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DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY MID-TERTIARY CONGLOMERATES AND THEIR BEARING ON TRANSVERSE RANGE TECTONICS, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA embayment. Los Angeles, M.A. thesis. By Robert G. Bohannon, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colo. 80225 KHz, S. J., 1947, Stratigraphy and Because the exact position of the middle structure of the Whitaker Peak- ABSTRACT rocks studied are shown in figure 2. Eocene shorelines cannot be located, an Reasoner Canyon area, Ventura and Los dated in the Plush Ranch Formation accurate value of slip on the San Andreas Angeles Counties, California: Coarse redbeds characterize mid-Tertiary yields ages of 17.4*3.7 and 19.6t1.1 m.y. cannot be determined. Slip of 220-280 km Princeton Univ., Princeton, New Jersey, continental sedimentary rocks in southern (million years), in the Vasquez Formation is compatible with the data, and 260 km Ph.D. thesis. California. They include the Simmler, 23.9*0.8 and 24.9±2.1 m.y., and in the establishes the reconstruction shown in Reed, A. D., and Hollister, J. S., 1936, Sespe, Plush Ranch, and Vasquez Formations, formation of Diligencia 22.4±2.9 m.y. figure 2. Structural evolution of southern and the formation of Diligencia, which are (Crowell, 1973). Although the dated rocks California: Am. Assoc. Petroleum probably in part contemporaneous. These are not precisely the same age, the sed- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Geologists Publ., 157 p. units contain locally derived conglomerates imentary sections containing these dated Sage, O., 1973, Paleocene geography of that accumulated in several fault-bounded rocks possibly overlap in age and appear Reviewed by Hugh McLean and Sam Clarke. southern California: California Univ., basins. These east-west trending basins to be part of a unique tectonic and sed- Figure 2 was drawn by Tau Rho Alpha, Santa Barbara, Ph.D. thesis. and associated uplift areas apparently imentary phase which may have developed general drafting by Bruce Rogers. Typed Schlee, J. S., 1952, Geology of the Mutau crossed the present trace of the San in different places through time. by Jean Newcombe. Flat area, Ventura County, California: Andreas and San Gabriel faults and were California Univ., Los Angeles, M.A. later offset by them. BASIN DESCRIPTIONS REFERENCES CITED thesis. Shepherd, G. L., 1960, Geology of the INTRODUCTION Simmler Formation Crowell, J. C., and Susuki, T., 1959, Whitaker Peak-Canton Canyon area, Eocene stratlgraphy and paleontology, southern California: California Univ., Mid-Tertiary continental rocks in the The Simmler Formation in the La Panza Orocopia Mountains, southeastern Los Angeles, M.A. thesis. Transverse Ranges are characterized by Range (fig. 1, no. 1) consists of coarse California: Geol. Soc. America Bull., Williams, J. J., 1956, Geology of part of coarse redbeds, which mark an interruption and minor arkose. Angular v. 70, p. 581-592. the Orocopia Mountains, Riverside in the extensive marine deposition that cleats of arkose and rounded cleats of !s) Gillies, W. D., 1958, The geology of a County, California: California Univ., prevailed in much of southern California medium-grained biotite quartz monzonite, is.) portion of Cottonwood Springs quad- Los Angeles, M.S. thesis. during the Tertiary Period. This phase of granodiorite and devitrified porphyritic rangle, Riverside County, California: tectonics and sedimentation occurred about felsites are the predominant clasts. California Univ., Los Angeles, M.S. the same time as, or just prior to, the in- Pebble imbrication suggests transport thesis. ception of Tertiary volcanism in southern from southwest to northeast. the Givens, C. R., 1974, Eocene mollusca bio- California and triple junction migration A thick section of Simmler occurs stratigraphy of the Piru Mountain area, along the coast (Atwater, 1970), and just immediately northeast of the Nacimiento Olen Ventura County, California: California prior to the inferred initiation of strike- (Rinconada) fault; however, none occurs Univ. Pubs. Geol. Sc., V. 1 09, p. 107. slip faulting on the San Andreas system. on its southwest side. This distribution Howell, D. G., 1974, Middle Eocene paleo- In order to understand the tectonic and the paleocurrent indicators suggest geography of southern California: framework and sedimentologic history of that the Simmler Formation was derived off California Univ., Santa Barbara, Ph.D. basins in existence at that time, the an active scarp at or near the Nacimiento )ng thesis. Simmler, Sespe, Plush Ranch, and Vasquez fault (Vedder and Brown, 1968); however, Jestes, E. C., 1963, A stratigraphic study Formations, and the formation of Diligencia clasts in the Simmler indicate a conglom- of some Eocene , northeastern were studied in 10 localities (fig. 1). eratic provenance. According to T. W. Ventura Basin, California: California Special attention was given the conglom- Dibblee (personal commun., 1974), nearby ites) Univ., Los Angeles, Ph.D. thesis. erate facies and their cleat types, prov- rocks across the fault are nearly all Johnston, I. M., 1961, Eocene foraminifera enance, and paleocurrent features. Con- and shale, not conglomerate. from the lower Maniobra Formation, glomerate analysis helped document basin This problem could be alleviated by assum- Ireas Orocopia Mountains, Riverside County, history and development; using this infor- ing that conglomerate once existed in the California: California Univ. Berkeley, mation, individual basins were compared proposed source but was now eroded, or M.S. thesis. stratigraphically and chronologically. that strike slip occurred on the Ind Kiessling, E. W., 1958, Geology of the Nacimiento fault during or after southwest portion of the Lockwood AGE RE1ATIONS deposition of the Simmler Formation. Valley quadrangle, Ventura County, In the northern Cuyame badlands (fig. Age control comes from fauna in under- California: California Univ., Los 1, no. 3), coarse conglomerate of the ^nia, Angeles, M.A. thesis. lying and overlying strata and from po- Simmler Formation contains cleats of determinations taken on Kirkpatrick, J. C., 1958, A study of some tassium-argon age medium-grained muscovite-biotite quartz marine middle Eocene formations in basalt flows in three of the areas. The monzonite, banded muscovite-biotite general age relations of the mid-Tertiary southern California: California Univ., gneiss, rare aegerine-hornblende-

74 75 CALIFORNIA DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY CALIFORNIA DIVISION OF MINES AND GEOLOGY

YEARS NORTH PACIFIC 6 AMERICAN COAST L OCALITY ( t 10 ) LAND FORAM I La Panza Range 6 Canton Canyon MAMMAL AGE 2 3 4 5 9 2 Cohen!. Range 7 Charlie Canyon AGE 7 Ab•I Mount ein ▪ gn Badlands Texas Canyon Fon , and 3 Cuyomo CLARENDOMAN L sion Callon's Formation MiWww Formation MIN Mayo. Form:Mon Mount Pinos area 0 Lockwood Valley 9 BARSTOVIAN —)MMILM- Upper SOW Creek Mountains ,(PNGFO.0,A5 Frazier 5 10 Orocopla 50.4.1006 SLA W Mountain Mm Vommm Fame*. Reml, paallmm Irtg m m ma= mc Pa—a. AMKAREEM4 FormOlms remotion ZoonorTion v'e•`° °"" Wpm. 004K5* to 3 da Sierra P01000 WHITNEVAN Ridge 0 ORELLAN Itebiekw Slawnlis Formatim Siam Formation San Gabriel hat Wa '1 61 Mountains CRADRONIAN S:4 9 DUCHESNEAN MANN. CoMmoor Se 84 — 3;4, UMTAN 'sizes San Bernardino DGERIAN lndreas UN --50-- p.,— and the WASATCRIAN - go UN ocal — CLAR FOR IAN SKIMen TIFFA IA Remo, Penmen& 'o nitsio TORREJOMAN Mecca Mills — PUEEW 0, on ILK _70— S, 100 4-4 e+s V Of Camen,UVIO J. 176 V Of M60O11401 r 2 day! el CO ComNI KM 50.51, 111511 KILOMETRES 60 Figure 2.,-Correlation chart showing the relative ages of studied sections 20 minut and age ranges of dated basalt samples. Line pattern in series column a (20 ml indicates zone of controversy of series boundaries; stippled pattern indicates nondeposition or erosion. UN, unnamed rocks. Jpon a T ? and na and , rare anorthosite (plagio- amphibolite, banded augite-biotite Figure L.-Index map showing the location of the 10 study areas in southern mamined clase AN25), and mafic volcanics. Pebble gneiss, biotite-hornblende syenite, California. :o north imbrication shows clast transport from the pyroxene gabbro, quartz syenite, norite, arence north across the Big Pine and Pine Mountain and unmistakable 220-m.y.-old Lowe muscovite granite and, at a few localities, that supplied detritus to the Simmler faults. It is possible that the crystal- Granodiorite of Miller, 1946 (a biotite dacito, ortybernbieftes Welded turf, and Formation. Th. eilicic volcanic olaot line cleats were derived from the highland monsonite, syenite, and granodiorite flaw-banded , Most of the section suite may have been derived from the east in the Cuyama badlands area, and the that is commonly sheared and contains has paleocurrent indicators that indicate across the . arkose from Eocene sandstone exposures to garnet and large potassium feldspar , 245 L. south to north transport; however, the few In the eastern Caliente Range (fig. 1, the north; however, neither area is known phenocrysrs). Pebble imbrication data 6457. localities that contain abundant silicic no. 2), the Simmler Formation consists of to contain anorthosite or mafic volcanic.. suggest west to east transport from volcanic cleats have pebble imbrication arkose and siltstone with only minor It is also possible that the Nacimiento across the San Gabriel fault. Outcrops suggestive of east to west and southeast conglomerate like that in the Cuyama (Rinconada) and Pine Mountain faults were of anorthosite and related rocks occur (23 mini. to northwest transport. This transport badlands. Current lineations on sand- at one time continuous and that right in the western to data, and the fact that the Simmler fines stone beds are consistent with south to strike-slip occurred on them (T. W. Dibblee, the east; however, the large size of )ds of to the northwest suggest that its principal north and southeast to northwest current personal commun., 1974). If so, the cleats (up to 7 m) indicates a high San And source was to the south or southeast. An flow. Sespe would have been deposited southeast relief source close by. Right slip of exposure of banded biotite gneiss, biotite of the present outcrop area and could about 60 km is required on the San granodiorite, and quartz monzonite occurs SeSpe Formation have received detritus from the Alamo Gabriel fault to juxtapose the Sespe in . Bolt a under the Caliente Formation just to the Mountain area or from across the San Canton Canyon to the anorthosite-Lowe .keley. south across the Blue Rock fault, south of On upper Sespe Creek (fig. 1, no. 5), Gabriel fault. Granodiorite source in the San Gabriel which the Simmler Formation, underlying conglomerates of the Sespe Formation have In Canton Canyon the Sespe Formation Mountains (Crowell, 1954). ;elsmo- Pattiway Formation, and overlying Vaqueros climate of coarse-grained arkose, medium- (fig. 1, no. 6) is coarse conglomerate, Califorr Formation are missing. This area could grained muscovite-biotite quartz monzon- breccia, and immature sandstone with se: have been a highland of rocks ite, a variety of recrystallized dacites clarets of anorthosite (plagioclase AN 45-50), ay.

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Carman (1964) nearby and had considerable relief; Plush Ranch Formation of that does not occur as clasts in the probably originated in that area. however, Frazier Mountain is about 12-14 Charlie Canyon section. KONIGSBERG (1967) km southeast, across the Big Pine fault, If so, the alluvial fan represented by In Lockwood Valley (fig. 1, no. 4), the proposed that granitic, high-grade meta- this detritus must have spread across Carman (1964) which suggests possible strike slip on ' Plush Ranch Formation of morphic and sedimentary rocks TECTONICALLY deposits of the Vasquez that fault. Hill and Dibblee (1953), CAPPED Formation at contains three conglomeratic members. the Pelona Schist, but were eroded Vasquez Rocks; hence, the Texas Canyon One, at the base of the formation (member 1 Poynor (1960), and Crowell (1968) presented off as the Sierra Pelona anticline (fig. 3) and Vasquez Rocks basins must have been of Carman, 1964), has clasts of medium- additional data to support the claim for rose, leaving a core of Felons Schist ex- 14 km of left slip on the Big Pine fault, joined at that time. It is not clear where grained biotite quartz monzonite, banded posed. Tectonic capping of the Pelona the source for the basalt clasts in the pyroxene-biotite gneiss, coarse- to medium- and Crowell (1968) suggested that it had Schist can be demonstrated on the southeast a two-stage displacement history that lower part of the section was, however, Vs. grained syenite, and rare biotite-rich side of Sierra Felons Ridge, where green- as there are no known occurrences of involved dip slip in the mid-Tertiary schist augen and porphyroblastic gneiss like that is overlain by granitic rocks on a similar basalt in the area. The basalt Its out on Frazier Mountain to and later strike slip in the Quaternary. zone of mylonite. To gneiss cropping in the Vasquez Rocks area does not have the southeast of locality 4. Pebble im- The Vasquez Formation in Texas Canyon the extensive calcite alteration nor the Vasquez Formation brication data in this conglomerate unit is predominantly conglomerate, which dense plagioclase lath concentration of are ambiguous, with transport both from !arth- Remenyi (1966) subdivided on the basis of these cleats, and thus does not offer a In the Soledad basin the Vasquez For- cleat fault. the northwest and from due south. Over- type and matrix color. The Pelona likely source. It is possible the clasts lying this lower conglomerate is a sequence mation occurs in three separate outcrop and Vasquez Canyon faults bound the north- areas--Charlie Canyon (fig. 1, no. 7), were derived from northeast across the vern- of interbedded arkose and siltstone (mem- west and southeast sides of the Texas San Andreas fault. bers 2 and 3 of Carman, 1964) that con- Texas Canyon (no. 8), and Vasquez Rocks Canyon basin, respectively, and both faults The Vasquez Formation at Vasquez Rocks tains, near its top, large coarse lenses (no. 9). flank locally derived breccias. On the The Charlie Canyon section is mostly has two distinct conglomerate cleat suites. of monolithologic breccia with clasts of northwest side the formation contains One at the base and top of the section coarse-grained biotite granite identical sandstone and siltstone at its base, but breccia of foliated medium-grained quartz coarsens upward and is conglomeratic contains clasts of coarse-grained anortho- with the (?) Mount Pinos Granite monzonite, and on the southeast side, a site, biotite-hornblende gabbro, medium- S2. of Carman (1964) exposed a few kilometres about mid-section. This conglomerate coarse biotite-rich augen-gneiss breccia, and associated shale chip breccias occur grained syenite, and banded biotite gneiss. to the north. Near the top of the Plush both of which are faulted against basement In the middle of the section a unit of breccia in beds and lenses at the top of a sand- Ranch Formation, conglomerate and rock types similar to their clasts. Con- crosabedded sandstone and breccia lenses ;es) (Carman, 1964) occur in a thick stone unit and contain (2-10 cm) cleats glomerate of member 5 in the central part of the basin, contains large cleats of epidote-rich ns.) and long, but narrow, unit along the Big predominantly of coarse- to medium- low in the section, has cleats of pilo- LOWE grained arkose, medium-grained muscovite- Granodiorite and basalt similar to Pine fault. The large clasts within the taxitic basalt (plagioclase, An60) with the Vasquez . V unit include biotite-rich augen, porphyro- biotite quartz monzonite, and hornblende- extensive alteration to calcite, banded biotite quartz diorite, and some banded Pebble imbrication in the upper con- r- blastic gneiss, and medium-grained garnet-muscovite-biotite gneiss, and glomerate indicates transport from the the biotite quartz monzonite. Pebble imbrica- garnet-biotite gneiss. Higher in the flow-banded rhyolite. This conglomerate section, conglomerate is the predominant south, across the Soledad fault (fig. 3), tion data (KAHLE, 1966; this report) show contains fragments of ooarse-grained and the anorthosite ; quartz diorite chaste increase terrain there matches Allen transport from south to north. biotite granite but none of basalt near the cleat lithology. These data suggest The lower conglomerate of the Plush in percentage to the top of the section, the top of the section. There is also a where there is a coarse monolithologic that the Soledad fault was active as a Ranch possibly had different sources. conglomerate unit at the top of the dip-slip fault during Vasquez deposition. breccia of them with claims as large as Clast such as augen gneiss and section on the east side of the basin Paleocurrent data are absent in the syenite relate to southerly source areas 5 m. Paleocurrent features are scarce that contains cleats of coarse-grained in the lower, finer grained units in the granodiorite-bearing breccias (Lowe); )ng on Frazier Mountain and possibly to the anorthosite, diorite, gabbro, LOWE Grano- Charlie Canyon section but are excellent however, the unique lithology of the Lowe Soledad basin, while granitic gneiss and diorite, syenite, augen gneiss, and makes it easily relatable to a source. quartz monzonite are like rocks found in the higher and coarser units. Pebble altered red . Nearby outcrops of epidote-rich Lowe occur several km to the north on Mount Pinos. imbrication data show transport from due Although paleocurrent indicators are due east and northeast of the breccias. tes) The breccia lenses must have been derived east to west about mid-section, with a rare in the Texas Canyon rocks, the uniform shift to transport from nearly Vasquez basalts, which are stratigraph- from the area of Mount Pinos, because derivation of many of the units is obvious. ically lower than the Lowe-bearing south to north at the top of the section. their coarse, poorly sorted, massive Clasts in the breccias that flank the breccias, occur in this source area in reas texture suggests that they originated as The paleocurrent data in the Charlie basin match adjacent basement rock lithol- Canyon Vasquez Formation suggest an patches. This area, then, probably pro- landslides off a high, nearby source and ogies and were probably locally derived vided the source for these breccias. their clast lithology is identical to that easterly to southerly source area and off dip-slip fault scarps of the Pelona the large size of many cleats indicates Very little, if any, of the Vasquez Rocks of the Mount Pinos Granite. The breccia and Vasquez Canyon faults (fig. 3). The section appears to have been derived from along the Big Pine fault has cleats that that it was nearby; however, the only anorthosite conglomerate bears cleat the west, as arkose, siltstone, and exposures for some distance east and suggest a source in the augen-gneiss lithologies like basement rocks of the borates are faulted against gneiss there southeast, across the San Francisquito terrain of Frazier Mountain. Their mass- western San Gabriel Mountains and of the and conglomerates in that area bear de, ive, poorly sorted character and coarse fault (fig. 3), are of the Vasquez Formation volcanic sequence near anorthosite cleats from the southeast. cleats indicate that the source was Pelona Schist, a distinctive greenschist the western San Gabriels, and thus

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Formation of Diligencia PALINSPASTIC RECONSTRUCTION EXPLANATION 4.1.61.66 Active normal fault—Hachures Several conglomeratic units occur in the Crowell (1962, 1968), Ehlig and Ehlert on downthrown side formation of Diligencia in the Orocopia (1972), Carman (1964), Poynor (1960), AnticItne Mountains (fig. 1, no. 10). Lenticular Kahle (1966), and Sage (1973) have out- conglomerate beds at the base of the lined evidence suggesting that 210 km section contain pebbles and cobbles of right slip has occurred on the San Andreas banded muscovite-biotite gneiss, of fault, 60 km right slip on the San Gabriel biotite quartz monzonite, fault, and 14 km left slip on the Big Pine medium-grained :s To and of granodiorite. Higher in the section, fault since the Miocene. By making palm- interbedded with a lakebed sequence of spastic adjustments to account for these amounts of slip, a diagram such as figure arkose, siltstone, , and borates, irth- 3 can be constructed. Figure 3 shows a there are a few massive beds of poorly Lockood Valley 6 1 Fault, sorted conglomerate with pebbles and small proposed distribution of basins that re- Sa.irl )121'20e.:41 .„.., ceived sediment in the mid-Tertiary. This C Ss Gr Gel cobbles of anorthosite, gabbro, and ,ern- possible Lowe Granodiorite. In the upper diagram can be constructed because the PINE FAULT '.3' .' 0 T C ( A-km let slip , e" c'n part of the section, exposed in the west- total documented slip on the faults in- \.,,...'FA tlos r . restoriad)5 ern part of the formation, a coarse con- volved appears to have taken place after glomerate contains cleats of medium- deposition in the basins involved. Also, grained syenite, pilotaxitic basalt of the I believe that the resultant basement rock and source area distribution fits best same lithology and texture as the basalt 52. with observed sedimentologic data gathered clasta found in the Vasquez Formation in s. Texas Canyon, and less commonly augen in this study. Faults thought to have been active in a gneiss. Coarse unsorted breccia lenses tes) normal sense during the mid-Tertiary are having cleats of coarse-grained biotite ins.) granite occur interstratified with this shown as hachured lines, present-day out- Figure 3.--Map showing proposed distribution of mid-Tertiary basins after palin- of mid-Tertiary rocks are shown in spastic conglomerate. crops restoration of slip on the San Andreas, San Gabriel, and Big Pine TV a lined pattern, and other areas thought Basement rock exposures north and east faults. Arrows indicate transport directions; stipple indicates inferred ar- depositional areas of of the Orocopia Mountains consist of to have received continental sediment basins.' Ss, sandstone; C, conglomerate; Gr, granitid; d the quartz monzonite, granodiorite, and are shown stippled on figure 3. With this GR, granite; Gn, gneiss; AC, augen gneiss; An, anorthosite; Gb. gabbro; Schist exposures L, Lowe Granodiorite; gneiss that probably provided the source configuration, the Pelona SFF, San Francisqulto fault; VCF, Vasquez Canyon Allen for the conglomerate at the base of the on Abel Mountain and Sierra Pelona Ridge, fault; PF, Pelona fault; AM, Abel Mountain; OM, Orocopia Mtns. of Miller (1946). formation of Diligencia. Just south of and the exposures of the Precambrian Numbered areas refer to fig. 1. Lined pattern indicates present outcrop areas. the Diligencia exposures, across the Orocopia Schist of Miller (1944) in the Clemens Well fault (fig. 1), outcrops of Orocopia Mountains, as well as the corres- Pelona and Orocopia anti- north of the Lockwood Valley and Orocopia clinal feature. The San Andreas and San anorthosite, gabbro, and syenite could ponding Sierra Long have provided the detritus to the thin, clines, appear to line up as one major basins, occurs in the Plush Ranch, Texas Gabriel faults do not appear to have been but massive conglomerate beds interstrat- east-west trending feature. This Canyon, and Vasquez Formations, and the active during that time, but subsequent ified with the lakebed sequence. The structure, which must have been forming formation of Diligencia in an east-west right-slip movements on these fault zones in the mid-Tertiary but had not yet ex- granite province that apparently crosses have displaced these features to their granite breccias in the upper part of the notes) section probably had their source immed- posed schist, is flanked on the north and the Sierra Pelona-Orocopia anticlinal present positions. iately to the north where granite crops northeast by the Blue Rock-San feature. Augen-gneiss exposures and cleats which occur south of the Big Pine fault, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Out today. The large basalt cleats, how- Francisquito faults, and the Simmler, mdreas ever, are unlike any rocks presently Charlie Canyon, and Diligencia basins. between the Texas Canyon and Vasquez Rocks exposed in the nearby area. They are The Simmler and Charlie Canyon sections basins and south of the Orocopia basin, do This paper was critically reviewed by likewise. Anorthosite gabbro and assoc- Tom Dibblee and Perry Ehlig, with addi- coarsest in the west and fine to the east are very similar, suggesting that they , and and southeast, which suggests a westerly 'were deposited in an interconnected iated rocks occur adjacent to the Canton tional comments by John Crowell. Field source that could possibly be either basin. Canyon, Vasquez Rocks, and Diligencia work was supported under N.S.F. grant eroded or buried under clastic sediments On the south, the Sierra Pelona- basins, which received detritus from them. DES 71-00498(GA 30901) awarded to John Orocopia anticlines are flanked by complex Thus, the mid-Tertiary in southern C. Crowell. in the Mecca Hills (fig. 1). Using the Mrnia, following palinspastic reconstruction, faults and basins, which include the Big California appears dominated by east-west the Mecca Hills area could also provide Pine and Soledad faults, and the Lockwood structural trends, which include normal the source for the similar basalt cleats Valley, Texas Canyon, and Vasquez Rocks faults and associated basins and uplifts in the Texas Canyon area. basins. Granite, which occurs in outcrop and an actively forming and rising anti-

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