Between the Basins: Exploring the Western Mojave and Southern Basin and Range Province Robert E. Reynolds, Editor LSA Associates, Inc. and Abstracts from the 2002 Desert Symposium California State University, Desert Studies Consortium Department of Biological Science California State University, Fullerton Fullerton, California 92384 in association with LSA Associates, Inc. 1650 Spruce Street, Suite 500 Riverside, California 92507 April 2002 Table of Contents Between the Basins: Field Guide Robert E. Reynolds ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 California Dinosaur Tracks: Inventory and Management R.E. Reynolds and Ted Weasma .................................................................................................................................. 15 Borax Smith and the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad Stephen P. Mulqueen .................................................................................................................................................... 19 Geology and Minerals in the Area of Pisgah Volcanic Cone Larry W. Monroe .......................................................................................................................................................... 26 The Sulfur Hole, Calico District, San Bernardino County, California J.F. Cooper Jr., G.E. Dunning, T.A. Hadley, W.P. Moller, and R.E. Reynolds ............................................................ 29 Fossil Creodont and Carnivore Footprints from California, Nevada, and Wyoming W.A.S. Sarjeant, R.E. Reynolds, and M.M. Kissell-Jones .......................................................................................... 37 Preliminary Report on the Stratigraphic Setting and Microstructure of Avian Eggshell Fragments from the Calico Mountains: Barstow Formation, Mojave Desert, California V. Leroy Leggitt ........................................................................................................................................................... 51 Carbonate Phytoherm Mounds in the Middle Miocene Barstow Formation, Mud Hills, California Vicki Pedone and Carmen Caceres .............................................................................................................................. 58 Mineralogical Survey of the Mount General Area R.M. Housley and R.E. Reynolds ................................................................................................................................ 61 The Bodfish Layered Basic Intrusive Gregg Wilkerson .......................................................................................................................................................... 64 The Goler Formation of California Don Lofgren and Malcolm McKenna .......................................................................................................................... 66 Ag-Cu-Pb-Bi Sulfosalts New to Darwin, Inyo County, California G.E. Dunning, Yves Moëlo, A.C. Roberts, and J.E. Cooper, Jr. .................................................................................. 69 Abstracts from the 2001 Desert Symposium .....................................................................................................76 Front Cover. View west of the Trona Pinnacles. Back Cover. View south across the salt flats of Searles Lake. The Trona Pinnacles are in mid-ground; Pilot Knob is on the skyline. Reynolds, Robert E. (editor). Between the Basins: Exploring the Western Mojave and Southern Basin and Range Province © 2002 California State University Fullerton, Desert Studies Consortium 2 Between the Basins: Field Guide Between the Basins: Field Guide Robert E. Reynolds, LSA Associates, 1650 Spruce Street, Ste 500, Riverside, California 92507 Introduction Baker is located between the dry lakes of Silver (north) and Soda (south), which filled and joined during the late Pleistocene (Reynolds and others, 1990; Brown and others, 1990). To the southeast are the Cowhole Mountains (Ferriz, this volume), which contain the Jurassic Aztec Sandstone (Reynolds and Weasma, this volume). The Halloran Hills are to the northeast (Reynolds, 1997; Reynolds and Calzia, 1996) and the Soda Mountains are to the west (Grose, 1959; Gourley and Brady, 2000). Look south toward Fort Soda and Zzyzx along the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad grade (Mulqueen, this volume; Flinchum, this volume, Myrick, 1991) which ran north from the Santa Fe Railroad at Ludlow to Death Valley Junction in 1906 and to Rhyolite in1907. Borax and salts played an important part in the development of transportation routes through the Mojave Desert, and our trip will pass borax mines and saline playas, as well as crossing the routes of the mule teams that car- White stromatolites on cobbles mark the contact between fanglomerates (below) and lacustrine siltstones (above). Stop ried these ores to railheads at Daggett and Mojave. 1-1., Afton offramp, Manix Lake. Salts and borate minerals were formed in Miocene and Pleistocene lakes. At stops along this trip we will compare with tufa and stromatolites that mark similar Miocene trans- “tufa” (calcium carbonate stromatolites precipitated by blue gressive lake events at upcoming outcrops. RETRACE to Afton green algae) from Pleistocene lakes with similar deposits Road. formed in 17 million year old Miocene lakes. These tufa deposits can be used as marker horizons that follow shoreline 25.5 (0.5) Afton Road. TURN LEFT (north) and cross over the elevations of transgressive lake-filling events. freeway. 25.7 (0.2) TURN LEFT onto westbound I-15. Day 1 Convene at Baker. Make sure gas tanks are full, tires are in- 33.4 (7.7) Pass Field Road. flated, and you’re provisioned with sunscreen, hats, snacks, and 40.2 (6.8) EXIT at the Harvard offramp. water. Proceed southwest to Interstate 15. 40.4 (0.2) Stop, TURN LEFT (south), and proceed over the 0.0 (0.0) Enter Interstate 15, westbound. freeway. 6.2 (6.2) Cross under the Zzyzx overpass which leads south to 40.7 (0.3) Stop at Yermo Road. California State University’s Desert Studies Center. 40.8 (0.1) Cross the railroad tracks and immediately TURN 12.0 (5.8) Pass Rasor Road. RIGHT (west) on the dirt road on the south side of the tracks. 15.7 (3.7) Pass Basin Road. 42.5 (1.7) TURN LEFT (south) toward the west side of Harvard 24.0 (8.3) EXIT RIGHT onto Afton Road. Hill. 24.3 (0.3) Stop at the overpas, TURN LEFT (south), and pro- 42.8 (0.3) PARK at north base of Harvard Hill. STOP 1–2. The ceed over the freeway. Harvard Hill section contains early Miocene marker beds that can be traced westward through Daggett Ridge and the Calico 24.4 (0.1) TURN RIGHT (westerly) on Dunn Road along the Mountains to the type section of the Barstow Formation (Reyn- south side of the freeway. olds, 2000; Reynolds and Woodburne, this volume). RETRACE 25.0 (0.6) PARK and walk to the south side of the frontage to railroad tracks. road. STOP 1–1: Tufa-coated cobbles were deposited as the 43.2 (0.5) Railroad tracks. RETRACE to Harvard Road. result of the transgressive lake-filling event in Lake Manix (Awramik and others, 2000). We will examine other localities Borate/Strontium beds (B/S) Beach bar (not present) Brown Platy Limestone Manix Lake silts (BPL) Massive Stromatolite Limestone (MSL) Stromatolites Green Tuffs (ET) Fanglomerates Granitic Sediments (GS) Schematic sketch of Manix beach bar, view south. Schematic sketch of section at Harvard. 3 R.E. Reynolds 44.9 (1.7) Harvard Road. RETRACE to the north side of the freeway. 45.0 (0.1) Stop at Yermo Road. 45.3 (0.3) Cross over the freeway. 45.4 (0.1) Enter I-15 and PROCEED WEST. 50.2 (4.8) The freeway road cut exposes the trace of the Manix Fault, where Pliocene (?) gravels are in contact with gray siltstones of Lake Manix. The Manix Fault is west-trending, with movement indicators showing different vertical and lateral aspects (McGill and others, 1988). It is the southerly-most west-trending fault in the Mojave Desert; west-trending faults are more common northward toward the west-trending portion of the Garlock Fault (Jennings and others, 1962). 52.8 (2.6) Exit at Minneola Road. We are heading toward the Calico Mountains and the Borate Mining District, 1892–1907 Recumbent folding in north wall of Mule Canyon. Competent shale beds at top and bottom are less folded than the more (Reynolds, 1999). We are crossing combined borax freight plastic sediments in between them. routes from the Harmony Borax Works (1881) and the Amar- gosa Borax Works (1883) that lead from Death Valley (Vreden- burgh, 1994) to the Union Pacific Railroad at Daggett. 61.4 (0.8) Leave the Calico Mountains. 53.1 (0.3) Stop, TURN RIGHT and bear easterly through a 62.1 (0.7) Stop at paved Calico Road. Watch for oncoming traf- small business complex. fic and TURN LEFT (south). 53.6 (0.5) TURN LEFT (north) at the sign for the Calico Moun- 62.9 (0.8) TURN RIGHT on Calico Blvd. before reaching the tains Archaeological Site (Simpson, 1999). Proceed north. freeway. Proceed west. 54.7 (1.1) The Calico Mountain Archaeological Site is to the 65.5 (2.6) Stop at Ghost Town Road. TURN LEFT and proceed right; a recycling station is at 12:00, due north. TURN LEFT south. (west) toward the Calico Mountains. 65.9 (0.4) Pass under I-15 and stop at Yermo Road. PROCEED 55.5 (0.8) Pass a right turn to Emerald Basin where sedimentary SOUTH on Ghost Town Road, which becomes Daggett Road. exposures contain Miocene marker units. 67.2 (1.3) Rattlesnake Rock is to the left. 56.3 (0.8)