Abstract

Understanding the interplay between surficial and tectonic processes in the development of Utah's Wasatch Range is vital to evaluating geologic hazards along the Wasatch Front. Baldy is a large (6.125 km3) block of limestone and sandstone structurally overlying shale on the western flank of Mount Timpanogos. It has been mapped as a downdropped normal fault block of Permian units, but no other trace of such a fault exists along the range. The Baldy block structurally overlies the weak Manning Canyon shale, which has produced a regional geomorphology replete with faceted spurs, landslide scarps and deposits. Structural, bio- and litho-stratigrahic mapping of the block reveals breccia deposits, bed rotation and stratigraphic and structural relations to Mount Timpanogos consistent with a landslide interpretation. Structural reconstructions of the block and calculations of stream downcutting rates help constrain the timing and sequence of events of the block's emplacement. These results attest to the importance of surficial processes in the development of large-scale geologic structures, and demonstrate the ongoing danger of mass wasting to the communities of the Wasatch Front.

Degree

College and Department

Physical and Mathematical Sciences; Geological Sciences

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