Gage Furrow

11/11/16
Field geology
The Scourge that is Byram

Abstract:

The site of Byram located in Hunterdon County NJ, is part of the Newark Basin. Geology at this
site is characterized by the older Triassic Lockatong which is a fine grained silt stone and the
Byram Diabase which is a fine to medium grained basalt. Position of units shows relative age
without any dating techniques. There are at least two faults in the area. In terms of thickness the
Lockatong is greater than the Diabase but the underlying unit thickness cannot be determined.
The structural history of the area begins with the lithification of the Lockatong and subsequent
intrusion of the igneous component. Intrusion is supported by the presence of low grade
metamorphism seen in the Lockatong outcrops surrounding the Diabase. Finally there is a series
of faulting events in the area: an observed normal fault which created drag folds and a vertical
fault.

Introduction:

Byram is located in Kingwood Township New Jersey in Hunterdon County. The physical site is
located off of River Drive which parallels the Delaware River (See figure 1). The purpose of this
mapping exercise was to gain practice experience mapping rock units in an area where lithology
is hard to recognize, out crops are few, and there is faulting and intrusions complicating the
lithified stratigraphy. To better organize the description of the lithology and structural history of
the site, the paper will be broken into bedrock map units, structural geology, a discussion of that
history, and ending with concluding statements regarding the sequence of geologic history.

Bedrock Map Units:

Byram is made up of two main rock units. The older of the two units is the Triassic Lockatong.
The Lockatong for short is a medium to fine grained silt stone that is poorly bedded. The
weathered face is brownish in appearance and does not exhibit much jointing and small scale
fractures are irregular. The clean surface when broken off is dark gray and grain size can be felt
by grinding on ones teeth. This grinding was a fairly reliable diagnostic technique because it felt
consistently finer grained than the other unit. Bedding planes were varying between outcrops
where they would be pronounced in some areas and harder to read in other. The best out crops
were found within the creek and along the northern ridge that is nearly parallel to River Drive
(see figure 2). Other outcrops are found just north of the suspected quarry (See figure 2). On the
geologic map attached to this paper outcrop is shown using polygons but inferred units are
shown using color. The Lockatong is shown using blue. The presence of underlying lithology is
inferred based of the presence of float in high concentrations. The thickness of the Lockatong is
at least 100 meters thick between exposed bedding planes (see figures 2 and 3). Thickness of the
underlying unit cannot be determined. We can tell that the Lockatong is older without knowing
the dating just by the fact that the other unit is intruding it.

The younger intruding unit is igneous in origin. It is known as the Byram Diabase. It is a grey to
tan weathering igneous rock that contains xenoliths of olivine, pyroxene and clino pyroxene. The
presence of reaction rims and pyridotite were other identifying characteristics. The rock itself
was massive in characteristic. The common name of diabase is a sub-variety of basalt. This
makes this unit a form of igneous intrusion. The clean face of the diabase was dark grey to black
and you could see individual crystals. Jointing was very prevalent in these outcrops with joint
patterns appearing to vary. This was also a helpful diagnostic property. The most pronounced out
crops of the diabase were in the suspected quarry, east of the quarry along the path, and along the
south side of the creek and trail head (see figure 2). The diabase is shown in red on the geologic
map. Again outcrops are shown using polygons and inferred presence is shown using color
alone. The thickness of the diabase is 70 meters (see figure 3).

Structural Geology:

The first structural feature we noticed is the diabase itself. It is an igneous rock in between two
sedimentary units so it must have intruded the Lockatong. As you move down dip the rocks on
the up thrown side should be older. The Diabase was indeed older then we should continue to see
diabase as we move down dip but instead it goes back to Lackatong and then continues on as
such. Because the Diabase ends we know it has to have come in after the formation of the
Lockatong. Jointing is common in these outcrops but no consistent patterns were noticed across
the region. The only exception to this is a joint set in the narrow part of the creek that has joints
striking 30 degrees which is the same orientation as an inferred contact that is just north of the
quarry and extends down to the road.

The Lockatong at Byram is consistently striking between 220 and 245 degrees (figure 4). The
only exception to that is near the entrance to the trail and in the center/ south side of the creek
where the inferred contact is with the diabase. There is a fault that follows that contact. Were
know there is a fault because we can see it where the trail head meets the road where the
Lockatong meets the Diabase. In the areas on the south side of the creek I took strikes that were
between 70 and 150 degrees. These areas were dipping between 25 and 60 degrees. The contact
on the south side of the creek and the change in strike and dip show that there is a fault along that
contact. The near 180 degree change in strike from the rest of the Lockatong within the same unit
and the varying dip tell us that there is some type of folding here as well (see figures 2, 4, and 5).
At the narrow section of creek on the south wall there is baked Lockatong because there are
crystals on the fresh surfaces that are larger than the rest of the fine grained matrix (see sample
1).

Another structural feature is a fault that strikes 30 degrees located on the contact between the
diabase and Lockatong just north of the quarry. The contact travels 50 to 100 meters past the
quarry bearing north east and disappears down at the road heading south west. We know that
there is a fault because the contact does not curve with the topography. If the fault was dipping at
an angle then the contact would follow topography lines. Instead it cuts strait through them from
the road until it turns into all Lockatong float bearing north north east of the quarry (see figure
2). There is no exposed contact on the faults inferred path so we cannot get an idea of which side
moved up or down. There is however jointing in the creek striking 30 degrees. The presence of
fractures in the same direction support the presence of the vertical fault because they show either
extensional or contractional forces.

Discussion:

In terms of tectonic history we can say without a doubt that the Triassic Lockatong it the oldest
unit in the area because all other units and structural features are intruding or cutting through it.
The next event would have to be the intrusion of the diabase into the Lockatong. We know it is
the next youngest event because the two areas of it are off set from each other. If the faulting in
the area came first then the diabase would be one solid unit. Rocks get older as you move down
dip on the up thrown side. If the diabase were older then we would see diabase continuing
northward following the dipping angle of the Lockatong. Instead of continuing, the diabase turns
back into Lockatong and dipping angle is relatively the same (see figure 2). There also appears to
be some low grade metamorphism in the Lockatong on the south side of the creek based on the
visible crystals see in the very fine matrix (see sample 1). This igneous intrusion is most likely a
sill because of the apparent thickness is not very large so it lends more that the intruding material
came in between layers instead of up through them (see figure 3).

The folding observed from the changes in strike and dip in the Lockatong within the creek are
most likely a drag fold caused by the fault. This means that this is a normal fault because the
hanging wall containing the diabase folded the edge of the Lockatong as the hanging wall moved
down. If it were a thrust fault then we would expect to see the fold limbs dipping the opposite
way and strike would not be opposite of the rest of the Lockatong. Because the other the contact
doesnt follow topography, it must mean that the fault striking 30 degrees from the road up past
north of the quarry must be a vertical fault. If it were an angled fault then we would see the
contact following topography because if we cut an angle vertically against topography then the
contact would have to follow the curve of the land.

Conclusion:

Byrams geologic history follows as such: At some point during the Triassic the Lockatong was
deposited. It was then intruded by the diabase between layers and low grade metamorphism
occurred in the surrounding Lockatong increasing crystal size in some of the rock. The units
were then faulted causing drag folding in the foot wall of the fault (made of Lockatong) which
accounts for the observed change in strike on the south wall of the creek. Last in this sequence of
events was the vertical fault occurring on the north side of the creek bearing 30 degrees from the
road to just above the quarry and disappearing under the Lockatong float. The vertical fault is
listed last because the forces which created it could be responsible for the possible offset in the
normal fault that follows the creek. This offset is not mentioned in the structural geology because
I am not sure if it is an actual offset or just intrusive igneous material exposed by erosion which
has persisted longer because it is coarser grained.

Acknowledgements
Nick and I worked well on this assignment. We were equally motivated and he took accurate
data and maintained a positive attitude. I would have died at Byram (like Krieg) had he not
fought off that pack of hungry chipmunks after I broke my legs, arms, and geology brain. He
then heroically carried me out of the field despite the injuries he sustained from those savage
rodent and I made a full recovery at the van.
Figure 1- Map of Byram and location in New Jersey.
Figure 4: Equal area lower hemisphere projection of strike and dip data for Lockatong unit at
Byram.