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Title: Center-to-center analysis of flow lineation and flow direction in Eocene welded ignimbrites, Twin Peaks, Idaho

Conference · · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)
OSTI ID:5020445
 [1]
  1. Univ. of Idaho, Moscow, ID (United States). Geology Dept.

Ignimbrites of the Eocene Twin Peaks caldera (Hardyman, 1982) in central Idaho's Challis Volcanic Field comprise both caldera-fill and outflow facies. The vents and mode of emplacement of these ignimbrites are problematic, because the Twin Peaks caldera has been strongly structurally disrupted, and lineations are sparse in the ignimbrites. Six oriented samples from three separate cooling units were studied using the Fry center-to-center method (Seaman and Williams, 1992) in order to determine flow lineation and flow direction of the ignimbrites inside the caldera. Flow lineation is defined in the plane parallel to flattened pumice and assumes that phenocryst are at maximum spacing in this plane. The flow lineation then coincides with the long axis of a center-to-center ellipse. Flow direction is defined in the plane perpendicular to flattening, which is inclined with respect to the flow plane and dips towards the source of flow. Four of five samples from the upper two cooling units near the thickest part of the caldera fill have well developed center-to-center strain ellipsoids producing flow lineations oriented N35W ([+-]7[degree]). The samples from the bottom cooling unit also has a well developed strain ellipsoid, but with a lineation oriented N80E. The difference in flow lineation suggests that the lowest cooling unit had a separate vent. Strain analysis of perpendicular sections are underway to establish the flow direction of the ignimbrites.

OSTI ID:
5020445
Report Number(s):
CONF-9305259-; CODEN: GAAPBC
Journal Information:
Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 25:5; Conference: 89. annual meeting of the Cordilleran Section and the 46th annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Section of the Geological Society of America (GSA), Reno, NV (United States), 19-21 May 1993; ISSN 0016-7592
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English