Structural Measurement Atlas
Atlas / States / Montana

Montana strike and dip data

49,196 structural measurements in Montana, digitized from 1,090 published geologic maps across 6 sources. Every row carries its azimuth, inclination, measurement type, location confidence and the citation of the map it came from.

Open Montana on the map

What kinds of measurement

The Atlas separates planar structures, recorded as a strike and dip, from linear ones, recorded as a trend and plunge. This is what Montana holds:

Measurement typeGeometryMeasurementsShare
Other Planar — strike and dip 20,87542%
Bedding Planar — strike and dip 19,92440%
Foliation Planar — strike and dip 5,43611%
Vein / dike Planar — strike and dip 1,0332%
Lineation (mineral, stretching) Linear — trend and plunge 5911%
Joint Planar — strike and dip 491<1%
Cleavage Planar — strike and dip 351<1%
Fault plane Planar — strike and dip 284<1%
Slickenline Linear — trend and plunge 163<1%
Fold hinge / axis Linear — trend and plunge 48<1%

Where the data comes from

Each source is a survey, agency or program whose published mapping was harvested and reconciled into one schema. Rows are published only where the source's terms permit redistribution.

SourceMeasurementsShare
NGMDB legacy quads 27,13455%
Montana MBMG 14,36829%
USGS NGMDB GeMS 5,20111%
NPS GRI parks 1,4703%
USGS data releases · MRDS 9812%
Idaho Geol. Survey 42<1%

Most-measured published maps

The individual quadrangles and data releases contributing the most measurements in Montana. The full citation for every map behind a selection ships in the sources.csv of any export.

Published mapYearScaleMeasurements
Seamless 1:100,000 geologic map, OrientationDataPoints— 1:100,00014,368
A geologic and mineral exploration spatial database for the Stillwater Complex, Montana2014 1:217,0002,521
Boleneus, D.E., Applegate, L.M., Joseph, N.L., and Brandt, T.R., 2001, Raster Images of Geologic Maps of Middle Proterozoic Belt strata in parts of Benewah, Bonner, Kootenai and Shoshone Counties, Idaho and Lincoln, Mineral and Sanders Counties, Montana: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report OF-2001-438, scales 1:48,000 and 1:12,000, https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr2001438.2024 1:48,0002,468
Geologic map of the Sedan quadrangle, Gallatin and Park Counties, Montana1999 1:48,0001,863
Geologic map of the Virginia City 7.5' quadrangle, Madison County, Montana2021 1:24,0001,690
Geologic map of the Wisdom 30' x 60' quadrangle, southwestern Montana2025 1:100,0001,496
Geologic map of the Eli Spring 7.5' quadrangle, Beaverhead County, Montana2021 1:24,0001,280
Geologic map of the Lima 30' x 60' quadrangle, southwest Montana2000 1:100,0001,133
Geologic map of the Twin Adams Mountain 7.5' quadrangle, southwestern Montana2019 1:24,0001,128
Geologic map and geohazard assessment of Silver Bow County, Montana2009 1:50,0001,091
Geologic map of the Mitchell Mountain 7.5' quadrangle, west-central Montana2015 1:24,000989
Geologic map of the southern Townsend basin, Broadwater and Gallatin Counties, Montana2009 1:24,000957
Geologic map of the Foolhen Mountain 7.5' quadrangle, Beaverhead County, Montana2021 1:24,000874
adapted from: Whipple, James W., 1992, Geologic Map of Glacier National Park, Montana: U.S. Geological Survey, Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-1508-F, scale 1:100,0002020 100000749
Preliminary geologic map of the Ringling 30' x 60' quadrangle, central Montana2005 1:100,000727

Most-measured map units

Where a source recorded the geologic unit a measurement was taken on, the Atlas keeps it. These are the units carrying the most measurements in Montana.

Map unitAgeLithologyMeasurements
Aqfg ——1,174
Revett Formation Yr MesoproterozoicSandstone and mudstone792
Dillon West rhyolite Tdwr TertiaryFelsic-composition lava flows459
Burke Formation Yb MesoproterozoicSandstone and mudstone445
Ysw ——423
St. Regis Formation Ysr MesoproterozoicMudstone301
Kcv ——252
Tvcu ——205
Wallace Formation Yw MesoproterozoicMostly mudstone203
Tgbm ——179
Gallagher Butte basalt Tgbb TertiaryMafic-composition lava flows172
Kqsg ——168

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