The Sawatch Range within the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado exposes Paleoproterozoic basement and overlying Paleozoic sedimentary rocks with a complex history of ductile and brittle deformation.
The goal of this study is to conduct analyses of brittle structures that occur in the basement and cover units to determine geometric relationships between the structures, provide a detailed description of structures and refine a geologic history for structures along the basement-cover contact in the northeastern Sawatch Range along the Eagle River canyon and U.S. Highway 24 from Red Cliff to Gilman, Colorado. Paleoproterozoic basement rocks include the Cross Creek granite, diorites, and gneisses. The basement rocks are nonconformably overlain by the late Cambrian age Sawatch Formation.
Measurements of 60 fault planes were recorded and of those, 36 exhibited dip-slip or strike-slip movement. Faults exhibited an average northeast strike throughout the study area. Measurements of 151 joint planes were taken throughout the study area and joints exhibit a northwest strike on average. Structural trends observed in this area represent different orientations that were created by multiple deformational events throughout geologic history. These deformational events include the accretion of volcanic island arcs and continental crust onto Laurentia, Ancestral Rocky Mountain Uplift and the Laramide orogeny.
","abstract_html":"<p>The Sawatch Range within the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado exposes Paleoproterozoic basement and overlying Paleozoic sedimentary rocks with a complex history of ductile and brittle deformation.</p> <p>The goal of this study is to conduct analyses of brittle structures that occur in the basement and cover units to determine geometric relationships between the structures, provide a detailed description of structures and refine a geologic history for structures along the basement-cover contact in the northeastern Sawatch Range along the Eagle River canyon and U.S. Highway 24 from Red Cliff to Gilman, Colorado. Paleoproterozoic basement rocks include the Cross Creek granite, diorites, and gneisses. The basement rocks are nonconformably overlain by the late Cambrian age Sawatch Formation.</p> <p>Measurements of 60 fault planes were recorded and of those, 36 exhibited dip-slip or strike-slip movement. Faults exhibited an average northeast strike throughout the study area. Measurements of 151 joint planes were taken throughout the study area and joints exhibit a northwest strike on average. Structural trends observed in this area represent different orientations that were created by multiple deformational events throughout geologic history. These deformational events include the accretion of volcanic island arcs and continental crust onto Laurentia, Ancestral Rocky Mountain Uplift and the Laramide orogeny. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Askelson, Kaitlin Lee"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science - Geology","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Geology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Chris Barker","Dr. Melinda Faulkner","Dr. Liane Stevens"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:03Z","subjects":["Colorado","Sawatch Range","Basement","Cover","Faults","Joints","Geology","Tectonics and Structure"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/92","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Chris Barker","Dr. Melinda Faulkner","Dr. Liane Stevens"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Askelson, Kaitlin Lee"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2017-05-12T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Geology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science - Geology"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Colorado","Sawatch Range","Basement","Cover","Faults","Joints","Geology","Tectonics and Structure"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/92"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The Sawatch Range within the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado exposes Paleoproterozoic basement and overlying Paleozoic sedimentary rocks with a complex history of ductile and brittle deformation.
The goal of this study is to conduct analyses of brittle structures that occur in the basement and cover units to determine geometric relationships between the structures, provide a detailed description of structures and refine a geologic history for structures along the basement-cover contact in the northeastern Sawatch Range along the Eagle River canyon and U.S. Highway 24 from Red Cliff to Gilman, Colorado. Paleoproterozoic basement rocks include the Cross Creek granite, diorites, and gneisses. The basement rocks are nonconformably overlain by the late Cambrian age Sawatch Formation.
Measurements of 60 fault planes were recorded and of those, 36 exhibited dip-slip or strike-slip movement. Faults exhibited an average northeast strike throughout the study area. Measurements of 151 joint planes were taken throughout the study area and joints exhibit a northwest strike on average. Structural trends observed in this area represent different orientations that were created by multiple deformational events throughout geologic history. These deformational events include the accretion of volcanic island arcs and continental crust onto Laurentia, Ancestral Rocky Mountain Uplift and the Laramide orogeny.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Basement and Cover Structural Analysis Along the Eagle River Gorge, Sawatch Range, Colorado"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Chris Barker","Dr. Melinda Faulkner","Dr. Liane Stevens"],"dc:creator":["Askelson, Kaitlin Lee"],"dc:date.available":["2017-05-12T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The Sawatch Range within the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado exposes Paleoproterozoic basement and overlying Paleozoic sedimentary rocks with a complex history of ductile and brittle deformation.
The goal of this study is to conduct analyses of brittle structures that occur in the basement and cover units to determine geometric relationships between the structures, provide a detailed description of structures and refine a geologic history for structures along the basement-cover contact in the northeastern Sawatch Range along the Eagle River canyon and U.S. Highway 24 from Red Cliff to Gilman, Colorado. Paleoproterozoic basement rocks include the Cross Creek granite, diorites, and gneisses. The basement rocks are nonconformably overlain by the late Cambrian age Sawatch Formation.
Measurements of 60 fault planes were recorded and of those, 36 exhibited dip-slip or strike-slip movement. Faults exhibited an average northeast strike throughout the study area. Measurements of 151 joint planes were taken throughout the study area and joints exhibit a northwest strike on average. Structural trends observed in this area represent different orientations that were created by multiple deformational events throughout geologic history. These deformational events include the accretion of volcanic island arcs and continental crust onto Laurentia, Ancestral Rocky Mountain Uplift and the Laramide orogeny.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/92"],"dc:subject":["Colorado","Sawatch Range","Basement","Cover","Faults","Joints","Geology","Tectonics and Structure"],"dc:title":["Basement and Cover Structural Analysis Along the Eagle River Gorge, Sawatch Range, Colorado"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Geology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science - Geology"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T04:30:03Z"}