Implications of Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks in the Soda Mountains, northeastern Mojave Desert, California, for late Paleozoic and Mesozoic Cordilleran orogenesis

Abstract

Research Article| December 01, 1989 Implications of Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks in the Soda Mountains, northeastern Mojave Desert, California, for late Paleozoic and Mesozoic Cordilleran orogenesis J. D. WALKER; J. D. WALKER 1Department of Geology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar B. R. WARDLAW B. R. WARDLAW 2U.S. Geological Survey, Mail Stop 970, Reston, Virginia 22092 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information J. D. WALKER 1Department of Geology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045 B. R. WARDLAW 2U.S. Geological Survey, Mail Stop 970, Reston, Virginia 22092 Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (1989) 101 (12): 1574–1583. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1989)101<1574:IOPAMR>2.3.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 J. D. WALKER, B. R. WARDLAW; Implications of Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks in the Soda Mountains, northeastern Mojave Desert, California, for late Paleozoic and Mesozoic Cordilleran orogenesis. GSA Bulletin 1989;; 101 (12): 1574–1583. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1989)101<1574:IOPAMR>2.3.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 Study of the Soda Mountains in the northeastern Mojave Desert revealed new stratigraphic and structural features of this area. A section of Cambrian to Jurassic rocks in the area displays various features of regional importance. Lower Permian rocks have depositional characteristics indicative of mass-flow deposition, contrasting with underlying shelf strata and platformal rocks exposed in areas to the east. These rocks are similar to deep-water rocks exposed to the north in eastern California. Lower Triassic rocks are named the "Silver Lake Formation" and consist of shallow-water siltstone and carbonate that contain conglomerate with volcanic and gneissic ciasts. These latter rocks record the possible presence of Permian-Triassic igneous and deformational activity in the area.A complicated deformational history is also evident from this study. We interpret several west-dipping, low-angle faults active during intrusion of middle Cretaceous granitoids to be normal faults rather than thrust faults, as they were originally considered. Structures in the Soda Mountains probably correlate with similar ones in surrounding areas. Collectively, the local structures imply a complicated stress regime during emplacement of the middle Cretaceous plutonic rocks. These new data imply that large thrusts faults placing Paleozoic rocks over Mesozoic rocks are not present in this area. Upper Paleozoic and lower Mesozoic rocks also tie this area to the western Mojave Desert, indicating that strike-slip faults with several hundred kilometers of displacement do not separate the two areas. 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.