Structural and Igneous Geology of the La Sal Mountains, Utah by CHARLES B
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Structural and Igneous Geology of the La Sal Mountains, Utah By CHARLES B. HUNT SHORTER CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 294-1 With collaboration by Aaron C. Waters on the North La Sal stock and the origin and evolution of the magmas UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1958 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FRED A. SEATON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Thomas B. Nolan, Director For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D. C. CONTENTS Page Page Abstract__._______._.__._..___.__________ 305 Intrusions and intrusive structures—Continued Introduction _______________________________________ 305 Intrusions on North Mountain—Continued Previous investigations._________________________ 306 Diorite porphyry laccoliths and related intru Present investigation and acknowledgments______ 307 sions—Continued General setting of the mountains _________________ 307 Laccoliths southwest of the stock — _—__ 320 Stratigraphy--- ———— ____ — ____.__________ 309 Haystack Mountain laccolith____ — — _ 322 Concealed formations.__________________________ 311 Mill Creek sill_-_._-------_________ 322 Precambrian complex_______________________ 311 Laccoliths northwest of the stock_______ 322 Carboniferous systems____________________ 311 Laccoliths northeast of the stock.________ 323 Pennsylvanian system_____________________ 311 Intrusions between Willow Basin and Bear Paradox member of the Hermosa forma Creek......___________-... 323 tion—____________________ 311 Beaver Creek laccolith---.-.-...-------- 323 Hermosa and Rico formations_________ 312 Round Mountain bysmalith________-_-_. 323 Exposed formations_____-_______________________ 312 Monzonite porphyry sills and dikes_____-----_ 324 Pennsylvanian and Permian systems________ 312 Petrography. __--_-_---_--_----_---_-_- 324 Cutler formation_____________________ 312 Placer Creek sill_______ ______—— 324 Triassic system_______________________________ 312 Other dikes and sills.______________ — __ 324 Lower and Middle(?) Triassic series________ 312 North La Sal stock, by Charles B. Hunt and Moenkopi formation.___________________ 312 Aaron C. Waters..-..-_—_———————— 325 Upper Triassic series____________________ 312 General features.----.---------.--—____ 325 Shinarump conglomerate and Chinle for Diorite porphyry._____-__-._____.._.— 325 mation. _____________________________ 312 Monzonite porphyry______________-----_ 326 Triassic and Jurassic systems__._-___--________. 312 Dike-swarm complex___-_-______-__---_- 326 Glen Canyon group and Entrada sandstone_ _ 312 Feldspathoidal and other soda-rich dikes— 328 Jurassic system_______________________________ 313 Soda syenite porphyry——————— ———— 328 Explosion breccias and associated aegirine Upper Jurassic series__-___________._________ 313 Morrison formation.....________________ 313 granite porphyry and aphanitic sheets. __ 331 Soda rhyolite porphyry dikes.____-_-----_ 333 Cretaceous system______________________________ 313 Summary of the structural history of the Lower(?) and Upper Cretaceous series_______ 313 North La Sal stock...._______... 333 Dakota sandstone____________________ 313 Rock alteration on North Mountain_„___—__-_ 334 Upper Cretaceous series.____________________ 313 Structural control of altered zones. _--____ 334 Mancos shale._________________________ 313 Degree of alteration....-----.----------- 335 Tertiary(?) system____________________ 314 Alteration minerals.___--_-_-___-_------ 335 Pliocene(?) series_____-______ —__- — _______- 314 Distribution of metals____-------_------- 338 Conglomerate in Castle Valley_________ 314 Source of the alteration products______--_ 339 Quaternary system____________________________ 314 Pleistocene and Recent deposits ______________ 314 Middle Mountain_____ _ _________————— 339 Brumley Creek laccolith___-_________--_---_- 340 Structural geology____________-_____________________ 314 Dorry Canyon laccolith.——________-_-_-._-- 341 Structural features surrounding the mountains. ____ 314 Mount Tukuhnikivatz laccolith________.---- 341 Details of folds adjacent to the mountains..... 315 Intrusions at head of La Sal Creek_______--_ 341 Castle Creek anticline_____-____.________ 315 Mount Peale laccolith-__-_-_---____--------- 342 Moab anticline and the Spanish Valley-Pack Mount Mellenthin laccoliths.__________----.- 343 Creek synclines_______________________ 315 Blue Lake laccolith-..-.-_-.-_—————— 343 Area adjacent to Middle Mountain.______ 316 Intrusions in Horse Canyon._________________ 344 Other folds nearby,.______.____.__ 316 Brumley Ridge noselite syenite porphyry. _____ 344 Structure of the La Sal Mountains.______________ 316 Middle Mountain stock——_________ — ___-_ 344 Relation between the La Sal Mountains and the South Mountain—___-__________--_ — -.-_------- 345 regional structures.-..-.__________________ 318 Pack Creek laccolith. ________———— 345 Intrusions and intrusive structures__________________ 318 Laccolith southeast of the stock——— _________ 345 Intrusions on North Mountain..-..__...___ 318 Intrusions south and west of the stock——_____ 346 Diorite porphyry laccoliths and related intru Intrusions northeast of the stock—— __________ 346 sions. ___________________________________ 319 South Mountain stock____________ —— __— 346 Petrography.-.________________ 319 Summary comparison of the volumes and positions of Laccoliths southeast of the stock _________ 320 the intrusions______._____--_.__.__._.__-_---- 346 in IV CONTENTS Page Page Origin and evolution of the magmas, by Aaron C. Waters Economic geology—Continued and Charles B. Hunt____________________ 348 Placer deposits__________-__..____-_--______.____ 355 Inadequacy of crystallization differentiation of Metalliferous deposits in the intrusions-___________ 355 basalt_______________________ 348 Mine descriptions_-_-__-___-______-__-__________ 356 Evidence from inclusions...-_-___--______-_______ 349 Dillon adit.._.__.________________ 356 Palingenesis of amphibolite______________________ 352 M. I. F. adit_____________________ 356 Some physical-chemical deductions._______________ 352 High Ore adit__._________________ 357 Field evidence________________________________ 353 Origin of the quartz-rich differentiate _____________ 353 Dewey adit. _____________________________ 357 Summary. _____________________________________ 354 McCoy adit__.__________________ 357 Economic geology_________-____-_________-_-_______- 355 Selected bibliography______________________________ 359 General__ ____________________________________ 355 Index. _________.______________________ 361 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates 41-44 follow page 332} PLATE 39. Geologic map of La Sal Mountains______________________--_-_--___--___---_-_-_--_-_------_ — __ In pocket 40. Geologic map of the North La Sal stock, La Sal Mountains._---_-- — ________________________________ In pocket 41. Aerial view of North and Middle Mountains. 42. Green Mountain vent breccia. A. Northwest edge. B. East side. 43. View northwest along the vertically sheeted joints in the south part of Beaver Basin. 44. Aerial view of Middle Mountain. 45. Maps of adits in North La Sal Mountain._______________________________________________________ In pocket Page FIGUKE J 05. Index map showing location of the La Sal Mountains, Utah, and other igneous centers on the Colorado Plateau.- 306 106. Sketch of the La Sal Mountains; view from west------------------------------------------------------ 307 107. Generalized map of part of eastern Utah and western Colorado showing relation of the La Sal Mountains to other structural features._________________________________________________________________________ 308 108. Structure contour map of the La Sal Mountains.-- —___----------_--------_----------------------___-- 317 109. Thin sections of diorite porphyry and metadiorite____________________________________________________ 319 110. Thin sections of rocks from the dike-swarm complex in the North La Sal stock-___________________________ 327 111. Filter-press relations at contact between soda syenite porphyry and metadiorite in Snowslide Gulch, Mineral Mountain___________________.___________-----_-----_________-______-___ 329 112. Thin sections of soda syenite porphyry and feldspathoidal rocks, North Mountain.-__--__-__-____________- 330 113. Sketch of Precambrian schist partly replaced by soda syenite porphyry___________________________________ 331 114. Vesiculated syenite porphyry from vent breccia on Green Mountain_-__-_-_---_-__-_-_-__-_-_-___________ 332 115. Thin sections of soda rhyolite and aegirine granite porphyries.________-_______-_-_____-_-_-_-_-___-_-__- 333 116. Thin sections of altered rocks_ ________________________-_-__--___-_----____-_-_---_-_-_-----__----_-_ 336 117. Thin sections illustrating alteration of feldspar.___________________-_-_______-_-___-_--__-_-____--_____ 338 118. View west in Gold Basin______________________-___________---_-___---_-----_-------_--------_-----_- 340 J19. View west across cirque at head of North Fork of La Sal Creek______---_____-_-__--____________--____- 342 120. Graphs showing variations in alkali and silica content of the differentiation sequence in North Mountain. _____ 349 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Chemical analyses of diorite porphyry from the laccolithic mountains on the Colorado Plateau-_____-___--_--__ 321 2. Chemical analyses of monzonite porphyry from the laccolithic mountains on the Colorado Plateau___-__-_- — ___ 324 3. Dimensions, volume, and stratigraphic positions of intrusions