Basin and Range rifting in northern Nevada: Clues from a mid-Miocene rift and its subsequent offsets

Research Article| February 01, 1978 Basin and Range rifting in northern Nevada: Clues from a mid-Miocene rift and its subsequent offsets Mary Lou Zoback; Mary Lou Zoback 1Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar George A. Thompson George A. Thompson 1Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Mary Lou Zoback 1Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 George A. Thompson 1Department of Geophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1978) 6 (2): 111–116. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1978)6<111:BARRIN>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Mary Lou Zoback, George A. Thompson; Basin and Range rifting in northern Nevada: Clues from a mid-Miocene rift and its subsequent offsets. Geology 1978;; 6 (2): 111–116. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1978)6<111:BARRIN>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 SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract A linear rift composed of dike swarms and graben-filling volcanic rocks marks the inception of Basin and Range rifting in northern Nevada 17 to 14 m.y. ago. This mid-Miocene rift, with its associated aeromagnetic anomaly, indicates S68°W-N68°E (±5°) extension. A small strike-slip (transform) fault at Sawtooth dike, one short element of the rift, confirms the mid-Miocene extension direction. The present extension, based on data throughout the Basin and Range province, is N65°W-S65°E (±20°), which is consistent with younger fault offsets of the rift. In the Sawtooth dike region this 45° change in direction of extension took place between 15 and 6 m.y. B.P.The Nevada rift is thought to be part of a linear rift zone roughly 700 km long, which includes feeder dikes of Columbia River basalts and the mid-Miocene location of the Yellowstone hot spot. Extension in this zone was probably perpendicular to a then-active trench along the western plate margin. The clockwise change in extension direction is consistent with a superposition of right-lateral shear along the plate margin when the San Andreas fault was activated. 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.