- Identify the quarries and add snippets/information.
- The Wells Creek Volcanic Member of the Nooksack Formation (Tabor and others, 2003; see refs below) is found in the vicinity of Nooksack Falls, east of Glacier, Washington. These Middle Jurassic island arc rocks form steep yellowish cliffs along the Mount Baker Highway (Route 542) just east of the Excelsior Pass trailhead, where they crowd the highway against the deep gorge of the North Fork Nooksack River…
northwest geology field trips of
- These Middle Jurassic island arc rocks [of the Wells Creek Volcanic Member] form steep yellowish cliffs along the Mount Baker Highway (Route 542) just east of the Excelsior Pass trailhead, where they crowd the highway against the deep gorge of the North Fork Nooksack River.
- With decent light, you will see thin dark horizontal bands in the gray rock between the splits of the [Nooksack] falls. These are minerals or perhaps tiny vesicles aligned during flow of this lava 180 million years ago [Jurassic period].
- At the top of the second switchback, 0.25 mile (400 m) from the gate is a small exposure of really ratty-looking yellowish, hydrothermally altered rocks with nearly vertical foliation. Nothing much to see here, other than to marvel at the effect water, heat, and some pressure has on formerly perfectly respectful volcanic rocks. Sigh, ruined.
- The Nooksack Formation is at the base of a stack of accreted terranes that make up the Northwest Cascades System (Brown, 1987).
- The Wells Creek Volcanic Member of the Nooksack Formation (Tabor and others, 2003; see refs below) is found in the vicinity of Nooksack Falls, east of Glacier, Washington.