Award Date

1-1-2008

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Geoscience

First Committee Member

A. D. Hanson

Number of Pages

228

Abstract

The Grand Wash trough (GWT), a Miocene extensional basin in the Lake Mead region, had been interpreted by previous workers as a rift basin. This study's objective was to test this interpretation by analyzing basin deposits using stratigraphic sections, geologic mapping, and a gravity survey. The results reveal that the structure of the GWT and its axial and foot wall derived deposits resemble those of a rift basin. However, the basin is too shallow (∼1 km) and the hanging wall alluvial fan is larger and coarser grained than those in previously described rift basins. Instead, these aforementioned characteristics are comparable to supradetachment basins. Therefore, in contrast to previous studies the GWT is interpreted as a hybrid basin that contains features found in both basin types. Significantly the supradetachment-like depositional systems impacted the location and development of the rift-like facies.

Keywords

Analysis; Arizona; Basin; Central; Extensional; Grand; Insights; Miocene Nw; Trough; Wash

Controlled Subject

Geology

File Format

pdf

File Size

6522.88 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Permissions

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this dissertation or thesis and wish to have the full text removed from Digital Scholarship@UNLV, please submit a request to digitalscholarship@unlv.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Rights

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

Download


COinS