--> Abstract: Fracture Intensification Domains, Lineaments and Faults in the Skaneateles Lake Region of the Alleghanian Plateau of New York State

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Fracture Intensification Domains, Lineaments and Faults in the Skaneateles Lake Region of the Alleghanian Plateau of New York State

Joshua T. Stroup, Robert D. Jacobi, and Travis Nelson, UB Rock Fracture Group, Department of Geology, 876 NSC, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260, [email protected]

This study integrates surface structural data with topographic, aeromagnetic and EarthSat (1997) lineaments in order to locate faults and to determine if local changes in the stress field related to these faults caused the local fracture patterns to deviate from the regional fracturing pattern. The field area is located in central New York State and stretches from the western side of Skaneateles Lake to the eastern side of Otisco Lake. This study demonstrates that several faults do occur in the field area and that their trends relate to older fault systems rather than assumed thin-skinned Alleghanian patterns.

Fracture and lineament data, collected using standard UB Rock Fracture Group protocols, suggest the location of possible faults. A N-S trending fault was recognized with down-dip slicken lines in the Tully Limestone near Borodino. This fault is part of a larger N-trending fault system based on fracture and lineament data. Other probable fault trends include ENE-striking reactivated Iapetan-opening fault systems indicated by master fractures coincident with lineaments and NW-striking faults. Seismic data from Skaneateles Lake (Lyons et al., 2005) support the latter two fault trends. Much of this faulting deviates from Alleghanian fracture trends observed by Engelder and Geiser (1980) and was apparently influenced by preexisting fault systems. The weights of evidence statistical techniques shows good correlation between coinciding topographic lineaments and fracture data for the ENE, N-S and NW trends while NNW and NNE trends are not well correlated.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90059©2006 AAPG Eastern Section Meeting, Buffalo, New York