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Mineral Resources > Online Spatial Data > Geology > by state > Oregon Geology

Geologic units in Union county, Oregon

[Additional scientific data in this geographic area]

Picture Gorge Basalt (middle and lower Miocene) (Early to Middle Miocene) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Flows of aphyric and plagioclase porphyritic flood basalt. Potassium-argon ages mostly 15.0 to 16.4 Ma (Watkins and Baksi, 1974; Fiebelkorn and others, 1983)

Lithology: basalt

Glacial deposits (Pleistocene) (Pleistocene) at surface, covers 0.4 % of this area

Unsorted bouldery gravel, sand, and rock flour in ground, terminal, and lateral moraines. Locally partly sorted

Lithology: gravel; moraine

Volcanic and metavolcanic rocks (Upper Triassic) (Late Triassic) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Green to gray spilite and keratophyre flows and flow breccia; and subordinate amounts of coarse volcaniclastic sandstone, tuff, sandstone, siltstone, chert, conglomerate, and limestone. Marine fauna from interlayered sedimentary rocks indicates unit is mostly of Karnian (Late Triassic) age. Includes Late Triassic "andesitic and basaltic rocks" of Nolf and Taubeneck (1963), and the basaltic to rhyolitic metavolcanic rocks and interbedded sedimentary rocks of the Huntington Formation of Brooks (1979). Equivalent, in part, to unit TrPv

Lithology: andesite; mixed clastic/volcanic; basalt; dacite; rhyolite; sandstone; pyroclastic

Rhyolitic tuff, tuffaceous sedimentary rocks, and lava flows (lower Miocene, Oligocene, and uppermost Eocene?) (Late Eocene to Early Miocene) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Rhyolitic to dacitic varicolored bedded tuff, lapilli tuff, and fine- to medium-grained tuffaceous sedimentary rocks with interstratified welded and nonwelded ash-flow tuff and interbedded basalt and andesite flows. Also includes minor rhyolite and dacite flows and domes. Glass in tuff and tuffaceous sedimentary rocks is commonly altered to zeolites, clay minerals, and small amounts of opal, chalcedony, orthoclase, and calcite. Fossil plants and vertebrates indicate an Oligocene and Miocene age. Locally a late Hemingfordian age indicated by mammalian fauna (Woodburn and Robinson, 1977). May include some rocks of middle Miocene age in the area west and northwest of Lakeview. Potassium-argon ages on rocks from unit range from about 36 Ma (Swanson and Robinson, 1968) to about 20 Ma. Includes Pike Creek Formation of Walker and Repenning (1965), originally identified as Pike Creek Volcanic Series by Fuller (1931), and unnamed volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks of southern Lake County, some of which have been correlated with the Miocene and Oligocene Cedarville Formation of northeastern California

Lithology: tuff; basalt; andesite

Mafic and intermediate intrusive rocks (Pliocene and Miocene) (Miocene to Pliocene) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Dikes, plugs, and sills of basalt, diabase, gabbro, and lesser andesite that fed many of the Miocene basalt and andesite flows in units Tc and Tba. Some intrusions are rootless and are invasive into sedimentary sequences; includes related breccia and peperite. Includes the Monument dike swarm of northwestern Grant County (OR061), the Chief Joseph dike swarm principally in Baker and Wallowa Counties (OR093), the Steens Mountain dike swarm in Harney County (OR005; OR094; OR095) and numerous isolated intrusive bodies in southern Lake County and several intrusive masses in and near-vent flows in southern Malheur County (OR023;OR024). May also include some lower Pleistocene(?) rocks

Lithology: basalt; gabbro; andesite

Glaciofluvial, lacustrine, and pediment sedimentary deposits (Holocene and Pleistocene) (Pleistocene) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Unconsolidated, poorly sorted silt, sand, and gravel. Includes lacustrine deposits west of Columbia River Gorge (Trimble, 1963). Mostly in northern Morrow and Umatilla Counties where unit represents deposits of swollen late Pleistocene Columbia River (Hogenson, 1964)

Lithology: silt; sand; gravel

Andesite and dacite and sedimentary rocks (Miocene? and Oligocene) (Oligocene to Miocene) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Lava flows, breccia, volcaniclastic and epiclastic rocks mostly of andesitic and dacitic composition; includes minor amounts of altered basaltic rocks. Joint surfaces and cavities commonly lined with hematite or montmorillonite clay, secondary silica minerals, zeolites, celadonite, or calcite. Andesite and dacite typically have plagioclase, hornblende, and clinopyroxene phenocrysts; some flows aphyric. Platy flow-jointing common. Age, mostly Oligocene; may include some rocks of early Miocene age. As shown, may include some rocks older than Oligocene, correlative with upper parts of unit Tea. One potassium-argon age of about 28 Ma on porphyritic hornblende andesite from Sheep Creek, southwest corner of Union County, indicates in part coeval with unit Tsf

Lithology: andesite; dacite; clastic

Saddle Mountains Basalt (upper and middle Miocene) (Middle to Late Miocene) at surface, covers 13 % of this area

Petrographically diverse flows of basalt erupted between about 13.5 and 6 Ma (McKee and others, 1977; Swanson and others, 1979)

Lithology: basalt

Terrace, pediment, and lag gravels (Holocene and Pleistocene) (Pleistocene to Holocene) at surface, covers 1 % of this area

Unconsolidated deposits of gravel, cobbles, and boulders intermixed and locally interlayered with clay, silt, and sand. Mostly on terraces and pediments above present flood plains. Includes older alluvium of Smith and others (1982) in the Klamath Mountains and both high- and low-level terraces along Oregon coast. Includes dissected alluvial fan deposits northeast of Lebanon, and Linn and Leffler Gravels of Allison and Felts (1956)

Lithology: gravel; terrace; clay or mud; silt; sand

Open Water (Holocene) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

water

Lithology: water

Landslide and debris-flow deposits (Holocene and Pleistocene) (Pleistocene to Holocene) at surface, covers 0.9 % of this area

Unstratified mixtures of fragments of adjacent bedrock. Locally includes slope wash and colluvium. Largest slides and debris flows occur where thick sections of basalt and andesite flows overlie clayey tuffaceous rocks. May include some deposits of late Pliocene age

Lithology: landslide

Volcanic rocks (Triassic and Permian) (Permian to Triassic) at surface, covers 0.5 % of this area

Massive flows of porphyritic meta-andesite, metabasalt, spilite, and keratophyre, volcanic breccia, and subordinate amounts of fine-grained volcaniclastic rocks. In eastern Oregon probably mostly Late Triassic in age, but includes some Permian rocks (OR084). Includes Clover Creek Greenstone (OR035), Gold Creek greenstone (informal name; OR029), and greenstone of Ashley (OR081)

Lithology: intermediate metavolcanic rock; meta-basalt; spilite

Marine sedimentary rocks (Upper Triassic? and Upper and Middle Triassic) (Early Triassic) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Black, green, and gray argillite, mudstone, and shale; graywacke, sandy limestone, tuff, and some coarse volcaniclastic rocks; chert, sandstone comprised of chert clasts, and chert pebble conglomerate; thin-bedded and massive limestone. Locally contains some interbedded lava flows, mostly spilite or keratophyre. In places metamorphosed. Invertebrate marine fauna indicates unit mostly of Late Triassic (Karnian and Norian) age. Includes the Begg and Brisbois Formations of Dickinson and Vigrass (1965; Vester Formation of Brown and Thayer, 1966) and the Rail Cabin Argillite of Dickinson and Vigrass (1965); Fields Creek Formation and Laycock and Murderers Creek Graywackes of Brown and Thayer (1966); Martin Bridge Formation and lower sedimentary series in and near the Wallowa Mountains (Prostka, 1962; Nolf, 1966); and Doyle Creek and Wild Sheep Creek Formations (Vallier, 1977). Probably partly age correlative with rocks of the Applegate Group (Wells and Peck, 1961) of southwestern Oregon

Lithology: argillite; shale; graywacke; limestone; tuff; chert; sandstone; lava flow

Intrusive rocks (Cretaceous and Jurassic) (Jurassic to Cretaceous) at surface, covers 6 % of this area

Hornblende and biotite quartz diorite (tonalite), trondhjemite, granodiorite, and small amounts of norite, in batholithic masses and large dikelike bodies. Includes Bald Mountain Tonalite and Anthony Lake Granodiorite of Taubeneck (1957), tonalite and trondhjemite of Wallowa batholith and Cornucopia stock (Taubeneck, 1964; Nolf, 1966), quartz diorite intrusion in the Snake River area (Morrison, 1963), quartz diorite and minor other intrusive rocks in the Caviness quadrangle (Wolff, 1965), quartz diorite northeast of John Day and southeast of Ironside Mountain (Thayer and Brown, 1964), quartz diorite in the Sparta and Durkee quadrangles (Prostka, 1962; 1967), and granodiorite and related rocks of the Pueblo Mountains (Roback and others, 1987). Rubidium-strontium and potassium-argon ages indicate an age range from about 94 to 160 Ma (Taubeneck, 1963; Thayer and Brown, 1964; Armstrong and others, 1976)

Lithology: quartz diorite; trondhjemite; granodiorite

Lacustrine and fluvial deposits (Miocene) (Miocene) at surface, covers 0.3 % of this area

Poorly to moderately consolidated, bedded silicic ash and pumicite, diatomite, tuffaceous sedimentary rocks, minor mudflow deposits, and some coarse epiclastic deposits. Vitroclastic material in some beds diagenetically altered to zeolites, secondary silica minerals, and clay minerals. In eastern Blue Mountains province vertebrate fossils indicate unit is mostly of late Miocene (Clarendonian) age, but may also include some rocks of middle Miocene (Barstovian) age. In High Lava Plains and northern Owyhee Upland provinces, vertebrate fossils indicate unit is partly late Miocene (Clarendonian), but probably is mostly middle Miocene (Barstovian) in age. Interfingers and grades laterally into unit Tmb. Includes lake and stream sediments and tuffaceous lake and stream deposits of Prostka (1962, 1967), Deer Butte Formation of Corcoran and others (1962) and Kittleman and others (1967), Juntura Formation of Shotwell and others (1963), some rocks originally assigned to the lower part of the (now obsolete) Danforth Formation of Piper and others (1939), and interbeds in upper part of Columbia River Basalt Group in northern Wallowa County

Lithology: volcanic ash; chemical; mudflow; conglomerate; tuff

Sedimentary rocks (Jurassic and Upper Triassic) (Triassic to Jurassic) at surface, covers 0.4 % of this area

Black, dark-gray, and dark -brownish-gray, thin-bedded siliceous or limy mudstone mostly consists of the Hurwal Formation in the Wallowa Mountains. In lower and middle parts contains Triassic fossils and in upper part Early Jurassic fossils (Nolf, 1966). Contact metamorphosed adjacent to Wallowa batholith

Lithology: mudstone

Wanapum Basalt (middle Miocene) (Middle Miocene) at surface, covers 6 % of this area

Flows of gray to dark-gray, medium-grained, commonly plagioclase porphyritic basalt of Frenchman Springs petrochemical type (Wright and others, 1973). Generally exhibits blocky to platy jointing. Potassium-argon ages mostly about 15 Ma (Lux, 1982; Fiebelkorn and others, 1983)

Lithology: basalt

Columbia River Basalt Group and related flows (Miocene) (Miocene) at surface, covers 0.1 % of this area

Subaerial basalt and minor andesite lava flows and flow breccia; submarine palagonitic tuff and pillow complexes of the Columbia River Basalt Group (Swanson and others, 1979); locally includes invasive basalt flows. Flows locally grade laterally into subaqueous pillow-palagonite complexes and bedded palagonitic tuff and breccia. In places includes tuffaceous sedimentary interbeds. Joints commonly coated with nontronite and other clayey alteration products. Occurs principally in the Willamette Valley from Salem north to the Columbia River, and in the northern Coast Range. Unit includes correlative Cape Foulweather and Depoe Bay Basalts in the Coast Range (Snavely and others, 1973, 1976a, 1976b; Swanson and others, 1979; Wells and others, 1983). In Eastern Oregon, occurs principally in Deschutes-Umatilla Plateau and in the Blue Mountains. K-Ar ages range from about 6 to about 16.5 Ma (McKee and others, 1977; Swanson and others, 1979; Sutter, 1978; Lux, 1982). Locally separated into Tcs, Tcw, Tcg, Tcp, and Tci

Lithology: basalt; andesite

Tuffaceous sedimentary rocks and tuff (Pliocene and Miocene) (Miocene to Pliocene) at surface, covers 0.6 % of this area

Semiconsolidated to well-consolidated mostly lacustrine tuffaceous sandstone, siltstone, mudstone, concretionary claystone, conglomerate, pumicite, diatomite, air-fall and water-deposited vitric ash, palagonitic tuff and tuff breccia, and fluvial sandstone and conglomerate. Palagonitic tuff and breccia grade laterally into altered and unaltered basalt flows of unit Tob. In places includes layers of fluvial conglomerate and, in parts of the Deschutes-Umatilla Plateau, extensive deposits of fanglomerate composed mostly of Miocene basalt debris and silt. Also includes thin, welded and nonwelded ash-flow tuffs. Vertebrate and plant fossils indicate rocks of unit are mostly of Clarendonian and Hemphillian (late Miocene and Pliocene) age. Potassium-argon ages on interbedded basalt flows and ash-flow tuffs range from about 4 to 10 Ma. Includes the Drewsey Formation of Shotwell and others (1963); sedimentary parts of the Rattlesnake Formation of Brown and Thayer (1966); an interstratified ash-flow tuff has been radiometrically dated by potassium-argon methods at about 6.6 Ma (see Fiebelkorn and others, 1983); Bully Creek Formation of Kittleman and others (1967); Dalles Formation of Newcomb (1966, 1969); Shutler Formation of Hodge (1932), McKay beds of Hogenson (1964) and Newcomb (1966) (see also Shotwell, 1956); Kern Basin Formation of Corcoran and others (1962); Rome beds of Baldwin (1976); parts of the (now obsolete) Danforth Formation of Piper and others (1939), Idaho Group of Malde and Powers (1962), Thousand Creek Beds of Merriam (1910); the Madras (or Deschutes) Formation, the "Simtustus formation" of Smith (1984), and the Yonna Formation (Newcomb, 1958). In areas west of Cascade crest, includes the Sandy River Mudstone and the Troutdale Formation of Trimble (1963) and the lower Pliocene Helvetia Formation of Schlicker and Deacon (1967)

Lithology: sandstone; siltstone; mudstone; conglomerate; pumice; diatomite; tuff; conglomerate

Sedimentary and volcanic rocks (Upper? Triassic) (Late Triassic) at surface, covers 0.1 % of this area

Undifferentiated marine sedimentary rocks and volcanic rocks, locally slightly to moderately metamorphosed, of Late(?) Triassic age, exposed principally in Hells Canyon of Snake River, locally in tributary canyons of Imnaha River, and in several areas marginal to the Wallowa Mountains

Lithology: mixed clastic/volcanic

John Day Formation of east-central Oregon (lower Miocene, Oligocene, and uppermost Eocene?) (Late Eocene to Early Miocene) at surface, covers 4 % of this area

Lithology: mudstone; mixed clastic/volcanic

Mafic and intermediate vent rocks (Pliocene? and Miocene) (Miocene to Pliocene) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Basaltic and andesitic agglomerate, breccia, scoria, cinders, flows, and intrusive masses forming lava cones and small shields

Lithology: basalt; andesite

Alluvial deposits (Holocene) (Holocene) at surface, covers 4 % of this area

Sand, gravel, and silt forming flood plains and filling channels of present streams. In places includes talus and slope wash. Locally includes soils containing abundant organic material, and thin peat beds

Lithology: sand; gravel; silt; peat

Lacustrine and fluvial sedimentary rocks (Pleistocene) (Pleistocene) at surface, covers 5 % of this area

Unconsolidated to semiconsolidated lacustrine clay, silt, sand, and gravel; in places includes mudflow and fluvial deposits and discontinuous layers of peat. Includes older alluvium and related deposits of Piper (1942), Willamette Silt (Allison, 1953; Wells and Peck, 1961), alluvial silt, sand, and gravel that form terrace deposits of Wells and others (1983), and Gresham and Estacada Formations of Trimble (1963). Includes deltaic gravel and sand and gravel bars, in pluvial lake basins in southeastern part of map area. In Rome Basin, includes discontinuous layers of poorly consolidated conglomerate characterized by well-rounded, commonly polished pebbles of chert and pebbles and cobbles of quartzite. In places contains mollusks or vertebrate fossils indicating Pleistocene age; mostly deposits of late Pleistocene age, but locally includes some deposits of early Holocene age. Includes Touchet Beds of Flint (1938), deposits of valley terraces of Newcomb (1965), and, in southeast Oregon, basin-filling deposits that incorporate Mazama ash deposits (Qma, Qmp) in the youngest layers

Lithology: clay or mud; silt; sand; gravel

Fanglomerate (Holocene? and Pleistocene) (Pleistocene to Holocene) at surface, covers 4 % of this area

Poorly sorted and poorly stratified alluvial fan debris, slope wash, colluvium, and talus; composed mostly of silt and fragments of basalt, basaltic andesite, and andesite. In places includes small areas of pediment gravels and colluvium

Lithology: alluvial fan; colluvium; talus

Imnaha Basalt (lower Miocene) (Early Miocene) at surface, covers 0.4 % of this area

Mostly coarse-grained, plagioclase porphyritic basalt; flows commonly contain zeolite amygdules and montmorillonitic alteration is widespread. Potassium-argon ages mostly 16 to 17 Ma (McKee and others, 1981)

Lithology: basalt

Sedimentary and volcanic rocks, partly metamorphosed (Triassic and Permian) (Permian to Triassic) at surface, covers 0.9 % of this area

Complexly folded, locally highly foliated and recrystallized undifferentiated sedimentary and volcanic rocks that in places are lithologically similar to Jurassic and Triassic rocks in the Aldrich Mountains of the Blue Mountains province and in other places resemble Elkhorn Ridge Argillite, Clover Creek Greenstone, and Burnt River Schist (Gilluly, 1937). Age probably mostly Late Permian to Late Triassic, but, as shown, may include some Early Jurassic rocks

Lithology: meta-argillite; greenstone; slate

Grande Ronde Basalt (middle and lower Miocene) (Early to Middle Miocene) at surface, covers 49 % of this area

Flows of dark-gray to black, aphyric tholeiitic basalt, including both high- and low-Mg chemical types (Swanson and others, 1979). Potassium-argon ages mostly in the range of 15 to 17 Ma (Lux, 1982; Watkins and Baksi, 1974; Fiebelkorn and others, 1983)

Lithology: basalt