The Beauty and Economic

Significance of Geologic Structures

 Why study geologic structures?

1992 Landers, CA Earthquake (photo by Ramon Arrowsmith)

 http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/hazard/slideset/21/21_slides.shtml

Understand and anticipate natural hazards (1995 Kobe Earthquake):

(Slide by Ramon Arrowsmith)
Energy &
Mineral resources
Mineral resources
•Magmatic segregation: gems in pegmatites:
Crystallization in fluid-rich environment
•Hydrothermal solutions: important for concentating
and precipitating ore deposits:
Hot, metal-rich fluid migration as vein deposits or
disseminated deposits (remobilized by faults)

(Quartz
Veins)

(modified from slide by Ramon Arrowsmith)

Mucho oro! Mucho dinero!!
Los núcleos de perforadora diamante a la
Zona Azul, Proyecto León
Types of oil traps
(Keller, 2002)
Primary Geologic Structures

• Geometric features developed during

formation of a rock body
• Microscopic to mountain scale
• Formed in sedimentary or igneous
environments
• Provide clues about environment of rock
formation
 Sedimentary Structures
• Bedding
• Uncomformities
• Cross bedding
• Graded bedding
• Ripple marks
• Mud cracks
• Trace fossils
• Etc.
Bedding
(stratificación)
in the Grand
Canyon (Cañón
Grande):
•Sediments originally
deposited in horizontal
orientation
•Superposition: oldest
layers on the bottom,
youngest on top
•Major bedding planes
separate sedimentary layers
with contrasting properties
(strength, porosity,
permeability, resistance to
erosion, etc)
Tilted bedding in Hawk Canyon (Cañada Halcón), December, 2008
Tilted bedding on San Miguel Island, May, 2004
Tilted bedding on San Miguel Island, May, 2004
San Miguel Island, May, 2004
San Miguel Island, May, 2004
Angular unconformity on San Miguel Island, May, 2004
Nonconformity in Cañada Halcón, February, 2007
Tilted nonconformity, Cañada Halcón, February, 2007
Proyecto León, Marzo, 2007
Proyecto León, Marzo, 2007 (cross beds deposited originally non-horizontal)
Algadones Dunes (las dunas Algadones), January, 2007
Which way is the wind blowing?
 Igneous Structures
• Flows
• Veins
• Dikes and Sills
• Chilled or baked margins
• Magmatic flow foliation
• Flow tops marked by vesicles
• Aa-aa vs. pahoehoe structure
• Stocks and batholiths
• Xenoliths or inclusions
• Magmatic segregations
Originally non-horizontal lava flow at Cerro Los Ojos, Sonora
Originally non-horizontal lava flow near Sierra Chocloduro, Sonora
Una vista mas cerca
Grand Canyon (photo by Ramon Arrowsmith)
San Antonio Canyon,
March, 1998
Sierra la Salada, Marzo, 2007
Glendora Ridge Road, October, 2006
Culp Valley, November, 2007
Proyecto Colibri,
Marzo, 2006
Zona Nopal,
Deciembre, 2006
Mucho oro!
Este oro es mio!
Mis asistentes
del campo,
Proyecto León,
Septiembre, 2007
Proyecto León,
Septiembre, 2007
Proyecto León,
Marzo, 2007
Proyecto León, Marzo, 2007
Mas núcleos de perforadora diamante a
la Zona Azul, Proyecto León
Secondary Geologic Structures
develop after formation of the rock body
• Folds
• Fractures and joints
• Faults and breccias
• Foliation and lineation
• Metamorphic fabrics like contact
metamorphic aureoles and mylonitic S-C
structures
 Folds

Photograph courtesy of Ramon Arrowsmith

Prince William Sound, Alaska, July, 2006
Prince William Sound, Alaska, July, 2006
Palmer Canyon, San Gabriel Mountains, December, 2004
Palmer Canyon, San Gabriel Mountains December, 2004
Coastal Maine, July, 2007 (photo by Kayla Kroll)
Coastal Maine, July,
2007 (photo by Kayla
Kroll)
Proyecto Colibri, Marzo, 2007
Faults (mountain scale)

Faults (mountain scale)

diagram from M.P. Searle

 What is it?

Moab normal
fault, Utah

(Slide courtesy of
Greg Davis)
Whipple detachment fault, California (Slide from Greg Davis)
 Ertomiao detachment fault, Lang Shan, China

Younger on older, Low-grade (near surface) on High-grade (12 km)

(Slide from Greg Davis)
 • σ1 horizontal, σ3 vertical — reverse faults

• σ1 vertical, σ3 horizontal — normal faults

• σ1 horizontal, σ3 horizontal — strike-slip

faults

(Slide designed by
Greg Davis)
 Hypothetically
• Reverse faults: should form at ~30° dip
• Normal faults: should form at ~60° dip
• Strike-slip faults: should form at ~90° dip

Can you think

of any
exceptions??

(Slide designed by Greg Davis)

 Common exceptions
• Thrust faults — mechanically unfavorable
• Low-angle normal faults — mechanically
very unfavorable

(Slide designed by Greg Davis)

Faults and Breccias at Outcrop
Scale

Manker Canyon, San Gabriel Mountains, October, 1994

Falla normal a
Cañada Halcón,
Deciembre, 2008
Mega Faults

Sonoyta, Sonora,
Jenero, 2006
Sonoyta, Sonora, Jenero, 2006
Sonoyta, Sonora, Jenero, 2006
Proyecto León, Marzo, 2007
Proyecto Ramaje Ardiente, Marzo, 2007
Proyecto Ramaje Ardiente, Marzo, 2007
Proyecto Ramaje Ardiente, Marzo, 2007
Proyecto Ramaje Ardiente, Marzo, 2007
Proyecto Colibri, Jenero, 2006
Proyecto Colibri, Jenero, 2006
Zona Nopal,
Deciembre, 2006
Zona Nopal,
Deciembre, 2006
Zona Nopal, Deciembre, 2006
Proyecto Elizabeth, Octubre, 2008
Proyecto Elizabeth,
Octubre, 2008
Diamond Drill
Core from the
Naranja Zone
Mylonites and Ductile Shear Zones
 Foliation
• Planar fabric formed by ductile flow of
minerals under directed stress
• Generally manifested as compositional
layering
• Foliation plane generally oriented at high
angle to maximum stress direction
San Gabriel Mountains, April, 2002
San Gabriel Mountains, April, 2002
Arroyo Santa Felicita, Noviembre, 2008
Arroyo Santa Felicita, Noviembre, 2008
Arroyo Santa Felicita, Noviembre, 2008
Arroyo Santa Felicita, Noviembre, 2008
Arroyo Santa Felicita, Noviembre, 2008
Lineation
Arroyo Santa Felicita, Noviembre, 2008
What is the sense of shear?

(Slide from Greg Davis)

Just how deformed is this rock?

(Slide from Ramon Arrowsmith)

 Or this
What % extension one?
has this rock experienced?

(Photograph from Ramon Arrowsmith)