GEOLOGIC STUDIES IN ALASKA by the US Geological Survey during 1986

206 Pages·2012·32.76 MB·English

GEOLOGIC STUDIES IN ALASKA
by the U.S. Geological Survey
during 1986
U.S. Geological Survey Circular 998
Photographs on front and back covers are of 1986 eruption of Augustine Volcano.
See article on p. 4-13.
Front cover
Increasingly vigorous vapor plumes and melting of snow cover on volcano's summit were early signs at an
impending eruption. View from northeast on March 21.
Back cover
Top rightl Small amounts of 8sh were emitted along with increased vapor plume during weeks prior to
eruption. Ash which fell from plume extends from summit toward foreground. View from east on
February 22.
Top left: On first day of eruption, hot pyroclastic material falling on upper cone caused mudflows that
extended down gullies on south and west sides of volcano. An ash-rich eruption column was almost
continuous during first five days of eruption. View (rom southwest on March 27.
Center left: Rainfall accentuated contrast between dry, hot pyroclastic material deposited during March
eruptive phase (light) and damp, lightly vegetated deposits of previous eruptions (dark). View of north side
of mountain from east on April 18.
Center right: Oblique view or dark, blocky lava flow extending northward (toward bottom of picture) from
summit. Photograph taken April 27.
Bottom left: Dramatic ash plume over Homer, Alaska, resulted from last large explosion of March
eruptive phase which occurred at approximately 10:00 A.M. AST, March 31. Use of photograph by
permission of photographer Chlaus Lotscher is gratefully acknowledged.
Bottom right: Lobate nose of a pyroclastic flow on upper slope of volcano. Flows such as this moved at
estimated speeds greater than 35 meters per second (80 mph); temperature of their deposits measured
several weeks after eruption exceeded 550 °c (120 OF). Photograph taken on north side 01' cone April 27.
GEOLOGIC STUDIES IN ALASKA
by the U.S. Geological Survey
during 1986
Thomas D. Hamilton and John P. Galloway
Editors
U.S. Geological Survey Circular 998
Short papers describing results
of recent geologic investigations
and lists of published reporte
[
Department of the Interior
DONALD PAUL HODEL, Secretary
U.S. Geological Survey
Dallas L. Peck, Director
Library of Congress Catalog Number 76-608093
Fref! on application to the Books and 0lMn-File RepotTs Section,
U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Cenrer, Box 25425, Denver_ CO 80225
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Thomas D. Hamilton and John P. Galloway, editors 1
ARTICLE OF SPECIAL INTEILEST
The 1986 eruptions of Augustine Volcano, Alaska: hazards and effects 4
M. Elizabeth Yount, Thomas P. Miller, and Bruce M. Gamble
STATEWIDE
Status of Alaska Mineral Resources Data System 15
Kenneth R. Leonard and Donald F. Huber
The Antakchak tephra deposit, a late Holocene marker horlzon In western Alaska 19
James R. Rlehte, Charles E. Meyer, Thomas A. Ager, Darrell S. Kaufman, and Robert E. Ackerrnan
NORTHERN ALASKA
Ceochemlcal and geologic controls on the inferred occurrence of natural gas hydrate in the Kuparuk 2D-I5
well, North Slope, Alaska 24
Timothy S. Collett, Keith A. Kvenvolden, Leslle 0. Magoon, and Kemeth J. Bird
Use of factor analysis in locating base metal mlneralizatlon in the KUlik River quadrangle, Alaska 2'7
Karen A. Duttweiler
Preliminary evaluation of geochemical anomalies in the Bakd Mountains quadrangle, Alaska 31
Peter F. Polger, Richard 3. Goldfarb, and Jeanine M. Schmidt
-
Glacial advance of late Wisconsin (Itkillik 11) age in the upper Noatak River Valley a radiocarbon-dated
stratigraphic record 35
Thomas D. Hamaton, George A. Lancaster, 8nd Deborah A. Trlmble
Ordovlclan and Silurian fossils from the Doonerak antlclinorium, central Brooks Range, Alaska 40
John E. Repetski, Claire Carter, Anita G. Harris, and J. Thomas Dutro, Jr.
Organic carbon occurrence and content In carbonate rocks from the Omar Copper Prospect, Baird
Mountains, Ataske 43
Jeanine M. Schmidt and Peter F. Folger
Plant rnegafossils, vertebrate remains, and paleoclimate of the Kogosukruk Tongue (Late Cretaceous),
North Slope, Alaska 47
Robert A. Splcer and Judith Totman Parrlsh
Petrography of the Baird Mountains schistose lithologies, northwestern Alaska 49
Mark R. Zayatz
EAST-CENTRAL ALASKA
A Late Ordovician age reappraisal for the Upper Fossil Creek
Volcanics, and possible significance for glacio-eustasy 54
Robert B. Blodgett, Karen L. Wheeler, David M. Rohr, Anita G. Harris, and Florence R. Weber
Preliminary geology, including the Tintina fault system, of part of the southwestern Charley River
quadrangle, Alaska 59
Helen L. Foster and Terry E.C. Keith
Platlnum-group element concentrations in a biotite-rich clinopyroxenite suite, Eagle C-3 quadrangle,
Alaska 62
Terry E. C. Keith, Norman J Page, Robert L. Oscarson, and Helen L. Foster
Sources of placer gold in the southern part of the White Mountains Recreation Area, east-central Alaska 67
Thomas D. Light, John W. Cady, Florence R. Weber, Richard B. McCammon, and C. Dean Rinehart
Lithostratigraphy, petrology, and geochemistry of the Ordovician Fossil Creek Volcanics, White Mountains,
east-central Alaska 70
Karen L. Wheeler, Robert B. Forbes, Florence R. Weber, and C. Dean Rinehart
Placer gold related to mafic schlst(?) In the Circle District, Alaska 74
Warren Yeend
SOUTHWESTERN ALASKA
Late Mesozoic structural and stratig-raphic framework, eastern Bethel quadrangle, southwestern Alaska 78
Stephen E. Box and John M. Murphy
Early Cretaceous cessation of terrane accretion, northern Eek Mountains, southwestern Alaska 83
John M. Murphy
Petrology and provenance of sandstones of the Naknek Formation, Alaska Peninsula 86
Michael W. Mullen
SOUTHERN ALASKA
Earthquake-caused sedimentary couplets in the Upper Cook Inlet region 92
Susan Bartsch-Winkler and Henry R. Schmoll
Late Triassic and Early Cretaceous fossil ages from the McHugh complex, southern Alaska 96
Steven W. Nelson, Charles D. Blome, and Susan M. Karl
Effects of weathering on petroleum-source evaluation of coals from the Suntrana Formation near Healy,
Alaska 99
Richard G. Stanley
Thermal maturity and petroleum-source potential of the Cantwell Formation (Paleocene), Alaska Range 104
Richard G. Stanley
An application of oblique rotation R-Mode factor analysis in the Mount Hayes quadrangle, Alaska (abstract) 108
J.D. Hoffman
;,
SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
Structural fabric analysis of the Perseverance Slate and gold-bearing quartz veins in the south ore body of
the Alaska-Juneau lode system, southeastern Alaska 110
Christopher C. Barton and Thomas D. Light
The Meade Glacier fault - an Important tectonic boundary in the Northern CordiUera, southeastern Alaska 113
David A. Brew and Arthur B. Ford
The Wright Glacier volcanic plug and dike swarm, southeastern Alaska 116
Arthur B. Ford and David A. Brew
Ultramafic and mafic sills in the vicinity of the Treadwell gold deposits, Douglas Island, southeastern
Alaska 119
David A. Brew, Glen R. Himmelberg, Arthur B. Ford, and Robert C. Jachens
Newly discovered molybdenite occurrence near Boundary Creek, Coast Mountains, southeastern Alaska 124
Richard D. Koch, David A. Brew, and Arthur B. Ford
Salt Chuck palladium-bearing ultramafic body, Prince of Wales Island 126
Robert A. Loney, Glen R. Himmelberg, and Nora Shew
The Alaska-Juneau gold deposit; remobilized syngenetic versus exotic epigenetic origin 128
Rainer J. Newberry and David A. Brew
Paleomagnetic evidence for a latest Pliocene and early Pleistocene age of the upper Yakataga Formation
on Middleton Island, Alaska 132
Edward A. Mankinen and George Plafker
Cenozoic magmatism in southeastern Alaska (abstract) 131
David A. Brew
OPFSHORE
Beaufort Sea coastal currents: a divergence near Barter Island, Alaska? 139
Peter W. Barnes, Scot Graves, and Erk Reimnitz
Volcanic-arc dacite and early Miocene basalt dredged from the Shumagin margin, Alaska 143
Terry R. Bruns, Tracy L. Vallier, Leda Beth Pickthorn, and Roland von Huene
GLORIA images of Zhemchug Canyon and Bering channel-fan system, Bering Sea 141
Herman A. Karl, James V. Gardner, and Quentin Huggett
GLORIA side-scan and geophysical surveys of the central Bering Sea in 1986 152
Michael S. Marlow, Paul R. Carlson, Shawn V. Dadisman, Douglas M. Rearic, Edward J. Maple, and
Lindsay M. Parson
Vibracore stratigraphy of the northeastern Chukchi Sea 151
R. Lawrence Phillips and Mitchell W. Colgan
Thlrty-four-year shoreface evolution at a rapidly retreating arctic coastal site 161
Erk Reimnitz and Edward W. Kempema
Petrology, age, and original teetonlc setting of basalt (rom the St. George Basin COST No. 1 Well, southern
Bering Sea 165
Traey L. Vallier and Bruee M. Herman
GLORIA images obtained in the TACT corridor or the Aleutian convergent margin, northern Gulf o( Alaska
(abstraet) 170
Terry R. Bruns, Miehael A. Fisher, Paul R. Carlson, Douglas M. Rearie, and Lindsay M. Parson
BmLJOGRAPHJES
Reports about Alaska In USGS publieations released In 1986 172
eomplled by Ellen R. White
Reports about Alaska in non-USGS publleations released in 1986 whieh Include uses authors 181
eompiled by Ellen R. White
SUBJECT INDEX 187
AUTHOR INDEX 193
AUTHORS ADDRESSES 194
Walrus on Round Island in Bristol Bay. Photo by S.E. Box, 1982.
GEOLOGIC STUDIES IN ALASKA
BY THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY DURING 1986
Thomas D. Hamilton and John P. Galloway. Editors
INTRODUCTION
This volume is a continuatlon of the annual topics, including geochronology, structural
circulars that formerly were titled "The United geology, stratigraphy, petrology, and paleo-
States Geological Survey in Alaska-- climatology. Comparable studles carried out
Accomplishments during 19xx." The 39 short offshore comprise seven addi t ionel papers.
papers and three abstracts presented here report Geologic hazards in Alaska's dynamlc envlronment
on some of the geologic studies performed in are discussed in three reports that cover volcanic
Alaska by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and hazards, earl hquake recurrence intervals, and
cooperating agencies during 1986. The reports are coastal eroslon.
presented in their geographic order of occurrence, This year we depart Prom custom by
begi~ingw ith investigations that are statewide in publishing "an article of special interest" devoted
scope and followed by papers related to five to a topic that was prominent in the news during
regional subdkvisions of Alaska and to areas 1986--the eruption of Augustlne Volcsno and its
offshore on the Alaskan continental shelf. The impact on population centers around Cook Inlet.
regional papers are generally presented in That paper, whlch begins on the following page, is
sequence Prom north to south. Author and subject longer and more fully illustrated than the other
indexes and Pull addresses of all authors are papers in this volume, and its illustrations include
appended at the back of the volume. We also the photographs on the front and back covers.
include two bibliographies that cover (1) reports The two bibliograpl-des that follow the short
about Alaska In USQS publications released In 1986 reports were complled by Ellen R. Whlte, and the
and (2) reports about Alaska by USGS authors in mosaic of cover photographs was prepared by M.
other publications in 1986. Elizabeth Yount and Robert P. Gilmore. We would
The 42 reports in this volume provide a like to particularly acknowledge the efforts of
representative sample of current U.S. Geological Susan Bartach-Winkler and Katharine M. Reed, the
Survey research in Alaska. Sixteen papers are editors of the three preceding (19 83-1 985) volumes
devoted to mineral resources--six on precious in the "Accompllshrnents" series, who set a high
metals, six on other metallic resources, thee on standard of dedjcation and quality that we have
fossil fuels, and one on statewide Inventory been hard pressed to maintain. We have borrowed
systems. Basic framework studies comprise an liberally from their ideas in preparing the present
additional 16 papers that focus on a wlde range of volume.
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