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

Geologic units in Benton county, Washington

[Additional scientific data in this geographic area]

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

water

Lithology: water

Younger glacial drift (Pleistocene) at surface, covers 16 % of this area

Advance and recessional outwash, stratified drift, and associated deposits. Primarily silt, sand, and gravel with some clay. Includes alluvium locally and scabland deposits of eastern Washington.

Lithology: outwash; stratified drift; alluvium

Quaternary nonmarine deposits (Pleistocene) at surface, covers 48 % of this area

Periglacial eolian deposits. Buff to light-brown, massive, homogenous, unconsolidated loessial silt; some water-laid material locally. Probably early Pleistocene.

Lithology: loess; glaciolacustrine

Landslide and mudflow deposits (Holocene) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Predominantly landslide debris. Includes till-like mudflow deposits of andesitic rock fragments in clayey sand matrix in Buckley-Enumclaw area of Kind and Pierce Counties.

Lithology: landslide; lahar

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

Miocene volcanic rocks (Middle Miocene) at surface, covers 9 % of this area

Dark-gray to black, dense aphanitic basalt flows; commonly columnar jointed, less commonly irregularly and platy jointed; some flows vesicular, grading to scoriaceous; includes minor pillow lava, palagonite beds, and interbedded soil profiles and sedimentary beds; contains diatomite beds locally. Maximum thickness in south-central Washington may be in excess of 10,000 feet; much thinner in western Washington, where flows are mostly associated with marine sedimentary rocks. Includes acidic and intermediate volcanic rocks in northern Cascade Mountains.

Lithology: tholeiite; andesite; dacite; rhyolite; sandstone; siltstone; conglomerate

Younger glacial drift (Pleistocene) at surface, covers 2 % of this area

Younger glacial drift, undivided. Till, outwash, and associated deposits; sorted and unsorted sand, gravel, silt, and clay. Includes some alluvium.

Lithology: till; outwash; alluvium; peat

Miocene-Pliocene volcanic rocks (Miocene-Pliocene) at surface, covers 3 % of this area

Dark-gray, fine-grained, dense, porphyritic in part, basalt flows in central and south-central part of State; commonly interbedded with conglomerate, sandstone, and siltstone. Includes small areas of rhyolite north of Cle Elum in Kittitas County, and andesite north of Leavenworth in Chelan County.

Lithology: basalt; rhyolite; andesite; conglomerate; pumice

Quaternary nonmarine deposits (Pleistocene) at surface, covers < 0.1 % of this area

Periglacial lacustrine deposits. Light-brown, well-sorted and bedded clayey sandstone and sandy clay with interbeds of volcanic ash and calcareous cemented gravels.

Lithology: lake or marine deposit (non-glacial); conglomerate; volcanic ash

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

Mostly unconsolidated silt, sand, and gravel valley fill with some clay; includes low-level terrace, marsh, peat, artificial fill, and glacial deposits locally.

Lithology: alluvium; alluvial terrace; peat; glacial drift

Miocene-Pliocene nonmarine rocks (Miocene-Pliocene) at surface, covers 0.3 % of this area

Tuffaceous and pumiceous andesitic sandstone and siltstone with interbedded conglomerate and claystone. Conglomerate beds chiefly andesitic, but also quartzitic, granitic, and basaltic; includes basalt flows locally.

Lithology: conglomerate; pumice; gravel; sand; basalt; lahar

Eolian deposits (Holocene) at surface, covers 0.8 % of this area

Active dune sand; includes beach sand along southwestern Washington coast.

Lithology: beach sand; dune sand; mud flat

Glaciolacustrine deposits (Pleistocene) at surface, covers 12 % of this area

Fine-grained sand and silt, well-stratified, with some gravel, clay, and diatomaceous earth. Contains clastic dikes in Walla Walla area.

Lithology: glaciolacustrine; alluvium; volcanic ash