xi, 60 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.). A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / I present an alternative approach to determine the magnitude and direction of extension in the Basin and Range Province at the north end of Summer Lake basin using GIS techniques. Offset across 161 faults and tilting of 56 fault blocks were estimated to calculate extension as a function of azimuth in this area. The orientation of a representative set of slickenlines was collected in the field to assign average values for the GIS analysis. Azimuthal variation of extension is consistent with a strain ellipse indicating plane strain with extension of 1.5 to 5.5 percent along the maximum extension direction of N75E and no extension along the minimum N15W axis. Blocks tilt on average 60° from the maximum extension direction, suggesting the underlying detachment dips -N15E. This technique allows strain associated with the numerous small faults to be added to the sparse large faults for a complete regional analysis. / Committee in Charge: Dr. Ray Weldon, Chair; Dr. David Schmidt; Dr. Marli Miller

The Portland Hills fault forms a strong northwest trending lineament along the east side of the Tualatin Mountains. An en echelon lineament follows North Scappoose Creek, Alder Creek, and the Clatskanie River along the same trend, through Columbia County, Oregon. The possibility that this lineament follows a fault or fault zone was investigated in this study. Geophysical methods were used, with seismic refraction, magnetic and gravity lines run perpendicular to the lineament. The seismic refraction models indicate the near surface basalt is broken in many places, with 15 - 30 meters (50 - 100 feet) vertical displacement, down to the west, at Bunker Hill along the Alder Creek fault. Gravity models required a faulted zone approximately two kilometers wide across the lineament. The proposed fault zone is more clearly defined in the south, becoming more diffuse and branching in the northern part of the study area. The Bouguer gravity values from this study distort the -40 milligal contour farther to the northwest than is shown on the Complete Bouguer Gravity Anomaly Map of Oregon {Berg and Thiruvathukal, 1967b). The existence of sharp topographic features and the geophysical evidence indicate fault activity along the zone.

Marsh paleoseismological studies were conducted in four bays (Necanicum, Nestucca, Siletz, and Yaquina) along the northern Oregon coast and compared with completed studies in two other bays (Netarts and Alsea). Coseismically buried peats were identified in all bays, based on 1) abrupt contacts, decreases in organic content, increases in sand content, increases in beach sand, and changes in diatom assemblages, all from the peat to the overlying sediments, 2) distinct sandy layers and key plant macrofossils, such as Triglochin, above the buried peat, and 3) widespread correlation of the buried peats within the bay. The stratigraphy and the ages and depths of the top six coseismically buried peats were compared between bays. The following similarities were noted: 1) All bays recorded five burial events in the top 2.6 meters within the last 2200 years. 2) Six burial events were recorded in six bays in the top 3.0 meters, except Alsea Bay (3.3 m), and all six events occurred within the last 2600 years except Yaquina (2780 years). 3) The depth to the top of each buried peat in the bays is consistent, falling within discrete ranges, except for the top two events at Yaquina. 4) Distinct sandy layers (tsunami-deposited) are present over the topmost buried peat in all bays except Yaquina and over the 4th in all bays except Yaquina and Nestucca. 5) Distinct tsunami-deposited sandy layers are absent over the third buried peat in Netarts, Nestucca, Siletz, Alsea, and possibly Yaquina, but present at Necanicum. The evidence strongly suggests synchroneity of coseismic events between the Necanicum River and Alsea Bay (a distance of 175 km), with the exception of the 2nd and 6th event. The 6th coseismic event would be synchronous between Alsea and Netarts, a distance of 105 km. The support for synchroneity of the 2nd event is weak. Synchroneity of coseismic burial events on the northern Oregon coast would argue for paleomagnitudes of at least 8.1 Mw, given a minimum rupture width of 50 km and a rupture length of 105 km. The paleomagnitudes were determined using the moment magnitude equation, Mw = 2/3 IOg10 Mo - 10.7 where Mo = shear modulus x rupture area x seismic slip. The seismic slip is estimated from a minimum recurrence interval of 300 years and a minimum convergence rate of 3.5 cm/yr.Marsh paleoseismological studies were conducted in four bays (Necanicum, Nestucca, Siletz, and Yaquina) along the northern Oregon coast and compared with completed studies in two other bays (Netarts and Alsea). Coseismically buried peats were identified in all bays, based on 1) abrupt contacts, decreases in organic content, increases in sand content, increases in beach sand, and changes in diatom assemblages, all from the peat to the overlying sediments, 2) distinct sandy layers and key plant macrofossils, such as Triglochin, above the buried peat, and 3) widespread correlation of the buried peats within the bay. The stratigraphy and the ages and depths of the top six coseismically buried peats were compared between bays. The following similarities were noted: 1) All bays recorded five burial events in the top 2.6 meters within the last 2200 years. 2) Six burial events were recorded in six bays in the top 3.0 meters, except Alsea Bay (3.3 m), and all six events occurred within the last 2600 years except Yaquina (2780 years). 3) The depth to the top of each buried peat in the bays is consistent, falling within discrete ranges, except for the top two events at Yaquina. 4) Distinct sandy layers (tsunami-deposited) are present over the topmost buried peat in all bays except Yaquina and over the 4th in all bays except Yaquina and Nestucca. 5) Distinct tsunami-deposited sandy layers are absent over the third buried peat in Netarts, Nestucca, Siletz, Alsea, and possibly Yaquina, but present at Necanicum. The evidence strongly suggests synchroneity of coseismic events between the Necanicum River and Alsea Bay (a distance of 175 km), with the exception of the 2nd and 6th event. The 6th coseismic event would be synchronous between Alsea and Netarts, a distance of 105 km. The support for synchroneity of the 2nd event is weak. Synchroneity of coseismic burial events on the northern Oregon coast would argue for paleomagnitudes of at least 8.1 Mw, given a minimum rupture width of 50 km and a rupture length of 105 km. The paleomagnitudes were determined using the moment magnitude equation, Mw = 2/3 IOg10 Mo - 10.7 where Mo = shear modulus x rupture area x seismic slip. The seismic slip is estimated from a minimum recurrence interval of 300 years and a minimum convergence rate of 3.5 cm/yr.

The Vale KGRA is characterized by high heat flow, two to five times higher than the worldwide average, and by numerous hot springs. The hot springs are aligned along faults. This phenomena is typical of a Basin and Range type geothermal system. The hot geothermal fluids migrate upward along the more permeable, fault planes. The rocks exposed in the Vale area are the Pliocene Chalk Butte formation and the Pleistocene beds of Captain Keeney Pass. Both units are composed of volcaniclastic siltstones, sandstones and conglomerates. The units are differentiated by color, texture and degree of lithification. About 200 meters of the Chalk Butte formation and 100 meters of the beds of Captain Keeney Pass are exposed in the area. Silicification is wide spread in the rocks of the Chalk Butte formation.

A series of tufa mounds is found within the northern basin of Lake Abert, located within southeastern Oregon. The mounds have been divided into 3 main groups and 1 sub-group (A1, A2, B, and C) based upon spatial and textural considerations. Mound groups appear at two different elevations: the 1310 meter elevation (Groups A2, B, and C), and the 1318 meter elevation (Group A1). Published carbon age dating of the Lake Abert 1325 meter strandline and the 1310 meter strandline indicates that the mounds were formed during the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene. Facies analysis and mineralogical analysis of the mounds indicates that the mounds were primarily formed subaqueously during a lake regression, supporting oxygen isotope data from previous researchers. Magnetometer data within Groups A1 and A2 suggests that the mounds are associated with a series of magnetic lows which are oriented in joint sets (NW-SE, and N-S) which match the orientation of faulting within the region. While there appears to be another early mound building episode, no direct evidence confirms this.

The Tualatin Valley is a well defined elliptical basin centered at Hillsboro, with a major axis trending roughly N65°W. The valley is bordered on the northeast by the Tualatin Mountains (Portland Hills) which are a faulted, northwest-trending asymmetrical anticline. Topographic and geophysical evidence have defined the Portland Hills fault, which occurs along the northeast side of the Tualatin Mountains. The possibility that a fault or fault zone occurs along the southwest side of the Tualatin Mountains was investigated in this study.

The state gravity maps of Oregon and Washington show a gravity high centered south of Portland, Oregon and a gravity low in the Tualatin Valley to the west disrupting the regional gravity gradient which is controlled by crustal thickening. Detailed gravity surveys done in the Portland area are consistent with the state gravity maps but show considerably more detail. Quantitative interpretation of this data has provided new information on the subsurface structure in this area; recent work has yielded corroborative evidence for a fault zone bounding the east side of the Portland Hills, and has indicated the presence of faults under the Portland Basin to the east which were previously unknown.

Growing concern over earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest has prompted the mapping and location of near surface faults in the Portland area, Oregon. Visible evidence of faults is poor, requiring the use of geophysical methods to assist in mapping and defining structures in the basin. Gravity maps and models may help in addressing this problem.

The Glass Buttes volcanic complex is a cluster of bimodal (basalt-rhyolite), Miocene to Pleistocene age lava flows and domes located in Oregon's High Lava Plains province, a broad region of Cenozoic bimodal volcanism in south-central Oregon. The High Lava Plains is deformed by northwest-striking faults of the Brothers Fault Zone, a diffuse, ~N40°W trending zone of en echelon faults cutting ~250 km obliquely across the High Lava Plains. Individual fault segments within the Brothers Fault Zone are typically <20 km long, strike ~N40°W, have apparent normal separation with 10-100 m throw. A smaller population of ~5-10 km long faults striking ~N30°E exhibits mutually crosscutting relationships with the dominant northwest striking faults. Basaltic volcanic rocks in the Glass Buttes area erupted during the late Miocene and Pleistocene. The oldest and youngest lavas are 6.49±0.03 Ma and 1.39±0.18 Ma, respectively, based on ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of five basaltic units. Numerous small mafic vents both within and around the margins of the main silicic dome complex are commonly localized along northwest-striking faults of the Brothers Fault Zone. These vents erupted a diverse suite of basalt to basaltic andesite lava flows that are here differentiated into 15 stratigraphic units based on hand sample texture and mineralogy as well as major and trace element geochemistry. The structural fabric of the Glass Buttes area is dominated by small displacement, discontinuous, en echelon, northwest-striking fault scarps that result from normal to slightly oblique displacements and are commonly linked by relay ramps. Northwest alignment of basaltic and rhyolitic vents, paleotopography, and cross-cutting relationships suggest these faults have been active since at least 6.49±0.03 Ma, the age of the rhyolite lavas in the eastern Glass Buttes are. Faults displace Quaternary sedimentary deposits indicating these structures continue to be active into the Quaternary. Long-term extension rates across northwest-striking faults calculated from 2-5 km long cross section restorations range from 0.004 – 0.02 mm/yr with an average of 0.12 mm/yr. A subordinate population of discontinuous northeast-striking faults form scarps and exhibit mutually cross-cutting relationships with the dominant northwest-striking population. Cross-cutting relationships indicate faulting on northeast-striking faults ceased sometime between 4.70±0.27 Ma and 1.39±0.18 Ma. Gravity data at Glass Buttes reveals prominent northwest- and northeast-trending gravity gradients that closely parallel the strikes of surface faults. These are interpreted as large, deep-seated, normal faults that express themselves in the young basalts at the surface as the discontinuous, en echelon fault segments seen throughout the study area and BFZ in general. Elevated geothermal gradients are localized along these deep-seated structures at two locations: (1) where northwest- and northeast-striking faults intersect,(2) along a very prominent northwest-striking active normal fault bounding the southwest flank of Glass Butte. High average heat flow and elevated average geothermal gradients across the High Lava Plains, and the presence of hydrothermal alteration motivated geothermal resource exploration at Glass Buttes. Temperature gradient drilling by Phillips Petroleum and others between 1977-1981 to depths of up to 600 m defined a local geothermal anomaly underlying the Glass Buttes volcanic complex with a maximum gradient of 224 °C/km. Stratigraphic constraints indicate that near-surface hydrothermal alteration associated with mercury ores ceased before 4.70±0.27 Ma, and is likely associated with the 6.49±0.03 Ma rhyolite eruptions in the eastern part of Glass Buttes. The modern thermal anomaly is not directly related to the pre-4.70±0.27 Ma hydrothermal system; rather it is likely a result of deep fluid circulation along major extensional faults in the area. / Graduation date: 2013 / Includes accompanying DVD with digital data supplement (8 GB).