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GLACIATION I P� IDAHO— protected by cc�; rl�ht
law (Title 17, U.S. Cade)
A SUMMARY OF PREBEND KNOWLEDGE
By Wakefield Dort, Jr.
The State of Idaho lies between 420 and
49° North Latitude in the belt of prevailing
westerly winds that bring moisture from the
Pacific Ocean 350 miles to the West. Most of
the State is included within the Northern Rocky
Mountain physiographic province, comprising
a terrain that is deeply dissected, and highly
irregular. Many isolated peaks, as well as the
crestlines of entire ranges, exceed 10,000 feet
in elevation. It is thus a state which is only
slightly below glacial conditions at the present
time and must have been subjected to exten-
sive glaciation during the Pleistocene Epoch.
The presence of glacial landfcrms and de-
pcsits was recognized during the early mining
days in Idaho and one of the first detailed
descriptions of glacial features discussed an
area around the old Leesburg Gold Camp in
Lemhi County, east central Idaho (Stone,
1893). In a general geological reconnaissance
through the south central part of the State,
Eldridge (1895: 223 -224) noted the widespread
occurrence of evidence of former glaciers and
commented that even then ice action was im-
portant at higher altitudes because winter
snows rarely disappeared completely from orre
season to another.
Mountain Glocation
Geological studies in Idaho have always
given strong emphasis to problems of economic
geology, as is indicated in the bibliography of
this paper by the frequent repetition of reports
entitled "Geology and Ore Deposits of X Area ".
Nevertheless, features of glacial origin in the
mountains are so outstanding they could not
be ignored, although mention is often of a
casual nature. Such quantitative data as are
available in published literature regarding the
lower limits of ice advance and minimum ele-
vations of cirque floors are presented in Table
1. Some references that contain only brief de-
scriptive mention of glacial features are in-
cluded in the bibliography of this paper but
are not mentioned in the text.
Data included in Table 1 are net outstand-
ingly definitive. There is a vague indication
that glaciers reached lower elevations in the
northern part of the State than they did to the
south. More noteworthy is the increase in ele•
29
vation of cirque floors from north to south.
Equally predictable, though barely mentioned
in existing literature on Idaho, is the higher
elevation or total absence of glaciation on
south - -and west — facing slopes as compared
to those facing north or east.
MULTIPLE STAGES OF
MOUNTAIN GLACIATION
The earliest major definitive study of evi-
dence for several separate episodes of glacia-
tion in the Northern Rocky Mountains was that
by Blackwelder (1915) in western Wyoming.
His investigations extended into Idaho only in
reporting the presence of an extensive till
sheet of the earliest or Buffalo stage on the
western piedmont slopes of the Teton Range.
A few years previous, Hershey (1912) had rec-
ognized two ages of till in a small mountain
valley on the Montana side of the Bitterroot
Mountains and presumed that deposits-of the
some two ages were also present in the Coeur
d'Alene District of northern Idaho. He suggest-
ed that these deposits belonged to latest Wis-
ccnsin and early Wisconsin periods respective-
ly. In the Coeur I'Alene District he also found
erratic granite boulders associated with terrace
gravels that were deposited before the Coeur
d'Alene River eroded a volley 300 feet into
slate. He considered that this boulder deposit
was much older than any glacial phenomenon
recognized in the Bitterroot Range and sug-
gested that "it is probably as old as any drift -
sheet in the Mississippi Basin" (Hershey 1912:
U 531).
For more than a decade after Black -
welder's discussion, the concept of multiple
stages of mountain glaciation did not appear
in published reports of geologists working in
Idaho. Then the existence of extensive deposits
cf apparent glacial origin on remnants of an
old, high erosion surface in Custer County
in central Idaho was described by. Ross (1929,
1930, 1931, 1937). Railroad Ridge is a prom-
inent spur of the White Cloud Peaks at an
elevation of 10,400 -9,400 feet. It is capped by
ccorse, poorly sorted, poorly rounded gravel
containing fragments of rock types that out-
Payette N: F, I�a
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Table
Published quantitative data on limits of mnuntnin glaciation in Idaho.
(It may be assumed
that most or all glaciers
referred to were of Wisconsin (hinedole and Bull
Lake) og2.
Latitude /Longitude
Locality
Lower limit of ice
43'30'N/113'30'W
Mackay Region,
Custer Count
to 7,00 feet; 6,800 on-north slopes.
Reference
Umpleby (1917)
i
Y
Covered ubuva 8,000 8,500 feet.
43'30'N/1 15'W
'
Rock Bar Quadrangle,
Elmore County
to 6,000 feet; to 10 miles long.
Bollard ( 1928)
44'N/I 14 -W
Boyhorse Region
Lorgw Snwtuoth ylocirrs to 6,00 fret or
Ross (1937)
Custer County
(cI„ r uthri s to 7,000; many stopped at or
above 8,000 feet.
44'N/1 14'30'W
Sawtooth Quodrangle,
Custer and Cornos
to 7,000 feet.
Umpleby (
Counties
44'N/l 15 -W
Stanley Area,
Custer County
to 7,000 feet.
Choate (1962)
44'30'/113 °W
i
Lemhi Range,
Lemhi County
tc 7,500 feet. Cirques above 9,200 feet
Dort (1962)
44'30'N/I 14'30'W
Loon Crock Area
Covered above 8,000 or 8,500 feat
Umpleby (19 13)
Custer County
Tongues to 7,000; locally to 6,000 feet.
Cirques at 7,500 -8,000 feet.
45 °N/ 114 -W
Leesburg Quadrangle,
Lemhi County
to 7,000 feet. All volleys on east side,
Shockey (1957)
few on west. I to 2 miles long.
45'N/I 14 -W
North Fork Quadrangle,
Lemhi County
Up to 5 miles long. Cirques above 8,000 feet. Anderson (1959)
45'N /1 14'W
Salmon Quadrangle,
Lemhi County
to 7,000 feet. Cirques above 8,000 feet.
Anderson (1956)
45'N/1 16'W
Payette Lake Area,
Volley County
to 5,000 feet. Up to 18 miles long.
Lindgren (1900)
Lower limit muy descend westward.
45'N /1 16'30'W
Seven Devils Area,
Adams Couny
Below 5,000 feet. Small glaciers to 7,000;
Livingston and
most above 6,000 feet.
Loney (1920)
to 5,000 feet. Up to 6 miles long.
Cook (1954)
'5 "30'N/1 15'30'W
Buffalo Hump Area,
Idaho County
to 5,000 feet.
Beckwith (1928)
45'30'N/115'30'W
Dixie Area,
Idaho County
above 7,000 feet.
Copps (1939)
45'30'N/I 15'30'W
Warren Area,
Idaho County
to 5,500 feet; rarely to 4,000 feet.
Reed (1937)
45'30'N/I 16 -W
Florence Area,
Idaho County
to 5,500 feet; locally to 4,000 feet.
Reed (1939)
45'30'N/1 16 -W
Secesh Basin,
Idaho County
to 6,000 feet; 4,000 feet nearby.
Up to I? miles long. Cirques 7,500
Co (1940)
Capps (1940)
above
North and east larger.
46'N /I 15'30'W
South and Middle
Forks of Clearwuter
to 3,500 feet, forming piedmont glaciers.
Stone (1900)
River, Idaho County
46'30'N/I 16 -W
Orofino Arco,
Clearwater County
to 5,000 feet; to 3,000 on north side.
Anderson (1930)
47'30'N/1 16 -W
Coeur d'Alene District,
Shoshone County
to 3,900 feet. Up to 5 miles long. South
Dort (1949)
slopes bare Minimum for minor ice masses
5,300 feet.
to 3, 1.1)0 trot Up to 5 miles long, Cirques
Dort (1962)
above 5,500 feet.
30
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nearby
could I
umed
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crop several miles away. Reconstruction of the
subgravel topography indicated that the debris
is not confined to former valleys, a fact that
appeared to rule cut possible fluvial origin.
Furthermore, there is very little higher land
nearby from which a stream or a landslide
could have carried the material.
This high gravel - capped surface has
been dissected by youthful canyons as much as
1,000 feet deep, at the heads of many of which
are fresh cirques and on the floors of which are
prominent moraines typical of Wisconsin
glaciation. On the basis of the degree to which
erosion has apparently removed large ports of
the original gravel cap, plus the great depth to
which canyons have been cut below the sub -
grovel surface, Ross postulated that the gravel
was deposited by a glacier of Nebraskan age.
Ross also extended his field experience in-
to the Wood River area approximately 30 miles
southeast of the White Cloud Peaks (Umpleby,
Westgate, and Ross 1930). Here fresh cirques
are present at the heads of major valleys and
Wisconsin age drift occurs on the valley floors.
Drift and erratic boulders of an earlier glacia-
tion lie as much as 1,000 feet above the valley
floors and extend half a mile downvolley be-
yond the limits of Wisconsin glaciers. The sug-
gesticn is offered, without substantiation, that
there may have been a third episode of glacia-
tion in this region.
More recent studies have been made in
the area of Stanley Basin and the Sawtooth
Range west of the White Cloud Peaks. Here
Kern (1959) reported the presence of patches
of old till on rounded ridge tops 700 feet above
the floors of valleys which were mere recently
glaciated in mountains nearby. In a study of
the glacial hstory of the Stanley Basin, Wil-
liams (1961) identified moraines representing
two pulsations cf Bull Lake glaciers, the term -
nial and two major recessional stands of the
Pinedale stage, and small cirque moraines of
post - Pinedale age. The f'inedole terminal mor-
aines lie inside of but in contact with the Bull
Lake terminals. Choute (1962), accepting Wil-
liams' work, separated the terminal moraines
into Bull Lake I, Bull Lake II, and Pinedale
ages.
In Idaho County, which is cut into unequal
parts by the deep canyon of the Salmon liver
in the central part of the Stute, Reed (193 9)
found clear evidence of two glaciations ur-;d
suggestion of a third in the Florence Mining
31
District. Fresh glacial deposits of Wisconsin age
are present on the floors of valleys eroded
hundreds of feet below an uplifted erosion sur-
face called the Florence surface. Older glacial
deposits lie on the Florence surface and clearly
were deposited before extensive dissection of
that surface had been accomplished. Even
thcugh deeply weathered, these older deposits
still contain fragments of granitic rocks. At
scattered Ic:colities there is present an even
cider grovel from which prolonged weathering
has removed all granitic rocks. This gravel may
be the product of a very early glaciation, or
it may be of preglocial, Tertiary age.
Previously, Reed (1937) had found Wiscon-
sin glacial deposits in the Warren Mining Dis-
trict south of the Salmon River and noted that
an older gravel might be of glacial origin. He
also remarked that in the Florence area north
of the river extensive moraines had been
trenched by streams that cut valleys several
hundred feet below the bottoms of these mor-
aines, and that these younger valleys were in
turn occupied by moraines of presumed Wis-
consin age.
Capps (1939) found evidence of at least
three distinct periods of glaciation near the
Dixie Placer District north of the Salmon River.
Landform s and deposits of Wisconsin age ore
fresh and unmodified. Evidence for two older
episcdes is not described in his report.
h►'µ+e- eta- 8c+sia, south of the Salmon
River, Cupps ( 1940)
�+ 1o�ir^ �T�- �r 'esF+`zJr'Q**rc•.ufFJes� -i«��i sti+�sr
m�:► rc�iac���MiTt +�- d�r�i#•G,WJ,n�a J,ri�io,�c�
w�rt4 -r ring- 'far"Sri"tG~ rigor '-tn�e-- th'at-the-mc�Jirae
ucr�a..is•.eratiawl�..le6l• and granite boulders have
been completely disintegrated at the surface
of the ground. In some places weathering has
caused rutting of the boulders to depths as
great as 80 teet. Capps presumed that the
earlier glociation here "occurred at the some
time as the first glacial stage elsewhere on
tire., Continent" (Capps 1940: 23) apparently
meaning the Nebraskan stage. He then added
that the age might be Early or Middle Pleis-
t,:cene. He also noted that some of the early
glaciers were considerably larger and extended
farther down valleys than did the Wisconsin
ire. Tei- neeg jJF9 feet�+b e.tyresewrr -s re mi
1 �- w��t±e:�rw hr,�- b!l�ir�3++tl�rlr •ere- ��- t�axxialL j
.:ttzc�� •.:free- �',YY'9e�p"'�"�t�i�r�� f
ray t�: f/i�pi+v1L"t7r�c; .
Working particularly in the areas of L- .
�tJffry- l�ftRf"9µrr9' about 50 miles south
if
:.. "' •�J_`;M, Y' %y,� .�T,t4��_r. a"�, ;t A;' �. .1 ! rrar ��((
��� ?�#� �y�:r'k.4 eeN1F ..Fw�.'n. � . �..� n �i C � 1.7 1 , r� „ • � �.,.' � �., r, �t ;f,i4Y � J'�. �� � w
of the Warren and Secesh districts, Markin
and Schmidt (1956, 057) briefly mentioned
evidence for three stages of glaciation. Fresh
moraines and cirques were assigned a Late
Wisconsin age. More s u b d to e d forms on
weathered debris were believed to be of Early
Wsconsin age. Scattered, deeply weathered till
remains from an Early Pleistocene glaciation
of much greater extent than either of the
two late Pleistocene episodes.
I region on the western
border of Idaho, Cook (1954) found exte►isive
fresh deposits and landforms of the Wisconsin
glaciation. High- level gravel that could not
be correlated with activity of the Wisconsin
glaciers, and U- shaped valleys that apparently
were not occupied by Wisconsin glaciers pro-
vided evidence of an older and more extensive
glacial episode.
{ In the Coeur d'Alene District in northern
Idaho, Dort 1949) reported the presence of
glacial striations on ridge crests above cirques
of Wisconsin age and granitic erratics and
striated cobbles in gravel deposits us much
as 900 feet above present drainage levels. He
= suggested that the older glaciation might have
been of Spokane (pre - Wisconsin) age. Later he
described the area in greaterdetail (Dort 1962)
and reported cirques and moraines of Pinedale
age, Bull Lake till on benches a few tens of
feet above present volley floors, and assigned
the striated cobbles in high -level gravel to
the Buffalo stage of glacoition.
Detailed geologic mapping of quadrangles
in northern Lemhi County in east - central Idaho
has been done by Anderson (1956, 1957, 1959,
1961). In each of four 15- minute quadrangles
he found evidence of two stages of glaciation.
Till of Wisconsin age mantles the floors of
present valleys. Moraine forms are essentia!lly
unmodified, as are cirques at the valley heads.
In contrast, till from an older glaciation is lo-
cated on interstream divides as much as 1,000
feet above present drainage, and till and out -
wash of this stage extend well beyond the ob-
vious limits of the Wisconsin stage glaciers.
Glaciers of the Wisconsin stage were confined
to high mountain valleys, generally above
7,000 feet in elevation. In contrast, the earlier
glaciers spread ever piedmont slopes down to
6,000 feet, and locally to as low as 5,000 feet.
Anderson also noted (1959) that post -Wis-
consin stream erosoin appears to have been
interrupted several times, perhaps by renewed
32
glacial activity, direct evidence for which was
not recognized within the area studied. In an
adjoining quadrongle, Shcckey (1957) also
identified deposits of two glacial stages sep-
urated by 1,000 feet of canyon cutting. He re-
marked that although Ross had suggested a
Nebraskan age for the pre - Wisconsin till in
central Idaho, the granitic boulders were not
badly weathered, a fact perhaps indicating a
younger age.
In the southern part of the Lemhi Range,
almost 100 miles farther south, Ross (1961)
noted the presence of small moraines and
cirques of Wisconsin age and a boulder field
perched above present drainage that he be-
lieved was the product of a pre- Wisconsin
glaciation. By correlation with old glacial de-
pcsits studied by him in central Idaho, Ross
suggested a Nebraskan age for this debris. He
thought it might be older than the Buffalo till
described by Blackwelder (1912) on the west-
ern slope of the Teton Range, for which a
Kansan age was suggested.
Detaileld studies of multiple glaciation in
the part of the Lemhi Range directlly north of
Ross' area have been in progress for several
years. In the early part of his investigation,
Dort 0960) identified deposits of four episodes
of glaciation: Bull Lcke, Pinedale, Temple
Lake, and Little Ice Age. Moraines of the last
two episodes are confined to especially well
sheltered locations within high cirques. Pine -
dole and Bull Lake terminal moraines are on
the floors of major valleys at or near the points
where these valleys debouche onto the broad
lowland of Birch Creek Valley. The Bull Lake
moraines have been somewhat dissected and
present a subdued topography in sharp con-
trast to the barely modified form of the Pine -
dole moranies.
Subsequently, erratic boulders and till de-
posits were found on ridge crests and piedmont
slopes both above and downvalley from recog-
nized limits of Pinedule and Bull Lake glaciers.
These were attributed to the Buffalo glaciation
(Dort 1962). Most recently, it has been stated
(Dort and Turner 1965) that in the Lemhi
Mountains and the Beaverhead Range to the
east it is possible to identify three Buff;,lo
glaciations separated by intervals of canyon
cutting, two Bull Lake advances, several Pine-
dale advances and recessional stillstands, and,
in especially favorable locati ,,ns in sheltered
cirques, at least six subdivisions cf the Neo-
glaciation. In on area directly adjacent to the
north Ruppel and Hait (1961) found deposits
tl
'I
I
i
rte.
of f
pros
tc pc
tope
east(
70 rr
Ran(
_ notes
Wisc
Plair
stngi
Plair
I Was
n an
also
sep-
le re-
.-ed a
ill in
not
ng a
3nge,
961)
and
field
be-
onsin
.I de-
Ross
s. He
o till
west -
ch a
n in
th of
veral
ition,
;odes
mple
last
well
Pine
e on
oints
,road
Lake
and
con -
-'ine-
I
I
I'
de-
-nont
?cOg-
:iers.
:ition
-ated
�mhli
> the
ffolo
nvon
'pine-
and,
'ered
Neu- J_
the
`Osits
of four glacial episodes: on divides, within
r rrsent valleys but with erosionally modified
graphy, within present valleys with fresh
rc, _. grophy, and in sheltered cirques.
In describing the geology of the north-
eastern port cf the Snake River Plain some
70 miles east of the southern part of the Lemhi
Range, Stearns, Bryan, and Crandall (1939)
noted the presence of cirques and moranies of
Wisconsin age in volleyheads north of the
Plain and deposits of Blackwelder's Buffolo
stage on the extreme eastern edge of the
Plain.
Moraines of two glaciations, one group
fresh and unmodified, the other group subdued
and dissected were reported by Anderson
(1931) in eastern Cassia County just north of
the Idaho -Utah boundary. And in the Atlanta
District of Elmore County to the northwest,
Anderson (1939) described glacial deposits so
deeply weathered that all granitic boulders
hcive been removed. These deposits cap ridges
1,500 feet above the floor of Atlanta Basin,
on which are hummocky terminal and reces-
sional moraines of a much younger age.
ICE -SHEET GLACIATION
During the glacial episodes of the Pleisto-
cene Epoch great numbers of valley glaciers
flowed from cirques and local ice caps in
the mountainous regions of western Conado.
Individual ice streams coalesced to form vast
masses of ice variously called gio.,t piedr-mvrit
glaciers, a continental glacier, or simply and
noncommittaly, an ice sheet.
arT~baer're4nry
a,..csnci-- I�liea -c�wrf
�t�a- tb��►asSia,o csss.
The fact that glaciers of a type markedly
different from localized cirque -born valley
glaciers had been active over much of the
northern Idaho "Panhandle" was early recog-
nized and discussed, albeit briefly (Salisbury
1901; Calkins 1909 Stewart 1913; Davis
1920). More informcition was added by later
investigations in Idaho (Anderson 1927 1930;
1940; Alden 1953; Dort 1960). However,
present knowledge of the details of ice -sheet
glaciation of this general region is based
mainly on studies made in the area o Spo
kone and northeasternmost Washington. Be
cause both the text and bibliography of this
paper are restricted to Idahc, no references
33
are cited for data from Washington. These
may be found by seeking papers by Bretz
and Flint.
It is readily apparent that ice of one glacial
episode advanced southward along the Pu:.ell
Trench in !claho until it reached the general
location of the present northern end of Coeur
d'Alene Lake (47'140' North Latitude), and
that ice of a later episode reached only to the
southern end of Lake Pend Oreille 25 miles to
the north. The first advance has been called
the Spokane Glaciation, the second the Wis-
consin. (Andersen 1927; Alden 1953). Details
of the chronology, including the possibility of
a pre - Spokane glacial episode, are currently
under debate.
The advancing ice sheet over -rode most of
the northern Selkirk and Purcell mountains in
northernmost Idaho, producing a scoured and
rounded topography. Ferber- saut44; he�+eMer,
..us....ic:�tivckaess_._oac� --t k�- e•levatrcm— e# --�i�e
cllaerer- st�rfr�ce- eieerec��eei•; gl^eeter- end�reQter
c►c�a+;.- cz. #- �,eeles- c��►ef -tti dg e s"Uralect�ed-otr,�e"•1tt�
ie[i►. Here, in favorable locations, wal#u c,.i�rc
harmer}- c�rTd- eit,►ot.�u�r®_caxcaua,ted both dur-
ing and after the ice sheet attained its mox- G
imam advance (Kirkham and Ellis 1926; An-
derson 1930). ; - +F�c+liatec..i+'om- the -ze-
caJl.cd.. L^Lis::cn sit.1,,.. adua ric.,i...�:wwtuJ._uast_quaa-
4 ii! rc4- ef• •<leE�riF.F<�c.ttiiwarril -c�gea rcrci+i�.#lae -#der.
of the Purcell Trench and blocking westward
drainage of the Coeur d'Alene, St. Joe, and St.
,0orys rivers to forin Coeur d'Alene Lake in the
ome area, though at u lower level than Glacial
Lake Coeur d'Alene which was damned by ice
cf the Spokone advance (Hershey 1912; An-
derson 1927; Dort 1958, 1960).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
(Areo south of Snake River)
Arvinrson, Alfred L.
1931 Geniogy and Mineral Resources of Eastern
COS:;la County, Iclnho, Idcho Bar. Mines &
Geol., Bull. 14, 169 pp.
Cres, man, Earle R and Gulbra:ndsen, Robert A.
1955 Geology of the Dry VOIICy Quadrangle, Idaho,
U. S. Goal, Survey Bull. 1015 -I, pp 257 -270.
K rkhom, Virgil R D.
1924 Geology and 0:1 Possibilities of Bingham, Bon-
neville, and Caribou Counties, Idaho, Idaho
Bur. Mines & Geol. Bull. 8, 108 pp.
Man•,f 1J, George Rogers
1927 Gcogrophy, Geology, and Mineral Resources
of parr of Southeastern Idaho, U. S. Geol. Sur-
vey, Prof. Paper 152, 453 pp.
(Area between Snake River and Salmon River)
Anderson, A'frta L
'lM!' rr!rt;; {�tp�!vr
,Al t1�4 ill' t. r 4 r , q �1 IY� u ,y�,; •1
1939 Geology and Ore Deposits of the Atlanta Dis-
trict, Elmore County, Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines
& Geol., Pamphlet 49, 71 pp.
1943 Geology of the Gold- Bearing Lodes of the
Rocky Bar District, Elmore County, Idaho,
Idaho Bureau Mines & Geology, Pamphlet 65,
39 pp.
1949 Silver -Gold Deposits of the Yankee Fork Dis-
trict, Custer County, Idoho, Idaho Bur. Mines
& Goal., Pamphlet 83, 37 pp.
1954a Fluorspar Deposits Near Meyers Cove, Lemhi
County, Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines & Gaol.,
Pamphlet 98, 34 pp.
1954b A Preliminary Report on the Fluorspar Min-
eralization Neor'Chollis, Custer County, Ida-
ho, Idaho Bur. Mine & Goal., Pamphlet 101,
13 pp.
1956 Geology and Mineral Resources of the Sol-
man Quadrangle, Lemhi County, Idaho, ldaho
Bur. Mines & Geol., Pamphets 106, 102 pp.
Anderson, Alfred L.
1957 Geology and Mineral Resources of the Baker
Quadrangle, Lemhi County, Idaho, Idaho Bur.
Mines & Goal., Pamphlet 112, 71 pp.
1959 Geology and Mineral Pesources of the North
Fork Quadrangle, Lemhi County, Idaho, Idaho
Bur. Mines & Geol., Pamphlet 118, 92 pp.
1961 Geology and Mineral Resources of the Lemh'
Quadrangle, Lemhi County, Idaho Bur. Mines
& Goal., Pamphlet 124, 109 pp,
Anderson, Alfred L. and Wagner, Warren R.
1946 A Geological Reconnaissance in the Little
Wood River (Muldoon) District, Blaine County,
Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol., Pamphlet 75,
22 pp.
Anderson, Roy A.
1948 Reconnaissance Survey of the Geology and
Ore Deposits of the Southwestern Portion of
Lemhi Range, Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol.,
Pamphlet 80, 18 pp.
Ballard, S. M.
1922 Geology and Ore Deposits of Alturas Quad -
rongle, Blaine County, Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines
& Geol. Bull. 5, 36 Lip.
1928 Geology and Ore Deposits of the Rocky Bar
Quadrangle, Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol., Pam-
phlet 26, 41 pp.
Bayless, John C.
1950 A Geologic Reconnoissance of the Post -Lara-
mide Geology of the Southeastern Snake River
Plain, and Adjacent Mountain Ranges in Ida-
ho, Mich. Acad. Sci., vol. 34, pp 209 -226.
Backweder, Eliot
1915 Post - Cretaceous History of the Mountains of
Central Western Wyoming, Jour. Geol., vcl. 23,
pp. 97 -117, 193 -217, 307 -340.
Capps, Stephen R.
1940 Gold Placers of the Secesh Basin, Idaho County,
Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol., Pamphlet j2,
4 3 pp.
Choate, Raoul
1962 Geology and Ore Deposits of the Stanley Area,
Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol., Pamphlet 126, 122
PP.
Cook, Earl F.
34
1954 Mining Geoogy of the Seven Devils Rew,,n, Ida-
ho Bur. Mines & Geol., Pamphlet 97, 22 pp
Currier, L. W.
1935 A Preliminary Report on the Geology and Ore
Deposits of the Eastern Part of the Yellow
Pine District, Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines &
Geol., Pamphlet 43, 27 pp.
Dort, Wakefield, Jr.
1958 Sand Dunes of Northeastern Snake River Ploin,
Idaho, Bul., Geol. Soc. Am., vol. 69, p. 1555.
1960 Multiple Glaciation, East Side of Lemhi Range,
Idaho, Bull., Geol. Soc. Am., vol. 71, p. 1852.
1962a Multiple Glaciation of Southern Lemhi Moun-
tains, Idohr>- Preliminary Reconnaissance Re-
port, Tebiwa, Jour. Idaho State Coll. Museum,
vol. 5, pp. 2-17.
19626 Stage of Cirque Development a Major Deter-
minant of Distance of Glacial Advance, Geol.
Soc. Am., Spec. Paper 68, pp. 165 -166.
Dort, Wakefield, Jr., and Turner, Mort D.
1965 Four- Dimensional Geomorphology of Birch
Creek Valley, Idaho, Geol. Soc. Am., Spec.
Paper in press.
Eldridge, George H.
1895 A Geological Reconnoisance Across Idaho, U.
S. Geol. Surv., 16th Ann. Rpt., Part 1111, pp
211 -276.
Finch, Elmer H.
1917 Muldoon District in Geology and Ore Deposits
of the Mackay Region, Idaho, U. S. Geol. Surv.,
Prof. Paper 97, 106.110.
Gallup, Darrell L.
1962 Soil Development Related to Glacial Outwash
Near Gilmore, Idaho, Tebiwa, Jour., Idaho
State Coll. Museum, vol. 5, Pp 18 -22.
Kern, B. F.
1959 Geology of the Uranium Deposits Near Stanley,
Custer County, Idaho, Idaho Bur, Mines &
Goal., Pamphlet 117, 40 pp.
Kiilsgoord, Thor H.
1951 The Geology and Coal of the Horseshoe Creek
District, Teton County, Idaho, Idaho Bur.
Mines & Geol., Pamphlet 92, 42 pp.
Kirkham, Virgil R. D.
1927 A G,00logic Reconnaissance of Clark and Jef-
ferson, and Parts of Butte, Custer, Fremont,
Lemhi, and Madison Counties, Idaho, Idaho
Bur. Mines & Geol., Pamphlet 19, 47 pp.
Lindgren, Waldemar
1900 The Gold and Silver Veins of Silver City, De-
Lomor, and other Mining Districts in Idaho;
U. S. G: ol. Surv. 20th Ann. Rpt., Part III,
pp. 65 -256.
Livingston, D. C. and Laney, F. B
1920 The Copper Deposits of the Seven Devils and
Adjacent Districts, Idaho Bur. Mnies & Geol.,
Bull. 1, 105 pp.
Livingston, D. C.
1925 A Geologic Reconnaissance of the Mineral
and Cuddy Mountain Mining District, Washing-
ton and Adorns Counties, Idaho, Idaho But.
Mines & Geol. Pamphlet 13, 29 pp.
Lorain, S. H. and Metzger, 0, H.
41.1
1�
11
I�
•a.. -
I
it
i
i
�I
1
�I
i
Shenon. P.
1928 1
I Shenon, P.
1936 1
i
Shockey, Pk
3n, Ida
-
22 PP.
nd Oro
Yellow
.nes &
Plain,
1555.
Range,
1852.
Moun-
ce Re-
useum,
Deter-
Geol.
Birch
Spec.
1939 Reconnaissance of Placer- Mining D .girls in
Lemhi County, Idaho, U. S. Bur. Mines, Info.
Circ. 7082, 81 pp.
Mackin, J. Ho< . er and Schmidt, DwiS7ht L.
1956 Uranium- and Thorium - Bearing Minerals in
Placer Deposits in Idaho, U. S. Geol. Surv.
Prof. Paper 300, pp. 375 -380.
1957 Uranium and Thorium - Bearing Minerals in
Placer Deposits in Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines
& Geol., Min. Res. Report 7, 9 pp,
.r- --
Meinzer, 0scor E.
1924 Ground Water In Pahsimeroi Volley, Idaho,
Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol., Pamphlet 9, 35 pp.
_ Piper, Arthur M. and Laney, Froncis B.
1926 Geology and Metalliferous Resources of the
Region About Silver City, Idaho, Idaho Bur.
Mines & Geol., Bull. 11, 165 pp.
Reed, John C.
1937 Geology and Ore Deposits of the Warren Min-
ing District, Idaho County, Idaho, Idaho Bur.
Mines & Geol., Pamphlet 4S, 65 pp.
Reid, Rolland R.
1963 Reconnaissance Geology of the Sawtooth Range,
Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol., Pamphlet 129, 37
PP.
Ross, Clyde P.
19270 Ore Deposits .n Tertiary Lava in the Salmon
River Mountains, Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines &
Geol., Pamphlet 25, 21 pp.
1927b The Vienna District Blaine County, Idaho, Ida-
ho Bur. Mines & Geol., Pamphlet 21, 17 pp.
1929 Early Pleistocene Glaciation in Idaho, Jour.,
Wash. Aced. Sci., vol. 19, p. 50.
1930 Early Pleistocene Glaciation in Idaho, U. S.
Goal. Surv., Prof. Paper 158 -G, alp, 123 -128.
Ross, Clyde P.
1931 The Physiography of South-Central Idaho,
Jour., Wash. Aced. Sri., Vol. 21, p. 369
1937 Geology and Ore Deposits of the Boyhorse Re-
gion, Custer Caunty, Idoho, U. S. Geol. Surv.,
Bull. 877, 161 pp.
1960 Geomorphology of the Southern Part of Cen-
tral Idaho, Bull., Geol. Soc. Am., Vol. 71, p.
1962.
1961 Geology of the Southern Port of the Lenlhi
Range Idaho, U. S. Gaol. Surv., Bull. 1081 -F,
pp. 189 -260.
1963 Geology Along U. S. Highway 93 in Idcho,
Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol., Pamphlet 130, 98
PP.
Rupprl, Edward T. and Hait, Mortimer H , Jr.
1961 Pleistocene Geology of the Central Port of the
Lemhi Range, Idaho, U. S. Geol. Surv., Prof.
Paper 424 -0, pp. 163 -164.
Shenon, P. J.
1928 Geology and Ore Deposits of the Birch Creek
District, Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol.,
Pamphlet 27, 25 pp.
Shenon, P. J. and Ross, Clyde P.
1936 Geology and Ore Deposits Ncnr E,dw.trdsbonl
and Thunder Mountain, Idaho, Idaho Bur.
Mines & Geol., Pamphlet 44, pp. 45
Shockey, Philip N.
ho, U.
II, PP
,-posits
Surv,
awash
Idaho
t
4
3
onley,
oes &
Creek
Bur. I
d Jef-
-mont,
Idaho
n, De-
doho,
-t 111,
s and
Geol.,
inerol
shmg-
Bur, .,
35
1957 Reconnaissance Geology of the LeesbunJ Quad
ranole, Lcrnhi Ccunty, Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines
& Goof., Ponrphlett 113, 42 pa.
Stearns, Harold T., Crandall, Lynn,
and Steward, Willard (3.
1938 Geology and Ground - \Voter Resources of the
Snake River Plain in Southeoslern Idaho, U. S.
Geol. Surv., Water Supply Paper 774, 268 pp.
Stearns, Harold T., Bryon, Lester L., and Crandall, Lynn
1939 Geology and WcterrResources of the Mud
Lake Region, Idaho, Including the Island
Park Area, U. S. Gcol. Surv., Water-Supply
Paper 818, 125 pp.
Stone, George H.
1893 An Extinct Glacier of the Salmon River Range,
Am. Geo. Vol. 11, pp, 406 -409.
Stone, George H.
1900 Notes on the Glaciation of Central Idaho,
Amer. Jour. Sci, Vol. 9, pp. 9 -12.
Swanson, Earl H., Jr., Butler, B. Robert,
and Bonnichsen, Robson
1964 Birch Creek Papers No. 2: Natural and Cull -
lurol Strotigraphy in Birch Creek Valley of
Eastern Idaho, Occasional Papers of the Idaho
State Univ. Museum, No. 14, 120 pp.
Treves, Samuel 8. and Melear, John D.
1953 The Geology and Ore Deposits of the Seofoam
Mining District Custer Count ,/, Idaho, Idaho
Bur. Mines & Geol. Pamphlet 96, 19 pp.
Umpleby, Joseph B.
1913o Geology and Ore Deposits of Lernhi County,
Idaho, U. S. Geol. Surv., Bull. 528, 182 pp.
1913b A Pichn'ur'rar'y Acccunt of the Ore Deposits of
the 1- „rr Crreb: D,;trrct, Idaho, U. S. Geol.
Surv., Bull. 530, pp. 66 -74.
1913c Sorne Ore Deposits in Northwestern Custer,
County, Idoho, U. S. Geoff. Surv., Bull, 539,
104 pp.
1915 Ore derusits in the SawtaOth Quadrangle
Blaine and Custer Counties, Idaho, U. S. Geol.
Surv., Bull, 580, pp 221-249.
1917 Geology and Ore Deposits of the Mackay Re-
gion, Idaho, U. S. Geol. Surv., Prof. Paper 97,
129 pp.
Umpleby, Joseph B., Westgate, Lewis G., and
Ross, Clyde P.
1930 Geology and Ore Deposits of the Wacd River
Region, Idaho, ll. S. Geol. Surv., Bull. 814
250 pp.
Wowivi -, Warren k.
1945 A Gealogicol Reconnaissance Between th,!
Snake and Salmon Rivers North of Riggirrs,
Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol., Pam ;,iblet 74,
16 pp.
Walker, Eugene H.
1964 Glacial Terraces Along the Snake River in
Eo!.terrr Idaho and in Wyoming, Northwgt
Sciencc, Vol. 38 pp. 33 42.
Wolkcr, R. T.
19:4 A Clociolly Tronsported Mine, Engineering and
Mining Journal- Press, Vol. 118, vi-) 295 -296.
�pt,.,,,�
�FiLY-
Williams, Paul L.
1961 Glacial Geology of Stanley Basin, Idaho Bur.
Mines i Geol., Pamphlet 123, 29 pp.
(Area Between Salmon River and St. Joe River)
Anderson, Alfred L.
1930 The Geology and Mineral Resources of the
Region about Orofino, Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines
& Geol., Pamphlet 34, 63 pp.
Beckwith, Radcliffe H.
1928 The Geology and Ore Deposits of the Buffalo
Hump District, Annals, N. Y. Acad. Sci., Vol.
30, pp. 263 -296.
Capps, Stephen R.
1939 The Dixie Placer District, Idaho, Idaho Bur.
Mines Geol., Pamphlet 48, 35 pp.
Goode, Richard U.
1898 Bitter Root Forest Reserve, Nat'l Geog. Mag.,
Vol. 9, pp. 387 -400.
Langton, Claude M.
1935 Geology of the Northeastern Part of the Idaho
Botholith and Adjacent Region in Montano,
Jour. Gcol., Vol. 43, pp. 27 -60.
Lindgren, Waldemar
1904 A Geological Reconnaissance Across the Bit-
terroot Range and the Clearwater Mountains
in Montano and Idaho, U. S. Goal. Surv„ Prof.
Paper 27, 123 pp.
Reed, John C.
1939 Geology and Ore Deposits of the Florence
Mining District, Idaho County, Idaho,ldaho
Bur. Mines & Geol., Pamphlet 46, 44 pp.
1943 Gold Bearing Gravel of the Nezperce National
Forest, Idaho County, Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines
8q Geol., Pamphlet 40, 26 pp.
Russell, Israel Cook
1901 Geology and Water Resources of Nez Perce
County, Idaho, U. S. Geol, Surv., Water- Supply
Paper 53, 141 pp.
Thomson, Francis A. and Ballard, Samuel M.
1924 Geology and Gold Resources of North Cen-
tral Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol., Bull, 7,
127 pp,
(Area North of St. Joe River)
Alden, W. C.
1953 Physiography and Glacial Geology of Western
Montano and Adjacent Areas, U. S. Goal.
Surv., Prof. Paper 231, 200 pp.
Anderson, Alfred L.
1927 Some Miocene and Pleistocene Drainage
Changes in Northern Idaho, Idaho Cur. Minos
& Geol., Pamphlet 18, 28 pp.
1930 Geology and Ore Deposits of the Clark F-nk
District, Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol., Bull.
12, 132 pp.
1940 Geololgy and Metalliferous Deposits of Koot-
enai County, Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol.,
Pamphlet 53, 67 pp.
1947 Geology of the Lead - Silver Deposits of the
Clark Fork District, Bonner County, Idot o;
U. S. Geol. Surv., Bull. 944 -8, 117 pp.
Anderson, Alfred L., and Wagner, Warren R.
1945 Leod -Zinc Mineralization in the Moyle Yaak
District Near Bonner; Ferry, Boundary County,
Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol., Pamphlet 73, 9 pp.
Calkins, F. C.
1909 A Geological Reconnaissance in Northern
Idaho and Northwwestern Montana, U. S. Geol.
Surv., Bull. 384, 112 pp.
Calkins, F. C. and Jones, E. L., Jr.
1914 Economic Geology of the Region Around Mi,l
36
Ion, Idaho and Soltese, Montano, U. S. Geol.
Surv, Bull. 540, pp. 167 -21 1.
Davis, W. M.
1920 Features of Glacial Origin in Montano and
Idaho, Annals, Assoc. Amer. Geog., Vol. 10,
PP. 75 -147.
Day, Henry L.
1963 Mining Highlights of the Coeur d'Alene U,s-
trict in The Coeur d'Alene Mining District in
1963, Idaho Bur, Mines & Geol., Pamphlet
133, 104 pp.
Dort, Wakefield, Jr.
1949 Glaciation of the Coeur d'Alene Mining Dis-
trict, Idaho, Bull., Geol. Soc. Am., Vol. 60, pp
1883 -1884.
1955 New Evidence Relating to the Origin of Cir-
ques. Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., Vol, 66, pp. 1551-
1552.
1958 Gold- Bearing Grovels Near Murray, Idaho,
Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol., Pamphlet 116, 21
PI).
1960 Glacial Lake Coeur d'Alene and Berg - Rafted
Boulders, Jour. Idaho Acad. Sci., Vol. 1, pp.
81 92.
1962 Glaciation of the Coeur d'Alene District. Idaho,
Bull. Geol., Soc. Am., Vol. 73, pp. 889 -906.
Flint, Richard Foster
1936 Stratified Drift and Deglociation of Eastern
Washington, Bull., Geol. Soc. Am., Vol. 47,
pp. 1849 -1884.
1937 Pleistocene Drift Border in Eastern Washing-
ton, Bull., Geol. Soc. Am., Vol. 48, pp. 203-
232.
Hershey, Oscar H.
1912 Some Tertiary and Quaternary Geology of
Western Montana, Northern Idaho, Grid East-
ern Washinglon, Bull., Goal. Soc. Am., Vol. 23,
pp. 517 -536.
Kirkhom, Virgil R. D. and Ellis, Ernest W.
1926 Geology and Ore Deposits of Boundary County,
Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol., Bull. 10, 78
PIP.
Ronsome, Frederick Leslie and Calkins, Frank Cathcart
1908 The Geology and Ore Deposits of the Coeur
d'Alene District, Idaho, U. S. Geol. Surv., Prof.
Paper 62, 203 pp.
Salisbury, Rollin D.
1901 Glacial Work in the Western Mountains in
1901, Jour. Geol., Vol. 9, pp. 718 -731.
Sampson, Edward
1928 Geology and Silver Ore Deposits of the Pend
Oreille Distrcit, Idaho, Idaho Bur. Mines b
Geol., Pamphlet 31, 25 pp.
Stewart, Charles A.
1913 The Extent of the Cordilleron Ice - Sheet, Jour.
Geol., vol. 21, pp. 427 -430.
Wagner, Warren R.
1949 The Geology of Part of the South Slope of the
St. Joe Mountains, Shoshone County, Idaho,
Idaho Bur. Mines & Geol., Pamphlet 82, 48 pp.
(General references)
Richmond, Gerald M.
1957 Three Pre- Wisconsin Glacial Stages in the
Rocky Mountain Reckon, Bull., Geol. Soc. Am.,
vol. 68, pp. 239 -262.
Ross, Ck,de P. and Forrester, J. Donald
195 P, Outline of the Geoloc& of Idaho, Idaho Bur.
Mines & Goal., Bull. 15, 74 pp.
I�
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i
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a•
seol
and
10,
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the
-�- Map of Idaho to accompany Wakefield Dort's , "Glaciaticn in Idaho —A Summary of Present
Bur. Knowledge."
37
I
i
A
erly used as a storage
veral Mud Lakes in the .
Lone, covering about 2
[aha area, and is 140
iidile Lake, which oc-
basin. It has no sur-
i part of Salmon For -
3 acres and ranges in
feet. It is dry in sum -
months. It is used for
ral Jefferson County,
eyed 2,460 acres —and
e than that years ago.
s 'elsewhere given as
's slowly disappearing,
no surface outlet, and
s Creek flows into it.
Far- shaped lake is just
and is connected with
annel. It is a favorite
ke, 3 miles long and
wide, is l viz m. south
reatest depth is about
[isstocked with perch
formant declares "it
se."
ire hundreds of name -
which are important.
Soda Springs beyond
lith neither inlet nor
ny springs visible on
vely and unusual body
and with steep walls.
[a small lake at the
southwest of Wallace.
of lovely lakes close
one of a group of
ith central part of
heast of St. Maries.
treme southwestern
sst, this deep barren
acres.
hallis Forest, this is
f Slate Creek, which
n Salmon a few miles
yton. Boulder and
southeast.
ake is in the Crags
and Lochsa Rivers.
t is the largest of a
—,
0► A p.[M
THE PHYSIC L �STAT
%J
group. They are all remote from roads,
and are in unusually rugged and pictur-
esque country.
Packsaddle. This, covering 20 acres, is on
the Teton River watershed 12 m. north-
west of Driggs. It forms the headwaters
of the North Fork of Packsaddle Creek.
Crescent - shaped, and with an extreme
depth of 80 feet, it is lovely, but acces-
sible only by trail.
Palisade. These two, Upper and Lower,
are east of Swan Valley in the Targhee
Forest. The Upper Lake, 7. in from the
Palisade Campground by trail, is a land-
locked body covering 500 acres. The
Lower, covering 60 acres, and 31,2 m.
from the camp, is framed by deeply sculp-
tured mountains, heavily forested.
Payette. The Upper Payette is 19 m.
north of McCall on the McCall - Warren
road. It has an area of about 80 acres,
with green meadows or timber surround-
ing it, and with a Forest Service camp
on the west side. The Lower Payette (at
McCall) is about 7 miles long, 40 miles
in circumference, with a maximum depth
of at least 300 feet. The south half is
surrounded by lodgepole and yellow pine,
the upper half by Douglas and white fir.
This beautiful lake is the center of a
resort area.
Pend d'Oreille. This, the largest lake in
Idaho and one of the largest fresh water
lakes in the United States, is in Bonner
and Kootenai Counties, with an area of
180 square miles. The extreme length is
65 miles, extreme width 15, shore line
over 300. Soundings have been made to a
depth of 2,500 feet. Its low -water eleva-
tion is raised 15 to 30 feet in spring and
early summer months. In the lake are a
number of islands, the largest of which
covers 160 acres. Another source, appar-
ently equally trustworthy, gives smaller
dimensions. The chief tributary of Lake
Pend d'Oreille is the Clark Fork, the
chief outlet, Pend d'Oreille River.
Pettit. This, one of the loveliest lakes in
the State, is at the foot of the Sawtooth
Peaks. It is % by % mile. A part of its
shore has been made available to summer
homes.
Pinyon. The three Pinyon Lakes are on
the head of Canyon Creek under the north
wall of Pinyon Peak in the Challis For-
est. They are 24 m. north of Stanley.
Priest. Situated 22 m. west of Sandpoint,
beautiful Priest Lake, with its islands and
its backdrop of magnificent timber, is
24 miles long by 14 wide. The upper part
is 8 miles by 5%. It drains 572 square
miles. More and more it is coming to be
the center of a resort area.
Rainbow. There are many Rainbow Lakes.
This one is in the Boise Forest at the
base of Trinity Peak at the south central "
part. The water, occupying a glacial
basin, is deep and clear. It is abundantly
stocked with trout.
Rainbow. This small lake is on a tribu-
tary of Champion Creek, in the lake dis-
trict that lies east of U S 93 and the Saw -
tooth area.
Rainbow. This lake, also small, is in the
Buffalo Hump region. It is stocked with
trout and much frequented by the public
during summer months.
Rainbow. This is in the Six Lakes basin
in the Weiser Forest. Very deep, and
covering about 1 acre, this lake is acces-
sible by trail from the Horse Pasture
basin. It is high, rugged country and
very lovely.
Red. This is a small subalpine lake just
south of Lone Pine Peak, southeast of
Challis.
Redfish. Big Redfish Lake is the largest
body of water in the Sawtooth area. It is
about 4Ya miles long, with an average
width of % of a mile. A good road ap-
proaches it at the north end and extends
around the west side % mile and around
the east side 1 mile. Around the inlet at
the south end are excellent camping spots.
Little Redfish is only % m. off U S 93
just south of Stanley. It is circular in
shape and about % mile in diameter. The
view from the north end is very impres-
sive.
Revett. This, under Granite Peak in the
Coeur d'Alene Forest, is one of a group
of eighty high - elevation lakes.
Riordan. This lake, covering about 80
acres, lies at the head of Riordan Creek,
a tributary of Johnson Creek, in the Pay-
ette Forest. Fishing in it is excellent.
It is accessible 7 m. by trail from the
nearest road.
Roaring River. This is in a high glacial
basin in south central Boise Forest. It
has a perimeter exceeding 2 miles. The
water is deep and clear, and well stocked
with trout.
Robinson. This lake, covering about 80
acres, is at the upper end of Round
Prairie, 8 m. northwest of Eastport.
WCALL PUkic LIBRARY
Box 1S
MOMLU 1[)AHO 83638
LP
N
Quaternary Geology of
Long and Bear Valley
West-Central Idaho
r
quaternary Ueolo�y of
Lang and dear Valleys,
NN/lest-Central Idaho
By DWIGHT L SCHMIDT and J. HOOVER MACKIN
CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOG-
GEOLOGICAL S U R V E Y B U L L E T I N 1 3 1 1
PrFpared on behalf of the
U.S. Atomic Energ y Commission
Late Cenozoic Basin - and -Range -type
faulttn and late
g Quaternary flto1691tatn-
valley glaciation controlled the origin and
distributioir of radioactive placer deposits• }..
containing mona.ite and euxenite
T
nayi-% T t
CUT TU.? v T
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1c
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
WALTER I. NICKEL, Secretary
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
:William T. Pecora, Director
For tale by the S
Payette N:F:
=TU.AL RESC�U .\0ya
CONTENTS
�
Ye Ct
Abstract--------------------------- ----- ---- -- ---- --- ------- - - - - --
"I
Introduction----------------- -- ---------- ---- ---- ----------- - - -- --
=
Geologic setting___ _____ ______ __ ---- ----- ---- ---- ----- ------- - - -- --
-
'Major rock units------------------------- ---- ----- ------ - - - - --
2
Geomorphic acid fault relations --- _ - - - -_ -- _ - -__ -_
--------------- -
4
Origin of drainage--------------- - - ---- -- -- - - --
----------------
6
Surficial deposits----------------------- -- ----- ------- --- --- -- - - - --
P
Pre -Bull Lake depo; its----------------------- ------ ------ - - - - --
Bull Lake and Pir,edale glacial deposits___________________________
Periglacial deposits---------------- -- -- ------------- --- -- - - - - --
Post- Pinedale deposits -----------------------------------------
- -.
Glaciated bedrock_______ __ __________ __ __
'2
References cited------------------------------ --------------- - -- - --
'�
ILLUSTRATIO \S
t.g
PLATE 1. Surficial geologic map of Long Palle:•, Adams, Gem, and
Palle'' Connlics, Idaho-- ----------- ---------- - - - - -- In poc,:ct
2. Surficial geologic map of Bear Valley, Valley County, Idaho_ In pocket
FIGURE 1. Index male of Idaho---------- ----- --- ------------- - - - - --
2 -9. Photographs:
2. Silt and clay of Latah( ?) Formation and a flog of
Columbia River Baealt tilt( d westward_ - _ _ _ - - _ _ - . _
3. The North Fork of the Payette River entrr::(-hod
across the raised part of the Cas;cac( fa•,:;
4. Erratic co,irse of the North Fork of thr t.'aye-
' at the south cad of the C;L�cndr f_:ul' hv)ck ...- „
5. Rolling, maturely dissected topoc- :t.'iy .ut .,;, `.. ...
and lacttstrine sedirwrts of pr -Bull Lak %.r
6. I)iss-ccted 13 ;:I: Lakv ou- ,v,a.,h plai-. ------------- -- -
7. Big Maado•.v in BearVallrc- ------ --- - ----- -
8. 'Monazite l,lacer in the Big Creek draim.ge Sr, ;t... ;:,:
of
9. Euxenite placer operation in upper Big Mea jmv of
Bear Vallee------ -- -- ----- - -- ---
20:
CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY
QUATERNARY GEOLOGY OF LONG
AND BEAR VALLEYS,
`VEST- CENTRAL IDAHO
By DwIGIIT L. SCIIMlDT and J. HOOVER MACI;;IN'
ABSTRACT
Monazite and euxenite were extensively dredged as placer minerals from
Quaternary alluvial deposits in Long and Bear Valleys during 1951 -59. These
and other accessory heavy minerals were released from the rocks of the Idaho
batholith by deep weathering during the Tertiary and early Quaternary. Con-
centration of the heavy minerals in large placers depended on Particular sets of
circumstances, variously iuvolviag block faulting and glacial and perilacial
processes.
First -order physloaraphic features in west- central Idaho are linear north -
Routh ranges and valleys formed by block faulting during the late Tertiary and
Quaternary. Tertiary (Miocene) Columbia River Liasalt overlies the gneisaic• and
granitic mcks of the west border of the Idaho hathnlith and is commonly tilted
W-30° AC. L;icustrine deposits, prntbai,ly as young as early or middle Pieisto-
cene, are tilted its inuch as 20% an Indication that block faulting was active
during the Quatentary. The block faulting deranged the Payette drain::Ze (rys-
tem, and alluvium accutaulitted in the• fault valleys, especially in Long Valley,
where gravity mrasureuient t indiettte as mut•h as i,(M feet of rill.
Moraines and proglacial outwit>h of liull Lake and Pinedale age are the most
widespread Qunternary delwsits. A few outcrops of ancient till in the Long Valley
area probably represents an extensive pre -Bull Jake drift that has been mostly
removed by eversion or buried by the younger dclw)sits. Upper- and post- Pleisto-
ceue moraines occur above 7,.',00 -f(�rt altitude in several north- and northeast -
fneirg cir(lues. Periglachd d(TOslts -f both Pinednle and Lull Lake age are
prevulent in sueall drainage basins that %rere not glaciated.
.11tipinnation, especially intense in the Ix-righic•ial environment of Pleistocene
time, cony be the process that produeed the rolling upland surface that is well
developed in west - central Ldaho and is generally eonuuon throughnut the high
mountains of Idaho. Glacial scmir and rapid perigiaeial sloix., denudation ciuring
the late Pleistocene has prttctic•ally elitninatc•d (1(4 -ply wenthered bodrer_k in %vest -
central Idaho. Aa n consequence, placer deposits are not being formed at the
present time.
' Deee.iqcd Aug. 12, 1908.
Al
A2 CONTMUTIONS To GENERAL GEOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
This report is a byproduct of a study of placer deposits that con-
tain radioactive heavy minerals in west- central Idaho, principally
monazite in the Long Valley area (Mackin, 1952) and eusenite in the
Bear Valley area (fig. 1;'iacicin and Schmidt, 1953, 1956). The in-
vestigation was made on behalf of the Division of Raw'faterials of 48'
the U.S. _Atomic Energy Commission. The deposits were drilled con-
currently by the U.S. Bureau of 'Mines; it is a pleasure to acl.-nowledge ,
the cooperation of R. M. Storch and A. F. Robertson, engineers in
charge of the drilling (Eilertsen and Lamb, 1956). Paul L. Williams
and John F. holars assisted ably in the field work. W'e are indebted to
Charles B. Hunt for discussions of field relations, particularly the
correlation of glaciations with the Pleistocene succession elsewhere in
the Rocky Mountains.
The i5- minute quadrangle maps used as a base for the geologic maps yE
became available after completion of our mapping on 1: 20.1100 aerial
photographs, but transfer of the geology has caused little or no loss of
accuracy because niost of the geologic units are expressed b% the topon
raphy or detaiied planimetry. Contacts of the Columbia Firer Ida -alt
on lN "e_' Mmint::in are only approximately located. Because the text is
most:, ,-planatinn of relations shoen on the geol��ic maps, fre-
gtuent reference tc the maps is required during reading of the test.
GEOLOGIC SETTING
MAJOR ROCK LTNITS
The Bear Valley area, underlain by predominantly directionless
granitic rocks of the Cretaceous Idaho hatholith, is near the center of
the batliolith (Larsen and Schmidt,1�55; Ross, 1)"G; Anderson, 1952).
The granitic rocks are cut by raid- Tertiary felsic to mafic dikes (Ross,
19,34, p. `49). 1` ���lt��Lt}tisly nnrr�c a- k��Oacl�lt -tzt- which
tTb
tti �
- �itTa�'ttt�'heI zsf�tlr� tholitk. The
r-e_=t ,7n half and border of the batholith is divided into six rock zones
th::t h::ve been defined on the basis of the variation of major rock -
forniar minerals (Schmidt, 1958, 196 -1). 'Minor accessory minerals
vari• = zystematically from zone to zone. Cphene, allanite, epidote. and
magnetite, in varying proportions, characterize four foliated border
zn::e3, wioereas t arious combinatiol�s �f iln�cnite, magnetite. and mona-
zitetypify the directionle`s - rinodiorite and (Imirtz- ninnzo >nite zones
of the interior of the hatholith. .Apatite and zircon are nearly
ubiquitous.
outlining
alley Ind I
file chart z -mcnt i(�rt ite zone.
The boundary is irregular in plan be-
cause the basalt flop's spread from the West into valleys of an erosion
surface ha%,ing as much as 2,0110 feet of relief Lind•
Hood, 1963). ( rren, 1900, p. 96;
.t
f�rs1�13.
of similar strlt 4- nlphic relations fig. 2 en the basis
left grains consistent with the Miocene flora lof,tll e}tre�ionr(IIcP. h aa-
sen, written comnlun., 1958).
GEOMORPHIC AND FAULT RELATIONS
of the sevel•al major geomorphic elements of Rest- central Idaho,
the rnoa extensive is a roliilrg upland surface, commonly 7.00(- -9,000
feet in altitude, that is trenched in many places by steep -sided valleys.
"lli; is the so- called Idaho peneplain, considered by various workers
tr, he Eocene to Pliocene in age. We believe that smooth slopes that
Characterize the surface here fax
lion makes it an altinlanatio surface t ,e ' a h nen e preta-
-will_rer rather than olden than certain vdlievs cut below it whic : are
part by Cuiutu:bia River Basalt. The long - standing con -
troveisv of tile pen(rh?ain has been reviewed by Fenneman (1:131, p,
185 -1116) and Thornbury (I'M, p. 386 -387). The arguments advanced
1,3- the proponents for peneplanation at any given date during the
Tertiary and against pelleplaltation at other tinges add up to a strong
case ;lgairlst leeneplanation at ary time.
Rising above the general upland surface are north -south ran -es
having crestlines of from 5,000 to 11.000 feet.; at- the higher altitudes
�rtlooth slopes give nay to steep cliffs cut by alpine glaciers. Many- of
f he ranges arc asymmetric in cross section and are bordered by Ride
nc,rth sontlr valley, at altitudes of 5.0,10 -6000 feet,;..t} •: ro�..� -. j1d
�+ rc�1; 1t?-- t': itte�" •`�e:Y- �pr�uNi.1m�:F�>+e«jb -li •�,}� �
nested by .Anderson ( 1934) and Capps (1941b), the faulting
is a northward continuation of Basin and Range structure. It is simi-
lar in type of mnve1j;ent nnrl "ll of age. West- central Idaho, how -
the Idnhn hatholL'h nna .in in overall altitude and climate;
Sear valley maP4- fed plains that have internal draill-
ilM only the deepest fault troughs
1 the Sea.
Grits In Long -alley i. chi. .
•ruto(liorite CA .At ()f l."utIr alk� . i.:."
Caller is cleti ific•ally front ,.•
1 he Jw"mMa&&and_t�: t _a�aa:n�u,un`i iii `h: fhLiaz SI1131hreak
i14.iiey. It is part of a system of branching faults described by Ander-
son (1934, p. 25) and extended by Capps (1941b, p. 7) as a single
fault —the Long Valley fault —about 100 miles north to Grangeville
and 60 miles south to Boise (fig. 1). Geologic proof of faulting is pro-
vided by tlle}ti '
Wtn� �' and in several smaller
fault blocks within and east of Long Valley (fig. 2). A gravity survey
by Kinoshita (1962) in 1957 indicated
this depth of fill, as well as the height of the scarp, means that the
The gravity survey also demon-
strated the presence of other faults of large throw that are associated
with Rest-ward- dipping valley - filling sediments; most of the con-
cealed faults are extensions of, or splits from, faults mapped on the
basis of geologic relations at the surface.
Most faults in the directionless granitic rocks east of the basalt are
inferred on the basis of ,eoznorl)liie evidence, chiefly stream alinements
altd linear patterns of relief for which there is no obvious other struc-
T��� � s -�• l t
\R L'"•.�r'1.�rc T��. •. •r° Y'-, i".k v.r �:t 1i +- ✓' .I
iz
..ate � • r l� �... r+ . y : f .,� �.' _.
`"- ti�vr,<< _,.,,,� —A;� . f, � � , : f'* _ �; •^•
�"i J•�' zi +ter•.• y,� .�YL :t'� A* d y � y �f, �+'f'� v
Fzcvr - 2. —Silt and clay of the Latah (? i Formation and an overlying flow of thy
Columbia River Basal -, tilted A-est%vard on the rack slope of th•- Ca�;Pe.,i,• fault
hl(xk. Note columnar jointing and platy parting in the basalt. Ow -r,r. is 1
mile northwest of the Casc•nde Reservoir sl)!:lcvuy.
A6 CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY
tural or lithologic cause. Of the many inferred faults in the Bear Val-
ley mapped area. there is positive evidence only for the one along
Reeves Creek on the upper Deadwood River (sec. 12 T. 13 N., R. 7 E.),
where upper Pleistocene moraines are displaced. Stanley Basin, about
15 miles east of Bear Valley near the east border of the batholith, is
bounded by faults of large throw (Williams, 1961, p. 4).
The faults trend north, north - northeast, and, less commonly, north -
northwest; some segments are curved in plan -- concave toward the
downthrown side. Such evidence as there is indicates that the fa iA"
Ala. :te�lilu �xtt hx� t<► scut -dif ,l;}3::u�d.aiorsuadt Because
of the absence of pre - 'Miocene stratified rocks, the possibility that the
faultin- started in the early Tertiary cannot be evaluated: displace -
iiient of the Columbia River Basalt proves that main u ++e::�cntsoa
4�= - t_tltd:f iul.e•�r eafi •re- ater. Anderson (1934, p. 26) and
Capps (1961b, p. 6) suggested that the faulting occurred chiefly dur-
ing the late Pliocene. To the north in the Clearwater Elmbayment,
Bond (1963, p. 65) reported truncated spurs and faulted ftuis which,
like the displa,ed moraine ill the Deadwood area, indicate that fault-
ing continued through the Plci. =.tocene. � r►::ig.n;>s�itgaal��itasirg
rr :rr+i.��n :cr -uc; �rsascie •t:s °rec�ttiei fYf: ? (Newmann, 1940, p.
10, t>auci ALuul.a`daz:::l,.srsl►yts slcreb l:a > = rrFSrt3e.3 is 4hr riri;;sty.
c,: t.1'H17 +lairs. (11- ollard. 1955, P. 11 -12).
The overall relations indicate that the faulting occurred, not in one
restricted period, but from time to time and place to place throughout
the late Cenozoic. AN liereaF most linear scarps associated with faults
are clearly fault scarps, some are fault -line scarps and some are
compo: ite.
The Lttest displacement along the Long Valle• fault zone at the base
and on the escarpment of 1Vest Mountain may be pre -Bull Lake
because bull Lake deposits are not obviously displaced. However,
the col"plexit.y of the fault zone and the lack of detailed mapping on
the escarl,lnent itself necessarily leave the question of minor displace-
ment open. In the area of massive granite farther cast, some presumed
fault e_�carpinents are steep and fresh, whereas others are subdued or
nearly eliininated by erosion. L1 some places all or part, of the relief
is ehle to the erosicelt of Nveak sediments on the downthrown block.
ORIGIN OF DRAINAGE
Gravel deposits in scattered exposures seen in reconnaissance at the
base of the ll'est'Mountain srarp ((napped as fluvial deposits of Ter-
tiary and Quaternar titre opposite the ntontlt of Gold Forl:) and high
an the backslope of West \fountain (trot mapped) consist dominantly
of well- rounded smoky- nttartz i,ol,l,l,.Q ninctl.• 1— e1,.,,, ;„/•1, ;n
QUATERNARY GEOLOGY, - LONG AND BEAR VALLEYS, IDAHO
diameter. The associated monazite - hearing heavy- mineral suite %-a
not derived from the basalt or metamorphic rocks of West Mount a;
but is substantially the 'same as the suite that characterizes simil:9
monazite- and smoky- quartz - bearing *ravel in tributaries that en!e
Long Valley from the east. This distinctive gravel could not h:t.
moved to West Mountain acro88 the North Fork of the Payette Ri :e
which flows south in Long V alley; i- taasom"m+....i.re
�b
Indeed, the occurrence of renuiants of the gravel on the backslope a
the Nest Mountain block indicates that it must have been deposits
• ts>bczi�.
The most obvious hypothesis is that the original west- flowing drat
are was defeated by uplift of West Mountain and that the lcrt
Fork of the Payette is, in effect, consequent on the floor of the Lt:n
Valley fault trough. Part of the rivers course is. however, not entilri
in accord with this hypothesis. At Cascade, the north Fork turf
eastward through the raised part of the Cascade fault block (III. l : fi:
3) and then continues south for several miles clown the depressed i.:i,
of the fault block. But instead of continuing iii tl,e depressed i„•,
into Round Valley, the ricer abruptly turns %vest into the
extension of the Nest .Mountain block and then south into a deep
row gorge (fig. 4). While anomalous, this erratic behi-vior doc6 f
+ L� �c�• ►r•,� ..+.",�{�a_�.: aa- ''
d.
• Tt. l
FIGURE 3—View northwestward across Lonz \•alle ;v and CI -catly f ••vntvr
the steels escarpment of West Mountnin in the• Ime•k --rnnnd. '1'h,• \nrih I•'•-
of the Payette Itiver is antemle•nt or snlee•rlwised : eross tht• raised part of t1
Cascade fault bl(K•k (the wooded rid e, center) at Cascade. t'psirea:n to
river chnnnel Is flooded by Cnseai& Reservoir.
. --s.1-: �..,.:�• ..._ _ ';..
�.tzrr� _
. -.' �.�.c.f 7_
FICLaL 4.— Erratic course of the North Fork of the Payette River at the south
end of the Cascade fault -block basin. View is southward to Round valley
(hack center). The ricer, flowing generally southward, does not continue in
the varlet- of the depm:sed Cascade fault block into Itound Valley but turns
wt-A mid then south ill a narrow dt.•p gorge cut in the Rest Mountztin fault
biwk c right of 1 c•nterl.
caun;, strongly against the hypothesis: the stream could be consequent
in its overall southerly course in the fault zone and locally be ante -
cedent or superl1o.,ed, or Loth, on minor blocks within the zone.
There is, however.. an -alternative possibility: the original west -flow-
ing :treains may have been blocked by the Columbia River Basalt, acid
the Nor41t Fork may be consequent. in the topographic low between the
re, ional westward slope on the crystalline rocks and the enstivurd ini-
tial slope of the basalt. This is the origin of the course of the Colum-
bia River ]1.1-(,1111(1 tie northern and northwestern borders of the same
lavit field. .According to this second hypothesis, the monazite- and
smuky- quartz - bearing gravel wnitld be part of the Latah Formation.
7 -Iic two hypotheses are of course not mutually exclusive; the North
Fork could have been consequent along the margin of the basalt and
further deranged by postbasalt faulting. The hypotheses have different
iniplicat ions a� to whether the exotic travel is above or below the
h:i�alt or W ost Mountain and could be resolved by mapping.
In the. Bc ::r V:Jl •y area, and in the interior of the batholith gen-
evully, some of the main drainage lines are along faults, but it is not
IWS! 11 le to dete'.1161ie whether the streams developed in toe fault. zones
as subsequents or were consequent on the faulted topography. Lae
I t
gravei on lnterfluves in some Places marks the positron or tornier
transverse streams, but the relation of lag gravel to former drainage
lines has not been resolved. An example of glacial diversion in Bear
Valley is outlined on page A15; such diversions, at least those of late
Pleistocene age, are small -scale feature,-, because the late Pleistooene
glaciers occupied only parts of the valleys and rarely covered pre-
existing divides.
SURFICIAL DEPOSITS
The surficial deposits of the area are divided into two categones
on the basis of origin: (1) glacial deposits, chiefly moraine and out -
wash, and (2) nonglacial deposits, including alluvium and colluvium.
They are further subdivided on the basis of age into pre -Bull Lake,
Bull Lake, Pinedale, and post - Pinedale deposits. The usage of the
names Bull Lake and Pinedale corresponds to that of Blacll-Welder
(1915) and of Holmes and floss (1:155) in tile. IV, iud River Range of
western IN'yoming. Formal suLdiv :lions of the Bull Lake and Pine-
dale Glaciations have not been nlade. In order to permit the delinea-
tion of the bedrock units as accurately as possible, even where they
are partly obscured by drift, only thick morainal and outwash de-
posits are shown on the geologic map. Glaciated areas where the drift
is thin and patchy are shown by patterlrs overprinted oil the bedrock
units. Three divisions on the upland are recognized: (1) areas cov-
ered by Bull Lake glaciers, (2) areas covered by Pinedale glaciers,
and (3) areas not glaciated during the• late Pleistocene.
coin prehensive understanding of the origin of placer deposits
is dependent on a knowledge of the rt iorial reoinorphic history, par-
ticularly the effects of glaciation, as clearly demonstrated by Capps
(1940) and Reed (19:17) in adjoining areas. The basic principles.rcre
developed by Jenkins (1935) in a discussion of Sierra Nevada gold
placers; they are rephrased briefly here insofar as they apply to placer
deposits of radioactive minerals in west- central Idaho.
: monazite and euaenite, Ike principal radioactive minerals in ti,e
Rest- central Idaho placers, are nrces, ory minerals in some of tite
granitic rock of the batholith. The first prerequisite for developutent
of stream placer concentrations of these minerals is iiiat they bf freed
by disintegrntion of the rock matrix. Ideally. a "first concei-n,tio.''
is effected by selective weathering; chemical dec•ny of the main roc•k-
forming minerals in place and mmoval of some of the der-ay I:rt,,i:.cts
in solution result in accumulation of a residual mantle enriciv -d in
the chemically resistant radioactive accessories. A `•second concentra-
tion" occurs (luring the transfer o:' the weathered mantle to tite
by creep and other types of nuiss movement and by washi1-,t..1
concentration," by streain-channel processes, is (-Itiefly based oil dens;ty
37239 0-70-2
A10 CONTRIBUTIOIrS TO GENTERAL GEOLOGY
and durability to attrition. Because the radioactive minerals are only
about twice as heavy as quartz and feldspar and are about one -third
as heavy as r,old, they do not concentrate in alluvial deposits as well as
gold. Monazite is extremely durable, but crystals of euxenite shatter
readily and are quickly reduced to silt size in travel -with coarse gravel
along a streambed (Mackin and Schmidt, 1956, p. 379). For this
reason, monazite placers may extend tens of miles downstream from
the source area, but optimum concentrations of euxenite are limited to
within a fe,%v miles of the source.
The most critical geologic factors in tlie' local izazion and tenor
of the Idaho radioactive placers are (1) the presence of the valued
minerals in the bedrock and (3) the extent of late Pleistocene glacia-
tion. Gravel in streams druininc areas that were not glaciated during
the late Pleistocene consists chiefly of vein quartz, feldspar plieno-
cry,-ts, and various resistant dike -reel: tykes; the granitic ruck that
underlies more than 99 percent of the drainage basin is represented only
} t
�y coarse sand. The heavy- mineral concentrate in these nonrt acial
stream de waits is high, h , averaging about . U pounds per cubt r
yard of
a ?iuviu;: :; ti;is concentration is thought to be due to weathering en-
ri.•iun ertt of a residual mantle prior to the Bull Lake Gl:cciatiou and
a claickell"d do.vnslope movement of that mantle under periglac•ial
ciin►atic con:litions during the Bull Lake Glaciation. Out.wash from
Bull Lake 1-lac•iers, however, consist doininamly of pebbles of grani-
tic rcc-1 and carries only about *20 pounds of heavy mineral concentrate
per cubic yard. The Piued::le glaciers were smaller than tite Bull Lake
rlariers and hence occupied only areas scoured by Bull Lake ice; as a
t•e�ult, Piue•clale out.wash averages about 10 hounds of concentrate per
cubic ;-ard. There are of course marked local departures from these
averages, and the percentage of radioactive minerals in the concentrate
varies treaty depending on the occurrence of these minerals in the
bedrock, but the 3 -2-1 ratio expresses the e ?Pert of late Pleistocene
tlaciatio�► on pl cer development (Mackin and Sclnnidt, 1556).
Because all the larger drainage basins include both glaciated and
c g
non —laciated areas, the alluvium of trunk streams usually includes
gLtc -a] out•.vash Nvltt0h dilutes potential placer values from nonrlacial
part.= of tite basin. IIence favorably situated nonglaciated tributaries
commonly carry better values than the tu:tinstreams. It is evident,
moreover, that. pre -Bull I.ako and pre- Pleistocene alluvium may bo
minable in valleys . There votnt;;er allnviuut yields a poor roueeu-
trate; such older alluvium may warrant directed search where it is
covered by basalt, moraines, barren outivash, or slopewash from local
QUATERNARY GEOLOGY, LONG AND BEAR VALLEYS, ID-kHo All
One additional enrichment factor has greatly contributed to u
making of the placer deposits that have been worked to date. pia
petite is destroyed in the wet mountain - meadow environment that
characteristic of the high valleys of west - central Idaho. As magnet,
commonly accounts for about half of the heavy- mineral concentra:i
the elimination of magnetite means an enrichment factor of about
As a given magnetite - bearing gravel is moved slowly through a u
meadow by the meandering trunk stream, the gravel is deposited on ti
inside of meander bends and eroded from the outside of bends. Bet we+
brief intervals of transport the gravel is at rat beneath a layer
meadow vegetation and peat. Meadow ground water, made acid (1:
6.2-5.5) by the peat, descends through the gravel and slowly dissoly
the magnetite. The rate of solution is far treater than the average r:+
of transport of gravel through the meadow, so the elimination of m::
netite is commonly complete even ii► small meadows, perhaps in a i,
hundred years (Mackin and Schmidt, 1956, p. 380).
PRE -BULL LAKE DEPOSITS
The most extensive of the several types of pre -Bull Like de, -,
are fluvial and lacustrine sediments, in pliwe tilted as much :i:
which underlie the bruad valley floors of fault -pluck basins (fi`.
These deposits Nvere apparently trnpp►ed in these subsiding hash). a
later deformed by continued faulting. The deposits n►ay range :r
Pliocene throu -1i early Pleistocene. Because they are ut►ronsnlic::_.
easily eroded, and commonly utantled by younger se•diuteatts, the f:;::
basin deposits are rarely exposed: nothing is known of their thin:::::
or structure at depth except as indivate•d by gravity survey (: :,V
A5). The deposits are difficult to distinguish from the L:►ta:,;
Formation and (or) from deposits associated with pre -Bull L.
glaciation.
Most deposits mapped as contain s
a'' -ounts of detrital told, detectable by panning..1.ttc:..p = =--y- r.
F:+���iaij,f'„�iler) r:llti_ 31�r lyr. ��L11�L' tt�•���'!► ?�•RM7tft�xe?:ui•T -.-
�au�u�rt- �icl�irg}rgs- rtfrrrnrrl�►trt t•Arri.allea=:r,�*�:c. It; ., -.
placer workings 1/14-1 million cubic yards of rr.,rel wa 1
1 in many pits 10,000- 100,000 cubic yards was worked.
A roadcut near Pearsol Creek, on the east side of ; lie Ca c: dv
Iblock basin about. •I• miles east. of Cascade (fig. 5), consist-, of r' ll t:
like material overlain by laminated silt and clay that dip- allo:r-
N-W. The deposits are deeply weathered and are evidently .•n rt>>-
ivnina.nt of a mach ntore extensive sedimentary unit. • lie
a pollen assemblage, including pine, fir, and spruce, which .i: tier.. fr
t. ;.l• '` � ►rr.I.��rt:: � �t`�'4- �''t}ta, .d.�. ��
.° • - - ...>; .,a
.t .tt •. .,� i` . ... •, • r '�,� - �� i•.� r K .•. ,�. r t• ; ti y«,,, lI•• . .�.�.�,1a�y
Frct:sE .;.—Rolling. inaturely dissected topobrahy cut on fluvial and laeus=ne
,c-dlaio -tats of pr• -hull ].apse age. Pliocene thronFh early Pleistocene.
These sed.meula lit• in the fstult- Ll,x•k basin east of Cas,ade and may largely
be ba: -ill .IIN t;iat u:•e geaeticully related to faulting. _l"v.•iated with the
d(,;x,sits are till or till -like sedimems, tilted 20' to the west and resting oil
laanitic rim-k: they are cNik). -wd alung the road on the left (north) edge of
the photograph. All the deposits contain n,,,nazite dericed from the granitic
ruck of the Idaho hathoiith to the east. Reworking of the deposits locally
results in monazite downstream. The foreground surface is a 1*nglucial
:,tlm ial dei.:' :t „f 1:1111 IAtlit• age and is wuder.,trly dissected.
thu glacial or pc n— hicial environment of the Pleistocene (H. P.
TT%m,en, written common., 11155). If, as seenis likely, the deposit is
_lariat, it. indicates (1) pre -Bull Lake glaciation in :ua area far beyond
tile lirnils of t'.e 131111 bake glacict3 and t2) a tilting of the fault block
that. cont intied into the Pleistocene. The presence of westward- dipping
la nnnated surd, possibly, warred clays as.t;ociated with till -like deposits
a: several other places along thu e..st. side of I.ong Valley is additional
ct•idence that St1i1, 1geStS th:►t tilting of the Long, 1,•alley fault blocks
continued intothe Pleistocene.
�• lwrg�l .�o:::.3.iiul..�:ui�.�.�.+ ill. :,.+�+►�s��ittle- l�vetze- i'�te; �lo�he
+•R�•i,•.�rd.c :f » t» l: �, w£>; a: l�I► c�. �, r�ic+> �,;, Ii�ib- l�►3�d..Lttw+wlKtte�t�i�,
s mapped as :a pre -Bull Lake moraine. ���iyztlu�teswl�►++oeerrsit -mitt
:u1 material indicate, that at lNist minimal gold Values en-
cou:-a,_c•d extensive di,ging . The workable placer gold, complete dis-
int•• _,:•atio.t of ranitic boulders, oxidation to a depth of G inches or
nl� :e in cps :: zite i,otildens, and the advanced degree of topographic
Modificatio, inclicate that this Illorame, i�i ranch older than the adjoin-
ill- Bull I:ake ntnrailte. (However, iwo st.ades of the Bull Lake Glacia-
tion ::rc+ t] elsewhere in the Rocky Mountains (Richmond,
n(i.)) ; if the illorainc clapped :LS fill]] Lake is artually ]ate Bull Lake,
the older moraine may ue eariv mull tale. Its aesignataon its pre -bull
Lake is therefore, arbitrary. and a more specific assignment of this and
other deposits must await more detailed study.
Photographs taken by Capps (1941a) in the adjoining Secesh dis-
trict show striking examples of creep in deeply weathered boulders
detritus, which he regards as lower Pleistocene morainal material.
Like those in Long Valley, the deposits have little or no topographic
expression; nothing is known as to the extent or directions of movement
of the glaciers that may have formed them. The Secesh deposits con-
tain detrital gold, and ill some places a blanket a few feet thick has been
sufnciently enriched by chemical weathering to form workable eluvial
gold placers. This enrichment and the erosional origin of the topog-
raphy make it necessary to be on guard in west- central Idaho against
equating pre-Bull Lake with preglacial.
Lag gravel occurs oil interfluves in many places. It ran. = *es from a
veneer of resistant rock types underlain by relnnants of the original
deposit to scattered pebbles and boulders on bedrock. The lag gravel
was evidently let. down and concentrated by selective erosion. Some
of the rock types, such as quartzite and certain dike rocks, are far-
traveled and may mark the courses of former strearns, but it is usually
not possible to determine from the float, in the absence of exposures.
whether ti!e original deposit was fluvial or gl tc•iul.
An abundance of lag gravel lit the foothill belts along the cast slde�
of the westward - tilted fault -block basins, particularly Little, Scott.
and Long Valleys, provides a vhie to the former height of the ba ;iu-
fi]ls. The lag- mantled areas in -)ine plates grade into erosion si.rface_
raft oil granitic rock; the surfaces are well defined, are sharply trenciteti
by streams, and are far below and not continuous with the rolling till -
land surface discuswd e,at•lier. They are clearly cyche and may mark
one or more pauses in stream dowrlc•;ltting or in the Nw-k- fault move -
ment, or both; no attempt leas been ninde to correlait• them from] l-:ilb•}
to valley.
BULL LAKE AND PINEDALE GLACIAL DEPOSITS
In enntrnst to the little - modified delxositional roaag ?rues, of the Pille-
dale moraines, r�l �l.�•�rpc►r :sines►- aii.�u� +►�srudf=i►L -- ti:
�i:: �l•1!lYia `h,�L ^_ •.ln�� .. .. _ ila3ir'::
Closed depressions .which characterize Pinedale moraines arc gene; r.l:
drained or fillod on Bull Lake moraines. Most of the depositic•t .I1 cur
face oil Bull Lake outwash has been de,troyed, whereas
. �ihea�inlea *ta:F#xaw+�t�I���K;tsM� �w -�ie�•�o�af•+�r�- ict�:+ic,�s••
gnft4,t xAmu"; for example, ill Bull Lake deposits !a 1 :11ge peireuta -L 01'
granitic pebbles and boulders disintegrates readily whereas ii: Pine -
dale deposits under otherwise comparable conditions n large per-
A14 CON- TRIBUTIO?-S TO GEN -ERAL GEOLOGY
centage is fresh.
the distance between them
ranging from less than 1 mile to 4 miles, depending on topographic
relations.
\o attempt was made in the field to use soil stratirraphic techniques
or other current precision methods for distinguishing and mapping
Bull Lake and Pinedale deposits. The 3-2 -1 ratio of lieavy- mineral
concentration in different alluvial deposits, mentioned earlier, and a
distinct difference in degree of weathering enrichment of heavies in
the soil profile provide quantitative criteria directly pertinent to the
purpose of the investigation and, incidentally, confirm the concept
of multiple glaciation in t:he late Pleistocene. Our observations of
Bull Lake and Pinedale moraines elsewhere in the Rockies, and a field
check by Charles B. Hunt, leave little doubt as to the correlation; it
therefore seems preferable to use these established terms (Richniotid,
19.65, 196-21, p. Si : _Morrison, 19G4, p. 113: IIunt and others, 1953, p. 1G)
rather than coin a new set of local manes. Undoubtedly subdivisions of
the Bull Lake and the Pinedale occur in the mapped area, but identi-
fication of tlsent is uncertitin haled on our field methods: such sub-
division, c1., not bear directly on the placer �et;logy, and trey are not
d;t-tinruisiled oil the maps.
Bull Lake and Pinedale moraines are irierllrei+. u t.} }�e,,- �ei;;jl
e i l-v� . }s:<ttprriK ef-eRS iac: j> icxl+s�o;.s -aol -Kro
xhsriekes; aka: di~ sa�� +rrsvxsture►su►cl�lz��c >ttt:a� iro :vLliull.Ls►i:e
age. South of the Bull Lake moraines, the dissected 1,u11 Lake out -
wash plain is partly buried beneath a smooth- surfaces] plain of Pine-
dale outwash (fib;. G). Much of the Pinedale outwnsh fill; broad valleys
cat it. the Bill] bake outwash during the interglacial interval.
iaa.�t.- stc>tl�ritriersfrwt west- Moimtainfmrely_reachHd•t.ho -.v- }ley
: -fi:xw. Although moraimnl forms are not well developed, Bull hake and
Pinedale moraines and outwash are readily distinguished in most
places. Both crnlsist mostly of sub: ngular metamorphic rock types and
basalt that contrast sharply witii the exotic quartz - pebble gravel inen-
tioned earlier.
M'(1 -Meadow is a broad north -south segment of the upper (tart of
Iie -Ir Vallt•y Creek (pl. 2, Z'. 11 X.. R. R E.; fig. ;) and is bordered on
the weFt by n range hi.-Ii enottgli to havesupported Bull I.ike and Pine-
dale niac lei,, which extended to the valley floor, Big :lfendow is bor-
dered c,n tle east by a relatirely low ridge* that %vas not glaciated dur-
ing the late Pleistocene; short tributaries entering the meadow from
the east carried no glacial debris. The overall topographic asymmetry
is probably clue t0 faultin^. but the illnrini fill %�•hir•h midrrliPS the
QUATERNARY GEOLOGY, LONG .rl.ND BEAR VALLEYS, :DAhO
meadow, knower from drilling to be as much as 200 feet thick, v
probably impounded as a result of glaciation rather than faultimr. I
river turns from the broad deeply alluyiated Iii" Meadow seg-me : .t
flow northeast in a narrow youthful valley where rock is still cc
monly exposed in the channel. It seems likely that Bear Valley C n
formerly took a northerly course through the valley of Bear!
Creek to the Elk Creek drainage until it was diverted by Bull L:
glaciers. If so, the Big Meadow placer deposits may continue uir
the moraines and outwash that occupy the Bearskin valley; c.,
though such deposits would not be minable under present c•onditic
they may be a resource for the future (Mackin and Schmidt, 19v
PERIGLACIAL DEPOSITS
Erosion and deposition in areas not scoured by Bull I.:ike or P;
dale ice resulted in extensive deposits incllidIllL the r:o.t signilir
placers These
y..+«►�1_ •t71Lt9�7:'�a �lilf '•'r•'•o j.. n�l���r4- Q {.i�i��u- rtut:nr? =iait
`r•``.� r y::r��,._itlLisl�c4 ro' == (Br ail, 1941,7.
I)errny, 1931: P(-ltier, IV50). That such periglac•ial del:o.-:'Its f• i,..
jacent to glacial areas in "liv Northern is well
strated in the Hai}ey area of Idaho ( chniidt, 11162, p. 65 -69).
I lonazite was dredged front tributary stream deposits along; tl:r
side of Long Valley .oiahea.t of Cascade during
These: and similar deposits were for -med by streams entering the ..:
from n broad belt of low upland which was not gla ciated duri :•^
late Pleistocene except. for small lee tongues higii in the
10 -15 miles to the cast. The decree of dissection and otht'i• rr•ttcI. ;'4 is
cute that most of the deposits are of Bull Luke age A-. 5). Tlw.
reason to believe that they were forilled by ag "I'adatiot can.:• i
accelerated mass moi-etuent that resulted front the iuh-ent of I
Lake periglacial climatic conditions. Before the perigla ^ial
tion a surface mantle Lad 1ween enriched by :elective uearlierin; :i:::
a long period of milderc•hlnate.
Fluvial deposits of lower Big Creek ill Long Vailc ro: :thy l,:
Cascade are mapped as Pinedale I eri- 1arial r1cp,IFitF4, tic ;lit(• t}
that upstrcnnt the Pinedale deposits ire ticntt V:dl(, :rc net,,...'
Pinedale outwash. The gravel and heavy - mineral
two areas justify the mapping and support a e"lirlosi '1: tl: 1'
tioll in the headwaters of Big (Trek, N060l oet-tirrcci art :rc��
Trott Valley, was not intense enough to apprt ciabi} cliil. t i': 1.
periglacial alluvial contribution at and }K•lmv ;cntt Vailt•1;.
F.uxenite was dredged in the upper part of Big lft•a,!mv in
iL � T •
WV
`
t
f �, rte,• r�'�� � .
*,• J^ 'I• )�`yl:�x_ =.. f •ter r� _.t.._ v! `s
• :�
••� f.,,a •� .t _ a r�. "� �'.i.'` v �,,� mµ.1
Val
ty� ��. �i: .� � � .ly;,' •,� �• �' .:fir � v �.
_i • +?:.:1 -.F� F�,%' gyp_ � �C �'�"" •` p� 'I''\��a +
u'y
a • �:
y.,
hL
y • r.
F IM, +cr7
• j1Fr A
x'04
FIG= tt —The dissected Bull Lake outtcash plain (center and north) in the isTegu}e edr ti►�2.gw-0L- li+c�*+r >a- iAx)�:ai-
northern: ;cart of Long Valle; is partly buried beneath a smootb - surfaced plain iae- �sq.1A+ie�*..�e+slo�.wil. RErar- t+.re�ater- i-.•.f
of PinedaIe outct•aah Isouth center) on which a relict braided drainage pattern
of Piredale outtcash streams is faintly visible. This braided pattern Is sharply and are entrenched into the Pinedale ou:::•nvh
centr. ,ted to the sinuous menndering pattern of the modern streams on the p lain. T-4b,% dwsk- �a.��a�..!.e_n > ^' *`�� `�` `t � •�_►.trrra►�r� s}.�
Nvood-d Ilood plains to the left and right of the I'inedale outtcash plain. The Photograph by P.S. Delwrttnent of Agriculture.
v
Nm
7-
41,
. . ..............
r
AMA !A
;t:.. - Ell'. :.:.. ". " s- "'. !:, -:M,, r TUp 3Pgdn• A Wr ll•y dur-
(,I- \( IATLD EFDROCK
free-'%z of hetvy niincnll=-
fi!lly �Iarnnur in lwdnwk aRM,
Virti%fli• J'arv, till iwd-
1'(" 1 !•t• 1�; I'V( 1:11 V 22"1 :1 V 1': i�',IT � i ill -
1 1 V - 1,4A . i. 1Ah I . e iwd-
arc;l- olit-idt. the -,,!:t-
Ilann Illawle i:4 likill. .."111111"li1v -III] :1 ft-%v iliviles thiek.
it-up :11111 Illov-11 I I \ %vt•;It1Ivl-t•d 111:111lit. th:!l i!-
;it-vI•• tit h:I'.'• .•W••1.4-d flol•h of 0:v hi•f-we the Bid] LA-v (t1 :1-
I
i nm• .)!11\- It w:111y pr'.7-crt, d. PortTillvddv
it"d ••I11•.1N Pl*('r-vllt I v
A prelimmar.%
N, r!hwos- S•i . v. I. till. •. v 17
emIllamn"m .4 lh• It! 60.
11••. 3. it. 27,---_11,5.
r1:avI,%Wvr. Eliot. 11115, 1l,ist-Cr•i;:•1•i, .•f the
western NVYOLII;Tlg: Jour. Gt•-O••gy. %• '_13. 1•. !17-ji'l.
Boud. J. (;., 1!•13. Ill.• 4'Iv;iwwr Biir.
and Gt•ology 1).
lllry;t►i. Kirk. 19411. Till- iji;plivatit,lj- -if t J •ur. Getao;:y, v.
r-
... Ill'. '_'. 10. 101-144.
RHdA. JuHun 10M, Me -Pet da ka I *'-I,. it trilbf on Wirklln'_-c-:.' des Eizzeit-
kHmas nuf dpr gwizt•it Er,!• • 2• ,.r -'.,-r K5tn:iz,.,:jt•n
and Vo-rzeitkiiiiiate IX) -iriczhi, i;i:••!;i,jrI•l.••I,,zic t fio(*< ,f 0-t.
cene Ohnnto ovvr the t•itin• m••id] : En1kniAr. v. 7. It 20-20: iTrvinsladnii
S. R., VI.M. (;..Ill phivvr� i ti;• S-vs1i 1:;isiii. I i;il.•
Millf-S ;III•1
4,17 li• Ili I'lillif, : .1m..1 - Ir. S. i..
1.011h. •:m!ting ii! %%-' tvrri w. i it, ri•I.stiiti: I•, -:.. hizli 1•::iipr
Id:do, Ilur. Mitre, :itd :"p 1'.
1:1a1. P 1, - i s I I wvi. f: ;I a r I:., t, I, -rdcr. -f Wis v, i it
drift ill �I' E. L..
•!lid Iii.itto r., III;!* : 111.1.,
;I!; ! Lo!ut,• F. I , 11:---: .% pr- r- x;..
11l. I"ureall "r Nun" by W mw wm nAw"4xp owl nw 1 M! my -.. ,
NNI 1:-:;, Y.
NL. 1:t;31. Ph -! S: c tv Y•rk.
Wiioi Ii%-•r
If 1: Laio'
of 1.1;1.
.1wi•. Mill•., :11111 v. :;l.
W. 'I'.. I!H;2. A gr.t%it�-
J.art l'f illo
(N•I. Surv•y 4ol•vii-lil• r•it-wi. I I I..
L;irsvii. E. S.. Jr.. ;itid SAiiiii,il". R. (;.. 19.7• A --f t1w Idaho
11:11111••filli all-Ir.-Ilipari�-.11 with list- , -iltil.r% C;tIjf-,rifi:i
S Stin r3. 13111:. I xi
Limigreti. Walth•mar, I!R)o. \-rill, if lit Llll:.Il.
wid ollit•r iiiiiiiiic di.,trivis in 111:1114•: V S. GIL
Ill. 3..p. G7.
Mat-hill. .1. 11.. 1!•.12, Upcoll11aissallve geology (If 11:1.11:1zilt. 1:1"i 7'� if Ih,
Valll-� 141allf. : I's. C.-I. sorvo- i%,,.t. *ri.'.m I-.:,. .,:. ;,
.--It •till I::-_, 131111
%Ilo- ;Ilid
... wil.
(,I- \( IATLD EFDROCK
free-'%z of hetvy niincnll=-
fi!lly �Iarnnur in lwdnwk aRM,
Virti%fli• J'arv, till iwd-
1'(" 1 !•t• 1�; I'V( 1:11 V 22"1 :1 V 1': i�',IT � i ill -
1 1 V - 1,4A . i. 1Ah I . e iwd-
arc;l- olit-idt. the -,,!:t-
Ilann Illawle i:4 likill. .."111111"li1v -III] :1 ft-%v iliviles thiek.
it-up :11111 Illov-11 I I \ %vt•;It1Ivl-t•d 111:111lit. th:!l i!-
;it-vI•• tit h:I'.'• .•W••1.4-d flol•h of 0:v hi•f-we the Bid] LA-v (t1 :1-
I
i nm• .)!11\- It w:111y pr'.7-crt, d. PortTillvddv
it"d ••I11•.1N Pl*('r-vllt I v
A prelimmar.%
N, r!hwos- S•i . v. I. till. •. v 17
emIllamn"m .4 lh• It! 60.
11••. 3. it. 27,---_11,5.
r1:avI,%Wvr. Eliot. 11115, 1l,ist-Cr•i;:•1•i, .•f the
western NVYOLII;Tlg: Jour. Gt•-O••gy. %• '_13. 1•. !17-ji'l.
Boud. J. (;., 1!•13. Ill.• 4'Iv;iwwr Biir.
and Gt•ology 1).
lllry;t►i. Kirk. 19411. Till- iji;plivatit,lj- -if t J •ur. Getao;:y, v.
r-
... Ill'. '_'. 10. 101-144.
RHdA. JuHun 10M, Me -Pet da ka I *'-I,. it trilbf on Wirklln'_-c-:.' des Eizzeit-
kHmas nuf dpr gwizt•it Er,!• • 2• ,.r -'.,-r K5tn:iz,.,:jt•n
and Vo-rzeitkiiiiiate IX) -iriczhi, i;i:••!;i,jrI•l.••I,,zic t fio(*< ,f 0-t.
cene Ohnnto ovvr the t•itin• m••id] : En1kniAr. v. 7. It 20-20: iTrvinsladnii
S. R., VI.M. (;..Ill phivvr� i ti;• S-vs1i 1:;isiii. I i;il.•
Millf-S ;III•1
4,17 li• Ili I'lillif, : .1m..1 - Ir. S. i..
1.011h. •:m!ting ii! %%-' tvrri w. i it, ri•I.stiiti: I•, -:.. hizli 1•::iipr
Id:do, Ilur. Mitre, :itd :"p 1'.
1:1a1. P 1, - i s I I wvi. f: ;I a r I:., t, I, -rdcr. -f Wis v, i it
drift ill �I' E. L..
•!lid Iii.itto r., III;!* : 111.1.,
;I!; ! Lo!ut,• F. I , 11:---: .% pr- r- x;..
11l. I"ureall "r Nun" by W mw wm nAw"4xp owl nw 1 M! my -.. ,
NNI 1:-:;, Y.
NL. 1:t;31. Ph -! S: c tv Y•rk.
Wiioi Ii%-•r
If 1: Laio'
of 1.1;1.
.1wi•. Mill•., :11111 v. :;l.
W. 'I'.. I!H;2. A gr.t%it�-
J.art l'f illo
(N•I. Surv•y 4ol•vii-lil• r•it-wi. I I I..
L;irsvii. E. S.. Jr.. ;itid SAiiiii,il". R. (;.. 19.7• A --f t1w Idaho
11:11111••filli all-Ir.-Ilipari�-.11 with list- , -iltil.r% C;tIjf-,rifi:i
S Stin r3. 13111:. I xi
Limigreti. Walth•mar, I!R)o. \-rill, if lit Llll:.Il.
wid ollit•r iiiiiiiiic di.,trivis in 111:1114•: V S. GIL
Ill. 3..p. G7.
Mat-hill. .1. 11.. 1!•.12, Upcoll11aissallve geology (If 11:1.11:1zilt. 1:1"i 7'� if Ih,
Valll-� 141allf. : I's. C.-I. sorvo- i%,,.t. *ri.'.m I-.:,. .,:. ;,
CO_NT11!11T:T1(jN.- TO GESYRAL (,i.OLOGY
A06r:r
'to
4.:
q�,lot 11 kl�"z
" a. :1
41 $ 1 W .- I V
01.
A
k fu
1 A,
1V Prx
14k:
non Im-arti nrr•• Hig Meadow it, Bear
;I1111% imn a:. ;I rt•�-W, .-f :o
ILI%% 17
r it. the 1.;!-.T 4 ii:: M.-ad•m : :L.- ri_ht
I ....... Ili. lit.• NN... :;Ii%••:.
Y r: I I It: I 1,.N --I rva I I I - I I wt drained the bm—r-," i of rid.a., oi, r
-If Hou, Mra'i''w w1•re late Pipi-zlot-vill. did ]',•!
.• -:It- hY :-II*1,;i:!I:- the V:d]vY froill t"It• xv�l ark. C",.;,.Iiv
;Ird are I"m 411'4• _1•1,34i•. ')I T!w
:V111v?. Of c:o-l- :tlltl v-t.:.t--Idk. allin-hilli :111,1 ar'• n1:11alue olliv dov.-I;-
I fr•ItI jillim';mIs 4 -rich eastern I ril'utaric, I M ack] n :inn
POST-PINEDALE DEPOSITS
fW•, .11,11tiv Moraines, :11,11 prem-111 in (Hallo. Tilml.--di
r!;t.*:I,I, i,c 4, not vxp,,-•tl, of the Imstaill.k. 111:1%
:11.ticl 1:1:11 bY 1-i•I let ivv : of 11t.1. 1111stable dol,ri- I,,av ]to at-tive I'OCK
till-table 111'wailw,; :11141 Illork. almlidaill .Itwr •il•tim• III"-
;dl illldl_ 1:111T ;''_•I`tiv -Irroater and
11.1E bt-M•l'thall in
T',w morail;k•' c'mq:-1 of ;III,rIII;jl- (If fro-;t-rived rock
i I *
,
QUATERNAPY GEGLOGY. I., NG A',*D BEAE VALLEY-1;'. IDAti.
1 4� *U
mc A
x
.7
til'N p
FI•-I 'p, r -it :)t. •r •I:i , -:i! I.
\',
V".
,I,•11!L :1 1 k,• and
i!-- I I!;. it- --4 '.1 nail in I ;I t:.: r r.., r i I III,
)r,-.Ik:: n-_ •ajiztNi •Iur",.;: Ma} -
1I.Iv-1?:_ In -,al,., I•.,. "I'.1% v
irmir, invernim at nitil -!,io- !w!Nv(,Pn 7.- -
art.a. c'
m.114111 feet aile III;kI -11 al Ive Lollip L:Ikv I'll linilider ( 'n-ek
41:1111"1*
In 111V :4awl'Ir'1111 wt' t •t, �Ianiev 11a:-;1
1961. 11. 11 ) m.:tppckI cirrizit. 1111•1'311!1•- at :1
feet.
Trunk -41*1,1:1111� developell Ilarr-w fl•toll
tilliv• whviva- Inally nialler �-Irc:lllis h;Ivv 11.1 fl-Ii ]I.
will lilvadows ark. typical examph'S of ,( lit-.% -A.LrPII:II1-
elwked ity lovaliv .• dt-1.1 liebri, If Pined-Or. I-
dent tilat 1141rI-Pllivdalv vnl lon ha11_ ]w,n .,1: :1"'. itill I ;Ic
11"'Irs of lar , -frer :-tivallI.S :It:%] that the prv!zvnt !mitriforms art, It:—
fA)&.;il sm-faves, that is, lioldove•R from tile Plefcv••ne I 11,6th-1.
��•`'. t1' ,• ,6•
�
'
W Ar. r-4
Sr
zt
1 4� *U
mc A
x
.7
til'N p
FI•-I 'p, r -it :)t. •r •I:i , -:i! I.
\',
V".
,I,•11!L :1 1 k,• and
i!-- I I!;. it- --4 '.1 nail in I ;I t:.: r r.., r i I III,
)r,-.Ik:: n-_ •ajiztNi •Iur",.;: Ma} -
1I.Iv-1?:_ In -,al,., I•.,. "I'.1% v
irmir, invernim at nitil -!,io- !w!Nv(,Pn 7.- -
art.a. c'
m.114111 feet aile III;kI -11 al Ive Lollip L:Ikv I'll linilider ( 'n-ek
41:1111"1*
In 111V :4awl'Ir'1111 wt' t •t, �Ianiev 11a:-;1
1961. 11. 11 ) m.:tppckI cirrizit. 1111•1'311!1•- at :1
feet.
Trunk -41*1,1:1111� developell Ilarr-w fl•toll
tilliv• whviva- Inally nialler �-Irc:lllis h;Ivv 11.1 fl-Ii ]I.
will lilvadows ark. typical examph'S of ,( lit-.% -A.LrPII:II1-
elwked ity lovaliv .• dt-1.1 liebri, If Pined-Or. I-
dent tilat 1141rI-Pllivdalv vnl lon ha11_ ]w,n .,1: :1"'. itill I ;Ic
11"'Irs of lar , -frer :-tivallI.S :It:%] that the prv!zvnt !mitriforms art, It:—
fA)&.;il sm-faves, that is, lioldove•R from tile Plefcv••ne I 11,6th-1.
ierly used as a storage
veral Mud Lakes in the .
one, covering about 2
Taha area, and is 140
fiddle Lake, which oc-
r basin. It has no sur-
d part of Salmon For -
> 3 acres and ranges in
feet. It is dry in sum -
months. It is used for
tral Jefferson County,
,ered 2,460 acres —and
-e than that years ago.
is 'elsewhere given as
is slowly disappearing,
no surface outlet, and
;s Creek flows into it.
filar- shaped lake is just
and is connected with
hannel. It is a favorite
ake, 3 miles long and
a wide, is 1% m. south
;reatest depth is about
; is stocked with perch
informant declares "it
use."
are hundreds of name -
f which are important.
if Soda Springs beyond
With neither inlet nor
any springs visible on
vely and unusual body
und with steep walls.
is a small lake at the
southwest of Wallace.
p of lovely lakes close
is one of a group of
south central part of
ortheast of St. Maries.
treme southwestern
,st, this deep barren
acres.
hallis Forest, this is
of Slate Creek, which
in Salmon a few miles
layton. Boulder and
t southeast.
Lake is in the Crags
y and Lochsa Rivers.
it is the largest of a
rTlu /0
THE PHYSIC L �STAT ( �G 73
group. They are all remote from roads,
and are in unusually rugged and pictur-
esque country.
Packsaddle. This, covering 20 acres, is on
the Teton River watershed 12 m. north-
west of Driggs. It forms the headwaters
of the North Fork of Packsaddle Creek.
Crescent - shaped, and with an extreme
depth of 80 feet, it is lovely, but acces-
sible only by trail.
Palisade. These two, Upper and Lower,
are east of Swan Valley in the Targhee
Forest. The Upper Lake, 7. in from the
Palisade Campground by trail, is a land-
locked body covering 500 acres. The
Lower, covering 60 acres, and 31A m.
from the camp, is framed by deeply sculp-
tured mountains, heavily forested.
Payette. The Upper Payette is 19 m.
north of McCall on the McCall- Warren
road. It has an area of about 80 acres,
with green meadows or timber surround-
ing it, and with a Forest Service camp
on the west side. The Lower Payette (at
McCall) is about 7 miles long, 40 miles
in circumference, with a maximum depth
of at least 300 feet. The south half is
surrounded by lodgepole and yellow pine,
the upper half by Douglas and white fir.
This beautiful lake is the center of a
resort area.
Pend d'Oreille. This, the largest lake in
Idaho and one of the largest fresh water
lakes in the United States, is in Bonner
and Kootenai Counties, with an area of
180 square miles. The extreme length is
65 miles, extreme width 16, shore line
over 300. Soundings have been made to a
depth of 2,500 feet. Its low -water eleva-
tion is raised 15 to 30 feet in spring and
early summer months. In the lake are a
number of islands, the largest of which
covers 160 acres. Another source, appar-
ently equally trustworthy, gives smaller
dimensions. The chief tributary of Lake
Pend d'Oreille is the Clark Fork, the
chief outlet, Pend d'Oreille River.
Pettit. This, one of the loveliest lakes in
the State, is at the foot of the Sawtooth
Peaks. It is % by % mile. A part of its
shore has been made available to summer
homes.
Pinyon. The three Pinyon Lakes are on
the head of Canyon Creek under the north
wall of Pinyon Peak in the Challis For-
est. They are 24 m. north of Stanley.
Priest. Situated 22 m. west of Sandpoint,
beautiful Priest Lake, with its islands and
its backdrop of magnificent timber, is
24 miles long by 14 wide. The upper part
is 8 miles by 5%. It drains 572 square
miles. More and more it is coming to be
the center of a resort area.
Rainbow. There are many Rainbow Lakes.
This one is in the Boise Forest at the
base of Trinity Peak at the south central
part. The water, occupying a glacial
basin, is deep and clear. It is abundantly
stocked with trout.
Rainbow. This small lake is on a tribu-
tary of Champion Creek, in the lake dis-
trict that lies east of U S 93 and the Saw -
tooth area.
Rainbow. This lake, also small, is in the
Buffalo Hump region. It is stocked with
trout and much frequented by the public
during summer months.
Rainbow. This is in the Six Lakes basin
in the Weiser Forest. Very deep, and
covering about 1 acre, this lake is acces-
sible by trail from the Horse Pasture
basin. It is high, rugged country and
very lovely. .
Red. This is a small subalpine lake just
south of Lone Pine Peak, southeast of
Challis.
Redfish. Big Redfish Lake is the largest
body of water in the Sawtooth area. It is
about 4% miles long, with an average
width of % of a mile. A good road ap-
proaches it at the north end and extends
around the west side % mile and around
the east side 1 mile. Around the inlet at
the south end are excellent camping spots.
Little Redfish is only % m, off U S 93
just south of Stanley. It is circular in
shape and about % mile in diameter. The
view from the north end is very impres-
sive.
Revett. This, under Granite Peak in the
Coeur d'Alene Forest, is one of a group
of eighty high - elevation lakes.
Riordan. This lake, covering about 80
acres, lies at the head of Riordan Creek,
a tributary of Johnson Creek, in the Pay-
ette Forest. Fishing in it is excellent.
It is accessible 7 m. by trail from the
nearest road.
Roaring River. This is in a high glacial
basin in south central Boise Forest. It
has a perimeter exceeding 2 miles. The
water is deep and clear, and well stocked
with trout.
Robinson. This lake, covering about 80
acres, is at the upper end of Round
Prairie, 8 m. northwest of Eastport.
WCALL PUetlC LIBRARY
Box
MOMLI..I[)AHO W38
1
northwest end of lake. Turn to lake from highway #72 west and
south of Nampa. Special motorboat regulations certain seasons of
the year. Perch, catfish, largemouth bass and crappies. Good water-
fowl hunting in specified sections of refuge.
FISH LAKE (MUD LAKE) —Adams county. In New Meadows re-
gion. About 25 acres when full. Turn south from highway #15 near
townsite of Old Meadows on gravel road first mile, then four miles
dirt. Slick when wet. No camping facilities.
Brook trout and rainbow. Motors prohibited.
HELLS CANYON RESERVOIR—Adams County.
Oxbow Dam and Hells Canyon Damon the Snake River• Reservoir
about 23 miles long with 2500 surface acres when full. Access from
Idaho side via Cambridge on state highway #71-Also from Council
over Seven Devils Range and down narrow road on Kliensmidt Grade.
Excellent public camping area provided by Idaho Power Company, at
foot of grade with tables, toilets, boat ramp, docks and electric out-
lets. Bass, crappie and trout.
HERRICK RESERVOIR — Valley county. Also known as Skunk Creek
Reservoir. About 20 acres when full. Turn east at Clear Creek store
from highway . # 15 on Boise - McCall route. Four miles east and south
taking right turns at the two forks encountered. Private land open
to public use. Camping and sanitary facilities. Stocked yearly with
rainbow trout. Motors prohibited for'fishing.
HORSESHOE BEND POND -
acres when full. Former ingjje County. Approximately 12 sur-
face about 1.5 miles north of Horseshoe eBende on Highway fg 15.
Turn right at bottom of slight grade before crossing Paett River.
Public parking area and toilets. Rainbow trout.
HORSETHIEF RESERVOIR — Valley County. Located approximately
nine miles east of Cascade. Turn right off Highway 15 at north
edge Cascade on Warm Lake road for about six miles. Turn right
at Horsethief Reservoir sign to lake. Lake area 275 acres when full.
Public boat ramp, parking and toilets on wes
bow trout. t side of reservoir. Rain-
_
JENKINS RESERVOIR— Washington county. About 10 acres in size
this reservoir is reached by driving west from Weiser on the Pioneer
Road for one and one -half miles, then north on Jenkins Creek road
about six miles, then west through unmarked gate. Public access
permitted through private property until mid - summer when gate is
locked as fire prevention measure. Stocked with catchable rainbow
trout. Bank fishing. No facilities..
LOST VALLEY RESERVOIR —Adams county. Approximately 800
acres when full. Forest Service campground on east entrance. Camp-
ing spots around lake but not improved. Boat ramp on south shore,
east Hof dam approximately 1 /.l mile. Private docks on east end. Turn
west from highway #95 at Pine Ridge about 16 miles north of
Council. Forest road about six miles. Rainbow and brook trout.
—28--
LUCKY PEAK RESERVOIR —Ada county. East of Boise about seven
miles. Flood control project and is lowered in fall. Public access all
around. Several roads lead to lake, one across top of dam. Spring
Shores Marina on northeast side. Turn from Boise -Idaho City high-
way at high bridge. Ramps, boats, restaurant, etc. in summer months.
Bank fishing and trolling. Open year around to fishing, water skiing,
etc. Rainbow and kokanee.
MUD LAKE — Valley county. About six acres located east of Land-
mark in the mountain area. Take Pistol Creek Ridge road from Land-
mark which is about 40 miles east of Cascade. Turn left at first fork
about four miles from Landmark. No established cam
boat launching facilities. Marsh perimeter makes bank fishing diffi-
cult. Elevation, 7000 feet. Brook trout.
OXBOW RESERVOIR —Adams county. Located on Snake River,
Hells Canyon area. About 12 miles long and 1500 surface acres.
Access from Cambridge on U.S. highway #95, west on state highway
#71 (oiled road) approximately 29 miles to upper end of reservoir;
41 miles to Idaho Power Company dam. Boat launching spots and
toilets along reservoir on Oregon side. Excellent public camp operated
by the Idaho Power at upper end on the-Idaho side. Other camping
and recreational sites available within a fete minutes driving time
upstream along Brownlee Reservoir and Brownlee Creek. Small and
largemouth bass, crappie, some trout and whitefish, bullheads and
channel catfish.
PADDOCK VALLEY RESERVOIR —NN ashington county. About
17,000 acres when full. Turn from highway #52 at the Little Willow
Creek road about six miles south of city of Payette. Drive about 20
Willow Creek to 'lltund end when wet Ncap ng or pub is facilities. bass. Bullhead catfish largemouth
UPPER PAYETTE LAKE — Valley county. About 200 acres when
full. Seventeen miles north of McCall on McCall - Burgdorf road.
Camp grounds on west side with tables, etc. Also on north end. No
boat launching facilities. Best spot to launch is at south end just_
1 above the dam. Rainbow trout.
LOWER (MAIN) PAYETTE LAKE — Valley county. A p
1000 acres located at McCall on State highway #15 about r100 miles
j north of Boise. Public access from state 15 and around most of the
lake. Beach for swimming west side of city. Ponderosa Camp, state
park on east side of lake with beach, sanitary facilities, boat ramp
just above. Access to north beach on east shore at upper
Shore drive goes all the way around the lake. Boaaunc a -ig or
both small and large craft from trailers at McCall city dock and
ramp. No charge. Rental boats at two marinas at north edge of
McCall. Motels, cabins, hotels at McCall and vicinity. Rainbow and
mackinaw trout, kokanee, perch and whitefish.
—29—
LITTLE PAYETTE LAKE — Valley county. About 300 acres located
three miles east of McCall golf course on Lick Creek road. Undevel-
oped parking and boat access. No other facilities. Rainbow, white-
fish and kokanee. Popular for ice fishing. '
SAGEHEN RESERVOIR —Gem county. About 180 acres when full.
Take oiled road north from State highway #52 between Emmett and
Horseshoe Bend to Ola, then 18 miles graveled road to reservoir.
Forested area around lake with improved Forest Service camp-
grounds. Two boat ramps. Tables, sanitary facilities and water.
Stocked frequently with rainbow trout. Trolling and bank fishing.
SPANGLER RESERVOIR — Washington county. Normal capacity
280 surface acres. Conservation pool reserve for 2000 acre feet with
87 surface acres. Located on Mann's Creek. Turn hest from U.S. High-
way #95 approximately 10 miles north of Weiser. Approximately one
mile to the dam. Two ramps on east side reservoir. Parking area and
sanitary facilities across dam on west side. Rainbow trout. Public
access around entire reservoir.
SU31MIT LAKE — Valley county. East of Warm Lake on the summit
between Warm Lake and Landmark. About three acres in size. Turn
left at top of summit to parking area and campgrounds. Walk one -
fourth mile northwest on trail. Brook trout.
TRIPOD RESERVOIR — Valley county. About eight acres. Turn west
from state highway 15 between Boise and McCall at Smith Ferry.
Climb on dirt road about two miles. Small parking area, toilet and
few tables. Motors prohibited. Stocked with rainbow trout during
season.
WARM LAKE — Valley county. About 640 acres in forested region
east of Cascade. 25 miles on part oiled and gravel road. Public camp
grounds and boat ramp near the lake outlet. Another camp grounds
just west of North Shore Lodge. Two lodges at the lake with cabins,
boat docking and facilities. Good brook trout fishery with rainbow
and kokanee. Best fishing by boat. Beach for swimming.
AJ-WET GULCH PONDS— Payette county. Two ponds, both less than
seven acres, 15 miles from city of Payette. Turn off the Willow Creek
road at Dodson Ranch. Private property, but permission to use may
be obtained. Bass, crappie, perch and catfish. No facilities.
WCALL PUBLIC LIBRARY.
aox "a
d McCALL, IDAHO 8638
--30—
NR
�D
IT
LITTLE REDFISH LAKE
-�1—
5
A- �.
tai``' �• '' <! "e'.'.r'
Yellow Pine Activity
Cascade News
June 279 1919
Volumn V
Number 13
Ilassrs. Frank Nowak of Chicago and J. J. Robbins of Poise,
arrived in Cascade Tuesday evening on their way to Yellow Pine,
where they will look over the Alexander and Williams Antimony mine
and other properties owned by the Nowak Company, Incorporated, with
a view to ascertaining what additional tools and supplies are needed,
for the additional men to be employed f -r the season's work. Extensive
orperations will begin about July 15th. Mr. Robbins expects to have
several large freighting outfits operating between Cascade and Yellow
Pine during the present season.
The Nowak Company is now shipping to Cascade a cyanide plant and
other machinery which is expect`,, to arrive within a few days and will
at once be taken in to the mines.
•
9
Behne Still Boosting
Cascade Dews
June 189 1920
Volumn VI
Number 30
A. C. Behne of Yellow Pine arrived tuesday on his way to Boise
where he will meet a party of eaetern men who are interested in
mining properties in the Yellow Pine district. Vx. Behne says the
people of his section axe much elated over the prozpects of being
linked up closer with the_ outside world as a result of road work
planned for the present season. He says the people who have clung
to that section and pinned their faith to its wonderful possibilities
are now begining to realize that they waiting has not been in vain,
as rapid development is sure to follow the building of a read that
will make the transportation of machinery and supplies comparatively
easy. Steps are being taken to build a school house at Yellow Pine
for the accommodation of a number of children who are now isolated
from educational advantages.
GEOLOGICAL PAST
Payette Lakes Star - - --
Geologist Tells o,,, �istoric Past (three parts)
Vol. XXXI toter 27, 1949 #40
Vol. XXXI Nov &ahe-r 3. 1949 #41
Vol. Decemoer' =949 #44
I-
Ii
Geologist Tells of Historic Past
Payette Takes Star
October 27, 1949
volumn XXXi
Number 40
Hy: Ray E. Colton, Geologist
The prehistoric past of Valley county and the Payette Takes
area is written in the Worry of :cocks, petrified wood snd sedimentary
depositsf
I- allions of years before the advent of man in what is today
the geographical confinss of Valley county, and with particular
reference to the local district designated as Payette Lakes end the
McCall area, Old Mother Nature began to write the record of her
prehistoric creative and destructive genius.
Not on graven tablet or on vritten. or printed pags did the
Old Dame leave this indelible record here for man of today to
decipher, but instead, shR has left the record in the .form of rocks,
volepr.ic lava portions, sediwentexy rocks, petrified woods and in
impressions of l u; vanishe:l leaves which werw one time the
living parts of giant trees.
And in these, and in many other ways :nas Old Mother Nature
left the record hero locally.
And man in the dual role of the geologist and the paleontolo-
gist, has learned to interpret this .record, with urerriny accuracy.
Three reri.ods of g,ec7.o is tirnA f+xe rep-resented here
Directly, in the McCall. {Payette 'Lakes; alva geologic time is
represented by three major eras of the record, i. e., Paleozoil,
Mesozoic said Cenozoic, In discussing these eraa,,.each of :hich was
mil?.ions of years in duration, we will first take the Cenozoic,
which owing to its lo,.gmtivity and its diversified forms of life,
principally of the land maamal types, ban been divided into two
major .epochs as
follows: 1.
tertiary
or "age of mammals ",
2.
Cuateimary or "
: msn."
The tertiary
epoch is further
sub-
divided as follows: (a) Eocene, forme of life prevai,lln6 then
here in this area. of" present day Idaho, were smell, mammals, rodents,
etc. (b) Oligocene, forms of lie ;prevailing here were ancestral
types of those here during :Eocenes,times;; (c)'liiocens norms of.life
prevailing were three toed horses, rhinos, camels; W Pliocene,
forms of lire prevailing here some mammoths and mastodons (elephants)
but as glacial ice sheets approached from the north, as evidence
today in moraineoAnd glacial debris shams in the McCall (Payette
Lakes) region of Valley county, these types of mammoths, gradually
became extinct. Today hundreds of thousands of years after their
dem. <), teeth and potions of femurs are found in:grravel deposits
in Valley county.
Following the end of the tertiary epoch which cloned with the
end of the Pliocene, there came a geologic sequence the Quaternary
epoch, which for the purpose of geologic .simplicity, has been fur-
ther subdivided as follows:
(a) Pleistocene, forms of life prevailing herd were in all
probability soma small.mamnals and sabre tooth tiger; (b >hn and his
culture, this means ancient and modern Indian races.
Trn2, i.cal plan exid tree life here during Hoene times.
During the Eocene period of Tertiary erolegic rind Nbout
100,000 years age, this area of present day northern Idaho and W
Wyatte Sakes region of Valley county, contained, as is evidenced
by fossil leaves found in eanStone formatiorz, various types of
pliant and tee life, some of which can well be placed in the semi -
topic,a.l. category. It is assumed on the basis of what has been
discovered here in this repect, that this area than enjoyed a climatic
condition far more moderate than now exists. this would have been
necessary in order to support life which is evidenced in the fossil .
wood portions found and the leaf impressions in the sandstone.
.3n
Eocene palms, Miocene maple and willow trees predominated with some
ancien"o Sequoias do not exist here today, their places have been
taken by large growths of pine which you see standing today along
the shores of Payette Lake.
There has been little change in the types of trees eince
remote geologic times, present day maples and elm offering the same
leaf system as predecessors of hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Previous to the beginning of the Cenozoic geologic eras discussed
in this article at length, the Mesozoic era was in existene, and this
era termed the "a7,9 of reptiles" was composed of three subper'.ods as
follovs:
1. Triassic, forms of life here then, were some small dinosaurs,
"terrible lizards" and large growths of tropical vegetation.
2. Jurassic, forms of life here wens birds and flying reptiles,
no fossil bones of the dinosaurs have been found in this area, yet
this is no proof that such forms of life were not at one time common
habituates of this area of present day Idaho.
3. Cretaceous, forms of life were giant dinosaurs, reaching
their maturity before being obliterated as new forms of .life arrived,
and fishes in ancient lakes, then existing Here.
Note: Payette Lake is not included, as this lake is the result
of glacial times, millions of yearn.
:39
Geologist Tells of Historic Fast
Payette Lakes Star
November 3, 1949
Volumn XXXI
Number 41
Paleozoic ,geologic times is represented in Valley county by
evidence in the form of rock bases of the mountains!
The Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras have already been discussed inso-
far as evidenc� at to their one time existence here in what is today
Valley county and the Payette Lakes area, locally defined as McCall -
Lardo, townshiplB north, range 3 east. Boise Meridian, Donnelly
township 16 north, range 3 east, B. M.
In this article the Pa_lezoie geologiio era will be discussed
insofar as the evidenced is concerned in the fords of rocks, petrified
woods, etc., found in the exeas given above in Valley County. Between
the south fork of the Salmon river, at a point n ^ax make Fork
Ranger station and McCall, rocks of Paleozoic geologic times are
in evidence such as g:arites, schists, etc. These rocks possess vast
geologic antiquity in as much as they date back to Paleozoic times,
an ers which passed over 500,000,000 years s.zo , when it was contributing
finally to modern times.
Some volcanic lavas and pyroclastic material, evidently at one
time in a molten state, also appear in the sequence near the Lake Fork
rangmer station. From this it is deduced wit;i very little difficulty,
that volcanic activity was - 1revalent here during Tertiary geologic
time, already discussed in article 1 of this series which appeared in la
last weekfs issue of tho Star.
Sandstones found in the area arouiad Upper Fayette Lake at a.
point near Box Lake which lies to the east of Upper Payette Lake
Geologist Tells of Historic Past
Payette Lakes Star
November 3, 1949
Volumn XXXI
Number 41
Paleozoic geologic times is represented in Valley county by
.�1
evidence in the form of rock bases of the mountains!
The Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras have already been discussed inso-
far as evidenc? at to their one time existence here in what is today
Valley county and the Payette Lakes area, locally defined as McCail-
Lardo, towinshipl8 north, range 3 east. Boise Meridian, Donnelly
township 16 orth, rangy 3 east, B. M.
In this idle the Palezoio geologic era will be discussed
insofar as the ev denced is concerned in the forms of rocks, petrified
woods, etc., found i the Fleas given above in Valley County. Between
the south fork of the won river, at a point noar Lake Fork
Ranger station and McCall,'rocks of Paleozoic geologic times are
in evidence such as g`arites,\schists, etc. These rocks possess vast
geologic antiquity in as much as \they date back to Paleozoic times,
an era which passed over 500,OCO,060 years rLgo, when it was contributing
finally to modern times.
Some volcanic lavers and pyroclastic :terial, evidently at one
time in a molten state, also €Ppesr in the s quence near the Lake Fork
ranger station. From this it is deduced with ry little difficulty,
that volcanic activity was rrevalent here during ertiary geologic
time, already discusseu in article 1 of this series hick appeared in la
last week's issue of the Star.
Sandstones found in the area aroubd Upper Payette Lake at a.
point near Box Lake which lies to the east of Upper Payette Lake
contain leaf impressions of plant life of a byCone age. These
impressions are very well preserved in the sandstone formation,
which is very brittle and subject to breakage as soon as exposed to
outside atmospheric conditions.
In the Boyles rancb area of Valley county near the soon creek
ranC; r statics, impressions of leaves alsa appear in the local strata.
How Fossils Were Formed ---
It would be a serious mistaken to reCaxd r:,.ture as divided into
a number of disti.nc: and independent schools of fc:,3il :i:~ when
life of prehistoric times was being perpetuated, after death., into
remains in the form of bones, impressions of plant life in orndstonea,
etc. There are, however, certain f'ea'tures which stand out so pro-
minently that a little claosification becones ;rather helpf`:l.
1. Impressions of plants and leaves euch as are fo-and in the
sandstone formations of Valley county any 4 discusscd herein, are the
result of the weight of surrounding sediments making a cast of the
leafafter it fell from the limb of the tree of which it was one time
a living part.
2. Parts of plants and animals which were contemperaneous with
certain periods of Ceologic time, wera gradually replaced with
mineral matter with little or no +changs from the original form and
tc:-ture of the speciman, Fossils of this class, including woods are
classed as petrific 1.
3. Many animals emong the invertebrates which inhabited this
area of present day Forthern Idaho durin pant periods of the
geologic record, apparently used mineral cubstances for p-itecting
or supporting sti ^hurt;. Small plants of various kinds evidently
followed a similar practice. These structures, having been produced
sandstone, limestora and other strata, were raadily converted into `
P
ossils. The shells of ancient Idaho's sea life arch as Malluska am
the best known illustrations in this field, and all that was required
for a Well to become a fossil, as we find it today in th_ limestone
formations of Valley county, was the extinction of the species of
the animal that produced. it. Fossils of this type are generally
extremely abundant.
4- Preservative oubstaa^ces, other than those vhich produced
ecmmon rocks here locally in the McCall -Lando area of the Fayette
Lakes region, may be herein mentioned as being among fossil making
possibilities.
s. Coal beds often produce fossils of an unuzua,l sort. During
the formation of coal plant material ,gradually lost some of its
more perishable substances, but retained tha nexbon. which possesed
better lasting qualities and slowly accumulated to produce the seams
and veins of present day coal measures.
luring the early stages of the process of coal making, the
original vegetation underwent very little change in appearance, but
eventually all of the character of the plant life was lost, as
aeons of geologic time passed. MaiW fossil leaven arcs found as
thin layer of caxbon in the coal beds of today.
42
Geologist Tells of Historic Past
Payette Lakes Star
December 1949
Volumn. =
Number 44
Fossilization was or.3 of old Mother Nature's master feats in
perpetuation of life which existed here in c.is area of Idaho during
past periods of the geologic record!
Footprints of lc.ng vanished reptilian and animal life need little
explanation, other than a consideration of the cor itions which
mac..:: them possible to exist millions of years after they were
created, by the reptile or animal resting his w ^ight on soft sandstone
or other strata. The sand or mud must have been rz:zither too soft nor
too hard to take the form of the foot and to retrain its, {the foots)
shape, after it w,-:s withdrawn. Then in some manner the impression
must have been protected down through aeons of geologic time, while
the rock: maki g process went on. 1Ilien such protection was obtained
it was in all probability more mud or sans deposited over the surface
which received the impression originally.
At a later period of geologic time 11.,h3 covering became sepa
rated from the ]lower part of the deposit v:,dch first received the
impressicn and if the separation ws3 accomplished. successfully a
natural cast of the foot was obtained and a cast of the cold was also
obtained.
Impressions of the leaves already discussed as having been
found in sandstone formations of Valley county and the Payette Lakes reg
region are explained in much the same manner except that the leaf
as are examination discloses, remained under its decayed. The smaller
fishes such ?3 one time inhabited long vanished bodies of fresh
water of this region of present &iy northern Idaho, furnished much
better material fc '.e perpetuation of fossil remains. While the fish
was being flattened by the weight of the surrounding earth sediments,
scales, fins and soft bones, retained their position and no doubt
provided the necessary resistance to leave an impressixm of the body
form when the flesh of the fish had denayed. The result of this is
generally the finding of the impression of the fish in the sandstone,
and in soma cases entombed in sheets of volcanic lava, as the case is
in finds of this type, made in ,southeastern Idaho in volcanic form-
ations in the Montpelier district of Betas Lake county.
Besides converting, bony or woody objects into rock substance,
mineral 2aplacements also no doubt asst, ted in the production, and
preservation of fossils in another ,manner. It often resulted in the
filling of cavities with some rock - matting cubstarce which evidently
retarded destruction through crushing ei other injury. In many
c-xes so- called fossil shells marine "sea"', types usually found in
conglomerates of strata, ,yet ;sometimes in other formatior..m, e;uc!1..ss
shales, are not. shells at all. Instead, they are merely a atony
filling{ which was one time surrounded. at a remote perio3 of Tcologi.c
time by shell substance. In � ther instances the original shell remained
as it was during the life of its former occupant preservation of the
shell being due to the s,zbstituti.on of a mineral filler for the soft
aminal tissues one time present.
Formation of Idt ho Limestone was a cars process
Leaving the discussion, of the fossils, we will discuso the
limestone formations found in Palley county, some in the Stibnite
area, and these formations are formed from minute remains of marine
microscop'.o and larger animals. Limestone came into existence thro^agh
a more elaborate process than that which produced the aandstones and
shales of the McCall - Donnelly- Cascad.e3 avid other areas of the Baycttes
Lakes region.
LONG VALLEY ADVOCATE
Cascade News- - - - - --
Int_., er... �stin„Exc�er�ts From Intial Issue
ng;
of Low, Pir:3t h'ewsnaoer
Vol. XX)VI June 22, 1951 #47
Long Valley Advocate - - - --
Establish A State Park
January 12, 1905
To Preserve- :La_ rye Gamy,
January 12, 1905
Clean UD The La 6c ,Shore
Town Killers
May 4, 19o5
January 17, 1907
44 .
Payette N; F,
CULTURAL RESOURCEL(
Skett-bes of
IDAHO GEOLOGY
by
Edward F'. It 110dellh' I'll 911,
�W.-w .. - ".Jw-# - - I,-
--7!
102 SKPTCIIES 01" [uAtlo GEOLOGY
Enough hw, now been given about glacial alterations in valleys
and s {)e, ial toputn•aphic forrlls produced by abrading ice, and
also depowits by glaciers, to enable the reader to identify thein
when seen. N%,k� now p['opo:.e a visit to a few of the more otit-
standing glaciated niuuntain 1'egion9 in Idaho.
FORMER GLACIERS IN THE PAYETTE LAKE. REGION
This region is very familiar to the writer because of many
summers of exploration.
With the set.tiu�; ul,, from unknown causes', of a routine of
long, cold Nvinters and shorter, cooler summers and plenty of
moisture, deep ,nowtielcls i►ccumulated over the higher ridge.
and granite plateaus north and east of Long Valley and Mead"'s
Valley. A high, broad expanse of white granite call be seen
northeast of Payette Lake and this, without any forest, was
blanketed with eternal snow relieved only occasionally by jutting
•hi��i�_►,a;,f th�t�].1,t11� =...,.- , _mil „mot
rocks and pi"111tcIl'9. isf�r ' at.�:P•�L�l�w- ��rrtT r !ltftt
.{�roai�►Itc►tnr. ,} l�onnrf �' b' �Ct1�,' tm�f�' tltt'' 1` i�b 'f?`frvrrrt�m�tit'�'"I'�t'r'•
I�e� ►g..�sllol,�,..�1�aaciau+�A} I�rwl��au�Verl iey�- be}aw�l��
Er�bha►i�l..gc;cicu:►.1 ac: uu�rma� ►t- ��"neeo�'t�ttt°ht�"'��+I�
4Ile=t nttrmYm. Iii the higher canyons that reached into the deep
snowtiel(Is things were ditferent. 'Thick ice tongues }�creptslo�
downgrade. i"�b�o- f�+c�' <k�°�+�+'O'�'�'
d�+ twl. iv. �t.. �s► u: aa, c> w�++ wUiJwrnn�t ,.}��••fac»rt�J}.�..�:.�� -b ,i n,0UM1
.>Qaill�.ue�t�l:r>,ltusg•• t> r�k }�r4r�+�I�e+#t�- i�le'•�'tt�}`L•
rj�ldtitll.;. lii4tt r a t�Sha' �iKrrtit' t' Y44rctC! fr' f"! ce `s�rn°etkrnci�i�4��tarJ,+�+p+ *�'
FwtFd;• dark: �- I• I. ��- tit�irre rl- �str�fen�utcrrne�v�t��u'�L 'I'ht•
ticbhi�tllt icy iTrue6 }�ttv'en'at'c�e�t'f'iI43"�t for the grouvint-
at the turn, and erratics or perched boulders here and on Slick
Rock, indicate at least that depth. 14 %vther -dUUaj.: .•the-furmy+
e}tx:i.,:ic.putirui: t, laut~, a,. ftur.>,: tr. c�. tna�i�' .a.�iraniid..rQtard�dlhd -irr+
*110v!alvlU 1i11d._wa:lAW-erA(ldUu +uLU„w l•a si4�raeied t*etett9i��et
When the glacier 'a coining through it must have been greatly.
cross- c•revassed by this great bump in its bed. It may even luoC
come down in broken masses to be re- constructed as it piled 1111
below, fhe gradient from here on to Little Payette Lake Is
gentler and the valley wider.
Alg�i�,Ni .I31mve{}�r -tl! tie; �try�tle" tff° bhS�ttLl'�''t"dt"1C:tlitsttt'!�
faot.Iligh, Lite,glzieiaer- •�vxe�prvhabl� halted'"ilritt"t1 flCR't�tt"ttP°Ehr"
s,iuilz.L_►«_ui�l.Luuly,x }IK A part of it may have gone to tilt'
north over the low ridge that no%%' borders Little Lake but thiIt
is o nut , likely since a more massive glacier blocked passage io
3
i�
d
s
r^rtt::
_` _mil i -/�,�� ��r �• ��°� i1 /:.r�•4t.tir�l�f .t� -. -��
Wi
Ij
,,��r ' {; ..ice /i _ / �� I X11 t /li �{ ♦Ili, _,�t,'
r/'{.r .rI �,� �/( '� (fl ,� .i !',j} I', • r ' i'��� (J '' Ire r,� /i`l.i as �.
� % I,.lif• � ... .,r r � r •3i�4J I4 V, jj� � � l l; � , 'l. • . �_�� _. , /�� ,�p
• j� „�i � • �rY �,.. rte. ;,,: � �� -�. ... �.). ,� y � ", ;,� - y r
�� .5t l,�'! ��✓�� _T�jtt� „� 3 ��' `t r� i�.••`�`.' Y -� \����f,�
err •� /, -� -?�f4 .7
scj. ,�.i!•i {.:..+= �frT`i4i1 rjl,.�w._ �<s ^:�.'/C�1. ..t�'�'- � y�:�%:. ;,� _' !.. Nar•it•_ G �_ -�``.
Ail. % 1 j {�. (gip. c 1r r•,i "r : *1 F.Oyi' • r %i! r
' Fi /'�• '1• 1 �Iff ;% yl� 1. .1 �I+I� ,•y!! ,�'a• l.” M ..r �••,
1 � i r ltihl '}i�. •y,: i.li �= -- • =� . �� !r •.� . , ,� t /�►!r'' n.. <� t' ter• ._ ��
E (�.l � ( .�,^j, wf /� / , ►w = -: ,� fr --. � � �R: ✓ ''� -ate. h —"
'�'�' P ( -r! �•- �'/ ray`;, r -' f �v/2', �
,y t � �G��',yi if r-- � .�'`,C t..- _ -1 r-...: - � _ •.�r��l • �i{i' )n ,r7j r /'..,f�r�r� `1�„ 1. �' -
t,` {,w y. � �����'+s'�- ���i`�, �• � Ir,rr� �• Q �- �'�r, "�� � � .�,(;!.i:.� �.,��5"'C+�'Q ».:� J.l I f..� `Vlt�''.. ,.. .;Il� 'J:
t S "r- v�`� r' •� • " /:'' ;,��,. t'"'�t'� ?�QQ,�•�>fi,4 ® \i��.�',t:1!1��,
�_ e'r`r~ �� /'`/t �:' � %.�-:• 1 �.�^�'��. ..���� � �y1 `!`.t��
WC
- %'��.fr� 1� ;�-r'•,t. C,,. ���.� . ,;'.,��-- �,;��.f: -�t`,l "y������}, . '' , r��r •T', i. L ..�.•t'r
.4...' �fY�':�'1����.k�,fv %41;Tr ,t � � `t, �./,( � � -� `•
SLICK ROCK (GLACIATED) ON WEST WALL OF NORTH FORK OF LAKE FORK
Perched boulders lie on the slopes eight hundred feet above the canyon 'floor
104 tiK1:rcm.'s m., iDA110 GEOLOGY
that direction. fee- transported granite boulders lie loosely o11
the basalt dupes near the top of Blackwell's Butte so that give,
a check on ice depth.
` We will now trace the course of the larger glacier referred tn.
�ectw + to - -6k m- hwi- 4i- vhen4� in. the-
of these headed in the high peaks to the east andemn*-&wwu"
l u�afp- t►+aucls• +If,.'Tweuty►•�D`L ;le t;l��L; another ice stream came in
from the northwest from �3e++d.�►irr•r!e>*wv�l�r
Gr"k; still another, fed from a ieow-
r••ut„S��u;�tiu,.�Lcat1S�1 came down the rough, short canyon
into the basin. From the contluence of these .w r
+ auk++ ►rklrmtrrl• �+t^�1•�i 're�eko and its coil tri buti ng, icy.
stream. From here on the ice must have been deep and ver'
a
active for the confining canyon walls re a half -mile apart and
cut back to vertical cliffs. So over - steepened are they that rock -
slides from above have since pitched down over the walls.
J�1FWferr�morrrnt lr�cl��bltrert�na- �lrrea
y; ` d. l►► w, tier,L.�3+�.it1►�wt.Lw.I.a�lia. h:�E .
s -��ue: tiwar>#duudt«•IrriAl•�«�r
t to .�}s�or�aic�of+•dhe�sc*e�wrna+ � e��•ai
Kliorielr�e+til�et M, Un the
top of this high Flub are sub- rounded granite boulders left there
� -.ter;. � � i....u.- ,,;,.. -• .. • , `, ; , ., • ;
�
,
} ICE - TRANSPORTED GRANITE BOULDER
Perched upon the basalt rock of the Peninsula at Payette Lake
,� * �1�Mtilgl1`L1t!►'�' wR•.r..,ypn.�_•: �ii1.1"'n' :'.it ?.*6rtQ'�sRdu�/r►iu._.t_,�
.N
i
► GLACIERS IN IDAHO 105
hen the ice (still higher) melted and let theulr down. These had
upon the ice soinewhere up the canyon abode the present
lake.
ed to.
ryct t,•
On,. WAS THE LAKE BASIN A FORME It VOLCANIC CRA'T'ER?
'n the f
Ire in This suggestion has been offered by some persons not too
rugar familiar with the work that moving ice can do. It, however,
n the deserves some consideration. Examination of the basaltic rock
.n yon ' of Arnold's Bluff across the Narrows from Sylvan Beach shows
reanr 1 it to be of the same type as in Blac:kwell's Butte also on the hills
1Ce, west of,the lake, and over much of the country west of New
very Meadows. This location, as previously noted, is on the eastern
and margin of the Seven Oevils section of the Columbia Plateau
u•1e.k.
%k-here Miocene lava flows predominate. The Idaho IBatholith
1 begins here and extends to the east. Nowhere to the west have
into any volcanic vents been identified —the lavas apparently errffe'd
ryue, up through fissures. The feeder dikes in such fissures can be
)rior found at the lake region and elsewhere. Actual volcanoes-, and
A of especially the types with large craters, always leave sonic ash,
the scoria or other fragmental material. None has ever been found
here in or around the lavas near Payette Lake. The conclusion, then,
is that the volcano hypothesis can be discarded.
IDEPTH AND SHAPE OF THE BASIN BENEA,rH TILE LAKE
To abate somewhat the rumors about the lake being "bottom-
less," and, at the same time satisfy his own curiosity, the writer
in the summer of 1925 niade a series of sorne forty soundings
%vith a wire 600 feet long with markers every ten feet. This was
worked from an improvised reel mounted oil the stern of a row-
boat. The Brown Lumber Company of ►MvCall provided their old
steam tug as motive power during one clay.
Soundings were made at intervals across I.he main lobe of
the lake, also along the main axis from outlet to inlet, and dower
the eastern arm of the lake. 4 *r- grentent depth. 4 -the inn4n-1,L)i e,
.►li�tl��aL.W;,t1�; Ld:u1�,�u�..�:�Ci.1'�rt. lu�tlru ,.L�':r,rruw�.exceU�,,a1;
lire�etr` ther�r► elw+ kh�cirl :t,l��•xir.�+a�!!•"�)�lvuL; u�.Li>- ,rl�►an
ti�t�boa�a�l&+ aw�.. atraun ,.E;kr��nel•- ��lrrml�tu�tbes. uu;I:�t.a�t�t>..
�la�wrlire�eeaAClir►g sMar��wunei 9o.f t,, which was the great-
est depth found anywhere.
The cross - sectional shape in either arm of the lake may former-
ly have been more like a broad U but now it seems more widely
i
107
;ti Iti JDATIO
lilt!
rj
k1
ell
th Ir ftwt, M0111(l thus
r
0)
As little as
0' C
law
have beell
it,, surplus Wiltel. 11111";t
th e last of the s
0 reduced
0 'A 0"
here lu►;I thee. of all
C.
remnants.
that hVight from tile
z
ii
037
,.Mai
"',-iter User's ASS"ciat'("' now
(jollij tless any
V o y.
'111(l
t .
at the outlet since they
to them,
Wz
II 1)e cljjrged
rol)1ell, Of colit),01.
ill have been ill the
the glacier
cla"ificat'01"
Beds a little further . , ack-
upon B1,
mite boulders ITMIM"
elevation of )pt'oXilllat6y
at a,,
It was ilko inferred that
tat. There bebeen Still above that.
have !I noted.
i,e pi-ohle'll-
F4
�t*'@*40q"e that by
J
4ito wed det Nvadd
ad
If to the pil
4�'
.tlie.
center of a glacier,
r 80 that, IWO1,11d"',
'ills
l
h lO\V divide, tie
V'e'r
I miles, 0 rl ri M-wrl—i
E
Tll(!--,e may, 01 may 'lot,
this ice bo(I.V
tr.
0—
1.
The Overllo',\ from
01. even over
lose Greek Callvoll
A. t, t1t Ifirectio", seent,
....... 10
LA
f7
gg
A-1
Itif- PAYETTE LAKE (A GLACIAL LAKE)
tol. the vast arni of the lake tim-ard the inlet
0
9
i
� -7-
f7
gg
A-1
Itif- PAYETTE LAKE (A GLACIAL LAKE)
tol. the vast arni of the lake tim-ard the inlet
0
9
i
tto SKETC11FS Or IDA110 GEOLOGY
It is a strange quirk of topography that causes the Secesh
to pick up its tributaries and then flow to the southeast curail f►o�,�
the Salmon but tell miles to the north. Capps- explains this be.
` havior bye a f.utlt trace that started the drainage in that direction.
S
1 it finally joins the South Fork and then its waters get back to th►-
Salmon. In the Basin the stream valleys are open and floore'l
with glacial till and glacio- fluvial stream gravels. Into such
t fillings the present streams have cut but little, but below the
Lower Seeesh meadows the gradient increases. It seems fair to
assume that in tune this swifter water will cut back upstream
and remove the deposits in the flats and meadows. It just hasn't
gotten around to it yet. Before that evil day the gold dredges
may get it first.
Stephen It. Capps in his studies in this district came to the
conclusion that there were certainly two, and possibly three.
stages of glacial action and deposition. As glaciers, even the
youngest, have not apparently existed there within the past
2000 or 3000 centuries we will have to reconstruct them from
their deposits —the oldest (probably Illinoian or Iowan) first.
OLDER GLACIERS
l�tu�in- •ihe�wc�t- �+lvl+ err- nf�a�halL�Dio�e�a�4 ,vt+as..�•iee�•si�r�e�IUumL
fornied and moved southwest then southeast
�f;.,1�u1�► .(yrrek�ttr •Hur ►r#. Its thickness must have been
hundreds of feet because remnants of its lateral moraines.
terr.►ced on Valley walls, have been placered 300 to 900 feet above
the valley floor. Small tributary glaciers from Bear Pete Moun-
tain joined the main glacier from the west.
. �w�,, uysel ,ul;�„f„..juailr;eee+�I� -kwva; its length was r►hout
12 miles.
r4 erevnct gttee#r headed on War Eagle Mountain and the south-
east slopes of a high ridge between Grouse and Lake creak --.
'Ilbi;�..i�+e.eti:aa r�►.•muus+d•�.lu+w��Wrwa�.if ua�c�4lsr.►rugh�tlwaf;i►Wrr+i
i,Liiltil;l:u:isw�...i�c:i►c:w clown.. lac: e: �l►.. 1ur��la�Levee�l4lc�dc� +t+w�lmlu�a
if�i�k, aaau�rr�efre►iiu�� Its length was 8 to 10 miles.
+ tfittriFtrt ,merrrl)irtr�esrrtl�Reekrron the south a third glacier
�+ t��, l.. aU�rat^ ,�et►u►ai�(�iw���tu:ik..La,thw. ber�ai�'t�eCti".s#'I�tft�'t
and below this wasuinud. l�? ye .+�iri��iar.t�twi+�J�eu+Liw*�'
It continued northward and was 4+cil h W..t�ile•e�r
Icrwet end•�ofi`th�" ttt"•ttctl!e:tiel �eaer.i� ex�t�.ii+Wl� :.ww".
Isere it sto1ped against its end moraine but it �ayt,al�a�.J�'•
i�l�uidea�wilu Ll�s �tw�uuu�+ d.. ofw .tl�a.l+akw.�Gawulc+wKle,o+e+� Deposit-
on the spur ridge mentioned have been placered 250 feet abuVe
the valley floor. This glacier was 10 miles long.
GLACIERS IN IDAHO ill
T
111 addition to these three main ice streams there were other
.►nailer tributary ones not metitioned here.
The deposits left by these older glaciers have been there for
U\It Ix-rhaps 6000 centuries and they show their age in discoloration
to hull: and brown colors and especially in the condition of the
Sul,- rounded, imbedded granite boulders. 'These for the most
part hold their form as they lie in undisturbed cut banks but if
:truck with a hammer they disintegrate to gravel and sand. On
,,W, exposed surfaces they have already M1111I ► led :uul lust their
shapes. Quartzite boulders and cobbles, however, are intact
wherever they are and it is mainly these that lie oil the surface.
For the early placer miners these served as a guide to the richer
diggings. It may be said here that it is not common for glacial
:coraines to be worth working for trold, iml-ticnla"I'N' by hand
methods, unless they have iwevionsly been worked over by
Areicma. Capps has this to say, "The presence of gold ill workable
quantities in these moraines is probably clue to the fact that
before the ice advance began there had already been formed
concentrations of placer gold in the stream beds, and that this
gold and the containing gravels were picked up by glaciers and
incorporated into the moraines." IIe adds that it was due to the
deep cuts, etc., made by early mining that he was able to see
fresh exposures and was thereby able to identify the deposits as
being actually glacial moraines. Also the quartzite boulders
are critical as markers of the favorable places. Une wonders
if there could be potentially rich moraines elsewhere, but if made
J►f oll granite material, the surface would be masked by a cover
„f sand and gravel and thus look like any other hill wash.
It should be added that with these ancient deposits, surface
,•xpressions such as definite morainal ridges, etc. have been
,-bliterated by creep, stream action and the scouring work of
later glaciers coming dawn the saune valleys. These early
moraines were deeper and extended farther down the valleys
than later ones. As a result the deposits show un valley slopes
abate later deposits and down the valleys somewhat below the
litter ones.'
Capps found some outwash terraces along lower Grouse Creel:
:61111 the southwest side of Secesh !1lcadows that lie thinks were
I-laced there by a stage of glaciation not as old as the one
described. Only a part of the contained grallitic boulders are
,xholly or partially decomposed. These terraces are 25 to 30
feet above the adjacent stream flats, contain some placer gold,
and have been worked at the Golden Rule placers and the
Thorp placers.
7
4
I
� h{�
I
1
i
112 SKETCHES OV IDAHO GEOLOGY
WISCONSIN STAGE GLACIERS
A very long time elapsed between the older glaciation described
and the new onset of cooler conditions and snow accumulation.
The depusits and moraines Ieft by glaciers of this later stage
are still intact sate where cut by streams. The boulders of
granite are fresh and undecomposed. The colors are light, often
bluish, and the inatcrial easily distinguished from that of the
older period. In some cut hanks it is shown overlapping the
older drift but surprisingly the reverse condition exists uo%v
and then. it will be recalled that, the older drift lies higher on
the vallc%, "N"01s acrid it has had tinU! to creep dorr n and (,I-(, the margins of the younger drift. Capps found evidence that
this creep apron had, in places, moved clown as much as 400 feet
over the Wisconsin moraines since the last ice melted. Much of
this overlap watt sluiced oft' by miners in the sixties but the roes
of hand - -picked boulders are still there to mark the areas.
SEWE'N DEWILS GLACIATED REGION
Twenty -five miles west of Burgdorf as the crow would fly if
that were his habitat, tower the rugged peaks of the Seven Devils.
En route are the Hazard Lakes of glacial origin which will bar
mentioned later.
Between t he Grand Canyon of the Snake Itiver on the west and
the Little Salmon and portion of the main Salmon on the east:
the upper drainage of hornet and Indian Creeks oil the South.
and it line west from the Mouth of Slate Creek on the north.
lies a big patch of Idaho kno%vn as the Seven Devils region. It is
thus naincd because it is dominated by the high backbone of the
Seven Devils Ridge and the sharp, spiny peaks (devils) that
surmount it.
In general form the region is a truncated triangle about fifty
miles from north to south, a southern base 25 miles wide and a
northern tip about nine miles wide —the shortest distance across
country bet%%cen line two great rivers.
All of this area is mountainous but the extreme north and south
portions are high, rounded hills or elevated plateaus. It is tilt,
elongated central ridge -like dome rising above 9000 feet that a'e
will now consider. This is really a strip about 25 miles long
trending a few degrees east of north and in width about 8 to III
miles. This high country is reached by forest trails from three
main directions but is entered by only one road at the southern
end. This poorly kept road leads from Council to Bear Post Office.
GLACIERS IN IDAHO
113
Smith Mountain lookout and filially Black Lake —a distance of
49 miles from Council.
The writer and two companions camped here for five wonderful
Mays in the sunnier of 1936. The county for miles around was
traversed on foot though each trip meant a thousand foot climb
from Black Lake to Pui gatory Saddle as a starting point. Pyra-
mid Peak (8354 feet) stands at the south end of this ridge. Into
its northeast base the ice once gouged the cirque in which Flack
Lake now lies. Seen from the heights above the lake surface
resembles a steel mirror. The nights we spent in camp on the
Hest shore beneath a massive Engelmann spruce, were idyllic.
Quote from diary: "We will never forget the rugged mountain-
sides and lofty somber peaks and the lakes set like gems aniong
them; nor the splendor of the full moon riding the crest of the
ridge across the black waters of the lake."
But we must get back to the central section and its glaciers.
The whole dome seems to have been formerly covered by snow -
fields which fed glaciers that radiated from it on all sides except
the south. Only the peaks projected above this white world as
nunatacks" and many of these were sharpened to their present
form by cirques that quarried at their bases.
To better visualize the paths of former glaciers down their
valleys Purgatory Saddle, northwest of Black Lake, is a good
observation point. To the north and 10 degrees east is a view of
peaks straggling toward the main group of "Devils" 0 to 10 miles
distant. To the west it half mile and over the crest of the next
rise is a wide and deep amphitheater facing north —the very
head of the trench of Granite Creek trending a few degrees
west of north. Down in its floor a mile and it half distant is
beautiful Emerald Lake held behind a moraine. This Granite
Creek glacier must have been fully five miles long.
Following the slide rock ridge to the west (no trail) the
cirque mentioned is at our right —we were surprised to see a
small pond in it —anal dimn at our left was the green meadow
and clumps of trees in llorsepasture Fain. at the west end of
the ridge we descended sharply 150 feet into it trail tlu•out;h
Joe's Gap and soon this opened out to the northwest upon wonder-
ful Six Lake Basin. Forest covers the (loot• but three of the lakes
are visible through the trees. High, bare ridges surround it
except on the south. It is one of those places you always plan to
return to— sometime. We descended the trail and fished in two
of the lakes with good results.
Six Lake Basin is a wide cirque compounded from perhaps
three smaller ones. The bottom has low mounds that separate
the lakes. The various outlet streams converge into Lake Creek
. - -. ...qMY. 1.v.+�/�'.�MLntiwr�,l� ~����y� .W �+ - �w�..�.i��'^. �... ��1Lti J•.r1�t -.wR a11�/F }4M�hi�T�,i.•�. �
114 SKETCHES of IDAHO GEOLOGY
3
which at the southern tip of the basin slips clown then breaks
into calscades than do.sWend almost 2000 felt in the next mile and
I a half to finally land at the bottom of Deep Greek Canyon. What
clod all this add up to for Six Lake Basin. We have called it it
` ha sin," ailse it - vir+llle," no%%• our last words are "llanglnr
valley "; it is really all of these. lim- sepasture Bassin, previously
rnentiun .d, is alaiuth+ r 11,111gillg valley but is wittlout lakes. It.
too, has a small .trvam that spills down the north wall of Deep
Greck Canyon. 1%'e &-wended into the plain trench near this
place but it was a hard climb conihig lack. Facing the Still as they
do it. is a wonder that the two hanging Valleys were excavated as
much as we find I hem to be.
Deep Creek ('arl�'oil has its head cirque just to the west of the
t Black Lake ridge real+I that we followed coming in. Its course is
rather straight and points northwest. Its floor in the upper part
presents the apprara nce of granite hilluws— ►•oche•, iatu+ctolives,
textbooks call thviu— caused b.v the grinding and scouring of
overriding ice. The creek, high in spring, scarcely flows ill
t summer. Down this trench the glacier followed fully eight miles
i to the 11"olaae.e,.Liea ►d x►,Fnea i�u►�sish eavr�lc ►�+[cterF�eLm�•teaaaia�:+�
1
I
1
I
1
SIX- L,1KF. HASIN
West
of Black
Lake in the Seven Devils region. A glacial amphitheater
3
which at the southern tip of the basin slips clown then breaks
into calscades than do.sWend almost 2000 felt in the next mile and
I a half to finally land at the bottom of Deep Greek Canyon. What
clod all this add up to for Six Lake Basin. We have called it it
` ha sin," ailse it - vir+llle," no%%• our last words are "llanglnr
valley "; it is really all of these. lim- sepasture Bassin, previously
rnentiun .d, is alaiuth+ r 11,111gillg valley but is wittlout lakes. It.
too, has a small .trvam that spills down the north wall of Deep
Greck Canyon. 1%'e &-wended into the plain trench near this
place but it was a hard climb conihig lack. Facing the Still as they
do it. is a wonder that the two hanging Valleys were excavated as
much as we find I hem to be.
Deep Creek ('arl�'oil has its head cirque just to the west of the
t Black Lake ridge real+I that we followed coming in. Its course is
rather straight and points northwest. Its floor in the upper part
presents the apprara nce of granite hilluws— ►•oche•, iatu+ctolives,
textbooks call thviu— caused b.v the grinding and scouring of
overriding ice. The creek, high in spring, scarcely flows ill
t summer. Down this trench the glacier followed fully eight miles
i to the 11"olaae.e,.Liea ►d x►,Fnea i�u►�sish eavr�lc ►�+[cterF�eLm�•teaaaia�:+�
1
I
1
I
1
GLACIERS IN IDA110 115
�n.rwiwr► The elevation there is under 5001) feet indicating that
,Ile glacier wits a strong one.
On the south wall of Deep Creek a number of short but active
glaciers came in. They are but little more than deep elongated
%irques. One of these is Devil's Hollow dug as a cirip►e in solid
lock 1000 feet deep anel its bottuur slopes sta1111 '• ar10111(• thou -
=;►nd feet to come out on a level with Deep Creek, and ,111 this in
1 r t miles! Copper Creek, it mile west, heads in a Ilattcned sag
in-tween ridge heads at an elevation of 7000 feet. The ghost
mining camp of Helena and the North and South Peacock mines
are there (copper ores were being trucked out from these two
decades ago). Dr. Laney" reported that no glacier was in the
Popper Creek trench because it was too open to the %veslern sun.
About two miles dOW" Mel) Creek Drum llead.),"s is the site
-if the famous Red Ledge copper none. This is also ?r:, miles
,,hove and 1500 feet higher than t liv conlluence of Deep ('reek and
Snake River. The writer visited this site on August 1.1, 1928—
the only rainy day of that summer. It was it great t rip on horses
With Dr. Laney and Dean Francis 'Thompson of the School of
dines. Thousands of feet of diamond drill cores were shown to
us. The sulphide ore is disseminated throughout a veritable
mountain -of rhyolitic tuffs and breccias. Gold and silver are
present in small amounts and an averat, ►e of over 2 per cent of
copper and some zinc. We decided that here would be a second
Bingham Canyon —some day. The ore is still there but the time
of recovery belongs to the future. What does the lted Ledge
look like front the outside? A quotation from an eYe «itness
may help us on that.
"The fled Ledge as seen from a point oil Sheep Rock, the ridge
which forms the west bank of Deep Creek, is certainly r►ne of
the most impressive bits of mountain scenery in the Seven
Devils range. The outcrop stands as a precipitous ridge with
nearly vertical cliffs several hundreds of feet high, attaining as
a whole an elevation of some 3500 feet above the surface of
Ueep Creek, the whole strikingly decorated its it were with
kaleidoscopic patches of yellow, tan, brown, maroon, and bright
hematite red, the colors changing and glowing in the sunlight. ""'
t'olor film has come since then and the writer yearns to return
to the scene some sunny summer day."
BACK TO THE HIGH DEVILS.
The lower Deep Creek detour now past, we can return to the
roof. North of Black Lake; about ten miles is our objective. A
vertical view from a plane over it would show a graze of scooped
out cirques and a score of lakes, but the sharp peaks would hardly
116 SKETCHES OF IDAIIO GEOLOGY
.AAA -W-- -I -- r-'AwY' ' -- W--W- V_`*r ws_w
register. The best view is said to be from the north but we are
not there. Our best bet seems to do it the easy way, with the help
q
of the Ile Devil Quadrangle contour map.' Let's go!
Leaving Purgatory Saddle (above Black Lake) we will proceed
northerly along the ►rain backbone. The lack of trails is nu
handicap in this excursion. Satan Lake lies down at the right
at the end of the first mile and Emerald Lake 1500 feet below on
t
the left. At three miles we are on Monument Peak (not White
Monument), elevation 8056 feet, with Crystal Lake a thousiuul
feet beneath the cliff's .just passed at the right; below, and a little
>+
to the north of that, is the mile -wide cirque at the head of the
`Vest Fork of Rapid River. There it 5 or 6 mile glacier had its
¢
beginning. At 3!-_, miles we wind around a sharp cirque riui
and a►•t. at the I;lack Imp (8956 feet) ; Ruth Lake is a half mile
beyond. At 0.=, miles is a descent to Stevens Saddle where iu1
'"
east -west trail is crossed. From here is a climb of 600 feet to
�I
Carbonate Ifill (8144 feet) at milepost five. From here we
descend to another trail going our way across the plateau of
r
Horse }leaven (7900 feet). The plateau is probably capped by
basalt and is grassy, of course. Leaving the trail for the ridge
again we reach Devil's Farm (a devil of a farm) at eight miles-
here is a shallow cirque with rough, rocky bottom and walls with
high pinnacles. The ridge is now over 9000 feet and its trend
more to the northeast. At nine miles large Bandy Lake shows
down at the left in an innmense compound cirque. A mile ahead
begins in cluster of peaks Lying in it reversed S- shaped curve and
extending 2 to 3 miles. But the sharp peaks —there thev are!
The lie Devil (9387 feet), the She Devil (9387 feet, no less). iuul
all the evil brood of inure than live other imp, nearly as high.
These are spires thrusting up about 400 feet above the main ridge.
Leading out from the northern curve of the reversed S is the
head of the Vest Fork of Sheep Creek at about 8000 feet ele-
vation. From here it glacier many miles long must have moved
north. To the northeast it few miles at 7500 feet is the Seven
Devils ranger station, with 11lirror Lake in its cirque between.
At the station, " }leaven's Gate Trail " — probably from lower'
Rapid River -- -comes in fronn the northeast.
Front the abode, or lair, of the real Seven Devils, the mail►
ridge declines to the north, dropping to 1500 feet in the next ti%'e
miles. 'There we take leave of it. The west fork of Sheep Creek
parallels this ridge on the west side and across that trench, 1 :300
feet in depth, is a long north -south gently sloping plateau
(probably more basalt) at 7500 feet. On the map the legend
"Dry Diggins" appears at one point. We wonder! "Cow canip•..
.AAA -W-- -I -- r-'AwY' ' -- W--W- V_`*r ws_w
GLACTFRS IN JDA110
117
..fly also marked. Ergo! The plateau coul(l 1, :1 -COW hcaveu"
j%hich would be but ecnnmon justice since we have already had
several "horse heavens."
ROCKS AND GEOLOGIC 81'Itll("I,Ultl,
It may be recalled that in the discussion of the Seven Devils
- section of the Columbia Plateau, reference was made to the
volcanic tuffs and flows (mostly andesitic) of Pel•mitln age which
are found over so much of the area and which form the very
massif of the Seven Devils Range. In addition to these are thick
Carboniferous limestone beds nest of Cuprurn on both sides of
the Snake River Canyon. White Monument is a great ridge of
marble north - northeast of Cuprunr and not far from Helena.
Limestone also outcrops ex tens ivcic northeast of Ile Devil down
near Riggins, also east of Black Lake. Granite, a:a tgl;uu (liorite,
is in the lower mountains at the head of Indian ('rrek; the upper
end of Deep Creek Canyon and around lower L'nulder• Creek. It
forms none of the highest ri(Igt-s told peaks which is (luite in
contrast to the Idaho P,atholith farther east. Basalt lavas are
mapped over much of the country southeast of Indian Creek and
Smith Mountain. h'Newhere they occur as witches (residual
from erosion) up to 8000 feet, or even higher, its they were
carried up by rising blocks. That IMiocene age basalt flows once
covered all of the area now seems probable.
The structure, as noted, is that of lung north -south fault blocks
with high edges and sides facing the east • thus the chitin runt, ►es,
ridges and stream valleys trend that way. A faults trend
northeast - southwest; Indian Creek follows one of these.
Stream erosion has worked heavily over the area hecatise of
ample precipitation, high gradient and friable rucks but so much
remains to do that topogrr•aphy can be said to be still in its infancy.
Glacial action in deepeniu„ vallelys 1111(1 gotll;ing cirques around
peaks has wrought scenic marvels, especially above 71)(10 feet.
TILE SAtiN "I'OO7'll GLACIEUS
Previously the Sawtooth Alm, ntait's were referred to as it
Wrnup composed of the Sawti;oth Ranite, Whilo Cloud Pvid ;s,
Boulder, Smoky and Soldier nl►►tultains. It is the most splendid
Kroup of mountains ill Idaho h„th in massiveness and in sheer
height.(
In the Boulder mountains of the Ilailey quadr.tnt, ►le three
great peaks, Ryan, Glassfur(l and the Devil's Bedstead reach
almost the 12,000 foot level, and Hyndman— thought to be our
��y a 7 y 1 { ( y E 1 l I r I 1 L W J 1 L L i L t Y i t " . . i L " . + �%�� ' ��" ' ��- " " ` ��- " a u - " ��' r ` ' " A ` _ _ ,
" �� ��e ^ ' Y i ��M J A ' ��f % 1 ' t i ' " > - , ��. C . . i ����. ' ! ��' i b I i : W
l t J l , ��. u ��
C I I A P T E R 1 . 3
A N C I E N T L A K E S I N I I ) : 1 I M : 1 N 1 } [ I T A I I
A n a n c i e n t s e t , ( l a k e ) o n c e t o p p e d t h i s h i l l
S t a n d , ,
A n d w h e r e t h e s l o g l a n d s u e t . ) ��` l o
I n p r e c e d i n g c h a p t e r s m e n t i o n h a s b e e n n d e ( , ) , f i p l e h ` s I n u m
l a k e h o d s a r o u n d A m e r i c a n F a l l s , B u r l e y ,
a n d o t h e r p l u c e s i n I d a ; h u . ' r h a s e W e r e d i s c " o n n e r . t e d l a k e s , e -
l e c t i n g t h u n , u i s t c u n d i t i w I S o f M i o c e n e a n d l u t e s p e t - 1 4 1 1 1 ; . T h e
' y ��. l , a l ��a ��a a < ��+ 1 s w H I e e w ��i ��w e �� N ' t ' a K k a - I ��I a h w
E X T E N T O F A N C I E N T
T h e o l d s h o r e l i n e s h a v e l o n g s i n c e b e e n o t �%l i t e r a t e ( I . W h e r e
t h e t h i c k e r a n d c o a l " s e r s a n d " a n d g r a v e l l y s e d i m e n t a r y l , e d s
s t i l l r e m a i n i t i s a s s u m e d t h a t t h e s h o r e N v a s n o t f a r a w a y .
l h i l l i n g s f o r w a t e r a n d o i l ��' e s �%n d �%t h e ��l l l u r e l a I s b l a n k e t e d h y
t h e l a k e b e d s i l l m i 1 1 1 y 1 ) l d l �� r ��t l ' l ' . 0 t e l ' 1 ' i l C e t i i l l l d
l o o s e d e p o s i t s f r o m t h e i r M V I I w e a t h e r i n g .
r i v e r b o t t o m s h a v e t h i c k d e p o s i t s o f r e c e n t a l l u V i u n l b u t d r i l l i n g
r e v e a l s t h e l e a ��" ' t N y ( d a t a
o f n e a r l y C l t u r w e c a n t r a c r o u g h l t h e o i t l i n e u f t i l e o l d
l a k e . ,
E x c l u d i n g t h e o u t c r o p , , n e a r H a i l e y , w e h e g i r a o n t h e e a s t w i t h
H a g e r m a n V a l l e y a n d S a l m o n F a l l s C r e e k - a n d - , W e e p w e s t w a r d
a c r o s s t h e I d a h o - O r e g o n i w u n d a r l ' t o t h e v o l l e y s o f t h e D l a d h e u I
a n d O w y h e e R i v e r s a n d a s f a r a s B u r n s a n d S t e e n ' " l i o u n t a i u .
T h i s w o u l d g i v e t h e l a k e a l e n g t h o f F l t l e a s t 2 u ( ) m i l e s .
U e
u + + L l a - ��> ��> } > r u . ��k u r ��. . i , : . u l . : l r k ��x l " " ��, w - r + ( t r + y c r l " l a + k e - b r c ��e + " ��' t w u 9
��a c B U 6 u t + w i d l r r , w t " l : # e ! ��t ; 9 h . . j ��e t v w "
. ��i ��. . , M e w �% e r , ��; ��+ L l ����. . l { ����t s l ��' - ��t 1 1 d ����1 : ��+ " . l r ���%I ��1 9 1 a { M , . . _ l l e r t ��+ + i l a +
1 ��, i - , } l i ��c ��r " F , H i I ; - ��n ��" ��r i r u i r " 4 ' < > d i , k l i # s " a ��l e t . l : . i Y e 1 = - i ��l e t t t ' " ��, - - i , i ����u ��w +
. . r r r i t t ' t i r c g r s r t :
T h e s o u t h s h o r e e x t e n d e d u r n u n d t h e h e a 1 1 \ % ' a t e �%' �� o f t h e O ���� y h e l l
R i v e r a n d b a c k i n t o v a l l e y s s u c h a s R e y n u l d ' s ( ' r e e k o n t h e n o r t h
f l a n k s o f t h e O w y h e e b l o u t �%t a i n s , t h e n c e e a s t \ \ " a u " d a l o n g t h e c u t l -
c e a l i n g r i m o f t h e B r u n e a t l P l a t e a u t o S a l m o n F a l l s ( ' r e e k . I t W < l s
. :T *" v -• r,�' irt• "' •�.. ...... .A.�..... qtr' S . • .'•.alM *w�p •• "1;ML...
t
858 SKETCHES OF IDAHO GE10LOGY
R really big' 1:11.e, Or Series 111 lakes, '1Ii�{aM�li�1�11�1C1C31'1?(t�19
}l�
15,t i1�9�krntl,Utll�'tsellrare�rr�le
la
Into this vaA lake, or chain of lakes, the streams of that time
A
brought gravels, sands and clays front the high, bordering moue-
B;
j twins. The coarsest materials were dropped near the shore and
se
tiller one, farther nut. 'There must have been Ilatter, swampy
le,
lands covered with veI,retation because seams of carbonaceous
b(,
t
►natter and ev1 -u li>_rnile coal IUM! been found near horseshoe
lal
Bewl, JCrU�alcln Walley and Reynold's Creek, and wood, in all
stages of petrifaction, is abuud:ult. hossil gastropod ►old mol-
, nl
luscan shells, list) fish vertebrae, abound in the well consolidated
it
sandstones atld shales. As we get higher in the lake beds wonder-
C
fill r»arullilliall ren(ains of early horses, camels, elephants and
then' Ivs.—W • Colltelllporal -k-, 11'(llild 110rilt to :1 dwhidilllg lake wild
91
the Illervase (11 grass *v savailllas.
1 11
THE feel;- AIIOCENI: LAN11SC:1PP. Perhaps it backward look at
the country IwOrr the advent of the lake might be helpful.
Ancestral 'Shake River eomit►tr from the east, as it does today,
meandered throll0l it broad, mature valley. The profound, lava-
walled canyons suit waterfalls of the present were not there at
I all. Some of the older Colunll►ia basalt flows existed far to the
west ill Uregon, but that merely formed it highland which turned
'
the Snake laver to the nrn•rh. In that direction the Blue Moun-
tains lay Imver than today un(I the rugged Seven ) vils were
non - existent; the country was hilly, but there was no Hell's
(,Irllyoll wit )1 it., tn\veritlg set -back lava walls Shell R9 we See
today. 'Through this area, ,;()oil to he the theater of much volcanic
activity, the Snake wended its way toward the Columbia of that
time.
We need to recall, In mak111;C m) our 1)Ic'tllr'e, that millly 1}111(1 -
marks of toda'v were absent. 'fable Rock, the maze of foothills
'
between the noise wild Payette Itivers, Mitchell Butte, Deer
Ijutte Flild brassy Alounlain it, Oregon, Lizard Butte arid even
Squaw Butte were not there. All was not monotony, however,
for Snake Valley of that day was probal;ly forested and rivers
were well supplied with rainfall. A fringe of rhyolite volcanoes
i
bordered the plait►, particularly along the Owyhee:. Big Butte
and E lst Butte stood oil a ri(ll;e in the upper valle;v.
It was this sylvan scene that was Lrradually transformed by
the invading lake as drainage was blocked by vast lava flows
► in the I[ell's Crayon area.
SEDIMENTATION IN ANCIENT PAYE,rTF LAKE. It must have
1
taken a louts tillle, even with moist climatic conditions, for the
.'
lake to have reached the 4500 foot level, as estimated by Lindgren.
The spillways at the outlet must have been over hard rock to
.
. :T *" v -• r,�' irt• "' •�.. ...... .A.�..... qtr' S . • .'•.alM *w�p •• "1;ML...
" t
A N C I E N T L A K E S I N I D A H O A N D 1 1 T A 1 1
h a v e h e l d l o n g e n o u g h f o r i l l e t , m i n g s t r e a m s t o l u " i 1 1 f �% i n t o t h e
l a k e t h e t r e m e n d o u s s e d i m e n t s W t : f i n d i n t h e P a y e t t e h ' o r n t : t t . i o n .
A r m s o f t h e l a k e e x t e n d e d n p t h e l i a i s e R i v e r t r e n c h i r r t o B o i s e
b a s i n a n d u p t h e P a y e t t e i s f a r a s l i : u i l ( a ; t h e s e m u s t h a v e r e -
y e n l b l e ( t f 1 U C d 9 . T h e p t " e s e n t s i t e o f B o i s e N v I t s l l r c " i c a n t l e r a t
l e a s t 1 5 0 0 f e e t o f w a t e r ; W e i s e r a n d P a y e t t e w e r e e v e 1 1 f a r t h e r
b e n e a t h t h e w a v e s . f r o m t i m e t o t i m e v e n t s 0 1 ) ( 1 1 0 d t �%n d c r t h e
l a k e a n d l a v a f l o w s b u i l t u p l o w i s l a n d s ����h i c h l a t e r b e c : u u e
s w a m p y a n d c o v e r e d w i t h a e d i r t r e n t 8 , ' [ ' h e r e w e r e c r u s t a l m o v e -
m e n t s t o o t h a t m u s t h a v e s h o a l e d t h e w a t e r i n p l a c e s ; o n e r i d g e
i s t h o u g h t t o h a v e b e e n r a i s e d a l o n g t h e p r e s e n t c o u r s e o f t h e
O w y h e e R i v e r . g `
T o w a r d t h e e n d o f M i o c e n e t u n e t h e l a k e g r a d u a l l y l o w e r e d ��"
a n d t h e s o f t b e d s w e r e w o r k e d i n t o r a p i d l y b y i n c o m i n g s t r e a m s . . .
T h e S n a k e R i v e r o f t h a t t i m e 1 1 1 1 , 1 4 h a v e b e e n l n " : �%` . i l y l o a d ( - d
w i t h s e d i m e n t s .
C O M I N G O F L A K E I D A 1 ` 1 0
A f t e r t i n i n t e r v a l o f e r o s i o n a n d p r o b a b l e r e f o r e - A a t i t ) n , : u u �%t h e l ,
s e r i e s o f l a v a f l o w s b l o c k e d t h e l o w e r r i v e r a n d : �% l a k e r o s e " ,
a s L i n d g r e n e s t i m a t e s , t o a b o u t t h e 2 7 0 0 f o o t c o n t o u r . J u d ' i r �%g
b y t h e d e p o s i t s , t h e l a k e o c c u p i e d o n l y t h e c e n t r a l p a r t o f t h e
g r e a t v a l l e y b u t e x t e n d e d u p s t r e . �%m a b o v e 1 1 " W " ' r n : u r V a l l e y .
T h e s e a r e t h e b e d s o f u p p e r P l i o c e n e a g e t h a t c o n t a i n s u c h a
w e a l t h o f f o s s i l h o r s e b o r e s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h n �%a m o t h e r b o n e s
o f m a m m a l s a n d a q u a t i c 1 �%i r d s .
A s s t a t e d e l s e w h e r e , t h e b e d s o f t h e I d a h o �% F o r m a t i o n a r e
l a r g e l y o f v o l c a n i c a s h , s o f t w h i t e : : h a l e s a n d t h i n l a v a f l o w s .
E r o s i o n h a s s i n c e c a r v e d t h e s e i n t o s m a l l k n o b s a n d p i n n a c l e s
a b a d l a n d t o p o g r a p h y s o u u t i c " c a b l e a l o n g t h e S n a k e i n t h e
C a s t l e C r e e k c o u n t r y a n d f a r t h e r d u \ \ - l i s t I T , ' I I I ; a l s o ' l u n g t h e
t i p p e r O w y h e e R i v e r . T h e w h i t e n e s s 1 1 1 ( 1 s o t ' t n e s s ( 1 t ' t h e s e b e d s
e a s i l y d i f f e r e n t i a t e s t h e m f �%u m t h e o l d e r P a y e t t e l e m - i n �%t i o n .
I n p l a c e s t h e y c o n t a i n m u c h 1 0 : 1 1 1 t m a t e r i a l , & ; O u p a l i z e d a n d
a g a t i z e d w o o d .
E C O N O M I C A S P E C T S O F T H E P A l ' l l " T . 1 : A N D I D A I l l l
h ) I t I M A T I O N S
T h e e x c e l l e n t s t a n d s t o n e f r o m T a b l e b o c k , o n c e " ' i e d s o w i d e l y
f o r b u i l d i n g p u r p o s e s , h a s b e e n n u , u t i o n ( + d ; a l s o t h e v a l u e o f t h e
s A n d y i n c l i n e d b e d s a s a q u i f e r s f o r s t o r a g e o f a r t e s i a n w . �%t c e s .
T h e m e r c u r y o r e , c i n n a b a r . w a s m i r e d e x t e n s i v e l y s o n i c y e a r s
21iU SKETCHES OF IUA110 GFOLOM'
ago from the lake beds east of Weiser. Diatomite bed:: have teem
surveyed in t►- owliee County .►ttd these deposits will h e future
value. The li ►r.►►ite buds mentioned may at some time , rive u,r-
n ful. The fresh-water lintcstone beds southwest of Bruncau have
been quarried for making line.
Possibl%. the g-reatc-A pruseut and fui.ure values lie in the rivh
► hot.tom lands that form a broad belt oil both sides of Snake Itivcr
{ for sixty miles or so upstream from Weiser. Confluent With this
are also the lower valleys of the Owyhee, Malheur, Boise amd
Payette Rivev.; • all large stream,. 'These bottom lands rtmd
adjacent bench lands are all floored by the Payette and Idaho
c lake beds. 'Tal en in its entirety this is perhaps the most pro-
ductive agricultural area ill the State of Idaho.
LAKE BONNE'VILLE,
This !.u'l;e, prehistoric fresh -watcr lake is included here be-
cause of its 1;t•neral iruterest .11111 the fact that it had a prong in
the h'ranklin- Pre,'ton area mud two lesser ones farther west oil
life Utah -ldaho lice. Its outlet writ, for a considerable time, via
+ Marsh Cruel, and Pocatello to the Snake.
t L....�+i �.w� � .. ......... r.- •Ll -.. _ . _....: •.�.t:w, .�...... r,t;- �:iw.. `ye.aa:�t%;'L ..: ,
RED ROCK PASS
Outlet of foruler Lake ltonneviliv
y7
Spawninggrounds
Valley County --
a g ranite monster
by Jeff Fee
Approximately 62 million years ago, during the
Mesozoic Era, hot masses of magma slowly
.forced their way up through the earth's crust,
cooling just before reaching the earth's surface
As the magma cooled, it emerged as a large mask
of granite which over millions of years was forces
beyond the earth's surface to elevations as high
as 8,500 feet.
At present, this granite monster, with a north
south length of 200 miles and an east to west width
of 100 miles, is perhaps Idaho's most prominent
geologic wonder. Geologists refer to it as the
great Idaho Batholith.
Batholith comes from two Greek words: bathos
(deep) and lithos (stone). The Idaho Batholith has
bulged out upon this planet earth half way
between the North pole and the equator. The 45th
parallel almost bisects the top of Brundage
Mountain. Valley County for the most part has
formed its boundaries on this magnificent
batholith.
Approximately 17 million years ago, during the
Miocene Era, lava was forced up through the
earth's surface, pushed up against the west side
of the Idaho Batholith, cooled and became basalt.
This large mass of basalt is what we now call
West Mountain and Red Ridge. To a geologist it is
termed the Seven Devils section of the Columbia
Basalt Plateau.
At the same time that this plateau was being
formed, the lava was being squeezed up through
the faults and crevices of the batholith which are
now exposed as basalt outcroppings sitting on a
granite base. The Ponderosa State Park
Peninsula is a good example of this basaltic out-
crop.
Long Valley is a deep depression as a result of
massive block- faulting created during the
Pliocene time. The earth at that time was going
,through tremendous shifting and upheaval,
causing the block to slip downward from Payette
Lake to Round Valley long, and West Mountian to
East Mountain wide.
Over a period of millions of years, the block
lowered to approximately 7,500 feet below the
mountain tops. Some 4,000 feet of sediment then
filled in this huge chasm to the present level.
Residents of Valley County, you are sitting on
or next to what is termed as the Long Valley fault.
Remember Cascade's 4.5 tremor as indicated on
the Richter scale in November of 1977? It was a
result of the fault slipping.
Geologists can show good evidence of many
tremors with much more magnitude that took
place throughout a period of 2,000 years ago. It is
not all impossible for a tremor of that magnitude
to happen today. Aren't we lucky?
During the Pleistocene times, and as recent as
10,000 to 25,000 years ago, the Long Valley block -
fault became modified by glaciation. Valley
glaciers formed in the high mountains and moved
down through the depressed block grating,
abrading and smoothing out the steep walls of this
beautiful Valley we inhabit today. Two relatively
large valley glaciers formed their beginnings at
the north end of the valley.
The Lick Creek Summit glacier formed at the
summit and pushed down through the North Fork
of Lake Fork. It smoothed off the steep walls of
Slick Rock and slowed down at the mouth of the
granite gorge just above the confluence of Lake
Fork Creek and Jumbo Creek.
The glacier slowly pushed its way through the
gorge, scooped out a depression which is now the
setting of Little Lake, and then moved southward
down Long Valley.
The other glacier found its beginning in the
basin where Upper Payette Lake is now. This
galcier moved down through the North Fork of
the Payette River and scooped out a deep
depression now filled in by the waters of the big
Payette Lake.
Scientists claim the glacier which formed
Payette Lake was 900 feet to 1,000 feet high, an
average of 2.5 miles wide and eight miles long.
One can then understand an ice cube of that mass
and weight on the move is going to plow out quite
a hole in the ground. Yes, there is a bottom to
Payette Lake -- 392 feet at the deepest.
That depth was recorded by Edward Rhoden -
baugh, author of "Idaho Geology," who took a
series of soundings in 1925.
Have you ever had a craving for a mastadon
t -bone steak? Well, if you lived in Valley County
during the glacial era, then you might have
bagged one of those hairy big game
"creachtchers." If ifs could be true, then you
wouldn't have had to try to drag him into camp.
Lafe Cox and Pat Reed would then have been
outfitters, with the fanciest steppin' wooly
mammoth pack string in the whole glacier
country.
7/p/�7
Rare -earth minerals
found in central Idaho
The Associated Press
Extensive placer deposits contain-
ing millions of tons of potentially
valuable rare -earth metals have been
identified in a 7,000 - square mile area
of central Idaho, the U.S. Geological
Survey has announced.
"The rare -earth minerals contain
lanthanum and yttrium, two of the
elements that recently have shown
great promise for researchers trying
to develop room - temperature super -
conducters — materials that will
carry electricity without losing ener-
gy," according to the survey report
authored by geologist Thor Kiilsg-
aard of Spokane.
Other heavy minerals such as ilme-
nite, which the United States cur-
rently imports, also were identified in
massive deposits of black sand in Val-
ley, Lemhi, Custer, Elmore and Boise
counties.
Lanthanum and yttrium have been
used in successful tests of supercon-
ductivity at relatively high tempera-
tures. Scientists have tested the min-
erals while looking for methods to im-
prove a wide range of technology
through electrical conductivity at lit-
tle or no energy loss.
With development of such a con-
ductor, the Geological Survey said,
"There could be a huge savings of
electrical energy now lost because of
resistance in power lines. Among
numerous other applications, super-
conductivity at these temperatures
would allow electricity to be stored in
huge magnetic coils and permit com-
puters to be smaller and faster."
Current technology has provided
successful superconductivity only at
temperatures lower than 386 degrees
below zero.
Lanthanum is contained in a sub-
stance known as monazite, and Kii-
Isgaard's survey said test drillings in
the central Idaho area identified de-
posits of monazite in excess of 540,000
tons.
Those same exploratory drillings
identified aboute 5.2 million tons of
ilmenite, nearly a five -year supply of
the mineral that U.S. industry must
generally import now. It is used ex-
tensively in titanium production.
Monazite was mined briefly during
the 1950s.
Rare -earth metals are a group of
rare metallic chemical elements.
Tour to examine
local glaciers
The Idaho Museum of Mining and
Geology will sponsor a field trip to
the region around McCall and Cas-
cade on Saturday.
The trip will examine features that
that will be
was
in the position of the
e a ette EaV.
...........
a trip will leave at 7:30 a.m. on
Saturday from the Idaho Museum of
Mining and Geology, 2455 Old Peni-
tentiary Road in Boise. Assuming no
travel delays, the first stop will be at
9:30 a.m. at the Cascade Park marina
on Cascade Reservoir.
Reservations are not required and
the public is invited to attend. Trans-
portation will be by private vehicles.
A donation of $7 is requested of each
participant to support and maintain
the museum.
Each participant will be provided
with a route map and trip guide. The
trip will be led by Don Adair, a Boise
geologist.
5f a Ne w b tTu I y 3; MY
Projects aim to excavate
N. Idaho mammoth fossils
KAMIAH — Kamiah and
Grangeville will conduct pro-
jects to excavate the remains of
fossilized mammoths this
summer.
Kamiah will be first with what
scientists hope will help train a
larger Tolo Lake project later.
During the first two weeks of
June, the Lewis County Histori-
cal Society and Kamiah Cham-
ber of Commerce will team up,
drawing on a University of Ida-
ho crew of students led by ar-
chaeologist Lee Sappington.
Idaho Fish and Game Depart-
ment efforts to rejuvenate Tolo
Lake last summer set off a mam-
moth hunt there after workers
found fossils.
The Kamiah project will re-
trieve mammoth remains first
uncovered in 1957 by Sig Grove
while digging a gravel pit.
Martha Grove, his widow, last
year gave the historical society
permission to excavate the
mammoth.
The Kamiah dig will serve as
a field school for U of I students
led by Sappington and partly
funded by an Idaho Humanities
Council grant for $3,800.
Compared to the Tolo Lake
find, the Kamiah mammoth dig
should be relatively simple, Sap-
pington said.
Tolo Lake will be a more com-
plicated project. U of I, Idaho
Historical Society and Idaho
Museum of Natural History sci-
entists explored the site for sev-
eral weeks last summer.
Geologic and Cultural Notes for an Elderhostel
McCall, Idaho, September 1998
B.F. Leonard
Contents
Preface
An unstable earth -- Development of the Long Valley graben
Basalt and granite, odd companions -- Geology of Ponderosa State Park and its
environs
Glaciers and more - -Local glacial history
See through a rock ? - -An introduction to the study of rocks in thin section
Stones, lichens, and rocks -- McCall and Finnish Cemeteries
The Finns in Long Valley -- History of Finnish settlement
Illustrations
Geologic time scale
Development of the Long Valley graben
Geologic time scale for the Quaternary of Long Valley
Essentials of a petrographic microscope
Geologic and Cultural Notes for an Elderhostel
McCall, Idaho, September 1998
B.F. Leonard
Preface
These informal notes supplement the talks, field trips,and demonstrations planned
for an Elderhostel in McCall,Idaho, September 13 -18, 1998. The notes are handouts to be
read at leisure by the participants. The arrangement of the notes places all the geologic
notes together. These are followed by notes on cemetery stones and the history of the
Finns in Long Valley. This arrangement is not that of the schedule of events, for the
program is designed to be highly flexible in order to vary the events of the day,
accommodate the interests of the Elderhostelers, and allow for bad weather.
Geology and local history are only one part of the Elderhostel program. The rest
of it - -maybe the really interesting stuff- -deals with fungi, lichens, and vascular plants,
presented by Roger Rosentreter, and with wildlife and fish, presented by Allan Thomas.
Handouts on these subjects are not included in this set of geologic and cultural notes.
The Elderhostel was organized under the aegis of Boise State University by
Barbara Merrill. Co- leaders and technical speakers are B.F. Leonard, geologist emeritus,
U.S.Geological Survey, Denver; Roger Rosentreter, Idaho State Botanist, Bureau of Land
Management, Boise, and Allan E.Thomas, Senior Technical Specialist -Fish and Wildlife
Biologist, Bureau of Land Management, Boise. The co- leaders have volunteered their
time and services for the Elderhostel. The staff of the University of Idaho McCall Field
Campus has kindly agreed to provide us with meals and meeting rooms. Ponderosa State
Park, adjacent to the field campus, is prepared to welcome us to its trails and exhibits.
Ben, writer of these notes, is indebted to Barb, Roger,and Allan, as well as to
Eleanor Leonard and Ruth ONeal, for help and support. We join in wishing you
Elderhostelers a pleasant and stimulating week in McCall.
Basalt and Granite, Odd Companions -- Geology of Ponderosa State Park and Its
Environs
B.F. Leonard, September 1998
Odd companions? Yes, indeed. Here we have basalt and granite side by side. The
basalt flowed out onto the land surface 16 -17 m.y. ago or perhaps a few million years
later.The granite was intruded at great depth about 70 m.y. ago.Faults of the Long Valley
graben have placed young, extrusive basalt and old, intrusive granite little more than a
stone's throw apart on the shore of Payette Lake.
First we'll drive around the lake, stopping on the east shore to look at granite,
crossing the North Fork of the Payette River near the head of the lake, and stopping on
the west shore to see glacial polish and striae. Then we'll enter Ponderosa State Park,
pause on the overlook to view Long Valley and consider its origin, see a sequence of
basalt flows and the glacial deposits that mantle them, find out what's happening to Lily
Marsh, keep an eye open for fungi and lichens (Roger's baby), and perhaps spot some
wildlife (Allan's baby).
Granite on the east shore
This hornblende - biotite granite is typical of the contaminated granite that makes up
part of the Idaho batholith Clean granite (no hornblende) crops out a few miles east of
McCall and forms most of the batholith. The east -shore granite is contaminated because
its magma intruded hornblende - bearing roof rocks -- probably old metamorphosed
volcanic rocks that once covered this part of the batholith. The magma acquired
hornblende and plagioclase from the roof rocks, reacted with the contaminants, and
carried them along as it moved like a sticky mush. Black hornblende, accompanied by
biotite (black mica), was smeared out to give the weak foliation (leafy structure) that we
see here. Later we'll look through slices of the granite when we examine them under a
microscope. Right now, some of you agile Elderhostelers may choose to climb with me
up the glaciated, hump- backed outcrops to see an inclusion of folded gneiss in the lichen -
coated granite. (Are you there, Roger ?) If the rocks are wet or time is short, we'll skip
the short climb.
Sand banks on the North Fork
This alluvial sand spreads out southward onto the delta formed where glacial
meltwater dumped part of its load of debris into the lake. Good fishing here, not much
else.
Page - 1
Basalt and Granite, Odd Companions -- Geology of Ponderosa State Park and Its
Environs
B.F. Leonard, September 1998
Glacial polish and striae on the west shore
Ice of the glaciers that carved the U- shaped valley of the North Fork smoothed the
surface of this wall of rock but didn't polish it to a high gloss. Small sharp stones in the
ice were dragged across the smoothed surface, leaving scratches that geologists call striae.
Because the ice was moving horizontally here, the striae are nearly horizontal.We might
expect to find nicely polished and striated surfaces on flat outcrops of granite and basalt
nearby, where ice rode over the rock, but I haven't found good examples in this area.
Post - glacial weathering has pitted the flat surfaces of granite, marring the ice - smoothed
finish. For reasons unknown, flat surfaces of basalt have not retained any evidence of the
glacial pavement that we would expect to see on them.
Geology of the park
Let's begin with the bedrock. It is Columbia River Basalt. Two ridges of it poke
through the glacial debris that covers half the park.
Basalt. Three lava flows of basalt are present. Fresh basalt is black and
exceedingly fine grained (aphanitic) - -how fine we'll see later when we examine thin
sections of it. Weathered basalt is brown or brownish gray.
Flows of Columbia River Basalt are notoriously difficult to tell apart. The flows
were extruded rapidly, one upon another. Here, they never had a chance to weather. I
wish they had, because a soil zone developed on a flow top makes a convenient marker for
distinguishing the top of one flow from the bottom of the flow that lies above it.
Therefore, I have to guess that the inferred sequence of flows in the park is correct.
The lowermost of the three flows is easy to recognize because its top is highly
vesicular. The vesicles, left by gas bubbles escaping from the liquid lava, are 1 to 10 mm
in diameter; many are about 2 mm. (Much larger vesicles, some as much as 4 x 5 cm in
diameter, are present in broken blocks of basalt on the shore of Duck Point, which is too
brushy for us to visit.) The vesicles are crowded into little patches but are not much
elongated or strung out into flow lines.The absence of a well defined direction of
movement indicates that the lava flowed out quietly onto a nearly horizontal surface,
instead of spilling down a slope. The cooling flow top not only gave off gas, it broke into
vague little fragments of more chilled lava in less chilled matrix. This process of internal
break -up during flowage is called autobrecciation, the evidence of which we can see only
in thin section.
Now let's get back to the field occurrence. The base of the highly vesicular flow is
not exposed; it's under water. The exposed part of the flow is 30 to 55 ft thick. We'll visit
outcrops of this flow near Lily Marsh.
Page - 2
Basalt and Granite, Odd Companions -- Geology of Ponderosa State Park and Its
Environs
B.F. Leonard, September 1998
The middle flow, 180 ft thick, is sparsely and inconspicuously vesicular. The
vesicles are only 2 mm in diameter, and they are far apart. They are more easily seen on
weathered surfaces than on freshly broken chunks of basalt. You'll need a hand lens to see
the vesicles in fresh rock.
The middle flow is poorly exposed on the ridge crest south of the overlook. You
might sometime take a leisurely walk along the ridge trail, otherwise you won't see much
of this flow. We'll pause to look at one outcrop along the road to the overlook. We'll see
this flow again at the quarry on the east ridge.
The upper flow caps the overlook. Most of this flow is nonvesicular, though you
may find a few vesicles in it at the overlook. Only a few feet of the flow is exposed here.
We'll see the flow again on the east ridge. The best section of the flow is on Channel
Island. Unless you can walk on water or hire a boat, you won't see this section.
The thickness of the upper flow is uncertain because I don't know how much of
the top has been cut away by ice. The section exposed between its base in the east -side
quarry and its uncertain top on the ridge crest is 140 ft. I'm guessing that the total
thickness of the flow is not much more than that.
Now consider the three flows in sequence: lower flow highly vesicular, middle one
sparsely vesicular, upper one essentially nonvesicular. It looks as if the local Columbia
River Basalt was literally running out of gas as successive flows poured out. What was
the gas? Pretty surely it was a gas containing little or no water, for when water and other
fluids are present, vesicles acquire a lining or filling of hydrous minerals such as zeolites,
accompanied by quartz, calcite, and some other minerals that are comfortable in a watery
environment. Conclusion: the gas was probably dry carbon dioxide- -gone with the wind,
as it were, leaving no trace behind. Carbon dioxide is a very usual gas in lava; it has been
collected and analyzed from many an active flow and from f unaroles ( "gas springs ") that
accompany them. I think we had CO2 in our basalt.
How hot is liquid basalt? Temperature measurements of basalt in flows and lava
lakes on Kilauea, for example, give about 11000 C (2000 F). Laboratory experiments
confirm the field measurements. That's pretty hot - -hot enough to keep basalt lava flowing
for a great distance. Don't get in the way!
Volcanic breccia. In describing the basalt flows and their sequence, I skipped over
a detail of some significance. I skipped over it because I don't fully understand it. It is the
volcanic breccia exposed for a short distance along Huckleberry Bay, on the east side of
the park. (We're unlikely to visit the outcrops, but you can look at a big boulder of
breccia in front of the former McCall Post Office building.) The breccia, about 12 to 100
ft thick, seems to be a little lens above the highly vesicular flow but cutting upward at a
Page - 3
Basalt and Granite, Odd Companions -- Geology of Ponderosa State Park and Its
Environs
B.F. Leonard, September 1998
low angle into the middle flow. I call it a lens, instead of a layer, because I can't map it
around to the west side of the park.
The breccia is a chaotic mass of angular or subangular basalt blocks in a matrix of
fine - grained, iron- stained "crud." The basalt blocks, less than 5 to 15 cm in size (one
block 50 cm!), are fresh, and most of them have no vesicles.The matrix forming about 5
percent of the breccia is rich in altered feldspar, but it contains centimeter -size angular
fragments of basalt with conspicuous weathering rinds. It also contains scaly little
particles of fresh basaltic glass, as well as a few Pele's tears. Pele's tears, named for the
Hawaiian goddess, are beads or droplets of lava hurled into the air during some basaltic
eruptions. The droplets quickly chill to glass, they are quite fragile, and the tears in our
volcanic breccia still have connecting filaments and tails thinner than a human hair.
Obviously the tears cannot have been transported laterally within the breccia lens; if they
had been moved ever so little, they would have been ground to dust. Maybe that's what
some of the scaly little glass particles are; other particles may be pristine volcanic ash.
I have an outrageous hypothesis for the origin of the breccia. The breccia is local,
it formed explosively, and the explosion reamed through feldspar -rich Miocene sediments,
some of them containing weathered stones of basalt. Nearing the earth's surface, the gas -
charged, explosive column( ?) shattered one or more layers of basalt below the highly
vesicular unit, carried blocks of basalt upward, and dumped its load abruptly along a linear
fracture. Finely ground sedimentary stuff was lofted into the air and dispersed heaven
knows whither. But where did the Pele's tears come from? Was there a little liquid basalt
in the gas column? Did the tears form earlier, floating down into the still water of a
Miocene lake and somehow surviving destruction there? The only thing crazier than the
breccia is the puzzled geologist himself.
Faults. At the overlook and on the face of the east ridge, you'll see that the basalt
is badly shattered, broken into blocks that form a loosely coherent body of talus until
gravity takes them down the slope. The shatter zones were produced by faults of the
Long Valley graben. (See separate account of the graben and its development.) Here, we
can't tell whether the faults are on -shore or off - shore; spilled talus or water conceals the
faults that we'd like to put our hands on. I'm guessing that the shatter zones are very close
to the faults but not on them.
Faults comparable to those that produced the shatter zones dropped our basalt
flows downward and tilted them a bit. Now the flows have a gentle westward dip instead
of lying horizontally. The faults that tilted the flows are probably much older than the
faults that produced the shatter zones, for instead of sitting on the bottom of the Long
Valley graben, the whole block of ground that forms the overlook promontory now stands
well above it. The high- standing block is a horst (German word for perch); the
promontory is perched above its surroundings. Seems confusing? There's plenty of
confusion in geology. I hope I'm sorting it out, not contributing to it.
Page - 4
Basalt and Granite, Odd Companions -- Geology of Ponderosa State Park and Its
Environs
B.F. Leonard, September 1998
Glacial_ doosits. Ice rode over the rock ridges in the park, dropping boulders here
and there. You'll see granite boulders -- glacial erratics -- resting on basalt on the east
ridge. You'll also see water -worn granite cobbles and pebbles on basalt near the overlook,
as well as large erratics lodged below it.
Much more glacial debris occurs between the rock ridges and south of them. Little
swamps that dot the area between the rock ridges occupy sags in ground moraine; during
the wet season, you can find many kinds of fungi there. The road running north from park
headquarters parallels a sharp - crested lateral moraine left by the relatively young glacier of
the Pinedale stage. (See handout "Glaciers and More. ") Coarse outwash of the Bull Lake
stage forms the broad, grass- covered flat at the park entrance. A fine ski trail, kept well
groomed from December through March, takes off across the flat, climbs to the east ridge,
and descends to Huckleberry Bay. The ascent is easy, but this oldster quits the trail before
it winds down to the bay.
Payette Lake
Some McCall residents say a volcano made it. Others say a glacier made it. I
think the "others" are right. Nevertheless, there were river channels here before the ice
arrived, and there was a graben or a pair of them before the rivers began their work. (See
handouts, one on development of the Long Valley graben, the other on local glaciology.)
Thanks, I believe, to Sharley, the mythical lake monster invented in McCall, we
have a hydrographic chart of the lake. (Displayed, not given you. Available from stores in
downtown McCall.) I'd be happier if I could see a plot of the traverses made for the
soundings, and the position of stations on the traverses, but the contours on the chart are
adequate for our purpose. The depth contours clearly show that the sides of the lake
have the U shape typical of valleys carved by glaciers. The contours also show the ups
and downs of the lake bottom in the two arms of the lake.Unless you're more adept than I
at reading the chart, you'll think that the ups and downs are pretty steep -- deepest hole in
the east arm at -304 ft, rise in the channel of the west arm at -40 ft and rocks nearby
exposed above lake level.However, my penciled profiles of the lake bottom, plotted at the
scale of the 1:24,000 topographic map, show that the ups and downs are rather gentle,
about what one would expect from ice riding along river channels, scouring more deeply
into less resistant rock and sliding up over harder rock.
Both the chart and the penciled profiles show that the lake bottom is rather steep
at the north end of the lake. There, meltwater from waning glaciers built a steep- fronted
delta of sand and gravel, later mantled by alluvial sand borne in by the North Fork.
The south ends of the lake arms may also have been abrupt, but the piling up of
ice -borne debris against the terminal moraines at McCall diminished the slope of the lake's
Page - 5
Basalt and Granite, Odd Companions -- Geology of Ponderosa State Park and Its
Environs
B.F. Leonard, September 1998
ends, which have been further modified by wave action. Gradually the lapping of the
waves moves sediment to windward, up the lake, eating away at debris piled at thesouth
ends of the lake.
To be sure that my interpretation of the hydrographic chart is correct, one would
need to drill many holes to bedrock in the lake bottom. Right now the City of McCall and
the limnologists who study the lake are concerned far more with water quality, how to
preserve it, and how the runoff from storm sewers, streets, and artificially fertilized lawns
affects it. What's under the water can stay there. Fish die in the oxygen- depleted bottom
water in the wintertime; algae thrive during the summer, tho' I've seen no algal blooms of
the sort that mess up lakes in the Northeast. Drill holes to satisfy a geologist's curiosity?
Skip 'em.
Page - 6
Glaciers and More
B.F. Leonard, September 1998
Glaciers flowed majestically down the North Fork of thePayette River during the
Great Ice Age (Pleistocene). They did it at least twice, scouring the river channels that
became the east and west arms of Payette Lake, scratching and polishing the valley walls,
riding over the top of Ponderosa Park, and coming to a halt 4 miles south of McCall. As
the glaciers traveled, ice ripped off large blocks of bedrock, mainly granite. It faceted and
rounded some blocks, ground up others, dropped some boulders en route, and piled up
great ridges of debris.
The ridges are called moraines. Debris shoved ahead of the ice built arcuate
terminal moraines; debris dragged along the sides of the ice formed lateral moraines. Both
types of moraine are beautifully shown on the false -color photo map of Othberg (1987), to
be scanned during our travels. The lateral moraines are hard to climb to, but you will see
terminal moraines when we visit the McCall Cemetery.
How thick was the ice? Some geologists have said 1500 feet, though I think
several hundred feet is a more reasonable estimate. Where did the ice come from?
Presumably it began forming at or near the head of the North Fork, increasing in bulk as it
received ice from side valleys. It was local, alpine ice, not ice of continental, sheet type
like that which covered Canada and spread southward into our central states.
Was there more than one glacier? Surely the ice came to McCall at least twice, for
we find two distinct sets of moraines south of town. Each set contains several
moraines,and the moraines have different forms. Old moraines are broad, they have
rounded crests, and they have been more eroded by streams. The debris (till) of the old
moraines is so much weathered that many of its stones are rotten; they disintegrate when
lightly struck with a hammer.
In contrast to the old moraines, young moraines are narrow, relatively sharp -
crested, and little eroded; their stones have thin weathering rinds but are hard to break.
We shall drive over three of the young moraines on our way to the cemetery. I've given
informal names to these moraines: Downtown moraine nearest the lake, High School
moraine next outward, and Cemetery moraine farthest out. On Thule Street, around the
corner from the cemetery, we'll see till- -an unsorted mixture of boulders, cobbles, pebbles,
sand, silt, and clay. Many of the small stones in the till are faceted, that is, they have one
or several flat faces planed by glacier ice. And if you don't believe that some of the gunky
stuff is clay, you should try settling a sample in water. The sand and most of the silt settle
in about 2 minutes, the finest silt settles more slowly, coarser clay particles take more than
an hour to settle, and the finest clay particles remain suspended for days or weeks, leaving
the water looking like skim milk. At long last, you'll see that the fully settled sample is 1/4
sand, 1/4 silt, and 1/2 clay. Organic material remains floating on the water. Most of it was
probably incorporated into the ice, so it is Pleistocene, not modern. Isotopic studies of
carbon in the organic material would be required to date it with assurance.
Page - 1
Glaciers and More
B.F. Leonard, September 1998
Glaciers do not advance just once. They advance, retreat as part of the ice melts,
then advance again and again on repeated freezing and thawing at the snout of the glacier.
The first advance builds the moraine farthest from the ice front, the last advance the one
nearest. This is why we find several moraines in a set.
The first major advance of the glaciers belongs to theBull Lake stage of the late
Pleistocene. This stage and a subsequent one can be recognized and mapped throughout
the Rocky Mountains, wherever alpine glaciers have been active. By measuring the
thickness of weathering rinds on glacial stones and comparing it with calibrated data from
stones in Yellowstone Park, Colman and Pierce (198 1) dated the Bull Lake stage at
McCall as 140,000 years old. Using the same method, they dated the second major
advance - -the Pinedale - -at 70,000 years. Perhaps small, still younger glaciers passed
through McCall, but because their deposits would be hard to tell from Pinedale deposits,
the questionable material has not been dated. Maybe certain long -lived lichens of known
growth rate, such as Rhizpc=on geogranhicum, would date these putative, quite young
deposits. Is it worth a try?
So far, we have focused attention on products shoved out ahead of the glaciers.
But a moving glacier hundreds of feet thick, thousands of feet wide, and miles long
contains a lot of water, most of it locked up in ice but some of it flowing in streams on top
of, within, or beneath the glacier. Especially when the glacier stagnates and begins to
melt, water pours forth around and through the terminal moraines, carrying with it
whatever debris it could move. The water - transported material laid down by meltwater is
called outwash. Outwash from the Bull Lake glacier was deposited as far as 35 miles
south of McCall. Much of this outwash is concealed beneath Pinedale outwash, which
extends all the way from McCall to Cascade.
The Pinedale outwash that we'll see in the gravel pit west of the Smokejumper base
is coarse gravel, poorly sorted, full of basalt stones and containing only a few vague lenses
of coarse sand. Basalt was the bedrock overridden last by the glacier; therefore, this
outwash contains little granite. Note that some of the stones in the gravel are angular; they
still show facets from ice work. Others, especially the far- traveled granite pebbles, are
rounded from churning about in flowing water. The land surface of the outwash is the
broad plain on which the airport sits. The outwash deposits yield a good deal of gravel
used locally for concrete aggregate and road metal. Soils developed on the outwash are
thin, poor, and ill- suited for the growing of crops. Fine outwash, sandy and silty, is a
better soil- former. It is exposed so far south of McCall that we may not see it.
Streams of lake water and rainwater are modern dissectors of the outwash deposits
in Long Valley. The deposits in and along these streams are mainly sandy, representing
the "fines" flushed out of moraines and coarse outwash. Good exposures of the stream
deposits are found along the banks of the North Fork south of McCall.
Page - 2
Glaciers and More
B.F. Leonard, September 1998
Now you know something about the local glaciers, the land forms, and the glacial
deposits. Most of you are coming here from areas that had no alpine glaciers, so you
won't find moraines and sheets of coarse outwash like those we've seen in the McCall
area. However, Elderhostelers from the northeastern states can expect to see features that
resulted from continental glaciation: flat outcrops of polished and striated bedrock,
ground moraine (just smeared till without morainal ridges), sand plains (fine outwash), an
occasional kame or kettle, and plenty of erratics. With luck, you might find an esker, one
of the long, sinuous, steep -sided ridges of sand and gravel deposited by englacia or
subglacial streams. Have a look, both in the field and in the older literature.
Suggested reading
Colman, S.M., and Pierce, K.L. (198 1) Weathering rinds on andesitic and basaltic stones
as a Quaternary age indicator, western United States: U.S. Geological Survey
Professional Paper 1210, 56 p.
Othberg, K.L. (1987) Landforms and surface deposits of Long Valley, Valley County,
Idaho: Idaho Geological Survey Map 5 [with text].
Schmidt, D.L., and Mackin, J.H. (1970) Quaternary geology of Long and Bear Valleys,
west - central Idaho: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1311 -A, 22 p.
Page - 3
11� iyj — / �,/ 3,..1100/
Ice Age floods finally get their due
Display illustrates
geologic events that
shaped Northwest
By Mike McLean
Coeur d'Alene Press
COEUR D'ALENE — An Ice
Age flood of epic proportions in
northern Idaho could soon be-
come one of America's most un-
usual natural attractions.
It all started 12,000 to 17,000
years ago when a lobe of a conti-
nental glacier crept into the Ida-
ho Panhandle and blocked the
Clark Fork River near Cabinet
Gorge.
Water behind the 2,000 -foot-
tall ice dam filled the valleys of
western Montana, creating an in-
land sea 200 miles wide.
Periodically, the dam failed,
weakened by the force of the wa-
ter behind it.
In a scant two days, up to 500
cubic miles of water rushed out
of the lake toward the Pacific
Ocean.
The process was repeated
dozens of times until the last ice
age loosened its grip on the north-
ern continent.
The dam probably failed from
the bottom up, said Bryan Row -
der, Farragut State Park manag-
er. Because of the warmth of the
Earth, the bottom of the dam
would have melted, causing the
ice to float.
Rowder is the Idaho chairman
of the Ice Age Floods Study Team, .
which developed alternatives for
public observance and commem-
oration of the pathways of the
Glacial Lake Missoula floods.
"We are at the outburst," Row -
der said. "Some or most of the big
floods went through Farragut and
splashed west."
A new display, "Born of Ice," at
the park's visitors center tells the
story of catastrophic floods that
shaped 16,000 square miles of
landscape from central Montana
to the Pacific Ocean.
"It affects everyone who lives
here and how you use the
ground," Rowder said.
Evidence indicates that for
some time before the dam gave
MIRe MUL642111 i 1 i l0 I1 IO I a
Farragut State Park Manager Bryan Rowder, Idaho chairman of the Ice Age Floods Study Team, helped de-
velop the new "Born of Ice" exhibit at Farragut State Park in Athol. The display it Iustrates the effects of
Glacial Lake M issoula and ice age floods on the geography of the Northwest. The floods are believed to
have been responsible for the formation of Lake Pend Oreille and other North Idaho lakes.
way, a massive rooster tail of wa-
ter jetted from underneath, de-
positing material that created a
rise of land on the southwest shore
of Lake Pend Oreille where Far -
ragut State Park is now, Rowder
said.
Rowder said there is evidence
Pend Oreille, now Idaho's largest
lake, was a huge river canyon be-
fore the last ice age.
"Almost all lakes around here
are the result of dams from flood
gravel," Rowder said. Flood -
formed lakes include Pend Oreille,
Coeur d'Alene, Hayden, Hauser,
Spirit and Twin.
As floodwaters rushed west into
Washington, one arm branched
off about midway between
Spokane and the Kennewick area.
It reached back into Idaho to
Lewiston and beyond.
Water coursed "backward" in
the Snake River, pushing sedi-
ments upstream.
When the floodwater reached
the ocean at the mouth of the Co-
lumbia River, it washed out past
the continental shelf, forming an
undersea canyon, he said. Sedi-
ments are evident on the ocean
floor as far away as Northern Cal-
ifornia.
The idea of catastrophic flood-
ing was first presented in 1923 by
J. Harlen Bretz, a high school bi-
ology teacher turned glacial ge-
ologist.
He developed the theory while
studying the scablands of central
Washington. He called it "the
Spokane Flood," because he could-
n't identify the source of the wa-
ter. Bretz considered the possi-
bility of Glacial Lake Missoula as
the water source in 1930, but did-
n't fully embrace it until 1956.
His contemporary, Joseph T.
Pardee, discovered "ripple marks"
on the bottom of Glacial Lake Mis-
soula near Perma, Mont., by view-
ing them from the air in the late
1930s.
Pardee, a geologist with the U.S.
Geological Survey, determined
the parallel ridges up to 50 feet
high and 500 feet apart could only
have been formed by powerful
currents flowing over the lake bot-
tom.
The marks were the best evi-
dence that the lake had drained
rapidly. According to estimates,
water had to be 800 feet deep and
moving at 55 mph to make ripples
of such a scale.
Although Pardee's findings
were published in 1940 and 1942,
it wasn't until the I980s that
Bretz's idea of catastrophic floods
was widely accepted by the sci-
entific community.
To those studying the ice age
floods now, the evidence seems
obvious. But some of the flood fea-
tures were so large, such floods
were difficult for scientists to
imagine.
"Nobody had ever seen floods
that big," Rowder said.
Three earthquakes
reported on east
side of Long Valley
Three earthquakes strong enough to
be felt were recorded last week in Long
Valley, according to reports.
Two quakes on Dec. 10 and one on
Dec. 11, were detected by the Pacific
Northwest Seismic Network located at
the University of Washington in Seattle.
All three ranged between magnitude
2.5 to 3.0 and were all capable of being'
felt by local residents, geologist Richard
Rodger Wilson of McCall said,
The first quake happened at 2:43 a.m.
Dec. 10, the second happened at 11:55
a.m. Dec. 10 and the third happened at
5:24 p.m. Dec. 11.
The new quakes came five months
after an earthquake measuring a 3.1
magnitude was recorded on Aug.1 eight
miles southwest of McCall.
McCall occupies a unique position in
Northwest geology, said Wilson, aformer
meteorologist for the U.S. Navy and the
National Weather Service.
The area is situated almost directly
astride a seam which separates the older,
more stable crust of the North American
tectonic plate from younger less rigidly
attached crust to the west, he said.
More quakes likely occur in the area
than have been reported, but are not
detected due to the lack of monitoring
equipment in the McCall area, Wilson
said.
See MAP, Page 3
X.
ff
Little
McCall
Payette lake
`
McCall Municilaal Golf
N
CruicksNnk
�
{.
Reservtrit
w
.M
-,,.
Map Courtesy Richard Rodger Wilson
Yellow squares on map note the location of three earth-
quakes that struck Long Valley last week. See story, Page I