Quail Lake and Virgin Anticline                                                  
2/2/05
 
 The lake surroundings investigated are in S35 T41S R14W; this lake is on the 
Quail Creek drainage, which cuts through the anticlinal axis, after entering 
from the north near the village of Harrisburg. The standard geological 
explanation for rivers running along the axes of anticlines (through the top of 
a HILL!) is that there was a very thick overburden, or sedimentation, lying 
above the buried hill, before the creek started eroding into the deeper lying 
anticline. Presumably, the land was previously flat, with fractures determining 
the course of original creek formation, before the uplift which exposed the 
whole erosion-creek orientation sequence.
 This explanation is inadequate, for the Virgin anticline exposure, since the 
compressional forces, in Laramide times, would have buckled all of the overlying 
sedimentary column (existing at the time of about 70 my and later), creating a 
hill all the way to  the ground surface-water does not climb a hill, but it does 
work backwards to the present course, creating gullies which can then be 
captured by other gullies on the opposing (downhill) side of the anticline. 
There has been no sedimentation- volcanoes are an exception- subsequent to the 
late Cretaceous times (of the dinosaurs) and some early Tertiary, and there 
would have been no flat or level country in which to form sluggish streams after 
the Laramide died away. In similar situations, such as the San Juan River basin, 
the meanders show that there was indeed flat old-age stream systems, which would 
allow rivers to cut down into any anticline which would exist deeper in the 
stratigraphic column- this situation does not exist in Hurricane. There might 
have been Cretaceous to Paleocene stratigraphy here, but it would have been 
entirely buckled by the Laramide compressional forces.
 
 My explanation for streams running along the axis of an anticline is as 
follows:
1. For previous flat-lying country, where oil deposits could have occurred, the 
buckling of an anticline would have caused an oil deposit to form at the apex of 
the buried hill, whenever there was a cap or trap. Oil (not gas) is associated 
with many exotic dissolved minerals, such as sulphur and other chemically-
reducing agents;
2. After the termination of the buckling of the anticline, the oil deposit would 
weaken the overlying beds by chemical weathering, and allow faster erosion of 
the sediments lying at the ground surface (above the oil deposit);
3. Whether the land was flat or not, there would have been preferential erosion 
and canyon cutting into the chemically weakened land surface. I have seen this 
action in the Gulf Coast, over salt domes in flat country, where streams form in 
response to the chemical weathering of the ground surface- right acrosss the 
road in S. Houston, near my previous home;
4. Creek drainage by stream capture, of the NW-flowing gully by a SE flowing 
gully, and faster erosion would have determined the Quail Creek drainage.
 There is one complication:
a. The Quail Creek drainage does not start at the low part of the NE-SW 
anticline axis, rather it starts on the north side by the village of Harrisburg. 
There is thrust faulting and other anomalous stratigraphy on this north side- 
indicating that the creek entered the anticline via erosion of faulted or 
fractured sediments on that side. Once the erosion proceeded by stream capture 
on the north side, the stream would have reversed and flowed SW-ward (along the 
anticlinal axis or center of the buried hill) toward the Virgin River. This 
explanation should be checked by noting the orientation of the thrust faulting 
on the north side. It is noted that Quail Creek enters the Virgin River on the 
south side just at hiway 9, through a cut probably formed by the N-S fractures 
notoed in the evaporitic beds. This whole explanation should be checked, by:
 1. looking for the N-S fracture running across the road 318 near the present 
creek entrance, and,
 2. climbing the NE wall of the downward plunging anaticline on the NE side of 
the lake, to see if there are any residual oil or organic indications of a 
previous oil deposit (this might be in the form of asphalt or stink in the 
sandstones below a shaley cap). This wall is very steep, and I can't master it. 
 
Moenkopi formation, Triassic times
 It was noted that at the top of the Moenkopi formation almost to the top of the 
hogback- reperesenting the SE limb  of the anticline- there was significant 
manganese penetration of the coarse sandstones. This is another indication that 
there was significant percolation of exotic dissolved compounds into the 
sedimentary column. This is a vertical movement (over the region with elevation 
relief), representing preferred paths for water moving from below (which might 
also bring oil and its associated salts along similar paths).
 Above the Moenkopi lies the Shinarump- a member of the younger Chinle formation 
(still in the Triassic, of about 150 my. age); these strata represent a time of 
volcanic activity, which covered the vegetation of the time- allowing it to be 
preserved as petrified wood (wood rotting bacteria would been killed by the 
sulphurous gases also). I can't see the volcanic ash locally, but in AZ it is 
obvious- especially on the Navajo Reservation. A small amount of bark, pieces of 
limbs, and root molds were found in this member, but most of the fossils have 
been eroded away. The overlying Jurassic- Navajo fossil dunes have been eroded 
also, but can be seen in the distance as Sand Hollow and other remnants.
The reason why we have so much fine sand in our window sills and other openings 
is because of the Navajo dune sands being eroded and blown by our tremendous 
winds coming down from the Pine Valley Mts. by density flow (the cold air there 
is heavier and hurtles down in the afternoon, when Hurricane air is warmer and 
less dense).
Gypsum Beds
 Ascending the east anticlinal limb, there are thick gypsum beds, with some 
selenite glistening,  in the lower Moenkopi. This is indicative of the 
evaporative conditions in the early triassic period. This happened just after 
the great extinction in the Permian, when 90% or so of all life was eliminated 
by the change of the earth atmosphere- subsurface water system. In the 
underlying Paleozoic Era (Permian, of about 250 my.age), the earth possessed a 
dominating CO2 atmosphere- which would have been acidifying for the waters. But 
this CO2 was largely incorporated into the limestones and coals by the end of 
the Paleozoic, and with the proliferating vegetation, which gave off O2 in 
return, the atmosphere "flipped" to a dominating Oxygen type, causing an 
oxidizing and more alkaline system. A lot of life could not take this change and 
was obliterated. It took until the Cretaceous for the"overkill" to be 
accomodated, allowing limestone and dark sediments to again be deposited.
Color of Sediments 
 Notice that most of the Triassic and overlying Jurassic is light in color (tan 
to red), while the Paleozoic and overlying Navajo fm. (where most of the coals 
and oil deposits are found, neither  of which are present at Quail Lake, but can 
be seen in the distance) beds are dark. This gives rise to the geologic problem 
of "dark Shales in the Paleozoic" and "Redbeds in the Mesozoic (Middle Life) and 
some of the Permian" which conventional taxonomy has not been able to 
understand. This is an oxidative-chemically reductive geochemical entity, where 
classification techniques are insufficient for understanding. The complete 
ground water- atmosphere regime would have been changed in the Permian (with the 
great influx of oxygen from the masssive 
carboniferous forests), causing ground water to become more alkaliine, 
atmosphere to become more oxidative, therefore precipitating the chert found in 
Paleozoics and  terminating formation of the reductive shales found since 
Cambrian times.
 The three features found at the end of the Paleozoic (early life) are:
1.Cherts precipitating in the Permian and deeper, caused by the groundwater 
becoming more alkaline, precipitating the dissolved silica from previous acidic 
waters;
2.Color change from dark shales and organic (chemically reductive) deposits in 
the Pennsylvanian and earlier to red and other oxidized sediments in the middle 
Permian and later sediments (until the Cretaceous period);
3. Change of a dominant CO2 atmosphere, to  one containing more O2 than now, 
creating more oxidizing waters, lighter colors, stifling some life forms, and 
paving the way for the dinosaurs; and,
4. Acceleration of oxygen-breathing creatures becoming dominant on land, and 
some marine life to fail to adjust to the more alkaline waters.
 
Fracture Patterns indicative of current and previous stress systems
 In the gypsum beds of the Triassic, there are easily viewed fracture systems 
just south of the Quail Lake dam. These are almost orthogonal, and measured as 
almost N-S to E-W. They are only viewed as significant, when there are 2 or more 
parallel fractures continuing for hundreds of feet. The main one is 350-170 
degrees from North, which is the same direction as the Hurricane Fault. This is 
significant, since this is not the same as the anticlinal axis (formed in the 
Laramide). Consequently, the fracts have formed later than the compressional 
time and during extensional times (to now). A photo will be included after the 
digital insertion is operational, to show these beautiful fractures running 
diagonally across the gypsum beds The orthogonal ones will have to be 
incorporated into some scheme as yet to be determined, but I believe it will 
yield information about the E-W canyons coming from the cliffs above Hurricane. 
I am of the opinion, as yet to be substantiated, that the N-S fractures are 
presently active, first because they are still open (not filled with new 
crystals), and occur due to new tectonic systems in the West US. I am studying 
these, referenced to the almost young NW-SE patterns which occur over most of 
the West US, and in relation to the change of the Hawaii-Emporer Seamount re-
orientation towards a N-S pattern by the creation of Loihi to Moana Loa to Moana 
Kia, and by the similar formation of N-S patterns in my home island of Whidbey, 
WA. This change has occurred in the last 2 million years, as indicated by the 
new island of Hawaii, and by this N-S system occurring in my previous home in 
Cottonwood, in the Verde Limestone (which is about 5 my of age), as new 
fractures not yet filled with calcite in the limestone. For those interested in 
these stress systems in more detail, read the website, shown above, for Verde 
Valley- they are significant for anyone wanting to know the possibility of 
movement today, in our active valley, not only for the possibility of vulcanism 
but also for soil movement in your real estate.
 Features which must be further investigated include:
1. Why is the axis of the anticlines and Pine Valley Mts. NE-SW; most of the 
West US shows that the Larimide Subduction was either eastward  to NE-ward 
causing perpendicular linears and monoclines to be oriented either N-S or NW-
SEward. This is an anomaly I have only seen in this area.
2. It is  possible that the NE-SW orientation was caused by the uplift of the 
Miocene P.V. Mts- although this is in extensional times, the intrusion might 
have expanded outward toward the SE and locally caused compressin. I have 
checked the NW side of the P.V. uplift, and it does not seem to have caused 
anticlines on the NW side, but the whole uplift might have "leaned" toward the 
SE. More to come! 
Harold L. Overton