The Great Smoky Fault, Townsend, TN.

Exposure of GSF on HWY 73 in Townsend, TN
(Fault plane is drawn with mouse over)
 


Exposure of GSF on HWY 73 in Townshead, TN
(planes are drawn with mouse over)
(Fault plane in green and joints in blue)
•       The Great Smoky Thrust Fault is a south-east dipping low-angle fault that marks the edge of the Great Smoky Thrust Sheet.  The leading edge it dips under the Chilhowee Mountain and then resurfaces in the foothills to the east. Resurfaced examples can be found at Wear, Tuckaleechee, Calderwood,  Cades Coves, and east of Crib Gap. Examples prove that great movement has occurred across the fault ( at least 9 miles).
 

 
•   

    The Great Smoky thrust emplaced older Ocoee Series rocks over younger Ordovician rocks throughout its entire length.  Mississippian rocks against leading edge of fault were deformed during thrust sheet emplacement. This fault formed late in deformational history of the Great Smoky Mountains.

–
–Regional metamorphism of Ocoee Series occurred before formation of the fault
(as is seen in area windows like Cades Cove).
 

Website design by Don Larimer,
Geo-science undergrad,
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
4-20-2004

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