Seismic signals from these earthquakes were unusual and uncharacteristic for tectonic earthquakes, and we rule out the possibility of a mine collapse or explosion. The desert s black rock originated in an island arc chain, rather than basalt flows. Black rock desert volcano volcanic field 1800 m 5,905 ft utah, canada and usa mainland, 38. Stratigraphic reservoirs in the great basin geology. The black rock desert volcanic field in millard county, utah, is a cluster of several volcanic features of the great basin including as pahvant butte, the cinders, and tabernacle hill. Davis utah geological survey, retired openfile report 447 may 2005 utah geological survey a division of utah department of natural resources although this product represents the work of professional scientists, the utah department of natural resources. In a regional study of the gypsum deposits of utah, boutwell 1904 described the quaternary gypsum sands. Topics desert geology cotaught with mark wilson and meagen. They worked with kevin silver, whitney sims, matt peppers, will cary, and clare boothe luce scholar tricia hall 14 on the volcanology of ice springs volcanic field in the black rock desert, southcentral utah. Quaternary geology of the black rock desert, millard. Pdf observations and implications of magnetotelluric data. Orange triangles show the location of university of utah seismograph stations.
The black rock desert is a volcanic area, or volcanic field, covering more than 700 square miles in eastern millard county. Geochemical aspects of bear lake sedi ments, utah idaho. Subalkaline volcanism in the black rock desert and markagunt plateau volcanic fields, in carney, sm, et al. If youre up for more adventure, geodes, agates, opal, jasper, petrified wood, and rarer fossils could be your prize.
Life on the black rock deserta history of clear lake, utah. Jan 01, 1993 life on the black rock desert a history of clear lake, utah paperback january 1, 1993 by michael r. Kattelman pittsburgh testing laboratory, sulk lclke city, utah assrc. Weve found many pieces of green agate in the desert north of wellton, az. Causes of rock deformation stress pressure placed on rocks strain deformation of the rock strength rock resistance to deformation brittle deformation the rocks break or fracture. To supplement courses in geology at the high school and college levels. Life on the black rock deserta history of clear lake.
Black rock desert, utah temperature the black rock desert is situated near the eastern boundary of the great basin, and at the northern end of what is informally known as the sevier thermal anomaly adjacent to that boundary fig. Quaternary geology of the black rock desert, millard county, utah. Geothermal resources of the western arm of the black rock desert. The black rock itself, the namesake of the desert, is a piece of an ancient island. Snowflake obsidian collected in the black spring area, black rock desert, millard county. Blackrock canyon in westcentral utah is shown to be inappropriate, and among the reasons. This issue is salient in the drum mountains fault zone of central utah, usa. Nca and wilderness areas map 6mb pdf click on a wilderness area in the map below to view a detailed map of the area. These sample came from new mexico but can be found all over in the desert southwest. Black rock desert volcano, utah canada and usa mainland. A map and report are now in preparation for the black rock desert. Unusual seismic signals in the sevier desert, utah possibly.
Mar 30, 2018 maps and descriptions of collecting sites are available as pdf f. It would be nice to change the name of this page to reflect that this article is specific to the black rock desert in nevada, and not to the one in utah. Geochemistry geochronology information related to geologic. Unusual earthquakes highlight central utah volcanoes. The black rock desert volcanic field located in the sevier desert, utah. Pdf observations and implications of magnetotelluric. The black rock desert field contains both utah s youngest known rhyolite dome 0. Rules for rockhounds to protect mineral deposits and ensure longterm opportunities for collection within the nca and its wilderness areas. For 1988, the quater nary geology of fish springs flat in juab county will be mapped at a scale of 1.
Part of the eastern basin and range province, the black rock desert volcanic field covers nearly 7,000 km 2 2,700 mi and is 145 km 90 mi long. B simplified geologic map modified after hintze and davis, 2002 of the. Look for avenzas pdf maps, free from apples app store. Thermal studies sevier black rock deserts millard county, utah summary gwynn and others 20 and allis and others 2011, 2012, summarized below, describe ongoing investigations of the deep geothermal potential beneath the sevier black rock deserts of westcentral utah figures 1 and 2. Ben and nancy kelsey, parents of a baby daughter, left their two wagons on the desert near presentday lucin, utah, on september 12 because their oxen were too weak to pull. Black rock s story first began in about 1870 as a grazing area for milk cows brought out by ranchers and farmers from fillmore and kanosh, located to the east. There are a lot of different color variations associated with agate. Utah obsidian sources black rock area references arkush, brooke s. These sample photos were given to us by betty reid martin. Wright department of geology and geophysics, rice university, houston, texas 77005 abstract this field trip will focus on the early mesozoic structural and magmatic evolution of the black rock desert. It provides a general overview of the surface and groundwater conditions based on data. Feel free to use or modify this presentation however you choose.
A northtrending gravity low of about 30 mgal in amplitude indicates a basin containing about 3 km of tertiary to. Black rock, coyote hills, south twin peak, white mountain. Recent volcanic activity in sw utah geology, utah, surveys. This book was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the. Geothermal resources in the black rock desert, utah. They make up the backbones of hills and mountains and the foundations of plains and valleys. Geological survey ugs bulletin 3, geology of millard county, utah hintze and davis, 2003. Request permission export citation add to favorites. U1, u3 and u4, cocorp utah lines 1, 3 and 4 allmendinger et al. The black rock desert is the southern extension of the sevier desert between the cricket mountains and the pavant range, and lies mostly between altitudes of 4650 feet 1420 m and 6000 feet 1800 m. There is also a black rock desert in utah, near filmore. It is the northernmost volcanic field in a belt of young volcanic fields beginning in the northern grand canyon of arizona and continuing in a northtrending line through utah. Geology of the desert mountain intrusives juab county, utah donald f.
Nca and wilderness areas map 6mb pdf click on a wilderness area in the map below to view a detailed map. Black rocks saint kitts, a notable rock formation on the northeastern coast of saint kitts. Combining these observations, we argue that these earthquake sequences are related to the black rock desert volcanic field. Subalkaline volcanism in the black rock desert and markagunt plateau volcanic fields of southcentral utah. The black rock desert brd, utah, may be unique, with large datasets of mt soundings and gravity measurements in combination with oil exploration wells extending to 5 km depth possessing a variety of geophysical logs, and proven high heat flow in the central part of an underlying basin. Magnetotelluric mt data are an integral part of geothermal resource exploration throughout the world. Collecting minerals and common invertebrate fossils can be enjoyed almost everywhere in black rock high rock country. Exploding lava ocean entry thrills crowd in kalapana, hawaii geology, lava, crowd. Black rock playa extends 100 miles, from gerlach to the jackson mountains.
The black rock desert is a semiarid region in the great basin shrub steppe ecoregion of lava beds and playa, or alkali flats, situated in the black rock desert high rock canyon emigrant trails national conservation area, a silt playa 100 miles 160 km north of reno, nevada that encompasses more than 300,000 acres 120,000 ha of land and contains more than 120 miles 200 km of historic. Plain language summary on september 12, 2018 and april 14, 2019 shallow utah, within the black rock. Utah geological survey po box 146100 salt lake city, ut 84114 email. This book was born out of a 2014 meeting of earth science educators. The black rock desert is divided into two arms by the black rock range, and covers 1,000 square miles. Utah obsidian sources black rock area source catalog. Reno gem and mineral society library list black rock desert. Two shallow m4 earthquakes september 2018 and april 2019 struck a relatively aseismic area in the black rock desert volcanic field the september 2018 is a compensated linear vector dipole event. There has been no direct geologic or seismic evidence for recent. The resulting mixture of volcanic rock and limestone is. The black rock desert extends 100 miles swne between gerlach and quinn river crossing, with areal coverage of 400 square miles. Map showing mineral resource potential of the black rock desert wilderness. To help geology students learn the sequence of rock formations in the three geologic provinces of utah. Black rock desert geologic settingthe black rock desert has been the scene of periodic volcanism and abundant normal faulting over the past 1.
On september 12, 2018 and april 14, 2019 shallow utah, within the black rock desert volcanic field. Department of geology, university of georgia, athens, georgia 30602 j. Map of black rock desert showing survey area around pavant butte green triangle. Beneath the soil you walk on and the deep layers of soft mud that cover the ocean basins is a basement of hard rock and minerals. Volcanic basalt rocks in the black rock desert, utah. The black rock desert volcanic field in millard county, utah, is a cluster of several volcanic features of the great basin including pahvant butte, the cinders, and tabernacle hill. Episodic volcanic activity has occurred here from a couple million years ago up to a few centuries ago, leaving intriguing landforms and features including volcanic cones, lava tubes, pressure ridges, and craters. Unusual seismic signals in the sevier desert, utah. Surficial deposits in the black rock desert of westcentral utah, in an area encompassing 12 7. The black rock desert volcanic field of a group of small volcanic fields in south central utah, at the eastern margin of the great basin.
The black rock desert is the youngest volcanic field in utah and contains both utahs youngest known rhyolite dome, white mountain, and its most recent. Black rock, a 2012 film starring katie aselton, lake bell, and kate. Subalkaline volcanism in the black rock desert and markagunt plateau volcanic fields of southcentral. Utah rockhounding sitesfrom feb 01, 20 explore the. Gypsum mine and drywall factory brand name sheetrock, and there. Quaternary faults in utah utah geological survey black rock desert. Chemical trends in the ice springs basalt, black rock desert, utah. Bargen continuous gps data across the eastern basin and range. Nov 14, 2018 the most recent volcanic activity in utah occurred about 600 years ago in the black rock desert millard county. Motorized vehicles and bicycles are not allowed in wilderness areas. Diffuse tectonic deformation in the drum mountains fault. The desert mountain intrusives comprise a group of isolated peaks rising above the pleistocene alluvium about 30 miles north of delta anld 20 miles west of. The black rock desert is the southern extension of the sevier desert between the cricket mountains and the pavant range, and lies mostly between altitudes of 4650 feet 1420 m and. The black rock desert volcanic field consists of a group of closely spaced small volcanic fields of pleistocenetoholocene age in the black rock and sevier deserts of southcentral utah, at the eastern margin of the great basin.
Feb 15, 2021 relatively young cinder cones of basaltic lava can be found in southcentral utah, in the black rock desert volcanic field, which is part of the zone of basin and range crustal extension. These utah cinder cones and lava flows started erupting around 6 million years ago, with the last eruption occurring 720 years ago 12. Pitblado 2000 paleoarchaic surface assemblages in the great salt lake desert, northwestern utah. Quaternary geology of the black rock desert, millard county, utah by charles g. Mineral resources of the black rock desert wilderness study area. Previous geologic mapping in the western area of the black rock desert consists of the. This book tells the history of a small town in south central utah located on the union pacific railway line about halfway between delta and milford.
Black rock peak, hangzhou, zhejiang province, china. Red circles with black center are deep exploration wells from hintze and davis 2003, black hatched areas are volcanic flows, red lines denote quaternary faults and black squares are mt sta. It is the youngest volcanic area in utah and contains both utah s youngest known rhyolite dome 0. The fields ice springs event was an explosive eruption followed by lava flows that were utah s most recent volcanic activity 11401440 ad. Water resources of millard county, utah by fitzhugh d. Oviatt abstract surficial deposits in the black rock desert of westcentral utah, in an area encompassing 12 7.
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