Allatoona Fault
Dahlonega Gold Belt amphibolite to left;
Great Smokies group schist to right;
gnarly black fault gouge between.
Hammer head rests on quartzose mylonite.
Lake Allatoona, Georgia
The Allatoona Fault separates Dahlonega Gold Belt metavolcanic rocks to the southeast (amphibolite at this location) from Great Smokies group metasediments to the northwest (here, schist). This fault has been interpreted variously as a southeast-dipping thrust fault or a dextral shear (right lateral strike-slip) fault.
The Allatoona Fault trends northeast, roughly parallel to and northwest of the Brevard Fault and other faults in Piedmont Georgia. Sulfide-bearing metavolcanic rocks southeast of the Allatoona Fault may represent an island arc; rocks northwest of the fault may represent metamorphosed sediments from an ocean basin or continental slope.
Allatoona Fault
Dahlonega Gold Belt amphibolite to left;
Great Smokies group schist to right;
gnarly black fault gouge between.
Hammer head rests on quartzose mylonite.
Lake Allatoona, Georgia