Research Article| August 01, 1973 Character and Chronology of Basin Development, Western Margin of the Basin and Range Province CHARLES M. GILBERT; CHARLES M. GILBERT 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar MITCHELL W. REYNOLDS MITCHELL W. REYNOLDS 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of California, Berkeley, California 947202Present address: U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado 80225. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information CHARLES M. GILBERT 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 MITCHELL W. REYNOLDS 1Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of California, Berkeley, California 947202Present address: U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado 80225. Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (1973) 84 (8): 2489–2510. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1973)84<2489:CACOBD>2.0.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 CHARLES M. GILBERT, MITCHELL W. REYNOLDS; Character and Chronology of Basin Development, Western Margin of the Basin and Range Province. GSA Bulletin 1973;; 84 (8): 2489–2510. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1973)84<2489:CACOBD>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 SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Near the western margin of the Basin and Range Province in an area encompassing some 1,500 km2 between Mono Lake, California, and Yerington, Nevada, six structural basins contain thick accumulations of Miocene-Pliocene sedimentary and volcanic rocks. From approximately 22 to 18 m.y. ago, the area was a highland from which ignimbrite flows of Oligocene age were generally eroded. Subsequent eruptions of andesitic rocks blanketed the area with flows and breccia. Between about 12.5 and 9 to 8 m.y. ago, the area became an integrated basin of sedimentation in which some 2,500 m of strata accumulated. During this period, faulting, along west and northwest trends, and volcanism occurred. Within the basin, surface environments varied from fluvial to lacustrine, and basin margins fluctuated, the maximum extent of the basin having been reached about 10.5 m.y. ago, but a single integrated basin persisted. By approximately 7.5 m.y. ago, the region had been disintegrated by normal faulting into existing structural blocks. Faults of this episode generally trend northeast, east, and northwest. Relative tectonic quiescence ensued for about 4 m.y. During this time a well-graded erosional surface evolved and was locally covered by basic volcanic flows and silicic protrusions, commonly emplaced along faults of the earlier episode. Broad upwarping and block faulting during the Quaternary Period produced the present topography. In contrast to trends of faulting prior to 7.5 m.y. ago, Quaternary normal faults have a north orientation. These faults terminate en echelon in structural warps or by abrupt decrease in displacement to define a northeast-trending lineament across the area, parallel to the Mono Basin–Excelsior zone to the south and the Carson lineament to the north. 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.