , _, v r" . CIlUl . ... •... "./ '", • " . , / ... - ~..,..) N:' . .. \ " , r "'~ - .•~ d ' \ ../ ." ' .. ..... •-: \-~' ". l--~____ .... ~l ' - '/ ~ ' 'r'- .. ' j'~~~ n "' ......: . , ..... ::t' "!'S. ~ ..~•• . ~~ " ' ..... ... Figu re 1. Locat ion of the Sus itna- Chu l itna area . Parks Hi ghway and t he Alaska Ra i lroad to the east. A s~conda ry road to Pe tersv i l le traverses the central port ion of the area. Some agr icul ­ tu ral , timber harvesting, and mining enterprises are centered around Tal keetna , except for lode and placer mining wh ich is concent ra ted northwes t of Ta lkeetna near t he Alaska Ra nge, especia lly in the Cache Creek area. The mineral s or elements being mi ned incl ude moly bdenum , copper, chromi um , gold, uranium, platiunum, t in, coal and thorium (R eed and others , 1978). 4 SU~fICIAl GEOLOGY The surfacial geology of the Susitna-Chulitna River area has been dominated by glaciation. Th is area is a trough into wh ich moun tain glaciers and drainages from the surrounding Alaska Range, Talkeetna, Chugach, Kenai and Aleutian Mountains are funneled (Coulter and others, 1965) . At least six glacial advances have altered the landscape in the Cook Inlet basin. (Table l) Table 1. Glacial advances in the Cook Inlet Basin.
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