Quaternary geology of the Tule Springs area, Clark County, Nevada Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Haynes, C. Vance (Caleb Vance), 1928- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 27/03/2021 04:29:29 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/565093 QUATERNARY GEOLOGY OF THE TULE SPRINGS AREA, CLARK COUNTY, NEVADA by \«V Ct Vance Haynes, Jr. A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1 9 6 5 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE I hereby recommend that this dissertation prepared under my direction by Caleb Vance Haynes, Jr.______________________ entitled Quater n a r y Geology of the Tule Springs Area, Clark County, Nevada___________________________ be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement of the degree of _____ Doctor of Philosophy_________________________ Dissertation Director Date After inspection of the dissertation, the following members of the Final Examination Committee concur in its approval and recommend its acceptance:* c *This approval and acceptance is contingent on the candidate's adequate performance and defense of this dissertation at the final oral examination. The inclusion of this sheet bound into the library copy of the dissertation is evidence of satisfactory performance at the final examination. STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College when in his judgment the proposed use of the material is in the interests of scholarship. In all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SIGNED: ^ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The great number of people and organizations who, in one way or another, contributed to the Tule Springs Expedition precludes individually acknowledg­ ing all to whom a debt of gratitude is owed. Special appreciation is due H. C. Smith, H. C. Smith Construction Company, for his active interest in archaeology and geology and for his organization and support in obtaining the free services of the construction industry, including his own company. Use of two of the largest bulldozers manufactured in the United States was provided by the International Harvester Company. Allis Chalmers Manufacturing Company provided a large motor scraper. Aerial photos, the grid survey, and a detailed contour map were provided by Pafford and Associates of Los Angeles. All fuels and lubricants were donated by the Union Oil Company. Operators of the heavy equipment were provided by the International Operating Engineers Union, Local 12. Dr. Willard F. Libby prompted initiation of the Expedition by offering unlimited use of the iii radiocarbon dating facilities at the University of California, Los Angeles. With the help of Prof. Gordon J. Fergusson and Erv Taylor over 80 radio­ carbon dates were provided by Dr. Libby’s Laboratory. Distinguished scientists who visited the excavations and offered constructive comment included William Benson, J. Desmond Clark, Emil Haury, Robert H. Heizer, Alex D. Krieger, Willard F. Libby, Chester R. Longwell, A. L. Spaulding, and H. M. Wormington, all of the National Science Foundation Advisory Committee; Gordon J. Fergusson, Mark R. Harrington, Carl L. Hubbs, Tomas Humphry, C. B. Hunt, J. D. Jennings, George F. Kennedy, John F. Lance, Robert C. Euler, Hansjurgen Muller-Beck, George B. Maxey, Rodger Morrison, Bruno Sables, G. I. Smith, and Claude N. Warren. Tom King and Carl von Badinski devoted many weekends of their time to surveying and mapping sites not covered by the grid survey. William Belknap provided some of the better photographs taken during the expedition,and the National Geographic Society provided black-and-white negatives from many of the Expedition’s kodachrome slides. V Mr. N. B. Morgan, Manager of the Desert Game Range, allowed us to bulldoze the trench at the Corn Creek dunes site,and Dr. and Mrs. Charles Hansen of the Game Range Headquarters were our cordial hosts. Pollen analysis over and above that done to determine the past vegetation was successfully tested as a method of correlating sediments. These additional efforts of P. J. Mehringer, Jr. are much appreciated. Appreciation is expressed to Paul E. Damon, Emil W. Haury, Gideon T. James, John F. Lance, Chester R. Longwell, Paul S. Martin, Terah L. Smiley, and Spencer R. Tifley for critical comment and advice regarding the manuscript. Donald Grey and Richmond Bennet assisted in the radiocarbon dating performed at The University of Arizona. Finally, I am thankful to Richard Shutler, Jr., and J. W. Calhoun for making my participation possible, and I am indebted to them and all of the field crew for their cooperation. Financial support was provided by the National Science Foundation grant G523 to the Nevada State Museum and grant GP2330 to P. E. Damon, The University of Arizona Geochronology Laboratories. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS viii LIST OF TABLES xi ABSTRACT xii INTRODUCTION 1 Location and Geological Setting 1 Previous Work 3 Historical Background 4 Purpose 8 Procedure 8 GEOLOGY OF THE TULE SPRINGS AREA 14 Geomorphology 14 Stratigraphy 16 Peleosols 30 GEOLOGY OF THE TULE SPRINGS RANCH AND GILCREASE RANCH AREAS 43 Geomorphology 43 Stratigraphy 48 Spring Mounds 52 GEOLOGY OF THE EGLINGTON SCARP AREA 65 Geomorphology 65 Stratigraphy 68 Origin of Eglington Scarp 74 Pre-unit A Alluvium 76 GEOLOGY OF THE CORN CREEK SPRINGS AREA 80 Geomorphology 80 Stratigraphy 83 . vi vii TABLE OF CONTENTS (Continued) Page ANALYSIS OF RADIOCARBON DATING 89 Procedure 89 Sample Materials and Pretreatment 90 Summary of Results 106 LATE QUATERNARY HISTORY OF THE TULE SPRINGS AREA 120 CORRELATION OUTSIDE OF THE TULE SPRINGS AREA 130 CONCLUSIONS 136 APPENDIX I 140 APPENDIX II 152 REFERENCES CITED 159 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Page Location Map 2 Geologic Map of the Tule Springs Site Area 12 Generalized Stratigraphic Cross Section of the Tule Springs Site Area 17 Generalized Stratigraphic Cross Sections in the Tule Springs Ranch and Gilcrease Ranch Areas 50 Generalized Stratigraphic Cross Section Across the Eglington Scarp 70 Generalized Stratigraphic Cross Section in the Corn Creek Springs Area 85 Correlation Chart of Late Quaternary Sediments of the Tule Springs Area 135 Stratigraphic Profile at Locality 1 141 Stratigraphic Sketch at Locality 2 142 Stratigraphic Profile at Locality 4 143 Stratigraphic Profile at Locality 4A 144 Stratigraphic Profile at Locality 9 145 Stratigraphic Sketch at Locality 11 146 Stratigraphic Profile at Locality 13 147 viii ix LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS (Continued) Figure Page 15. Stratigraphic Sketch at Locality 37 148 16. Stratigraphic Profile at Locality 45 149 17. Stratigraphic Profile at Locality 46 150 18. Stratigraphic Profile at Locality 82 151 19. Geologic Map of Southwest Museum Site D, Area 2. 156 20. Stratigraphy .of East and West Walls, Site D, Area 2. 157 21. Stratigraphy of North and South Walls, Site D, Area 2. 158 Plate 1. Reconnaissance Geologic Map of the Las Vegas Valley Surficial Deposits Pocket 2. Geomorphic Features of the Tule Springs Site Area 13 3. Stratigraphic Features of the Tule Springs Site 24 4. Left Bank of Tule Springs Wash 26 5. Geologic Map of the Tule Springs Site Pocket 6. Stratigraphic Profiles of Trenches, A, D, F, I, and J, Tule Springs Site Pocket X LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS (Continued) Plate Page 7. Stratigraphic Profiles of Trench k. Tule" Springs Site Pocket 8. Aerial Photograph of the Tule Springs Site and Adjacent Area 46 9. Geologic Features of the Tule Springs Ranch and Gilcrease Ranch Area's 47 10. Geologic Features of the Eglington Scarp Area 66 11. Special Geologic Features 73 12. Geologic Features of the Corn Creek Springs Area 81 13. Aerial Photograph of the Corn Creek Springs Area 82 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Sedimentary Facies and Soils of the Tule Springs Site Area 31 2. Vertebrate Fossils of the Tule Springs Site Area 40 3. Sedimentary Facies and Soils of the Tule Springs Ranch and Gilcrease Ranch Area 60 4. Sedimentary Facies and Soils of the Eglington Scarp Area 78 5. Some Sediments and Soils of the Corn Creek Dune Field 88 6. Radiocarbon Dates from the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada 109 7. Explanation of Symbols Used in Appendix I ABSTRACT At the Tule Springs Site, located 10 miles north of Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada, extinct animal bones and artifacts have been found in fine­ grained sediments forming the surficial deposits of the Las Vegas Valley. Over 7,000 feet of bulldozer trenches and archaeological excavations provided an unusual opportunity to study the late Quaternary sediments of the valley and to determine the chrono- stratigraphic position of artifacts, faunas, pollen samples, and radiocarbon samples. Major depositional units are separated by paleosols which have been eroded prior to the depo­ sition of overlying units. The earliest unit (A) exposed at the site is alluvial clay and silt of unde­ termined thickness that contains a very strong pedo- calic paleosol (SI) which was truncated prior to deposition of unit B. Silt, sand, and gravel of unit B is subdivided into units B^, Bg, and Bg on the basis of paleosol S2 at the top of B^, paleosol S3 at the top of Bg, and an interbedded lacustrine mudstone (unit Bg) xii xiii which contains fossil evidence of mammoth, horse, camel, bison, sloth, and panther.