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A Paleocurrent Analysis Of A Portion Of The Chuckanut Depositional Basin Near Bellingham, Washington, James Norman Hartwell

WWU Graduate School Collection

The Chuckanut Formation is an upper Cretaceous to lower Tertiary sequence of conglomerate, sandstone, siltstone, and some coal deposited by streams near Bellingham, in western Whatcom County, Washington. Paleocurrent analysis of an area in the northwestern portion of the Chuckanut Formation shows two stream directions: to the south or southeast for the lower and middle sections and to the west or northwest for the upper section of the unit. Distinct differences in the lithology of clasts in the conglomerates support this conclusion. Angular phyllitic and quartz clasts in the lower and middle sections probably were derived locally from the Barrington …