Geology of Northern Nellis Airforce Base Bombing & Gunnery Range, Nye County, Nevada
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Geology of Northern Nellis Air Force Base Bombing and Gunnery Range, Nye County, Nevada By E. B. EKREN, R. E. ANDERSON, C. L. ROGERS, and D. C. NOBLE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY PROFESSIONAL PAPER 651 Preparedon behalf of the U.S. 4tomic Energy Commission Stratigraphy and structure of 2 400-square-mile A area of dominantly Tertiary volcanic rocks in 3. the Great Basin, with brief descriptions of small mines andprospects UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON: 1971 I UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WIlam T. Pecora, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 73-409556 I For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 CONTENTS Page Page Abstract ._-- Stratigraphy-Continued Introduction __________ 2 Tertiary-Continued Location and geography 2 Rocks between the tuff. etc.-Continued Purpose and scope of the investigation . 3 Older rocks of Mount Helen . 40 Climate, vegetation, and wildlife . 3 Tuff of Wilsons Camp 42 Fieldwork and acknowledgments 4 Intrusive rocks of the central core of the Previous work . 4 Cactus Range 43 Stratigraphy . 4 Rhyolite of White Ridge and tuffaceous Precambrian__ 6 rocks - --------------------------- 49 Lower Precambrian-gneiss and schist of Trapp- Fraction Tuff and related rocks . 50 man Hills area. _ ._ 6 Fraction Tuf . ------------------- 50 Upper Precambrian-Stirling Quartzite . 6 Tuffaceous conglomerate and debris flows - 52 Precambrian and Cambrian-Wood Canyon For- Sedimentary rocks and bedded tufft- 55 mation _------------------------ 9 Belted Range - -- 55 Cambrian ------------- 10 Cactus Range - --- 56 Zabriskie Quartzite ----------- 10 Mount Helen - - ------------- 56 Carrara(?) Formation ----- 10 Rhyolite of O'Briens Knob - --- 56 Limestone, silty limestone, and shale of Middle Rhyolite of Cactus Peak -- ---- Cambrian 58 age ------ 12 Rhyolite of Belted Peak and Ocher Ridge - 58 Bonanza King Formation . 13 Rhyolite and coarse porphyritic rhyolite of un- Nopah Formation --------- 14 certain age------------------ 59 Ordovician ------------------- 15 Andesite of Stonewall Flat - --- 59 Pogonip Group. 15 Tuff of Tolicha Peak -_---- 59 Goodwin Limestone _- - 15 Rhyolite of Quartz Mountain - ---- 60 Ninemile Formation ___ 16 Younger volcanic rocks - -------------- 60 Antelope Valley Limestone . 16 Belted Range Tuff and associated lavas Eureka Quartzite ---------------- 17 and tuffs - _ ------------------- 61 Ely Springs Dolomite - ------ 18 Ash-fall and reworked tuff- 63 Ordovician and Silurian dolomite -----. 19 Silurian and Devonian-dolomite of the Spotted Rhyolite of Area 20, Pahute Mesa- 63 63 Range ---------------------------- 19 Paintbrush Tufft--- Devonian 20 Latite of south Kaivich Valley- 64 Nevada Formation - -------- 20 Timber Mountain Tuff- 64 Limestone and dolomite .----------------21 Basalt of Stonewall Mountain area- 64 Devonian and Mississippian ------------------ 21 Younger rocks of Mount Helen - _- 65 Eleana Formation ---------------- 21 Fanglomerate of Trappman Hills . 65 Eleana(?) Formation in the Cactus Range 23 Thirsty Canyon Tuff and associated lavas- 65 Mesozoic(?) granite ------------- 24 Basalt of Basalt Ridge -_-__-_- ---- 66 Tertiary ----- 24 Fanglomerate _. .. .. .. .. .. .... - Tertiary and Quaternary - 67 25 67 Monotony Tuff --------- 25 Basalt ---------- 67 Sedimentary rocks of Cedar Pass area --- 27 Alluvium and colluvium- Tuffs of Antelope Springs ------------- 29 Structure - -. 67 Shingle Pass Tuff - -------------- 31 General setting -------- 67 Lacustrine sedimentary rocks of the Cactus Belted Range block ---------- 69 Range 32 Pre-Tertiary folds and thrust faults- 69 Tuff and rhyolite of Gold Flat .--------- 32 .0 Tuff of White Blotch Spring ------------- Gravity slide blocks - --- 32 70 Rncks between the tuff of White Blotch Spring Normal faults- 71 and Fraction Tufft.----------- 35 Kawich Range-Quartzite Mountain block . Zeolitized bedded tuff and sedimentary Cactus Range - 72 74 rocks 35 The Mellan Hills- Lavas and intrusive rocks of intermediate Trappman Hills -__ --_ -------- 76 composition ----------- 37 Mount Helen- 76 III l IV CON7TENTS Structure-Conutnued Pain Pac Black Mountain 77 Potential sites for underground nuclear testing- Paute E 78 Alluvium-filled basins____ ____- ____-___-_-_____ So Mines and mining -_-------- ___-- _-- _ 78 Nonwelded and partially welded zeolitized tufft - Sl Antelope Springs district --- _-___-___-__ 78 Welded tuff -,- ------- 8 Trappman Hills-- _--------_------ _ 79 Basement rocks and granite--___-__-____-_______ 81 Gold Crater -79 Measured sections--___________-______82 Gold Reed (Kawich)--_--___ -- 79 Drillers' logs of water wells in mapped area-- ___ 84 Silverbow (Tickabo) mines-_-_____-____-_____ 80 References-- 85 Suggestions for prospecting----------------------_ 80 Index_----------------------------------------- 89 ILLUSTRATIONS Page PLATE 1. Geologic and Bouguer gravity map and sections of the northern part of Nellis Air Force Base Bombing and Gunnery Range, Nye County, Nev -In pocket Fiacus 1. Index map showing location of studied area and major physiographic features -- ___ - __- _ 2 2. Photograph of widest part of Limestone Ridge on the west flank of the Belted Range - _- ____-_-______-__ 16 3. Map showing distribution .of the Monotony Tuf-- - - - - 25 4. Plot of normative albite-anorthite-orthoclase ratios of Monotony Tuff, tuff of White Blotch Spring, lavas of intermediate composition exclusive of rocks from Mount Helen, and rocks from Mount Helen - ___- 27 5. Photograph of outcrop of tuff of White Blotch Spring- 3 6. Photograph of specimen of pumice-rich tuff of White Blotch Spring- 35 7. Photograph of outcrops of quartz-latite porphyry laccolith and tuff of White Blotch Spring - 45 8. Plot of FeO: NasO+K:O: MgO ratios of intrusive rocks from the core of the Cactus Range -_- __-_-_-_ 46 9. Plot of CaO: Na 2O: KX2 0 ratios of intrusive rocks from the core of the Cactus Range - _ 48 10. Plot of normative albite-anorthite-orthoclase ratios of intrusive rocks from the core of the Cactus Range 49 11. Columnar section and thin-section petrography of Fraction Tuff near Trailer Pass in southern Kawich Range - _----------_----_----_---- _----- - 53 12. Plot of normative albite-anorthite-orthoclase ratios of Fraction Tuff and rhyolite of O'Briens Knob - 57 13. Photographs of feeder plug located about 2% miles south-southwest of Belted Peak--. 58 14. Photograph of hand specimen of Grouse Canyon Member of Belted Range Tuff showing foliation and lithic inclusions - 63 15. Map showing the Walker Lane-Las Vegas shear zone and trends of the ranges in the Basin and Range province --- ------------------------------------------------ 68 16. Photograph of gravity-slide blocks in northern part of Limestone Ridge, Belted Range - 71 TABLES Page TABLE 1. Rainfall and temperature at Goldfield and Tonopah, Nev -__-_------------- 3 2. Plants in the northern Nellis Air Force Base Bombing and Gunnery Range -_-------------- 3 3. Major geologic rock units in the northern Nellis Air Force Base Bombing and Gunnery Range -- 5 4. Chemical analyses and norms of Monotony Tuff -------------------------- 27 5. Summary of potassium-argon ages for volcanic strata in and near Nelis Air Force Base Bombing and Gunnery Range _-- 28 6-9. Chemical analyses and norms: 6. Tuff of White Blotch Spring -------------------------------- 36 7. Lavas of intermediate composition exclusive of Mount Helen rocks ----------------- 38 8. Rocks from Mount Helen -_ ----------------------------- 41 9; Fresh and propylitically altered intrusive rocks in the core of the Cactus Range -- - 47 10. Physical properties of Fraction Tuff and underlying lavas at Trailer Pass, Kaich Range, Nye County, Nev 51 11. Chemical analyses and norms of Fraction Tuff, rhyolite of O'Briens Knob, and andesite of Stonewall Flat --- 54 12. Chemical analysis and norm of tuft of Tollcha Peak from 12 miles north-northeast of Tolicha Peak - -60 13. Chemical analyses of rhvolite of Quartz Mountain -- --------------------------- 60 14. Average major-element chemical compositions of rocks of younger volcanic units --------- _- 61 15. Rock and cooling unit types and relative original volume of members of the Thirsty Canyon Tuff - -66 GEOLOGY OF NORTHERN NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE BOMBING AND GUNNERY RANGE, NYE COUNTY, NEVADA By E. B. EREN, R. E. ANDERSON, C. L. RoGES, and D. C. NOBLE ABSTRACT tion, which Is Late Devonian to Mfississippian In age and more than 4,000 feet thick. The area of study, covering about 2.400 square miles in Nye County, outhwestern Nevada. lies east of Goldfield. Elevations Small. exposures of granite of Mesozoic age occur In the range from 4,700 feet in the westernmost alluvial valley, Stone- Cactus Range and southern awlch Range. The granite is wnll Flat. to more than 8.900 feet in the Reveille Range In the nearly void of mafic minerals and closely resembles the alaskite northeastern part f the area. The climate is arid; rainfall at Goldfleld. ranges from about 4 inches in the valleys to about inches in Rocks of Tertiary age form a composite section more than the higher ranges and mesas. All the streams are Intermittent 20,000 feet thick. They include minor fanglomerate at base, and, with the exception of Thirsty Canyon and its tributaries, numerous widespread ash-flow tuff sheets that range In age all end in closed basins, which make up about half of the total from about 27 to 7 m.y. (million years), thick piles of varie- area. Igneous rocks of Tertiary age form at least 9,percent of gated lavas,