Abstract: Tectonic and Structural Analysis of a Transverse
Fault
in an Extended Terrane, the Currant Summit
Fault
, Basin and Range
Province, Nevada
WILLIAMS, NATHAN D., University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Geoscience Department, Las Vegas, NV
Transverse faults, faults that strike parallel to subparallel
to the direction of extension, are fundamental structures of extensional
terranes. Understanding the fault
type is necessary to explain the development
of extended terranes, but kinematic research on these structures has been
limited because the faults are commonly buried by sediments. Such faults
in extended terranes are well exposed in the northern Basin and Range province.
The goals of this study are to enhance understanding of the tectonic development of the northern Basin and Range province, provide new interpretations of transverse faults in extended regions, and aid in understanding the role of transverse faults in hydrocarbon accumulation.
Regional structural problems related to transverse faults in the Basin
and Range province will be addressed by detailed analysis of the east-west
striking Currant Summit fault
, which divides the White Pine and Horse ranges,
Nevada.
The objectives are to describe and kinematically analyze the Currant Summit
fault
, correlate stratigraphic units across this
fault
, document and interpret
offsets of faults and folds by the transverse
fault
, and determine the
relations between the Currant Summit
fault
and hydrocarbon accumulation
in Railroad Valley.
Geologic mapping and analysis will constrain the slip direction, fault
geometry, and kinematics of the Currant Summit
fault
. These maps will be
used to document the geometric relationships between the strata, piercing
points, structures, and the Currant Summit
fault
as well as to calculate
fault
offsets. The data will be used to generate a model of the kinematic
history of the Currant Summit
fault
.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90931©1998 AAPG Foundation Grants-in-Aid