Geology of the West Half of the Cove Creek Gap Quadrangle and Adjacent Area, Western North Carolina: Insights into Eastern Great Smoky Tectonometamorphism
Spaulding DF. 2014. Geology of the West Half of the Cove Creek Gap Quadrangle and Adjacent Area, Western North Carolina: Insights into Eastern Great Smoky Tectonometamorphism. University of Kentucky
Three outstanding problems related to the tectonic evolution of the Western Blue Ridge in the eastern Great Smoky Mtns. (GSM) include: (1) the nature of the Greenbrier Fault, previously interpreted as a younger over older pre-Taconic thrust fault with ~24 km of displacement between the Snowbird and Great Smoky Groups; (2) the relationship of regional metamorphism, expressed by the growth of porphyroblastic index minerals, to folding and foliation development in pelitic metasediments; (3) the relation of deformation to regional Taconian metamorphism. These problems were addressed in previous studies that did not have detailed mapping and petrography as a context. By using 1:24000 bedrock mapping in the eastern GSM in the area of the Greenbrier Fault and where regional metamorphic isograds are telescoped as a context, it can be concluded that: (1) the Greenbrier Fault exhibits an unconstrainable amount of post-metamorphic slip along the contact of the Great Smoky and Snowbird Groups and is not a major tectonic feature within the western Blue Ridge; (2) there is no direct spatial/coeval relationship between porphyroblast growth and foliation formation/matrix deformation that is consistent throughout the study area; (3) further work and mapping outside of the study area (S and SE) is needed when considering the relation of deformation to regional Taconian metamorphism, because of the non-pelitic nature of the Great Smoky and Snowbird Groups.
- Type
- Academic
- Authors
- Spaulding, Daniel
- Date of Issue
- 2014-06-09
- Publisher
- University of Kentucky
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- Bedrock, Geology, Great Smoky Group, Great Smoky Mountains, Greenbrier Fault, GRSM-02280, Snowbird Group, Taconian metamorphism, Tectonics, thesis