Faulted and tilted Pliocene olivine-tholeiite lavas near Alturas, NE California, and their bearing on the uplift of the Warner Range

Abstract

Research Article| September 01, 2006 Faulted and tilted Pliocene olivine-tholeiite lavas near Alturas, NE California, and their bearing on the uplift of the Warner Range Ian S.E. Carmichael; Ian S.E. Carmichael 1Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-4767, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Rebecca A. Lange; Rebecca A. Lange 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1005, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Chris M. Hall; Chris M. Hall 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1005, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Paul R. Renne Paul R. Renne 3Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, California 94709, USA, and Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-4767, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Ian S.E. Carmichael 1Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-4767, USA Rebecca A. Lange 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1005, USA Chris M. Hall 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1005, USA Paul R. Renne 3Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, California 94709, USA, and Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-4767, USA Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 18 Oct 2005 Revision Received: 25 Mar 2006 Accepted: 04 Apr 2006 First Online: 08 Mar 2017 Online Issn: 1943-2674 Print Issn: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (2006) 118 (9-10): 1196–1211. https://doi.org/10.1130/B25918.1 Article history Received: 18 Oct 2005 Revision Received: 25 Mar 2006 Accepted: 04 Apr 2006 First Online: 08 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Ian S.E. Carmichael, Rebecca A. Lange, Chris M. Hall, Paul R. Renne; Faulted and tilted Pliocene olivine-tholeiite lavas near Alturas, NE California, and their bearing on the uplift of the Warner Range. GSA Bulletin 2006;; 118 (9-10): 1196–1211. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B25918.1 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 Late Miocene–Pliocene (8–3 Ma) olivine basalt lavas, dated in this study by the 40Ar/39Ar method, have been faulted and tilted on both the east and west sides of the Warner Range of NE California, which is itself a tilted block rising to 2960 m at its crest that is composed of Miocene-Oligocene lavas and volcaniclastic rocks. The late Miocene–Pliocene lavas, distinctively poor in K2O and rich in MgO, are called low-K olivine tholeiites and have a different mantle source region than that of the older subduction-related lavas of the main Warner Range. Hays Canyon Range (max. elev. 2400 m) lies to the east of the Warner Range, and the broad Surprise Valley separates the two fault-bounded ranges. Middle Miocene (ca. 15 Ma) basic lavas, with a small easterly dip, cap the Hays Canyon Range and overlie Oligocene silicic ash-flow deposits and a basaltic andesite spatter volcano. Middle Miocene basic lavas also form the crest of the Warner Range and its westerly dip slope (∼15°). Nearly horizontal basic lavas of the same age are also found on both sides of the Warner Range, and it is a plausible conclusion that these middle Miocene basalts were a contiguous group before faulting and uplift of the Warner Range.Derived estimates of uplift rates (∼1 mm/yr) of the Warner Range indicate that uplift could have been initiated at ca. 4 Ma, a period of the most voluminous eruption of low-K olivine tholeiite lavas. If the slower Cretaceous exhumation rate of the Sierra Nevada (0.5–1.0 mm/yr) is applied to the total offset of the Warner Range (4270 m), and it did not vary with time, then the uplift of the Warner Range was initiated at ca. 8 Ma, which coincides with the age of the oldest low-K olivine tholeiite lava (8 Ma). Low-K olivine tholeiites require a hot shallow asthenospheric source, and it is the rise of this hot mantle that is presumed to have caused the uplift of the Warner Range. Whether or not the widespread eruption of small volumes of Pliocene low-K olivine tholeiites in central and eastern Oregon is associated with crustal uplift is unknown. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.