Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
The Mechum River Formation in the Blue Ridge Province of Virginia is a thin belt of metasedimentary rocks of Neoproterozoic age. The Mechum River belt in Rappahannock County, Virginia is several times thicker than at any other point along which it is exposed. The structural geometry of the formation in the Northeast Woodville quadrangle in Rappahannock County is characterized by a series of relatively open to tight gently plunging northwest verging asymmetric folds. Bessie Bell Mountain contains an overall synclinal form with a complex geometry on its northern slope. The contact with the granulite facies Mesoproterozoic basement in the northwestern corner of the research area is an unconformity with a significant amount of topography. The contact with the Robertson River granite to the west is a late, out-of-sequence reverse fault that cuts pre-existing folds and foliations.
Date Awarded
2004
Department
Geology
Advisor 1
Christopher M. Bailey
Recommended Citation
Morton, John, "The Structural Geometry of the Mechum River Belt in Rappahannock County, Blue Ridge Province, Virginia" (2004). Geology Senior Theses. William & Mary. Paper 138.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/geologyseniors/138
