UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 12-1999 AAlltteerraattiioonn aassssoocciiaatteedd wwiitthh ggoolldd ddeeppoossiittiioonn aatt tthhee GGeettcchheellll,, CCaarrlliinn-- ttyyppee ggoolldd ddeeppoossiitt,, nnoorrtthh--cceennttrraall NNeevvaaddaa Tracy Lynn Cail University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Geology Commons RReeppoossiittoorryy CCiittaattiioonn Cail, Tracy Lynn, "Alteration associated with gold deposition at the Getchell, Carlin-type gold deposit, north-central Nevada" (1999). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 1457. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/3444936 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). 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KINEMATICS AND TIMING OF OROGEN-PARALLEL FLOW, GROUSE CREEK MOUNTAINS, UTAH by Tonia Gail Arriola Bachelor of Science University of Nevada, Las Vegas 2002 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment ofthe requirement for the Master of Science Degree in Geoscience Department of Geoscience College of Science Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas August2008 ABSTRACT Kinematics and Timing of Orogen-Parallel Flow, Grouse Creek Mountains, Utah By Tonia G. Arriola Dr. Michael L. Wells, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Geology University of Nevada, Las Vegas Alternating contractional and extensional events in orogenic belts play a significant role in dynamically adjusting crustal thickness during regional contraction. Distinguishing between these two contrasting kinematic regimes is not only important for understanding the tectonic setting but also provides insights into the dynamics of evolving orogenic wedges. The earliest pervasive fabric, D1, in the Grouse Creek Mountains of northwest Utah is interpreted to have played an integral role in accommodating such a dynamic adjustment. It is interpreted that focused crustal thickening led to differences in gravitational potential energy along strike, facilitating an episode of mid-Cretaceous synconvergent orogen-parallel extension. The D event is a 2 previously undocumented deformational event in the Pennsylvanian-Permian Oqtlirrh Formation and overprints the earlier D1 fabric. D2 is characterized by an axial planar cleavage, S2, associated with east-verging north-northeast-trending large-scale folds at iii Marble Peak, South Hill and the Rosebud area, and is interpreted to record a top-to-the southeast contractional event. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ I Purpose .................................................................................................................... 4 Significance ............................................................................................................. 5 Methodology ........................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER 2 REGIONAL GEOLOGIC AND TECTONIC SETTING AND GEOLOGY OF THE RAFT RIVER, ALBION, GROUSE CREEK MOUNTAINS ............................................................... 9 Previous work ....................................................................................................... 10 Middle Mountain Shear Zone ............................................................................... 12 Tectonostratigraphy .............................................................................................. 13 CHAPTER 3 MESOSCOPIC STRUCTURAL ANALYSES .......................................... 14 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 14 Spatial distribution ofD and D fabric ................................................................ 15 1 2 CHAPTER 4 STRAIN AND KlNEMA TIC ANALYSES OF STRAIN FRINGES ........ 22 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 22 What are strain fringes? ........................................................................................ 22 Kinematic and petrographic analysis of strain fringes .......................................... 26 CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................. 42 D1: contraction or extension .................................................................................. 42 Tectonic significance ofD1: orogen-parallel extension? ...................................... 49 D2: contraction or extension .................................................................................. 57 Relative age ofD2 ................................................................................................. 65 Tectonic implications for D2 ................................................................................. 68 CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSIONS ........................................................................................ 72 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................... 130 VITA ............................................................................................................................... 141 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Generalized geologic map of Raft River-Albion-Grouse Creek Mountains (RAG) showing distribution of the Lt stretching lineation ............................. 75 Figure 2 Tectonostratigraphic column of Archean to Miocene rocks in the Grouse Creek Mountains ............................................................................................. 76 Figure 3 Geologic map of the Marble Peak klippe, showing the distribution and orientation of S~o Sz, L~, Lmm .......................................................................... 77 Figure 4 Photographs A-E showing Lt elongation lineation in Oquirrh Formation ..... 79 Figure 5 Geologic map of North and South Hill, showing distribution and orientation of S~, S2, L~, Lmm .......................................................................... 81 Figure 6 Geologic map of Rosebud area, showing the distribution and orientation of St, S2, Lt, Lmm ................................................................................................. 83 Figure 7 Photographs at Marble Peak showing relationship between S1 and S2, and parasitic folds within the upper limb of a west vergent fold ........................... 84 Figure 8 Geologic map, stereonets and photographs of east verging recumbent anticline within Pennsylvanian-Permian Oquirrh Formation at South Hill... ............... 86 Figure 9 Photomosaics of South Hill recumbent anticline, looking east... ................... 88 Figure 10 Geologic map of Rosebud area with stereonet data showing Lt elongation lineation in red dots, poles to the S planes in black dots and Sz axial planar 1 cleavage in blue lines ...................................................................................... 89 Figure II Shear sense indicators for Dt deformation ..................................................... 90 Figure 12 Shear sense indicators for Dzdeformation ..................................................... 91 Figure 13 Contact between the Oquirrh Formation limestone and the Oquirrh Tectonite in the core of the fold at South Hill ................................................................ 92 Figure 14 Photomicrographs for face-controlled fibers versus displacement-controlled fibers, showing geometric difference between the two types ......................... 93 vi Figure 15 Figure showing the three principal planes of finite strain in relation to the strain fringes for Marble Peak and the Rosebud Creek ridge ........................ 95 Figure 16 Photomicrograph A is showing both D1 and Dz strain fringes within the XZ plane of S1 at Marble Peak .............................................................................. 96 Figure 17 Simplified geologic map of Marble Peak, showing D1 top-to-the-north shear sense and D top-to-the-south shear sense ...................................................... 97 2 Figure 18 Simplitled geologic map of North and South Hill, showing D1 top-to-the- south shear sense ............................................................................................. 98 Figure 19 Simplitled geologic map of Rosebud, showing D1 top-to-the-north shear sense and D2 top-to-the-south shear sense ................................................................ 99 Figure 20 Photomicrographs illustrating the Rigid Fiber Model for incremental coaxial and object-center path method for non-coaxial strain fringes ...................... I 0 I Figure 21 Finite strain map of D1 and D deformation for Marble Peak ...................... I 02 2 Figure 22 Finite strain map for D1 and Dz deformation for North and South Hill ....... 103 Figure 23 Finite strain map ofD1 and Dz deformation for the Rosebud area ............... 105 Figure 24 Diagram illustrating the relationship between Wk with the flow apophyses and the orientation of the instantaneous stretching axes ............................... 106 Figure 25 A-B; Photomicrographs illustrating measurements used for vorticity analysis for the D face-controlled strain fringes ........................................................ I 08 1 Figure 26 Photomicrographs ofD1 strain fringes within the XY plane at Rosebud area ................................................................................................................ Ill Figure 27 Geologic map of Rosebud area showing displacement path for D1 and Dz strain fringes within the XY plane ofS, and 82 respectively ................... 112 Figure 28 Photomicrographs showing how the object center path method was used to determine the finite and incremental strain ................................................... 113 Figure 29 Figure from Koehn et al. (2000) showing how increments of translation and rotation were measured and input into the "Fringe Growth" program ......... 114 Figure 30 A-C; Simulations oftlbrous strain fringes conducted using the program "Fringe Growth" to substantiate the object center path method, which was used to measure the incremental and tlnite strain ....................... 115 vii Figure 31 Cumulative incremental strain history diagrams within the XZ plane of S 1 for the folds at the northwest section ofthe map at Rosebud area ............... 119 Figure 32 Cumulative incremental strain history diagrams within the XZ plane of S1 for the folds at southeast section of the Rosebud area .................................. 121 Figure 33 Photomicrographs of D displacement-controlled strain fringes within 2 the XY plane of the Sz axial planar cleavage at Rosebud area ..................... 122 Figure 34 Patterns offoliation trajectories .................................................................... 123 Figure 35 Generalized geologic map of Raft River-Albion-Grouse Creek Mountains (RAG) showing distribution of the L stretching lineation ........................... 124 1 Figure 36 Vertical strain gradient for D1 and D at Marble Peak within the Oquirrh 2 Formation in relation to the Middle detachment.. ......................................... 126 Figure 37 Simplified tectonic model for development of orogen-parallel extension at mid-crustal levels in the interior of the Sevier orogen around -100 Ma ...... 127 Figure 38 Sequence of Mesozoic to early Cenozoic deformation proposed for re I at 1. ve cons t ram. t son t.m u.n g t'o r th e "D 2 " event ........................................ .. 129 viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Michael Wells, who deserves an award for tolerating me and my seemingly insurmountable quantity of edits. He deserves special recognition for his patience and encouraging words that helped guide me through this experience. Deep down, I am glad that I did not take the other field area offered to me; too many flowers, waterfalls and rainbows detract from the beauty of the outcrops. Thank you so much, Michael. I would like to thank my committee members: Dr. Terry Spell, Dr. Michael Pravica, and Dr. Thomas Hoisch for serving on my committee. Extra thanks to Dr. Thomas Hoisch for serving on my committee and traveling back and forth from Arizona. In addition, I would like to thank my field assistants, Tiesa Dunlop, Dr. Michael Wells, and my brother James Arriola. I want to give special thanks to the best brother in the world for allowing me to use his brand new car as a field vehicle and for protecting me with his mighty stick against the mountain lion and rattlesnakes; lots of love. I would like to thank my fellow graduate students, friends and the faculty members at UNLV. Special thanks to Maureen Yonovitz, Mandy Williams, Tricia Evans, Menghesha Beyene, Joe Kula, Nate Suurmeyer, and Aaron Hirsch for their help along the way. I would also like to thank Dr. Clay Crow for your assistance in the rock lab. IX Last but definitely not least, I would like to thank my partner Lauren lzzo. I could not have done this without your patience, emotional support and encouraging words especially towards the end. Your tum. This research was supported by the National Science Foundation, the Geological Society of America, and the UNL V Department of Geoscience. X