Geology Commons^™

Geology And Mineralization Of The Southeastern Part Of The Black Pine Mountains, Cassia County, Idaho, Don E. French

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The southeastern part of the Black Pine Mountains is located in the southeastern part of Cassia County, southern Idaho. The Utah-Idaho state line is three miles south of the studied area and the Cassia-Oneida county line bounds it on the east. The area is nearly square and encompasses about 30 square miles.

Devonian, Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, Permian, Tertiary and Quaternary sedimentary rocks are exposed within the area. Limestone, dolomitic limestime, quartzite, and bedded chert represent the Jefferson (?) Formation of Devonian age. It is 400 feet thick, however, the base is not exposed. The Milligen Formation is Early Mississippian in age …

Structural Geology Of Eastern Part Of Richmond And Western Part Of Naomi Park Quadrangles, Utah-Idaho, Arthur J. Mendenhall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The mapped area, which includes the eastern part of the Richmond and the western part of the Naomi Peak quadrangles, Utah-Idaho, is located in the central part of northern Utah and southeastern Idaho. It is located along the eastern side of Cache Valley and western side of the Bear River Range. Cache Valley is in the Basin and Range province and the Bear River Range is in the Middle Rocky Mountain province. The mapped area is about 8.6 miles long, in the north-south direction, and 7.8 miles long, in the east-west direction.

The Mutual Formation of Precambrian age is the …

Petrology Of The Upper Nounan - Worm Creek Sequence, Upper Cambrian Nounan And St. Charles Formations, Southeast Idaho, Lillian Donley Wakeley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The upper member of the Nounan Formation and the Worm Creek Member of the St. Charles Formation, both late Cambrian in age, were studied in the Bear River Range and the Fish Creek Range in southeast Idaho. Lithology and sedimentary structures of these units were compared with characteristics of similar modern sediments and ancient rocks, to determine the environments of deposition and effects of diagenesis for the interval studied.

On the basis of widely traced marker horizons, the two-member interval is divided into three parts, with parts 1 and 2 comprising the upper member of the Nounan Formation, and part …

Geology Of Southern Part Of The James Peak Quadrangle, Utah, Jan G. Blau

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The mapped area, in north-central Utah, is centered about 22.6 miles south of Logan, Utah. It measures about 3.8 miles in the north-south direction and 6.6 miles in the east-west direction. Stratigraphic units of Precambrian and Cambrian age underline most of the area. The Precambrian units are as follows: (1) Maple Canyon Formation, (2) Kelley Canyon Formation, (3) Orthoquartzite unit, (4) Argillite unit, (5) Mutual Formation, and (6) Volcanic unit. The Brigham Formation, which overlies the Precambrian volcanic unit, is probably of Cambrian age; however, the lower part may be Precambrian. The overlying Cambrian carbonate unit is not differentiated. The …

Mineralization In The Bear River Range, Utah-Idaho, John C. Chappelle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this thesis is t o describe the occurrences, interrelationships, and possible origin of the metallic mineral deposits of the Bear River Range. In this study, 21 mineral deposits containing minerals of lead, iron, copper, manganese, and zinc with quartz and carbonate gangue minerals, are described and classified as low temperature epigenetic hydrothermal deposits. The deposits predominantly occur in Cambrian limestone and dolomite formations located below formations with a high shale content. The deposition occurred as fracture filling and replacement along fractures associated with Teritary Basin and Range normal faults and joints which generally trend northerly in the …

Some Aspects Of Geochemistry Of The Water And Sediment Of Bear Lake, Idaho-Utah, Richard H. Fuller

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Development by man through the last half century has caused a number of changes in Bear Lake. These changes include the diversion of Bear River water into Bear Lake, the pumping of lake water back into the river, and the building of breakwaters and other obstructions along the shore of Bear Lake.

The diversion of Bear River water into the lake has resulted in a yearly addition of an estimated 36,000 metric tons of calcium into the lake, which has caused the precipitation of an estimated minimum 90,000 metric tons of aragonite. The pumping of Bear Lake water back into …

Environmental Analysis Of The Upper Cambrian Nounan Formation, Bear River Range And Wellsville Mountain, North-Central Utah, Larry L. Gardiner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Nounan Formation in north-central Utah thickens northward from 696 feet near Causey Dam to 1147 feet at High Creek in the Bear River Range, and northwestward to 1149 feet at Dry Canyon in Wellsville Mountain. The basal contact of the Nounan Formation is sharp, but dolomite extends irregularly downward into limestones of the Bloomington Formation as much as 6 feet.

The Nounan Formation is divided into three members based on lithologic characters: (1) a lower member composed of dark, medium-crystalline dolomite; (2) a middle member composed of white, coarse-crystalline dolomite with tongues of dark dolomite; and (3) an upper …

Phosphate Exploration And Property Evaluation In Southeastern Idaho, Illustrated By The Dry Valley Area, James Simon Spalding

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The western phosphate field produced about 15 percent, in 1970, of the nation's domestically consumed phosphate rock and contains an estimated 58 percent of the nation's indicated phosphate reserves. The central portion of the western phosphate field, which contains the Dry Valley area of southeastern Idaho, encompasses the greatest amount of mineable phosphate reserves in the smallest geographic area within the western field.

Exploration of properties in the area should follow an orderly sequence of literature search, area reconnaissance, detailed target appraisal, and detailed three-dimensional sampling to effectively evaluate each property. Present exploration techniques include topographic analysis, vegetative investigation, profile …

Mineral And Chemical Content Of The Deep-Water Sediment Sequences Of Bear Lake, Utah-Idaho, James C. Biesinger

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Twenty-five piston cores 6 to 12 feet long were obtained from the deepwater sediments of Bear Lake, Utah-Idaho. Analyses of these cores revealed that the deep-water sediments of the lake are divided into two major sequences: a younger sequence rich in carbonate minerals, here called the carbonate sequence, and an older sequence rich in silicate minerals, referred to in this paper as the silt sequence. The carbonate sequence is composed of clay-sized quartz, aragonite, calcite, dolomite, montmorillonite, illite, kaolinite, chlorite, and amorphous material. The silt sequence consists of both silt- sized and claysized particles of quartz, calcite, dolomite, montmorillonite, illite, …

Petrology And Regional Relationships Of The Ordovician Kinnikinic Formation And Equivalents, Central And Southern Idaho, William Calvin James

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Kinnikinic Formation of central Idaho is a sedimentary unit consisting principally of orthoquartzite. From its maximum measured thickness of 2285 feet in the central Lemhi Range near Gilmore, Idaho, it thins westward to 376 feet at the type section and southward to 326 feet near Arco, Idaho. Northeast of the Lemhi Range it occurs only as erosional remnants, due to pre-Devonian erosion. Both the lower and upper contacts of the Kinnikinic Formation are disconformable.

The Kinnikinic Formation is light colored, predominately fine to medium grained, thin to medium bedded, and largely cemented by silica overgrowths. Some metamorphic recrystallization has …

Petrology And Geochemistry Of The Morrison Formation, Dinosaur Quarry Quadrangle, Utah, Sue Ann Bilbey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Mineralogical and petrographic analyses of the upper Jurassic - lower Cretaceous units in the vicinity of the Dinosaur National Monument quarry near Jensen, Utah, have elucidated their characteristics and the locations of formational boundaries. The lower part of the Morrison Formation is distinguished by a decreased amount of illite and an increased amount of kaolinite. In contrast, the underlying Curtis Formation contains an approximately equal mixture of illite and kaolinite. The lower Salt Wash Member and the upper Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison are both lithologically and mineralogically identifiable in this area. Above the boundary between the two, kaolinite …

Structural Geology Of The Northern Part Of Clarkston Mountain, Malad Range, Utah-Idaho, Steven Mark Burton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The northern part of Clarkston Mountain, in northern Utah and southern Idaho, is located about 23 miles northwest of Logan, Utah. It extends across the Malad Range from Malad Valley on the west to Cache Valley on the east. The mapped area measures 4.8 miles in the north-south direction and 6.8 miles in the east-west direction.

The Brigham Formation of Cambrian age is the oldest exposed stratigraphic unit. It consists mainly of quartzite. Younger Cambrian units include the Langston, Ute, Blacksmith, Bloomington, Nounan, and St. Charles Formations. The Garden City Formation of Ordovician age is the youngest Paleozoic unit. The …

Tertiary Igneous Rocks Of Northeastern Cache Valley, Idaho, Parry D. Willard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The tuffs and limestones of the Tertiary Salt Lake Formation in northeastern Cache Valley, Franklin County, Idaho, are intruded by basic and intermediate igneous dikes and sills. The Tertiary intrusives are exposed in an area 10 miles long and 2 miles wide between Bear River and Maple Creek in the foothills of the Bear River Range east of Preston, Idaho. They trend north-northwest. The intrusives are mostly diabase but include a small body of syenodiorite and several small andesite dikes. The intrusives seem to be emplaced along early Basin and Range faults. They are limited to the Cache Valley Member …

Geology Of The Wildcat Hills, Utah, Ronald C. Howes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Wildcat Hills, located in Curlew Valley of northwestern Utah, are composed of a series of late Tertiary extrusive and dike rocks. Five volcanic rock types have been identified: an andesite, a rhyolite, a perlite, a basalt, and a welded tuff. Hydration of obsidian pellets contained in the flows has produced some of the perlite. Diatremes in the andesite attest to the high-volatile content and the explosive extrusion of some of the lavas. A compound basalt neck indicates that basalt was extruded at the Wildcat Hills and is not an erosional remnant of the basalt flow from the base of …

Stratigraphy And Environmental Analysis Of The Swan Peak Formation And Eureka Quartzite, Northern Utah, George Gregory Francis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Swan Peak Formation in north-central Utah thickens westward, from zero feet near Logan to 687 feet in the Promontory Range. The unit is subdivided into three distinct members: 1) A lower member of interbedded shales, limestones, and quartzites; 2) A middle member of interbedded shales and brown quartzites; and 3) An upper member of white quartzites. The Swan Peak thins southward toward the east-west-trending Tooele Arch in the area of study; this thinning probably reflects both lesser deposition and greater subsequent erosion there than elsewhere. The lower member in northern Utah probably was deposited in shallow-shelf and/or traditional shoreface-shelf …

Petrology Of The Ordovician Swan Peak Formation, Southeastern Idaho And North-Central Utah, Warren J. Schulingkamp Ii

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Swan Peak Formation in southeastern Idaho and north-central Utah is a sedimentary unit consisting of orthoquartzite, sandstone, siltite, shale, and limestone. The formation is divisible into three members, and the lower two members each are divisible into two informal lithologic subunits.

The lower member consists of a lower subunit of gray, calcareous sandy siltite composed of subangular to subrounded quartz grains cemented by quartz overgrowths, calcite, or iron oxide, and an upper subunit of black shale with minor interbedded silty quartzose sandstone and biomicrite (limestone).

The middle member consists of a lower subunit of interbedded pale green shale and …

Structural Geology Of The Oxford Peak Area, Bannock Range, Idaho, Larry C. Raymond

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The mapped area, in southeastern Idaho, includes part of the Bannock Range, on the west, and Cache Valley, on the east. It is centered about 13 miles northwest of Preston, Idaho, and measures 12 miles in the north-south direction and 8.5 miles in the east-west direction.

The Bannock Range, in the western part of the mapped area, consists of Precambrian and Cambrian stratigraphic units. The Precambrian units are as follows: (1) lower Precambrian argillite, (2) Precambrian quartzite, and (3) upper Mutual Formation. The Brigham Formation, which overlies the Mutual, is probably of Cambrian age; however, the lower part may be …

Source Rocks And Sediments In Drainage Area Of North Eden Creek, Bear Lake Plateu, Utah-Idaho, Larry W. Mcclurg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Bear Lake Plateau extends north-south across the north central corner of Utah and the southeastern corner of Idaho. North Eden Creek drains westward through part of the plateau and is crossaxial across both strikes of beds and other structures in the area. The formations in the area mapped are of Triassic, Jurassic, and Tertiary age, although only Jurassic and Tertiary rocks contribute sediments to North Eden Creek. The formations consist of sandstones (Nugget), limestones (Twin Creek), and conglomerates (Wasatch). A local extrusion of basalt occurs in the southwestern part of the drainage area.

Particle-size analyses of 15 samples from …

Structural Geology Of Eastern Part Of The Smithfield Quadrangle, Utah, Cheryl Leora Galloway

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The mapped area represents the eastern three-fourths of the Smithfield quadrangle, Utah. This quadrangle is located in the central part of northern Utah about 8.6 miles south of the Utah-Idaho State Line. The Bear River Range, along the eastern margin of the quadrangle, consists of stratigraphic units ranging in age from Precambrian to Devonian. The Salt Lake Formation of Tertiary age rests unconformably on Precambrian quartzite and Paleozoic units along the western side of the range. The Lake Bonneville Group overlaps Cambrian rocks in the southern part of the area and overlaps the Salt Lake Formation in the northern part. …

Structural Geology Of Southeastern Margin Of Bear River Range, Idaho, Clinton L. Davis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Seven Cambrian formations and two Ordovician formations, with a total thickness of 9,000 feet, crop out west of the Paris thrust fault and comprise the upper plate. Slices of three Ordovician formations, one Silurian formation, two Mississippian formations, and one formation each of Pennsylvanian and Permian age comprise the low plate. Mesozoic units are not present in the mapped area. Two Tertiary formations and unconsolidated Quaternary deposits are also present.

The major structural feature is the Paris thrust fault which extends north-south throughout the area. It was active during the Laramide orogeny. This fault involved eastward movement and placed Cambrian …

Paleoecology Of The Lowermost Part Of The Jurassic Carmel Formation, San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah, R. Joseph Dover

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Paleoecology of the lowermost Carmel Formation, San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah, was studied at nine localmes 2 to 21 miles apart. Eight of the sections contain fossiliferous calcilutites and oölmc limestones in the basal 35 to 135 feet measured. Thickness of the fossiliferous beds ranges up to 10 feet. Beds of barren calcilutites, calcarenites, oölmc limestones, intraclastic limestones, calcareous sandstones, and bedded gypsum, separate the fossiliferous beds. A parallel-bedded, basal quartz sandstone, 0.5 to 7 feet thick, everywhere overlies the Navajo Formation.

Molluscs dominate faunal assemblages. Shells are recrystallised to calcite, but external sculpture is preserved in sufficient detail …

Some Aspects Of Geochemistry And Mineralogy Of Bear Lake Sediments, Utah-Idaho, Dean F. Davidson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bear Lake is located in southeastern Idaho and north-central Utah. The lake has a maximum altitude of 5923 feet and an area of approximately 110 square miles. Surrounding the lake are carbonates, shales, and sandstones of lower Paleozoic through middle Mesozoic ages. The many streams and springs that originate in these rocks are probably the main contributors to the chemistry of the lake. Water from Bear River, which flows into the north end of the lake, also contributes to its chemistry.

Quartz, aragonite, dolomite, calcite and clay minerals are the main minerals in the lake-bottom sediments. Quartz is generally the …

The Hyrum And Beirdneau Formations Of North-Central Utah And Southeastern Idaho, James F. Eliason

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Hyrum and Beirdneau Formations of North-central Utah and Southeastern Idaho represent rocks of late Middle Devonian (Givetian) to upper Upper Devonian (Famennian) age. They are disconformably underlain by the Early Devonian Water Canyon Formation in most cases and disconformably overlain by the Devonian-Mississippian Leatham Formation or the Mississippian Lodgepole Formation.

The Hyrum Formation is divided into five members based on lithology and color changes. The five members are: (1) Samaria, (2) Lower Dolomite, (3) Lower Carbonate-detritus, (4) Upper Dolomite, and (5) Upper Carbonate-detritus Members. The Samaria Member is the only fossiliferous unit within the Hyrum Formation.

The Beirdneau Formation …

Environmental Analysis Of The Swan Peak Formation In The Bear River Range, North-Central Utah And Southeastern Idaho, Philip L. Vandorston

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Swan Peak Formation in the Bear River Range of northern Utah and southeastern Idaho varies in thickness from 0 feet to over 400 feet. It consists of three units: (1) a lower unit of interbedded quartzites, shales, and limestones; (2) A middle unit of interbedded quartzites and shales; (3) An upper unit of nearly homogeneous quartzites. The different sedimentary structures, ichnofossils, body fossils, and mineral compositions of each unit represent different environments of deposition. The lower unit probably was deposited in a shallow-shelf environment, and its sediments grade upward into probably shoreface-, tidal-flat-, and lagoonal deposits of the middle …

Geologic Feasibility Of Dam And Reservoir Sites, Blacksmith Fork Canyon, Utah, Alfredo Capistrano Buenaventura

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Two areas along the Blacksmith Fork River, in the Bear River Range southeast of Logan, Utah, were studied as sites for a storage dam and reservoir. An earth dam, 150-200 feet high, and a reservoir of 15,000-20,000 acre-feet are contemplated by the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of Interior.

The lower area, located about 7 miles east of the mountain front, involves two possible dam sites on limestone. Thick overburden is present in the canyon bottom and on the right abutments. The upper area, located about 2 miles south of the headquarters of the Hardware Ranch, includes two possible dam …

Lake Bonneville History In Cutler Dam Quadrangle, Cache And Box Elder Counties, Utah, G. Glayde Maw

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

When Lake Bonneville spilled through Red Rock Pass at the north end of Cache Valley, the major part of the lake in Salt Lake Valley had to drain from west-to-east through Cutler Dam Quadrangle. Here two major saddles connect the two valleys: (1) Bear River Narrows, at about +4380 feet; and (2) Cache Butte-Wellsville Mountain Pass 4.2 miles south, at about +4970 feet. Spillover levels at both places are cut into older rocks.

Only two morphostratigraphic units are recognized widely in the quadrangle. These represent high stands at the Bonneville level (+5180 ± 20 feet) and at the Provo level …

Geology Of The Northern Part Of The Malad Range, Idaho, Drew C. Axtell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Rocks of Paleozoic, Tertiary, and Quaternary age are represented in the northern part of the Malad Range. The Paleozoic rocks are represented by thirteen formations that are characterized lithologically by quartzites, shales, and carbonates. The oldest formation in the mapped area of Paleozoic age is the Brigham Formation, and the youngest formation is the Jefferson Formation of late Devonian age.

The rocks of Tertiary age are conglomerates, shales, and limestones and are represented by the Wasatch Formation, the Salt Lake Formation, and boulders. Quaternary rocks include sediments of the Lake Bonneville Group and alluvium.

The faults in the mapped area …

Geology Of The West-Central Part Of The Malad Range, Idaho, Phillip H. Wach

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The west-central part of the Malad Range is located in south-eastern Idaho. This area was the site of thick marine deposition in the early Paleozoic period. In the Tertiary and Quaternary periods continental deposition occurred, covering the Paleozoic rocks. Quartzite and shale units of the Brigham Quartzite are found near the base of the Cambrian section. Carbonate with shale interbeds is found in the middle and late Cambrian units. Limestone and silty limestone are found in the early and middle Ordovician time overlain by the middle Ordovician Swan Peak Quartzite. The Laketown Dolomite includes units of late Ordovician and Silurian …

Stratigraphy Of The Laketown Dolostone, North-Central Utah, David R. Budge

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The main objective of the present study is to provide a greater understanding of the strata referred to as the Silurian System in north-central Utah and southeastern Idaho and to serve as a basis for comparative regional studies in Silurian stratigraphy. It may be properly classified as a detailed reconnaissance of limited areal extent involving a single stratigraphic unit. It is based on field work done intermittently during the summer months of 1963-65 and laboratory and library work accomplished during the intervening winter months.

Paleozic Stratigraphy Of The James Peak Quadrangle, Utah, Harley D. King

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

General Statement

The James Peak quadrangle is a topographic map unit of the Geological Survey of the U. S. Department of Interior (Plate 1). It covers 7 1/2 minutes of latitude and longitude at a scale of 1:24, 000 or 1 inch to 2, 000 feet. It is bounded by lat 41°22'30" N. and lat 41°30' N. and long 111°45' W. and long 111 °52 '30" W The quadrangle includes 56 square miles and has maximum relief of about 4, 300 feet.

The James Peak quadrangle is located in northern Utah between the Wasatch Range on the west and the …