The Portland Basin: A (big) river runs through it

GSA Today
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Abstract

Metropolitan Portland, Oregon, USA, lies within a small Neogene to Holocene basin in the forearc of the Cascadia subduction system. Although the basin owes its existence and structural development to its convergent-margin tectonic setting, the stratigraphic architecture of basin-fill deposits chiefly reflects its physiographic position along the lower reaches of the continental-scale Columbia River system. As a result of this globally unique setting, the basin preserves a complex record of aggradation and incision in response to distant as well as local tectonic, volcanic, and climatic events. Voluminous flood basalts, continental and locally derived sediment and volcanic debris, and catastrophic flood deposits all accumulated in an area influenced by contemporaneous tectonic deformation and variations in regional and local base level.
Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title The Portland Basin: A (big) river runs through it
Series title GSA Today
Volume 19
Issue 9
Year Published 2009
Language English
Publisher The Geological Society of America
Publisher location Boulder, CO
Contributing office(s) Geology and Geophysics Science Center, Oregon Water Science Center
Description 7 p.
Larger Work Type Article
Larger Work Subtype Journal Article
Larger Work Title GSA Today
First page 4
Last page 10
Country United States
State Oregon
City Portland
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