The vast majority of theses in this collection are open access and freely available. There are a small number of theses that have access restricted to the WWU campus. For off-campus access to a thesis labeled "Campus Only Access," please log in here with your WWU universal ID, or talk to your librarian about requesting the restricted thesis through interlibrary loan.

Date Permissions Signed

7-24-2018

Date of Award

Summer 1987

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Geology

First Advisor

Suczek, Christopher A., 1942-2014

Second Advisor

Engebretson, David C.

Third Advisor

Babcock, R. Scott (Randall Scott)

Abstract

The sedimentary rocks of the early to middle Eocene Blue Mountain unit compose the stratigraphic base of the otherwise predominantly basaltic Crescent Formation in the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. In the study area, primarily in northeastern portions of the Olympic Peninsula, the Blue Mountain unit consists of two distinct petrofacies, one a plagioclase-rich feldspathic arenite, the other a chert-rich lithic arenite. A third petrofacies is a feldspathic-lithic arenite and is a petrologic combination of the two distinct petrofacies. The source areas for the plagioclase-rich and chert-rich petrofacies are interpreted to be the Coast Plutonic Complex and San Juan Islands, respectively. The source area for the feldspathic-lithic arenite is interpreted to be a combination of the Coast Plutonic Complex and the San Juan Islands.

Limited sedimentologic data suggest that the Blue Mountain unit represents a submarine fan. Together, the Blue Mountain unit and basalt of the Crescent Formation compose the base of the Crescent terrane as exposed in the Olympic Peninsula. The Blue Mountain unit-basalt contact is depositional, and therefore the base of the Crescent terrane in this locality consists of continentally-derived sedimentary rocks. This relationship requires the basalt of the Crescent terrane to have originated near a continental landmass, probably North America. Furthermore, paleomagnetic data show that the Crescent terrane and the correlative Siletz terrane in Oregon have not undergone significant poleward displacement.

Relative plate motions indicate that the Kula and FaralIon plates were moving rapidly both poleward and perpendicular to the North American plate in the early Paleogene. Although uncertainties are large, the presence of interbedded continentally-derived sedimentary rocks, including the Blue Mountain unit, and the lack of poleward displacement suggest that the Crescent and Siletz terranes did not originate on the Kula or Farallon plates. Instead, the terranes probably formed inboard of the Kula-FaralIon-North American plate boundary, in sane type of marginal basin.

Type

Text

Keywords

Crescent Formation, Paleomagnetism

Publisher

Western Washington University

OCLC Number

1084704957

Subject – LCSH

Petrology--Washington (State)--Olympic Peninsula; Geology, Structural; Sedimentation and deposition--Washington (State)--Olympic Peninsula

Geographic Coverage

Olympic Peninsula (Wash.)

Format

application/pdf

Genre/Form

masters theses

Language

English

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this thesis for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.

Download

Included in

Geology Commons

Share

COinS