Evolution of Late Cenozoic basaltic volcanism in the Mojave Desert, California

Conference · Thu Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:5128152

Glazner, A F ^[1]; Farmer, G L ^[2]

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1. Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States). Dept. of Geology
2. Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States). Dept. of Geological Sciences

Cenozoic volcanism in the Mojave Desert region of southern California comprises two main groups: early Miocene ([approx]24--18 Ma) synextensional magmatism ranging from basalt to rhyolite, and postkinematic middle Miocene to Quaternary volcanism that is almost exclusively basaltic. Flat-lying basalts of the latter group, herein termed the Mojave Neovolcanic Belt (MNB), are distributed across the central and eastern Mojave Desert, and were erupted in three main pulses: (1) during the middle Miocene ([approx]17--15 Ma), in a belt from near Tiefort Mtn. to the El Paso Mts.; (2) during the late Miocene ([approx]9--4 Ma); and (3) in a Plio-Quaternary pulse ([approx]3--0 Ma) that includes the southern Cima field and all the cones scattered along the axis of the Barstow-Bristol trough. Several temporal and geographic trends are evident in the MNB. In general, younger basalts are higher in [var epsilon][sub Nd], lower in [sup 87]Sr/[sup 86]Sr, more alkalic, less crustally contaminated, and more likely to contain mantle xenoliths than older basalts. Mantle xenoliths are restricted to the eastern and southern Mojave block. Basalts of all three groups become dramatically richer in K[sub 2]O to the east, ranging from subalkaline basalts in the west to alkali basalts and trachybasalts in the east. Isotopic provinciality is apparent, but mantle differences are difficult to distinguish from the effects of crustal contamination. Lavas with mantle xenoliths consistently have [var epsilon][sub Nd] > 5 and [sup 87]Sr/[sup 86]Sr < 0.7042. Eruptive centers of the MNB show no consistent relationship to regional tectonic features. Although alkali basalts are generally associated with rifting, several MNB volcanoes were erupted through active fold and thrust belts.

• OSTI ID: 5128152
• Report Number(s): CONF-9305259--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States) Journal Volume: 25:5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
580000* -- Geosciences
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DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
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ISOTOPE RATIO
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