BEDROCK GEOLOGY MAP AND STRUCTURAL ANALYSES OF THE COW HEAD PENINSULA IN NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA

This research is part of a larger project to better understand the geologic development of the Appalachian Mountains in the Cow Head region of Western Newfoundland, Canada. Specifically, this particular research is focused on producing a bedrock geologic map for the Cow Head Peninsula and analyzing structural data. Prior mapping on the Peninsula collected minimal structural data and focused only on exposures located around the shoreline, leaving a dearth of data in the center. The minimal amounts of structural data collected (only bedding/contacts and major faults) make it difficult to conduct quality structural analyses that can aid in understanding the kinematics of the region. In the interior of the Peninsula, there are some sparse exposures of very weathered bedrock, but most of the bedrock is overlain by dense vegetation and soil making it difficult to identify and interpret the mapping units. Since the majority of prior mapping on the Cow Head Peninsula was conducted in the 1950s, only coarse resolution elevation datasets and limited aerial imagery along with lower accuracy spatial data were available to aid map interpretations. Reconnaissance fieldwork completed in 2019 identified inconsistencies in the named members and structural features, particularly along the southern shoreline. This discrepancy may be in part due to the similar lithology of several map units established by prior researchers. Our research overcomes much of these challenges and clarifies the bedrock geologic map by: (1) providing an analysis of the many and varied structural data collected (i.e., contacts/bedding, fold axes, faults/fractures, and slickenlines), (2) incorporating structural data of weathered exposures in the interior of the Peninsula where possible and using geochemical analyses and microscopy to aid in the identification of said exposures, and (3) producing a detailed bedrock geologic map aided by a field magnetic survey to identify buried faults and high-resolution imagery (i.e., orthophoto and digital terrain model (DTM)) produced using photogrammetry of small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) collected imagery. Results from this project, using traditional and advanced geologic approaches to mapping, will yield new insights into the complex geologic and tectonic history of the Cow Head Peninsula.