Model for the Late Cenozoic Tectonic History of the Mojave Desert, California, and for Its Relation to Adjacent Regions

Research Article| December 01, 1974 Model for the Late Cenozoic Tectonic History of the Mojave Desert, California, and for Its Relation to Adjacent Regions ZVI GARFUNKEL ZVI GARFUNKEL 1Department of Geology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (1974) 85 (12): 1931–1944. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1974)85<1931:MFTLCT>2.0.CO;2 Article history first online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation ZVI GARFUNKEL; Model for the Late Cenozoic Tectonic History of the Mojave Desert, California, and for Its Relation to Adjacent Regions. GSA Bulletin 1974;; 85 (12): 1931–1944. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1974)85<1931:MFTLCT>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The Mojave Desert region is crossed by young northwest-striking right-slip faults. Restoration of their displacement indicates that the over-all shape of this region has been considerably distorted. The assumption that the region was always in contact with the Sierra Nevada forms the basis for the following conclusions: (1) The slices between the faults, and the faults themselves, were rotated counterclockwise, possibly by as much as 30°; the precise magnitude and timing of the rotation can be checked by paleomagnetic studies. (2) Because of this deformation, the part of the San Andreas fault adjacent to the Mojave Desert was bent; originally the fault was much straighter. (3) The major deformation of the Mojave Desert was a west-trending left shear that was supplemented by the left slip on the Garlock fault. A similar deformation, without rotation of blocks, was accomplished in the eastern Transverse Ranges by left slip on approximately west-striking faults.This crustal shearing resulted from the position of the Mojave Desert between the regions of crustal spreading in the Great Basin and those in the continental borderland and the Salton Trough. The shearing of the Mojave Desert accommodated lateral variations of crustal spreading.These deformations distorted the shape of the margin of the North American plate during Neogene and Quaternary time. They mainly reflect movement normal to the plate boundary, whereas much larger movement occurred contemporaneously parallel to the plate boundary. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.