Geologic Studies in Alaska by the US Geological Survey, 1997

168 Pages·2012·43.04 MB·English

U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
Geologic Studies in Alaska by the
U.S. Geological Survey, 1997
U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1614
Cover. The Mint River is one of many drainages in the northwestern Seward Peninsula
that provide surface runoff and sediment load into Lapp Lagoon and the Bering Sea. Recent
geochemical studies (see article by Parnow and others, this volume) indicate that stream
sediments collected from some drainages in this area contain anomalous concentrations of
arsenic and tin, reflecting the presence of known tin-bearing granites and associated
mineral deposits in this area. Although detrital arsenic and tin may be naturally entering the
nearshore marine environment, the data suggest that solution transport of metals is
extremely insignificant.
Geologic Studies in Alaska by the
U.S. Geological Survey, 1997
Edited by Karen D. Kelley
U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1614
U.S. Department of the Interior
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior
Bruce Babbitt, Secretary
U.S. Geological Survey
Charles G. Groat, Director
For sale by U.S. Geological Survey, Information Services
Box 25286, Federal Center
Denver, CO 80225
This publication is also available online at:
http://g ree nwood.c r.usgs.gov/ pu b/ppa pers/p 1614/
Any use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication
is for descriptive purposes only and
does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Geologic studies in Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey, 1997 I
edited by Karen D. Kelley.
p. cm.-(U.S. Geological Survey professional paper : 1614)
Includes bibliographical references.
Supt. of Docs. no.: I 19. 16: 1614
1. Geology-Alaska. I. Kelley, Karen D. II. Series.
QE83.G46 2000
557.98-dc219 9-41611
CIP
Contents
Introduction
By Karen D. Kelley ............................................................................................................................. 1
RESOURCES
Geologic setting of Mississippian vein-breccias at the Kady Zn-Pb-Cu-Ag prospect: Plumbing
system for a failed Sedex deposit?
By Melanie B. Werdon ....................................................................................................................... 5
Chemical and isotopic data for rocks and ores from the Upper Triassic Greens Creek and
Woewodski Island volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits, southeastern Alaska
By Rainer J. Newberry and David A. Brew .................................................................................... 35
Core lithofacies analysis and fluvio-tidal environments in the AK 94 CBM-1 well, near Wasilla, Alaska
By Romeo M. Flores, Mark D. Myers, Gary D. Stricker, and Julie A. Houle ................................ 57
GEOLOGIC FRAMEWORK
Lower Paleozoic deep-water facies of the Medfra area, central Alaska
By Julie A. Dumoulin, Dwight C. Bradley, Anita G. Harris, and John E. Repetski ...................... 73
Alagogshak Volcano: A Pleistocene andesite-dacite stratovolcano in Katmai National Park
ByWes Hildreth, Judy Fierstein, Marvin A. Lanphere, and David F. Siems ............................. 105
Gravity changes during the 26 years following the 1964 Alaskan earthquake
By David F. Barnes ......................................................................................................................... 115
ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE
Metal cycling along the northwestern Seward Peninsula, Alaska: A possible natural cause of
metal contamination in the Arctic
By Cynthia C. Parnow, Richard J. Goldfarb, Karen D. Kelley, and Geoff S.York ...................... 123
Major-element, trace-element, and strontium-isotope systematics of natural waters in the Fairbanks
mining district: Constraints from local geology
By Richard J. Goldfarb, G. Lang Farmer, Barrett A. Cieutat, and Allen L. Meier ...................... 139
Ill
BIBLIOGRAPHIES
U.S. Geological Survey reports on Alaska released in 1997
Compiled by John P. Galloway and Susan Toussaint ............................................................... 151
Reports on Alaska in non-USGS publications released in 1997 that include USGS authors
Compiled by John P. Galloway and Susan Toussaint ............................................................... 157
IV
Contributors to this Professional Paper
Anchorage Menlo Park
Bradley, Dwight C. Barnes, David F., Mail Stop 989
Dumoulin, Julie A. Brew, David A., Mail Stop 901
Fierstein, Judy, Mail Stop 910
U.S. Geological Survey
Hildreth, Wes, Mail Stop 910
4200 University Drive
Lanphere, Marvin A., Mail Stop 937
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
Galloway, John P., Mail Stop 904
Toussaint, Susan, Mail Sop 955
York, Geoff S.
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Geological Survey 345 Middlefield Road, Mail Stop __
Alaska Biological Science Center Menlo Park, California 94025
1011 Tudor Road
Anchorage, Alaska 99503
Reston
Houle, Julie A.
Meyers, Mark D. Harris, Anita G., Mail Stop 926A
Repetski, John E., Mail Stop 926A
Alaska Department of Natural Resources
Division of Oil and Gas U.S. Geological Survey
Anchorage, Alaska 99503-5948 National Center, Mail Stop __
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, Virginia 20192
Denver
Flores, Romeo M., Mail Stop 939 Others
Goldfarb, Richard J., Mail Stop 964
Kelley, Karen D., Mail Stop 964 Cieutat, Barrett A.
Meier, Allen L., Mail Stop 973
Parnow, Cynthia C., Mail Stop 964 ERM Southwest
Siems, David F., Mail Stop 973 3501 North Causeway Boulevard, Suite 200
Stricker, Gary D., Mail Stop 939 Metairie, Louisiana 70002
U.S. Geological Survey
Farmer, G. Lang
P.O. Box 25046, Mail Stop __
Denver Federal Center Department of Geology
Denver, Colorado 80225 University of Colorado
Boulder, Colorado 80302
Fairbanks
Werdon, Melanie B.
Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys
794 University Ave., Suite 200
Fairbanks, Alaska 99709-3645
Newberry, Rainer J.
Department of Geology
University of Alaska
Fairbanks, Alaska 99775
v

Geologic Studies in Alaska by the
U.S. Geological Survey, 1997
Edited by Karen D. Kelley
Introduction
By Karen D. Kelley
The eight papers that follow continue the series1 of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
reports on investigations in the geologic sciences in Alaska. The series presents new and
sometimes preliminary findings that are of interest to earth scientists in academia, govern
ment, and industry; to land and resource managers; and to the general public. Reports pre
sented in Geologic Studies in Alaska cover a broad spectrum of topics from all parts of the
State (fig. 1), which serves to emphasize the diversity of USGS efforts to meet the Nation's
needs for earth-science information in Alaska.
The papers in this volume are organized under the topics Resources, Geologic Frame
work, and Environment and Climate. Such an organization is intended to reflect the scope
and objectives of USGS programs currently active in Alaska. Resource papers include one
that presents detailed observations from a Mississippian Zn-Pb-Cu-Ag occurrence in the
Brooks Range (Werdon). Mineralogic, chemical, and isotopic data provide the basis for a
proposed relationship between this vein-breccia deposit and the shale-hosted massive sulfide
deposit type, which includes the active Red Dog mine in the western Brooks Range. Also
included under the topic of Resources is a paper that presents geochemical and isotopic data
from the Greens Creek and Woewodski Island volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits in
southeastern Alaska (Newberry and Brew). The depositional environment and sedimentolog
ical setting of Tertiary coal beds in the Matanuska and Susitna Valleys is the focus of a third
paper under the topic of Resources (Flores and others).
Geologic Framework studies provide background information that is the scientific basis
for present and future studies of the environment, mineral and energy resources, paleocli
mate, and hazards in Alaska. One paper presents the results of sedimentologic and paleonto
logic comparisons of lower Paleozoic, deep-water-facies rock units in central Alaska
(Dumoulin and others). The authors show which of these units are likely to correlate with
one another, suggest likely source regions, and provide a structural restoration of units that
have been fragmented by large fault motions. A second framework paper provides a map,
rock descriptions, and chemical compositions of volcanic rocks in a newly recognized,
geologically young volcanic center in the Aleutian volcanic arc (Hildreth and others). A third
paper presents an interesting summary of gravity changes that occurred in south-central
Alaska during the great earthquake of 1964 and for the following 25 years (Barnes). Gravity
changes correlate with land-elevation changes in some cases, but not in others, which means
that different processes are responsible for the gravity changes.
1 From 1975 through 1988, the Geologic Studies in Alaska series was published as USGS Circulars,
which were initially titled "The United States Geological Survey in Alaska: Accomplishments during 19xx."
From 1989 to 1994, the series was published as the more formal USGS Bulletins. As a result of
reorganization of USGS publications, beginning in 1995 the series has been published as USGS
Professional Papers.
1
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Figure 1. Index map of Alaska showing 1: 250,000-scale quadrangles and locations of study areas discussed in this book.