Nature of Paleozoic Crust of Western Nevada Deduced From Paleozoic Island Arc Rocks: Implications for Tectonic Evolution of Western Nevada

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The nature of the deep pre-Mesozoic crust is unknown in a large part of the western U.S., yet knowledge of the buried crustal rocks is critical to evaluating many of the existing tectonic models of the region. This project will attempt to determine if the pre-Mesozoic basement is a single, extensive arc terrane of continental chemistry or is a collage of smaller terranes of more oceanic composition by examination of volcanic and volicaniclastic rocks of upper Paleozoic age that were derived form the basement. Field relationships, ages and structures will be the focus of the University of Nevada researchers; extensive geochemical analyses will be the focus of the French collaborators, funded by the French CNRS. Results are expected to help resolve the nature of the pre- Mesozoic basement and therefore clarify the starting material for the major Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonic events that affected the area.