Middle Miocene to recent faulting and exhumation of the central Slate Range, eastern California shear zone.

摘要

New mapping, fault-slip, and thermochronological studies show middle Miocene to recent extension and exhumation of the central Slate Range, eastern California, is produced by the active Searles Valley fault zone and the Slate Range detachment, a middle Miocene low angle normal fault. Offset middle Miocene rocks record a combined ∼7.5 km of west-directed extension over the last ∼13 Ma for the fault zones. (U-Th)/He thermochronological ages from exhumed apatite samples from the middle Miocene preextensional crust in the northern-central Slate range show rapid fault slip began along the Searles Valley fault zone at 4.2 +/- 0.4 Ma. This timing correlates to the results of nearby studies suggesting a strain transition in the surrounding area between ∼6-3 Ma.; The text of this study is enhanced by supplementary materials including GIS map data, and two spreadsheets containing kinematic and thermochronologic data used in the geologic and tectonic analysis of the map area.