Catoctin Formation metabasalt showing amygdules and asbestos veinsMay 5, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Robin Rohrback, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 22016 x 16552 pixels | Native copper in Catoctin Formation metabasaltApr 22, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Robin Rohrback, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 14844 x 13568 pixelsNative copper in Catoctin Formation metabasalt from the Virgin Mine in Pine Mountain, PA. | Amygdular (amygdaloidal) Catoctin Formation meta-basalt, Blue Ridge, VirginiaApr 30, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Callan Bentley, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 71728 x 40128 pixelsFossil gas bubbles (vesicles) in this ancient lava flow were later infilled with mineral deposits, making amygdules. | Amygdules in Catoctin Formation meta-basaltMar 30, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Callan Bentley, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 42076 x 25904 pixelsFrom Virginia's Blue Ridge geological province. | Contact between Fauquier Formation marble and Catoctin Formation greenstone, near Lime Kiln Road, VirginiaMay 4, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Callan Bentley, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 43872 x 20692 pixelsThe contact between the metasedimentary Fauquier Formation (uppermost marble member) and the overlying metavolcanic Catoctin Formation is exposed in an abandoned quarry north of Aldie, Virginia, across Goose Creek from Lime Kiln Road. The nature of this contact (is it conformable? does it show primary or tectonic structures?) is of potential importance in constraining the age of the youngest "Snowball Earth" glacial event. | Devil's Racecourse, Ft. Ritchie, MarylandMay 13, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Robin Rohrback, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 106476 x 15992 pixelsDevil's Racecourse in Ft. Ritchie, MD is a 700-meter-long blockfield created when the area experienced a periglacial climate during the Pleistocene. It is thought that boulders of Weverton quartzite from South Mountain on the west and Catoctin metabasalt from the east weathered out of their respective mountains and were gradually transported and deposited here by gelifluction. In non-dry periods, visitors to Devil's Racecourse can hear a stream running beneath the blockfield, and can even see it if they peer down the right holes.
View is to the west. | Contact between Fauquier Formation marble and Catoctin Formation greenstone, near Lime Kiln Road, VirginiaMay 4, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Callan Bentley, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 63104 x 20356 pixelsThe contact between the metasedimentary Fauquier Formation (uppermost marble member) and the overlying metavolcanic Catoctin Formation is exposed in an abandoned quarry north of Aldie, Virginia, across Goose Creek from Lime Kiln Road. The nature of this contact (is it conformable? does it show primary or tectonic structures?) is of potential importance in constraining the age of the youngest "Snowball Earth" glacial event. | Contact between Fauquier Formation marble and Catoctin Formation greenstone, near Lime Kiln Road, VirginiaMay 4, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Callan Bentley, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 41244 x 13508 pixelsThe contact between the metasedimentary Fauquier Formation (uppermost marble member) and the overlying metavolcanic Catoctin Formation is exposed in an abandoned quarry north of Aldie, Virginia, across Goose Creek from Lime Kiln Road. The nature of this contact (is it conformable? does it show primary or tectonic structures?) is of potential importance in constraining the age of the youngest "Snowball Earth" glacial event. | Catoctin amygdulesApr 14, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Robin Rohrback, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 29504 x 23600 pixels | Columnar Jointing in Catoctin FormationMar 12, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Alan Pitts, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 49848 x 33372 pixelsThis GigaPan was taken on Compton Peak in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. The view of the camera is looking roughly west back up the hill towards the peak. These columns are in Catoctin metabasalt and are arguably the best examples of columnar jointing in Virginia. | Amygdules in Catoctin FormationMar 26, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Callan Bentley, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 47144 x 26460 pixelsAmygdule-bearing river cobble of Catoctin Formation collected at Compton Rapids on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River in Page County, Virginia. | Devil's Racecourse, Ft. Ritchie, MarylandMay 13, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Robin Rohrback, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 66072 x 15328 pixelsDevil's Racecourse in Ft. Ritchie, MD is a 700-meter-long blockfield created when the area experienced a periglacial climate during the Pleistocene. It is thought that boulders of Weverton quartzite from South Mountain on the west and Catoctin metabasalt from the east weathered out of their respective mountains and were gradually transported and deposited here by gelifluction. In non-dry periods, visitors to Devil's Racecourse can hear a stream running beneath the blockfield, and can even see it if they peer down the right holes.
This was shot on a foggy December morning. During the half hour or so it took to shoot, the fog burned off and the sun came out.
View is to the north. | Catoctin Formation greenstone, Rockfish Gap, VirginiaMay 12, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Robin Rohrback, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 30444 x 25180 pixelsThe Catoctin Formation is dominated by a series of Neoproterozoic basaltic lava flows that were later metamorphosed to greenstone during the late Paleozoic Alleghanian Orogeny. This sample was collected at Rockfish Gap, to be imaged in conjunction with these two outcrop scale GigaPans:
https://viewer.gigamacro.com/view/BUs7kxQE18pvPmst
https://viewer.gigamacro.com/view/1RDG4sAZvugTVYCb
The hand sample is imaged perpendicular to the plane of foliation. | Meta-ignimbrite of the Catoctin FormationApr 14, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Callan Bentley, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 39512 x 21768 pixelsMeta-volcanic rock of the late Neoproterozoic Catoctin Formation, epidotized and foliated during Alleghenian deformation of the Blue Ridge of Virginia.
Here's the other side (varnished) of the sample:
https://viewer.gigamacro.com/view/CNdxpsDpSIV1sgBC | Amygdules in Catoctin FormationMar 26, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Callan Bentley, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 46705 x 24196 pixelsAmygdule-bearing river cobble of Catoctin Formation collected at Compton Rapids on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River in Page County, Virginia. | Catoctin metabasalt at Point of Rocks, MarylandMay 13, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Chris Johnson, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 20784 x 15460 pixelsThis is an exposure of the Catoctin formation at Point of Rocks in Maryland, on the north bank of the Potomac River. Point of Rocks is a prominent water gap cut by the Potomac River. The Catoctin formation is Neoproterozoic in age and was erupted as a series of flood basalts during the breakup of the Mesoproterozoic supercontinent Rodinia, and the opening of the Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic aged Iapetus Ocean basin. It overlies the basement complex at the core of the Blue Ridge Anticlinorium. In many places, clastic sedimentary rock occurs between the basement and the Catoctin. A simplified stratigraphic section may be seen here: http://web.wm.edu/geology/virginia/provinces/Blueridge/blue_ridge_strat.html The Catoctin was metamorphosed during Alleghanian mountain-building in the late Paleozoic (during the closure of the Iapetus and the assembly of the supercontinent Pangaea). This metamorphism imparted the characteristic green color as a result of the growth of the minerals chlorite and epidote. The image was taken from the public boat ramp on the Virginia side of the Potomac looking north into Maryland along the strike of the eastern limb of the anticlinorium. This area exhibits numerous veins of milky quartz. The western boundary of the Mesozoic Culpeper Basin lies just to the east of this site, an ancient rift valley that formed as Pangaea broke apart and the Atlantic Ocean basin began opening.
The United States Geologic Survey maintains a stream gauge just downstream of the bridge, where data are collected on the Potomac’s discharge: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?01638500
Thanks go to Callan Bentley for help with such a great description!
Thanks Callan! | Contact between Fauquier Formation marble and Catoctin Formation greenstone, near Lime Kiln Road, VirginiaMay 4, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Callan Bentley, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 46212 x 22792 pixelsThe contact between the metasedimentary Fauquier Formation (uppermost marble member) and the overlying metavolcanic Catoctin Formation is exposed in an abandoned quarry north of Aldie, Virginia, across Goose Creek from Lime Kiln Road. The nature of this contact (is it conformable? does it show primary or tectonic structures?) is of potential importance in constraining the age of the youngest "Snowball Earth" glacial event. | Cooling columns, Catoctin Formation, exposed at Indian Run Overlook, Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, VirginiaApr 30, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Callan Bentley, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 45880 x 59872 pixelsAncient lava flow. | Metatuff from the Catoctin Formation, South Mountain, MarylandApr 8, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Callan Bentley, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 53336 x 56232 pixelsMetamorphosed ashfall deposit from Neoproterozoic rift sequence in the Blue Ridge province. | Metatuff from the Catoctin Formation, South Mountain, MarylandApr 8, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Callan Bentley, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 63416 x 33456 pixelsMetamorphosed ashfall deposit from Neoproterozoic rift sequence in the Blue Ridge province. | Catoctin greenstoneMay 11, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Joshua Benton, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 16316 x 10440 pixelsCatoctin greenstone outcrop near the northern boundary of Shenandoah National Park. | Amygdules in Catoctin Formation metabasaltMay 5, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Robin Rohrback, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 35928 x 42448 pixels | Devil's Racecourse, Ft. Ritchie, MarylandMay 13, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Robin Rohrback, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 71680 x 7468 pixelsDevil's Racecourse in Ft. Ritchie, MD is a 700-meter-long blockfield created when the area experienced a periglacial climate during the Pleistocene. It is thought that boulders of Weverton quartzite from South Mountain on the west and Catoctin metabasalt from the east weathered out of their respective mountains and were gradually transported and deposited here by gelifluction. In non-dry periods, visitors to Devil's Racecourse can hear a stream running beneath the blockfield, and can even see it if they peer down the right holes.
View is to the south. | Meta-ignimbrite of the Catoctin Formation, near Linden, VirginiaApr 14, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Callan Bentley, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 40076 x 21924 pixelsMeta-volcanic rock of the late Neoproterozoic Catoctin Formation, epidotized and foliated during Alleghenian deformation of the Blue Ridge of Virginia. Imaged surface has a coat of transparent acrylic paint on it.
Here's the other side (unvarnished) of the sample:
https://viewer.gigamacro.com/view/Phvw8ZANoxT0HP5n | Fascinating Folded Float under Route 15 Bridge at Point of Rocks, MarylandMay 13, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Chris Johnson, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 30064 x 18220 pixelsThis amazing piece of float was located under the Route 15 Bridge in Point of Rocks, MD. My current thinking is that the lower left corner is Catoctin formation but I am scratching my head over the upper right portion. Perhaps it is also Catoctin Metabasalt just with a different, more rigid consistancy. However, the presence of micas and what look like sand sized grains suggests that this may not be the case. Or is it a lense of some sort of sandy mudstone within the Catoctin? A litte bit of research showed that the Loudoun Formation (a pyroclastic unit) overlies the Catoctin Formation discontinuously in Maryland. So does this piece show the Catoctin-Loudoun Contact? Or, another explanation is that it could be a silty expression of the Weaverton (which overlies the Catoctin formation where the Loudoun Formation is mission). Or, I could be completely wrong. Anyhow, I am open to suggestions and the Description will be updated when I can come up with a more satisfactory explanation. | Geology Department Field Trip 2013May 19, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Jay Kaufman, University of MarylandSubject: Subject ID: 32280 x 33772 pixelsThe Geology Department at the University of Maryland went on a field trip on Saturday and Sunday the 7th and 8th of September. Here is the group pictured in front of columnar basalt of the Ediacaran-aged Catoctin Formation along Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park. | Exposure of Catoctin Metabasalt at Point of Rocks, MarylandMay 13, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Chris Johnson, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 29668 x 9820 pixelsThis is an exposure of the Catoctin formation at Point of Rocks in Maryland, on the north bank of the Potomac River. Point of Rocks is a prominent water gap cut by the Potomac River. The Catoctin formation is Neoproterozoic in age and was erupted as a series of flood basalts during the breakup of the Mesoproterozoic supercontinent Rodinia, and the opening of the Neoproterozoic and Paleozoic aged Iapetus Ocean basin. It overlies the basement complex at the core of the Blue Ridge Anticlinorium. In many places, clastic sedimentary rock occurs between the basement and the Catoctin. A simplified stratigraphic section may be seen here: http://web.wm.edu/geology/virginia/provinces/Blueridge/blue_ridge_strat.html The Catoctin was metamorphosed during Alleghanian mountain-building in the late Paleozoic (during the closure of the Iapetus and the assembly of the supercontinent Pangaea). This metamorphism imparted the characteristic green color as a result of the growth of the minerals chlorite and epidote. The image was taken from the public boat ramp on the Virginia side of the Potomac looking north into Maryland along the strike of the eastern limb of the anticlinorium. This area exhibits numerous veins of milky quartz. The western boundary of the Mesozoic Culpeper Basin lies just to the east of this site, an ancient rift valley that formed as Pangaea broke apart and the Atlantic Ocean basin began opening.
The United States Geologic Survey maintains a stream gauge just downstream of the bridge, where data are collected on the Potomac’s discharge: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?01638500
Thanks go to Callan Bentley for help with such a great description!
Thanks Callan! | Rockfish Gap, VirginiaMay 12, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Callan Bentley, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 86304 x 26788 pixelsWhere Interstate 64 crosses the Blue Ridge, some fine exposures of Catoctin Formation greenstone may be found.
For another perspective on the same location, check out this GigaPan:
https://viewer.gigamacro.com/view/1RDG4sAZvugTVYCb
To see a piece of the Catoctin greenstone from this site in "macro" GigaPan view, click here: https://viewer.gigamacro.com/view/lbdRRvfRL0q8oskw | Feeder dike(s) of the Catoctin Formation, exposed at Little Devil's Stairs Overlook, Skyline Drive, Shenandoah National Park, VirginiaApr 30, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Callan Bentley, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 96064 x 39288 pixelsCross-cutting basement complex granitoids. | Swift Run FormationMay 12, 2020 by magic-gigapansImage: Robin Rohrback, Mid-Atlantic Geo-Image CollectionSubject: Subject ID: 26552 x 21316 pixelsThe Swift Run Formation is a Neoproterozoic metasedimentary rock unit in Virginia's western Blue Ridge province. It unconformably overlies the Blue Ridge basement complex, and is overlain by the Catoctin Formation. |
