Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses Graduate School 1992 Stratigraphic Architecture of an Extensional Orogen: The ojM ave Extensional Belt, Southern California. Christopher John Travis Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses Recommended Citation Travis, Christopher John, "Stratigraphic Architecture of an Extensional Orogen: The ojM ave Extensional Belt, Southern California." (1992). LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses. 5361. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_disstheses/5361 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Historical Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 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Order Number 9301109 Stratigraphie architecture of an extensional orogen; The Mojave Extensional Belt, southern California Travis, Christopher John, Ph.D. The Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical Col., 1992 Copyright ©1993 by Travis, Christopher John. All ri^ ts reserved. UMI 300 N. ZeebRd. Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. S tratigraphic architecture o f a n E x t e n s io n a l O r o g e n : THE MOJAVE EXTENSIONAL BELT, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy m The Department of Geology and Geophysics by Christopher John Travis B.Sc., University of Wales, Swansea, 1982 M.S., University of South Carolina, 1984 May, 1992 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. After five and a half years in Baton Rouge and twelve months now in Houston, the task of calling to mind all those who have had an impact on my life, my thinking and this dissertation, is a monumental one. There are, however, several people who stand out in my mind as having provided incalculable guidance, support and friendship. First among these must be my wife, Denise, whose patience, restraint, and love are are without par. Similarly, my family have always supported and encouraged me in every endeavour, and without them I could never have got anywhere. Among the non­ relatives, first credit must go to Roy Dokka. He has been an excellent advisor: a strong motivator, a gentle critic, a keen guide and, above all, a most true friend. Tim Ross, in his role as room mate, office mate and field partner, has been a never-ending source of stimulation and support. I value his friendship tremendously Many friends and colleagues in Baton Rouge and, more recently, in Houston, have provided inspiration and support. I am particularly grateful to Greg Riley, Jeff Nunn, Kathy McManus, Darrell Henry, Steven Jones, Chad McCabe, David Wilensky, Tim Fleming, Ellen Prager, Riley Milner, Bob Remy, Gill Apps, Ivo Bergsohn, Cindy Yeilding, Chris Wager, Phil Behrman, Stephanie Moore, and Franklyn J. Peel. My heartfelt thanks go also to those who have helped me to get through the university System - Libby Holt, Sissie Gum, Lewis Nichols, Thea Burchiel, Karen, Nancy Drew, and Wanda White. I am most grateful to the LSU Department of Geology and Geophysics, Dr. Judith Schiebout of the LSU Museum of Geoscience, and BP Exploration Inc. for providing financial support for my studies at LSU. Field work was Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. supported by Chevron, USA and the National Science Foundation (grants EAR- 8407136, and EAR-8721022 to Dr. Roy K. Dokka). Finally, I would like to thank the Chair and the members of my committee, Drs. Roy Dokka, Dag Nummedal, Jeff Nunn, Darrell Henry, Arnold Bouma, and Philip Larimore for their guidance, their careful review, and their constructive criticism of this dissertation. Although not a committee member. Dr. M. O. Woodbume of U.C. Riverside had considerable influence on my work and his exhaustive reviews of Chapters 2 and 3 were invaluable. ui Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s Acknowledgements ............................................................................................. ii Table of Contents ..................................................................................................... iv List of Figures .........................................................................................................ix List of Tables ................................................................................................... xiv Abstract.................................................................................................................... xv • Prologue 1 Introduction: Tectonics and sedimentation 4 Introduction ..................................................................................................4 Studies of the source area .................................................................. 5 Structural control on facies distribution ........................................................6 Timing of tectonism ......................................................................... 9 Paleogeography ................................................................................10 Tectonic history ................................................................................19 Quantitative Models .....................................................................................21 Geometric models............................................................................21 Dynamic models .............................................................................. 26 Creep processes ............................................................. 27 Overland/channel flow .........................................................29 Observational approach .......................................................29 Conclusions .................................................................................................30 IV Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Sedimentation in detachment-dominated extensional orogens: insights from the Mojave Extensional Belt, California 33 Introduction ................................................................................................... 33 Terminology ............................................................................................... 34 Geologic Background .................................................................................... 35 Stratigraphic architecture of the Mojave Extensional Belt .......................40 Breakaway basins .............................................................................40 Upper plate fault basins .....................................................................61 Transfer zone basins .........................................................................74 Breakoff basins .................................................................................83 Core complex basins .........................................................................84 Discussion .....................................................................................................94 Paleogeographic development of the Mojave Extensional Belt 94 Textural evolution of the basin fill ....................................................97