The timing of Jurassic orogenesis in the continental arc terrane of the western US Cordillera: Jackston Mountains, northwestern Nevada
- Rice Univ., Houston, TX (United States). Dept. of Geology and Geophysics
Pre-Nevadan, Jurassic orogenesis appears to be characteristic of many Mesozoic arc assemblages of the western US Cordillera. In most places this deformation is Middle Jurassic ([approximately]170--160 Ma). The authors recent work in the Black Rock Desert (BRD) documents an episode of Early Jurassic metamorphism and tectonism in the Jackson Mountains (JM). Here, an extensive arc section, including the Norian to Middle ( ) Jurassic Happy Creek Volcanics and Early to Middle Jurassic plutons, indicate vigorous arc magmatism in the arly Mesozoic. Among the southwest flank of the range the lower Mesozoic section is overridden by an east vergent thrust sheet carrying upper Paleozoic rocks of the McGill Canyon Unit. Another thrust package is located on the same side of the range, but further to the north, and contains variably metamorphosed clastic rocks, carbonate, and mafic volcanics. There is also an abrupt drop in metamorphic grade across the main thrust fault where greenschist facies rocks are in contact with virtually unmetamorphosed Happy Creek Volcanics. Two plutons with U/Pb zircon age of 188 [+-] 2 Ma and 193 [+-] 3 Ma crosscut the northern thrust fault. These relations suggest than an episode of regional metamorphism followed by E-W compressional tectonism was completed during the Early Jurassic in this portion of the arc terrane. These results differ significantly from previous studies that have interpreted all compressive deformation in the JM to have taken place between the Middle Jurassic and Cretaceous. The authors new data indicate that pre-Nevada Jurassic deformation is somewhat older in the BRD than that documented in other parts of the Mesozoic arc. Because voluminous Jurassic magmatism also began at an earlier time (Early Jurassic) in the BRD than elsewhere, they suggest that deformation and metamorphis within the arc may be facilitated and localized during periods of high heat flux related to magmatic input.
- OSTI ID:
- 5023020
- 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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Related Subjects
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
ISOTOPE DATING
PETROGENESIS
IGNEOUS ROCKS
NEVADA
ZIRCON
DEFORMATION
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
JURASSIC PERIOD
MAGMATISM
METAMORPHISM
MOUNTAINS
OROGENESIS
SUBDUCTION ZONES
TECTONICS
AGE ESTIMATION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
MESOZOIC ERA
MINERALS
NORTH AMERICA
PETROLOGY
ROCKS
SILICATE MINERALS
USA
580000* - Geosciences