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CALIFORNIA 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 Basalt 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 conglomerate 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 sandstones, 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- sandstone 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 Vasquez Rocks 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 CRADRONIAN hat Wa S':41 61 9 Mountains Se DUCHESNEAN MANN. CoMmoor 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 rhyodacites, 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 rhyolite, 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 San Andreas fault. 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 San Gabriel Mountains 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.