Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 4-1984 Structural Geology of the Northern Snowcrest Range, Beaverhead and Madison Counties, Montana Mark Kenneth Sheedlo Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Geology Commons Recommended Citation Sheedlo, Mark Kenneth, "Structural Geology of the Northern Snowcrest Range, Beaverhead and Madison Counties, Montana" (1984). Master's Theses. 1571. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/1571 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY OF THE NORTHERN SNOWCREST RANGE, BEAVERHEAD AND MADISON COUNTIES, MONTANA by Mark Kenneth Sheedlo A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fu lfillm e n t of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Department of Geology Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan April 1984 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY OF THE NORTHERN SNOWCREST RANGE, BEAVERHEAD AND MADISON COUNTIES, MONTANA Mark Kenneth Sheedlo, M.S. Western Michigan University, 1984 The Snowcrest Range was uplifted in Late Cretaceous and Early •Tertiary time as a consequence of thrusting in Precambrian basement and Phanerozoic cover rocks. The Snowcrest-Greenhorn thrust system is associated with large- scale overturned, eastward verging folds. Mean orientation of the thrust system is N.40°E., 35°N.W.. The trend of the thrust system and associated transverse faults appear to be controlled by earlier structures. Mesoscopic and microscopic analyses indicate that meta- morphic basement rocks accommodated congressional strain largely by b rittle faulting and cataclastic shearing. Kinematic indicators suggest that local stresses were directed east-southeastward. Northeast-trending Neogene faults along the western flank of the range follow the trend of the thrust system. A listric-normal geometry for these faults is demonstrated by rotation of Tertiary beds along the range front. The position and inferred geometry of Neogene normal faults may, therefore, reflect localization of basin-range extension along zones of Laramide weakness. with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Sincere thanks are extended to my advisor, Dr. Christopher J. Schmidt of Western Michigan University for his support, encourage­ ment and critique throughout the course of this study. Thanks also go to Dr. W. Thomas Straw (Western Michigan University) and Dr. James S. Monroe (Central Michigan University) for providing suggestions and constructive criticism during preparation of the manuscript. For their helpful encouragement, I wish to thank Dr. William J. Perry (United States Geological Survey) and Dr. John M. Garihan (Furman University). Special thanks go to Dr. Hugh W. Dresser (Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology) for generously providing a reconnais­ sance flig h t over the study area during the 82 fie ld season, and Peter J. McQuade (Central Michigan University) for providing able assistance during the 83 fie ld season. For sharing in numerous discussions of mutual geologic problems, I wish to thank my colleagues William G. Gierke (B ill, for short) and Michael Werkema (Western Michigan University), and Susan Young (University of Texas - Austin). Robert Havira (Western Michigan University) gave willing ass'stance in the technical areas and with photography. Nancy Likam typed the final manuscript. i i with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Field work was supported by a grant from the Graduate College of Western Michigan University, and by National Science Foundation Grant EAR 7926380 to Schmidt and Garihan. I would especially like to thank my parents, Ken and Dorothy, for unfailing financial and moral support. My friends, Mary Lannon and Kathleen Jalkut, deserve special recognition for putting up with me during the final stages of completion of this project. Mark Kenneth Sheedlo Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 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University Microfilms International 300 N. Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 1323138 SHEEDLO, MARK KENNETH STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY OF THE NORTHERN SNOWCREST RANGE, BEAVERHEAD AND MADISON COUNTIES, MONTANA WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY M.S. 1984 University Microfilms International 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor. MI 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. PLEASE NOTE: In all cases this material has been filmed in the best possible way from the available copy. Problems encountered with this document have been identified here with a check mark V ■ 1. Glossy photographs or pages ______ 2. 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Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................... 11 LIST OF TABLES...............................................................................................v iil LIST OF FIGURES..................................................... ix LIST OF PLATES...............................................................................................x iii Chapter I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................... 1 Scope and Purpose of In v e s tig a tio n ....................................... 1 Methods of Investigation ....................................... 5 Previous and Contemporaneous Investigations ....................... 6 II. GENERAL STRATIGRAPHY AND PRE-LARAMIDE TECTONIC SETTING ............................................................................................. 8 General Stratigraphy .................................................................. 8 Precambrian Units .... .................................................. 10 Paleozoic and Mesozoic Units .............................................. 11 Late