Eruptive History, Geochronology, and Post-Eruption Structural Evolution of the Late Eocene Hall Creek Caldera, Toiyabe Range, Nevada
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Prepared in cooperation with the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Eruptive History, Geochronology, and Post-Eruption Structural Evolution of the Late Eocene Hall Creek Caldera, Toiyabe Range, Nevada Professional Paper 1832 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover. View east of thick intracaldera tuff of Hall Creek filling the southern part of the Hall Creek caldera in the central Toiyabe Range. White color and orange staining of tuff in foreground are from post-eruption hydrothermal alteration (Photograph by Joseph P. Colgan, September 2011). Eruptive History, Geochronology, and Post-Eruption Structural Evolution of the Late Eocene Hall Creek Caldera, Toiyabe Range, Nevada By Joseph P. Colgan and Christopher D. Henry Prepared in cooperation with the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Professional Paper 1832 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior SALLY JEWELL, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Suzette M. Kimball, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2017 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment—visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://store.usgs.gov. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. Suggested citation: Colgan, J.P., and Henry, C.D., 2017, Eruptive history, geochronology, and post-eruption structural evolution of the late Eocene Hall Creek Caldera, Toiyabe Range, Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1832, 44 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1832. ISSN 2330-7102 (online) iii Acknowledgments Joseph Colgan was supported by the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, and Christopher Henry was supported by the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology. David John and Kathryn Watts of the U.S. Geological Survey assisted with field work and sample collection. We thank Bill McIntosh, Matt Heizler, and Lisa Peters for assistance with 40Ar/39Ar dating at the New Mexico Geochronology Research Laboratory (New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology). David John reviewed an early draft of the manuscript, and we thank Charles Bacon and Eric Christiansen for insightful comments during the review process. v Contents Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................iii Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1 Geologic Overview and Previous Work .....................................................................................................3 Pre-Tertiary Rocks and Structure ......................................................................................................5 Tertiary Rocks and Structure ..............................................................................................................5 New Geologic Mapping and 40Ar/39Ar Geochronology ............................................................................6 Pre-Tertiary Bedrock ............................................................................................................................8 Pre-Caldera Andesite Lava Flows ......................................................................................................8 Hall Creek Caldera ..............................................................................................................................13 Tuff of Hall Creek and Caldera Geometry...............................................................................13 Tuff Dike .......................................................................................................................................15 Rhyolite Dome.............................................................................................................................15 Post-Caldera Sedimentary Rocks, Tuffs, and Lava Flows ............................................................15 Caetano Tuff ................................................................................................................................15 Lava Flows...................................................................................................................................16 Tuffaceous Sedimentary Rocks with Interbedded Tuffs and Lava Flows .........................16 Distal Oligocene Ash-Flow Tuffs .............................................................................................17 Oligocene Rhyolite Domes .......................................................................................................17 Boulder Conglomerate ..............................................................................................................17 Tuff of Dry Creek West of Hall Creek Caldera ................................................................................17 Distribution of Outflow Tuff from Hall Creek and Other Calderas ...............................................19 Dry Canyon and Caetano Caldera ...........................................................................................19 Italian Creek Paleovalley ..........................................................................................................19 Austin Summit and Bates Mountain .......................................................................................20 Cenozoic Normal Faulting ........................................................................................................21 Geochemistry................................................................................................................................................22 Discussion .....................................................................................................................................................26 Formation of the Hall Creek Caldera ................................................................................................26 Distribution of Outflow Tuff and Middle Tertiary Paleogeography .............................................29 Timing and Kinematics of Cenozoic Extension ..............................................................................30 Conclusions...................................................................................................................................................30 References Cited..........................................................................................................................................30 Appendix 1. 40Ar/39Ar Methods and Sample Data ...............................................................................35 Explanation of 40Ar/39Ar Single Crystal Laser Fusion Analytical Data Plots (figures 1–1 to 1–19) ..............................................................................................................36 Explanation of 40Ar/39Ar Step Heating Analytical Data Plots (figures 1–20 to 1–22) .................42 vi Figures 1. Shaded-relief map of the northern Great Basin, showing distribution of middle Tertiary ignimbrite calderas from Henry and John (2013) and proposed middle Tertiary drainage divides from Best and others (2009) and Henry and John (2013) .............2 2. Geologic map of the northern Toiyabe Range and nearby areas, modified from Stewart and Carlson (1977), Smith (1989), Colgan and others (2011) and new mapping for this study ..................................................................................................................4 3. Oblique satellite image of Hall Creek caldera, viewed from the south ................................6 4. Geologic map and cross-section of the Hall Creek caldera, compiled from Stewart and McKee (1968, 1969), Smith (1989), and new mapping by the authors .........10 5. Index map to sources of mapping in fig. 3, showing 1:24,000-scale quadrangle locations, boundaries of source maps, and area of new mapping for this study ............11 6. Geologic maps showing three different interpretations of the southwest corner in figure 4 in the vicinity of Bernd and Boone Creeks ................................................................12 7. Field photograph of porphyritic andesite breccia making up floor of Hall Creek caldera (unit Tad, fig. 4) ............................................................................................................13 8. Field photograph of lithic and pumice rich intracaldera tuff of Hall Creek (unit Thc, fig. 4) ...........................................................................................................................13 9. View east of hydrothermally altered intracaldera tuff of Hall Creek along southern caldera margin ...........................................................................................................13 10. Field photograph of texture in limestone megabreccia block along southern