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Preliminary geology of the North Meadow Creek Area, Tobacco Root Mountains, southwest Montana: The North Meadow Creek Fault

June 18, 2026

This report documents a previously unmapped fault, informally referred to herein as the North Meadow Creek fault, on the east flank of the Tobacco Mountains of southwestern Montana. This fault has an apparently long and complex history, including Quaternary offset of an older alluvial terrace, offset of a debris flow of presumed Pleistocene age, offset of rhyolite lava flows of presumed Tertiary age from their presumed source several kilometers east, on the opposite side of the fault, and offset and possible rotation of blocks of Archean gneiss on northeast side of the fault. The western part of the fault is covered by glacial moraines of two apparent ages, both Pleistocene.

Publication Year 2026
Title Preliminary geology of the North Meadow Creek Area, Tobacco Root Mountains, southwest Montana: The North Meadow Creek Fault
DOI 10.3133/ofr20251058
Authors Gary S. Fuis, Parker J. LeClair, Chester A. Ruleman
Publication Type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Series Title Open-File Report
Series Number 2025-1058
Index ID ofr20251058
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Earthquake Science Center
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