Extending the western North American Proterozoic and Paleozoic continental crust through the Mojave Desert

Journal Article · Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1992 · Geology; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1992)020<0753:ETWNAP>2.3.CO;2· OSTI ID:6991688

Martin, M W; Walker, J D ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Kansas, Lawrence (United States)

Data supporting the existence of Proterozoic basement in the central and western Mojave Desert include U-Pb zircon geochronology and Nd, Sr, and Pb isotopic values of quartzofeldspathic gneisses, detrital zircon provenance ages, and the presence of basement clasts in Paleozoic and Mesozoic conglomerates. These data corroborate existing isotopic data from Mesozoic and Tertiary intrusive rocks that suggest involvement of Proterozoic crust in their genesis. Exposures of Proterozoic basement and Late Proterozoic and Paleozoic transitional miogeoclinal-cratonal facies trends in the central and western Mojave Desert consistently imply that cratonal North America continues westward uninterrupted through this region to the San Andreas fault. These data place geographic limits on the position of several pre-Tertiary tectonic elements speculated to exist in the Mojave Desert.

• OSTI ID: 6991688
• Journal Information: Geology; (United States), Vol. 20:8; ISSN 0091-7613
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
CONGLOMERATES
ISOTOPE DATING
GEOLOGIC STRATA
CORRELATIONS
GNEISSES
PLATE TECTONICS
GEOLOGIC MODELS
BASEMENT ROCK
CALIFORNIA
CONTINENTAL CRUST
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
LEAD ISOTOPES
NEODYMIUM ISOTOPES
PALEOZOIC ERA
PETROGENESIS
PRECAMBRIAN ERA
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES
URANIUM ISOTOPES
ZIRCON
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
AGE ESTIMATION
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EARTH CRUST
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
ISOTOPES
METAMORPHIC ROCKS
MINERALS
NORTH AMERICA
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SILICATE MINERALS
TECTONICS
USA
580000* - Geosciences