ML19276H578

Prefiled Testimony.Applicants' Inference That No Significant Northwesterly Trending Fault Exists Between Lummi Island & Clark & Matia Islands Cannot Be Substantiated.Prof Qualifications Encl

ML19276H578
Person / Time
Site:	Skagit
Issue date:	10/18/1979
From:	Johnson S WASHINGTON, UNIV. OF, SEATTLE, WA
To:
Shared Package
ML19210E129	List: ML19210E128 ML19276H567 ML19276H572 ML19276H575 ML19276H578 ML19276H580 ML19276H583
References
NUDOCS 7911290442
Download: ML19276H578 (9)

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BEFCRE THE ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING EOA . %y)' j"" S b

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In the Matter of )

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( S k agi t Nuclear Power Project, )

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.: REFILED TESTIMONY OF S AMUEL Y. JOHNSON Octobe r 18, 1979 2 Would ycu state your name and occupation?

A. Samuel Yorks Johnson, graduate student and teaching ass is tant in the Department of Geology, University of K as hin g t o r..

2 What docurents have you reviewed in preparation for your testimony?

A. I h a ce :ead Section 3.4.1 of Bechtel's three volume investigation entitled " Report of Geologic Investigations in 1978-1979".

2 Khat special qualifications do you have which permit you to comment on this report?

A. I am quite f amiliar with the geology of the North Cascades. I consider sedimentology, sedime ntary petro-logy and pnysical stratigraphy to be my particular fields cf expertise. My research is being conducted 1423 150 7 9112 9 0 (F4 '2_,

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s under the supervision of Dr. John Whetten (supervisor),

Dr. Joseph Vance, Dr. Peter Misch, Dr. Samuel Cowen, and Dr. Richard S tewart, all af filiated with the Department of Geological Sciences, University of Washington.

For the last three years, my research has focused on Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary rocks of N.W. Washing-ton. My initial research concerned the Upper Triassic Naro Formation, the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous Spreden Formation, and the Upper Cretaceous Hasla Formation (Nanaimo Group) of the northwestern San Juan Islands (my M.S. thesis field area) . While pursuing this research, and while working as a research assistant in an N.S.F. supported research project concerning the geology of the entire San Juan Island archipelago, I became very f amiliar with San Juan Island geology.

I have recently begun Ph.D. research concerning the sedimentology, petrology, stratigraphy, and structure of Upper Cretaceous and Lower Tertiary sedimentary rocks in northwest Washington. My goals are to develop paired sedimentologic and tectonic models for the geologic evolution of this area through rigorous field and lab examination of these rocks.

Q. What conclusions have you reached with respect to this report?

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A. My opinion is that the applicants have not presented enough evidence to determine whether the Nanaimo strata of the northeastern San Juan Islands are correlative <

and/or coextensive with the Chuck anu t Formation of Whatcom County and other portions of Washington. Their inference that no significant northwesterly trending fault exists between Lummi Island on the northea st and Clark and Matia Islands on the southwest cannot be substant ated. That is, until more detailed work is i done, the existence of the so-called " Ward Fault' is a possibility.

The applicants' principal grounds for correlating the strata of northeastern Sucia Island with the Chuck-anut Formation strata on Chuckanut Drive were hand specimen petrology and sedimentology (i.e., the occur-rence of similar sedimentary structures in rocks of both areas).

S edime ntolo gi cally , the units are not as simple to interpret as presented. There is unanimous agreement in the literature and among interested workers regarding the fluvial origin of the Chuckanu t Formation on Chuck-anu t D rive. The nature of the fluvial environment may change upsection f rom deposits more typical of mean-dering streams, to those more characteristic of braided streams. Conversely, there is disagreement concerning

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the origin of the strata of northeastern Sucia Island, Patos Island, and Matia Island. Two detailed studies of the Sucia strata have been pursued (Janby, 1972; Wash. S tate Univ. - M.S . thes is; Pacht, 1979, GSA cord. abstract, pers. comm., and Ohio S tate Univ. Ph.D.

thesis in prep.), and in each the conclusion is that these strata were formed in shallow marine environments.

Therefore, the applicants contention that these strata have a fluvial origin is contradicted by these studies.

The large scale trough cross beds found in each unit are not specif'.c to a single depositional environment and could be associated with either a fluvial or shallow ma'.ine depositional system. I consider the question as to the origin of the Sucia strata open.

I think : have noted in the field two signifi-cant differences between the rocks of these areas.

First, organic matter (ancient logs, leaves, etc.) is ubiquitous and very abundant in channel lags and flood plain deposits in the strata on Chuckanut Drive.

Conversely, only a small amount of organic matter (in contradiction to the applicants' findings) seems to be associated with the rocks of purported similar origin, on Sucia Island. Secondly, the degree and style of interbedding between coarse and fine gravel strata is different. It is rare to pass through more than

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100-200 feet of strata on Chuck anu t D rive without finding fine grained level or f1:od plain deposits. In many strategraphic horizons the proportion of these deposits is quite high. Conversely, on Sucia, there are very few fine grained deposi:s in any pert of the exposed section. It has been suggested several times that the fine-grained strata of the Sucia section has been eroded and are now represen:ed by indentations and coves in the Sucia coastline. This may be the case, bu t it still does no: accrunt for the ancralcus absence of fine grained beds in tne thick sections of exposed strata.

Lithologically, the applicants state tha; each unit is a buff-colored, honeycomt weatherec sandstone, and it is implied that these features are unique to Chuck anut Formation strata. Mcweve r, N anaimo C-roup strata lower in the section (turbidites of the Haslan Formation) are als o buf f-colored, and hone j cctb wea-thered, and are not Chuckanu t F ormation ccr relatives.

In short, there is nothing particularly diagnos tic about the lithology. My own reccllection is that the Sucia sandstones and conglomerates contain more chart f ragments than those of Chuckanu: Drive strata.

I have noted a few problems with the applicants' correlation. However, the main troblem does ct 1423 iSA

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lie with the raterial and data they have included , but rather with what they have f ailed to collect

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and/or Any positive correlation between clastic sedimentary units requires point counts of sands tones (using modern methods and techniques) and pebble counts in congicmerates.

Hard specimen descriptions would not be considered sufficient in anything bu t a very ' broad reconnaissance survey.

If the applicants wish to es tablish lithologic similarity between these two areas, then there is no other way to rigorously approacn the prcblem.

If the units were once part of the same e' n c i e n t ,

non-framented seimentary basin, then their lithology should be nearly identical.

The a,cplicants also need to look at the sedimen-

ology of the units far more rigorously. Detailed stratigrapnic sections could be reasured and inter-

.O r e t e d . If i is c neluded that the Sucia strata are indeed fluria; in orts.a. *3en an attempt should ce a de tc .ra:ch the 2,000 feet of Sucia strata with an equivalen.. section of Chuckanut Drive strata, both litholcgically and sedimentologically.

Finally, a sedimentary basin and paleocurrent analysis should be conducted in the Chuck anu t Forma tion of Wha:ccm County and on Sucia Island to cetermine the criginal ge, ology of the basin and the di stribe: ion 1AL3

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1 of depositional facies within the basin. This would be very important in the evaluation of proposed later structural disruptions.

In rocks such as these, which can not presently r7 accurately dated, these types of investigations are ab-solutely essential. Until they are conducted, correla-tion between the Sucia and Chuckanut rocks can only be regarded as tentative and questionable. Subsequent in-terpretations, using this correlation as a premise, would ,also be suspect.

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_S_t a teme n t of Qualifications N ame : Samuel Yorks Johnson Born: 8/12/51 Sar Diego, California Education:

B. A. , Earth Sciences, 1975, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, 95060; B.A. with honors in Arts and Crafts and Their Histories, 19 75, Univ. of Cal. , Santa Cruz, Cali-fornia; M.S . in Geological Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98195; presently pursuing Pn.D. in Department of Geological Sciences, University of Washington.

Work and Research Experience:

1974-1975: Completed Senior Thesis research on "The Chemis-try, Minerology, and Ceramic Properties of Santa Cruz County Clays, Supervisor: Dr. Leo LePorte, U .C. , S anta C ruz ,

California 95060.

4/75-6/75: Scientific crew member on United States Geologi-cal Survey research cruise to the eastern Gulf of Alaska.

S upe rvi c or : Dr. Bruce Molnia, U .S .G .S . , 345 Middlefield Rd., Menlo Park, Ca.

3/76-7/76: Research and lab assistant in study of sediment contamination in the Bay of Naples, I taly . Supervisor: Dr.

Gary Griggs , U .C. , S anta Cruz , California, 95060.

7/76-9/76. Scientific crew member on United S tates Geologi-cal Survey research cruise in the Bering Sea. Superviscr:

Cr. Tracy Vallier.

9/76-6/77: Teaching Asst. in Introductory Geology; Depart-ment of G eology , AK- 20, U .S . , Seattle, Washington 98195.

S upe rviso r: Dr. Larry Hansen 9/77: Teaching Asst. in Introductory Field Geology, Dept.

of Geological Sciences, U.W. , Supervisor: Dr. Randall Giesens.

9/77-12/77: Field Asst. in U.S.G.S. reconnaissance mapping project in the foothills of the North Cascades, Wash.

Supervisor: Dr. John Whetten, U.W. and U .S .G .S . , P uget Sound P roj. , 1107 45th, Seattle, Wn. 98105.

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1. 71-3/75 and 9/78-12/78 : Research Asst. in N.S.F. sup-p:::ed research project concerning the geology of the San J u a.- I slands , Wash. Supervisor: Dr. John Whe: ten, U.W.

2, 75-f /75 and 3/79-6/79: T.A. in Geology of the Northwest;

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Dept. cf Geological Sciences, U.W. Supervisor: Dr. Robert Filson.

1,79-3/79: T.A. in Sedimentary Petrology; Dept. of Geolog-ical S ciences , AK-20, U .W. Supervisor: Dr. J ohn <;he t:on.

6/ 79-5/79: Ph.D. Thesis research concerning upper creta-ce cts and lower tertiary sedimentary rocks of N.h. Gash.

partially supported by U.S.G.S., Puget Sound Project, 1107

':. S . 4 5th, s uite 125, S eattle , 98105. S:pervisor: Dr. Jchr Whetten, i,75-9/79: T.A. in Advanced Field Geology, Dept. of Geolo-gi cal S cier.ces , U.W. ,, Supervisor : Dr. Richard Stewar:.

Theses:

Cchnscn, Samuel Y., 1975, The Chemistry , Minercic gy , and Ce ramic P r:perties of S anta Cruz County Clays, San:a Cruz ,

Califcrnia: Senior Thesis, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95060.

!c h..s c n , Samuel Y., 1978, Sedimentary, Petrology, & S:ruc-tu re cf Meso:oic Strata in the Northwestern San Juan :slands,

.;a s h i..g t o n: M.S . Thesis, Dept. of Geol. Sci. , AK 2C, Un:cersity of Washington, Seatelo 98195. 114 p.

Fue:ications.

r s c r. , Samuel Y., 1978, The Geology cf Spieden Islar.d, S ar J u a.-  : Slands, Wash: Northwest Science Proceedings A:stract

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G r iggs , G . E . , and Johnson, S.Y., 1978, Sediment C o..tanina-

or _n the Say of Naples, Italy: Bulle:in of Marir.e Pcilution, Vol. , , pp.

!cnnsen, S amu el Y . , 1979: Submarine ... Deposition ir the Jpper Cretaceous Nanaimo Basin, San Juan Islands, .i a s.. i ng t o r :

'::::nwest Science Proceedings, Abstract No.

2:rts:n, S amuel Y. , 1979, Sedimentology, Petrology and 5:ru::ure cf Meso:cic Strata in the Northwestern Sar Juan

slands, Washington: G.S.A. Cordillera Abstrac:s wi:t P r :gr ams , Vol. '

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