Collaborative Research: Distribution and Kinematics of Late Paleozoic Deformation from Southeastern California to Northeast Nevada

这是一项跨学科研究，涉及地质制图、地层学、沉积学、生物地层学和构造地质学。 目的是确定横跨内华达州的晚古生代变形的分布和运动学（变形样式）。 对北美西部演化的传统认识只认识到古生代的两次造山（造山）事件。 然而，这个研究小组已经发现了明确的证据，以前未被承认的密西西比，宾夕法尼亚和二叠纪收缩变形事件在皮农山脉和Adobe山脉，内华达州。他们的工作，沿着其他许多工作者发表的地图，表明这些事件可能是广泛的。这一广泛的地理范围和时间的持久性之间的收缩以前公认的造山带提出了一些基本的问题，在晚古生代北美西部的构造过程。 该项目将调查范围向北扩展到爱达荷州边境，向南扩展到加州东部。这项研究有可能修改目前的思想统一构造模型的古生代北美西部的演变。 毫无疑问，它将使我们更好地了解内华达州晚古生代变形的程度、几何形状、运动学和时间。 这也可能导致重新解释收缩变形发生在大陆西部的时间和原因。这项研究的结果将是有用的采矿和能源工业，因为这些岩石和结构的重要性，生产和捕获碳氢化合物和托管金矿在内华达州。 它们也可能与内华达州不断增长的人口的地下水供应有关，因为这些结构可能会破坏或取代含水层。 这些工作人员的研究成果已经被用于在内华达州南部建立更精确的水文模型。

This is an interdisciplinary study, entailing geologic mapping, stratigraphy, sedimentology, biostratigraphy and structural geology. The purpose is to determine the distribution and kinematics (deformational style) of late Paleozoic deformation across Nevada. The conventional understanding of the evolution of western North America recognizes only two orogenic (mountain-building) events during Paleozoic time. However, this team of investigators has found unequivocal evidence for previously-unrecognized Mississippian, Pennsylvanian and Permian contractional deformation events in the Pinon Range and Adobe Range, Nevada. Their work, along with published mapping by numerous other workers, indicates that these events may be widespread. This broad geographic extent and temporal persistence of contraction between the previously recognized orogenies raises some fundamental questions regarding the tectonic processes acting on western North America in Late Paleozoic time. This project is extending the investigation north to the Idaho border, and south into eastern California. This study has the potential to revise current thinking about unifying tectonic models for the Paleozoic evolution of western North America. It will, unequivocally, result in a better understanding of the extent, geometry, kinematics and timing of Late Paleozoic deformation in Nevada. It may also result in a reinterpretation of when and why contractional deformation occurred in the western part of the continent.The results of this study will be of use to the mining and energy industries, because of the importance of these rocks and structures to producing and trapping hydrocarbons and to hosting gold deposits in Nevada. They may also relate to groundwater supplies for the ever-growing population of Nevada, because the structures may disrupt or displace aquifers. Research results from these workers are already being used to build more accurate hydrologic models locally in southern Nevada.