The Briggs Creek Amphibolite, Klamath Mountains, Oregon: Its origin and dispersal
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Abstract
The Briggs Creek Amphibolite (BCA) in southwestern Oregon is an allochthonous slice of metamorphosed oceanic crust emplaced during the Nevadan orogenic event. Even though the evidence is not clear, the authors prefer to have the protolith for the BCA formed in a back‐arc basin contemporaneously as part of the Josephine Ophiolite during late Callovian to early Oxfordian. Although major rearrangement of some of the chemical elements took place during metamorphism, it is possible, by use of major and rare earth elements, to suggest that the BCA formed in an oceanic spreading centre rather than an island arc setting. Meta‐morphic mineral assemblages and composition of the hornblendes indicate that metamorphism attained amphibolite facies grade.
Widespread occurrence of allochthonous blocks of BCA in Western Oregon indicate that its dispersion following metamorphism can be related to the accretionary history of the continental margin. Westward thrusting of these blocks of BCA over the Chetco Arc during the Nevadan orogenic event provided blocks that slid into the outboard active Early Cretaceous trench. These blocks were then incorporated into the downgoing subduction complex and overprinted by high P/T metamorphic assemblages. Tectonic blocks within the Early Cretaceous Otter Point trench melange (Franciscan Complex equivalent) contain amphibolites correlated with the BCA and overprinted by high P/T mineral assemblages.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | The Briggs Creek Amphibolite, Klamath Mountains, Oregon: Its origin and dispersal |
| Series title | New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics |
| DOI | 10.1080/00288306.1991.9514465 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Year Published | 1991 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis |
| Description | 14 p. |
| First page | 271 |
| Last page | 284 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Oregon |
| Other Geospatial | Briggs Creek Amphibolite, Klamath Mountains |
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