The Great Basin Altiplano during the middle Cenozoic ignimbrite flareup: insights from volcanic rocks

Figures & data

Figure 1 Major thrust faults and fold belts in the Great Basin of Nevada and Utah (Oldow et al. 1989; McQuarrie and Chase 2000; see also DeCelles 2004) and hypothetical contours (in km) of early Tertiary crustal thickness (Coney and Harms 1984).

Figure 2 Locations of 376 analysed samples of middle Tertiary lava flows in the Great Basin, which lies between the Sierra Nevada and the Colorado plateaus, are shown by red circles. Because of the small scale of this figure some sample sites overlap as a single point. Also shown are the outlines of the CCC, Caliente caldera complex; CNCC, central Nevada caldera complex; IPCC, Indian Peak caldera complex; and TQCC, Toquima caldera complex as well as other localities cited in the text, as follows: A, Austin; BM, Battle Mountain; CA, Clan Alpine Mountains; CS, Carson Sink; DD, Diamond Mountains; DM, Dogskin Mountain; DS, Donner Summit; DV, Death Valley; FC, Fish Creek Mountains; HP, Haskell Peak; LV, Las Vegas; NP, New Pass Range; PA, Pahroc Range; PR, Paradise Range; P, Provo, Utah; RR, Reese River Valley; SC, Schell Creek Range; S, Seaman Range; SH, Shoshone Range; ST, Stillwater Range; T, Tonopah; TQ, Toquima Range; TY, Toiyabe Range; W, Wah Wah Mountains; Y, Yerington; and YR, Yuba River drainage.

Table 1 Chemical and isotopic data for continental volcanic arcs of known crustal thickness and for middle Cenozoic lavas in the Great Basin.

Region	Symbol	Chemical analyses (n)	Sr isotope analyses (n)	K2O (57% SiO2)	K2O/Na2O (57–63% SiO2)	Min ^87Sr/^86Sr ( < 63% SiO2)	^87Sr/^86Sr (mean all)	Thickness crust (km)	Reference
Andes central	A	200	110	2.20	0.80	0.7050	0.7070	60	Leeman (1983)
Andes north	A	54	39	1.50	0.63	0.7038	0.7043	55	Leeman (1983)
Andes south	A	66	21	1.40		0.7034	0.7042	35	Leeman (1983)
Andes San Pedro	A	65		1.85				70	O'Callaghan and Francis (1986)
Andes Tata Sabaya	A	30	4	2.80	0.74	0.7052	0.7060	70	de Silva et al. (1993)
Andes Bolivia minor cntrs	A	17	16			0.7041	0.7069	70	Davidson and de Silva (1992)
Andes Ollague	A	28	25	2.20	0.73	0.7063	0.7081	70	Feeley and Davidson (1994)
Andes Payachata	A	18	18	2.75	0.74	0.7061	0.7066	65	Davidson et al. (1990)
Andes Tapungato	A	21	11	1.80	0.51	0.7046	0.7047	62	Hildreth and Moorbath (1988)
Andes Tapungatito	A	15	5	2.27	0.80	0.7049	0.7049	61	Hildreth and Moorbath (1988)
Andes Ojos del Salado	A	25	4	2.30	0.67	0.7065	0.7067	60	Baker et al. (1987)
Andes Cerro Alto	A	22	8	1.94	0.55	0.7047	0.7048	60	Hildreth and Moorbath (1988)
Andes Marm-San Jose	A	26	16	1.93	0.58	0.7048	0.7052	59	Hildreth and Moorbath (1988)
Andes Palomo	A	9	5	1.71	0.54	0.7042	0.7043	54	Hildreth and Moorbath (1988)
Andes Tinguirrica	A	17	12	2.36	0.73	0.7039	0.7041	53	Hildreth and Moorbath (1988)
Andes Sordo Lucas	A	3	3	1.50	0.54	0.7042	0.7042	51	Hildreth and Moorbath (1988)
Andes Planch-Pet-Azuf	A	83	24	1.80	0.56	0.7039	0.7042	48	Hildreth and Moorbath (1988) and Tormey et al. (1995)
Andes Descabez-Grand	A	6	6	1.62	0.46	0.7038	0.7039	45	Hildreth and Moorbath (1988)
Andes Cerro Azul	A	43	25	1.70	0.46	0.0736	0.7039	45	Hildreth and Moorbath (1988)
Andes Tatara-San Pedro	A	22		1.60	0.54			41	Ferguson et al. (1992)
Andes Laguna del Maule	A	14	9	2.00	0.62	0.7039	0.7041	41	Frey et al. (1984)
Andes San Pedro-Pellado	A	23	9	1.70	0.61	0.7037	0.7039	41	Davidson et al. (1988)
Andes Cordon El Guadal	A	34	8	1.90	0.56	0.7039	0.7040	41	Feeley et al. (1998)
Andes Nev Longavi	A	11	2	1.02		0.7039		40	Hildreth and Moorbath (1988)
Andes Antuco	A	22	6	1.34		0.7037		40	Hildreth and Moorbath (1988)
Andes Chillan	A	24		1.29				37	Hildreth and Moorbath (1988)
Andes Puyehue	A	64	32	1.40	0.37	0.7038	0.7040	32	Gerlach et al. (1988)
Andes Mocho-Choshuenco	A	20	20	1.00		0.7040	0.7041	30	McMillan et al. (1989)
Andes Calbuco	A	22	9	0.70	0.18	0.7037	0.7040	30	Lopez-Escobar et al. (1995)
Aleutians Katmai	K	36	16	1.10	0.35	0.7030	0.7033	33	Hildreth et al. (2004)
East Aleutians	K	255	24	1.20	0.44	0.7028	0.7032	38	Leeman (1983)
Cascades	C	190		1.30	0.43	0.7026		40	Leeman (1983)
Cascades Mt Hood	C	190		1.20				41	Leeman (1983)
Cascades Crater Lake	C	57		1.10	0.28			41	Bacon and Druitt (1988)
Cascades Medicine Lake	C	35		1.40	0.32			39	Mertzman (1977)
Cascades Mt St Helens	C	32	9	1.30	0.27	0.7030	0.7036	41	Halliday et al. (1983)
Cascades Mt Shasta	C	112	32	1.00	0.31	0.7028	0.7034	38	Grove et al. (2005)
San Juan precaldera Conejos	S	56	14	2.50	0.82	0.7046	0.7051	48	Colucci et al. (1991)
San Juan postcaldera Huerto	S	20	7	2.30	0.68	0.7043	0.7047	48	Parat et al. (2005)
San Juan syncaldera	S	18				0.7045	0.7063	48	Riciputi et al. (1995)
Mexico	P	261	49	1.50		0.7032	0.7039	40	Leeman (1983)
Mexico, Valley of	P	73		1.50	0.40			43	Wallace and Carmichael (1999)
Mexico NW Mex. volc. belt	P	16	16	1.55	0.41	0.7037	0.7040	30	Verma and Nelson (1989)
Mexico Sanganguey	P	14		1.50	0.47			30	Nelson and Livieres (1986)
Mexico Paricutin	P	27	12	1.30	0.40	0.7037	0.7040	33	Wilcox (1954) and McBirney et al. (1987)
Central America	M	337	40	1.50	0.45	0.7031	0.7040	33	Leeman (1983)
Guatemala A	M	87		1.50	0.53			50	Carr et al. (2003)
Guatemala B	M	330	6	1.40	0.42	0.7038	0.7039	46	Carr et al. (2003)
Guatemala-El Salvador	M	116	22	1.60	0.46	0.7032	0.7036	38	Carr et al. (2003)
Honduras, Yohoa	M	13	11			0.7029	0.7030	37	Carr et al. (2003)
El Salvador, Hond, Nicaragua	M	246	69	1.50	0.48	0.7036	0.7040	34	Carr et al. (2003)
Costa Rica Rincon	M	19		1.60	0.52			36	Carr et al. (2003)
Costa Rica other	M	76	7	1.30	0.44	0.7038	0.7038	37	Carr et al. (2003)
Costa Rica Platanar	M	50		1.70	0.62	0.7036	0.7037	39	Carr et al. (2003)
Costa Rica Poas	M	21	4	1.80	0.57	0.7037	0.7037	41	Carr et al. (2003)
Costa Rica Barba	M	21	3	2.60	0.77	0.7036	0.7037	43	Carr et al. (2003)
Costa Rica Irazu	M	50		2.20				45	Carr et al. (2003)
Lesser Antilles Dominica	L	280	23	0.90		0.7041	0.7045	33	Leeman (1983)
Lesser Antilles Grenada	L	264	52	1.20		0.7039	0.7049	33	Leeman (1983)
Lesser Antilles Saba	L	42		1.10	0.35			33	Defant et al. (2001)
Lesser Antilles St Kitts	L	173	14	0.60		0.7036	0.7037	33	Leeman (1983)
Kamchatka	H	330	12	1.30	0.37	0.7031	0.7033	35	Leeman (1983)
Turkey-Iran	T	139		2.30	0.84	0.7036	0.7050	50	Leeman (1983)
New Zealand	Z	234	16	1.50	0.42	0.7041	0.7052	35	Leeman (1983)
Sumatra Java	U	262	108	1.70		0.7039	0.7047	30	Leeman (1983)
Japan Kyushu	J	541	?	1.50		0.7037	0.7050	28	Leeman (1983)
Japan Honshu	J	595	78	1.00		0.7026	0.7040	30	Leeman (1983)
Japan Hokkaido	J	125	46	1.10		0.7026	0.7037	28	Leeman (1983)
Nevada Egan Range		26	21	3.20	1.30	0.7084	0.7125		Feeley and Grunder (1991) and Grunder (1992)
Central Nevada caldera complex		7	2	2.30	1.26	0.7093	0.7101		Askren (1992)
Indian Peak caldera complex		10	7	2.90	1.19	0.7071	0.7091		Askren (1992) and Hart et al. (1998)
All Great Basin		376		2.90	1.01				Barr (1993)

Figure 3 K₂O–SiO₂ diagram for middle Cenozoic lava flows from the Great Basin. Field boundaries and rock-suite labels from Le Maitre (1989) except shoshonitic from Ewart (1982).

Figure 4 Total alkalies–silica diagram for middle Cenozoic lava flows from the Great Basin. Field boundaries and rock-type labels from Le Maitre (1989). Dotted line (from Le Bas et al. 1992) separates 23 alkaline (silica undersaturated) samples above from 353 subalkaline below.

Figure 5 Thickness of the crust plotted against average K₂O/Na₂O in andesites for the suites of lava samples listed in Table 1. Arrows on left side of diagram are values of middle Cenozoic lava suites in the Great Basin.

Figure 6 Thickness of crust plotted against K₂O at 57.5 wt% SiO₂ on variation diagrams for the suites of lava samples listed in Table 1. Arrows on left side of diagram are values of middle Cenozoic lava suites in the Great Basin.

Figure 7 Thickness of crust plotted against the minimum initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in lavas with < 63 wt. % SiO₂ for the suites of samples listed in Table 1. Arrows on left side of diagram are values of middle Cenozoic lava suites in the Great Basin.

Figure 8 Thickness of crust plotted against the average initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in the suites of lavas listed in Table 1. Arrows on left side of diagram are values of middle Cenozoic lava suites in the Great Basin.

Figure 9 Ba versus SiO₂ in Great Basin lavas compared to lavas from other locales listed in Table 1. ‘Main trend’ extends from about 50 wt. % SiO₂ and 200 ppm Ba to 75 wt. % SiO₂ and 900 ppm Ba.

Figure 10 Ba versus SiO₂ in lavas from Central America listed in Table 1 (see Carr et al. 2003). Line is ‘main trend’ from previous figure.

Figure 11 Rb versus SiO₂ in Great Basin lavas compared to lavas from other locales listed in Table 1. ‘Main trend’ extends from about 50 wt. % SiO₂ and 10 ppm Ba to 75 wt. % SiO₂ and 70 ppm Ba.

Figure 12 Rb versus SiO₂ in lava samples from Central America listed in Table 1 (see Carr et al. 2003).

Figure 13 Distributions of major outflow tuff sheets and their source calderas in the central Nevada volcanic field that surrounds the central Nevada caldera complex, based on our unpublished data (see Best et al. 1989b, 1995 for preliminary data). Calderas labelled with abbreviations of the name of the erupted tuff and with age in Ma. (a) < 27 Ma. Asterisk southeast of Austin is our inferred location of the source of the tuff of Clipper Gap; no fault-bounded caldera source has been found. (b) >27 Ma.

Figure 14 Western edge of the Precambrian basement corresponding to the I_Sr = 0.706 line (modified from Wooden et al. 1998) and ‘possible distribution of Toyabe uplift zone’ (darker grey) of (Speed et al. 1988, Figure 22-11). Calderas embedded eccentrically in the western part of the maximum distribution of outflow sheets from Figure 13. Calderas west of the Toquima Range from John (1992) include Arc Dome (AD, 25 Ma) and Toiyabe (T, 22 Ma). Mt Jefferson caldera (MJ, 27 Ma) in the Toquima caldera complex from Henry et al. (1996).

Figure 15 Topographic profiles across the edges of high orogenic plateaus from Masek et al. (1994). (a) Average profiles, based on 100-km-wide swaths (Masek et al. 1994, Figure 3), adjusted to the same horizontal scale, across the Tibetan (solid line) and Andean (dashed lines) plateaus and oriented so that storms approach from the left as they did for the western margin of the Great Basin Altiplano. The upper Andean profile is for the northeast (Beni) part of the Altiplano and the lower for the southeastern (Pilcomayo) part. Note the topographic high on the lip of the plateau between its interior on the right and its sloping margin. (b) Results of numerical modelling show a representative initial topography and the final topography that results from the interaction of heavy orographic precipitation on the initial plateau slope and consequent erosional denudation and isostatic uplift.

Figure 16 Schematic profiles of the western slope of Great Basin Altiplano projected eastward to the Clan Alpine Mountains and New Pass Range in the western Great Basin. Points represent the bases of Oligocene–Miocene ash-flow tuff sections projected onto a WE profile at the latitude of Donner Summit. The two elevations shown for the Clan Alpine Mountains correspond to the CCA and NCA sections of Hudson and Geissman (1991). The west margin of the Sierra Nevada structural block is placed at the present east margin of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley. (a) Estimates assuming second stage of major uplift starting in late Cenozoic time (e.g. Wakabayashi and Sawyer 2001). Slope of gravel with confidence limits extrapolated from Yeend (1974) using method of Lindgren (1911) for western sector of 4.5 ± 0.5 m/km (20–25 feet/mile) and using Yeend's estimate of 11.8 ± 0.5 m/km (60–64 feet/mile) eastward. Distances and elevations shown for present day and reconstructed distances adjusted to 50% extension in the Great Basin. (b) Estimates assuming that nearly all uplift occurred prior to deposition of Eocene Auriferous Gravels, so that present slopes in the Sierra Nevada are nearly the same as existed in late Eocene time (Mulch et al. 2006). Overall, slopes of Auriferous Gravels to elevation of 1.7–1.8 km in northern Sierra (Mulch et al. 2006) are linear interpolations to Donner Summit. Distances eastward from east margin of Sierra Nevada structural block are adjusted assuming 50% extension in the present Carson Sink and Walker Lane Belt after emplacement of middle Cenozoic ignimbrites. Elevations of tuffs are adjusted to fit a hypothetical slope between Donner Summit and our assumed elevations of ignimbrite sections in Stillwater, Paradise, Clan Alpine, and New Pass mountain ranges approaching 4 km.

Figure 17 Conceptual WE cross-section through the middle Cenozoic Great Basin Altiplano at approximately 38.5° N latitude.

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