Western Basin & Range - Eastern California Shear Zone
Soda-Avawatz Fault, Eastern Avawatz Mountains
View to the southwest of the Soda-Avawatz Fault
Mule team at Broadwell Mesa
Mule train drops off gear and supplies for 10 days of geologic mapping in the Broadwell Mesa area of the Kelso Dunes Wilderness
Surficial Geologic Mapping in the northern Bristol Mountains, CA.
USGS geologic mappers walking out an intermediate age (likely middle Pleistocene) alluvial fan surface in the Broadwell Mesa
Faults in the Mojave Desert of the Eastern California Shear Zone
Twilight in the Northern Bristol Mountains
The Eastern California Shear Zone (ECSZ) Mapping project, funded by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, combines surficial and bedrock geologic mapping, geophysical surveys, and high-resolution topographic data analysis with neotectonic, geomorphic, structural, volcanic, and geochronologic studies to better understand the tectonic framework and landscape evolution of the ECSZ in the central and eastern Mojave Desert, California. We are using these approaches to address the following map-based research questions: What are the timing and spatial distribution of fault slip across the northern portion of the ECSZ, and how do faults interact with one another, particularly at fault intersections? What is the imprint of early Mesozoic compression and Cenozoic extension on the Quaternary and active tectonics of the region? What are the distribution and geometry of groundwater basins in the northern Mojave Desert, what are the tectonic controls, and how do they fit into the context of the ECSZ? What are the characteristics of contemporaneous Quaternary depositional units between the northern Mojave Desert and the Lower Colorado River Corridor?
This project is supported by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program.
Scientific & Societal Relevance:
Landscape Evolution
Erosion and tectonic uplift have profoundly shaped the Mojave Desert region. The weathering, transport, and deposition that shaped the topography also govern the enrichment and availability of many critical mineral deposits, the extent of groundwater resources, and the distribution of nutrients critical to ecosystems. Understanding how surface processes have been influenced by tectonics and past climate variability will improve managers’ ability to make effective land-use decisions related to the utilization and conservation of natural resources. High-resolution topographic data enable coupling of quantitative surface process models to the geologic record, facilitating the use of geologic maps and databases to characterize natural resources and to mitigate natural hazards.
Magmatism
The Mojave Desert Region has been significantly affected by myriad ages and styles of igneous activity that are associated with different suites of mineral deposits, including those recently identified as “critical” for the United States’ national and economic security. Igneous rocks also provide important dateable stratigraphic markers for delineating the temporal evolution of basin formation, tectonic deformation, and sedimentary provenance. Better understanding the history of magmatism through geologic mapping can also be combined with 3D data to characterize potential geothermal energy resources.
Surface and Ground Water
Surface water and groundwater within the Mojave Desert serve as water supplies for population centers, National defense infrastructure, and native habitats of endangered species. The combination of rapid population growth, high water use, and arid climate has led to an increased dependence on groundwater, resulting in locally severe groundwater depletion and declining groundwater levels. Management of surface water and groundwater resources requires knowledge of the groundwater system, which in turn requires an understanding of the configuration and properties of aquifers.
Tectonic Evolution and Plate Boundary Kinematics
The geology and physiography of the northern and central Mojave Desert record all of the major episodes of orogeny, magmatism, continental extension, and basin formation that have shaped the Pacific-North American plate boundary since the Early Paleozoic. Active crustal deformation continues to shape the region, with direct consequences for geologic hazards, earth surface processes, and water resources. Increasingly sophisticated models of the tectonic evolution of the intermountain west require integrated regional geologic synthesis, subsurface geologic characterization, and quantitative description of geologic processes.
Integrated, Regional-Scale Geologic Map Database
Existing geologic map coverage of the ECSZ is inconsistent, mismatched across administrative borders, and lacks adequate surficial geologic detail, preventing comprehensive regional characterization of hazards associated with recent and active tectonic deformation. Seamless, multi-scale surficial and bedrock geologic mapping is essential for land management decisions. Complementary subsurface interpretations provide the template for regional geologic framework models of the earth’s composition, structure, and evolution. Geochronology, geochemistry, geophysics, and numerical modeling of Earth’s physical systems provide the analytical framework for understanding the timescales and physical properties of processes critical to mineral, water, and energy resource management, environmental health, hazard mitigation, and ecosystem impact.
Methodology:
We use a variety of techniques for building on recent 1:100k scale geologic mapping in the region. These include everything from traditional “boots on the ground” type field work to the application of geophysical and other remote sensing techniques, and targeted geochronology. These efforts are coordinated and compiled in a way that will contribute to a seamless, multi-scale geologic map database of the ECSZ. Specific approaches include:
Interpretation of remote sensing, including aerial and satellite imagery, DEM’s (including LiDAR and Structure for Motion), and spectral imagery. Many contacts and faults are visible on photo-imagery in the desert environment and can be accurately mapped as an aid to fieldwork.
Field mapping of contacts, faults, and folds, measurement of bedding and foliation attitudes, making detailed lithologic observations, and collecting samples for petrographic, geochemical, and geochronologic analysis. Most of this mapping is done directly on air photos or on field tablets with user-configured base maps, aided by the collection of many spot observations that are recorded using GPS.
Collection, analysis, and modeling of gravity and aeromagnetic data. This includes standard techniques such as depth-to-basement modeling and gradient and frequency analysis, as well as novel forward modeling techniques. These analyses yield models of subsurface geologic structure, which can be integrated with both surface and 3D mapping.
Digital compilation of geologic mapping as field mapping progresses. As needed, field mapping is modified in a GIS, based on digital imagery and GPS-based locality information. This is conducted in cooperation with other USGS geologic mapping projects in order to build towards a seamless geologic map database of the region.
Analytical work, including appropriate numeric chronology and geochemistry from both sedimentary and igneous rocks is used to correlate map units and to constrain the timing and rate of offset of faults of the ECSZ.
The Eastern California Shear Zone (ECSZ) Mapping project, funded by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, combines surficial and bedrock geologic mapping, geophysical surveys, and high-resolution topographic data analysis with neotectonic, geomorphic, structural, volcanic, and geochronologic studies to better understand the tectonic framework and landscape evolution of the ECSZ in the central and eastern Mojave Desert, California. We are using these approaches to address the following map-based research questions: What are the timing and spatial distribution of fault slip across the northern portion of the ECSZ, and how do faults interact with one another, particularly at fault intersections? What is the imprint of early Mesozoic compression and Cenozoic extension on the Quaternary and active tectonics of the region? What are the distribution and geometry of groundwater basins in the northern Mojave Desert, what are the tectonic controls, and how do they fit into the context of the ECSZ? What are the characteristics of contemporaneous Quaternary depositional units between the northern Mojave Desert and the Lower Colorado River Corridor?
This project is supported by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program.
Scientific & Societal Relevance:
Landscape Evolution
Erosion and tectonic uplift have profoundly shaped the Mojave Desert region. The weathering, transport, and deposition that shaped the topography also govern the enrichment and availability of many critical mineral deposits, the extent of groundwater resources, and the distribution of nutrients critical to ecosystems. Understanding how surface processes have been influenced by tectonics and past climate variability will improve managers’ ability to make effective land-use decisions related to the utilization and conservation of natural resources. High-resolution topographic data enable coupling of quantitative surface process models to the geologic record, facilitating the use of geologic maps and databases to characterize natural resources and to mitigate natural hazards.
Magmatism
The Mojave Desert Region has been significantly affected by myriad ages and styles of igneous activity that are associated with different suites of mineral deposits, including those recently identified as “critical” for the United States’ national and economic security. Igneous rocks also provide important dateable stratigraphic markers for delineating the temporal evolution of basin formation, tectonic deformation, and sedimentary provenance. Better understanding the history of magmatism through geologic mapping can also be combined with 3D data to characterize potential geothermal energy resources.
Surface and Ground Water
Surface water and groundwater within the Mojave Desert serve as water supplies for population centers, National defense infrastructure, and native habitats of endangered species. The combination of rapid population growth, high water use, and arid climate has led to an increased dependence on groundwater, resulting in locally severe groundwater depletion and declining groundwater levels. Management of surface water and groundwater resources requires knowledge of the groundwater system, which in turn requires an understanding of the configuration and properties of aquifers.
Tectonic Evolution and Plate Boundary Kinematics
The geology and physiography of the northern and central Mojave Desert record all of the major episodes of orogeny, magmatism, continental extension, and basin formation that have shaped the Pacific-North American plate boundary since the Early Paleozoic. Active crustal deformation continues to shape the region, with direct consequences for geologic hazards, earth surface processes, and water resources. Increasingly sophisticated models of the tectonic evolution of the intermountain west require integrated regional geologic synthesis, subsurface geologic characterization, and quantitative description of geologic processes.
Integrated, Regional-Scale Geologic Map Database
Existing geologic map coverage of the ECSZ is inconsistent, mismatched across administrative borders, and lacks adequate surficial geologic detail, preventing comprehensive regional characterization of hazards associated with recent and active tectonic deformation. Seamless, multi-scale surficial and bedrock geologic mapping is essential for land management decisions. Complementary subsurface interpretations provide the template for regional geologic framework models of the earth’s composition, structure, and evolution. Geochronology, geochemistry, geophysics, and numerical modeling of Earth’s physical systems provide the analytical framework for understanding the timescales and physical properties of processes critical to mineral, water, and energy resource management, environmental health, hazard mitigation, and ecosystem impact.
Methodology:
We use a variety of techniques for building on recent 1:100k scale geologic mapping in the region. These include everything from traditional “boots on the ground” type field work to the application of geophysical and other remote sensing techniques, and targeted geochronology. These efforts are coordinated and compiled in a way that will contribute to a seamless, multi-scale geologic map database of the ECSZ. Specific approaches include:
Interpretation of remote sensing, including aerial and satellite imagery, DEM’s (including LiDAR and Structure for Motion), and spectral imagery. Many contacts and faults are visible on photo-imagery in the desert environment and can be accurately mapped as an aid to fieldwork.
Field mapping of contacts, faults, and folds, measurement of bedding and foliation attitudes, making detailed lithologic observations, and collecting samples for petrographic, geochemical, and geochronologic analysis. Most of this mapping is done directly on air photos or on field tablets with user-configured base maps, aided by the collection of many spot observations that are recorded using GPS.
Collection, analysis, and modeling of gravity and aeromagnetic data. This includes standard techniques such as depth-to-basement modeling and gradient and frequency analysis, as well as novel forward modeling techniques. These analyses yield models of subsurface geologic structure, which can be integrated with both surface and 3D mapping.
Digital compilation of geologic mapping as field mapping progresses. As needed, field mapping is modified in a GIS, based on digital imagery and GPS-based locality information. This is conducted in cooperation with other USGS geologic mapping projects in order to build towards a seamless geologic map database of the region.
Analytical work, including appropriate numeric chronology and geochemistry from both sedimentary and igneous rocks is used to correlate map units and to constrain the timing and rate of offset of faults of the ECSZ.