Paleogeographic implications of Tertiary sedimentary rocks within the northern Rawhide and Artillery Mountains, Arizona
- Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States). Dept. of Geosciences
Geologic mapping and analysis of Oligocene-Miocene sedimentary rocks in the upper plate of the Buckskin-Rawhide detachment fault system (west-central Arizona) reveals a complex paleogeographic history during fault displacement. Within the study area, four upper-plate fault blocks are capped by homoclinal sedimentary sections that display fanning dip relationships indicating concurrent tilting and sedimentation. Four sedimentary assemblages recognized within the study area can be correlated between fault blocks. The basal assemblage consists of lacustrine rocks and interfingering fluvial strata composed of detritus derived from the granitic terrane surrounding the northern part of the study area; these sediments were deposited during the earliest stages of tilting of upper-plate fault blocks. The overlying lower assemblage consists of fine-grained lacustrine deposits, sandy conglomerate and breccia. During lower-assemblage deposition, mass-flow-dominated alluvial fans were shed from source areas consisting mainly of Mesozoic and Paleozoic rocks exposed to the south of the study area. Tilting of fault blocks continued during deposition of the lower assemblage and strongly affected dispersal patterns and lithofacies distributions. The middle assemblage consists of conglomerate and sandstone deposited by an extensive south-directed stream system that probably flowed off undistended parts of the hanging wall, across extended parts, and locally onto the footwall. The upper assemblage consists of sandy conglomerate deposited by a northeast-directed system of broad, shallow steams; these deposits display a variety of clast types, including Tertiary mylonitic, sedimentary, and volcanic rocks that were eroded from the upwarped footwall of the core complex and overlying klippen.
- OSTI ID:
- 5026051
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9305259-; CODEN: GAAPBC
- Journal Information:
- Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 25:5; Conference: 89. annual meeting of the Cordilleran Section and the 46th annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Section of the Geological Society of America (GSA), Reno, NV (United States), 19-21 May 1993; ISSN 0016-7592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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