Award Date

8-2008

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Geoscience

Advisor 1

Michael L. Wells, Chair

First Committee Member

Terry L. Spell

Second Committee Member

Michael Pravica

Third Committee Member

Thomas Hoisch

Number of Pages

151

Abstract

Alternating contractional and extensional events in orogenic belts play a significant role in dynamically adjusting crustal thickness during regional contraction. Distinguishing between these two contrasting kinematic regimes is not only important for understanding the tectonic setting but also provides insights into the dynamics of evolving orogenic wedges. The earliest pervasive fabric, D 1 , in the Grouse Creek Mountains of northwest Utah is interpreted to have played an integral role in accommodating such a dynamic adjustment. It is interpreted that focused crustal thickening led to differences in gravitational potential energy along strike, facilitating an episode of mid-Cretaceous synconvergent orogen-parallel extension. The D 2 event is a previously undocumented deformational event in the Pennsylvanian-Permian Oquirrh Formation and overprints the earlier D1 fabric. D 2 is characterized by an axial planar cleavage, S2 , associated with east-verging north-northeast-trending large-scale folds at Marble Peak, South Hill and the Rosebud area, and is interpreted to record a top-to-the southeast contractional event.

Keywords

Earth — Crust; Orogenic belts; Utah — Grouse Creek Mountains

Disciplines

Geology | Tectonics and Structure

File Format

pdf

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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