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Late Quaternary Deformation and Seismic Risk Vl in the Northern Sierra Nevada-Great Basin Boundary Zone Near the Sweetwater Mountains, California and Nevada

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Late Quaternary Deformation and Seismic Risk Vl in the Northern Sierra Nevada-Great Basin Boundary Zone Near the Sweetwater Mountains, California and Nevada University of Nevada Reno !Late Quaternary deformation and seismic risk vl in the northern Sierra Nevada-Great Basin Boundary Zone near the Sweetwater Mountains, California and Nevada A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geology by Garry Fallis Hayes W\ April 1985 i MINIS 1 LIBRARY University of Nevada Reno April 1985 ii ABSTRACT Remote-sensing, seismic and field studies indi­ cate three major zones of Quaternary deformation near the Sweetwater Mountains. Holocene fault scarps are present in the Antelope, Little Ante­ lope, Smith and Bridgeport Valleys, and in the Sonora Basin. Two other vaguely defined zones, between Carson and Antelope valleys, and from the Bridgeport Valley east to Bald Mountain, may repre­ sent Mio-Pliocene zones of faulting which more recently have acted as conjugate shears releasing stress between fault basins in the Western Great Basin between the Sierra Nevada and Walker Lane shear zone. The northern portion of the Sierra Nevada-Great Basin Boundary Zone is less active than the south­ ern part in Owens Valley, as shown by lower slip rates, shorter fault lengths and lower levels of historical seismicity. Maximum Credible Earthquake magnitudes for the fault basins range from 6.3 to 7.2, with expected displacements of 3 meters or more. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to thank Dr. D.B. Slemmons, Craig DePolo and J.O. Davis for helpful discussions during the course of this study. Special thanks to Craig DePolo, Susan Hciyss and Ron Smith, who assisted with the field studies, and to Glenn Hayes who assisted with the manuscript preparation. The Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology and the Reno office of Toiyabe National Forest kindly provided aerial photography, while U.R. Vetter and the University of Nevada Seismology Laboratory provided data and assistance on the seismology of the region. The Photogeology Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno, provided materials and eguipment. Special thanks are due to Naomi Sullwold of Santa Barbara City College, who assisted with many of the illustrations. This study was supported by grants from Chevron Inc., the Graduate Student Association of University of Nevada, Reno, and the Sigma Xi Scholarship Foundation, and a teaching assistantship and loans from the Geology Department of the University of Nevada, Reno. No thanks are offered to the thief who stole my thesis notes the night of Dec. 29, 1983, or the drivers of Upland, California, who gleefully continued to drive by as my thesis blew across Euclid Avenue on July 1, 1984. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION.............................. x LOCATION AND EXTENT OF STUDY AREA........ INVESTIGATIVE PROCEDURE............. ..... 3 seismic study............ .!!!!!!!!!!!! 4 AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS AND TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS 4 FIELD STUDIES..................... ' 6 PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS...... !!!!!!!!!!!!!* 7 REGIONAL STRATIGRAPHY........... !!!!!!!!.".*! 9 PRE-TERTIARY STRATIGRAPHY.... ! !!!!!!."! ! 9 TERTIARY STRATIGRAPHY............. !!!!."! 10 QUATERNARY STRATIGRAPHY...... !!!!!!!!!!! 13 Glacial Stratigraphy................ 13 Grouse Meadows-McGee Glaciation... 18 Sherwin-Deep Creek Glaciation.... 19 Mono Basin and Tahoe Glaciations.. 20 Tenaya and Tioga Glaciations..... 22 Alluvial Stratigraphy............... 23 Pediment Deposits................ 23 Gravel Deposits.................. 24 Alluvial Fan and Basinal Sediments 25 Landslide Deposits............... 28 TECTONIC HISTORY......................... ’’ 29 PRE-QUATERNARY TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT.... 29 QUATERNARY TECTONIC HISTORY........... .* 33 PRESENT TECTONIC STRUCTURE............. 36 ANALYTICAL RESULTS......................... 41 REGIONAL SEISMICITY................. ’ j * 41 PHOTO-ANALYSIS....................... * " 49 FIELD STUDIES............................................................. ' 53 Fault Scarp Morphology.............. 53 Stratigraphic Age Constraints on Faulting............................ 58 DISCUSSION OF RESULTS................. !.'.*![ 60 ZONATION OF FAULTING................ 60 SIERRA NEVADA-GREAT BASIN BOUNDARY ZONE. 64 Introduction........................ 64 Antelope Valley Fault Zone.......... 66 Slinkard Fault System............... 69 Antelope Valley-East Side........... 70 North Antelope Valley............... 71 Lost Cannon Creek/Walker River Gorge. 75 Sonora Basin/Mt. Emma Zone.......... 77 West Bridgeport Valley and New Range. 78 WESTERN GREAT BASIN.................... 80 Introduction........................ 80 V Smith Valley Fault Zone............. 82 Desert Creek Peak/Sweetwater Valley.. 84 The Sweetwater Trough............... 87 Bridgeport Valley Fault Zone........ 88 HOLOCENE FAULTS AND SEISMICITY............ 91 INTRODUCTION........................... 91 ANTELOPE VALLEY........................ 91 SONORA BASIN........................... 96 SMITH VALLEY/DESERT CREEK PEAK ZONE.... 98 BRIDGEPORT VALLEY FAULT ZONE........... 101 SEISMIC RISK ANALYSIS..................... 104 INTRODUCTION........................... 104 SLIP RATES............................. 104 RECURRENCE INTERVALS................... 107 MAXIMUM CREDIBLE EARTHQUAKES........... 109 References Cited.......................... Ill List of Figures Figure 1: Index map of study area......... 2 Figure 2: Map of glacial deposits in the study area.......................... 15 Figure 3: a) Uplift at crest of central Sierra Nevada; b)Rate of uplift of crest of central Sierra Nevada......... 35 Figure 4: Map showing regional tectonic structures, CA-NV....................... 3 8 Figure 5: Map showing distribution of earthquake epicenters, 1970-1983....... 43 Figure 6 : a) Focal plane solutions for selected quakes in the SNGBZ; b) Stress axes for focal mechanisms.... 44 Figure 7: Spatial-temporal variations of seismicity near the Sweetwater Mountains, CA-NV....................... 48 Figure 8: Lineaments and lineament zones in the west half of the Walker Lake sheet.............................. 50 Figure 9: Diagram showing the principal features of a recently formed normal fault scarp............................. 54 Figure 10: Limits of principal slope angle versus age of fault scarp......... 54 Figure 11: Diagram of buried fault scarp in the central part of the AVFZ... 56 Figure 12: Map showing major tectonic subdivisions and structural blocks within the study area................... 61 Figure 13: Tectonic map of study area showing distribution of faults, vol­ canic centers, alluvial basins, and possible zones of strike-slip faulting.. 63 vi Figure 14: Explanation of map symbols used in figures 15, 16 and 17.......... 67 Figure 15: Generalized geologic map of surficial deposits in the Antelope Valley and vicinity.................... 6g Figure 16: Geologic map of surficial deposits in the north and east parts of Antelope Valley............ Figure 17: Geologic map of surficial deposits in the Desert Creek Peak List of Tables Table 1: Tertiary stratigraphic units and regional correlations, SNGBZ....... n Table 2: Surficial stratigraphic units, SNGBZ.................................. 14 Table 3: Proposed seguence and timing of glacial advances in the eastern Sierra Nevada.......................... 17 Table 4: Outline of the sequence, mag­ nitude, and distribution of Quatern­ ary tectonic deformation near the Sweetwater Mountains, CA-NV............ 37 Table 5: Focal plane solutions for selected earthquakes in the western Great Basin............................ 45 Table 6 : Table showing location, height and principal slope of Holocene scarps in the study area............... 92 Table 7: Slip rates for faults in selected parts of the SNGBZ............ 105 Table 8: Postulated fault rupture lengths, maximum credible earth­ quakes, and recurrence intervals in selected parts of the SNGBZ......... 108 List of Plates Plate 1: Tectonic map of the study area showing distribution of faults, vol­ canic centers, alluvial basins, and possible zones of strike-slip motion........................... in pocket List of Appendices Appendix A: Seismology data............... 120 Appendix B: Scarp profiles of selected Holocene faults, and scarp height calculations 130 INTRODUCTION This study has been undertaken in an effort to define the tectonic framework of a portion of the Sierra Nevada- Great Basin Boundary Zone (SNGBZ) in and around the Sweet­ water Mountains of California and Nevada. The goals of this study were twofold: to locate and define the tectonic domains in the region as indicated by faults, erosion surfaces and stratigraphy; and to place age constraints on the most recent tectonic activity in the region, for the purpose of develop­ ing a seismic risk analysis. LOCATION AND EXTENT OF THE STUDY AREA The Sweetwater Mountains of California and Nevada lie just east of the Sierra Nevada Range north of the town of Bridgeport in Mono County. The range is a large tilted fault block which is bounded by five structurally distinct basins or valleys (fig. 1, plate 1). These basins include Antelope, Smith, Sweetwater and Bridgeport Valleys and the basin con­ taining Sonora Junction. The region is drained by the East -LAKE TAHOE- Figure 1: Index map showing the study area and adjacent parts of the Sierra Nevada-Great Basin Boundary Zone with major range front faults indicated by heavier lines, and alluvial basins shown by lined pattern 3 and West forks of the Walker River and Desert Creek. Eleva­ tions range from about 1,600 m (5,000 ft) in the lower valley floors to about 3,600 m (11,700 ft) in the highest part of the Sweetwater Range. The climate
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