A comparison of the upper Cretaceous Pigeon Point Formation, northern California, and the Gold Beach Terrane, southwest Oregon, USA: unrelated stratigraphic sequences or parts of a single now-dismembered cretaceous basinal sequence?
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- The Pigeon Point Formation, northern California, and the Gold Beach Terrane, southwestern Oregon, are Late Cretaceous allochthonous terranes that outcrop along the Pacific Coast of the United States. Both are characterized by upper Cretaceous deep-water sequences overlain by or including near the top units of fine- to very fine-grained, uppermost Cretaceous sandstone deposited in a storm-dominated shelf setting. Previous studies have suggested that both terranes originated as far south as southern California and have since been translated north by right lateral displacement along the San Andreas Fault System. In this study we use provenance analyses, including sandstone petrography, detrital zircon (DZ) geochronology, and major- and trace-element mudstone geochemistry to determine the provenance of both terranes and estimate whether they were once part of a single Late Cretaceous submarine depositional system. Sandstone petrography and mudstone geochemistry show that both terranes are arc derived; however, the Pigeon Point Formation has a more evolved, felsic source while the Gold Beach Terrane is sourced from more juvenile parent rocks that are mafic in character. Key differences are also seen in the detrital zircon signatures from both terranes. Both terranes contain abundant Late Cretaceous zircons; however, the Gold Beach Terrane contains abundant Early to Late Jurassic zircons whereas the Pigeon Point Formation does not. All of the observations in this study indicate that the two terranes do not share the same provenance and were not once part of the same Late Cretaceous submarine depositional system. Based on our observations, we conclude that the Pigeon Point Formation was likely sourced mainly from the Cretaceous Sierra Nevada Batholith and the Gold Beach Terrane from Klamath Mountains and Sierran Foothills Belt as well as the main Sierra Nevada Batholith. Thus, the Pigeon Point Formation likely originated as far south as southern California, whereas the Gold Beach Terrane likely originated close to its present location.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | August 20, 2020 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Barry, Erin |
|---|---|
| Primary advisor | Lowe, Donald |
| Advisor | Lapôtre, Mathieu |
| Degree granting institution | Stanford University, Department of Geological Sciences |
Subjects
| Subject | Geological Sciences |
|---|---|
| Subject | Coterminal Master's |
| Subject | School of Earth |
| Subject | provenance |
| Subject | sedimentology |
| Subject | stratigraphy |
| Subject | Pigeon Point Formation |
| Subject | Gold Beach Terrane |
| Subject | Oregon |
| Subject | California |
| Subject | geology |
| Genre | Thesis |
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Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Barry, Erin. (2020). A comparison of the upper Cretaceous Pigeon Point Formation, northern California, and the Gold Beach Terrane, southwest Oregon, USA: unrelated stratigraphic sequences or parts of a single now-dismembered cretaceous basinal sequence?. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: https://purl.stanford.edu/ms975sf3250
Collection
Master's Theses, Doerr School of Sustainability
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- ebarry2@stanford.edu
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