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Holocene sand compositions from the Columbia River Basin: Compositional diversity of sediment from a mixed-provenance region

Carla E. Brock The University of Montana

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Recommended Citation Brock, Carla E., "Holocene sand compositions from the Columbia River Basin: Compositional diversity of sediment from a mixed-provenance region" (2000). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 7535. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/7535

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. HOLOCENE SAND COMPOSITIONS FROM THE COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN:

COMPOSITIONAL DIVERSITY OF SEDIMENT FROM A MIXED-PROVENANCE

REGION

by

Carla E. Brock

B.S., Central Washington University, 1998

presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of

Master of Science

The University of Montana

2000

Approved by:

rperson

Dean, Graduate School

6 ^ 3 0 “ Date

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Brock, Carla E., M.S., May 2000 Geology

Holocene Sand Compositions from the Columbia River Basin: Compositional Diversity of Sediment from a Mixed-Provenance Region

Advisor: Marc S. Hendrix

Sand composition is influenced by a number of factors including weathering, transport, and depositional characteristics but ultimately is controlled by the composition of the source rocks. Relationships between sand composition and plate tectonic setting have been described, but actualistic models are needed to provide additional examples of the influences of sampling scale on sand compositions, particularly in basins with mixed provenances and multiple tectonic settings. One of the simplest ways to quantify these relationships is to study the composition of sand derived from known source areas. The Columbia River Basin in the northwest United States contains a diversity of geological provinces which makes it a good area to study the relationship between Holocene sand and known lithology types. Major geological terranes within the basin include granitic plutons exposed through uplift and erosion, continental margin strata, accreted terranes consisting of ancient volcanic arcs and their fore-arc and back-arc basins, flood basalts, volcanic provinces and a young, active, magmatic arc. Eighty-five samples of modem sand were collected from first and second-order drainage systems within the Columbia River Basin. These were mounted in thin section, and each was point-counted to determine the modal composition. These data were compared to modal compositions used in ternary classification models introduced by Dickinson and Suczek (1979) and modified by Dickinson (1983). Results from this study suggest the following: 1) Sand compositions of samples from first and second order systems may reflect tectonic setting, but the exceptions illustrate that care must be taken when trying to interpret tectonic setting based only on sand composition. 2) Sand samples collected in lower order stream systems commonly have compositions that are more closely related to the local source rocks than to the general tectonic setting of the area, showing that sampling scale outweighs tectonic setting as a control on sand composition. 3) Artificial homogenization of low-order sands does not approximate the composition of sands from continental-scale systems because of the lack of stabilization that results from the transport and weathering in a large system. 4) Sand compositions cannot be accurately estimated by modeling the areal coverage of source rocks within the drainage basin.

II

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Page

Abstract...... ii Table of Contents ...... iii List of Tables ...... iv List of Figures ...... v

Introduction ...... 1 Previous Work ...... 6 Geologic Evolution of the Columbia River Basin ...... 8 M ethods ...... 12 Description of Source Provinces ...... 21 Boulder Bathoiith ...... 21 Idaho Bathoiith ...... 24 Kaniksu Bathoiith ...... 30 Challis Volcanics ...... 31 Snake River Plain...... 35 Columbia Basalt Plateau ...... 39 Blue Mountains ...... 43 Kootenay Terrane ...... 47 North Cascades ...... 50 South Cascades ...... 54 Belt Basin...... 59 Discussion ...... 64 Hypothesis lA ...... 66 Hypothesis IB ...... 71 Hypothesis 2 ...... 76 Hypothesis 3 ...... 79 Hypothesis 4 ...... 87 Conclusions ...... 99 References...... 101

ill

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Page Table 1. Sample numbers, site locations and geologic regions ...... 14 Table 2. Raw point-count data ...... 15 Table 3. Grain parameters ...... 17 Table 4. Error Analysis chart ...... 20 Table 5. Samples collected from the Boulder Bathoiith region ...... 24 Table 6. Samples collected from the Idaho Bathoiith region ...... 29 Table 7. Samples collected from the Kaniksu Bathoiith region ...... 31 Table 8. Samples collected from the Challis Volcanics region ...... 33 Table 9. Samples collected from the Snake River Plain ...... 35 Table 10.Samples collected from the Columbia Basalt Plateau ...... 41 Table 11.Samples collected from the Blue Mountains region ...... 47 Table 12.Samples collected from the Kootenay Arc region ...... 50 Table 13.Samples collected from the North Cascades region ...... 54 Table 14.Samples collected from the South Cascades region ...... 59 Table 15.Samples collected from the Belt Basin region ...... 60 Table 16.Average sand compositions by geologic region ...... 63 Table 17.Sampling locations of first-order streams, provenance of basin, and provenance reflected in sand compositions ...... 68 Table 18.Samples grouped by tectonic provenance ...... 80 Table 19.Table showing combination of small-scale drainage basins ...... 91 Table 20.Table of calculated and actual sand compositions ...... 93

IV

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Figure 1. Map of extent of Columbia River Basin ...... 4 Figure 2. Map of Columbia River Basin showing geologic provinces 13 Figure 3. Geologic map of Boulder Bathoiith region ...... 22 Figure 4. QtFL plots of all samples by geologic region ...... 25 Figure 5. QpLvLsm, QmPK, LvLsLm, and LvfLvmLvl plots ...... 26 Figure 6. Generalized geologic map of Idaho ...... 27 Figure 7. Geologic map of Snake River Plain region ...... 36 Figure 8. Plot of Snake River Plain bi-modal sand compositions ...... 38 Figure 9. Extent of Columbia River Basalt Group ...... 40 Figure lO.Geologic map of Blue Mountains region ...... 44 Figure 11.Geologic map of Canyon Mountain Ophiolite Complex ...... 45 Figure 12.Geologic map of the Kootenay Arc region ...... 48 Figure B.Geologic maps of the North Cascades region ...... 51 Figure 14.General geologic map of Washington and Oregon ...... 56 Figure B.Geologic map of the John Day Basin ...... 58 Figure 16.Geologic map and extent of the Belt/Purcell Supergroup ...... 62 Figure 17.Temary plots of single first-order sand samples ...... 67 Figure IS.QtFL plots of average sand compositions representing the three main provenances ...... 72 Figure 19.QtFL plot of randomly selected samples ...... 77 Figure 20.Plots of mean sand compositions from each type of geologic provenance ...... 81 Figure 21.Map showing small-scale drainage basins used in Hypothesis 4 .88 Figure 22.QtFL and LvLsLm plots of actual and calculated sand compositions ...... 94

V

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INTRODUCTION

Numerous studies have described and illustrated the relationship between the

framework grain composition of sand and the tectonic setting from which the sand was

derived (Basu, 1976; Dickinson and Suczek, 1979; Dickinson, 1985; Dickinson et. al.,

1986; Girty et. al., 1988; Girty and Armitage, 1989; Marsaglia and Ingersoll, 1992;

Marsaglia, 1993; Critelli et. al., 1997). Sand composition is controlled by a number of

factors including weathering, transport mechanisms and depositional characteristics but

ultimately is dictated by the source rock composition. Certain tectonic environments

contain similar types of source rocks. Erosion of these source areas can produce sand

with a composition that is characteristic of that setting. In a study designed to test the

predictability of tectonic setting based on sand composition Ingersoll (1990) concluded

that stream size and degree of lithologie integration greatly influences the relationship

between sand composition and tectonic setting, and he identified three categories of

drainage systems based on their size and the diversity of lithologies. First-order systems

are small, localized drainages that contain only one type of source rock. Second-order

systems drain entire mountain ranges and a combination of source rocks. Third-order

drainages are those at the scale of continents and ocean basins that represent a wide

diversity of source rocks. Ingersoll (1990) showed that models relating sand composition

to tectonic setting are only accurate when applied to sands from third-order systems and

1

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that erroneous interpretations may result when attempting to infer tectonic setting from

the composition of sands from lower order systems. Ingersoll et al. (1990) showed that

complex continental settings contain diverse source rocks that result in diverse sand

compositions in first and second order streams and that there is considerable variation in

sand compositions in moderate sized rivers as tributaries enter. Ingersoll et al. (1993)

concluded that only sands that are vigorously homogenized and stabilized by mixing and

weathering are reliable predictors of plate tectonic setting. Based on these conclusions,

Ingersoll et al. (1993) identified the need for actualistic petrologic models relating

Holocene sand composition to known source rocks. Mack (1984) emphasized the need

for a wider range of petrologic data from a variety of source rocks to identify sand

compositions typical of tectonic settings not represented in the models of Dickinson and

Suczek (1979). Mack (1984) cited examples of sandstone composition that erroneously

reflected plate tectonic setting and he stated that it is important to understand the

conditions conducive to the development of sandstones. Girty et al. (1988) found that

petrological data from Holocene sands collected from the Peninsular Ranges of

California generally yield a correct interpretation of tectonic setting but that local source

areas produce sands that reflect erroneous tectonic environments based on their position

on Dickinson’s (1983) provenance models. Girty and Armitage (1989) concluded that

petrologists should be careful about making overly simplistic tectonic interpretations

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based on sand/sandstone QFL provenance diagrams, especially in regions with diverse

geological terranes.

Actualistic models are needed which 1) show sand compositions at a variety of

scales, 2) identify sand compositions from regions not represented on classification

models and 3) provide additional data on the relationship between detrital sand

composition and tectonic setting. These models will provide important information about

composition of detrital sediment derived from known source areas. This information can

be applied to the interpretation of ancient sandstones and can help to provide more

accurate correlations between the composition of sand and the composition of inferred

source rocks.

In this thesis, I use the Columbia River Basin as a natural laboratory to address

these problems by analyzing modem sands derived from a variety of source rocks and

collected at a variety of sampling scales. The Columbia River drains an area of 667,000

km^in the northwest comer of the United States (Figure I). The basin contains an

extensive and well-developed perennial stream system that is easily accessible. The

geology of the basin consists of a large variety of source rocks and can help to illustrate

the composition of sands from a mixed-provenance region. The climate is arid so the

effects of weathering on detrital sand compositions are minimal.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ^ W a ^ i n g t o n I ' V } V \|ie H j % V V . / , 1g y' ... \

Wyoming)

Oregon Maho N evadan.y'^x/^ Utah

Figure 1. Areal extent of the Columbia River Basin

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In this study, I focus specifically on the relationship between sand composition

and plate tectonic setting. Sand collected from first and second order drainage systems

with known provenance is compared to petrologic models established by Dickinson and

Suczek (1979) and modified by Dickinson (1983). 1 artificially homogenize samples

collected from each of the three major provenance categories (continental block,

magmatic arc, and recycled orogen) to test the validity of the petrologic models in this

mixed-provenance region. In addition, I attempt to predict sand compositions by areally

modeling the extent of lithology types within drainage basins.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PREVIOUS WORK

Previous studies of modem sand compositions in the Columbia River Basin are

restricted to a few specific studies and two papers covering general sediment

characteristics and sediment transport characteristics. Whetten et al. (1969) studied and

summarized general sediment characteristics within the basin. They concluded that

sediment is derived from two dominant sources within the basin. Sediment in the upper

reaches of the drainage basin is derived from sedimentary, metamorphic and plutonic

bedrock and sediment in the lower reaches is derived from andesitic volcanic rocks and

associated volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks. They also focused on characteristics of

suspended sediment and bedload and concluded that upstream sediment is mostly fine­

grained and carried in suspension and downstream sediment tends to be coarser and

forms the bedload. Their study also summarized the mineral composition of bottom

sediment focusing on the bulk-mineral, dense mineral, and clay mineral compositions.

They found that percentages of unstable materials increase downstream. Generally, they

found that upstream sediments contain more quartz and fewer lithic and feldspar

fragments than downstream sediments and that the percentage of volcanic lithics in

relation to lithics of other compositions increases downstream until virtually all rock

fragments are volcanic in origin. Other comparable studies that examined changes in

modal compositions of modem sand throughout a river basin have been completed on

6

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sands from a southern California drainage system (Critelli et al., 1997), from the

Colorado River (Girty and Armitage, 1989), and from a number of basins in western

China (Graham et al., 1993).

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. GEOLOGIC EVOLUTION OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN

Presently, the Columbia River Basin occupies an active continental margin.

Subduction along the West Coast of the Pacific Northwest is the cause of past and present

volcanism within the region. This plate tectonic motion is generated by the subduction of

the Pacific and Farallon plates under the North American plate. Because of this, the

majority of source rocks within the basin are volcanic and related in some way to

subduction and arc magmatism. Because of the collisional histoiy of the region, there are

numerous accreted terranes as well as a young, active magmatic arc (Dott and Prothero,

1994). A burst of volcanic activity in the Mesozoic led to the emplacement of a number

of large Cretaceous plutons that dot the region. Mesozoic volcanism also accounted for

extensive flows of flood basalts that cover much of the Columbia Basin. Quaternary

volcanic rocks dominate much of the southern and western portions of the basin and can

be attributed to continued subduction along the West Coast (Dott and Prothero, 1994).

During the Proterozoic and Cambrian, the western margin of North America was

a passive stable shelf, subsiding as it rifted from other continents and allowing for the

accumulation of a thick sequence of shelf sediments (Poole et al., 1992). The pre-

Cambrian Belt Supergroup consists of thick packages of sandstone, shale, and limestone

that thicken from east to west and have been dated between 1600 and 1300Ma (Elston

and McKee, 1982; Burchfiel et al., 1992). The tectonic setting of the depositional

8

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environment of the Belt Supergroup is unclear. Hypotheses include a middle Proterozoic

aulacogen (Gabrielse and Yorath, 1989) and an inland basin with no connection to an

open ocean to the west (Hoffman, 1989). Presently, rocks of the Belt Supergroup cover

roughly 20% of the Columbia River Basin along the northeastern margin.

By the Devonian, the western margin was an active subduction zone as shown by

the Antler Orogeny in the west central United States (Speed and Sleep, 1982). West of

the Belt Basin, rocks of the Kootenay Terrane mark the western limit of North American

continental crust based on an initial ^Sr/^Sr ratio of 0.706 (Potter et al., 1992). This

accreted terrane is composed predominantly of Devonian strata of the miogeocline that

have been variably metamorphosed (Poole et al., 1992). Another suspect terrane is found

in central and eastern Oregon and is named the Blue Mountains. Accretion of the Blue

Mountains terrane occurred during the Cretaceous and includes rocks originating in

various tectonic settings (Davis et al., 1978). These settings include ancient volcanic-

arcs, accretionary wedge or forearc basins, and intra-arc and deep forearc basins. The

majority of these rocks have been metamorphosed to blueschist-facies (Miller et al.,

1992). The North Cascades region of the Columbia River Basin also contains

allochthonous terranes accreted during the Cretaceous (Brown, 1987).

During the Mesozoic, subduction continued and by the late Cretaceous all suspect

terranes were in place. These terranes now underlie much of British Columbia,

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Washington and Oregon, and parts of Idaho, Nevada, and California. In the Late

Jurassic, Cordilleran subduction had intensified and become much more rapid (Dott and

Prothero, 1994). The melting of the subducting slab produced an Andean-sized volcanic-

arc that was active from Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous. The first major phase of

Cordilleran mountain building occurred during this time as the Nevadan Orogeny (Harper

and Wright, 1984). Plutonic basement rocks related to this volcanism and the rapid

spreading and subduction are now exposed as a series of Mesozoic . Major

batholiths related to rapid spreading include the Idaho Bathoiith and Kaniksu Bathoiith

(Dickinson and Snyder, 1978). Smaller plutonic bodies intruded rocks of the accreted

terranes and are presently exposed in the North Cascades and Kootenay Terrane (Fox et

al., 1977). The peak of mountain building activity occurred in the Late Cretaceous as the

Sevier Orogeny, which represents an eastward shift of arc volcanism into Idaho that has

been attributed to shallowing of the subducting slab (Armstrong, 1974). The

emplacement of numerous small plutons at shallow levels along the Cordillera also has

been attributed to this slab-shallowing (Dickinson and Snyder, 1978). The Boulder

Bathoiith in southwest Montana is one of these plutons. Late Cretaceous to Eocene time

was dominated by the Laramide Orogeny in the central Rockies region in which very

shallow subduction caused a lull in volcanic activity and resulted in folding and thrusting

in the western craton (Engebretson et al., 1985).

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By the end of the Eocene, volcanic activity had resumed as the downgoing plate

apparently reassumed a normal dip (Dickinson and Snyder, 1978). A major arc volcano

complex in central Oregon from late Eocene to early Miocene resulted in thick deposits

of volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks. About this same time, volcanic activity in central

Idaho resulted in the deposition of the Challis Volcanics (Ewing, 1980). In the mid-

Miocene, a third plate, the Farallon plate, began subducting along the western margin,

resulting in the initiation of the San Andreas fault system and Basin and Range extension

in the southwest United States. During this time, huge volumes of flood basalts flowed

out of fissures in present-day southeast Washington and northeast Oregon. Named the

Columbia River Basalts, they cannot be explained by simple plate interactions and may

instead be related to a hot spot (Swanson et al,, 1975). Also credited to a hot spot is the

late Miocene to Pliocene Snake River volcanics (Armstrong et al., 1975). Uplift of the

Rocky Mountains occurred at the end of the Miocene and those rocks long buried by

sediment were re-exposed. Volcanic activity has decreased since the Miocene, probably

due to slower and shallower subduction (Burchfiel et al., 1992). However, volcanism is

still present as evident by the active Cascade magmatic arc that forms the western

boundary of the Columbia River drainage basin.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. METHODS

Eighty-fîve samples of modem sand were collected from first and second order streams

within the Columbia River drainage basin (Figure 2 and Table 1). Special care was taken

to be sure that these samples were fluvial in origin and not transported or deposited by

human activity. Samples were collected from locations above and below the confluence

of two rivers for the purpose of comparing changes in sand compositions between

geologic provinces. Samples were collected from point-bars or longitudinal bars when

available and other samples were collected from the main channel bedload. Each bulk

sample was air-dried and sieved to extract the medium sand-sized fraction (0.25-0.50

mm). If an insufficient quantity of sand of this size was recovered, then the fine-sized

fraction was used (0.124-0.25 mm). The unconsolidated, medium-sized fraction was sent

to Spectrum Petrographies, Inc. in Winston, Oregon and artificially consolidated with

resin and made into a thin-section. Each thin section was stained with sodium

cobaldnitrite for potassium feldspar and alizarin red for calcite.

The thin-sections were point-counted at a step length of 0.064 mm using the

Gazzi-Dickinson point-counting method (Ingersoll, 1984). Five-hundred grains were

counted on each thin-section (Table 2). Modal compositions vary with grain size

primarily due to the breakage of polymineralic rock fragments into their constituent

grains (Ingersoll et al., 1984). Thus, compositional grain-size dependency is eliminated

12

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IT07

ITÔ4 KT05

Figure 2. Gêôlôgicprovuî^s and sampling sites within the CÔÎûmBuTkivcr Basin: 1 = North Cascades, 2 "Kootenay Terrane, 3 "B elt Basin, 4 = Kaniksu Bathoiith, S = Columbia Basalt Plateau, 6 "South Cascades, 7 = Blue Mountains, 8 - Snake River Plain, 9 = Idaho Bathoiith, 10 = Challis Volcanics, 11" Wyoming Fold-Thrust Belt, 12" Boulder Bathoiith

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Samole ID Location Geologic Region WA-01 Swauk Ck. At Swauk Ck. CG North Cascades 14 WA-03 Mad River on Entlat R. Road North Cascades WA-05 Wenatchee R. in Leavenworth, WA North Cascades WA-07 White R. N of Lake Wenatchee North Cascades WA-08 Yakima R. at Umtanum Ck. Columbia Basalt Plateau WA-09 Columbia R. at Vantage, WA North Cascades WA-10 Snake R. iust up from Clearwater R. Columbia Basalt Plateau WA-11 Grande Ronde R. S of Lewiston. ID Columbia Basalt Plateau WA-12 Snake R. down from Ciarkston, WA Columbia Basalt Plateau WA-13-1-6 Columbia R. just above confluence with Snake R. Columbia Basalt Plateau WA-15 Yakima R. just above confluence with Columbia R. Columbia Basalt Plateau WA-17 Spokane R. just above confluence with Columbia R. Kootenay Terrane WA-18 Columbia R. N of Cedonia, WA Kootenay Terrane WA-19-1-5 Columbia R. above Kettle Falls, WA Kootenay Terrane WA-20 Pend-Oreille R. at Usk, WA Kaniksu Bathoiith WA-21 Columbia R. just below John Day Dam Columbia Basalt Plateau WA-22 Columbia R. just below Deschutes R. Columbia Basalt Plateau WA-23-1-3 Columbia R. in Kalama, WA Columbia Basalt Plateau

0R-01 Lewis R. in Ridgefield. WA South Cascades 0R-W2 Willamette R. In Eugene, OR South Cascades OR-03 Deschutes R. near Tumalo St. Pk. South Cascades OR-OS John Day R. at "the swimmin' hole" South Cascades OR-07 John Day R. W of Dayville. OR South Cascades OR-08 John Day R. at C. Holliday St. Pk. South Cascades OR-11 Malheur R. (N.F.) at Chukar Pk. Snake River Plain OR-12 Powder R. just below Phillips Lk. Blue Mountains OR-13 Burnt R. at confluence with Snake R. Blue Mountains OR-14 Snake R. just below Burnt R. Blue Mountains OR-15 OvKyhee R. Snake River Plain

ID4)1 Snake R. near Weiser, ID Snake River Plain ID-02 Boise R. off Hwy 21 Idaho Bathoiith ID-03 Boise R. (N.F.) on Hwy 21 Idaho Bathoiith ID-04 Crooked R. on Hwy 21 Idaho Bathoiith ID-05 Payette R. (S.F.) near Lowman, ID Idaho Bathoiith ID07 Salmon R. below Stanley. ID Idaho Bathoiith ID-08 Salmon R. (E.F.) at confluence with Salmon R. Challis Volcanics ID09 Pashimeroi R. at confluence with Salmon R. Challis Volcanics ID-10 Lochsa R. E of Lowell, ID Idaho Bathoiith ID-11 Clearwater R. between Kamiah and Greer, ID Idaho Bathoiith ID-12 Clearawater R. just before Snake R. Columbia Basalt Plateau ID-13 Priest R. betw een city and lake Kaniksu Bathoiith ID-14 Snake R. - Henry's Fork Snake River Plain ID-15 Snake River above confluence with Henry's Fork Wyoming Fold-Thrust Belt ID-16 Snake R. S of Idaho Falls (Shelly R. Rd) Snake River Plain ID-17 Snake R. at Massacre Rocks St. Pk. Snake River Plain ID-18 Snake R. at 3-Island Crossing St. Pk. Snake River Plain ID-19 Srake R. near Marsing, ID Snake River Plain ID-20 Boise R. near Roswell, ID Idaho Bathoiith ID-21 Snake R. downhver from Boise R. Snake River Plain ID-22 Payette R. near New Plymouth, ID Idaho Bathoiith ID-23 Weister R. near Cambridge, ID Columbia Basalt Plateau ID-24 Little Salmon R. S of Riggins, ID Blue Mountains ID-25 Salmon R. N of Riggins, ID Blue Mountains ID-26 Clearwater R. (S.F.) Idaho Bathoiith

MT-01 Rock Creek Beit Basin MT-02 Clark Fork R. near Gold Creek, MT Boulder Bathoiith MT-03 Little Biackfoot R. W of Avon, MT Boulder Bathoiith MT-04 Clark Fork R. near Galen. MT Boulder Bathokth MT-05 Silver Bow Ck. Near Ramsey, MT Boulder Bathoiith MT-06 Flathead R. (N.F.) at Polebridge. MT Belt Basin MT-07 Flathead R. (M.F) Hwy 2 Belt Basin MT-08 Flathead R. at Kokanee Bend Belt Basin MT-09 Swan R. at FR 966 (S of town) Belt Basin Mr-10 Biackfoot R. on Sunset Hill Dr. Belt Basin MT-11 Clark Fork R. in E. Missoula, MT Belt Basin MT-12 Clark Fork R. at Alt>erton, MT Belt Basin MT-13 Clark Fork R. above corrfluence with Flathead R. Belt Basin MT-14 Clark Fork R. below confluence with Flathead R. Belt Basin MT-15 Flathead R. above confluence with Clark Fork R. Belt Basin

BC-01 Elk R. above confluence with Kootenay r. Belt Basin BC-02 Kootenay R. near Skookumchuck, BC Belt Basin BC-03 Columbia R. near Parson, BC Belt Basin BC-04 Columbia R. in Revelstoke. BC Kootenay Terrane BC-OS Kootenay R. just above confluence with Columbia R. Kootenay Terrane Table 1. Sample number, site location and geologic region

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 15

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 16

by using the Gazzi-Dickinson method and identifying sand-sized crystals (>0.0625 mm)

whether or not they are part of a larger rock fragment. Ingersoll et al. (1984) concluded

that this method has advantages over more traditional methods. These advantages

include more uniform results for any grain size and the elimination of the need for

multiple counts. Using this method, only pure silica is classified as polycrystalline

quartz, even the slightest amount of impurity within the grain results in the grain being

classified as a lithic fragment. Modal compositions of the samples were recalculated as

proportions of 1 ) quartz, including monocrystalline and polycrystalline quartz, 2)

monocrystalline feldspars, including both plagioclase and potassium feldspar, and 3)

polycrystalline lithic fragments, separated into volcanic lithics, sedimentary lithics and

metamorphic lithics (Table 3). Dickinson (1985) identified metamorphic lithics as either

metavolcanic fragments or metasedimentary fragments and classified them as Lv and Ls,

respectively. For this study, metamorphic rock fragments were classified separately as

Lm for two reasons. First, it is often hard to determine the origin of a metamorphic grain.

Second, because of the abundance of both volcanic and sedimentary terranes within the

study area, metamorphic rock fragments are a unique component in modem sands within

the basin.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 17

Counted parameters Recalculated parameters Qp«polycrystalfine quartz (inc. chert) Q=Qp+Qm Qm=monocrystalline quartz F=P+K P=plagioclase feldspar L=Lv+Ls+Lm+xbC03 K=potassium feldspar QFL%Q=100Q/(Q+F+L) Lv=volcanic lithic fragment QFL%F=100F/(Q+F+L) Lvf=feisic volcanic lithic fragment QFL%L=100L/(Q+F+L) Lvm=microlitic volcanic lithic fragment QpLvLsm%Qp=l OOQp/(Qp+Lv+Lsm) Lvl=lathwork vdcanic lithic fragment QpLvLsm%Lv=1 OOLv/(Qp+Lv+Lsm) Lvg=vitric volcanic lithic fragment QpLvLsm%Lsm=l OOLsm/(Qp+Lv+Lsm) Ls-sedimentary lithic fragment QmPK%Qm=l OOQm/(Qm+P+K) xbC03=carbonate lithic fragment QmPK%P=1 OOP/(Qm+P+K) Lm=metamorphic lithic fragment QmPK%K=l OOK/Qm+P+K) bt=biotite LvLsLm%Lv= 1 OOLv/( Lv+Ls+Lm) ms=muscovite LvLsLm%Ls=1 OOLs/(Lv+Ls+Lm) cakcalcite LvLsLm%Lm= 1 OOLm/(Lv+Ls+Lm) heavy=amphiboles/pyroxenes LvfLvmLvl%Lvf= 1 OOLvf/(Lvf+Lvm+Lvl) Lu/nLu=miscellaneous and unidentified LvfLvmLvl%Lvm= 1 OOLvm/(Lvf+Lvm+Lvl) LvfLvmLvl%Lvl=1 OOLvl/(Lvf+Lvm+Lvl) Table 3. Grain parameters (after Ingersoll et al., 1984)

Since classification of lithic fragments may vary among petrographers, it is

necessary to clarify techniques used in identification for this project. The largest problem

is distinguishing between volcanic and sedimentary rock fragments. Dickinson (1970)

identified four main types of fragments. Grains containing plagioclase

laths in an interstitial matrix are sub-categorized as Lvl and represent basaltic lavas.

Fine-grained, microcrystalline grains containing mainly anhedral quartz and feldspars are

identified as felsic volcanic lithics and are categorized as Lvf. Vitric volcanic fragments

are composed predominantly of volcanic glass and are sub-categorized as Lvg.

Microlitic volcanic grains, sub-categorized as Lvm, consist of subhedral to euhedrai

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 18

feldspar plates and prisms in a microcrystalline groundmass. These grains are typical of

intermediate types of lava. Fragments of microlitic volcanic rocks can be easily mis

identified as sedimentary rock fragments. Grains are identified as Lvm if crystals within

the grain are lath-like or contain ill-defined boundaries or if the location of minerals

within a finer grained matrix is irregular. If rock fragments are fine-grained, lack

phenocrysts, have aligned clay minerals or have silt clasts with well-defined boundaries,

they are identifed as sedimentary rock fragments. Metamorphic rock fragments are

identified by texture and mineral composition. Accessory minerals, such as dense

minerals, are tabulated in point-counts but not included in calculated modal

compositions.

To analyze the data, temaiy diagrams introduced by Dickinson and Suczek (1979)

and modified by Dickinson (1983) are used. The sand samples are grouped according to

the geologic province from which they were predominantly derived. Since many of the

samples may represent a variety of geologic terranes, their compositions are compared to

the surrounding geology and categorized with similar samples. The mean of the samples

from each geologic province is calculated and plotted on ternary diagrams. The standard

deviation (2 sigma) of samples from each province is also calculated and plotted in order

to show the range of compositional variability.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 19 In order to quantify and minimize error, multiple samples were collected from

three of the different sample sites and point-counted. The results of these multiple point-

counts are shown in Table 4. To make sure that grain identification remained consistent,

throughout the study, some single samples were counted more than once through the

point-counting process. The data from these multiple counts can be seen

along with the raw data in Table 2. The consistency of the multiple counts of the same

sample, and counts of multiple samples from the same location, shows that major grain

identification (QFL) was within 5% standard deviation throughout the process and that

the compositional results are accurate and reliable.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 20

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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DESCRIPTION OF SOURCE PROVINCES

The Columbia River Basin is divided into eleven geologic provinces for the

purpose of this study. Each province contains a distinct type or set of source rocks. The

purpose of defining these major provinces within the basin is to compare the sand

composition shed from different types of known source rocks.

Boulder

The upper Cretaceous Boulder Batholith and related Elkhom Mountain Volcanics

are found in southwestern Montana along the eastern most edge of the Columbia River

basin (Figure 3). The headwaters of the Clark Fork River drain this geologic province.

This to granodiorite batholith was emplaced at shallow levels beneath a broad

area of Elkhom Mountain volcanics derived from the same magma chamber (Rutland et

al., 1989). The overlying volcanic rocks were intruded by the Boulder Batholith and are

presently found along its margins and as a small remaining roof pendant (Hamilton and

Myers, 1974).

The Elkhom Mountain Volcanics contains three informal members (Rutland et

al., 1989). The lower member consists predominantly of lava flows, water-laid

volcaniclastic rocks and sparse, thin sheets of andesitic ash-flow tuff. The middle

member consists of rhyolitic welded tuff and interbedded andesitic and basaltic the lower

21

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 22

114* 00* 113*00* 112* 00* 1 1 1* 00* ■ IMBRICATE THRUST ZONE 3

46* 46* 30" 30"

FLINT GREEK RLUTOMS

46* 46* 00*' / 00 ' B A T H O L ^

Low*r T«fiMry «olCAAic ro c M TOBACCO ROOT BATHOLITH OranRle reekt (Gf#l#o#*R$) BATHOLITH

Elk Rom M#uoi##a» Votasfilet ' 1 ROCKY I Q%^ ^ MOUNTAIN Rf#ca#NU#m# • ^ FORELAND f«ck«

Tkrvti •••«■ P ' boi FmiMi #Mh «KiitnioaBi km 30 ■ ?Î.'50J«A- •••«•I **«*#**1# ■ ■ ■ * IDAHO ' ‘V-.," momOEX MAP

Figure 3. Generalized geologic map of the Boulder Batholith region (Rutland et al., 1989)

volcaniclastic rocks. The upper member consists predominantly of reworked material of

two units, but in northern-most exposures is comprised of basaltic lava flows and flow

breccia.

The Boulder Batholith is a composite calc-alkaline intrusive body that ranges in

composition from potassic ultramafic to granite and syenite. More than 75% of the

Boulder Batholith is exposed as the Butte Quartz Monzonite (Rutland et al., 1989).

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 23

Four samples of modem sand were collected from the Boulder Batholith region

(Table 5). These samples were collected from Silver Bow Creek, Little Blackfoot River

and the Clark Fork River (Figure 2).

Sands collected from this region are feldspatholithic and have an average

composition of Q20 F49 L32. The sand is enriched in feldspars, and plagioclase feldspar

is the more abundant feldspar (P/F = 2). Rock fragments comprise about one-third of the

samples, are predominantly volcanic in origin and range from felsic to intermediate in

composition. Quartz grains make up less than 20% of the sand shed from the Boulder

Batholith (QmFLt %Qm=18). The sample taken farthest downstream in this region has a

higher percentage of quartz and sedimentary rock fragments that likely reflects the

growing dominance of the surrounding pre-Cambrian Belt Rocks. The composition of

these sands is similar to those found by Basu (1976) in a study focusing on Holocene

sands shed from plutonic source rocks. Samples for his study came from the Boulder

Batholith and , as well as another plutonic province in Wyoming and had

an average composition of Q24 F49 L16 (accessory minerals make up remaining 11%).

Using Dickinson’s (1983) compositional diagrams, Holocene sands from the Boulder

Batholith fall into the magmatic arc field (Figure 4B). Some overlap occurs into the

lithic-poor, continental block-basement uplift field. The polycrystalline components of

the sand (Qp5 Lv83 Lsml2) falls entirely within the arc-orogen source field (Figure 5B)

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 24

BOULDER BATHOLITH SANDS Samole Location QM f LT OT FL OP t v LSM QM P K »L vf WLvm %Lv1 Lv Ls Lm MT-02 Oarfc fork R. 28 4229 304228 6 57 36 40 40 20 54 33 14 61 39 0 MT-03 Lrttle Blackfoot R. 8 32 60 9 32 6 0 1 95 4 20 45 35 55 38 7 96 4 0 WT4)4 CUwlc Fork R. 20SB22 205921 4 93 3 25S3 22 29 66 5 97 3 0 MT-05 Silver Bowv Ck. 18 20 20 §2 18 10 87 3 ?? 53 24 22 76 1 96 2 1 MEAN 18 49 33 204931 5 63 12 27 48 25 40 53 7 87 12 1 STD 8 14 19 9 14 19 4 16 17 9 6 7 1 7 21 5 18 18 1 Table 5. Samples collected from the Boulder Batholith region

modeled by Dickinson and Suczek (1979) and modified by Dickinson (1983).

Classification of the monocrystalline components (Qm27 P48 K25) on Dickinson’s

modified model (1983) shows the dominance of volcanic sources over plutonic sources in

these sands (Figure 5C).

Idaho Batholith

The Idaho Batholith is exposed in central Idaho as two lobes of plutonic rock

separated by metamorphic rocks of the Salmon River arch (Figure 6). The batholith was

emplaced during the Late Cretaceous and marks the edge of the craton as shown by the

Strontium 87/86 ratio and the 0.706 line (Lewis et al., 1987). West of the batholith, a

mylonitic zone over a mile wide separates the plutonic rocks from the accreted terranes of

the Blue Mountains. Both lobes of the Idaho Batholith consist of granodiorite, granite

and two-mica granite (Barton et al, 1988) emplaced between 80 and 65 Ma (Hyndman

and Foster, 1989). Lewis et al. (1987) separated the Atlanta Lobe into six major rock

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 25

^ / Recycled Orogen Kootenay TeVane

Dissected Arc Wyoming FbJd-Thrust Belt ♦ North Cascade

Bèit Basin F “'T " “ %allisVolcafS Transitional Arc Undtssected Arc

Recycled Orogen

Kaniksu Bathollt

Dissected Arc

Columbia Bas^rPlateau Idaho BatholitfvT^ fO Snake RiVgr Plain uidef Batholith Undissecftd Arc Transitional A South Cascades L

Figure 4. QtFL plots of Holocene sand samples by geologic region

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 26

PtoMftü

2

tfdiifi I f.i i:U' ,1, L'ialcii viufitMld i-'r

ivVi rcS'.in. VC^<.3fioC-i

Cotumba B ac# Malaau Wyoming F«d-Trrua

BluaMouniara

Koofanay Twran»

$ voicarKS \,4ftom4iAV PfL.V' date BalhoMh nCMcadas

Koolanay Tanarva

C teik s

Lm Lvm SWhGaacaoaa

Figure 5. QpLvLsm, QmPK, LvLsLm, and LvfLvmLvl plots of Holocene sand samples by geologic region. Fields shown determined by Dickinson and Suczek (1979) and modified by Dickinson (1983)

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 27

117" 114" 111' 49" EXPLANATION Kaniksu Batholith | Snake River Plain volcanic rocks □ Columbia River Basalt Group

Chains Volcanics (Eocene)

Plutonic rocl@ (Eocene)

Plutonic rocks (Mesozoic) Idaho Batholitti and Kaniksu Batholith Voicanic-arc complex (Mesozoic)

0.704-0.706 Sedimentary rocks of Wyoming Fold-Thrust Belt (Mz & Pz) M etasedi mentary rocks of die Belt Supergroup and basement rocks

Salmon River Arch Sr 0.704-0.706 line 45"

0 .7 0 4

42® 0 .7 0 6 100 km I______I ± ±

Figure 6. Generalized geologic map of Idaho illustrating location of Salmon River Arch, Kaniksu Batholith, Idaho Batholith, Belt Supergroup, Columbia River Basalt Group, Challis Volcanics, and eastern extent of the Blue Mountains (Mesozoic volcanic-arc complex), (Lewis et al., 1987)

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 28

types. The rock types are tonalité, homblende-biotite granodiorite, muscovite-biotite

granite, and leucocratic granite. The Bitterroot Lobe is composed primarily of

muscovite-biotite granodiorite and monzogranite with tonalité and quartz diorite along its

borders (Toth, 1987). The majority of rocks are felsic, medium-grained, and massive

(Hyndman and Foster, 1989). Mafic-rich rocks are found deeper and in border zones of

the batholith and large swarms of synplutonic mafic dikes cut the batholith. Younger

epizonal plutons of subalkalic syenogranite and quartz syenite are found along the sides

of the Bitterroot Lobe along with rhyodacite and rhyolite dikes extending away from the

pluton (Toth, 1987).

Ten samples of sand were collected from central Idaho and the Idaho Batholith

region. The samples came from the Boise River, Crooked River, Payette River, Salmon

River, Lochsa River and Clearwater River.

The sands are quartzo-feldspathic and have an average composition of Q23 F68

L9 (Table 6). Feldspars dominate the sand composition, and the P/F ratio is 3. Lithic

rock fragments account for a very small percentage of the sand composition. These are

predominantly volcanic in origin and are mostly felsic in composition. Mafic volcanic

fragments are evident in sands from the Clearwater River in western Idaho that is

draining part of the Columbia Basalt Plateau. Quartz grains account for about one-

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 29

quarter of sands from the Idaho Batholith region, and almost all are monocrystalline

grains of plutonic origin. Samples ID-26 and ID-10 show variations in the

polycrystalline components and reflect the influence of metamorphic rocks of the Salmon

River arch.

Sand from the Idaho Batholith region falls within the continental block category

on the QFL diagram with overlap into the magmatic arc field (Figure 4B). These sands

suggest a basement uplift provenance as described by Dickinson (1983). Dickinson and

Suczek (1979) stated that quartzo-feldspathic sands typically come from high relief areas

and rapid erosion of uplifted basement rocks. Relative percentages of the polycrystalline

components (Qp6 Lv85 Lsm9) of these sands reflect an arc orogen provenance as

described by Dickinson and Suczek (1979) (Figure SB). The plot of monocrystalline

components (Qm25 P55 K20) shows the dominance of plutonic over volcanic sources

(Figure SC).

IDAHO BATHOLITH SANDS SamDle Location QM F LT QT F L QP LV LSM QM P K %Lvf «Lvm «LvI Lv Ls Lm ID-02 BofS« R. 22 61 17 23 61 16 6 63 S 27 46 26 42 36 23 95 S 0 ID-03 eoHte R. NF } 7 7 7 7 17 77 7 0 97 3 18 64 16 70 30 0 97 3 0 ID-04 lo o k e d R. 16 79 5 16 79 5 0 77 23 17 65 18 68 6 6 77 9 10-05 PayMtft R. SF 26 67 6 27 67 6 13 86 0 28 S3 19 100 0 0 lD-07 SalmcnR. 18 67 15 16 67 14 4 61 15 21 62 17 100 0 0 84 16 0 1D1Q Loch** R. 2962 9 3062 6 14 79 7 32 46 22 62 35 3 92 5 3 IDtl Qearwstar R. 1973 8 19738 5 95 0 20 52 26 29 3 69 100 0 D ID20 ft. 1874 8 1674 8 5 6213 2056 22 67 17 17 66 0 ID22 Payatte ft. 30 6S 5 30 65 S 8 92 0 31 48 20 54 29 17 100 0 0 ID26 Oearwatar ft. SF 33 S8 9 33 58 9 3 70 27 36 51 13 63 21 17 72 17 11 MEAN 23 68 9 23 66 9 6 a s 9 25 SS 20 61 21 18 91 7 2 STD 6 7 4 6 7 4 5 9 10 7 7 4 22 14 21 10 7 Table 6, Samples collected from the Idaho Batholith region

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 30

Kaniksu Batholith

The Kaniksu Batholith is located in the panhandle of Idaho and stretches into

northeast Washington (Figure 6). It is a small, granitic batholith, emplaced at about the

same time as the Idaho Batholith. The Priest River Complex, which is a region of

amphibolite-grade metamorphic rocks, surrounds the Kaniksu Batholith. Rocks are

mainly pelitic and semi-pelitic schist and gneiss, granodioritic to granitic orthogneiss, and

augen gneiss along with amphibolite and quartzite (Rhodes and Hyndman, 1988).

Two modem sand samples were taken from the Kaniksu Batholith region. These

samples came from the Fend-Oreille River in northeast Washington and the Priest River

in the Idaho Panhandle. Sands are quartzo-feldspathic with an average composition of

Q32 F61 L7 (Table 7). Plagioclase feldspar grains are twice as abundant as potassium

feldspar grains (P/F = 2), and account for half of the monocrystalline components of the

sand (QmPK %P=47). The majority of quartz grains are monocrystalline. Lithic grains

are mainly volcanic in origin and feldspar rich. Polycrystalline quartz grains in sand

from the Pend-Oreille River likely reflect influence from the Kootenay Arc that is found

upstream (Figure 2). Metamorphic rock fragments in the sand from the Priest River

reflect surrounding metamorphic rocks of the Priest River Complex.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 31

fCAHnCSU BATHOLITH SANDS Samole Location QM f LT QT f L QP LV LSM QM P K %Lvf MLvm »Lvl Lv L$ Lm WA 20 Pand-OroNeR. 33 54 13 36 54 6 38 48 14 38 43 19 66 34 0 78 20 2 JO-13 Pnesi R. 25 67 7 27 67 6 18 58 24 27 51 21 100 0 0 70 1 1 19 MtAN 30 60 10 32 61 7 28 53 19 33 47 20 83 1 7 0 75 IS 10 STO 5 10 4 8 10 2 14 6 7 8 6 2 24 24 0 5 € 11 Table 7. Samples collected from the Kaniksu Batholith region

Sand compositions from the Kaniksu Batholith region reflects a basement uplift

provenance, according to Dickinson’s revised models (1983) (Figure 4B). The plot of

polycrystalline components (Qp28 Lv53 Lsml9) falls partially into the arc orogen source

defined by Dickinson and Suczek (1979), but mostly falls outside areas of specified

provenance (Figure 5B). The plot showing relative percentages of monocrystalline

components (Qm33 P47 K20) reflects a magmatic arc provenance with a high ratio of

plutonic to volcanic influence (Figure 5D).

Challis Volcanics

The Challis Volcanics in east central Idaho are just one part of a belt of

widespread Eocene volcanic deposits found across the Pacific Northwest (Figure 6).

Volcanism occurred in this region between 51 and 40 Ma (McIntyre et al., 1982).

Igneous activity in the province occurred in two episodes, beginning with emplacement

of plutons and followed by the eruption of siliceous lava and ash (Orr & Orr, 1996). The

older sequence consists of thick deposits of intermediate lava with minor mafic lava and

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 32

associated volcaniclastic rocks and ranges in age from 51 to 49 Ma (Hardyman, 1989).

The younger sequence is felsic lava and domes that range in age from 45 to 41 Ma

(Hardyman, 1989). Challis volcanic rocks are easily distinguishable in hand specimen

from rocks of the Idaho Batholith because of their pink color and large crystals.

The older sequence of rocks dominates the southern portion of the area. Two sub­

categories of rocks occur: 1) light-colored dacite with phenocrysts of plagioclase,

pyroxene or amphibole and biotitc, and 2) dark, crystal-poor “basalt-like” rocks with

phenocrysts of pyroxene or olivine and plagioclase (McIntyre et al., 1982).

The younger felsic rocks in the northern Challis area are rhyolitic lava, ash flow

tuffs and tephra. The Casto Pluton is one of these younger felsic rock bodies and ranges

in composition from pink granite to monzonite. Other distinct pink felsic rocks similar to

the pluton make up the rest of the upper sequence of rocks. These rocks are interpreted to

be derived from a caldera complex (McIntyre et al., 1982).

Between rocks of Challis volcanic activity and those of the Snake River Plain are

Cambrian to Permian shallow- to deep-water detritus including bedded limestone and

dolomite, and quartzite (Bond, 1978). These are the same rocks found in the Columbia

River Basin to the south and east of the Snake River Plain and are part of the Sevier

orogenic belt. Rocks of southeast Idaho and western Wyoming consist of thrust-fault-

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bounded exposures of Paleozoic miogeoclinal rocks and crystalline basement rocks

(Burchfiel et al., 1992).

Because of limited access to the Challis Volcanics province, only two modem

sand samples were collected from this province. These samples are from the Pashimeroi

River and the east fork of the Salmon River. Most of this area is National Forest Land

and due to extreme terrain and a lack of roads, it was difficult to access the stream

system.

Holocene sand samples from the Challis region are feldspatholithic (average

composition Q15 F41 L44) (Table 8). The P/F ratio is 2. The majority of quartz grains

are monocrystalline. Lithic grains are mostly volcanic and intermediate to felsic in

composition. Eleven percent of the lithic grains are sedimentary in origin and reflect the

influence of Paleozoic strata in the region.

The modal compositions of these sands fall within the transitional magmatic arc

field of Dickinson ( 1983) (Figure 4A). Classification of both the polycrystalline

components (Qp4 Lv83 Lsml3) and the monocrystalline components (Qm26 P51 K23)

THAI i H VfW f A N f l S a m o le 1 o c a t i o AM p 1 T OT F 1 AP I V K M AM P K 4M Vf 4M v m 7FI v( i V 1 < irw rm <^9»lmnr> A P f 1 ? 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ^ 7 M R 71 44 7A 74 11 11 4 7 F 1 ITW1Q A 1A ^ 7 4 7 1A A7 4 1 q 7 7 1R 71 17 1 7 7 1 FA 1F R I 1F 7 MPAM 14 4 1 1A 4 7 R7 17 7A 11 7 7 7A i n 17 R7 11 ? < T n ? q 7 4 R 7 7 7 Q 7 7 7 R F

wvnywR FOI a - t m a i h t RFI T o y F 1 T AT AP IV 1 1M AM P H 4M Vf «M v fn y.1 vl 1 V 1 « 1 7 irw i 41 7Q ?1 47 77 741F lA 1R 7 7 1 1 Table 8. Samples collected from the Challis Volcanic region and Wyoming fold-thrust belt

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 34

reflects volcanic arc orogen sources as defined by Dickinson and Suczek (1979) (Figure

5A and 5C).

Sample ID-15 was collected from the Snake River near the eastern boundary of

the Columbia River Basin. Source rocks for this sample are part of the Sevier orogenic

belt in northwest Wyoming and southeast Idaho and are the same as those found in the

Challis region. These are Paleozoic and Mesozoic shailow-water to transitional marine

sediments. Lithologies include chert, limestone, dolomite, claystone, shale, siltstone,

argillite, sandstone, quartzite and conglomerate (Bond, 1978). This sample has a

composition of Q29 F41 L30 (Table 8). It has a P/F ratio of almost 5. Rock fragments

are about equal amounts of volcanic and sedimentary grains. Sedimentary rock

fragments include limestone and dolomite along with clastic grains. Chert is also

common in this sample. Volcanic rock fragments are mostly felsic in composition.

Plotting this sample on Dickinson’s revised QFL model (1983) suggests a

dissected magmatic arc source (Figure 4A). Plotting polycrystalline (Qp21 Lv42 Lsm37)

(Figure 5A) and monociystalline components (Qm34 P56 KIO) (Figure 5D) also reflects

an arc orogen source on Dickinson and Suczek’s models (1979).

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 35

Snake River Plain

The Snake River Plain stretches for more than 500 km across southern Idaho

(Figures 6 and 7). The geology of the Snake River Plain is dominated by Cenozoic,

bimodal, basalt-rhyolite volcanism. The western Snake River Plain is composed of 15-16

Ma rhyolitic tuffs and ash flows and minor amounts of alkali basalt. Widespread tuffs

erupted from numerous volcanic calderas are now covered by younger deposits. A

complex package of thick fluvial and lacustrine sediments containing volcanic ash and

interbedded basalt flows is also present. The stratigraphy of volcanic rocks in the

western half of the Snake River Main is hard to assess because of poor exposure and

lateral variations in thickness (Leeman, 1982). The eastern half of the plain contains

younger silicic volcanic sequences and basalt flows. Rhyolitic welded tuffs and flows

and minor basaltic flows dominate this part of the plain.

The basalt of the Snake River Plain is predominantly olivine tholeiite. Rocks are

porphyritic and contain plagioclase and olivine phenocrysts with some clinopyroxene

SNAKE RIVER PLAIN SANDS Samole Location QM f LT QT F L OP LV LSM QMP K MLvt %Lvl Lv Ls Lm OR-11 R. NF 2 25 74 2 25 74 0 93 7 6 92 2 9 26 65 93 7 0 OR-IS Owyttee R. 6 32 61 8 32 60 1 93 6 19 68 13 13 18 69 94 6 0 ID-01 Snake R. 5 24 71 6 24 70 2 79 19 17 70 13 6 10 84 80 20 0 ID-14 Snake R. HF 14 IB 68 15 18 67 2 94 4 44 33 22 19 60 21 96 4 0 ID-16 Snake R. 9 23 68 13 23 63 7 66 7 27 49 24 64 17 19 92 8 0 10-17 Snake R. 2 8 90 3890 0 93 6 2260 18 10 1276 94 6 0 10-16 Snake R. 23 44 33 27 44 29 12 67 21 34 55 1 51 26 24 76 23 1 10-19 Snake R. 16 34 SO 20 34 4 6 9 64 27 31 51 18 29 46 25 70 30 0 10-21 Snake R. 16 45 39 18 45 36 7 81 12 26 58 16 45 31 23 87 12 1 MEAN 10 26 62 12 26 6 0 4 54 12 25 60 15 27 27 46 87 13 0 STD 7 12 16 8 12 19 4 12 8 1 16 7 21 17 28 9 9 0 Table 9. Samples collected from the Snake River Plain region

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 36

national

IMHÔ V

•t

200 KILOMETERS

EXPLANATION

Tatiay udjnicntaiy locks

QuMiuay built Prc-T«rtiary rocks

QuiUmuy ibyolitc and Crataeious Mnatwc rocks Tattay vatcanlc ncte i M

Figure 7. Geologic map of southern Idaho showing Snake River Plain (Mabey, 1982)

phenocrysts. Rhyolites have high silica contents and phenocrysts typically include

quartz, sanidine, sodic plagioclase, and minor ferromagnesian minerals (Leeman, 1982).

Nine samples of sand were collected from the Snake River Plain province (Table

9). The majority of these samples come from the Snake River. Other samples are from

the Malheur River and the Owyhee River in eastern Oregon.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 37

The majority of modem sand from the Snake River Plain is feldspatholithic.

Samples from this region have an average composition of Q12 F29 L59. Abundant rock

fragments are predominantly volcanic in origin and reflect a variety of compositions.

Mafic grains account for about half of the volcanic fragments, with felsic and microlitic

grains of about equal amounts making up the other half. Feldspar grains make up about

one-third of the sand and these are predominantly plagioclase. These sands have low

quartz contents with QmPK %Qm=25% and QtFL %Qt=12%.

On Dickinson’s QtFL model (1983) the composition of these sands fall entirely

within the magmatic arc field (Figure 4B) and reflect an undissected arc provenance

defined by Dickinson with some overlap into the transitional arc field (average

composition Qtl2 F28 L60). The plot of the polycrystalline components (Qp4 Lv84

Lsml2) of these sands lie within the arc orogen field determined by Dickinson and

Suczek (1979) (Figure 5B). The monocrystalline components (Qm25 P60 K15) show the

dominance of volcanic sources over plutonic sources (Figure 5D). The Lvf-Lvm-Lvl

diagram illustrates how the sand composition is influenced by the bimodal nature of

volcanic rocks in the Snake River Plain (Figure 8). The variability in the volcanic rock

fragments is similar to that found by Critelli et al. (1997) in sands shed from the

predominantly basaltic Santa Monica Mountains in California.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 38

Lvf

Lvm LvI

Sample Lvf Lvm LvI ID01 6 10 84 ID17 10 12 78 ID18 51 26 74 OR15 13 18 69 OR11 9 26 65 ID19 29 46 25 ID21 45 31 23 ID14 19 60 21 ID16 64 17 19

Figure 8. Plot showing bi-modal distribution of volcanic rock fragments in sands collected from the Snake River Plain

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 39

Columbia Basalt Plateau

The Columbia Basalt Plateau covers an area of 164,000 km^ in Washington,

Oregon, and Idaho (Figure 9). Miocene flood basalts erupted from northwest-southeast

trending fissures l&ated near the present Washington-Oregon border. The oldest basalt

flow is the Imnaha basalt and is dated at 17.5 Ma (Beeson et al., 1989). The youngest

basalts are the uppermost members of the Saddle Mountains Basalt, and they are as

young as 6 Ma (Beeson et al., 1989). The most voluminous basalt flows, named the

Grande Ronde Basalt, occurred between 16.5 and 15.6 Ma. They comprise more than

85% of the Columbia River Basalt Group (Orr&Orr, 1996). Tolan et al. (1989) suggested

that there were more than 300 individual large volume flows along with possibly

hundreds of smaller volume flows.

All major flows of the Columbia River basalt are tholeiitic (Swanson et al., 1989).

Fluvial and lacustrine strata are interbedded with the lava flows. As lava poured out of

fissures, it encountered and invaded less-dense sediment that had been deposited during

lapses in volcanic activity. These invasive flows are especially prominent along the

Washington and Oregon Coasts (Beeson et al., 1979). Pillow basalt and palagonite are

common at flow boundaries.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 40

Washington O^OGAN HIGHZ^^^ Idaho 4

Oregon

Figure 9. Coverage of Columbia River Basalt Flows (Orr and Orr, 1994)

Twelve samples of modem sand were collected from the Columbia River Basalt

Plateau (Table 10). These samples come from the Columbia River, Snake River and

major tributaries draining the plateau. The tributaries sampled include the Yakima River

in Washington, Grande Ronde River in Oregon, and Weiser River and Clearwater River

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 41

COLUMBIA BASALT PLATEAU SANDS SamDle Location QM f LT QT F L QP LV LSM QM P K MLvf % Lv\ Lv Ls Lm WA-OB Yabm» ft. 24 30 46 29 30 41 12 79 10 45 45 1 11 55 34 89 8 4 WA-09 CblufntMaR. 18 48 34 21 4 8 31 10 56 34 27 49 24 54 36 10 63 33 4 WA-tO Snake R. 18 54 28 19 54 26 5 93 2 25 54 21 31 36 33 98 0 2 WA-II Grande Ronde R. 15 28 56 16 28 56 1 99 1 35 52 13 99 0 WA-12 Snake R. 27 41 32 31 41 28 12 81 7 39 42 18 26 22 52 92 4 MA-t3(ACbk«nlHaR. 21 39 40 26 39 35 13 81 6 35 52 14 21 19 59 93 5 2 WA-1S Yakima R. 6 33 61 8 33 59 2 90 7 16 74 10 16 51 32 92 6 1 MA'21 CdlumbsR. 14 31 56 16 31 54 3 89 8 31 60 9 92 8 0 W A 22 CohanÈna R. 9 25 66 11 25 84 3 91 6 26 60 15 10 10 80 94 5 1 WA-23(A CoAiniOia R. 8 42 50 9 42 49 2 94 4 16 77 7 12 75 13 96 3 1 10-12 O earanttf R. 258016 256016 0 89 11 29 51 20 21 12 67 83 8 3 »0-23 WeuCT IL 10 36 52 10 38 52 0 100 0 20 76 4 0 99 100 0 0 MEAN ... 18.. 3945 183943 5 07 8 29 57 14 20 32 48 91 ? 2 STO 7 11 15 8 11 15 5 12 9 9 12 6 15 2329 109 2 Table 10. Samples collected from the Columbia Basalt Plateau region

in Idaho. These sands show high compositional diversity because of the large area

drained by these rivers, and they reflect a wide variety of source rocks.

Sands are feldspatholithic with a mean composition of Q18 F39 L43. Feldspar

grains within the sands are predominantly plagioclase feldspar (P/F ratio = 3). Quartz is

relatively rare in sands collected from this region but does make up one-third of the

monocrystalline component (QmPK %Qm=29%). Sands are enriched in rock fragments,

the majority of which are volcanic in origin and mafic in composition. They are mainly

lathwork grains composed of large plagioclase laths in a finer grained matrix containing

abundant pyroxene and minor olivine. Microlitic volcanic grains are also abundant and

reflect drainage of the Cascade magmatic arc to the west of the Columbia River Plateau.

Samples taken from the Yakima River, which drains the eastern side of the Cascade

Mountains, contain more microlitic volcanic rock fragments than lathwork fragments.

Felsic rock fragments are also present and abundant in Snake River sand, and reflect the

range of volcanic compositions from the Snake River Plain province.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 42

Modem sands found in the Columbia River Plateau region are similar to those

found in the Snake River Plain region. According to Dickinson’s models (1983), these

sands fall into the magmatic arc field (Figure 4B). Columbia River Plateau sands trend

more towards the dissected arc field while Snake River Plain sands are more lithic-rich

and trend more towards the undissected arc field. These trends in sand composition

probably reflect the fact that rocks of the Columbia River Plateau are older and more

deeply eroded than those of the Snake River Plain.

The high percentage of lithic volcanic fragments over other polycrystalline

components (Qp5 Lv87 Lsm8) of the sand reflects the arc orogen source defined by

Dickinson and Suczek (1979) (Figure 5A). The plot of monocrystalline components

(Qm29 P57 K14) suggests transitional and dissected arc provenances (Figure 5C). The

plot of relative proportions of volcanic fragments of felsic, microlitic, and lathwork

compositions shows the dominance of mafic grains but reflects a wide range of

compositions (Figure 5F). This classification of the volcanic components is similar to

that found by Marsaglia (1993) for Hawaiian beach sands which originate from basaltic

flows and pyroclastic deposits.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 43

Blue Mountains

The Blue Mountains region stretches across northeast Oregon and into southeast

Washington and west central Idaho (Figure 10). Rocks within this region represent a

diversity of geologic settings. Overall, the region can be classified as a group of exotic

terranes accreted to the western edge of the North American continent during the

Cretaceous. Four separate terranes have been identified within the region.

The northern-most Wallov/a terrane is a volcanic-arc complex consisting of

Permian and Triassic intrusive, volcanic, and volcaniclastic rocks, Triassic and Jurassic

sedimentary rocks, and Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks (Vallier, 1995). Specific rock

types include quartz keratophyre, andésite, spillite, limestone and shale along with flows,

tuffs and volcaniclastic sediments.

The Baker Terrane lies south of the Wallowa Terrane and has been called the

Oceanic Terrane (Vallier et al., 1977) and the Central Melange Terrane (Dickinson and

Thayer, 1978). Rocks range in age from Devonian to Late Triassic or Early Jurassic.

Rock types include argillite, chert, phyllite, limestone, serpentinite, gabbro, graywacke,

and rare blueschist. Volcanic rocks found in this region include mid-ocean ridge type

basalts, intraplate basalts and volcanic island-arc basalts. The Canyon Mountain

Complex is a Permian ophiolitic block found in this region (Figure 11). Major rock types

of the complex include harzburgite, serpentinite, gabbro, plagiogranite and keratophyre

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 44

WASHINGTCm

IDAHO

CANYON MOUNTAIN U C O M P tE X \

100 KILOMETERS IDAHO

EXPLANATION Cretaceous to Jurassic plutons Wallowa terrane Baker terrane—ShoMtlng Canvon McKintair) Complex and Sparta complex (dark yay areas) bee terrane Olds Ferry terrane Grindstone terrane Contact Thrust fault—Sawteeth on upper plate

Figure 10. Generalized geologic map of the Blue Mountains region (Walker, 1995)

(Leeman et al., 1982). Bishop (1995) interpreted the Baker Terrane as a subduction

complex related to the Olds Ferry volcanic arc.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 45

118* 58' 118'43’

JOHN DAY

CANYON FAULT

j2 KILOMETERS

EXPLANATION

! OS 1 Surficial deposits (Quaternary) La Gabbroic and uhramaflc cumulates 1 Tv 1 Volcanic rocks (Tertiary) Gabbroic and ultramafic metacumulates Adds Creek Formation of the Hanturgite tectonite Aldrich Mountains Group Contact Melange Fault—Dashed where approximate Sill complex

Figure 11. Generalized geologic map of the Canyon Mountain Ophiolite Complex (Leeman et al., 1995)

The Olds Ferry Terrane is the eastern and southern most terrane within the Blue

Mountains. This terrane is poorly exposed and fairly small in extent. Rocks range from

middle to upper Jurassic and consist of basalt, andésite, rhyolite and related

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 46

volcaniclastics. Vallier et al. (1977) interpreted these rocks as part of an ancient volcanic

arc.

The Izee Terrane is characterized by flysch-like turbidites consisting of shale and

graywacke with chert, serpentinite and volcanic rock fragments, and crystal fragments of

quartz, calcite, plagioclase and spinel. Rocks of this terrane were probably deposited in

intra-arc basins and as part of a deep fore-arc basin (Vallier, 1995). These rocks range in

age from Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic.

Five samples of modem sand were collected from the Blue Mountains region

(Table 11). These samples came from the Powder River, Burnt River, Snake River, Little

Salmon River and Salmon River. A few other samples reflect the influence of this

province on modem sands. Samples OR-07 and OR-08 are grouped with the South

Cascade province sands because of their bulk compositions but contain grains of

serpentine probably shed from the Canyon Mountain Complex, which is found directly

upstream from where the samples were collected. Sample OR-05 contains an

abundance of pyroxene grains that also probably originated from ultramafic rocks of the

Canyon Mountain Complex.

Modem sands collected from the Blue Mountains region are lithofeldspathic and

have an average composition of Qtl7 F50 L33. Feldspars are almost entirely plagioclase

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 47

BLUE MOUNTAIN SANDS S«mDle Location QM f LT QT f L QP LV LSM QM P K NLvf %Lvl Lv Ls Lri OR-12 PowOor H 10 31 58 23 31 46 22 33 45 25 71 4 100 0 0 42 56 2 OH-13 Burnt R. 9 51 40 13 51 36 9 60 30 15 63 1 26 33 41 67 25 8 OH-14 Snake R, 14 42 16 42 42 4 73 23 25 58 17 32 21 76 23 1 iO-24 Urtle Salman R. 20 61 20 20 61 20 0 96 4 24 72 4 6 8 64 96 2 1 iO-25 Salmon H. IS 62 22 IS 62 22 1 89 10 20 61 20 51 37 13 90 3 7 MEAN 14 49 37 17 50 3? 7 71 22 22 89 9 43 25 32 74 22 4 STO 4 13 16 4 13 12 9 2S 17 4 10 9 35 2033 2222 4 Table 11. Samples collected from the Blue Mountains Region

(P/F = 7) with QmPK %K=9% and QmPK %P=69%. Lithic fragments are

predominantly volcanic in origin although sedimentary rock fragments account for

significant percentages of the polyciystalline components. Limestone, dolomite, chert

and dense minerals are present in these sands to vaiying degrees.

Sands collected from this region reflect a magmatic arc provenance when plotted

and compared to Dickinsons revised models (1983). The QtFL plot illustrates that sand

compositions fall primarily into the transitional magmatic arc field with a small amount

of overlap into the dissected arc field (Figure 4A). The polycrystalline components (Qp7

Lv71 Lsm22) suggest an arc orogen source (Figure 5A). Similarly, the monocrystalline

components (Qm22 P69 K9) reflect a volcanic arc source (Figure 5C).

Kootenay Terrane

The Kootenay Arc is located in southeastern British Columbia and

northeast Washington as a narrow structural belt that marks the transition from middle-

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TROUT " LAKE /

KUSKANAX BATHOLIT K-T INTRUSIVE ROCKS JUR. INTRUSIVE ROCKS PENN. > JUR. EUGEOCLINAL ROCKS MILFORD GROUP (MISS.- PENN:} PZ. EUGEOCLINAL STRATA (UNDIFFERENTIATED) sNELSON KOOTENAY LARDEAU GROUP (L. PZ.) LAKE COVADA GROUP AND BRADEEN ASSEMBLAGE (L. PZ.) ORD. AND MINOR SIL. - DEV. TRANSITIONAL STRATA MIOGEOCLINAL STRATA PC - CAMB. ®*C " w a s h :

KOOTENA ARC

ROBERTS MOUNTAINS ALLOCHTHON

Figure 12. Location and extent of the Kootenay Arc (Smith and Gehrels, 1991)

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 49

Proterozoic-lower Paleozoic autochthonous continental margin strata to Paleozoic and

Mesozoic arc suspect terranes (Smith and Gehrels, 1992). Rocks of the Kootenay

Arc are lower Paleozoic eugeoclinal strata. Specific rock types of the Kootenay Arc

include phyllite, argillite, slate, limestone, chert, quartzite, rare pillow lavas and tuff,

quartzo-feldspathic wacke, quartz arenite, and conglomerate (Smith and Gehrels, 1992).

These rocks have been intruded by Cretaceous-Tertiary and Jurassic granitic rocks.

Five samples of modem sand were taken from the Kootenay Arc region (Table

12). These samples come from the Columbia River, Kootenay River, and Spokane River.

Sands are predominantly quartzo-feldspathic, have an average composition of

Qt31 F45 L24, and show wide variability in composition. These sands contain high

percentages of quartz relative to other sands collected in the Columbia River Basin,

although quartz only comprises one-third of the average, it comprises up to half of

individual samples. Plagioclase feldspar dominates over potassium feldspar (P/F = 2.2).

Rock fragments are both sedimentary and volcanic in origin, with a slightly higher

percentage of volcanic lithics.

Because of the high variability in the composition of sands shed from the

Kootenay Arc region, plots suggest a diverse range of provenances. The QtFL diagram

reflects a magmatic arc provenance and suggests the influences of a continental block

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 50 provenance and a recycled orogen provenance (Figures 4A). A dissected or transitional

arc source dominates the provenance models but overlap occurs into the basement uplift

field, as well as a small amount of overlap into the recycled orogen provenance. The plot

of polycrystalline components (Qpl5 Lv43 Lsm42) also illustrates the dominance of an

arc orogen source but also contains overlap into the collision-suture and fold-thrust belt

source fields. The sands from the Kootenay Arc region have the same general

monocrystalline components (Qm39 P42 K19) as those collected from subduction

complexes (Figure 5D).

KOriTFNAV TFBBANf tamale ( acatio AM F 1 T OT F 1 OP IV I9M OM 9 K 9M wf 9FI v m 1 V 1 « WA. 1 7 B 10 97 99 in 97 99 0 4 01 71 9A 71 1A 91 97 0 40 91 70 44 41 70 94 70 71 94 AO 99 7 9A A4 O 7A 77 7 74 97 14 7R 97 1R 19 94 7fl 90 47 7fl 99 47 O Afi Ift 14 Rr-04 rrWMn^ia B <9 9Q 7 99 90 9 97 97 97 97 97 9 90 ft 47 R r - n s B 79 71 74 71 A 7 49 n 44 91 90 R 47 100 n n UFAM 7R 49 77 91 49 74 19 49 47 90 47 10 94 47 14 90 9ft 17 < T n 1R 10 79 17 10 71 14 94 94 10 0 17 17 74 77 9A 41 1ft Table 12. Samples collected from the Kootenay Terrane region

North Cascades

The North Cascades region of the Columbia River Basin stretches from the crest

of the Cascade Mountains in northwest Washington, east to the Columbia River, and

from Snoqualmie Pass in central Washington, north into British Columbia (Figure 13). It

is surrounded on the east-southeast by Miocene flood basalts of the Columbia River

Plateau. The geology of this entire region is dominated by the accretion of numerous

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 51

terranes, which consist of predominantly meta-sedimentary rocks accreted mostly prior to

Late Cretaceous time (Tabor, 1994) along with younger volcanic and plutonic rocks.

Rocks west of the Kootenay Arc belong to the Quesnellia terrane and are included

in the North Cascades region. These range in age from Ordovician to Jurassic, and

consist of eugeoclinal metagraywacke, argillite, and metavolcaniclastic rocks along with

minor marble, greenstone and serpentinite (Rhodes and Hyndman, 1988). Between the

HOZAMEEN PASAYTEN FAULT Columbia R. 123" CANADA 122" FAULT > 1 2 0 ' O H anogan R. lia* ...... a u -----Sir...... I ■ ■ . , 4 . . _...... I ■

: Okanogan Highlands S5BÎÊ orthwest thrust system

Melamorphic Terrane

R O SS LAKE FAULT ZONE Methow- Q Pasayten tielt s o KM W a rtatc h aa

STRAIGHT CREEK Unpattemed area# are Tertiary sedimentary FAULT or Igneous rocks, or Quaternary cover.

U. Jurassic to A', Cretaceous plutonic rocks mid-U. Cretaceous

Shukaan Suite (L. Jurasslc- undifferentiated plutonic rocks; Includes E. Cretaceous metamorpMsml Cretaceous to Eocene

U. Jurasslc-U. Cretaceous, undifferentiated Mesozoic and Paleozoic, Mesozoic ■ Paleozoic rocks undifferentiated

Figure 13. Geology of the North Cascades region in Washington state (Cowan and Bruhn, 1992), KC=Kettle Complex, OC= Okanogan Complex, RG=Republic Graben

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 52 Columbia River and the Okanogan River in Washington, the Toroden and Republic

contain Eocene volcanic and sedimentary rocks. The Okanogan Complex and Kettle

Complex, found on either side of the grabens, are small metamorphic-core complexes

consisting of high-grade metasedimentary gneiss and schist (Hanson and Goodge, 1988).

These complexes are surrounded by Eocene granitic rock and Cretaceous-Tertiary

granodiorite.

West of the Okanogan River are the north Cascade Mountains. This region is

composed of northwest trending belts of metamorphic rocks separated by major faults

and intruded by Late Cretaceous and Tertiary granitoid rocks (Misch, 1988). Rocks that

compose the eastern side of the north Cascade Mountains include greenschist, blueschist

and phyllite. Farther east, metasedimentary rocks dominate. Major rock types include

chlorite-kyanite schist, kyanite-sillimanite gneiss and granitic orthogneiss (Misch, 1988).

Farther east yet. Upper Jurassic and Cretaceous volcaniclastic strata are strongly folded

and variably metamorphosed in the Methow-Pasaytan Belt (Figure 13).

1 collected five samples of modem sand from the Mad River, Entiat River,

Wenatchee River and Swauk Creek in the North Cascades region. Sample WA-09 is

taken from the Columbia River Plateau but represents drainage of the entire North

Cascades area and so is included here.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 53 Modern sand samples are mostly lithofeldspathic (mean Qt23 F53 L24).

Plagioclase feldspar is by far the dominant feldspar (P/F =8). Rock fragments

are predominantly volcanic in origin, but there are sedimentary and metamorphic

fragments to varying degrees within the samples (Qp4 Lv84 Lsml2). Sample WA-03

was collected from the Mad River in Washington, which drains a metamorphic terrane

composed of schist and gneiss and some minor exposures of plutonic rocks. This sample

has high amounts of both pyroxene and amphibole grains along with some garnet.

Sample WA-05 is from the Wenatchee River which directly drains upper-amphibolite

facies schist, gneiss, migmatite and plutons of the North Cascade crystalline core

(Haugerud et al.,1994). Relatively high percentages of pyroxene (6.4%) and hornblende

(3.4%) in the sand were likely derived from these source rocks. Sample WA-07, from the

White River, contains significant biotite (5.6%) and pyroxene grains (5.6%). The White

River originates in a terrane composed of ultrabasic peridotite and a biotite-homblende

quartz diorite pluton (Magloughlin, 1994).

The modal composition of sand collected from the North Cascades reflects a

combination of magmatic arc and continental block provenances (Figure 4A). Within the

magmatic arc field, the compositions reflect both a transitional and dissected arc

provenance. The plot of polycrystalline components (Qp4 Lv84 Lsml2) of sands shed

from the North Cascades reflects an arc orogen source (Figure 5A). The plot of

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 54 monocrystalline components (Qm30 P62 K8) reflects a magmatic arc orogen (Figure 5D)

and illustrates the dominance of plutonic over volcanic sources.

NORTH CASCADE SANDS Sample Location QM F LT QT FL QP LV LSM OM P K Lv Ls Lm WA-OT Swauk Creek 23 39 38 27 39 34 10 73 17 37 52 10 81 12 7 WA-03 Had R. 22 67 11 22 67 n 0 96 4 25 72 3 96 4 0 WA-05 Wenatchee R. 21 65 14 21 65 14 0 96 4 25 71 4 96 4 0 WA-07 White R. 24 46 30 25 46 30 2 95 3 34 65 1 97 1 3 WA-09 Columbia R. 18 48 34 21 48 31 10 56 34 27 49 24 63 33 4 MEAN 22 S3 25 23 53 24 4 84 12 30 62 8 86 11 3 STO 3 12 12 3 12 11 5 1^ 13 6 11 9 15 13 3 Table 13. Samples collected from the North Cascades region

South Cascades

The South Cascades region of the Columbia River Basin lies in southwest

Washington and western and central Oregon and includes the John Day Basin of central

Oregon (Figure 14). This region is dominated by recent volcanic activity and can be

separated into a younger western half and an older eastern half, often referred to as the

High Cascades (Orr and Orr, 1996).

The western portion of the South Cascades is dominated by recent volcanic

activity of stratovolcanoes Mt. Adams, M t Rainier and Mt. St. Helens. Major rock types

surrounding these stratovolcanoes include andésite, dacite, rhyodacite, along with local

silicic lava flows and ash flow tuffs. Also found within this region are Oligocene and

Miocene shallow plutons such as the Snoqualmie Batholith and older plutons, such as the

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 55 Mt. Stuart Batholith. The Snoqualmie Batholith is composed predominantly of

homblende-biotite tonalité and granodiorite (Taylor, 1990).

In Oregon, Tertiary sedimentary rocks dominate the western Cascades area.

Rocks include tuffaceous terrestrial sediments, predominantly sandstone and siltstone,

and marine sandstone and carbonaceous siltstone, along with minor basalt sills and flows

and tuff-breccias (Walker and MacLeod, 1991). East of these sediments are the volcanic

rocks of the High Cascades. Major rock types include basalt, basaltic andésite, and

olivine basalt (Walker and MacLeod, 1991).

The John Day Basin covers a small portion of central Oregon between the High

Cascades and the Blue Mountains (Figure 15). Volcanic rocks of the John Day

Formation and the Clamo Formation are interpreted by Robinson et al., 1984 to be

renuiants of early Cascade volcanism. The Clamo Formation is composed of lava flows

and tuff breccias with subordinate tuffs, ignimbrites, volcanic breccias, intrusive andesitic

plugs and tuffaceous sediments (Suayuh and Rogers, 1991). The overlying John Day

Formation is composed of calc-alkalic andesitic to dacitic tuffaceous claystone and airfall

tuff with numerous interlayered ash-flow sheets and local lava flows of alkalic rhyolite,

trachyandesite and alkali-olivine basalt (Robinson et al., 1984).

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 56

122' 120*

1

WJUB^ O r e o o 'n ' m É

— I 42“

160km

Figure 14. Generalized geologic map of Washington and Oregon showing location and geology of the South Cascades (Duncan and Kulm, 1989): 1 = pre-Tertiary rocks; 2 = Paleocene to Eocene volcanic rocks; 3 = mostly marine Tertiaiy sedimentary rocks; 4 = Eocene and early Oligocene volcanic rocks (including Clamo Formation and John Day Formation); 5 = mostly Oligocene and Miocene volcanic rocks; 6 = Tertiary and Quaternary volcanic rocks of the Cascade Range.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 57

Six samples of modem sand were collected from streams that drain the South

Cascades region. These samples were collected from the Lewis River in Washington and

from the Deschutes River, Willamette River, and John Day River in Oregon.

Sands collected from this region are volcaniclastic (mean Qt2 F22 L76). Plagioclase

feldspars are the dominant monocrystalline component (Qm5 P93 K2), with only very

small percentages of monocrystalline quartz and potassium feldspar (P/F = 46).

Polycrystalline components are dominanted by volcanic rock fragments (Qpl Lv92

Lsm7). The composition of volcanic rock fragments is varied and ranges from mafic to

intermediate. Sample OR 01 was collected from the Lewis River which drains the

western flanks of Mt. St. Helens, including volcanics from the 1980 eruption. This sand

sample is composed almost entirely of zoned plagioclase feldspar and microlitic volcanic

rock fragments containing large phenociysts of zoned plagioclase. Similarly, sample

WA-23 comes from the Columbia River just as it flows out of the Cascade Mountains,

and contains high amounts of plagioclase feldspar and microlitic volcanic rock fragments.

The other five samples are dominated by mafic volcanic grains which reflect the basaltic

and andesitic influence of the High Cascades and John Day Basin. As previously

mentioned, samples OR-07 and OR-08 from the John Day River ccHitain sedimentary

rock fragments and grains of serpentine likely derived from rocks in the Blue Mountains

Region, but they are dominated by mafic volcanic lithic fragments.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 58

Miocene and younger volcanic □ and sedimentary rocks John Day Formation, late Eocene-early Miocene / Clamo Formation, Eocene

Mesozoic and Paleozoic rocks

Kilometers

Figure 15. Generalized geology of the John Day Basin showing the John Day and Clamo Formations within the South Cascades region illustrating the extent of Eocene volcanic activity in central Oregon (Bestland et al., 1996)

Plotting South Cascade sands on Dickinson and Suczek (1979) and Dickinson’s

revised (1983) models clearly reflects a magmatic arc source (Figure 4B). The QtFL plot

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 59

clearly suggests an undissected arc provenance. The QpLvLsm plot shows the

dominance of volcanic lithics over other polycrystalline components and reflects an arc

orogen source (Figure SB). The QmPK plot shows the relative abundance of plagioclase

feldspar and reflects the great influence of volcanic over plutonic sources in magmatic

arc provenances (Figure 5D).

SOUTH CASCADE SANDS Sample Location QM F LT QT f L OP LV LSM 3 Deschutes R. 1 25 74 1 25 74 0 99 1 S 95 0 1 30 69 99 1 0 Oft-05 John Day R. 22870 32868 2 90 8 7 90 4 7 17 76 92 6 0 OR‘07 John R. 0 18 81 2 16 6 0 1 72 27 2 98 0 9 27 64 73 27 0 OR-08 JohnDavR. 1 18 81 2 18 80 1 91 8 6 91 3 9 40 51 92 8 0 MEAN 1 22 77 2 22 76 Î 92 7 S 93 2 7 39 54 92 8 0 STD 1 7 8 1 7 8 1 10 10 2 4 2 5 26 27 10 10 0 Table 14. Samples collected from the South Cascades region

Belt Basin

The Belt Basin region of the Columbia River Basin covers most of western

Montana, southeast British Columbia, where it is known as the Purcell Supergroup, and

parts of northern Idaho and northeast Washington (Figure 16). The rocks in this region

are the oldest of any found in the Columbia River Basin. Rocks of the Belt Supergroup

are generally considered to be Middle Proterozoic in age (Winston, 1989) and have ages

ranging from 1500 Ma to 900Ma.

The Belt Supergroup is sub-divided into four groups that reflect depositional

history. The oldest rocks of the Belt Supergroup make up the Lower Belt and consist of

evenly laminated and locally graded dark argillite, as well as conglomerate, sandstone,

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 60

siliciclastic mudstone and calcareous mudstone. Above the Lower Belt is the Ravalli

Group. The Ravalli Group is composed of ripple-marked and mudcracked redbeds, cross

bedded and flat-laminated sandstone and green argillite. The Middle Belt Carbonate

occurs above the Ravalli Group. Calcareous mudstone and siltstone and interbedded

siliciclastic rocks comprise the Middle Belt Carbonate. The overlying Missoula Group

BELT BASIN SANDS Sample Location QM F LT QT F L QP LV LSM QM P K Lv Ls Lm MT-01 Rock Oeek 40 37 23 44 37 19 18 29 53 52 30 18 35 65 0 MT-oe Flathead R. NF 27 9 64 33 9 58 9 32 59 76 20 4 35 65 0 MT-07 Flathead R. MF 7 13 80 8 13 79 1 1 98 35 47 18 1 99 0 MT-08 Flathead R. 11 IS 74 131572 2 098 4342 15 0 100 0 MT-09 Swan R. 10 13 76 11 13 76 0 1 98 44 47 9 1 99 0 MT-10 Blackfoot R. IS 7 78 17 7 76 3 40 57 67 25 8 41 59 0 MT-n Clark Fork R, 21 35 44 23 35 42 4 13 83 38 44 19 14 86 0 MT-12 aark Fork R. 26 56 18 26 56 17 5 22 74 31 51 IB 23 77 0 MT-13 Clark Fork R. 20 SO 30 23 50 27 8 13 79 29 SO 22 14 81 4 MT-14 Clark Fork R. 21 51 28 23 51 27 5 20 75 30 49 22 21 75 4 MT-15 Flathead R. 19 21 60 22 21 57 5 2 92 48 51 2 2 97 1 BC-01 Elk R. 4 4 92 9 4 87 5 21 73 53 42 5 23 77 0 BC-02 Kootenay R. S 9 86 5 9 86 0 2 98 35 49 16 2 96 2 BC-03 Columbia R. 25 3046 323038 17 24 59 4644 10 29 1060 MEAN 182557 212554 6 1678 4542 13 17 78 S STO 10 18 25 11 18 26 6 13 17 14 10 7 14 24 16 Table 15. Samples collected from the Belt Basin region

consists of redbeds, interbedded green strata, dark carbonaceous strata, coarse sand and

intraclast-bearing strata, argillite and local pillow basalts. The Belt Basin region of the

Columbia River Basin also contains Paleozoic passive-margin Rocky Mountain

sediments.

Fourteen samples of sand were collected within the Belt Basin region. Samples

were collected from the Clark Fork River, Flathead River, Blackfoot River, Swan River

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 61 and Rock Creek in Montana, and the Elk River, Kootenay River and Columbia River in

British Columbia.

Holocene sand samples from the Belt Basin are feldspathoiithic and have an

average composition of Q21 F25 L54. The majority of quartz grains are monocrystalline.

Quartz makes up the majority of the monocrystalline components, and potassium feldspar

is rare (Qm45 P42 K13). The mean P/F ratio in these sands is 3. Rock fragments are

predominantly sedimentary (Qp6 Lvl6 Lsm78) and include chert, dolomite, limestone,

siltstone, and clastic grains. Volcanic rock fragments range in composition from felsic to

intermediate; mafic grains were not observed.

Ternary diagrams of sand compositions from the Belt Basin reflect a magmatic

arc provenance as described by Dickinson and Suczek (1979) and revised by Dickinson

(1983). Sands contain high percentages of rock fragments and fall into the undissected

and transitional arc fields (Figure 4A). The plot of the polycrystalline components

partially suggests a collision suture and fold thrust belt source (Dickinson and Suczek,

1979) but also falls outside defined fields and in a region of mixed orogenic sand

composition (Figure 5A). Monocrystalline components (QmPK) plot in the Circum-

Pacific Volcanoplutonic suites of Dickinson (1983) and are transitional between

magmatic arc sources and continental block sources (Figure 5D).

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I t I IK iir Ito* EXPLANATION Minouki e*Mp ««4 «arr«Wi«* PufcM fomwllon* MMM M l CorbgmM vat KltdMMT FormoHen RovoHi Group pad CrooMB ForfMtlan Lowor Bolt, omt corrololWe PurcoM tan M tio m

Pro-B ilt eryoMMno re d a

YMIowiocW ArmeWom and Lm M Group Tbruottaull Normal touN SiraiivapMe conioel CuNurol boundary

*0 40

Figure 16. Geologic map showing extent of pre-Cambrian Belt Supergroup (Winston, 1989)

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. AVERAGE SAND COMPOSITIONS BY GEOLOGIC REGION REGION QM F LT QT F L OP LV LSM QM P K Lvf Lvm LvI Lv Ls Lm 3 BLUE MOUNTAINS MEAN 14 49 37 17 50 33 7 71 22 22 69 9 43 25 32 74 22 4 +/- 4 13 16 4 13 12 9 25 17 4 10 9 35 20 33 22 22 4

BOULDER BATHOLITH MEAN 19 48 33 20 48 32 5 83 12 27 48 25 40 53 7 87 12 1 +/- 8 14 19 9 14 19 4 18 17 9 6 7 17 21 5 18 18 1

CHALLIS VOLCANICS MEAN 14 41 45 15 41 44 4 83 13 26 51 23 29 57 13 87 11 2 +/- 3 5 2 4 5 1 1 8 7 7 2 9 7 3 3 8 6 1

COLUMBIA BASALT PLATEAU MEAN 16 39 45 18 39 43 5 87 8 29 57 14 20 32 48 91 7 2 +/• 7 11 15 8 11 15 5 12 9 9 12 6 15 23 29 10 9 2

IDAHO BATHOLITH MEAN 23 68 9 23 68 9 6 85 9 25 5520 63 20 17 91 7 2 +/- 6 7 4 6 7 4 5 9 10 7 7 4 221421 1074

KANIKSU BATHOLITH MEAN 29 61 10 32 61 7 28 53 19 33 47 20 83 17 0 75 15 10 +/- 5 10 4 8 10 2 14 6 7 8 6 2 24 24 0 5 6 11

NORTH CASCADES MEAN 225325 23 53 24 4 84 12 30 62 8 86 11 3 +/- 3 12 12 3 12 11 5 18 13 6 11 9 15 13 3

SOUTH CASCADES MEAN 1 22 76 2 22 76 1 92 7 5 932 7 39 54 92 8 0 +/- 1 7 8 1 7 8 1 10 10 2 4 2 5 28 27 10 10 0

SNAKE RIVER PLAIN MEAN 102862 12 28 60 4 84 12 25 6015 27 2746 87 13 0 + /' 7 12 18 8 12 19 4 12 8 11 16 7 21 17 28 9 9 0

WYOMING FOLD-THRUST BELT 21 41 38 29 41 30 21 42 37 34 56 10 58 27 15 53 47 0

KOOTENAY TERRANE MEAN 2845 27 31 45 24 15 43 42 39 42 19 39 42 19 50 38 12 +/- 161923 17 19 21 14 34 34 19 9 12 17 24 22 36 41 18

BELT BASIN MEAN 18 25 57 21 25 54 6 16 78 45 42 13 17 78 5 +/- 101825 11 18 26 6 13 17 14 10 7 14 24 16 Table 16. Modal sand compositions and error populations for each geologic region CD Q.

"O S3 "O 2 Q. CD q : DISCUSSION

Ingersoll et al. (1993) identified the need for additional compositional data from

sand collected from first and second order streams, in order to develop more complex

actualistic petrofacies models. Girty et al. (1988) found that QFL models generally

yielded a correct interpretation of tectonic setting but that local source areas produce

sands that yield an erroneous interpretation of tectonic setting. Ingersoll (1990) described

the need for actualistic petrofacies models for application to ancient petrofacies to better

constrain provenance. This data set of Holocene modal sand compositions was collected

in reasonably well-established tectonic settings and hence can be used to test four specific

hypothesis, described below, illustrating the connection between sand composition and

plate tectonic setting. The first hypothesis that I will address is that first and second order

sand compositions can be used to accurately infer the tectonic provenance of the basin.

First, I will look exclusively at first order samples and then 1 will look at mean samples

that represent both first and second order streams. The second hypothesis that I will

address is the idea introduced by Ingersoll et al. (1993) that sampling scale outweighs

tectonic setting. Ingersoll et al. (1993) emphasized that this is especially true in tectonic

settings with diverse source rocks. The diversity of source terranes within the Columbia

River Basin is ideal for studying this theory. The third hypothesis is that artificial

homogenization of sands will approximate the composition of third order sands and more

64

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accurately reflect provenance on Dickinson’s (1983) revised models. The final

hypothesis that I will test with this data set is that sand compositions can be accurately

predicted by modeling the areal coverage of source rock types within drainage basins and

combining this information from numerous small basins to approximate sand

compositions in second order drainage systems.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. HYPOTHESIS #1A

The first hypothesis I will test is that sand compositions in first-order drainages

can be used to directly infer the tectonic setting of the drainage basin. First-order systems

are those that drain only local source rocks, so if this hypothesis is true, only a single

tectonic provenance should be reflected in the compositional data. To test this theory, I

reviewed sample locations and plotted those samples from first-order drainage systems

on a ternary QtFL diagram. Twenty-one modem sand samples from the Columbia River

Basin came from first-order drainages and reflect numerous geologic regions within the

basin. Figure 17 shows QFL diagrams with compositions of single samples plotted and

Table 17 lists the samples and from which geologic region they originated. This table

also lists drainage provenance based on major source rock type and known tectonic

setting, along with the actual provenance reflected by the samples.

Thirteen samples of modem sand from first-order drainages accurately reflect the

tectonic origin of the sand. Eight samples suggest a provenance other than that inferred

from the bedrock geology. Three samples of sand taken from the South Cascades region

accurately reflect an undissected magmatic arc provenance. Four first-order sand

samples from the Idaho Batholith plot in the basement uplift field. Samples from the

Columbia River Basalt Plateau and Snake River Plain reflect their magmatic arc

provenance. Three samples of sand taken from the South Cascades region accurately

66

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 0

RECYCLED OROGEN

MIXED

•MTOt DISSECTED ARC ID10 DISSECTED ARC .IÔOS TRANSITIONAL ARC m at♦mo7 TRANSITIONAL ARC «•IDOaMT^ • H^MTOe ♦Wftll'DM 1004 TMT08 MT03 •♦MT09 ^MT09 UNOISSECTEO A^tMTO? UNDISSECTED A nrat

IncreaJjngMalunty. Stability trom yoMmental Block P rovanaw es CiTcuni'Pacific Volcanoplutonic Suites

♦MT05 n e rvin g Ratio o( Plutonic to Sources canic Sources in MagmaticArc Provenances

Figure 17. Plots of first order samples and tectonic fields modified by Dickinson (1983), circled points on QmFL diagram indicate change in provenance from QtFL

Reprotjucetj with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproctuction prohibitect without permission. 68 Actual Provenance predicted Sample # Geoloalc reaion orovenance bv sand composition MT03 Boulder Batholith Basement Uplift Magmatic Arc MT04 Magmatic Arc* MT05 Maqmatic Arc OR01 South Cascades Magmatic Arc Magmatic Arc 0RW2 Magmatic Arc OR03 Maamatic Arc MTOl Belt Basin Recycled Orogen Magmatic Arc* MT06 Recycled Orogen MT07 Magmatic Arc* MT08 Magmatic Arc MT09 Maqmatic Arc* ID03 Idaho Batholith Basement Uplift Basement Uplift ID04 Basement Uplift ID05 Basement Uplift IDIO Basement Uplift WAIT Columbia R. Basalt Plateau Maqmatic Arc Maamatic Arc ID14 Snake River Plain Magmatic Arc Maamatic Arc WA01 North Cascades Magmatic Arc Magmatic Arc WA03 Basement Uplift WA05 Magmatic Arc WA07 Maamatic Arc Table 17. Sampling locations of first-order streams, provenance of the basin and provenance reflected by the sand composition on QtFL diagram, (“*” represents provenance that is accurately reflected in QmFLt diagram)

reflect an undissected magmatic arc provenance. Four first-order sand samples from the

Idaho Batholith plot in the basement uplift field. Samples from the Columbia River

Basalt Plateau and Snake River Plain reflect their magmatic arc provenance.

Six samples reflect a tectonic setting other than that known from the bedrock

geology. Sands collected from the Boulder Batholith reflect magmatic arc provenance

instead of the continental block-uplifted basement provenance that would be expected. A

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 69

probable explanation for this is the presence of the Elkhom Mountain Volcanics

(Hamilton and Myers, 1974).

The majority of first-order sands collected from the North Cascades region

accurately reflect a magmatic arc provenance. One sample, however, reflects a

continental block provenance. Dickinson (1983) stated that similar detritus can be

derived from basement uplifts and from eroded plutons in deeply dissected magmatic

arcs. Within the North Cascades dissected-arc region, there are a number of small,

exposed plutons which likely are shedding sand that is quartzo-feldspathic in composition

and nught be suggestive of a continental block provenance. For example, sample WA03

(Mad River, north central Washington) has a composition of Qm22 F53 Lt25, likely

reflects input from two small plutons, and suggests a continental block provenance when

plotted on Dickinson's (1983) QmFLt diagram (Figure 17B).

Five samples of sand were collected from first-order drainages in the Belt Basin

region. Of these four, only one reflects the “correct” recycled orogen provenance on the

QtFL diagram. However, on the QmFLt diagram, four of the five samples plot within or

on the boundary of the recycled orogen provenance field. Clearly, first-order sands

collected within the Belt Basin do not generally indicate the current tectonic setting of a

recycled orogen provenance, suggesting that recycled detritus from relict tectonic setting

of deposition may overshadow current tectonic settings.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 70

The sand compositions plotted on the QmFLt diagrams may reflect different

provenances than plots on the QtFL diagrams. Four samples of first-order sands that

inaccurately predict provenance on the QtFL diagrams are accurate when plotted on the

QmFLt diagram. This discrimination between classification diagrams will be addressed

later.

In summaiy, the majority of these first order samples reflects the provenance of

the drainage basin, but 38% of the samples suggest a tectonic setting other than that

known from independent studies of the bedrock geology. This analysis shows that the

classification diagrams do not always accurately predict provenance, even when sands are

collected on top of the source rocks and there is no mixing of sands from different

geologic tenranes. Hence, hypothesis #1A fails; sand compositions in first-order systems

cannot always be used to accurately infer the tectonic setting of the drainage basin.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. HYPOTHSIS #1B

The second hypothesis is that average ranges of sand composition representing

individual tectonic settings and all sampling scales in the Columbia River Basin will

more accurately reflect the QtFL petrologic classification models introduced by

Dickinson and Suczek (1979) and revised by Dickinson (1983). Dickinson’s revisions

(1983) included establishment of nine fields that are characteristic of sand derived from

different types of provenances. These are grouped into three major categories:

continental block, magmatic arc, and recycled orogen. The continental block category is

sub-divided into craton interior, transitional-continental, and basement uplift (Figure 18).

The magmatic arc is subdivided into dissected arc, transitional arc, and undissected arc

(Figure 18). The recycled orogen field includes subduction complex provenance,

collision orogen provenance and foreland uplift provenance.

To compare modem sand samples with provenance models, it is necessary to

attempt to classify the current tectonic setting of source rocks within the Columbia River

Basin.

Dickinson and Suczek (1979) described uplifted basement provenance as

including uplifted and eroded plutonic belts of arc orogens. The Idaho Batholith and

Kaniksu Batholith regions of the Columbia River Basin fit this category. These

Mesozoic granitic intrusions are related to volcanic arc activity that occurred along the

71

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. JL

KanAsuBalholilti kWioeaiK#

Continental Block

Notth Cascades

Souih Cascades Magmatic Arc

K M M t/A lc

Belt Basai Recycled Orogen

Figure 18. QtFL plots of sand compositions from known tectonic settings for Hypothesis IB

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 73 western continental margin. Sands shed from these two bathoiiths are compositionally

very similar. Figure ISA illustrates the average modal compositions of these two regions

and the standard deviation of all samples collected within that region. The plots show

that sand compositions fall entirely into the uplifted basement-continental block field as

described by Dickinson (1983). Given this data, an uplifted basement provenance would

be accurately inferred.

The Cascade Mountains of Washington and Oregon are split into a northern and

southern portion for this study, but together compose a magmatic arc provenance. The

North Cascades are composed of older arc rocks with exposure of arc-related plutons and

large amounts of volcaniclastic debris. The Southern Cascades are composed of young

extrusive rocks with continued volcanic activity. The difference in the source rocks of

these two regions is evident in the modem sand samples collected, but samples accurately

reflect the magmatic arc provenance (Figure 18B). Sands from the South Cascades plot

entirely within the undissected arc provenance presented by Dickinson (1983). Sands

from the North Cascades overlap in the transitional arc and dissected arc fields. Given

only these data, it would be appropriate to infer a magmatic arc provenance.

Dickinson and Suczek (1979) defined recycled orogen provenances as uplifted

teiranes of folded and faulted strata from which recycled detritus of sedimentary or

metasedimentary origin is prominent. According to these criteria, rocks of the Kootenay

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 74

Arc and the Belt Basin can be classified as recycled orogen. Average compositions of

sand collected from these areas plot mostly within the magmatic arc field (Figure 18C).

Within standard deviation, sands from the Kootenay Arc reflect a combination of

magmatic arc and continental block provenances, and sands from the Belt Basin reflect a

combination of magmatic arc and recycled orogen provenance. Given these data alone, a

magmatic arc provenance is suggested; a recycled orogen provenance is not evident.

Hence, the compositional models presented by Dickinson and Suczek (1979) do

not always lead to accurate connection between plate tectonic setting and averaged

compositional data for sands collected from known tectonic environments. While sands

from the Idaho Batholith accurately reflect an uplifted basement provenance, recycled

detritus from the Belt Basin erroneously reflects a magmatic arc provenance.

Interpretation may be ambiguous for sand compositions that overlap provenance fields.

For the most part, sands from the North Cascades accurately reflect a

transitional/dissected arc provenance but overlap into the continental block provenance

field may complicate interpretations. In conclusion, while the provenance diagrams

established by Dickinson and Suczek (1979) may be helpful in determining tectonic

origin of detritus, they are not always accurate. There are enough exceptions given the

six groups of sand collected from unambiguous tectonic settings to invalidate the

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 75 hypothesis that calculating standard deviation for groups of samples improves the

predictability of sand composition from areas of known tectonic setting.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. HYPOTHESIS #2

The second hypothesis that I will address is that sampling scale outweighs

tectonic setting in governing detrital sand compositions. Ingersoll et al. (1993)

emphasized the need for actualistic petrofacies models based on diverse sampling scales

because of the ambiguous provenance interpretations that result from analysis of sands

from first and second order drainage basins. They found that in tectonic settings with

diverse source rocks, existing petrofacies models were only applicable to third-order

sands, and that it is inappropriate to reject the third-order models based on data collected

from first and second order samples. The wide diversity of source rocks within the

Columbia River Basin make it a good study area for examining this relationship between

sampling scale and plate tectonic setting.

This hypothesis would be nullified if all individual sand samples reflected the

current tectonic setting of the region in which they were collected. To test this, individual

samples were randomly selected and plotted on QFL diagrams (Figure 19). They were

plotted with symbols reflecting their current tectonic setting. All samples collected

within magmatic arc provenances have compositions that reflect their current tectonic

setting. Ingersoll et al. (1993) found that sands shed from magmatic arcs accurately

reflect their provenance regardless of sampling scale because of the homogeneity of

source rocks in these regions. In this respect, sands derived from magmatic arc

76

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Q t

T P A f''i ■>iT} ' , -\i ARi

F 0 Magmatic Arc provenance L ♦ Conti nental Bl ock provenance + Recycled Orogen provenance

Figure 19. Plot of randomly selected individual samples from each major geologic provenance

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 78

provenance in the Columbia River Basin are correlative with the findings of Ingersoll et

al. (1993). Samples collected from continental block provenances fall within both the

continental block and magmatic arc field (Figure 19). Five samples fall into the

basement uplift field, while four reflect a magmatic arc provenance. Only one of nine

samples collected from a recycled orogen provenance actually reflects that setting. The

majority of sands collected from recycled orogen settings reflect a magmatic arc

provenance. Overall, the accuracy of individual samples in reflecting the current tectonic

setting is only 54%. In part, the discrepancy between sand composition and tectonic

setting exists because of the relative immaturity of these sands. Based on this data, the

hypothesis cannot be nullified and it is evident that sampling scale outweighs tectonic

setting.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. HYPOTHESIS #3

Hypothesis #2 demonstrated that sampling scale outweighs tectonic setting for Columbia

River Basin sand derived from first and second-order streams. Hypothesis #3 provides

additional insight into the predictability of tectonic setting from samples collected in first

and second-order streams by assessing whether artificial homogenization of these

samples will approximate the composition of samples from third-order drainages and

hence better predict plate tectonic setting. To test this, I combined all samples collected

from each provenance (Table 17) and compared this mean composition to Dickinson’s

plots (1983).

Continental Block Provenance

The recalculated modal compositions of sand shed from the Kaniksu

Batholith, Idaho Batholith and Boulder Batholith were combined and plotted on ternary

diagrams to compare with continental-block derived sands described by Dickinson and

Suczek (1979) (Figure 20). The mean compositions of Holocene sands from uplifted

basement provenances in the Columbia River Basin are Qt23 F63 L14 and Qm22 F63

Ltl5 (Figure 20A and 2GB). Within standard deviation, the composition of sands on the

(^FL diagram falls in the magmatic arc Held, but there is significant overlap

79

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Maqmatic Arc Origin Continental Block Recycled Orogen Sample Location Sample Location Sample Location OR-01 Lewis R. MT-02 Clark Fork R. OR-12 Powder R. 0R-W2 Willamette R. MT-03 Little Blackfoot R. OR-13 Burnt R. OR-03 Deschutes R. MT-04 Clark Fork R. OR-14 Snake R. OR-05 John Day R. MT-05 Silver Bow Ck. ID-24 Little Salmon R. OR-07 John Day R. ID-02 Boise R. ID-25 Salmon R. OR-08 John Day R. ID-03 Boise R. NF WA-09 Columbia R. OR-11 Malheur R. NF ID-04 Crooked R. WA-17 Spokane R. OR-15 Owyhee R. ID-05 Payette R. SF WA-18 Columbia R. ID-01 Snake R. ID-07 Salmon R. WA-19(AVG) Columbia R. ID-14 Snake R. HP ID-10 Lochsa R. BC-04 Columbia R. ID-16 Snake R. ID-11 Clearwater R. BC-05 Kootenay R. ID-17 Snake R. ID-20 Boise R. MT-01 Rock Creek ID-18 Snake R. ID-22 Payette R. MT-06 Flathead R. NF ID-19 Snake R. ID-26 Clearwater R. SF MT-07 Flathead R. MF ID-21 Snake R. WA-20 Pend-Oreille R. MT-08 Flathead R. WA-01 Swauk Creek ID-13 Priest R. MT-09 Swan R. WA-03 MadR. MT-10 Blackfoot R. WA-05 Wenatchee R. MT-11 Clark Fork R. WA-07 White R. MT-12 Clark Fork R. WA-08 Yakima R. MT-13 Clark Fork R. WA-09 Columbia R. MT-14 Clark Fork R. WA-10 Snake R. MT-15 Flathead R. WA-11 Grande Ronde R. BC-01 Elk R. WA-12 Snake R. BC-02 Kootenay R. WA-13(AVG) Columbia R. BC-03 Columbia R. WA-15 Yakima R. WA-21 Columbia R. WA-22 Columbia R. WA-23(AVG) Columbia R. ID-12 Clearwater R. ID-23 Weiser R. Table 18. Sand samples grouped by tectonic provenance

into the basement uplift continental block provenance. The composition of sand on the

QmFLt diagram falls into the basement uplift continental block with a small amount of

overlap into the magmatic arc field. The plot of the polycrystalline components

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 81

Recycled Mixed ' o % Dissected ;CLED OROGEN pYCLED OROGEN Dissected Arc CONTINENTAL BLOCK-

Transitional Transitional Arc #

füTssected UituisbcCtcd Arc F «C0NT1NENTALBL0CK ^ MAGMATIC ARC Qp Om

I Creasing Matunty/Stability !ro \ Continental Block Pro^nartces

Subduction Cojfp Source

Circuni-Pactlic Volcanoplutonic Suites RECYCLED

Mixed Orogenic Sands CONTINENT/L BLOCK MAGMATIC ARC CONTINENTAL BLOCK

A k 0/baen Sources rrcreasing Ratio of Plutonic to Volcanic Sources in Maqmatic Arc Provenance MAGMATIC ARC RECYCLED OROGEN

Figure 20. Plots of mean sand compositions from each type of geologic provenance

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 82

(QpLvLsm) reflects an arc orogen source as described by Dickinson and Suczek (1979),

but their models only identify arc orogen, subduction complex, collision suture, and fold-

thrust belt sources (Figure 20C). The plot of monocrystalline components (QmPK)

reflects a magmatic arc provenance for these modem sands, but identifies the greater

influence of plutonic sources over volcanic sources (Figure 20D).

The interpretation of tectonic setting from these sands would be erroneous if

classified according to Dickinson and Suczeks (1979) and Dickinsons (1983) models.

Sand compositions suggest a combination of continental block and magmatic arc

provenances. The two QFL diagrams partially reflect a continental block provenance,

and accurately express the uplifted basement sub-field within this provenance. But the

overlap into the magmatic arc field, and the clear expression of magmatic arc provenance

in the QmPK and QpLvLsm diagrams might lead to inaccurate interpretation of tectonic

setting if these petrologic models were strictly applied.

Magmatic Arc Provenance

Samples collected from the South Cascades, North Cascades, Columbia River

Basalt Plateau, and Snake River Plain are classified as being derived from a magmatic arc

provenance. The South Cascades is volcanically active, and so can easily be classified as

a volcanic arc. The North Cascades is older, with lesser amounts of extrusive volcanics

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and more exposure of arc-related volcanic rocks, and can be classified as a transitional to

dissected arc. Tectonic classification of the Columbia River Basalt Plateau and Snake

River Plain is more difficult. While these areas are dominated by recent volcanic

activity, there is no current active magmatism related to an arc orogen. Moreover, the

Snake River Plain volcanic field is not attributed to arc magmatism, but to the migration

of a hotspot under the continent (Leeman, 1982). However, the overwhelming volcanic

signature of these areas led to the inclusion as a magmatic arc provenance.

Sands shed from these four geologic regions are plotted on ternary diagrams to

compare their compositions with those defined by Dickinson and Suczek (1979) and

revised by Dickinson (1983). All four ternary plots clearly express a magmatic arc

provenance for these sands (Figure 20). The QFL diagrams reflect overlap in the

dissected arc and transitional arc fields as determined by Dickinson (1983) (Figure 20A

and 2GB). The plot of polycrystalline components (QpLvLsm) clearly reflects an arc

orogen source (Figure 20C), and the plot of monocrystalline components (QmPK)

reflects a magmatic arc provenance dominated by volcanic sources (Figure 20D), as

described by Dickinson and Suczek (1979).

Using classification diagrams introduced by Dickinson and Suczek (1979) and

revised by Dickinson (1983), the modal composition of these sands accurately reflects the

magmatic arc provenance from which they are derived.

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Recycled Orogen Provenance

Modem sand samples that reflect current recycled orogen settings were combined

and their modal percentages calculated and plotted on ternary diagrams (Figure 20).

These samples came from the Belt Basin, Kootenay Arc and Blue Mountains. Accreted

sedimentary rocks that have been metamorphosed to varying degrees, along with minor

accreted volcanic rocks and orogenic intrusive plutonic rocks, dominate all of these areas.

The modem sand samples from these areas have an average composition of Q22 F37

L41. The QFL plots of sand compositions reflect a magmatic arc orogen almost entirely,

with a small amount of overlap into continental block provenance (Figure 20A and 20B).

There is no overlap into the recycled orogen field. The plot of polycrystalline

components reflects a combination of an arc orogen source and a collision suture and

fold-thmst belt source, with some overlap into an undefined field explained only as

originating from mixed orogenic sources (Figure 20C). The plot of monocrystalline

components reflects a magmatic arc provenance that is dominated by plutonic sources

(Figure 20D).

Tectonic classification of the provenance of these sands would lead to erroneous

interpretations using Dickinson and Suczek's (1979) models. Looking at the plots, one

would interpret a magmatic arc provenance and not a recycled orogen provenance.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 85

Overall, modem sands collected within in the Columbia River Basin do not

accurately reflect the tectonic setting as Dickinson and Suczek (1979) predicted with their

models. Cordilleran mountain building, arc magmatism and accretion of suspect terranes

have dominated the geologic history of the Columbia River Basin, but the present

tectonic settings vary across the region. All modem sand samples from the basin tend to

suggest a magmatic arc setting, but the present tectonic settings vary within the basin and

include continental block provenances with basement uplift affinities, as well as recycled

orogen provenances. Artificial homogenization of all first and second order sands within

the basin does little to reduce the discrepancy between observed sand composition and

that predicted based on plate tectonic setting, likely because of the important roles that

relief, climate, and transport also play important roles in grain attrition (Basu, 1976;

Basu, 1985); Dickinson et al., 1986; Critelli et al., 1997; Girty et al., 1988; Girty and

Armitage, 1989; Marsaglia, 1993). In first and second order systems the transport

distances are shorter and there is less time for compositional stabilization than for sands

in third order systems. This will lead to differences in modal compositions between the

lower order systems and third order systems and affect interpretations of tectonic

provenance from Dickinson and Suczek’s models (1979) which were created based on

sands from third order sampling scales. Complex tectonic settings, such as those found in

the Columbia River Basin, result in diverse sand compositions at all scales and apparently

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invalidates basin-wide classification of tectonic setting based on Dickinson and Suczeks

(1979) models. In conclusion, hypothesis #3 is invalid. Artificial homogenization does

not accurately approximate third-order sand compositions and does not lead to correct

interpretation of tectonic setting.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. HYPOTHESIS #4

The final hypothesis that I will test is that sand compositions can be estimated by

modeling and combining the areal coverage of different lithology types in small drainage

basins. To test this, I selected areas that are drained through one substantial drainage,

represented a combination of smaller drainage systems, and contained a sample location

near the outlet of the drainage (Figure 21). The actual composition of the sand from the

drainage was compared to the calculated composition based on the areal coverage of

different source rock types.

Six combinations of first order drainages were chosen on the basis of the above

criteria. Four of these study areas are located in Idaho, one is in Montana, and one is in

Oregon (Figure 21). The main lithologies identified and used in this analysis are felsic

plutonic, felsic and mafic volcanic, coarse-grained siliciclastic, fine-grained siliciclastic,

carbonate and metamorphic rocks. GIS data from the Interior Columbia Basin

Ecosystem Management Program (ICBEMP) was used to identify small-scale drainage

basins and to estimate lithology types within each basin.

Some minéralogie assumptions about the source rocks and the components of the

sand shed from them were necessary in order to calculate sand compositions. Two main

types of felsic plutonic rocks are found within the study areas. Quartz monzonite is the

main rock type of the Boulder Batholith. An average minéralogie composition of quartz-

87

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Figure 21. Map of minor drainage basins used in estimating sand compositions for Hypothesis M4 and actual sample sites used in comparison

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 89

10%, plagioclase feldspar-45%, and potassium feldspar-45% was used to estimate sand

composition from the Boulder Batholith. Granodiorite is the main rock type of the Idaho

Batholith. An average minéralogie composition of quartz-40%, plagioclase feldspar-

50%, and potassium feldspar-10% was used to estimate sand compositions from the three

drainage systems in west-central Idaho. Coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks are assumed to

be sandstone and quartzite and sand shed from these areas is assumed to consist entirely

of quartz grains. Fine-grained siliciclastic rocks are assumed to shed only silt clasts,

which are identified as Ls. Carbonate rocks are assumed to shed only carbonate clasts,

identified as Lc, and are grouped with Ls for modal calculations. Metamorphic rocks are

assumed to shed only metamorphic fragments, identified as Lm.

Sample MT-11 came from the Clark Fork River and represents the combined

drainages of the upper Clark Fork River, the Blackfoot River, and Rock Creek. The

predominant lithologies in this area are fine-grained siliciclastic rocks and felsic volcanic

rocks, along with lesser amounts of plutonic rocks, coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks,

carbonate rocks, and metamorphic rocks. The combination of lithologies exposed in the

three drainage basins consists of 55% fine-grained siliciclastic rocks, 15% felsic volcanic

rocks, 11% felsic plutonic rocks, 10% coarse-grained siliciclastic rocks, 6% carbonate

rocks, and 2% metamorphic rocks. Using these percentages of rock types within the

drainage basin, the calculated sand composition is Qtl 1 FIG L79 and the calculated lithic

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content is Lv20 Ls78 Lm2 (Tables 19 and 20). The actual composition of sample MT-11

is Qt23 F35 L42 and the lithic content is Lvl4 Ls86 LmO (Figure 22). The calculated

composition is much higher in lithic fragments than the actual sand composition

representing this drainage. The initial assumptions made about the grains shed from the

main lithology types are general and can explain this higher percentage of lithic

fragments found in the calculated composition. Siliciclastic rocks may initially shed

coarse sands composed entirely of silt clasts, but a very small amount of transport and

weathering will result in the breakdown of sand into higher proportions of

monocrystalline components. This higher lithic percentage will probably be the case for

all calculated compositions throughout the basin and will be addressed further later.

Sample ID-22 comes from the Payette River and represents the combined

drainages of three forks of the Payette River. This drainage area contains mostly felsic

plutonic rocks (71%) of the Idaho Batholith. Other rock types include fine-grained strata

(15%), mafic volcanic rocks (11%), and metamorphic rocks (3%). The calculated

composition of sands is Qt28 F43 L29 and the calculated lithic content is Lv39 Ls52

LmlO. The actual composition of sample ID-22 is Qt30 F65 L5 and the actual lithic

content is Lvl(X) LsO LmO (Table 20).

Sample ID-20 was collected from the Boise River and represents the combined

drainages of the three forks of the Boise River. The drainage primarily contains felsic

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1 B ?B fTi s e 5 I M H f 1 lU ill I f 1 II III is " " I l l ' l l 11 I m s I S S in i g 2S Î S9 m i s ils Is: ss %5SSÏ g. II ill sS = II II II nil n gg:r r- « p p p p p o o e p p < p p p ss sss II II nil £S gs: s s s p p o p } ss III SSS II is o s is S3 II p p p p p o P s: III gs islli II s s s p p p e p II III g S w* 111! » s is is is ss isss III »* ' p p p p p p I : s s s o o o nsII II n i l II llli o o o p p p I 1 SSS II II II nil II Ô p S 1 S' I p 2 oS: e »O w # 1 o p »3 p I w : «3;: & Q pjg : Ësëls g OOP isopppsis 190 •'{ % « 9 Î w pS = o«evtOM«nj!oo so§ 1 P : I ill e«ew*«weooe sSo e p p P g ^ * S % * P loi 0«raMO<*OAi - :: p I o o s 6eoo^A'O'^ooo s t*

2 3 ; 1 ; £ 1 p is p p

I o 8 : 9 z 1 1 g " g o 1 Is O S il p o ; M K g S z s e p o p e 5* y 3 e o o il * s '£ o o e p s s - 3 p p s z I 1

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 92

plutonic rocks (63%) of the Idaho Batholith, but also contains fine-grained siliciclastic

rocks (23%), mafic volcanic rocks (12%), and felsic volcanic and metamorphic rocks

(2% each). The calculated composition of sands is Qt24 F37 L39 and Lv36 Ls60 Lm4.

The actual composition of sample ID-20 is Q tl8 F74 L8 and Lv87 Lsl3 LmO (Table 20).

Sample ID-09 was collected from the Salmon River in east-central Idaho and

represents the combined drainages of the upper Salmon River and the Pashimeroi River.

Lithology types in this drainage system are felsic volcanic rocks (55%), felsic plutonic

rocks (19%), carbonate rocks (11%), and siliciclastic rocks (8% fine-grained, 7% coarse­

grained). The calculated composition of sands is Qtl 5 FI 1 L74 and Lv74 Ls26 LmO.

The actual composition of sample ID-09 is Qtl8 F37 L45 and Lv81 Lsl6 Lm3.

Sample ID-16 was collected from the upper Snake River and represents the

combined drainages of the Henrys Fork, Teton River, Gros Ventre River, Salt River,

Willow River, Greys-Hobock Rivers and Palisades River. Lithology types in this

drainage system are felsic volcanic rock (33%), mafic volcanic rock (22%), coarse­

grained siliciclastic rocks (22%), fine-grained siliciclastic rocks (13%), carbonate rock

(8%), and minor amounts of metamorphic rock (2%), and felsic plutonic rock (1%). The

calculated composition of sands is Qt21 FI L78 and Lv71 Ls27 Lm2. The actual

composition of sample ID-16 is Qtl 3 F24 L63 and Lv92 Ls8 LmO (Table 20).

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liMt iftl TalrtilatftH mrwlal Artuai mmdal fit f t t 1 V 1 m O r F 1 t I v ( 1 1 m i n ? ? ?ft% 71% 11% 11% in% 10% 6 1 % S% 1 0 0 % o % 0 % m x ) ?44A 17%, 11% 16% 60% 4% 16% 74% rm 67% 11% 0% moQ 1^^ 11%. 74% 74% 76% 0% 16% 1 7 % 4 1 % 6 1 % 1 6 % 1% miA ? 1 « . 1% 7A% 71% 77% 7% 11% 74% 61% 17% 6% o% w r i t 114A in % . 7 1 % 7 0 % 7 6 % 7% 7 1 % 1 1 % 4 7 % 1 4 % 6 6 % 0 % npn% 70*. n%, 4 ft% 1 7 % 7 % 1% 1% 7 1 % 7 4 % 1 4 % 1% o%

mi 6 Vf/Vm 77%. 70%. %*% 1 1 % 7 4 % 6 1 % nn-ni 7%. 1 7 % AA% 1% 7 1 % 7 4 % irwnQ 11%, « % 16% 4 1 %

Table 20. Calculated and actual sand compositions from combined drainages in the Columbia River Basin

Sample OR 03 comes from the Deschutes River and represents the drainages of the upper

Deschutes River, the Little Deschutes River, the Beaver River and the Lower and Upper

Crooked River. Lithology types within the basin include mafic volcanic rock (65%),

felsic volcanic rock (26%), fine-grained siliciclastic rock (5%), coarse-grained

siliciclastic rock (2%), carbonate rock (2%) and metamorphic rock (1%). The calculated

composition of sands is Qt2 FD L98 and Lv92 Ls7 Lml. The actual composition of

sample OR-03 is Qtl F25 L74 and Lv99 Lsl LmO (Table 20).

Figure 22 shows temaiy diagrams of the calculated and actual sand compositions

for each of these drainage systems. The greatest amount of difference between the actual

and calculated compositions occurs in the percentage of rock fragments (QtFL %L) found

in each sample. The calculated compositions always predict a higher percentage of

lithics than is found in the actual sand samples. This can be attributed to the assumptions

made about sand compositions shed from certain lithology types and the survivability of

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•©

F L

Lv

Ls Lm

Figure 22. QtFL and LvLsLm plots of actual and calculated sand compositions

•ID22 *ID20 Solid symbols are calculated compositions, open and " I DOS circled symbols are actual sample compositions, #1016 boxed symbols reflect revised estimates + M T11 X 0R 03

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 95

the constituents of that sand. For example, the assumption was made that coarse-grained

siliciclastic rocks would shed exclusively quartz grains, and that fine-grained siliciclastic

rocks would shed exclusively sedimentary rock fragments. Coarse-grained siliciclastic

rocks will probably shed sand that is more stable and less susceptible to breakdown

through transport. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that quartz-rich sandstones

would shed quartz grains exclusively. On the other hand, fine-grained sedimentary rocks

would shed sands dominated by rock fragments but also containing a number of other

grain-types, including monocrystalline quartz, feldspars, and other minerals, depending

on the amount of weathering and transport and the amount of breakdown of the lithic

fragments into their crystal components. Likewise, sand from felsic and mafic volcanic

source rocks would contain an abundance of individual plagioclase feldspar grains, as

well as volcanic rock fragments.

The discrepancy between actual and calculated sand compositions may also be

related to data collection methods. The use of the Gazzi-Dickinson point-counting

method identities crystals that are larger than silt size (0.0625mm) whether they are part

of a larger lithic fragment or not. The identification of minerals within lithic fragments

would result in an increase in the percentage of mineral grains in the sand and a decrease

in the percentage of lithic grains.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 96

To illustrate how the general assumptions of grain types shed from source rocks

influence calculations, I recalculated the compositions of three of the regions dominated

by volcanic source rocks (see Table 20). Instead of assuming that all volcanic

provenances would shed volcanic rock fragments exclusively, I assumed that both felsic

and mafic volcanic rocks shed 35% plagioclase feldspar and 65% volcanic rock

fragments. Felsic volcanic rocks, such as rhyolite, often contain phenocrysts of

plagioclase in a fine-grained matrix, and mafic volcanic rocks, such as basalt, are

composed of laths of plagioclase, so it is a realistic assumption that sands shed from

either of these areas would contain plagioclase grains. By changing the types of grains

shed from these volcanic provenances, the total lithic content decreased by 19% and the

feldspar content increased by 19%. The new calculated composition is Qt22 F20 L58,

which is much closer to the actual composition of sample ID-16 (Qtl 3 F24 L63).

Changing the assumed compositions of volcanic rocks for sample OR-03 so that it

consists of 35% plagioclase feldspar produces a predicted sand composition much closer

to the observed composition (Figure 22). The newly calculated composition is (3t2 F32

L66 and the actual composition is Qtl F25 L74. Sample ID-09 reflects a provenance

composed primarily of felsic volcanic rocks (55%). Making the same changes as above

to the resulting grain types, the newly calculated composition of sands shed from this

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region is Qtl5 F31 L55, which is a much better approximation to the actual composition

ofQtl8F37L45.

Problems in estimating the compositions of sands shed from certain source rocks

arise because of differences in weathering and breakdown of rock fragments into their

grain constituents. Volcanic source rocks will shed sands composed mainly of volcanic

rock fragments, but these rock fragments are quickly broken down so that sands evolve to

contain higher percentages of monomineralic constituents. This same trend toward

increased percentages of monocrystalline grains is also likely to exist for metamorphic

and fine-grained sedimentary source rocks. Immediately adjacent to the source rocks,

sands may consist entirely of lithic fragments reflecting the provenance, but rapid

breakdown decreases the amount of rock fragments and increases the amount of mineral

grains in the sands.

In conclusion, this final hypothesis is not valid. Sand composition can be

generally estimated by modeling the areal coverage of lithology types within a drainage

basin, although the accuracy when compared with actual sample composition depends on

the assumptions made as to the grain types originating from source rocks. It is not

realistic to assume that a single grain type results from any one provenance, with the

exception of a highly mature quartz-sandstone, because of the rapid breakdown of rock

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fragments into their mineral constituents and the variability of mineral constituents in

every rock type.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CONCLUSIONS

The data collected from Holocene sand compositions in the Columbia River Basin

help to clarify the applicability of models relating sand compositions to tectonic setting.

Ingersoll et al. (1984) concluded that the composition of sands shed from a magmadc arc

provenance accurately reflect the tectonic setting at all sampling scales. Sand

compositions from arc provenances within the Columbia River are consistent with this

conclusion, but sands collected from streams draining recycled orogen and continental

block provenance settings within the Columbia River Basin do not behave so

homogeneously. In fact, none of the sand collected in settings classified as recycled

orogen provenance reflect accurately that tectonic provenance. The Columbia River

Basin is an excellent example of a mixed-provenance drainage. The wide variety of

source rocks within the basin lead to a wide range of compositional variability in sands.

Because of the mixing of sands derived from different source regions, petrological

models linking sand composition and plate tectonic setting (Dickinson and Suczek, 1979;

Dickinson, 1983) are inaccurate in many cases. Although the models may provide

helpful information, they cannot be solely relied upon when making inferences about

tectonic setting.

Four specific conclusions were reached through the analysis of modem sand

collected from the Columbia River Basin. 1) Sand compositions from first and second

99

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order streams cannot always be used to accurately infer the tectonic setting of the

drainage basin as described by Dickinson and Suczek’s (1979) models. 2) Sampling scale

appears to outweigh tectonic setting; sand samples collected from low order systems have

compositions more closely related to the local source rocks than to the general tectonic

setting of those rocks. 3) Artificial homogenization of sands in first and second order

drainage systems does not accurately approximate compositions in third order systems.

This is due to shorter transport distances and a lack of stabilization that comes with

weathering and transport. 4) Sand compositions cannot be accurately estimated by

modeling areal coverage of source rock types within drainage basins due to complex

characteristics of weathering and breakdown of grains that are unique to each drainage

system.

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 101

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