Widespread Late Paleozoic remagnetization of the Great Basin miogeocline: Implications for Basin and Range tectonism
- Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States). Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences
- Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States). Mackay School of Mines
- Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States). Dept. of Geology and Geophysics
In the eastern and southern Great Basin, heterogeneous, shallow-water miogeocline carbonate rocks give a shallow inclination, south to southeast-directed characteristic magnetization residing in magnetite. The magnetization, found in the Desert Range of southern Nevada, the Egan Range of east-central Nevada, and the House Range of western utah, is interpreted to be secondary. It was acquired after (1) local, soft compaction, because directions of magnetization are not dispersed by macroscopic compaction of stylolites and fine carbonate laminations, of up to 25[degree], wrapping around chert masses, and (2) local karst brecciation, as conglomerate tests are negative. The uniform reversed polarity in addition to the direction of the magnetization is interpreted to suggest a late Paleozoic time of remagnetization, in the Kiaman superchron. The authors interpret the secondary magnetization to be of chemical origin, and speculate that it was acquired in response to cratonward fluid migration initiated by Antler contraction. In the Egan Range, about 4 km of Paleozoic strata have been remagnetized. That this secondary but ancient late Paleozoic magnetization has survived subsequent events is significant for interpreting Mesozoic and Cenozoic processes. First, on a regional scale, the Paleozoic miogeocline never experienced burial temperatures greater than about 300 C during mesozoic contraction. Second, because the secondary magnetization can be referenced to the paleohorizontal, it may prove to be an important passive marker for assessing vertical axis rotation related to, first, Mesozoic thrusting, and, second, Cenozoic extension. This is currently being tested.
- OSTI ID:
- 5806923
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-921058-; CODEN: GAAPBC
- Journal Information:
- Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 24:7; Conference: 1992 annual meeting of the Geological Society of America (GSA), Cincinnati, OH (United States), 26-29 Oct 1992; ISSN 0016-7592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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