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At least 1,063 records · Page 59Linked to original sources

USGS1992

Mineralogy and geochemistry of two metamorphosed sedimentary manganese deposits, Sierra Nevada, California, USA

Laminated to massive rhodochrosite, hausmannite, and Mn-silicates from the Smith prospect and Manga-Chrome mine, Sierra Nevada, California were deposited as ocean floor sediments associated with chert and shale. The principal lithologies at Smith are chert, argillite, rhodochrosite-, hausmannite- and chlorite-rich layers, and relatively uncommon layers of jacobsite. The Manga-Chrome mine also contains layers rich in manganoan calcite and caryopilite. Tephroite, rhodonite, spessartine, and accessory alleghanyite and sonolite formed during metamorphism. Volcaniclastic components are present at Manga-Chrome as metavolcanic clasts and as Mn-poor, red, garnet- and hematite-rich layers. There is no evidence, such as relict lithologies, that Mn was introduced into Mn-poor lithologies such as chert, limestone or mudstone. Replacement of Mn-poor phases by Mn-rich phases is observed only in the groundmass of volcanic clasts that appear to have fallen into soft Mn-rich mud. Manganiferous samples from the Smith prospect and Manga-Chrome mine have high Mn Fe and low concentrations of Ni, Cu, Zn, Co, U, Th and the rare-earth elements that are similar to concentrations reported from other ancient Mn deposits found in chert-greenstone complexes and from manganiferous sediments and crusts that are forming near modern sea floor vents. The Sierra Nevada deposits formed as precipitates of Mn-rich sediments on the sea floor, probably from mixtures of circulating hydrothermal fluids and seawater. The composition of a metabasalt from the Smith prospect is consistent with those of island-arc tholeiites. Metavolcanic clasts from the Manga-Chrome mine are compositionally distinct from the Smith metabasalt and have alkaline to calc-alkaline affinities. A back-arc basin is considered to be the most likely paleoenvironment for the formation of the Mn-rich lenses at the Manga-Chrome mine and, by association, the Smith prospect. Layers of rhodochrosite, hausmannite and chert preserve the composition and some textures of the sedimentary protoliths at both Sierra Nevada deposits. Jacobsite-rich layers probably represent a Fe-rich protolith. Caryopilite and manganoan calcite represent additional protoliths at the Manga-Chrome mine. The metamorphic assemblage prehnite-chlorite-epidote-calcite in a metabasalt from the Smith prospect constrains regional metamorphic conditions to a maximum temperature of 325??C and a pressure of 2 kbar. Slightly higher temperatures are indicated by the presence of actinolite in another metabasalt. Compositions of Mn-rich minerals in Smith samples are consistent with these metamorphic conditions. ?? 1992.

LITHOS↗

USGS2001

Smectite diagenesis, pore-water freshening, and fluid flow at the toe of the Nankai wedge

The presence of low-chloride fluids in the lowermost sediments drilled at Ocean Drilling Program Site 808, at the Nankai accretionary wedge, has been considered as prime evidence for long-distance, lateral fluid flow from depth. Here, we re-evaluate the potential role of in situ reaction of smectite (S) to illite (I) in the genesis of this low chloride anomaly. This reaction is known to be occurring at Site 808, with both the S content and S to I ratio in the mixed layer clays decreasing substantially with depth. We show that the bulk of the chloride anomaly can generate by in situ clay dehydration, particularly if pre-reaction smectite abundances (Ai) approach ?? 10-15% of the bulk sediment. The Ai values, however, are not well constrained. At Ai values < 10-15%, an additional source of low-Cl fluid centered close to the de??collement could be required. Thus, there remains the important possibility that the observed low-Cl anomaly is a compound effect of both lateral flow and in situ smectite dehydration. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Earth and Planetary Science Letters↗

USGS2001

Deformation across the Pacific-North America plate boundary near San Francisco, California

We have detected a narrow zone of compression between the Coast Ranges and the Great Valley, and we have estimated slip rates for the San Andreas, Rodgers Creek, and Green Valley faults just north of San Francisco. These results are based on an analysis of campaign and continuous Global Positioning System (GPS) data collected between 1992 and 2000 in central California. The zone of compression between the Coast Ranges and the Great Valley is 25 km wide. The observations clearly show 3.8±1.5 mm yr −1 of shortening over this narrow zone. The strike slip components are best fit by a model with 20.8±1.9 mm yr −1 slip on the San Andreas fault, 10.3±2.6 mm yr −1 on the Rodgers Creek fault, and 8.1±2.1 mm yr −1 on the Green Valley fault. The Pacific-Sierra Nevada-Great Valley motion totals 39.2±3.8 mm yr −1 across a zone that is 120 km wide (at the latitude of San Francisco). Standard deviations are one σ. The geodetic results suggest a higher than geologic rate for the Green Valley fault. The geodetic results also suggest an inconsistency between geologic estimates of the San Andreas rate and seismologic estimates of the depth of locking on the San Andreas fault. The only convergence observed is in the narrow zone along the border between the Great Valley and the Coast Ranges.

California↗

USGS2010

Coulomb stress interactions among M≥5.9 earthquakes in the Gorda deformation zone and on the Mendocino Fracture Zone, Cascadia megathrust, and northern San Andreas fault

The Gorda deformation zone, a 50,000 km 2 area of diffuse shear and rotation offshore northernmost California, has been the site of 20 M ≥ 5.9 earthquakes on four different fault orientations since 1976, including four M ≥ 7 shocks. This is the highest rate of large earthquakes in the contiguous United States. We calculate that the source faults of six recent M ≥ 5.9 earthquakes had experienced ≥0.6 bar Coulomb stress increases imparted by earthquakes that struck less than 9 months beforehand. Control tests indicate that ≥0.6 bar Coulomb stress interactions between M ≥ 5.9 earthquakes separated by <9 months are unlikely to occur by random chance, suggesting that the multiple short-term stress interactions observed among the recent Gorda zone earthquakes are not an apparent effect. In all well-constrained ≥0.2 bar Coulomb stress interactions between earthquakes that occurred within 4 years of each other, the second earthquake is promoted. On longer timescales, calculated stress changes imparted by the 1980 M w = 7.3 Trinidad earthquake are consistent with the locations of M ≥ 5.9 earthquakes in the Gorda zone until at least 1995, as well as earthquakes on the Mendocino Fault Zone in 1994 and 2000. Coulomb stress changes imparted by the 1980 earthquake are also consistent with its distinct elbow-shaped aftershock pattern. From these observations, we derive generalized static stress interactions among right-lateral, left-lateral and thrust faults near triple junctions.

California↗

USGS1998

Quantitative measure of the variation in fault rheology due to fluid-rock interactions

We analyze friction data from two published suites of laboratory tests on granite in order to explore and quantify the effects of temperature ( T ) and pore water pressure ( P p ) on the sliding behavior of faults. Rate-stepping sliding tests were performed on laboratory faults in granite containing “gouge” (granite powder), both dry at 23° to 845°C [ Lockner et al. , 1986], and wet ( P p = 100 MPa) at 23° to 600°C [ Blanpied et al ., 1991, 1995]. Imposed slip velocities ( V ) ranged from 0.01 to 5.5 μm/s, and effective normal stresses were near 400 MPa. For dried granite at all temperatures, and wet granite below ∼300°C, the coefficient of friction (μ) shows low sensitivity to V , T , and P p . For wet granite above ∼350°, μ drops rapidly with increasing T and shows a strong, positive rate dependence and protracted strength transients following steps in V , presumably reflecting the activity of a water-aided deformation process. By inverting strength data from velocity stepping tests we determined values for parameters in three formulations of a rate- and state-dependent constitutive law. One or two state variables were used to represent slip history effects. Each velocity step yielded an independent set of values for the nominal friction level, five constitutive parameters (transient parameters a , b 1 , and b 2 and characteristic displacements D c1 and D c2 ), and the velocity dependence of steady state friction ∂μ ss /∂ ln V = a - b 1 − b 2 . Below 250°, data from dry and most wet tests are adequately modeled by using the “slip law” [ Ruina , 1983] and one state variable ( a = 0.003 to 0.018, b = 0.001 to +0.018, D c ≈ 1 to 20 μm). Dried tests above 250° can also be fitted with one state variable. In contrast, wet tests above 350° require higher direct rate dependence ( a = 0.03 to 0.12), plus a second state variable with large, negative amplitude ( b 2 = −0.03 to −0.14) and large characteristic displacement ( D c2 = 300 to >4000 μm). Thus the parameters a , b 1 , and b 2 for wet granite show a pronounced change in their temperature dependence in the range 270° to 350°C, which may reflect a change in underlying deformation mechanism. We quantify the trends in parameter values from 25° to 600°C by piecewise linear regressions, which provide a straightforward means to incorporate the full constitutive response of granite into numerical models of fault slip. The modeling results suggest that the succeptibility for unstable (stick-slip) sliding is maximized between 90° and 360°C, in agreement with laboratory observations and consistent with the depth range of earthquakes on mature faults in the continental crust.

Journal of Geophysical Research B: Solid Earth↗

USGS2021

Current activity on the Martian surface: A key subject for future exploration

One of the fundamental discoveries in Mars science in the last decade has been the extent and importance of current surface activity. Recent results have shifted our view of Mars from a world where the most interesting geologic events were in the distant past (similar to the Moon) to a world that undergoes active evolution and one where understanding the present is key to deciphering the planet’s history. When input was requested for the last Planetary Science Decadal Survey, some observations of surface changes had been published, but the number of detections was small and their significance not fully appreciated. Since that time, detections have proliferated, driven primarily by the long-term operation of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) as well as landed observations of aeolian activity. In addition to observed changes, theory suggests that additional important surface processes are likely active but not yet observed because orbital data are limited in space and time and landed studies are rare. Understanding current Martian surface processes is a fundamental science question in itself, as it provides a test for physical and terrestrial analog-based models of specific geological processes acting under non-Earth planetary and environmental conditions. It is also an essential step for reading Mars’ geologic history and providing input to climate models: without understanding current dynamic processes, we cannot understand how they have varied during recent climate cycles, nor how they are reflected in ancient rock or modern ice records. Understanding the rates and types of current surface activity is also highly relevant to selecting geological samples, setting Planetary Protection rules, and understanding the hazards and environment that would be experienced by future human explorers.

Bulletin of the AAS↗

USGS2003

Hydrothermal diamond-anvil cell: Application to studies of geologic fluids

The hydrothermal diamond-anvil cell (HDAC) was designed to simulate the geologic conditions of crustal processes in the presence of water or other fluids. The HDAC has been used to apply external pressure to both synthetic and natural fluid inclusions in quartz to minimize problems caused by stretching or decrepitation of inclusions during microthermometric analysis. When the HDAC is loaded with a fluid sample, it can be considered as a large synthetic fluid inclusion and therefore, can be used to study the PVTX properties as well as phase relations of the sample fluid. Because the HDAC has a wide measurement pressure-temperature range and also allows in-situ optical observations, it has been used to study critical phenomena of various chemical systems, such as the geologically important hydrous silicate melts. It is possible, when the HDAC is combined with synchrotron X-ray sources, to obtain basic information on speciation and structure of metal including rare-earth elements (REE) complexes in hydrothermal solutions as revealed by X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectra. Recent modifications of the HDAC minimize the loss of intensity of X-rays due to scattering and absorption by the diamonds. These modifications are especially important for studying elements with absorption edges below 10 keV and therefore particularly valuable for our understanding of transport and deposition of first-row transition elements and REE in hydrothermal environments.

Acta Petrologica Sinica↗

USGS1976

Populations of the planet-crossing asteroids

The population of Apollo, Amor and Mars crossing asteroids is studied. With the 18-inch Schmidt camera of the Hale Observatories at Mt. Palomar, four new planet crossing asteroids were discovered. A formal theory relating the probability of discovery of asteroid of a given orbital class to condition of search has been developed. From the estimated populations the flux of the Apollo objects to magnitude 18 near the Earth is of the order of (0.4 ± 0.2) 10 -14 km -2 yr -1 . During 3.3 b.y. this flux produces an estimated 60 ± 20 craters of 10 km in diameter and larger per 10 6 km 2 on the Moon. This number seems to be consistent with the observed crater densities on 3. 3 b.y. old mare surfaces in the eastern Oceanus Procellarum and Mare lmbrium.

Geologica Romana↗

USGS2012

Where fast weathering creates thin regolith and slow weathering creates thick regolith

Weathering disaggregates rock into regolith – the fractured or granular earth material that sustains life on the continental land surface. Here, we investigate what controls the depth of regolith formed on ridges of two rock compositions with similar initial porosities in Virginia (USA). A priori, we predicted that the regolith on diabase would be thicker than on granite because the dominant mineral (feldspar) in the diabase weathers faster than its granitic counterpart. However, weathering advanced 20 deeper into the granite than the diabase. The 20 -thicker regolith is attributed mainly to connected micron-sized pores, microfractures formed around oxidizing biotite at 20 m depth, and the lower iron (Fe) content in the felsic rock. Such porosity allows pervasive advection and deep oxidation in the granite. These observations may explain why regolith worldwide is thicker on felsic compared to mafic rock under similar conditions. To understand regolith formation will require better understanding of such deep oxidation reactions and how they impact fluid flow during weathering.

Virginia↗

USGS2020

Mechanics of near-field deformation during co- and post-seismic shallow fault slip

Poor knowledge of how faults slip and distribute deformation in the shallow crust hinders efforts to mitigate hazards where faults increasingly intersect with the expanding global population at Earth’s surface. Here we analyze two study sites along the 2014 M 6.0 South Napa, California, earthquake rupture, each dominated by either co- or post-seismic shallow fault slip. We combine mobile laser scanning (MLS), active-source seismic tomography, and finite element modeling to investigate how deformation rate and mechanical properties of the shallow crust affect fault behavior. Despite four orders-of-magnitude difference in the rupture velocities, MLS-derived shear strain fields are remarkably similar at the two sites and suggest deceleration of the co-seismic rupture near Earth’s surface. Constrained by the MLS and seismic data, finite element models indicate shallow faulting is more sensitive to lithologic layering and plastic yielding than to the presence of fault compliant zones (i.e., regions surrounding faults with reduced stiffness). Although both elastic and elastoplastic models can reproduce the observed surface displacement fields within the uncertainty of MLS data, elastoplastic models likely provide the most reliable representations of subsurface fault behavior, as they produce geologically reasonable stress states and are consistent with field, geodetic, and seismological observations.

California↗

USGS1991

Venus volcanism: Initial analysis from Magellan data

Magellan images confirm that volcanism is widespread and has been fundamentally important in the formation and evolution of the crust of Venus. High-resolution imaging data reveal evidence for intrusion (dike formation and cryptodomes) and extrusion (a wide range of lava flows). Also observed are thousands of small shield volcanoes, larger edifices up to several hundred kilometers in diameter, massive outpourings of lavas, and local pyroclastic deposits. Although most features are consistent with basaltic compositions, a number of large pancake-like domes are morphologically similar to rhyolite-dacite domes on Earth. Flows and sinuous channels with lengths of many hundreds of kilometers suggest that extremely high effusion rates or very fluid magmas (perhaps komatiites) may be present. Volcanism is evident in various tectonic settings (coronae, linear extensional and compressional zones, mountain belts, upland rises, highland plateaus, and tesserae). Volcanic resurfacing rates appear to be low (less than 2 km 3 /yr) but the significance of dike formation and intrusions, and the mode of crustal formation and loss remain to be established.

Science↗

USGS2025

The Mammoth magnetic anomaly, Pinal County, Arizona

A high-resolution Earth Mapping Resources Initiative airborne geophysical survey was flown in the southwest North American porphyry copper province to improve bedrock geologic maps and to identify areas that have unrecognized critical mineral resource potential. During the review of the aeromagnetic data, a distinctly monopolar-shaped, negative magnetic anomaly was observed at a flight elevation of 200 m above the ground with a maximum amplitude of –9500 nT. We have named this the Mammoth magnetic anomaly (MMA) because it is centered 12 km northeast of the town of Mammoth, Arizona, USA. The total field anomaly (TFA) contour of –500 nT enclosing the MMA defines an elongate shape measuring 2.5 km long by 1 km wide that trends northwest–southeast. Given the striking nature of this negative, monopolar-shaped magnetic anomaly, we conducted a ground campaign in May 2025 to determine its authenticity and potential relationship to critical mineral endowment. The MMA was confirmed on the ground with a TFA approaching –46,000 nT. Total magnetic intensity (TMI) observations routinely fell below the 18,000 nT operating floor of an industry-standard cesium-vapor total field magnetometer, and extremely low TMI measurements were corroborated along coincident traverse lines using two high dynamic range, but lower sensitivity, smartphone vector magnetometers. The lowest TMI values recorded by both smartphone magnetometers were 1000 nT and confirmed with multiple adjacent and crossing lines. Field observations suggest that this magnetic feature is caused by strong remanent magnetization within fine-grained magnetite hosted within locally altered Pinal Schist.

Arizona↗

USGS1978

Cobalt and scandium partitioning versus iron content for crystalline phases in ultramafic nodules

Fractionation of Co and Sc between garnets, olivines, and clino- and orthopyroxenes, separated from a suite of Salt Lake Crater ultramafic nodules that equilibrated at the same T and P , is strongly dependent on Fe contents. This observation suggests that petrogenetic equilibrium models of partial melting and crystal fractionation must take into account effects of magma composition, if they are to describe quantitatively geochemical evolutionary trends.

Earth and Planetary Science Letters↗

USGS2024

Earthquake cycle mechanics during caldera collapse: Simulating the 2018 Kīlauea eruption

In multiple observed caldera-forming eruptions, the rock overlying a draining magma reservoir dropped downward along ring faults in sequences of discrete collapse earthquakes. These sequences are analogous to tectonic earthquake cycles and provide opportunities to examine fault mechanics and collapse eruption dynamics over multiple events. Collapse earthquake cycles have been studied with zero-dimensional slider-block models, but these do not account for the complicated interplay between fluid and elastic dynamics or for factors such as the heterogeneous fault properties and non-vertical ring fault geometries often inferred at volcanoes. We present two-dimensional axisymmetric mafic piston-like collapse earthquake cycle models that include rate-and-state friction, fully-dynamic elasticity, and compressible viscous fluid magma flow. We demonstrate that collapse earthquake intervals and magnitudes are highly sensitive to inertial effects, evolving stress fields, fault geometry, and depth-varying fault friction. Given the consistent earthquake cycles observed in most eruptions, this suggests that ring faults can quickly stabilize and often become nearly vertical at depth. We use the well-monitored 2018 collapse sequence at Kı̄lauea as a case study. Our model can produce many features of Kı̄lauea seismic and geodetic observations, except for a significant amount of interseismic slip, which cannot be readily explained with simple rate-and-state friction parameterizations.

Hawaii↗

USGS2012

Crustal and upper mantle structure of the northern and central Sierra Nevada

Teleseismic data were recorded within the Sierra Nevada to look for lateral variations in the upper mantle. The data were collected at both temporary and permanent stations, and P wave residuals were computed. After correcting the P residual data for crustal and topographic effects, there is still a variation of as much as 0.5-0.6 s from the north end of the Sierra Nevada to Mono Lake, located east of the central part of the range. In addition, there are significant variations in travel time patterns, depending on the azimuth of wave arrivals. Two simple modeling approaches have been used to infer the upper mantle velocity structure from the observed variations in travel time. In the first, it is assumed that the velocity variations are distributed throughout a depth range of about 60–160 km. One model that fits the data indicates a north-to-south trend in upper mantle P velocities from about 7.9 km/s at the north end of the Sierra to 7.6 km/s near Mono Lake. Superimposed is a west-to-east trend from 7.85 km/s under the Sierra Nevada crest to 7.7 km/s east of Lake Tahoe. In the second modeling approach, a fixed velocity contrast is assumed between the lithosphere and asthenosphere with variations in travel time resulting from variations in lithospheric thickness. One model, consistent with the observations, indicates a thinning of the lithosphere from 110 km at the north end of the Sierra to 60 km near Mono Lake.

Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth↗

USGS2012

On the state of lithospheric stress in the absence of applied tectonic forces

Numerous published analyses of the nontectonic state of stress are based on Hooke's law and the boundary condition of zero horizontal deformation. This approach has been used to determine the gravitational stress state as well as the effects of processes such as erosion and temperature changes on the state of lithospheric stress. The major disadvantage of these analyses involves the assumption of lateral constraint which seems unrealistic in view of the observational fact that the crust can deform horizontally in response to applied loads. If the same problems are addressed by assuming that the remote stress state is constant, instead of the condition of zero horizontal deformation, then the resulting stress states are entirely different and in good accord with observations. In the absence of applied tectonic forces the only likely gravitational stress states are those for which all three principal stresses are nearly equal. To the contrary, the gravitational stress states developed on the basis of the lateral constraint assumption can be ruled out. The processes of erosion and sedimentation have slight tendencies to increase and decrease, respectively, the state of deviatoric stress. In particular, for initial stress states in the range of slightly extensional to compressional, erosion has the effect of enhancing the ratio of average horizontal to vertical stress, which may explain, at least in part, the common observation of high near-surface horizontal stresses. Temperature changes have only minor effects on the stress state, as averaged over the thickness of the lithosphere.

Journal of Geophysical Research Solid Earth↗

USGS1977

Earthquake stress drops, ambient tectonic stresses and stresses that drive plate motions

A variety of geophysical observations suggests that the upper portion of the lithosphere, herein referred to as the elastic plate, has long-term material properties and frictional strength significantly greater than the lower lithosphere. If the average frictional stress along the non-ridge margin of the elastic plate is of the order of a kilobar, as suggested by the many observations of the frictional strength of rocks at mid-crustal conditions of pressure and temperature, the only viable mechanism for driving the motion of the elastic plate is a basal shear stress of several tens of bars. Kilobars of tectonic stress are then an ambient, steady condition of the earth's crust and uppermost mantle. The approximate equality of the basal shear stress and the average crustal earthquake stress drop, the localization of strain release for major plate margin earthquakes, and the rough equivalence of plate margin slip rates and gross plate motion rates suggest that the stress drops of major plate margin earthquakes are controlled by the elastic release of the basal shear stress in the vicinity of the plate margin, despite the existence of kilobars of tectonic stress existing across vertical planes parallel to the plate margin. If the stress differences available to be released at the time of faulting are distributed in a random, white fasbion with a mean-square value determined by the average earthquake stress drop, the frequency of occurrence of constant stress drop earthquakes will be proportional to reciprocal faulting area, in accordance with empirically known frequency of occurrence statistics. ?? 1977 Birkha??user Verlag.

Pure and Applied Geophysics PAGEOPH↗

USGS1978

Bright Angel and Mesa Butte fault systems of northern Arizona

Regional geologic mapping using pictures from the first Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS-1) has led to the recognition of two parallel northeast-trending systems of normal faults, each of which can be traced more than 100 km. Many eruptive centers appear to be localized along these fault systems or along their extensions. The faults are chiefly observed in Phanerozoic rocks and have minor displacement but are interpreted by us to reflect fault zones of major displacement in the crystalline Precambrian basement. The Bright Angel fault system extends as a continuous zone of normal faults from Cataract Creek on the southwest to the Echo Cliffs on the northeast. Beyond the Echo Cliffs, the system continues northeastward to the vicinity of Monument Valley as a more diffuse, discontinuous zone of normal faults. The Bright Angel fault, Vishnu fault, and Eminence Break graben are among the larger individual members of the total system. The Navajo mountain intrusive center lies along the discontinuous part of the system. Three major eruptive centers of the Mount Floyd volcanic field lie on the southwestern projection of the Bright Angel fault system. If the eruptive centers are included as part of the recognizable structural system, the Bright Angel system has a total known length of slightly more than 300 km. The Mesa Butte fault system, as now recognized, extends from Chino Valley on the southwest to Shadow Mountain on the northeast. Bill Williams Mountain, Sitgreaves Peak, and Kendrick Peak are principal silicic to intermediate eruptive centers of the San Francisco volcanic field that appear to be localized along the fault system. Red Mountain, Mesa Butte, and Shadow Mountain are prominent basaltic eruptive centers along the system; monchiquite diatremes at Tuba Butte and Wildcat Peak lie on the northeast projection of the fault system. The total distance from Chino Valley to Wildcat Peak is more than 200 km. Comparison of the Bright Angel and Mesa Butte fault systems with a residual aeromagnetic map of Arizona reveals a close correspondence between the positions of the observed relatively minor normal faults and the margins of a series of large northeast-trending magnetic anomalies. Perhaps the most noteworthy feature of the aeromagnetic map is a 400-km-long northeast-trending belt of large positive aeromagnetic anomalies that extends from the vicinity of Congress to the northern border of Arizona. The Mesa Butte fault system lies along the southeast margin of this anomaly belt. Another large positive anomaly, bounded on the southeast by the Bright Angel fault, corresponds in the Grand Canyon to a belt of Precambrian amphibolite and schist. Most of the large positive aeromagnetic anomalies along the Bright Angel and Mesa Butte fault systems may correspond to similar bodies of mafic metavolcanic rocks, which have been offset along two major and perhaps several minor faults of Precambrian age. The normal faults that displace the overlying Phanerozoic rocks have been formed by renewed movement along these ancient fault zones, in response to dilation of the crust from late Tertiary time to the present. The ancient fault zones inferred to be present along the Bright Angel and Mesa Butte fault systems may be related in origin to the Shylock and Chaparral fault zones in central Arizona described by Anderson (1967). Both the Shylock fault zone and the Chaparral fault have right-lateral transcurrent displacement. As shown by Anderson, the Shylock zone has a probable minimum horizontal displacement of 8 km. A large contrast in the magnetic properties of the rocks on opposite sides of the fault zone, indicated by the aeromagnetic map, suggests that the displacement may be several tens of kilometres or more. Comparably large right-lateral displacements may have occurred along the ancestral Bright Angel and Mesa Butte fault zones. The location of epicenters of recent earthquakes and reports of earthquakes by residents in the region indicate that the Bright Angel and Mesa Butte fault systems are currently active.

Arizona↗