TABLE  OF  CONTENTS

Geology of Prince William Sound

GEOLOGY  of  PRINCE  WILLIAM  SOUND,  ALASKA

HOME



 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

AUTHOR'S FOREWORD

PREFACE

MAPS

TIMELINE

 

Chapter 1. The Earth in Motion 1

Continental Drift 3

Plate Tectonics 6

The Restless Plates 14

The Aleutian Trench and Southern Alaska 32

 

Chapter 2. Geological History of Prince William Sound and Southern Alaska

Carboniferous and Permian Beginnings 46

The Birth and Development of Wrangellia 47

The Peninsular Terrane & Formation of the Superterrane 50

Cretaceous Collision and the Birth of the Chugach/Prince William Sound Terrane 56

The Paleocene Development of the Orca Group 60

Paleocene/Eocene Northward Movement of the Superterrane 66

Eocene Flight Northward 67

The Final Collision 69

Oligocene Plutonism 73

Miocene Uplift 74

Continued Pliocene Uplift 76

Pleistocene Glaciation 77

Holocene Retreat 79

Footnotes 82

 

 

Chapter 3. Observing Prince William Sound's Rocks

A. Introduction 86

B. Observing Prince William Sound's Volcanic Rocks 87

Pillow Basalts 87

Sheeted Dikes 89

Massive Flows 90

Ophiolites 91

C. Observing Plutonic Rocks 92

D. Observing Metamorphic Rocks 97

E. Observing Sedimentary Rocks

Turbidites 102

The Bouma Sequences 104

Conglomerates 107

Rip-Up 110

Sole Markings 111

Flute Casts 112

Tool Marks 112

Load Casts 115

Concretions 115

Fossils 117

Bedding 120

Folding and Faulting 121

Folds 122

Faults 123

F. Observing Ore Minerals in Prince William Sound 127

 

Chapter 4. Field Guide to the Rocks of Prince William Sound

I. Passage Canal Area 131

Whittier 132

Billings Glacier 132

Poe Valley 133

Port Wells 134

Lansing Mine 134

Ziegler Cove 135

Point Cochrane 136

South Arm of Surprise Cove 136

 

II. Port Wells and Harriman Fiord

Mineral King Mine 137

Granite Mine 138

Hobo Bay to Harrison Lagoon 139

Point Doran Peninsula 140

Harriman Glacier 140

Serpentine Cove 140

Coxe Glacier 141

Coghill Point 141

Golden 142

 

III. Northern Islands

Esther Island 142

Fisherman's Anchorage 144

East side of Esther Passage 144

Grommet Cove 144

Culross Island 145

Culross Bay 145

Culross Pluton 146

South Culross Passage 147

Perry Island Pluton 147

Lone Island 147

 

IV. Northern Sound

Squaw Bay 149

Contact Fault 149

Cascade Bay 150

Cow Pens Anchorage 150

Miners' Bay 151

Unakwik Mineralized Zone 152

Cedar Bay Pluton 153

Outpost Island 153

Naked, Peak and Storey I. 153

Bass Harbor 153

Glacier Island 154

Long Bay 155

Granite Cove 155

Great Nunatak 156

 

V. Valdez Area

Old Valdez 158

Ramsay-Rutherford Mine 160

Mineral Creek 160

Cliff Mine 162

Midas Mine 163

Jack Bay Fault 166

Sawmill Bay 168

Valdez Arm Conglomerates 168

Johnston Bay 168

Galena Bay 169

Galena Bay Mining Co. 173

Ellamar Mine 173

General Scenario 174

 

VI. Cordova Area

Tatitlek Narrows 176

Bligh Island 177

Boulder Bay 177

Bidarka Point 177

Landlocked Bay 177

Threeman Mine 179

Landlocked Bay Mining Co. 179

Hemple Prospect 179

Standard Copper Mines Co. 180

Landlocked Bay Fault 180

Fish Bay 180

Sunny Cove 181

Fidalgo Marble 181

Fidalgo Mining Co. Mine 181

Irish Cove 181

Porcupine Point 181

Sheep Bay Pluton 181

Comfort Cove 182

Simpson Bay 183

Bomb Point 183

Cordova 183

Eyak Ridge 183

Point Whitshed 184

Canoe Passage 184

Cedar Bay 184

 

VII. Montague Belt

Double Bay 187

Johnstone Point 187

Shelter Bay 187

Deer Cove 187

Port Etches 187

Garden Cove 187

Zaikov Harbor and Rocky Bay 187

Green Island 188

Gibbon Anchorage 189

Stockdale Harbor 189

Point Gilmore 189

Hanning Bay 190

MacLeod Harbor 190

Patton Bay Fault 190

 

VIII. Knight Island Group 193

Point Eleanor 195

Lower Passage 195

Drier Bay 195

Port Audrey 196

Squire Island Anchorage 196

Little to Mummy Bay 196

Discovery Point 196

The Pandora Group 197

Rua Cove Mine 197

Bay of Isles 197

 

IX. Southwest Islands 199

Sleepy Bay 199

Latouche Island 200

Wilson Bay 200

Latouche 200

Powder Point 202

The Beatson Fault 202

Elrington Island 202

Fox Farm Anchorage 202

Evans Island 203

Shelter Bay 203

Bainbridge Fault 203

Hogg Bay Conglomerates 203

Minke Cove 203

Orca Cove 203

 

X. Western Sound 204

Kake Cove 205

Dangerous Passage 205

Chenega Island 205

Eshamy Pluton 206

Granite Bay 206

Point Nowell 206

Main Bay 207

Port Nellie Juan 207

Nellie Juan Pluton 207

Deep Water Bay 207

Greystone Bay 207

Kings Bay 207