Geologic interpretation of gravity data from the Date Creek basin and adjacent areas, west-central Arizona

A gravity survey of the Date Creek Basin and adjacent areas was conducted in June 1977 to provide information for the interpretation of basin geology. A comparison of facies relations in the locally uraniferous Chapin Wash Formation and the position of the Anderson mine gravity anomaly in the Date Creek Basin suggested that a relationship between gravity lows and the development of thick lacustrine sections in the region might exist. A second-order residual gravity map derived from the complete Bouguer gravity map for the survey area (derived from survey data and pre-existing U.S. Department of Defense data) shows an excellent correspondence between gravity lows and sediment-filled basins and suggests considerable variation in basin-fill thickness. Using the Anderson mine anomaly as a model, gravity data and facies relations suggest that the southeastern flank of the Aguila Valley gravity low and the gravity low at the western end of the Hassayampa Plain are likely areas for finding thick sections of tuffaceous lacustrine rocks.