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Geology of the Nevada Test Site and Nearby Areas, Southern Nevada

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Geology of the Nevada Test Site and Nearby Areas, Southern Nevada >7T 5geso 9 Elf( i. ;_ . -L.I SANDIA REPORT SAND82-2207 * Unlimited Release jWfdAC4. Printed October 1982 Geology of the Nevada Test Site and Nearby Areas, Southern Nevada Scott Sinnock Prepared by Sandia National Laboratories Albuquerque. New Mexico 87185 and Livermore, California 94550 for the United States Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC04-76DP00789 \ r0 0 C C -3 -i ;rj ':4 J Issued by Sandia National Laboratories, operated for the United States Department of Energy by Sandia Corporation. NOTICE This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Govern- ment nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, nor any of their contractors, subcontractors, or their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or pro- cess disclosed, or represent that its use would not infringe privately owned rights Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the Unie States Government, any agency thereof or any of their contractors or subcontractors The views and opinions expressed herein do niot necessarily stats or reflect those of the United States Government, any agency thereof or any of their contractors or subcontractors. Printed in the United States of America Available from National Technical Information Service U.S. Department of Commerce 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield. VA 22161 NTIS price codes Printed copyF A04 Microfiche copy AOI SAND82-2207 Unlimited Release Printed October 1982 Geology of the Nevada Test Site and Nearby Areas, Southern Nevada Scott Sinnock NTS Waste Management Overview Division 9764 Sandia National Laboratories Albuquerque, NM 87185 Abstract The Department of Energy's Nevada Test Site (NTS) lies in the southern part of the Great Basin Section of the Basin and Range Physiographic Province. The NTS is characterized by alluvium-filled, topographically closed valleys surrounded by ranges composed of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks and Tertiary volcanic tuffs and lavas. The Paleozoic rocks are a miogeosynclinal sequence of about 13,000 ft of pre-Cambrian to Cambrian clastic deposits (predominantly quartzites) overlain by about 14,000 ft of Cambrian through Devonian carbonates, 8,000 ft of Mississippian argillites and quartzites, and 3,000 ft of Pennsylvanian to Permian limestones. During the Mesozoic an apparent depositional hiatus occurred. Tertiary volcanic rocks are predominantly silicic composition and were extruded from numerous eruptive centers during Miocene and Pliocene epochs. Within eruptive caldera depressions, volcanic deposits accumu- lated to perhaps 10,000 ft in total thickness, thinning to extinction outward from the calderas. Extrusion of minor amounts of basalts accompanied Pliocene and Pleistocene filling of structural basins with detritus from the ranges. Regional compressional and extensional structures as well as local volcanic structures occur in the NTS region. Granitic intrusion accompanied compressional thrust fault- ing and folding of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks during regional Mesozoic mountain building. Normal extensional faulting coincided with the outbreak of volcanism during the Miocene and was superimposed on existing Mesozoic structures. Continued extensional deformation may be occurring at the present time. Strike-slip faulting and bending along the northwest trending Las Vegas Valley, Amargosa Desert, and Walker Lane produced as much as 30 to 50 mi of mid Tertiary, right-lateral movement in the western Great Basin. Currently local stresses apparently are being released along a series of northwest trending, left-lateral shear zones in the southern portion of the NTS. 3 Acknowledgments This report provides a partial synthesis of the gathering geological field information about the NTS geologic information relating to the Nevada Test Site and its environs. Many conversations with personnel and nearby areas in southern Nye County, Nevada. from the U.S. Geological Survey have been very help- Though certain geological terms are used without ful in catalyzing this report. Special thanks are ex- adequate definition for non-geologists, definitions of tended to R. B. Scott of the U.S. Geological Survey for many terms used in the text appear in the Dictionary his thorough critique of a draft manuscript. Judy of Geological Terms (American Geological Institute, Salas of the Department of Geology, University of 1976). New Mexico, deserves special thanks for drafting most Because little of the material contained in this of the figures. If I have misrepresented the observa- report is derived from my own field study, I am deeply tions or ideas of previous workers, the responsibility is indebted to previous workers who spent many years solely mine. 4 Contents Background and Objective ................................... 9 Physiography .................................. 10 Topography .................................. 10 Drainage........................................................................................................................... 12 Rock Types .................................. 14 General Statement .................................. 14 Paleozoic and Older Sedimentary Rocks .................................. 15 Pre-Cambrian ..................................... 15 Cambrian...................................................................................................................... 17 Ordovician.................................................................................................................... 19 Silurian......................................................................................................................... 21 Devonian .................................. 21 Mississippian .................................. 21 Pennsylvanian-Permian .................................. 23 Mesozoic Intrusive Rocks .................................. 23 Cenozoic Volcanic Rocks .................................. 25 Pre-Volcanic Sedimentary Rocks .................................. 25 Monotony Tuff .................................. 28 Fraction Tuff .................................. 28 Rhyolites and Tolicha Peak Tuff .................................. 29 Red Rock Valley and Crater Flat Tuffs .................................. 29 Belted Range Tuff .................................. 29 Paintbrush Tuff .................................. 29 Salyer and Wahmonie Rhyolites .................................. 30 Timber Mountain Tuff .................................. 30 Thirsty Canyon Tuff .................................. 30 Summary of Volcanism in NTS Area .................................. 30 Cenozoic Intrusive Rocks .................................. 34 Late Pliocene and Pleistocene Basalts .................................. 34 Late Pliocene Through Recent Alluvium .................................. 35 Rock Structures .................................. 37 General Statement .................................. 37 Mesozoic Compressional Structures .................................. 38 Thrust Faults .................................. 39 Folds .................................. 39 Sevier Orogeny .................................. 40 Cenozoic Volcanic Structures .................................. 40 Cenozoic Extensional Structures .................................. 41 Normal Faults in the Range .................................. 41 Normal Faults in the Basins .................................. 41 Folds .................................. 42 Strike-Slip Structures .................................. 42 Las Vegas Valley-Walker Lane Shear Zone .................................. 42 Other Great Basin Shear Zones .................................. 43 Age of Right-Lateral Faulting .................................. 43 Left-Lateral Faulting .................................. 44 Summary of Tectonics in the NTS Area .................................. 44 Miscellaneous Structures .................................. 44 5 I Contents (cont) Joints and Fractures .......................................................... 44 Orientation and Frequency of Joints and Fractures ................................. ............ 46 Giant Playa Fractures ......................................................... 47 Man-Made Structures ......................................................... 47 References............................................................................................................................ 48 Appendix.............................................................................................................................. 55 Figures 1 Location of the NTS in Nevada ..................... 9.................................... 2 Physiographic Diagram of the NTS and Surrounding Areas .............. .............. 11 3 Characteristic Alluvial Valley in the Basin and Range ..................... ................. 12 4 Typical Volcanic Range Topography at Yucca Mountain ................. ................ 13 5 Typical Character of Southern Great Basin Ranges Formed by Paleozoic Sedimentary Rocks .................. ....................................... 13 6 Geologic Time Scale (Compiled From Various Sources) ................... ................. 14 7 Idealized Stratigraphic Column
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