Evidence for Long Periods Between Fillings in Sheeted Clastic Dikes

Crosscutting relationships establish the order of events in a sheeted clastic dike exposed near TriCities, WA.

1.) Injection of yellow clastic dike.

2.) Growth of calcite cement overprints (caliche) along bedding planes in host strata (diagenesis).

3.) Injection of green clastic dike alongside yellow dike and truncation of cement bands.

4.) Injection of blue clastic dike alongside green dike.

Three separate fills (1, 3, 4) comprise this composite clastic dike. Its actually three dikes that have merged. A significant amount of time, sufficient for the precipitation of 2, elapsed between injection of 1 and 3.