Map showing occurrences of spring-deposited travertine in the conterminous Western United States

Extinct travertine terraces occur hundreds of meters above present levels of spring activity and have potentials for interpretation of ancient hydrologic systems, rates of downcutting, or rates of tectonic uplift that remain virtually unexploited. The abundance and size of extinct travertine deposits suggest that in many places, such as pinnacles at the southwest end of the Searles Lake basin, California, spring activity was once more widespread and copious than it is now. Travertine of Eocene age has been reported, and a scattering of later Tertiary occurrences is known. But where age has been inferred, the inferred ages are predominantly Pleistocene or younger. So travertine seems to be a geologically transient phenomenon, subject either to removal by erosion or to burial and disappearance. Many travertine deposits are known to be on or close to faults. Their occurrence in otherwise structurally featureless alluvial valleys may, therefore, suggest the possibility of a hidden fault. From the Front Range to the Pacific, more than 300 travertime deposits have been identified. The map shows that the deposits are widely dispersed. However, there are apparent groupings on the Wasatch Fault and associated tectonic areas trending northward in Utah and southern Idaho, and also near the great fault zone that marks the eastern boundary of the Sierra Nevada, California. (Lantz-PTT)