Creation of the Teton Landscape: The Geologic Story of Grand Teton National ParkReed, John C. (John Calvin)
Science
Creation of the Teton Landscape: The Geologic Story of Grand Teton National Park
Reed, John C. (John Calvin)
Geology -- Wyoming -- Grand Teton National Park
The Quaternary Period is represented by less than 15-thousandths of the
last inch on our yardstick of time (fig. 56) and the entire Ice Age
takes up less than 2-thousandths of an inch (less than the thickness of
this page). Nevertheless, the spectacular effects of various forces of
nature on the Teton landscape during this short interval of time are of
such significance that they warrant a separate discussion. The role of
glaciers in carving the rugged Teton peaks and shaping the adjacent
valleys was mentioned in the first part of this booklet, but is
discussed in more detail here. The magnitude and complexity of crustal
movements increased during the final 2 million years of time—so much so
that the beginning of Quaternary time has not yet been identified with
any single event. Figure 56 shows the major events described below.
Hoback normal fault
The _Hoback normal fault_, 30 miles long, with a mile or more
displacement, developed in the southernmost part of Jackson Hole about 2
million years ago. This fault is on the east side of the valley. Thus,
the valley block was downdropped between this fault and the Teton fault
that borders the west side.
Volcanic activity
During or shortly after major movement on the Hoback fault, and perhaps
related to it, there was a complex series of volcanic eruptions west and
north of the town of Jackson, along the south boundary of the park. In
rapid succession, lavas of many types, with a combined thickness of more
than 1,000 feet, were extruded and volcanic plugs intruded into the
near-surface sedimentary rocks. These volcanic rocks can be seen on the
East and West Gros Ventre Buttes.
There are no active volcanoes in the Teton region today and no
postglacial lava flows or cinder cones. Five miles north of Grand Teton
National Park are boiling springs (Flagg Ranch hot springs) that are
associated with the youngest (late Quaternary) lavas in southern
Yellowstone Park. Elsewhere in Jackson Hole are a number of lukewarm
springs but their relation to volcanic rocks has not been determined.
What happened to the vast thicknesses of volcanic debris? We know they
existed because sections of them have been measured on the eroded edges
of uptilted folds and fault blocks. Many cubic miles of these rocks are
now buried beneath the floor of Jackson Hole, but a much greater volume
was carried completely out of the region by water, ice, and wind during
the final chapter of geologic history.
Preglacial lakes
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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