Geology of the central Mineral Mountains, Beaver County, Utah

Technical Report · Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5040670· OSTI ID:5040670

Sibbett, B S; Nielson, D L

The Mineral Mountains are located in Beaver and Millard Counties, southwestern Utah. The range is a horst located in the transition zone between the Basin and Range and Colorado Plateau geologic provinces. A multiple-phase Tertiary pluton forms most of the range, with Paleozoic rocks exposed on the north and south and Precambrian metamorphic rocks on the west in the Roosevelt Hot Springs KGRA (Known Geothermal Resource Area). Precambrian banded gneiss and Cambrian carbonate rocks have been intruded by foliated granodioritic to monzonitic rocks of uncertain age. The Tertiary pluton consists of six major phases of quartz monzonitic to leucocratic granitic rocks, two diorite stocks, and several more mafic units that form dikes. During uplift of the mountain block, overlying rocks and the upper part of the pluton were partially removed by denudation faulting to the west. The interplay of these low-angle faults and younger northerly trending Basin and Range faults is responsible for the structural control of the Roosevelt Hot Springs geothermal system. The structural complexity of the Roosevelt Hot Springs KGRA is unique within the range, although the same tectonic style continues throughout the range. During the Quaternary, rhyolite volcanism was active in the central part of the range and basaltic volcanism occurred in the northern portion of the map area. The heat source for the geothermal system is probably related to the Quaternary rhyolite volcanic activity.

• Research Organization: Utah Univ., Salt Lake City (USA). Earth Science Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: AC07-78ET28392
• OSTI ID: 5040670
• Report Number(s): DOE/ET/28392-40; ESL-33
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
ROOSEVELT HOT SPRINGS
GEOLOGY
UTAH
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GRANODIORITES
HYDROTHERMAL ALTERATION
IGNEOUS ROCKS
KGRA
LITHOLOGY
METAMORPHISM
MINERALIZATION
QUARTZ
RHYOLITES
VOLCANIC ROCKS
CHALCOGENIDES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GRANITES
NORTH AMERICA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PLUTONIC ROCKS
ROCKS
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
USA
Geothermal Legacy
150201* - Geology & Hydrology of Geothermal Systems- USA- (-1989)