Facies Architecture and Stratigraphy of the Paleogene Huntingdon Formation at Abbotsford, British Columbia Brett Hohs Tallentire Gilley B.Sc., Simon Fraser University, 1999 A THESIS SUBMInED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE In the DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES O Brett Hollis Tallentire Gilley, 2003 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY December, 2003 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or part, by photocopy or other means, without the permission of the author. APPROVAL Name: Brett Hollis Tallentire Gilley Degree: Master of Science Title of Thesis: Facies Architecture and Stratigraphy of the Paleogene Huntingdon Formation at Abbotsford, British Columbia Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. Glyn Williams-Jones Assistant Professor Dr. Peter Mustard Senior Supervisor Associate Professor Dr. ames MacEachern SupJ rvisory Associate Profess - Fvpf.Michael ~ilhn Ex rnal Examiner Doua4 as Colleae. De~t.of Geolosv & Anthropology Date Approved: ne 4 , 2 csz aw PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENCE I hereby grant to Simon Fraser University the right to lend my thesis, project or extended essay (the title of which is shown below) to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. I further agree that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Title of ThesislProjectlExtended Essay: Facies Architecture and Stratigraphy of the Paleogene Huntingdon Formation at Abbotsford, British Columbia Author: (Signature) Brett Hollis Tallentire Gilley (Name) (Date) Abstract The Paleogene Huntingdon Formation is a succession of alluvial mudstone, sandsronc, and pebble conglomerate preserved in southwest British Columbia, Canada. The study area includes the proposed type section of the Huntingdon Formauon and is located in and near ,\bbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. The Huntingdon Formation is correlative with, and continuous in the subsurface to, the Chuckanut Formation in northwest Waslungton State. The Huntingdon and Chuckanut formations were deposited in the Chuckanut basin during late Paleocene, Eocene, and possibly Oligocene time. The Chuclianut basin probably formed as a complex hybrid basin, reflecting the transpressive nature of the plate margin setting in ths part of the Corddlera during Paleogene time. In general sedimentary strata of the Huntingdon Formation dip gently towards the south and minor faults and multiple fracture sets are present. At Sumas hlountain (Canada) the remnant outcrops areas of the Huntingdon Formation are separated by a horst consisting of an unnamed igneous body. The orientation of brittle structures in a fault domain close to the horst suggests the related faulting did not occur until the middle Miocene. Fluvial archttectural element analysis and facies analysis of the type area indicates that thls formation developed as a coarse, sand-dominated, terrestrial fluvial system, with an active floodplain. The range of features suggests proximal to distal transition from alluvial to braided to transitional sand-dominated meandering river systems. Paleocurrent analysis of the Huntingdon Formation indicates that it was sourced to the cast. Sandstone and pebble conglomerate clasts are dominated by chert types, typical of first-order basin provenance from nearby Cascade oceanic terranes to the east. It would be a poor thing to be a mineral in a universe without geologists, and geologists are made of minerals. X geologist is a mineral's way of knowing about minerals. - With apologies to Geocqe Wald Acknowledgements Any large accomplishment such as thls thesis involves a community effort. I would like to acknowledge the host of people who helped make this project a reality. With them I would share thls achievement, but note that any errors or omissions are my own. First I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Peter hfustard for encouraging me to continue into Grad School and allowing me to tackle this project. Dr. hlustard and Dr. James hlacEachern comprised my supervisory committee - both provided excellent discussion and comments on my research, as well as critically reviewing numerous drafts. The external examiner, Dr. Michael Wilson, was also instrumental in shaping the final version of ths project. Dr. Dan Marshall lent h~sexpertise in thin section analysis and Dr. Ted Hickin provided me with early discussion and guidance with architectural element analysis. I also wish to thank Dr. Doug Stead for providing me with encouragement during a difficult portion of ths degree. Thanks also for the support and encouragement offered by the entire faculty and staff of the Earth Sciences Department. I want to make special note of the two Graduate Secretaries who helped me battle the bureaucracy of the University. Wendy and Christine, you are unsung heroes, thank vou for all of your help. I would not have had much to study if not for the assistance and guidance of Tom Kelly of Clayburn Industries and Jason Thiessen of Fraser Pacific Limited. Both Tom and Jason showed great interest in my project and were very accommodating in allowing me not only access to their quarries, but also helping me find other exposures not withln their immedate sphere of influence. Aly field assistants Laura Laurenzi and Natalka L-lllen both put up with no end of annoyance from me, and provided the same back. They made being in the field a fun place to be (though I do have recurring nightmares about "Fieldwork: The Llusical"). During the duration of my project I have shared mv lab at Simon Fraser Universitv with three comrades in keyboards, Dan hlaclue, Tyler Beatty, and Patrick Johnstone. W'ith them I enjoyed rare moments of quite solitude as well as hours of monkey-powered mayhem. hlany discussions both productive and otherwise occurrcd withln those walls. To the rest of the Grad-crew I want to thank you all for camaraderie, friendship, support, the occasional game of ultimate Frisbee, and all the time-wasting emails and websites. Without all of this I mav not have survived this degree with my sanity intact. I want to thank my friends for mochng me and providing me with (more) much needed &stractions, and for understanding when I was unable to come out and play. Thanks to my family for love and support even when they were not quite sure what I was doing, and for being patient whle I tried to explain. And the students upon whom I was inficted, you were a great source of energy and motivation. Thank you all for your enthusiasm and interest (both real and forced) as I tried to communicate the passion I have for the Earth Sciences. Finally I must mention the one person who should come above all the others. Jenea, I want to dedicate ths thesis to you. Without you I wouldn't even have started thls degree, never mind finished it. I can not articulate how much I appreciate all the work and frustration you endured to help me finish, so I will not try. All I can say is thank you, I love you. Table of Contents .. Approval Page ...................................................................................................ii ... Abstract .......................................................................................................... ill Quotation ...........................................................................................................iv Acknowledgements ............................................................................................ v . Table of Contents .............................................................................................vii List of Figures .................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1 .Introduction .....................................................................................1 Purpose ......................................................................................................................... 1 Scope of Work .............................................................................................................1 Phvsiographic Setting and Study Area ......................................................................1 Previous work in the Chuckanut Basin ..................................................................... 2 Fossils and Paleoenvironment ................................................................................... 9 Economic potential of the Chuckanut Basin ........................................................... 9 Tectonic Setting .................................................................................................. 14 Chapter 2 .Geologic and Tectonic Setting ...................................................... 16 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 16 General Stratigraphy of the Huntingdon Formation ...................................... 16 General Structure of the Chuckanut Basin ...................................................... 16 Geology and Structure of the Huntingdon Formation at Sumas Mountain (Canada) ................................................................................................................ 17 Brittle Structures