Sedimentation and Thrusting of Late Mesozoic Rocks in the Coast Ranges near Clear Lake, California

Research Article| January 01, 1970 Sedimentation and Thrusting of Late Mesozoic Rocks in the Coast Ranges near Clear Lake, California WIN SWE; WIN SWE Department of Geology, University of Rangoon, Rangoon, Burma PRESENT ADDRESS (Swe): DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY, ARTS AND SCIENCES UNIVERSITY, MANDALAY, BURMA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar WILLIAM R DICKINSON WILLIAM R DICKINSON Department of Geology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information WIN SWE PRESENT ADDRESS (Swe): DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY, ARTS AND SCIENCES UNIVERSITY, MANDALAY, BURMA Department of Geology, University of Rangoon, Rangoon, Burma WILLIAM R DICKINSON Department of Geology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 30 Sep 1968 Revision Received: 18 Jun 1969 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Copyright © 1970, The Geological Society of America, Inc. Copyright is not claimed on any material prepared by U.S. government employees within the scope of their employment. GSA Bulletin (1970) 81 (1): 165–188. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1970)81[165:SATOLM]2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 30 Sep 1968 Revision Received: 18 Jun 1969 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation WIN SWE, WILLIAM R DICKINSON; Sedimentation and Thrusting of Late Mesozoic Rocks in the Coast Ranges near Clear Lake, California. GSA Bulletin 1970;; 81 (1): 165–188. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1970)81[165:SATOLM]2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract South and southeast of Clear Lake, California, approximately 35,000 ft of clastic sedimentary strata of the Great Valley sequence ranging in age from Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous crop out in irregular belts trending from northwest to southeast. Together with overthrust lower Tertiary beds, these rocks form a thrust complex that rests structurally upon the Franciscan assemblage of late Mesozoic age along the Soda Creek thrust and is overlain unconformably by late Cenozoic strata. A number of subsidiary thrusts, that are discordant to bedding, break the Great Valley sequence into at least three and possibly more than four successive thrust plates or slices. In all exposed cases, younger strata overlie older strata along the thrusts. The principal structurally intact stratigraphic components of the thrust complex are:A conformable Tithonian to Valanginian succession, 6900 ft, dominantly mudstone with 1600 ft of lithic sandstone and conglomerate in the upper part.Lower Cretaceous strata, 4500 ft, in part Aptian, dominantly thin-bedded quartzose sandstone and mterbedded mudstone.Three structurally isolated "mid"-Cretaceous successions, two of massive sandstone and one of mudstone, total of 5700 ft exposed.A conformable Upper Cretaceoussuccession, 17,500 ft, in large part Campanian, composed of five mappable units including massive sandstone (3700 ft), siltstonc (3600 ft), massive sandstone (4000 ft), mudstone (1000ft), and alternating sandstone and mudstone (5200 ft) in ascending order.A conformablemarine Paleocene and Eocene succession (5500 ft).The lithologic characteristics, petrologic variations, and paleocurrent indicators oi the strata in the Great Valley sequence near Clear Lake are comparable to those of correlative parts of the Great Valley sequence along the western side of the Sacramento Valley. Emplacement of the Great Valley sequence and the lower Tertiary beds above the Franciscan assemblage by regional thrusting was probably complete by Oligocene time from evidence elsewhere in the Northern Coast Ranges. The thrusts themselves and the strata of the thrust complex were later folded and cut by younger normal and reverse faults during Cenozoic deformations. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.