Geology of the Lake Mead region: An overview

Abstract

The Lake Mead region contains major Miocene disruptions of structures formed during Mesozoic tectonic shortening. Erosion by the Colorado River and its tributaries has produced exceptional exposures of diverse structures and basin deposits recording the disruptions. Here we provide an overview of the results of studies of these features that started in earnest in 1934 when Chester Longwell began assessing the geology of the reservoir floor prior to impoundment of Lake Mead. The analysis was reinvigorated in the 1970s and early 1980s with geological mapping and structural and stratigraphic studies by Ernie Anderson and Bob Bohannon, as well as geochemical and volcanological studies by Gene Smith and his students, and has culminated in numerous subsequent studies.