Kounugu Member

Unit Name: Kounugu Member
Unit Type: Lithostratigraphic
Rank: Member
Status: Formal
Usage: Currently in use
Age Interval: Pliocene (5.332 - 1.806 ma)
Province/Territory: British Columbia

Originator: Souther, 1988.

Distribution:

South of Raspberry Pass (Souther, 1988).

Lithology:

The Kounugu Member is restricted to the area south of Armadillo Highlands. South of Raspberry Pass, sections of Nido basalt oucrop around the periphery of the Spectrum Range. Deep erosion and extensive cover by younger rocks have obliterated the vents from which this lava issued, but indirect evidence points to at least four separate centres: 1. Swarm peak, 2. Vanished peak, 3. Lost peak, and 4. Exile hill (Souther, 1992).

Relationship:

The Kounugu Member is a unit of the Nido Formation (Mount Edziza Complex). South of Armadillo Highlands only those flows that lie close to the southern edge of the Armadillo Highlands are underlain by fluvial gravels and ash from the Armadillo Formation. Most of them rest directly on pre-Tertiary basement or on gravel and colluvium derived from older rocks. The Nido basalt (Kounugu Member) south of Armadillo Highlands is overlain directly by rhyolite of the Spectrum Formation (Souther, 1992).

History:

Initially appeared as the the Kounugu Formation in Souther et al. (1984). The Nido and Kounugu formations were grouped together in their descriptions and mapping.

Other Citations:

Mihalynuk et al., 1996.

References:

Mihalynuk, M., Bellefontaine, K., Brown, D., Logan, J., Nelson, J., Legun, A. and Diakow, L., 1996. Digital Geology, NW British Columbia (94/E, L, M; 104/F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P; 114/I, O, P); Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, Open File 1996-11.

Souther, J.G., 1988. Geology, Mount Edziza volcanic complex, British Columbia; Geological Survey of Canada, "A" Series Map no. 1623A, 2 sheets.

Souther, J.G., 1992. The Late Cenozoic Mount Edziza Volcanic Complex, British Columbia; Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 420, 329 p.

Souther, J.G., Armstrong, R.L., and Harakal, J., 1984. Chronology of the peralkaline, late Cenozoic Mount Edziza Volcanic Complex, northern British Columbia, Canada; Geological Society of America Bulletin, March 1984, Vol. 95, Issue 3, pp. 337-349.

Source: GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA, CALGARY
Contributor: Michael Pashulka
Entry Reviewed: No
Name Set: Lithostratigraphic Lexicon
LastChange: 03 Feb 2011