The Cenozoic Rocks; a Discussion to Accompany the Geologic Map of the United States GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 904 The Cenozoic Rocks; a Discussion to Accompany the Geologic Map of the United States By PHILIP B. KING and HELEN M. BEIKMAN GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 904 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON: 1978 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR WILLIAM P. CLARK, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Dallas L. Peck, Director First printing 1978 Second printing 1984 For sale by the Distribution Branch, U.S. Geological Survey, 604 South Pickett Street, Alexandria, VA 22304 CONTENTS Page Page Abstract ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------­ 1 Tertiary System-Continued Introduction -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 Pliocene Series-Continued Tertiary System -----------------------------··------------------------------------------------­ 2 Continental deposits -----------------------------------------------------­ 33 Paleocene and Eocene Series ---------------------------------------------­ 2 Sheet deposits -----------------------------------------------------------­ 33 Marine stratified rocks -------------------------------------------------- 3 Ogallala Formation ---------------------------------------­ 33 Gulf Coastal Plain -------------------------------------------------­ 3 Bidahochi Formation --···--------------------------------- 34 Midway Group (Tx) ---------------------------------------­ 3 Basin deposits --------------------------------------------------------­ 35 Wilcox Group (Tel) -----------------------------------------­ 3 Santa Fe Formation ---------------------------------------­ 35 Claiborne Group (Te2) -----------------------------------­ 6 Gila Formation -----------------------------------------------­ 36 Jackson Group (Te3) -------------------------------------- 7 Muddy Creek Formation -----------------------------­ 37 Atlantic Coastal Plain -----------------------------------------· 7 Humboldt Formation -------------------------------------­ 37 Pacific Coastal Area ---------------------------------------·-····· 7 Salt Lake Formation -------------------------------------- 38 California -----------------------------------------------------·-----­ 8 Deposits associated with volcanic rocks ......... 38 Oregon and Washington -------------------·---------­ 9 Idaho Group -----------------------------------------------------­ 38 Continental deposits -------------------------------------------·---------- 10 Other formations ---------------------------------------------­ 38 Great Plains and Rocky Mountains ................. 10 Quaternary System -----------· ····------------------------------------------------------­ 39 Paleocene deposits (Txc) -------·-----------------------­ 11 Gulf Coastal Plain ----------------------------------------------------------------­ 39 Eocene deposits (Tee) -------------------------------------- 12 Mississippj Embayment ------------------------------------------------ 39 Eocene lacustrine deposits (Tel) _________________ _ 13 Other areas ---·-------------------------------------------------------------------- 42 Outlying areas ---------------------------------·-----------------------­ 14 Atlantic Coastal Plain -------------------------------------·-------------------- 42 New Mexico and west Texas ------------------------ 14 Great Plains ---------------------------------------------------------·------------········ 43 Arizona ----·----------------------------------------------------------- 14 Pleistocene ......................................................................... 44 Nevada and California ---------------------------------­ 14 Undifferentiated Quaternary ..................................... 44 Western Montana -------------------------------------------­ 15 California ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 45 Washington -------------------------------------------------------- 15 Basin and Range province ................................................. 46 Eugeosynclinal deposits -----------------------------------------------­ 15 Cenozoic volcanic rocks ............................................................... 47 Oligocene Series -----------------------------------------------------------------------­ 16 Lower Tertiary volcanic rocks (lTv) ................................. 49 Marine stratified rocks -------------------------------------------------­ 16 Eocene marine"pillow basalt (Teb) ........................... 49 Gulf Coastal Plain -------------------------------------------------­ 16 Lower Tertiary andesite (ITa) ................................... 49 Pacific Coastal Area ---------------------------------------------­ 17 Clarno Formation (lTv) of northeastern Oregon .. 51 California ···--------------------------------------------------------­ 17 Challis Volcanics (lTv) of south-central Idaho ... 52 Oregon and Washington ------------------·----------­ 17 Western Montana ........................................................... 52 Continental deposits ------------------------------------------------------ 17 Absaroka volcanic field, Wyoming and Montana 52 Great Plains and Rocky Mountains ------·----------­ 17 Eastern Great Basin -------------------------------------------··········· 54 Outlying areas ---------------------------------------------------------- 20 San Juan volcanic field, southwestern Colorado ... 54 Oregon ------------------------------------------------------·----------- 20 Other areas of lower Tertiary volcanics in southern California -----------------------------------------------------------­ 20 Rocky Mountains ....................................................... 57 Miocene Series -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 21 Southwestern Arizona --------·-················----------------·········· 58 Marine stratified rocks --------------------------------------·----------­ 21 Mogollon Plateau, southwestern New Mexico _____ _ 58 Gulf Coastal Plain -------------------------------------------------­ 21 Trans-Pecos Texas ------------------------------------··········------------ 59 Ailantic Coastal Plain ·········--------------------····--------­ 24 Upper Tertiary volcanic rocks (Tmv, Tpv) ................... 61 Pacific Coastal Area ---------------------------------------------- 24 Upper Tertiary andesites of Washington (uTa) ... 64 California -----------------------------------------------------------­ 24 Upper Tertiary andesites of Oregon and California Oregon and Washington -----------------------------­ 25 (uTa) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 64 Continental deposits -----------------------------------------------------­ 26 Columbia River Group of Washington, Oregon, and Northern Great Plains and Rocky Mountains 26 Idaho (Tmv) ................................................................. 65 Outlying areas ----------------------------------------------·----------­ 27 Southeastern Oregon and northeastern California. 66 New Mexico and Arizona ------------------------------ 27 Snake River Plain of southern Idaho ..................... 67 Washington and Oregon ------------------------------ 27 Great Basin of Nevada and adjacent States ---------­ 67 California -----------------------------------·-----------------------­ 28 Sierra Nevada and Coast Ranges of California __ 68 Pliocene Series -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28 Southern Rocky Mountains ------------------------------------------ 69 Marine stratified rocks ····---------------------------: ................. 28 Volcanic fields of Colorado Plateau ......................... 70 Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains ---------------------- 28 Upper Tertiary volcanic rocks of southern Basin Pacific Coastal Area in California ___________________ _ 32 and Range province in Arizona and California 71 III IV CONTENTS Page Page Cenozoic volcanic rocks-Continued Quaternary volcanic rocks (Qv, Qf) ................................. 71 Tertiary intrusive rocks (Ti) ....................................................... 75 Andesitic volcanics of Cascade Range in Cascade Range ......................................................................... 75 Washington, Oregon, and California ................... 73 Oregon Coast Range ............................................................. 75 Basalts of Snake River Plain (Qv) ........................... 73 Central Idaho ........................................................................... 77 Felsic volcanic rocks of Yellowstone National Park Central Montana ..................................................................... 77 (Qf) ···················································································· 74 California and Great Basin ................................................. 77 Eastern border of Sierra Nevada, California ....... 74 Colorado Plateau ..................................................................... 77 Clear Lake area, California Coast Ranges ........... 74 Southern Rocky Mountains ................................................. 77 Jemez Mountains, New Mexico ................................. 74 Southeastern Basin and Range province ....................... 78 Basaltic fields of New Mexico and Arizona ......... 75 References cited ............................................................................... 78 ILLUSTRATIONS