Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Earth and Planetary Science, 1979. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Science. / Bibliography: leaf 93. / by Carolyn Alexandria Morrow. / M.S.

Paleomagnetic directions have been obtained from 190 Middle Miocene (12-20 Ma) mafic volcanic flows in 16 mountain ranges in the Mojave-Sonora desert region of western Arizona and southeastern California. These flows generally postdate Early Miocene tectonic deformation accommodated by low-angle normal faults but predate high-angle normal faulting in the region. After detailed magnetic cleaning experiments, 179 flows yielded characteristic thermal remanent magnetism (TRM) directions. Because of the episodic nature of basaltic volcanism in this region, the 179 flows yield only 65 time-distinct virtual geomagnetic poles (VGPs). The angular dispersion of the VGPs is consistent with the angular dispersion expected for a data set that has adequately averaged geomagnetic secular variation. The paleomagnetic pole calculated from the 65 cooling unit VGPs is located at 85.5°N, 108.9°E within a 4.4° circle of 95% confidence. This pole is statistically indistinguishable (at 95% confidence) from reference poles calculated from similar-age rocks in stable North America and from a paleomagnetic pole calculated from similar-age rocks in Baja and southern California. From the coincidence of paleomagnetic poles from the Mojave-Sonora and adjacent areas, we can conclude that: (1) vertical-axis tectonic rotations have not accompanied high-angle normal faulting in this region; (2) there has been no latitudinal transport of the region since 12-20 Ma; and (3) long-term nondipole components of the Miocene geomagnetic field probably were no larger than those of the recent (0-5 Ma) geomagnetic field. In contrast, paleomagnetic data of other workers indicate vertical-axis rotations of similar-age rocks in the Transverse Ranges, the Eastern Transverse Ranges, and the Mojave Block. We speculate that a major discontinuity in the vicinity of the southeastward projection of the Death Valley Fault Zone separates western areas affected by vertical-axis rotations from eastern areas that have not experienced such rotations.

During the mid Cenozoic, the Chocolate Mountains region of southeastern California experienced crustal extension slightly before, during, and after the main pulse of magmatism. This combined with mid-late Cenozoic faulting to locally uplift plutonic rocks interpreted to represent the plumbing system(s) for volcanic units, allowing an examination of both the extrusive and intrusive result of magmatism. Zircon U-Pb ages of from six magmatic units yield late Oligocene to early Miocene ages and correlate better with stratigraphic relationships than previously compiled ages. These units are four silicic volcanic units – Quechan volcanic rocks, tuff of Felipe Pass, ignimbrite of Ferguson Wash, and tuff of Black Hills – and two plutonic units – the granites of Mount Barrow and Peter Kane Mountain. Regarding contemporaneous plutonic systems as baseline comparisons, zircons from the volcanic units commonly record plutonic temperatures; interpreted to be solidus or near solidus temperature. Remobilization may be a common process leading to eruption. Quartz and zircon thermometers reveal the ignimbrite of Ferguson Wash and tuff of Black Hills magmatic systems evolved differently. Quartz yields temperatures of 700°C to ~750°C in both units with no core-rim trends. Cores of zircons from the ignimbrite of Ferguson Wash yield temperatures between 750°C and 890°C. Zircon rim temperatures are between 875°C and 950°C. Tuff of Black Hills zircon cores generally record temperatures of ~850°C and zircon rim temperatures are ~700°C. Rims from tuff of Black Hills zircon record the same temperature range as zircons from coeval granites. The temperature increase from core to rim in zircons from the ignimbrite of Ferguson Wash indicates reheating and that zircon grew later than and at higher temperatures than quartz. The low zircon temperatures from tuff of Black Hills reveals a system that was growing quartz and zircon at the same low, nearly solidus temperatures. Reasons for its eruption are not readily apparent in the thermal history of zircon and quartz. These two systems record different thermal histories than previously studied, younger systems like the Bishop tuff, in which quartz records late reheating just prior to eruption and a system that was growing quartz later and at higher temperatures than zircon.