Fa 5^ Faiek. A, Thesis
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Stratigraphy, structure and composition of cement materials in north central California Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Faick, John N. Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 06/10/2021 15:27:56 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/552261 BTRATigRAPHY^ STBlJCTyRE AMD GOMPOSITION OF CEMEHT-MATEttlALE IM NORTH CENTRAL CALIFORNIA 5^ fA ■Tohn N» Faiek. ■ ■■■■v A, Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the: ; ;; v D e p a r t m e n t o f g e o l o g y : M Partial Fulfillment'.of the Requirements For the Degree'of . .'DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY , In the Graduate College . * -. : UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1959 / f j T ? 7 ^ STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillm ent of require ments for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is de posited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in their judgment the proposed use of the m aterial is in the interests of scholar ship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. n / y7 ' ^ • / SIGNED: APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: - ; " . ■' ■- . : ■ B'TB^IG EAPay? STBUCTUBE AND COMPOSITION QF CEMENT MATERIALS IN NORTH. CENTRAL CALIFORNIA .'&.: v. / # ' a ' . .. : . - - : - - ^ ■■ ■ ■■ ' ■ John N-" Faick - : v A,-; V _ ., ^ABSTBACT ■ : ' ' , . A geologic investigation was made in north central California for materials from which to manufacture cement. Parts of the Sierra Nevada and Great Valley provinces are included in the area investigated. The area is underlain by sedimehtary and'.igneous, rocks ranging in age from Silurian to Recent. Paleozoic shales,, sandstones, limestones, and associated igneous rocks were metamorphosed, tightly folded, up lifted and eroded'at theTlOse-of the:Paleozoic, These wer e again sub- ' merged in the Mesozoic when a nearly sim ilar sequence of rocks was formed. The rocks of these two eras are grouped together as the f'Bed rock series^ although they 'are separated .by a profound unconformity. ; • U plift during the Sierra Nevada orogeny and subsequent erosion caused great amounts of m aterial to be removed from the Sierra Nevada and deposited as . clastic, sediments in the Oreat Valley province during the . Cretaceous and Cenozoic. Many deposits of calcareous materials are v : ' ' : :/:1 ' V - ; ; u . ■' ■■ present in formations of Carboniferous and Triassic age. Ba Plumas . County two large deposits of Triassic age were mapped, "drilled, and sampled. The deposit near Genesee is the type locality for the Hosselkus limestone. This large, relatively pure deposit is deformed, having been overturned, folded, and faulted. Near V irgilia is a deposit of argillaceous limestone.having a ,composition sim ilar to natural cement rock. Argillaceous, materials suitable for cement admixture occur in some of the Carboniferous formations and in post-Jurassic rocks along the;east side of the Sacramento1- Valley. Some Upper Cenozoic rhyolitic tuffs’ occurring in the .area have pozzolaaic' properties. TABLE- OF CONTENTS . Page n m o - O T c m M . d o O 0.0 o o o p o o .0 6 o o p o P o o o o o o o o o o o o 1 ; ,:; Purpose and Scope of Investigation-...., „.o.o.. ...» . 2 : F ie ld .•Wot’Jfe .«•»••• ••»•■•» • .«■*•«.• «•• v « • •• • •»; «.*• ® «• * • . 5 E a r lie r ^^^or 1c, o««*, • ©»© • ® © © ©, © © © © © © © * © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © * 5 A cknow ledgm ents © © © © © © © © © © © .© © © © © © © © © © * .© © * © © © © ©_ © © © © © © ©. ■ 6 TECHNOLOGY AND' DEVELO PM ENT OF: CEMENT. © © © ©. © © © : .9 y . Character of Cement Materials- © © . ■©©. -© .© O O O O O O O. O 0 .0 o t 9 ' Historical Sketch of the Cement. Industry © © o o o o o p o o ®‘ o o t 14 , ; • ‘ GEOLOGY OF NORTH CENTRAL CALIFORNIA o o o o » o General Geology o • o o o » o o' o o o o o o o o p *: 09 ’o. o o 0 0 o p o OOP P o o O, O' O 18 Geology of Cement M aterials o o: o o o oooe 0000 00000 o o 000000 25 Mode of Occurrehce of . Lim estone ,. © ©. © ©;..... o » 00 00 25 Minor Deposits of Calcareous Materials 2.6 Deposits of Siliceous and Aluminous M aterials ©',. © ©;. 29. P oz^olans ... © © © © © © © © © © © ©. © © © © © © © © .©.... © © © © © ©... © © © © © © © © © 31 GEOmGIC INVESTIGATION. OF -LIMESTONE.' ©... ©©.©©©© © © BB GeOlogy of th e , Genesee Lim estone -Deposit . © ©;. © ©. © © © © © SS. G eneral F eatures . ©' © © © © © .© © © © © ©. 32 .Stratigraphy ©©©©.©.©. © © © -. .,.©©. ©, © OOOO 0OOOO 36 ■ Reeve Meta-andesite . .;© ©... ©.... © © ©... , © © © ©. © © 37 . Robinson Formation © © © ..©.,.©. © © ©-© © © © © © © © © © „. © 39 :;HOsselktiS:. L im e s tb n e :. > © © © © © © ©• © • * ' 6 OOO 40 . L ith o lo g y © © © © © © © © o«© © © ©©©a © © © o © © © o © © © © © © © 40 T h ickness © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © ©. © © © .© 42 F o s s ils and ^^k.ge © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © © 43 . A lte ra tio n © © ©.© ©,© © ©.© © © ©■©..© © © © © ©, © © © © © © © © © © © © © 44 / V ., -iv : - Page Swearinger Slate ooooooooooooo©oeooooo®ooooo 44 Structure « > o o O O O O O O O 0 o o ooooooooooooooooo 45 ; O.. 6 » O. O^ .» O O 0 :0 o o o' o o o o o. o o O 0 0 o o o o o o.o o o o O 0-0 o o o 45 '; ^ ' U e t t i l i t g 0 o o 'o o o o o o' O O O O O '0.0 O O O O O O O 0-0 oaoo oooo o oooo 48 Age of Deformation ..».««= .... 49 Geology of the T irg ilia Deposit o o o o o o‘ o o o ooooo o oo o o o o o o o o General 'Features.. <. <.»»»..».«.................. ..... 50 Stratigraphy .....o. .......o..o..................... 55 Lower; Unit (Shale) ... „ O O O O O O O O O O 0 O O • o o o r o o o o o o o o 55. Middle Unit (Virgilia Limestone) o e b "o o e <y o- o o ® o o o o o. 55 . Upper Unit (Metavolcanics) o o o o o o o 57 Structure-.' O V < o b o o o o o o o- b o o o o 'o o o- o o ,o o o' o o o o o’ o o‘ @ o o o’ o 57 Gomposition/of :Ayailable: Cement M aterials ,........... 59 ; .; Genesee Limestone ' Deposit =......................... 59 . Bosselkus Limestone ooooooeooo 59 ; Swear inger rlnmestone o o o o o o o o o o o o ooooo e o ■62 . .V irgilia Limestone.Deposit:, . , . 62 lone For.mation ................... *... ....«... .... 73 Calavaras Formation .......................... 75 Utilisation.'o£: Available Cement M aterials. .... .... 78 Methods for Determining Composition... pooooooooooooo 79 Fiefd'Wethods- o o o o o o o o' o o o < o > '© Weathering Characteristics <5 o O 0 79 - Solubility Tests' . .., © O O O O O O O O O 0 o o o 80 Laboratory Methods . =«< O o o ® o o o o o o < ooo o ® e e o '81 ; b- o'o O o © o .0 o o o .0 o 0 0 © O. o «. o o © <? o 9 ,0 6 0 o o 81 Mineral'Staining ........ ........... 81 Recording Stain Tests ........................ 87 '■1 ■ Page GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATION OF POZZOLANS., ooooo ooo oo o o 88 Introduction O O O O O OOO O o QOGOOOO OOOOO 88 Definition .,...,.....».... oooooooooa 88 Types of Pozmlans ............ v............ 88 Use of pozzolans'.......»..»»■..».»».. 89 Pozzolan'Materials .... „.. 90 General Features .»....»........................... 90 Properties of Pozzolans.. ........... .... .. vV......... 93 Classification of Pozzolan M aterials ................ 95 Classification by Pliysical Types .......»........ 95 Classification by Activity Types ................ 96 Explanation of Activity Types ......»........ 98 Summary of Activity Types ................. 104 Characteristics of. Pozzolans O-oo o ooo-o ooo o o o o 106 Geological Characteristics ...... v................... 106 Physical Characteristics .........................«« 107 Characteristics of Tuffaceous Material............... 108 Selecting and Testing Pozzolans .................... 112 Materials for Pozzolans in North Central California *»»... 115 \ General: Features o o o o o <y o o 6 o o o » 115 T u ffs A ......... O O O O Cr O O O . 124 ' Tuffs of the Tuscan Formation ...'»..». •*»«»...... 125 . ■ Tuffs of Oroville .............................. 128 <: Unnamed Rhyolite Tuff ...»..»»»... ..«.. ..,«« 129 % , Geologic F e a tu re s ...... ........... .... ..... 129 pozzolahic Properties.-. 130 ,, Thffs ofG #ter '(Marysville) Buttes ..«.»»...-. , 130 Conclusions of pozzolan Investigation ...». 132 > - ' vi : Page SUMMAEY OF CEMENT MATERIALS. INVESTIGATION 134 BIBLIOGRAPHY 6 o o o. o 6 o o 6 o o b o p o o o p a o 6 b o o pop o .. 136 References Pertaining to Geology of North Central California =...«. .......... O » O • O O O O P O P 136 References Pertaining to Cements and Pozzolans ' 140 LIST OF ELATES P la te .Page 1« Geologic map of.South Peak, Genesee limestone, ■; deposit/ -Plunias'Cotinty^ California «.,..«... .in pocket 2«: Cross section of the Genesee limestone deposit, . '-■’■.A;. Genesee, California .. «> .......................,.... in pocket 3, Cross section Of the Genesee limestone deposit, . ' ■ Genesee, California ........ ... «.> ....,....... , in pocket 4. Geologic map, V irgilia limestone deposit, Virgilia, C a lifo rn ia O P O 0 ,0 0 o 6 o o o o o o o o o O. o in p o cke t ■- . .■;:J f ig u r e s Fignre ■ ■: /' . ... ' Page 1. Inden map of north' central California .,... .......- .. 3 2. Map of California showing natural provinces ............ 19 3. Block diagram of part of Sierra Nevada ................. 23 4., Block diagram of a typical limestone deposit ..