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Tectonic Subsidence of the Early Paleozoic Passive Continental Margin in Eastern California and Southern Nevada

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Tectonic Subsidence of the Early Paleozoic Passive Continental Margin in Eastern California and Southern Nevada Tectonic subsidence of the early Paleozoic passive continental margin in eastern California and southern Nevada MARJORIE LEVY* } Department of Geological Sciences and Lamont-Doherty Geological Observatory of Columbia University, NICHOLAS CHRISTIE-BLICK Palisades, New York 10964 ABSTRACT hinge zone, and that the observed subsidence is exaggerated by flex­ ural loading in a deeper basin to the west. Quantitative analysis of tectonic subsidence in Cambrian and Or­ INTRODUCTION dovician platform carbonates and associated strata exposed in the Spring Mountains (Nevada) and the Nopah, Funeral, andloyo Ranges Evidence for fragmentation of the Laurentian supercontinent during (California) indicates that subsidence associated with this segment of Late Proterozoic and early Paleozoic time is widespread. Grabens and the early Paleozoic passive continental margin is exponential in form, passive continental margins of this age are preserved on many continents consistent with thermal contraction of the lithosphere following ex­ (Bond and others, 1984), and continental dispersal appears to have been tension. As in other parts of the North American Cordillera, confuten­ accompanied by a global rise of sea level related to a decrease in the mean tal separation in the southern Great Basin appears to have taken place age of the oceanic crust (Bond and others, 1988, 1989). Critical to at­ between 590 and 545 Ma. These results are not sensitive to uncertain­ tempts to reconstruct the Laurentian supercontinent is determining pre­ ties in stratigraphic thickness, biostratigraphic age control, or paleo­ cisely the time of breakup for specific passive-margin segments. bathymetry. Uncertainties in the Cambrian time scale lead to predict­ Counterpart margins mayor may not have a common history prior to able variations in the inferred time of onset ofthermal subsidence, but breakup, depending on the distribution of older sutures for example, but they have no effect on the inferred stratigraphic position of the rift to they should be of the same age. Following earlier work in Mesozoic and post-rift transition. A younger age for the base of the Middle Cam­ Cenozoic margins (for example, Watts and Ryan, 1976; Steckler and brian results in a younger inferred age of onset of thermal subsidence Watts, 1978, 1982), Bond and Kominz (1984) developed a procedure to accompanied by greater rates of subsidence during the Cambrian, recover tectonic subsidence from fully Iithified rocks. Tectonic subsidence whereas a significantly older estimate of tbe onset of thermal subsid­ is the subsidence that would occur in a sedimentary basin in the absence of ence can be obtained only if the base of thj! Middle Cambrian is sedimentation and eustatic variations. Quantitative studies of tectonic sub­ substantially older than 540 Ma, a possibility that is inconsistent with sidence associated with formation of the early Paleozoic passive margins available data. for the North American Cordillera (Bond and others, 1983, 1984, 1985; Results of the subsidence analysis are particularly significant be­ Armin and Mayer, 1983; Bond and Kominz, 1984), eastern North Amer­ cause this is one of the few regions along the length of the North ica (Bond and others, 1984), several basins across Australia (Bond and American Cordillera where they can be compared directly to the geo­ others, 1984; Lindsay and others, 1987), southeast Turkey, and northwest logic evidence for syn-rift and post-rift deposition. Basement-involved Argentina (Bond and others, 1984) suggest that in many places rifting faulting associated with the Amargosa basin ("aulacogen") ceased ceased and passive margins formed during latest Proterozoic and Cam­ during deposition of the Noonday Dolomite, which is thought to be brian time. The age of onset of thermal subsidence indicated by these older than 700-680 Ma on the basis of stromatolites of late Riphean studies ranges from about 600 to 555 Ma. aff'mity. The overlying Johnnie Formation contains supposed Vendian In contrast to the timing of passive-margin development indicated by stromatolites (younger than 700-680 Ma). H it is asSumed that our quantitative subsiden~ analysis, the most convincing geologic evidence for resUlts indicate the timing of the final rift to post-rift transition, then the main rifting ~vent in the western United States is present in strata either the ages inferred from stromatolites are incorrect or the Iitho­ between -800 and 700 Ma (Stewart, 1972; Wright and others, 1976; sp~ere was thinned regionally after deposition of the Noonday. The Stewart and SUcZek, 1977; Link; i984; Miller, 1985, 1987; Link and latter possibility is supported by limited geologic evidence for exten­ others, 1987). The preCise stratigr~phic position of the transition from sion in latest Proterozoic and Early Cambrian time. The lack of ap­ rift-related to passive-margin sedimentation remains controversial, how­ preciable physical evidence for crustal extension after deposition of ever, with the range of estimates spanning an interval more than 2 km the Noonday, however, may imply that (1) a uniform extension model thick (Stewart, 1972, 1976; Stewart and Poole, 1974; Wright and others, for lithospheric thinning is inappropriate for this part of the margin or 1976; Stewart and Suczek, 1977; Christie-Blick, 1984; Link, 1984; Bond that (2) some or all of the localities studied are continentward of the and others, 1985; Prave and Wright, 1986; Link and others, 1987; Christie-Blick and Levy, 1989a). *Present address: Chevron Oil Field Research Company, BOO Beach Boule- The purpose of this paper is to apply quantitative subsidence analysis vard, P.O. Box 446, La Habra, California 90633. to the early Paleozoic passive continental margin of the southern Great Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 103, p. 1590-1606, II figs., I table, December 1991. 1590 SUBSIDENCE OF PALEOZOIC CONTINENTAL MARGIN, CALIFORNIA 1591 Basin (Fig. 1), updating earlier studies by Stewart and Suczek (1977) and Strata of Middle to Late Proterozoic Age Armin and Mayer (1983), and to address the apparent discrepancy be­ tween the geologic evidence for the timing of rifting and the results of Stratigraphy. The oldest sedimentary rocks in eastern California and subsidence analysis, as the subsidence has been analyzed for the most part southern Nevada belong to the Pahrump Group and consist of more than from segments of the margin to the north. The area of eastern California 3,000 m of predominantly fluvial to marine siliciclastic rocks and peritidal and southern Nevada chosen for this study is one of the few segments of carbonate rocks (Fig. 2; Wright and others, 1976, 1981; Labotka and the North American Cordillera with appropriate stratigraphy and for Albee, 1977). The Pahrump Group is divided into three formations: the which tectonic subsidence has not been studied in detail. Direct evidence Crystal Spring Formation at the base (Roberts, 1976, 1982; Maud, 1983), for rifting is also well displayed, and tuffaceous beds at several horizons the Beck Spring Dolomite (Gutstadt, 1968; Marian, 1979; Tucker, 1983; may be amenable to U-Pb geochronology of zircons (A. P. LeHuray and Zempolich and others, 1988), and the Kingston Peak Formation at the top S. A. Bowring, unpub. data). (J.M.G. Miller and others, 1981; Troxel, 1982; Miller, 1985; Walker and others, 1986). The Crystal Spring Formation unconformably overlies crys­ REGIONAL STRATIGRAPHY AND TECTONIC SETTING talline basement with U-Pb ages of 1.8 to 1.4 Ga (Wasserburg and others, 1959; Silver and others, 1961; Lanphere and others, 1964; Stern and It is generally recognized that strata of Late Proterozoic and early others, 1966; Labotka and Albee, 1977; Labotka and others, 1980; Dewitt Paleozoic age in the western United States record a transition from intra­ and others, 1984) and contains Baicalia-type stromatolites of middle continental rifting to the development of a passive continental margin Riphean affinity, suggesting an age of 1.35 to 0.95 Ga (Cloud and (Stewart, 1972, 1976; Burchfiel and Davis, 1975; Dickinson, 1977; Bond Semikhatov, 1969; Raaben, 1969; Roberts, 1982). Diabase sills in the and others, 1985). Marine and nonmarine predominantly siliciclastic sed­ Crystal Spring Formation have been tentatively correlated with 1.1-1.2 imentary and volcanic rocks of Late Proterozoic and Early Cambrian age Ga sills in Arizona (Wrucke and Shride, 1972; Spall and Troxel, 1974; form the lower part of a miogeoclinal wedge and generally thicken west­ Roberts, 1982). The Kingston Peak Formation contains diamictite, in part ward from < 150 m along the eastern margin of the Great Basin to >6,000 of glacial origin. These strata have been correlated with similar rocks at m over a distance of -200 to 300 km (Misch and Hazzard, 1962; Stewart numerous localities in the Cordillera (Crittenden and others, 1972; and Poole, 1974). The upper part of this wedge consists for the most part Christie-Blick and others, 1980) and are best dated as between 770 and of peritidal and subtidal carbonate rocks and mudstones of Middle Cam­ 720 Ma (Armstrong and others, 1982; Evenchick and others, 1984; Devlin brian to Devonian age and is as much as 5,000 m thick (Stewart and and others, 1985, 1988; Roots and Parrish, 1988). Poole, 1974). The Pahrump Group is conformably to unconformably overlain by Figure 1. Map of eastern California and south­ ern Nevada, showing locations of stratigraphic sec­ tions (dots; modified from Levy and Christie-BUck, 1989): FM, Funeral Mountains (Pyramid Peak, Southern Great Basin Echo Canyon); 1M, Inyo Mountains (Mazourka Canyon); LC, Last Chance Range; NR, Nopah Range (1, Emigrant Pass-Carrara Formation; Explanation 2, west side of Nopah Range-Bonanza King -'--"- _ .. - Thrust fault ~ - - - Strike-slip fault Formation through Ely Springs Dolomite); PR, Pan­ amint Range; SM, Spring Mountains (3, Indian 50 km Ridge-Bonanza King and Nopah Formations; 4, Wheeler Wash-Carrara Formation and Pogonip Group through Ely Springs Dolomite). On the basis of a recent interpretation of the structure of the Nopah Range (Wernicke and others, 1988a, 1988b), the two sections in the Nopah Range are from the Chicago Pass and Keystone thrust plates, respec­ , " tively.
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