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BEDROCK GEOLOGIC MAP of the YUCCA MOUNTAIN AREA, NYE COUNTY, NEVADA Robert P

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BEDROCK GEOLOGIC MAP of the YUCCA MOUNTAIN AREA, NYE COUNTY, NEVADA Robert P U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Prepared in cooperation with the GEOLOGIC INVESTIGATIONS SERIES U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY NEVADA OPERATIONS OFFICE, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY I–2627 Pamphlet accompanies map 547100 mrw 116°30'00" b 550000 pbt 555000 560000 565000116°26'15" pr 570000acl 575000 580000 583900 786900 cp act act 40 39 cr act act pr Qc dc 18 5 dc 786900 CORRELATION OF MAP UNITS Tiva Canyon Tuff— Ar/ Ar age is 12.7±0.03 Ma (Sawyer and others, percent phenocrysts, 2–10 percent partly deformed pumice fragments, and tpv tr tp vp pp acl 49 pp mr cpv cr Qc Qc 38 48 p 66 5000 Qc 1994) traces of lithic fragments. Unit forms slopes; ranges to as much as 8 m 5500 Qc vp tu 5100 4200 pp bt5 cp Qc tpv vp 86 90 Qac cx Undivided tectonic breccia—Tectonically juxtaposed, highly brecciated thick pr 4900 vp 4500 pp 5000 Qac acl Qac cpv pp ym 17 Qc 22 67 units of the Tiva Canyon Tuff trn Nonlithophysal zone—Dark-reddish-brown to dark-brown, pumice- Qc 25 pp tu acl Qc 16 4900 vp bg dc cu 5200 Undivided—Unit includes crystal-rich and crystal-poor members (units cr, bearing, densely welded tuff. Middle part of unit is grayish- to pale-red to tpmn rz vp 12 4900 tp 4700 act Qc 5 acl 4700 dc 4700 200 acl acl Qc 34 kt 41 Unconformity cp) of the Tiva Canyon Tuff. Use restricted to northeastern part of map light-brown, densely welded, devitrified crystal-rich quartz latite. Ground- T tpv 4800 19 24 acl tr he acl act 785000 4300 act 785000 QUATERNARY bt3 tpln cpv tp act 80 area north of Yucca Wash, where total thickness of the Tiva Canyon Tuff is mass contains 10–15 percent phenocrysts of sanidine, plagioclase, and bio- bt3 35 bg 71 tpll acl act pp d ym P tr tu 28 cu kl less than 15 m but both members are discernible tite, and rare pseudomorphs of pyroxene(?) and hornblende. Pumice con- 20 pp ro dc kt cp 15 w ym pp act tpul pp 4600 dc dc 21 cu acl Qac cr Crystal-rich member—Pale-brown to brownish-black to pinkish-gray, part- tent ranges from 10 to 25 percent by volume and is mixed in color, with mr cr 5700 tpv 4500 tu 57 57 ym acl 15 3900 4500 59 4500 ly to densely welded tuff of quartz latitic composition. In general, unit con- light-gray to dark pumice clasts; minor lithic clasts. Characterized by abun- cp tpv tu cu act 14 5100 bt5 85 tu 74 pp dc kl act act acl pr tains 10–15 percent phenocrysts of sanidine, plagioclase, biotite, and dant secondary vapor-phase corrosion of pumice clasts. Lower part of unit 15 58 tp kt 15 tu 65 00 acl acl ym tpv tpmn cp tr Qac kt 4400 is transitional into the underlying crystal-poor member. Locally, lower part Qac tpln kt tu traces of hornblende, sphene, and pyroxene; 5–30 percent light-gray to 5800 ym Qc 13 64 4900 Qc mrw cr bt5 cr tp 18 27 black pumice as much as 10 cm in diameter; and as much as 3 percent of unit contains as much as 15 percent lithophysae and corresponds to the 18 pp bt3 mr 20 65 tpll 5100 pp cu 00 light-gray to dark-reddish-gray to brown lithic fragments 1–10 mm in diam- crystal-rich lithophysal zone of Buesch and others (1996). Basal part of 43 000 bt5 cp cr kl 5 18 pp act mr tr Castellated 65 eter. Lithophysae (as much as 30 percent) locally are present near basal unit is transitional and is mapped on the basis of greater than 7 percent 46 tr Qac 66 204600 tu Qac cpv bt3 bt3 pp cu kl kt 16 5400 55 74 part of unit; lithophysae typically are equant and as much as 20 cm in phenocrysts, including diagnostic bronze biotite. Unit forms prominent Qc cpv ym 68 kt pp tp tu pp 65 4500 tu 15 ym pp 20 57 Qc act kl kt diameter. In northern part of map area, unit has a distinctive 1- to 4-m- cliffs as much as 30 m thick bt5 Ridge Qc kt cu 4200 act Qc ym cr kt 23 56 act pp dc 5700 5600 90 thick horizon of light-gray, rounded and partially resorbed rhyolite lithic tp Crystal-poor member, undivided—Includes upper lithophysal, middle dc 4200 ym 15 13 acl acl bt5 cp kt Qc 56 acl tu nonlithophysal, lower lithophysal, lower nonlithophysal, and crystal-poor 28 tpll tpul tr cu dc cu vp clasts as large as 15 cm in diameter, which make up as much as 80 percent bt3 4400 74 62 cp Bob's Butte kl Ron Ridge 19 4800 cr 64 of rock. Basal contact with the underlying crystal-poor member (unit cp) is vitric zones (units tpul, tpmn, tpll, tpln, and tpv) of the crystal-poor mem- 25 cpv ym bt3 kl 4400 4300 mr Qac ym cpv cr WT#6 kl bt5 tpmn ym 60 15 transitional and is characterized by greater abundance of phenocrysts (7–10 ber of the Topopah Spring Tuff tr pp Qc pp cr bt3 pp cpv bt3 cp pp act percent and commonly prominent bronze-colored biotite) relative to the tpul Upper lithophysal zone—Light-gray, light- to moderate-brown, and tr kt kt cr A 55 4300 cu 70 A' 780000 BLACK GLASS 4300 780000 cx cu crystal-poor member. Unit forms prominent cliffs and rounded slopes. pale-reddish-purple, moderately to densely welded, devitrified, rhyolitic ash- ym d kt cr cpv Qc kl 67 4 56 cp Map unit contains several informal zones and subzones described by flow tuff containing 2–5 percent phenocrysts of sanidine, plagioclase, and d ym Qac 19 CANYON FA Qc cp bt2 PAINTBRUSH 87 tu 56 55 5600 Buesch and others (1996) and delineated in the central block area by Day rare altered pyroxene(?); and 0–10 percent devitrified pumice with lithic bt3 cp GA-1 Qac 4200 17 81 4100 Qac 79 Qac ym 5100 kl kt 3800 cpv Qc bt3 tu 51 acl fragments of pale-brownish-pink volcanic rock. Also contains 5–30 per- tpmn 5200 pp and others (1998). Thickness 3–15 m cpv ? Mile High Mesa G-2 50 Jake Ridge 78 36 4700 pp cp 5700 acl Qc cp Crystal-poor member—Gray to pinkish-gray to pale-red, densely welded, cent lithophysae, which are 1 cm to greater than 3 cm in diameter, and 29 4300 Yucca Wash 4200 tr CANYON FAULT cu bt5 Joey Ridge tpul ym ym Qc kt ULT devitrified, rhyolitic ash-flow tuff. Contains 3–4 percent phenocrysts of more equidimensional relative to lithophysae in the lower lithophysal zone mr 5 d bt3 Qc 3900 cp 6 Qac 78 ym sanidine, plagioclase, and traces of biotite and altered pyroxene; as much (unit tpll). Lithophysae have 1- to 5-mm-thick, light-gray vapor-phase alter- 5600 4 ym 4100 85 acl cp 5300 5000 8 86 4600 pp pp 68 as 5 percent pumice; and less than 1 percent light-gray volcanic lithic ation rims. Unit is as much as 45 m thick and forms steep slopes and kt bg cr cpv ym d 8 Qc ym tu fragments less than 1 cm in diameter. Internal stratigraphy of unit can be locally prominent cliffs 64 cr acl cp 4400 bt3 4000 tu bt3 cr cp 11 cp kl Middle nonlithophysal zone—Grayish-orange-pink to light-brown to cr Qc kl kl tu Fortymile Canyon delineated based on prevalence of lithophysae (see Scott and Bonk, 1984; tpmn mr 5500 8 bt3 4700 cu 5500 cpv cr bt3 tpmn ym kl pp dc Buesch and others, 1996; Day and others, 1998). In general, total light-gray, densely welded, devitrified, rhyolitic ash-flow tuff. Contains 1–2 100 41 5 cr 4600 4100 bt5 bt3 ym cpv 4000 lithophysal content is greatest in northern and central parts of map area percent phenocrysts of sanidine, plagioclase, and rare oxidized hornblende 5000 cp rz 5400 5 cu bt Miocene Bleach Bone Ridge acl px Qc TERTIARY and markedly decreases southward (south of latitude of Abandoned Wash). or biotite; as much as 3 percent devitrified pumice fragments with trace 4500 pp Isolation cp kt dc pp 65 ym 80 Upper part of unit generally is light purplish gray to pinkish gray and lithic fragments of light-gray volcanic rock, 1–10 mm in diameter; and as LT Qac 65 4900 cpv 10 cp bt3 3700 tr ym ym 26 76 Qac Qc 5000 dc contains lithophysae. Middle part of unit is predominantly nonlithophysal much as 5 percent lithophysae FAU 15 5400 ym cr pp R pp pp bt2 78 cr cp cpv cp cu tu 8 4500id and massive, has distinctive concoidal fracturing, and makes a “clink” tpll Lower lithophysal zone—Pale-red, grayish-red to purple, and light- 5 18 Sever ge kl tpul pp cpv 5300 5300 4800 cp cpv WASH sound when struck with hammer. Locally, lower part of unit is a pale-red brown, densely welded, devitrified, rhyolitic ash-flow tuff. Contains 5–15 LT 4900 West Ridge Tea Cup Wash cr 775000 4400 cpv cp kl Qac 775000 Y cp 5 to grayish-red lithophysal-bearing zone. Basal part of welded crystal-poor percent lithophysae, 1–10 percent pumice clasts, 1–5 percent lithic clasts, FAU Washym kt tpmn 10 cp cr 9 ym 4700 4400 trv 14 cpv PAG Qc IND Qc WT#16 tu cr cr Qac 3900 tr tr member is grayish-red to maroon nonlithophysal tuff, which commonly has and about 2 percent phenocrysts of alkali feldspar, with minor amounts of W cpv cr cp cpv 76 Qc 11 ANY cu tp trn a ledge-forming horizon with prominent columnar joints.
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