Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous(?) synorogenic sedimentary rocks in the southern Spring Mountains, Nevada

Abstract

A newly recognized sequence of Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous(?) terrigenous rocks in the Good-springs district, Nevada, was deposited during the emplacement of the Contact thrust plate. Two facies are recognized: (1) interbedded conglomerate and sandstone derived from Mesozoic igneous and terrigenous platform rocks and (2) interbedded carbonate and sandstone-clast conglomerate, quartz sandstone, and red shale. No igneous detritus occurs in the facies with carbonate-clast conglomerate. Carbonate clasts could only have been derived from the Paleozoic carbonate sequence, which was exposed in the area by latest Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous thrusting. The age of rocks from a volcanic unit within the synorogenic sequence was determined radiometrically to be 150 ± 10 m.y. (K-Ar on biotite). The sequence was deposited disconformably on deeply eroded rocks of the early Mesozoic platform and ultimately overridden from the west by the Contact thrust plate. Information from the sequence corroborates previously reported regional data regarding the timing and nature of the Contact-Red Springs thrust event.