Date of Award:

5-1985

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Geosciences

Department name when degree awarded

Geology

Committee Chair(s)

Peter T. Kolesar

Committee

Peter T. Kolesar

Committee

Clyde T. Hardy

Committee

Donald W. Fiesinger

Abstract

A detailed geologic investigation was made of the eastern part of the Dairy Ridge Quadrangle and the western part of the Meachum Ridge Quadrangle, Utah. The area is located in north-central Utah in Rich County. It lies between lat. 41°22'30" N. and lat. 41°28'50" N. and between long. 111°21'40" W. and long. 111°25'15" W. The area measures 13.8 km in the north-south direction and 5.5 km in the east-west direction. It is on the eastern side of the Wasatch Range about 20 km west-southwest of Randolph, Utah.

Stratigraphic units of Precambrian to Cambrian age crop out in the western part of the area, above the Woodruff thrust fault, and dip west. These include the Precambrian Mutual Formation and the Cambrian Geertsen Canyon Quartzite. Units of Pennsylvanian to Jurassic age crop out in the eastern part of the area below the Woodruff thrust fault. They dip west and are overturned to the east. These units include the following: Pennsylvanian Weber Formation, Permian Grandeur Member of the Park City Formation, Permian Phosphoria Formation, Triassic Thaynes Limestone, Triassic Ankareh Formation, Jurassic Nugget Sandstone, and Jurassic Twin Creek Limestone. The Tertiary Wasatch Formation unconformably overlies all older units in places.

The Woodruff thrust fault is the major structural feature of the area. Quartzite of the Precambrian Mutual Formation is thrust eastward over the Pennsylvanian Weber Formation as well as over formations of Permian and Triassic ages. The Woodruff thrust fault strikes about N. 20° E. and dips 18° W. to 33° W. Stratigraphic throw is at least 5,800 m. Probable horizontal displacement is tens of kilometers. The stratigraphic units, under the thrust fault, dip west and are overturned to the east. They form the western limb of a large asymmetrical syncline. The overturned units are cut by a west-dipping high-angle thrust fault. The syncline and the thrust faults were produced by the Sevier orogeny which began in latest Jurassic or earliest Cretaceous time. Deformation may have continued into Paleocene time.

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