Paleoseismic investigations of the Paintbrush Canyon fault in southern Midway Valley, Yucca Mountain, Nevada: Preliminary results
- Geomatrix Consultants, San Francisco, CA (United States)
Trench mapping in southern Midway Valley provides evidence of multiple surface-faulting events on a western splay of the Paintbrush Canyon fault during the middle to late Pleistocene. The 6-m-wide fault zone exposed in the trench strikes N30-45E and dips steeply ([approximately]78[degree]) to the west, although some shears within the zone dip to the east. Tertiary volcanic bedrock is exposed only on the footwall block within the trench. Unconsolidated colluvial and eolian deposits are present in the hanging-wall block and above bedrock in the footwall block. These deposits tentatively are assigned, respectively, mid Pleistocene and late Pleistocene ages based on correlations with surficial map units in Midway Valley. Three to five displacement events are inferred based on faulted colluvial and eolian deposits, and scarp-derived colluvial wedges. Total cumulative dip-slip displacement of the oldest middle Pleistocene subunit is estimated to be about 170 to 270 cm. The dip-slip displacement associated with the youngest event is about 15 cm. The earlier displacements are estimated to have produced between 40 and 85 cm of dip-slip displacement per event. The most recent event occurred after deposition of late Pleistocene colluvium deposited against the fault scarp but before deposition of an overlying hillslope-derived colluvium of probable late pleistocene age. Based on the preliminary results of the authors study, the middle to late Quaternary rate of dip-slip displacement is approximately 0.01 m/kyr or less. Ongoing work, including soil-stratigraphic studies and numerical dating of deposits, should better constrain the timing and a rate of faulting along this western splay of the Paintbrush Canyon fault.
- OSTI ID:
- 5095641
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9305259--
- Journal Information:
- Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Journal Name: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States) Vol. 25:5; ISSN GAAPBC; ISSN 0016-7592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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58 GEOSCIENCES
580000* -- Geosciences
AGE ESTIMATION
CENOZOIC ERA
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DISPLACEMENT RATES
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
MOUNTAINS
NEVADA
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
PLEISTOCENE EPOCH
QUATERNARY PERIOD
RADIOACTIVE WASTE FACILITIES
RISK ASSESSMENT
SEISMICITY
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
USA
YUCCA MOUNTAIN