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Howard A. Pohn

Publications and source records attributed to Howard A. Pohn.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2000

Lateral ramps in the folded Appalachians and in overthrust belts worldwide— A fundamental element of thrust-belt architecture

Lateral ramps are zones where decollements change stratigraphic level along strike; they differ from frontal ramps, which are zones where decollements change stratigraphic level perpendicular to strike. In the Appalachian Mountains, the surface criteria for recognizing the subsurface presence of lateral ramps include (1) an abrupt change in wavelength or a termination of folds along strike, (2) a conspicuous change in the frequency of mapped faults or disturbed zones (extremely disrupted duplexes) at the surface, (3) long, straight river trends emerging onto the coastal plain or into the Appalachian Plateaus province, (4) major geomorphic discontinuities in the trend of the Blue Ridge province, (5) interruption of Mesozoic basins by cross-strike border faults, and (6) zones of modern and probable ancient seismic activity. Additional features related to lateral ramps include tectonic windows, cross-strike igneous intrusions, areas of giant landslides, and abrupt changes in Paleozoic sedimentation along strike. Proprietary strike-line seismic-reflection profiles cross three of the lateral ramps that were identified by using the surface criteria. The profiles confirm their presence and show their detailed nature in the subsurface. Like frontal ramps, lateral ramps are one of two possible consequences of fold-and-thrust-belt tectonics and are common elements in the Appalachian fold-and-thrust belt. A survey of other thrust belts in the United States and elsewhere strongly suggests that lateral ramps at depth can be identified by their surface effects. Lateral ramps probably are the result of thrust sheet motion caused by continued activation of ancient cratonic fracture systems. Such fractures localized the transform faults along which the continental segments adjusted during episodes of sea-floor spreading.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS1984

GEOLOGIC APPLICATIONS OF SIDE-LOOKING AIRBORNE RADAR DATA IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS.

Side-looking airborne radar has provided a sufficiently detailed synoptic view of the central Appalachian Mountains that the images give an unparalleled representation of the size and nature of the folds within the Valley and Ridge province. The radar data show that fold wavelengths decrease abruptly south of the region of the Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia State lines. Concomittantly, this decrease in fold wavelength is accompanied by an increase in both frequency and length of disturbed zones. The model predicted by the combination of the radar images and field observations suggests a broad lateral ramp, perpendicular to the strike of the fold-belt, connecting a deeper decollement level north of the Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia State lines with a shallower decollement to the south. Recently, the first author has located a field example of a lateral ramp approximately one kilometer north of Mathias, West Virginia. This lateral ramp shows an up-to-the-north configuration and the extensions both northwestward and southeastward can be seen on the radar images as a series of cross-strike lineaments.

Conference Paper↗
USGS1982

Disturbed zones: Indicators of deep-seated subsurface faults in the Valley and Ridge and Appalachian structural front of Pennsylvania

Field studies of geologic structures in the Valley and Ridge and adjacent parts of the Appalachian Plateau provinces in Pennsylvania have shown a new type of structure, formerly poorly understood and frequently unmapped, is a significant indicator of deep-seated subsurface faulting. These structures, herein called disturbed zones, are formed by movement between closely spaced pairs of thrust faults. Disturbed zones are characterized at the surface by long, narrow, intensely folded and faulted zones of rocks in a relatively undisturbed stratigraphic sequence. These zones are frequently kilometers to tens of kilometers long and tens to hundreds of meters wide. Although disturbed zones generally occur in sequences of alternating siltstone and shale beds, they can also occur in other lithologies including massively-bedded sandstones and carbonates. Disturbed zones are not only easily recognized in outcrop but their presence can also be inferred on geologic maps by disharmonic fold patterns, which necessitates a detachment between adjacent units that show the disharmony. A number of geologic problems can be clarified by understanding the principles of the sequence of formation and the method of location of disturbed zones, including the interpretation of some published geologic cross sections and maps. The intense folding and faulting which accompanies the formation of a typical disturbed zone produces a region of fracture porosity which, if sealed off from the surface, might well serve as a commercially-exploitable hydrocarbon trap. We believe that the careful mapping of concentrations of disturbed zones can serve as an important exploration method which is much less expensive than speculation seismic lines.

Pennsylvania↗
USGS1979

Decollement in the southern Allegheny Plateau of Pennsylvania

Recent field investigations in the Allegheny Plateau north of Williamsport, Pennsylvania have shown the presence of both southward dipping, low-angle thrust faults translated to the north and northward dipping back or antithectic thrusts translated to the south at the leading (north) edge of Barclay syncline. The presence of these thrusts, along with reported anomalous dips along the leading edge of the next syncline to the south (the Bernice or Barbours syncline) may indicate that the Allegheny Plateau of Pennsylvania is underlain by master decollement and that this decollement gives rise to a series of splay thrusts. In some cases such as the Barclay syncline, the combination of these forward and back thrust faults may serve as fracture porosity traps.

Open-File Report↗
USGS1979

Thrust fault zones in the Allegheny Plateau of north-central Pennsylvania

Field investigations in the Williamsport Valley identify lineaments found on Landsat III images, have shown the presence of six discrete fault zones that strike subparallel to the trend of the Appalachian folds. These zones range from 0.5 to 1.75 km in width and from at least 10 km to more than 50 km in length. The individual thrust faults within each zone occur in 'staircase-type' folds and are at a low angle to bedding. Although each individual fault may have 0nly centimeters to displacement, many of these individual faults appear to exist within the six zones. We believe that the stress that produced that Valley and Ridge folds to the south was largely dissipated in faulting in the Williamsport Valley. This dissipation of the stress would explain the presence of only broad open folds to the north on the Allegheny Plateau. The extreme faulting in the Williamsport Valley along with the unique 'staircase' and 'reverse staircase' structures may result in fracture porosity traps at depth.

Open-File Report↗