Named for stony till intermittently exposed in cuts along Mowich Lake Road from point near mouth of Hayden Creek westward beyond Mount Rainier National Park boundary, Pierce Co, WA. Till is brownish-gray and weathers to dark yellowish brown to depth of 6 to 8 ft below ground surface. Brown bouldery till (100 ft thick) on ridge northwest of The Palisades is probably also Hayden Creek Drift. Overlies Tertiary rocks; underlies thick deposit of pumice of Mount Rainier on north valley wall of White River about 2 mi southeast of Yakima Park. Probably formed during glacial episode that occurred between 35,000 and 50,000 years ago. Shown on geologic map of park.
Source: GNU records (USGS DDS-6; Menlo GNULEX).
Two interpretations of age of Hayden Creek deposits are: (1) early Wisconsin (about 65,000 years ago) as suggested by Crandell and Miller (1974) and (2) latest pre-Wisconsin (about 140,000 years ago) based on relative-age criteria (soils, loess, weathering rinds).
Source: GNU records (USGS DDS-6; Menlo GNULEX).
For more information, please contact Nancy Stamm, Geologic Names Committee Secretary.
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