Price, Kathleen B., and David W. Rodgers. 2010. Geologic Map of

IDAHO GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
MOSCOW-BOISE-POCATELLO
TECHNICAL REPORT 10-2
PRICE AND RODGERS
WWW.IDAHOGEOLOGY.ORG
Plate 1, Price, K. B., 2009, M.S. Thesis, Idaho State University. Supported by the U.S. Geological Survey, National Cooperative
Geological Mapping Program, under assistance award no. 02HQAG003.
Description of Map Units
111o20’50”
43o50’00”
Geologic Map of the North End
of the Big Hole Mountains,
Madison and Teton Counties, Idaho
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Correlation of Map Units
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Kathleen B. Price and David W. Rodgers
2010
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This Technical Report is a reproduction of a map originally submitted as
part of a master’s thesis. Its content and format may not conform to IGS
standards.
Disconformity
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Price, K.B., 2009, Geology of the northern end of the Big Hole
Mountains, Madison and Teton County, Idaho: Idaho State University,
M.S. thesis, 120 p.
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111o26’20”
43o46’42”
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4 MILS
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QUADRANGLE LOCATION
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1 MILE
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1 KILOMETER
Contour Interval 20 or 40 feet.
Anticline
Syncline
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Direction of landslide
Geologic mapping was supported by the U.S. Geological Survey’s EDMAP
program and the Idaho State University, Department of Geosciences.
Digital cartography by Kathleen Price and Diana Boyack at
Idaho State University, Digital Mapping Laboratory,
Department of Geosciences.
Topography by photogrammetric methods from aerial photographs
taken 1963 and 1973. Field checked 1965 and 1974.
Projection: Universal Transverse Mercator, east zone Idaho.
1927 North American Datum.
20
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Published and sold by the Idaho Geological Survey
University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844-3014
Tertiary conglomerate (Eocene-Miocene) -- Cobble conglomerate.
Tan to red, fine-grained, calcareous matrix with subangular to
rounded clasts of gray and brown limestone, red and yellow siltstone,
and uncommon white quartzite. Clasts range in size from 0.2 inches
to 3 feet, but are typically 0.2-4 inches. Matrix is poorly indurated
and weathers easily. Forms smooth slopes. Lower contact is a
profound angular unconformity placed below the lowest cobble
conglomerate. Thickness is 0-100 feet.
Frontier Formation (Upper Cretaceous) -- Sandstone. Gray and
brown, fine- to coarse-grained sandstone, pebbly and highly
glauconitic near top, interbedded with gray and black shale and
thin coal beds. Contains lenses of conglomerate throughout the
formation; bentonite and white to pink porcellanite beds in lower
part. It is easily weathered, friable and covered by colluvium in
most places. Forms broad slopes and is poorly exposed in the
area. The base is marked by a 50-70 foot, ridge forming, noncalcareous, feldspathic sandstone. Thickness is approximately
4000 feet (Staatz and Albee, 1966a).
Aspen Shale (Lower Cretaceous) -- Shale and sandstone. Greenish
gray to gray rock composed of white quartz and dark gray chert
grains. Fine- to medium-grained, poorly sorted, thick-bedded, well
cemented and shows minor cross-bedding. A resistant unit forming
prominent ledges. Conformable lower contact which is placed at
the bottom of a thin (<15 feet) sandstone ledge just beneath a
porcellanite layer. Thickness is approximately 2500 feet (Staatz
and Albee, 1966a).
Thaynes Formation (Triassic) -- Limestone and calcareous siltstone.
Upper half is gray bioclastic limestone underlain by yellowish-gray
limey siltstone and sandstone. Lower half is red siltstone underlain
by slabby dark-brown fossiliferous silty limestone. Poorly exposed
in the map area and generally covered with tan soil. Lower contact
is not exposed. Thickness is approximately 800 feet (Staatz and
Albee, 1966a).
Tpdp
TRw
Lanphere, M. A., Champion, D. E., Christiansen, R. L.., Izett, G. A.,
Obradovich, J .D., 2002, Revised ages for tuffs of teh Yellowstone
Plateau volcanic field;assignment of the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff to
a new geomagnetic polarity event: Geological Society of America
Bulletin, v. 114, p. 559-568.
Woodside Formation (Triassic) -- Red-brown siltstone, shale, and
fine-grained sandstone. Very poorly exposed and generally covered
with red soil. Lower contact is not exposed. Thickness is
approximately 360 feet (Staatz and Albee, 1966a).
TRd
Staaz, M. H., and Albee, H. F., 1966a, Description of the stratigraphy,
structure, and phosphate and coal deposits of a 215-square mile
area at the north end of the Idaho-Wyoming thrust belt, U.S.
Geological Survey Bulletin 1205, 122pp.
Dinwoody Formation (Triassic) -- Brownish-gray to olive-drab, slabby,
thin-bedded dolomitic siltstone. Contains thin partings of fine-grained
dolomitic sandstone and silty limestone. Generally covered with
gray soil. Lower contact is not exposed. Thickness is approximately
360 feet (Staatz and Albee, 1966a).
Pp
Phosphoria Formation and related rocks (Permian) -- Black
phosphatic shale at top; mudstone, carbonate rock, and sandstone;
gray cherty dolomite, mudstone, and sandstone; black phosphorite,
mudstone, and shale at base. Weathers tan and is very poorly
exposed in the map area. Lower contact is not exposed. Thickness
is approximately 300 feet (Staatz and Albee, 1966a).
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Wells Formation and associated rocks (Permian, Pennsylvanian,
and Upper Mississippian) -- Wells Formation is light-gray, finegrained sandstone with gray limestone beds especially in lower
part. In places, uppermost part contains chalky-white, very finegrained dolomite and gray chert. The Grandeur Member of the
Park City Formation is included with this unit. Lower contact is not
exposed but to the south is a brown to gray limestone lying on top
of the dark gray, Mississippian, Mission Canyon Limestone.
Cumulative thickness is approximately 1500 feet (Staatz and Albee,
1966a).
Mm
Mission Canyon Limestone (Mississippian) -- Light- to dark-gray,
coarse- to fine-grained limestone with some chocolate brown
dolomite. Characterized by breccia beds in the upper half composed
of gray, medium-grained, angular limestone and lesser chert
fragments in a matrix of silty limestone. The lower half is coarsegrained bioclastic limestone and dolomite interbedded with massive
limestone. Lower contact is not exposed. Thickness is greater than
3000 feet (Staatz and Albee, 1966a).
Staaz, M. H., and Albee, H. F., 1966b, Geologic Map and Sections of
the Garns Mountain Quadrangle, Bonneville, Madison, and Teton
Counties, Idaho, U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1205, plate 1,
scale 1:31,680
6000
Ka
Member A, Carlton Creek Volcanics (Upper Miocene) -- Rhyolite
lava flow. Gray to lavender with areas of pink and brown, crystalrich, flow-banded, densely welded lava flow. Contains 15-20%
fine-grained phenocrysts of euhedral plagioclase, quartz, sanidine,
pyroxene and minor Fe/Ti oxides. Matrix is light colored and glassy.
Flow bands are 0.1-2 inches thick, continuous, and horizontal to
convoluted. Tan to pale yellow pumice is present at top of member.
Unconformable lower contact placed at the base of lowest volcanic
rock which overlies sedimentary rocks. 40Ar/39Ar analysis on
groundmass did not yield an interpretable result. Thickness is 0400 feet.
TRt
Tk
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Member B, Carlton Creek Volcanics (Upper Miocene) --Dacite
ignimbrite. Dark gray and red, thinly laminated, crystal-rich, densely
welded, rheomorphic tuff. Contains 10-15% phenocrysts of
plagioclase, uncommon quartz, Fe/Ti oxides, and rare pyroxene.
Flow planes are convolute and relatively continuous. Platy cleavage
or jointing is sub-perpendicular to the ground surface. Lower contact
is placed above tan pumice and below a rarely exposed red and
black flow breccia. Forms slopes and low ledges that weather into
small hoodoos. Thickness is generally less than 100 feet.
Ankareh Shale (Triassic) -- Red to purple calcareous siltstone and
shale; has greenish-white polka-dot mottling in several layers.
Poorly exposed and commonly covered by red soil. No basal
exposure is found here. Thickness is approximately 540 feet (Staatz
and Albee, 1966a).
7000
TRt
TRw
Anders, M. H., Saltzman, J., and Hemming, S .R., 2009, Neogene
tephra correlations in eastern Idaho and Wyoming: Implications for
Yellowstone hotspot-related volcanism and tectonic activity; Geol.
Soc..America Bull. v. 121; p. 837-856.
Member C, Carlton Creek Volcanics (Upper Miocene) -- Dacite
ignimbrite. Black to dark gray, devitrified, crystal-poor, lithic-poor
welded tuff. The rock contains 2% euhedral, very fine-grained
phenocrysts of plagioclase, magnetite, rare pyroxene and zircon.
Plagioclase forms laths or stubby tabular crystals. Pyroxene is
altered and rimmed with Fe/Ti oxides. The glassy matrix contains
microlites of strongly trachytic plagioclase, rare pyroxene and
magnetite. Laminated flow planes and prominent jointing parallel
to the banding are distinctive. Flow planes are discontinuous and
commonly parallel to the ground surface. Dark gray, thin, devitrified
layer overlies a red to black, altered, discontinuous flow breccia.
Upper half forms cliffs and ledges and the lower half forms a colluvial
slope. Lower contact marked by a red to black, altered, flow breccia
overlain by a discontinuous, thin, dark gray, devitrified layer. 40Ar/39Ar
analysis on sanidine indicates an age of 6.62±0.08Ma. Thickness
is approximately 400 feet in the type area but ranges from 0-400
feet in map area.
TRa
8000
Qls
Tccvc
Tcc
References Cited
Platy zone, Pony Creek dacite lava flow -- Dense, dark gray,
and platy with rare white pumice. Forms steep ledges 3-10 feet
high and alternating slopes. Fractures into angular blocks about 3
feet across and 0.5-2 inches thick.
Bear River Formation (Lower Cretaceous) -- Shale, sandstone,
limestone, clay and marl. Sandstone is gray with fine-grained white
quartz and dark gray chert grains, and is commonly cross-bedded.
Generally forms ledges. Shale is greenish gray, light gray and
black, carbonaceous with a few thin seams of coal-like material.
Other lithologies are generally gray with thin to medium beds. The
base of this unit is not exposed here, but in other areas is placed
at the bottom of the green-gray sandstone overlying the Cretaceous
Draney Limestone (not found in mapped area). Thickness is
approximately 900 feet (Staatz and Albee, 1966a).
Datum is mean sea level.
Tk
Glassy zone, Pony Creek dacite lava flow -- Dense, black, and
glassy with a conchoidal fracture. Contains zones of intense perlitic
texture. Perlite diameters are generally 0.1-0.2 inches but can be
as much as 1 inch. Forms slopes covered with angular to rounded
cobbles and boulders and low, rounded ledges.
Kb
Layout by Kathleen Price at the Idaho State University,
Digital Mapping Laboratory, Department of Geosciences.
A’
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Strike and dip of foliation
43o42’30”
111o21’50”
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4000
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National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929
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Strike and dip of bedding
(Garns Mtn, Temple Peak, 40 feet: Packsaddle Lake, Wright Creek, 20 feet)
Control by USGS, NOS/NOAA, and USC&GS.
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SCALE 1:24,000
1
A
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Garns
Mtn.
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25
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Thrust fault: teeth on hanging wall, dashed where
approximately located, dotted where concealed.
Base map from USGS 7.5 series: Temple Peak 1979,
Garns Mtn. 1978, Packsaddle Lake 1965, and Wright Creek 1965.
111o26’20”
6000
Normal fault: bar and ball on hanging wall, dashed where
approximately located, dotted where concealed.
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PPlMw
43o42’30”
Packsaddle
Lake
IDAHO
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Wright
Creek
UTM Grid and 1965 Magnetic North
Declination at Center of Map
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111o17’28”
17.5o
0o13’
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Mississippian
Symbols
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a
Lower
Mississippan
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Upper
Mississippian
Paleozoic
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Pennsylvanian
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18
Lower
Pennsylvanian
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GN
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Mm
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Permian
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20
Lower
Permian
Unit Contact, dashed where approximately located,
dotted where concealed.
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10
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45
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Lower Triassic
Triassic
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Upper Triassic
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Mesozoic
43o45’18”
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34
Qls
4
Dacite of Pony Creek (Upper Miocene) -- Dacite lava flow. Black to
dark gray, massive, vesicular trachytic lava flow with 10%
phenocrysts, 2% quartz xenocrysts, 20% vesicles, and 68%
vitrophyric, microcrystalline matrix. Fine-grained phenocrysts include
70% euhedral to subeuhedral laths of plagioclase, 25% euhedral
to anhedral augite, and 5% anhedral opaque minerals. Vesicles
are 0.02-0.1 inches in diameter, aligned, show glass rims, and have
rare laths of plagioclase protruding into them. Quartz xenocrysts
are about 0.1-0.2 inches in diameter. Locally divided into two zones
based upon textural differences. Lower contact is a disconformity
marked by the first appearance of vitrophyric lava. 40Ar/39Ar analysis
on sanidine indicates an age of 6.59±0.02 Ma . Thickness ranges
from 0-1400 feet.
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Mm
Tcc
Lower
Cretaceous
29
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Cretaceous
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Upper
Cretaceous
Tuff of Edie School (Upper Miocene) -- Rhyolite ignimbrite. Dark
gray, violet, or lavender, crystal-rich, densely welded tuff. Contains
10-20% phenocrysts of plagioclase, quartz, sanidine, augite,
serpentinized and oxidized pyroxene, magnetite and zircon.
Phenocrysts are most abundant in a rare, dark purple to black,
devitrified basal zone. Common flattened lithophysae are 3-4 inches
in diameter. Forms slopes, rounded hoodoos, and rarely steep
cliffs. Fractures into cubical blocks about 1 ft long and is strongly
weathered in most places. Lower contact is generally a disconformity
marked by the first appearance of purple, crystal-rich tuff. Age is
6.57 Ma (Anders et al., 2009). Thickness is 0-500 feet.
Carlton Creek Volcanics (Upper Miocene) -- Dacite lava flows and
ignimbrites. Formerly mapped by Staatz and Albee (1966a, b) as
part of the Kirkham Hollow Volcanics, but herein defined as a new
formation containing 4 members. Type section is on the northeast
slope of Carlton Creek in Sec. 17 &18, T5N, R43E, Wright Creek
Quadrangle, Madison County, Idaho for Members A, B, and C.
Type section for the dacite of Pony Creek is located near the Pony
Creek drainage in Sec. 34, T6N, R44E. Thickness at the type
locality is approximately 600 feet; elsewhere it ranges from 0-900
feet.
Tyh
Tcc
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16
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15
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21
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35
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Oligocene
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Disconformity
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Tuff of Kilgore (Pliocene) -- Rhyolite ignimbrite. Pink to gray, crystalpoor, densely welded tuff. Phenocrysts of plagioclase, quartz,
sanidine, augite, magnetite and zircon compose 2-7% of the rock.
Diagnostic textures include common lithophysae from 0.1-1 inch
in diameter, maroon pumice, and black, gray and maroon obsidian
pieces from 0.5-4 inches. Forms ledges and slopes. Disconformable
lower contact placed below the lowest crystal-poor tuff. Age is 4.49
Ma (Anders et al., 2009). Thickness is 0-100 feet.
Ka
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Tcc
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Unconformity
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43o47’37”
15
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Huckleberry Ridge Tuff (Pliocene) -- Rhyolite ignimbrite. Compound
cooling unit of tan, gray, and lavender, densely welded, eutaxitic,
crystal-rich, devitrified tuff. Contains phenocrysts of 5% quartz,
10% sanidine and 5% sodic plagioclase, sparse opaque oxides
(magnetite), clinopyroxene and fayalite olivine. Changes upsection
from phenocryst-rich to phenocryst-poor. Welded pumice is dark
and scoriaceous or light colored and compact. Weathers into
distinctive rectangular blocks of varying sizes. Found on lower
elevation slopes in the north and west of map area. Lower contact
is an angular unconformity defined by the first appearance of crystalrich, light-colored tuff. Age is 2.06 Ma (Lanphere et al., 2002).
Thickness is 0-200 feet.
Eocene
111o17’28”
32
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Tpdg
Loess (Pleistocene) -- Light tan to dark brown, homogenous eolian
deposits of angular silt and clay grains. Composed mostly of calcite
and quartz but also contains clay minerals, biotite, muscovite,
zircon, feldspar and amphibole. Typically covers slopes below
6500’-7000’ in elevation. Thickness is 0-40 feet (Staaz and Albee,
1966a).
Tyh
Unconformity
Ql
25
Landslide deposits (Holocene and Pleistocene) -- Chaotically mixed
boulder- to silt-sized rock debris. Thickness is 0-50 feet.
Tertiary
Miocene
Unconformity
Tpdg
Tpdp
Tcc
Qls
Cenozoic
Tca
Tk
Colluvium (Holocene and Pleistocene) --Tan, gray, brown, and redbrown, unconsolidated, angular silt- to boulder-sized debris found
on steep slopes and uncommonly on flats. Thickness is 0-25 feet.
Tcb
Tpdg
Tyh
Qc
Pliocene
Tpdp Tpdg
15
Tcc
Qc
Ql
Qt
Travertine (Holocene) --Tan to white, porous, finely layered limestone
deposited in small mounds by hydrothermal activity. Thickness is
0-30 feet.
Quaternary
Te
Tpdg
Tcc
Pleistocene
Disconformity
Tpdp
32
20
Alluvium (Holocene) -- Unconsolidated clay, silt, sand, and gravel
below modern streams. Thickness is generally less than 15 feet.
Ql
Tk
Tpdg
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Qls
Tpdg
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Holocene
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