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Geology of the Panamint Butte Quadrangle, Inyo County, California

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Geology of the Panamint Butte Quadrangle, Inyo County, California Geology of the Panamint Butte Quadrangle, Inyo County, California By WAYNE E; HALL GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1299 Prepared in cooperation with the California Department of Conservation, Division of Mines and Geology KhCEIVED JUL161971 u.8.1 teuisfiUt, it UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON: 1971 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ROGERS C. B. MORTON, Secretary GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 75-610447 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Page Abstract_________________________________-_.-______-__--_-_--_--- 1 Introduction. ___________-______--_____--_----.--___--__-__--------- 2 Climate.and vegetation._________.__....__.._____-___________-__ 3 Water supply-________________________________________________ 3 Previous work__________________________.___._____._1________ 4 Acknowledgments- _______________._______..____-__-_---------_- 4 General geology.__________________________-__..____--_----_-_--__-- 5 Precambrian(?) rocks._____________.__________.._----___-___-_-_-__- 7 Paleozoic rocks._____.__.___--________-___-____-_-----_---_--.-.-_- 8 Cambrian System_____________________________________________ 8 Carrara Formation.__________________..-_____--____---__-_- 8 Bonanza King Formation___._.______..__._._.....____.____ 10 Nopah Formation._____...____-_-_.....____________-_-_-__- 11 Ordovician System___________________________________________ 13 Pogonip Group_____-__-______-____-_-..----------_--._-_-_- 13 Eureka Quartzite.______________-_____..___-_-_---_-----_--_ 16 Ely Springs Dolomite__---__-______________________________ 18 Silurian and Devonian Systems___________..__-_-__----_-__-___- 21 Hidden Valley Dolomite......._____________________________ 21 Devonian System_____________________________________________ 22 Lost Burro Formation.....__________________________________ 22 Mississippian System.___._____..____._.._..__.___..._._._..__.. 24 Tin Mountain Limestone.____._...____..__-______-___.___--. 24 Perdido Formation.________________________________________ 27 Mississippian and Pennsylvanian(?) Systems...___-_-________-__.__ 28 Lee Flat Limestone._______________________________________ 28 Pennsylvanian and Permian Systems___---_-_____-_-_-__-_______- 31 Keeler Canyon Formation._______-___...._-----_.______.____ 31 Permian System.,____________.__.___._.__..___._____..___._____ 36 Owens Valley Formation.___________________________________ 36 Mesozoic rocks.____________________________________________________ 38 Plutonic rocks._____-_____-_---_....__.____..__-___-__---______.- 38 Biotite-hornblende quartz monzonite.___..________-------_____ 39 Leucocratic quartz monzonite_-______-_.._-------_---_--_---- 40 Andesite porphyry dikes______ _____-_--.._______-__-___--____ 40 Cenozoic rocks.----_-______-_-_--________-___..--_-_____-_-_-_-_--- 41 Pliocene. ______________________________________________________ 41 Fanglomerate No. 3____--_____--..________________________ 41 Quartz-olivine basalt._______.._.____._..._...__.______...._. 43 Rhyolite tuff___....._....._......_....._.._-.....__._._. 46 Basaltic pyroclastic rocks____________________________________ 46 Olivine basalt._....___._.___._____.__..__._..._._._...___._ 47 Correlation of olivine -basalt by fused samples. ____._---_-_ 50 Magnetic polarity of olivine basalt__..__________.__-__-__- 50 m IV CONTENTS Cenozoic rocks Continued Pliocene or Pleistocene.__,_________---___--_---___-_-_-_-_-___- 50 Fanglomerate No. 2._____-__-_-_-______--_____--__-___-_- 50 Pleistocene._____________-___-___---___^-----______---------_- 51 Lacustrine deposits._______________________________________ 51 Fan No. !_.._____...____...___.___.____...__.__.._.__._.. 51 Holocene._______________-________--_______---_____-_---_-__-- 52 Unconsolidated gravels and alluvium_________________________ 52 Structure. ________________________________________________________ 52 General features____________________-____----_-_____------_--_- 52 Mesozoic structure_________-____---_-_-_--_-______-_---_--_._ 53 Middle (?) Tertiary structures._________________________________ 54 Late Cenozoic structures._-__-_____--____-_--_-_____---_-___--- 57 Faults _____________--___----__-._-____--_____------------ 57 Steeply dipping north-striking faults_____________________ 57 Northeast-striking left-lateral strike-slip faults.___________ 59 Gravity faults__________--_________-___-__-------___- 61 Steeply dipping N. 30° W.-striking faults________________ 61 Landslides._______________________________________________ 61 LakeHilL........_____...___..______.___.__..._.____. 62 References__ _______________-_---_--__-_____-_-_____-_------_--_- 62 Index.___________________________________________________________ 65 ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 1. Geologic map and sections of the Panamint Butte quad­ rangle.----.--.----___________________________ In pocket FIGURE 1. Index map showing the location of the Panamint Butte quadrangle. _____________________________________ 2 2-5. Photographs showing: 2. West face of the Panamint Range north of Dolo­ mite Canyon. ______________________________ 9 3. Palliseria robusta (Wilson) zone of the upper part of the Pogonip Group in the measured section on the south side of Dolomite Canyon_________ 14 4. Cambrian, Ordovician, and Silurian formations exposed on west face of Panamint Range on north side of Dolomite Canyon._______________ 19 5. West face of the Panamint Range on the north side of North Panamint Canyon....___________ 29 6. Ternary diagram showing modal analyses of biotite-horn- blende-quartz monzonite and leucocratic quartz monzo- nite__.________----_-___._-_-.....___-_-_-___- 39 7-14. Photographs showing: 7. Monolithologic breccia of Paleozoic dolomite interbedded in red conglomerate east of Towne Pass.-..-..----________-__--__--------_--- 43 CONTENTS FIGURES 7-14. Photographs showing Continued 8. View south along east slope of Argus Range; an east-tilted fault-block range shown by dip slope of olivine basalt flow on skyline.______._.___._ 47 9. Peperite from Darwin Canyon._________________ 49 10. West face-of Panamint Range with intense shatter­ ing of the Paleozoic strata due to thrusting under shallow cover..._-__-------________________- 55 11. Towne Pass normal fault_______________________ 58 . 12. West face of the Panamint Range where a step- faulted olivine basalt flow is further disordered by slumping._.__.__--.._--__._____.________- 59 13. Horizontal mullion structures on northeast-striking left-lateral strike-slip fault in North Panamint Canyon_ ____________________________________ 60 14. View south from the Big Four mine road over Panamint Valley of an unconsolidated, dis­ placed fan____...________..____.____._---- 61 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Stratigraphie sequence in the Panamint Butte quadrangle. 5 2. Correlation chart of volcanic and sedimentary rocks of Cenozoic age_-__..__...__._..____._________._.___ 42 3. Chemical analyses and norms of quartz-olivine basalt.... 45 4. Chemical analyses and norms of olivine basalt_________ 48 GEOLOGY OF THE PANAMINT BUTTE QUADRANGLE, INYO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA By WAYNE E. HALL ABSTRACT The Panamint Butte quadrangle is in central Inyo County, Calif., on the west side of Death Valley. It encompasses the northern parts of the Argus Range, Panamint Valley, and the Panamint Range. <The quadrangle is underlain by a sequence, more than 15,000 feet thick, of metamorphic and sedimentary rocks of Preeambrian( ?) and Paleozoic age which is intruded by Mesozoic plutonic rocks and andesite porphyry dikes. The section is unconformably overlain by Cenozoic volcanic rocks and sedimentary deposits. Precambrian( ?) metamorphic rocks are exposed in two small windows below thrust faults in the Panamint Range. Precambrian(?) rocks include micaceous and limy quartzite, mica schist, hornblende-biotite gneiss, and dolomite. Paleozoic rocks range in age from Early Cambrian to Permian and form a conformable sequence approximately 15,000 feet thick. Pre-Devonian rocks crop out only in the Panamint Range. They are predominantly dolomite, but include limestone, quartzite, and shale. Devonian and younger Paleozoic rocks crop out in both the Argus and Panamint Ranges. They are predominantly limestones and silty and shaly limestones. Plutons of biotite-hornblende-quartz monzonite and leucocratic quartz mon- zonite intrude the Paleozoic rocks in both the Argus and Panamint Ranges. The age of the intrusive rocks is approximately 180 million years (Early Jurassic). A swarm of altered andesite porphyry dikes striking N. 70° W. intrude the Paleozoic rocks and quartz monzonite at the north end of tlhe Argus Range. This swarm of dikes has been traced for 85 miles to the northwest. Cenozoic deposits cover Panamint Valley and much of the Panamint Range in the vicinity of Towne Pass. They include Pliocene and younger sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Approximately 10,000 feet-of fanglomerates of three ages, each separated by angular, unconformities, are present near Towne Pass. The maximum fill in the northern Panamint basin is 500 feet. The Paleozoic rocks were deformed into broa.d open folds prior to the intru­ sion of the quartz monzonite plutons. The Paleozoic rocks were thrust and again folded by Mesozoic intrusion of the Hunter Mountain Quartz Monzonite batholith in the Panamint Range and the plutons of quartz monzonite in the northern Argus Range. 2 GEOLOGY, PANAMINT BUTTE QUADRANGLE, CALIFORNIA During the Cenozoic, thrust faulting under shallow
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