Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 8-1991 Fractures in the Jacobsville Sandstone and the Precambrian “W” Rocks in Eastern Marquette County, Michigan Leonard Paul Belliveau Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Geology Commons, and the Hydrology Commons Recommended Citation Belliveau, Leonard Paul, "Fractures in the Jacobsville Sandstone and the Precambrian “W” Rocks in Eastern Marquette County, Michigan" (1991). Master's Theses. 944. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/944 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]. FRACTURES IN THE JACOBSVILLE SANDSTONE AND THE PRECAMBRIAN "W" ROCKS IN EASTERN MARQUETTE COUNTY, MICHIGAN by Leonard Paul Belliveau A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Department of Geology Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan August 1991 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. FRACTURES IN THE JACOBSVILLE SANDSTONE AND THE PRECAMBRIAN "W" ROCKS IN EASTERN MARQUETTE COUNTY, MICHIGAN Leonard Paul Belliveau, M.S. Western Michigan University, 1991 The major fracture systems in the Jacobsville sandstone likely originated by reverse faulting on the Keweenaw fault and by glacial­ ly produced thrusting. Fracture orientations, apertures, and spac- ings are uniform in the Jacobsville sandstone and Lighthouse Point member of the Mona Schist, and are variable in the Lower member of the Mona schist and Compeau Creek gneiss. Fracture sets in the Compeau Creek gneiss exist in domains separated by metadiabase dikes. The metadiabase dikes relieved the strain produced by the Penokean orogeny by fracturing. Fractures present in inclusions, quartz veins, metadiabase and diabase dikes can be used to temporal­ ly evaluate the strain history of the Compeau Creek gneiss. Potential sources for useful groundwater wells will be found in areas of thrust faulted Jacobsville sandstone, fractured zones in the pillowed Lower member of the Mona schist, and linear sags in the topography of the Compeau Creek gneiss. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study was supported by grants from the Graduate Student Re­ search Fund at Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo), and from the state of Michigan Research in Excellence Fund awarded to the Depart­ ment of Geology at Western Michigan University. The following peo­ ple provided helpful guidance during the preparation of this report: Dr. R. B. Chase, for helpful discussions in the field; Dr. C. J. Schmidt, for helpful discussions on the nature of stress in rocks; and Dr. R. N. Passero, for helpful discussions on groundwater. The following people provided assistance during the two weeks in Novem­ ber in the field: C. Saxon and K. Bekker. I would also like to thank M. Petrie of the Marquette Division of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources for his help in providing groundwater informa­ tion, M. Klaussen and D. Renner for their help in locating outcrops, K. McKinnon for computer assistance, S. Townsend for her help in processing photographs, and Jacquelyn M. Belliveau for her support as mom. Leonard Paul Belliveau Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from themicrofilm master. 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Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................. ii LIST OF TABLES................................................. v LIST OF FIGURES............................................... vi INTRODUCTION...................................................1 Statement of the Problem..................................... 1 Location and Access......................................... 1 Population.................................................. 2 Climate................... ,................................ 4 Pertinent Investigations..................................... 4 Method of Study......... .................................... 4 ROCK TYPES AND GEOLOGIC HISTORY................................. 6 STRESS HISTORY OF THE MARQUETTE REGION.......................... 11 Recent Stress.............................................. 11 Mesozoic and Paleozoic Stress................................14 Precambrian Stress......................................... 18 Midcontinent Rift System (MRS)............................ 18 Post-Penokean Events..................................... 23 Penokean Orogeny.........................................24 Pre-Penokean Events...................................... 25 Post-Kenoran Events...................................... 26 RESULTS OF THE INVESTIGATION................................... 32 Joints in the Mona Schist................................... 32 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents— Continued Joints in the Compeau Creek Gneiss........................... 37 Joints in the Jacobsville Sandstone.......................... 46 SUMMARY OP FRACTURE PROPERTIES AND POSSIBLE ORIGINS..............62 Fracture Properties........................................ 62 Possible Fracture Origins................................... 67 POSSIBLE GROUNDWATER YIELDS FROM BEDROCK FRACTURES............... 76 CONCLUSIONS.......................................... 78 BIBLIOGRAPHY..................................................79 PLATE 1.................................................. pocket i v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OP TABLES 1. Regional Structural Features............................... 17 2. Geologic History With Emphasis on Structural Processes....... 27 3. Summary of Fracture Types in Each Rock Type................. 63 4. Descriptive Features of Fractures.......................... 64 5. Spatial and Physical Properties of Fractures................ 66 6. Possible Origin of Fractures and Sources of Stress...........69 7. Fracture Sets Within Rock Units of Known Age as Potential Evidence to Possibly Constrain Temporal Fracture Development...71 . v Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. LIST OF FIGURES 1. Location of Marquette County............................... 2 2. Physical and Cultural Features of Marquette County, Michigan. .3 3. Distribution of Precambrian and Paleozoic rocks..............7 4. Topography of Marquette County............................. 9 5. Glacial Sediments........................................ 10 6. Strike of Maximum Horizontal Compressive Stress in the North­ eastern United States and South-central Canada 12 7. Elevation of Nippissing Isobases.......................... 13 8. Generalized Geologic Map of the Lake Superior Region Showing the Possible Continuation of the Keweenaw Fault to a Position Northeast of Marquette ....................... 15 9. Regional Structural Features Within the Great Lakes Area.. 16 10. Suggested Mechanisms for Initiation of Midcontinent Rift