Tertiary sedimentation along the Lake Mead fault system, Virgin Mountains, Nevada-Arizona

Sedimentary rocks of the Thumb and Rainbow Gardens Members of the Tertiary Horse Spring Formation crop out within the Virgin and South Virgin Mountains in Nevada-Arizona. The Virgins are cut by a broad zone of northeast-striking left-lateral and north-striking normal faults collectively part of the Lake Mead oblique left-lateral fault system (LMFS). Horse Spring rocks are faulted and variably eastward tilted (10--50[degree]) within the LMFS and extend northward from the Gold Butte left-lateral fault across the Lime Ridge left-lateral fault to the south flank of the Virgin Mountains. The Rainbow Gardens Member (24--18 Ma) was deposited in a shallow basin; gradual facies changes show no influence of active faulting. In contrast, lateral and vertical facies in the Thumb (16--14) Ma change abruptly and are strongly influenced by oblique-slip faulting and uplift. An unconformity separates pedogenically altered limestone of the Rainbow Gardens from overlying well-bedded lacustrine limestones of the Thumb. Locally the unconformity is overlain by conglomerate and megabreccia deposits composed of underlying Rainbow Gardens carbonate clasts derived from energy fault scarps. Thumb carbonates above the unconformity grade laterally and vertically into thick deposits of lacustrine gypsum and fine-grained sandstone, which in turn intertongue laterally and vertically with marginal lake andmore » alluvial fan facies. Abrupt influx of megabreccia and coarse conglomerate into Thumb lacustrine deposits northward from both the Gold Butte and Lime Ridge faults indicates continued faulting.« less