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![Stratigraphy of the Rainbow Gardens Formation. (A) Simplified schematic stratigraphic column of the Rainbow Gardens Formation with radiometric age data from Lamb et al. (2015). (B) Photo of the Rainbow Gardens Formation from the Rainbow Gardens Recreation Area. Bushes in foreground are 30–40 cm high. Ridge in background is ∼30 m high. Trl—Rainbow Gardens Formation upper limestone unit; Trm—Rainbow Gardens Formation middle unit; Trc—Rainbow Gardens Formation basal conglomerate.]()
![Provenance and paleocurrent data from the Rainbow Gardens Formation basal conglomerate (Trc) at the Rainbow Gardens Recreation Area, just east of Las Vegas, with sample locations shown on a Google Earth image. See Figure 4 for location. Pie charts show conglomerate clast count results of Rice (1987). Crystalline rocks include metamorphic and plutonic grains. Stereonet data show paleocurrent direction based on imbricated clasts within the basal conglomerate (Trc). Stereonets were plotted using the Stereonet program of Allmendinger et al. (2012).]()
![Map of the extent of Rainbow Gardens Formation outcrops and the underlying formations in the Lake Mead region, adapted from Beard et al. (2007) and Felger and Beard (2010). Note that this figure roughly covers the same area as the map in Figure 1B. Field locality name abbreviations: BH—Boathouse Cove; EH—Echo Hills; GW—Garden Wash; HS—Horse Spring; LRF—Lime Ridge fault; LW—Lime Wash (l—lower, u—upper); MH—Mud Hills; MWn—Mud Wash North; MWs—Mud Wash South; N—Narrows; PR—Pakoon Ridge; RG—Rainbow Gardens Recreation Area; RR—Razorback Ridge; SSTG—South St. Thomas Gap; TCW—Tom and Cull Wash; TW—Tassi Wash; WE—Wechech. (These same locality names are used in Table 1 and on subsequent figures.)]()
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![Detrital zircon data for all late Oligocene–early Miocene samples from the Rainbow Gardens Formation and the Jean and Buck and Doe Conglomerates. See Figure 5 for locations of samples within stratigraphic sections and Figures 2 and 4 for geographic locations. (A) Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) statistics for all Oligocene–Miocene samples. CDF—cumulative distribution function; RCRA—Rainbow Gardens Recreation Area. (B) Cumulative probability plot for individual Rainbow Gardens Formation samples. (C) Stacked normalized probability plots for individual Rainbow Gardens Formation samples. (D) Cumulative probability plot for all Rainbow Gardens (RG) Formation samples combined and for samples south of the paleoscarp of Permian strata, the Jean and Buck and Doe Conglomerates. (E) Stacked normalized probability plots for all Rainbow Gardens Formation samples combined and for samples south of the paleoscarp of Permian strata, the Jean and Buck and Doe Conglomerates. (F) Comparison of probability plots of the combined Rainbow Gardens Formation samples, shown by the upper bold blue lines, versus Paleozoic strata of the Grand Canyon, shown by the lower blue lines, from Gehrels et al. (2011). (G) Stacked normalized probability plot for the three Tassi Wash samples from 1 to 2 Ga. (H) Combined probability plots of the two samples from the Rainbow Gardens Formation middle conglomerate unit, shown in red, and the samples from above and below the middle conglomerate unit, shown in blue.]()
![Detrital zircon data for all late Oligocene–early Miocene samples from the Rainbow Gardens Formation and the Jean and Buck and Doe Conglomerates. See Figure 5 for locations of samples within stratigraphic sections and Figures 2 and 4 for geographic locations. (A) Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) statistics for all Oligocene–Miocene samples. CDF—cumulative distribution function; RCRA—Rainbow Gardens Recreation Area. (B) Cumulative probability plot for individual Rainbow Gardens Formation samples. (C) Stacked normalized probability plots for individual Rainbow Gardens Formation samples. (D) Cumulative probability plot for all Rainbow Gardens (RG) Formation samples combined and for samples south of the paleoscarp of Permian strata, the Jean and Buck and Doe Conglomerates. (E) Stacked normalized probability plots for all Rainbow Gardens Formation samples combined and for samples south of the paleoscarp of Permian strata, the Jean and Buck and Doe Conglomerates. (F) Comparison of probability plots of the combined Rainbow Gardens Formation samples, shown by the upper bold blue lines, versus Paleozoic strata of the Grand Canyon, shown by the lower blue lines, from Gehrels et al. (2011). (G) Stacked normalized probability plot for the three Tassi Wash samples from 1 to 2 Ga. (H) Combined probability plots of the two samples from the Rainbow Gardens Formation middle conglomerate unit, shown in red, and the samples from above and below the middle conglomerate unit, shown in blue.]()
![Simplified stratigraphic columns with provenance and geochronology data. Measured sections have been simplified and show predominant lithologies or lithofacies associations. Distance between columns is shown to scale. Note vertical exaggeration. Section K overall thickness was determined by both field work and mapwork and is therefore slightly approximated. Trl—Rainbow Gardens Formation upper limestone unit; Trm—Rainbow Gardens Formation middle unit; Trc—Rainbow Gardens Formation basal conglomerate. (A) Simplified stratigraphy from the three north-south transects in the southern Rainbow Gardens Formation basin, with the locations of detrital zircon and sandstone samples by height in each section. Sandstone samples were assigned a petrofacies designation based on point counting and petrographic examination (see text for more details). Samples that plot on the diagram but not next to a column were collected in between measured sections, and their horizontal and vertical position relative to the other sections is shown. Background patterns show the occurrences of the volcanic and crystalline basement provenance signals. (B) Same diagram as A but with sample numbers and dates plotted along with detrital zircon maximum ages and point count results (pie charts). Reported maximum possible age of deposition for detrital zircon samples is based on the youngest single grain (YSG) method (see text for more details). Pie charts for RG-5 through RG-8 are from the basal conglomerate (Trc) shown on Figure 6. Additional stratigraphic column from Tassi Wash is shown but is not to horizontal scale. The Tassi Wash location is ∼15 km south-southeast of the Horse Spring Ridge localities in the reconstruction on Figure 4. No sandstone samples are available from Tassi Wash (the road to Tassi Wash was removed by a flash flood, preventing a follow-up field season to this site). Fence diagram shows stratigraphic columns with petrofacies plotted on part of the Figure 4 base map: Note that the Proterozoic crystalline signal to the east may be thicker than shown due to possible lost section from faulting in the southernmost portion of the basin, i.e., the signal may persist upwards from the 19 Ma pulse. (C) Simplified stratigraphic sections on a cross section from northeast to southwest, modified from Lamb et al. (2015). See Figure 4 for location of transect. Note this includes two sections, A and J, shown in parts B and C here, in addition to new sections at Mud Hills (MH), south St. Thomas Gap (STTG), and lower Lime Wash (LW). Palustrine facies include a mix of carbonate, mudstone, and sandstone. Lacustrine facies are predominantly carbonate and mudstone. HSR—Horse Spring Ridge; RGRA—Rainbow Gardens Recreation Area; Trl—Rainbow Gardens Formation upper limestone unit; Trm—Rainbow Gardens Formation middle unit; Trc—Rainbow Gardens Formation basal conglomerate.]()
![Simplified stratigraphic columns with provenance and geochronology data. Measured sections have been simplified and show predominant lithologies or lithofacies associations. Distance between columns is shown to scale. Note vertical exaggeration. Section K overall thickness was determined by both field work and mapwork and is therefore slightly approximated. Trl—Rainbow Gardens Formation upper limestone unit; Trm—Rainbow Gardens Formation middle unit; Trc—Rainbow Gardens Formation basal conglomerate. (A) Simplified stratigraphy from the three north-south transects in the southern Rainbow Gardens Formation basin, with the locations of detrital zircon and sandstone samples by height in each section. Sandstone samples were assigned a petrofacies designation based on point counting and petrographic examination (see text for more details). Samples that plot on the diagram but not next to a column were collected in between measured sections, and their horizontal and vertical position relative to the other sections is shown. Background patterns show the occurrences of the volcanic and crystalline basement provenance signals. (B) Same diagram as A but with sample numbers and dates plotted along with detrital zircon maximum ages and point count results (pie charts). Reported maximum possible age of deposition for detrital zircon samples is based on the youngest single grain (YSG) method (see text for more details). Pie charts for RG-5 through RG-8 are from the basal conglomerate (Trc) shown on Figure 6. Additional stratigraphic column from Tassi Wash is shown but is not to horizontal scale. The Tassi Wash location is ∼15 km south-southeast of the Horse Spring Ridge localities in the reconstruction on Figure 4. No sandstone samples are available from Tassi Wash (the road to Tassi Wash was removed by a flash flood, preventing a follow-up field season to this site). Fence diagram shows stratigraphic columns with petrofacies plotted on part of the Figure 4 base map: Note that the Proterozoic crystalline signal to the east may be thicker than shown due to possible lost section from faulting in the southernmost portion of the basin, i.e., the signal may persist upwards from the 19 Ma pulse. (C) Simplified stratigraphic sections on a cross section from northeast to southwest, modified from Lamb et al. (2015). See Figure 4 for location of transect. Note this includes two sections, A and J, shown in parts B and C here, in addition to new sections at Mud Hills (MH), south St. Thomas Gap (STTG), and lower Lime Wash (LW). Palustrine facies include a mix of carbonate, mudstone, and sandstone. Lacustrine facies are predominantly carbonate and mudstone. HSR—Horse Spring Ridge; RGRA—Rainbow Gardens Recreation Area; Trl—Rainbow Gardens Formation upper limestone unit; Trm—Rainbow Gardens Formation middle unit; Trc—Rainbow Gardens Formation basal conglomerate.]()
![Simplified stratigraphic columns with provenance and geochronology data. Measured sections have been simplified and show predominant lithologies or lithofacies associations. Distance between columns is shown to scale. Note vertical exaggeration. Section K overall thickness was determined by both field work and mapwork and is therefore slightly approximated. Trl—Rainbow Gardens Formation upper limestone unit; Trm—Rainbow Gardens Formation middle unit; Trc—Rainbow Gardens Formation basal conglomerate. (A) Simplified stratigraphy from the three north-south transects in the southern Rainbow Gardens Formation basin, with the locations of detrital zircon and sandstone samples by height in each section. Sandstone samples were assigned a petrofacies designation based on point counting and petrographic examination (see text for more details). Samples that plot on the diagram but not next to a column were collected in between measured sections, and their horizontal and vertical position relative to the other sections is shown. Background patterns show the occurrences of the volcanic and crystalline basement provenance signals. (B) Same diagram as A but with sample numbers and dates plotted along with detrital zircon maximum ages and point count results (pie charts). Reported maximum possible age of deposition for detrital zircon samples is based on the youngest single grain (YSG) method (see text for more details). Pie charts for RG-5 through RG-8 are from the basal conglomerate (Trc) shown on Figure 6. Additional stratigraphic column from Tassi Wash is shown but is not to horizontal scale. The Tassi Wash location is ∼15 km south-southeast of the Horse Spring Ridge localities in the reconstruction on Figure 4. No sandstone samples are available from Tassi Wash (the road to Tassi Wash was removed by a flash flood, preventing a follow-up field season to this site). Fence diagram shows stratigraphic columns with petrofacies plotted on part of the Figure 4 base map: Note that the Proterozoic crystalline signal to the east may be thicker than shown due to possible lost section from faulting in the southernmost portion of the basin, i.e., the signal may persist upwards from the 19 Ma pulse. (C) Simplified stratigraphic sections on a cross section from northeast to southwest, modified from Lamb et al. (2015). See Figure 4 for location of transect. Note this includes two sections, A and J, shown in parts B and C here, in addition to new sections at Mud Hills (MH), south St. Thomas Gap (STTG), and lower Lime Wash (LW). Palustrine facies include a mix of carbonate, mudstone, and sandstone. Lacustrine facies are predominantly carbonate and mudstone. HSR—Horse Spring Ridge; RGRA—Rainbow Gardens Recreation Area; Trl—Rainbow Gardens Formation upper limestone unit; Trm—Rainbow Gardens Formation middle unit; Trc—Rainbow Gardens Formation basal conglomerate.]()
![Block diagram showing interpreted paleogeography and sediment pathways. The Sevier uplift and Kingman Uplift north of the paleoscarp of Permian strata provided the majority of sediment throughout deposition of the Rainbow Gardens Formation. Stars show sample locations for detrital zircon analyses; circles indicate field locations without detrital zircon analyses; same location abbreviations as Figure 4. HK—Hackberry Buck and Doe Conglomerate location; RG—Rainbow Gardens; HSR—Horse Spring Ridge; GNPT—Gerstley-Nopah Peak thrust fault of Pavlis et al. (2014). (A) At the start of Rainbow Gardens Formation deposition ca. 25 Ma, a minor crystalline basement (x) component makes it around the paleoscarp of Permian strata to the southwest portion of the basement. (B) At ca. 19 Ma, a major pulse of crystalline basement sediment progrades to the middle of the southern portion of the basement, either from the far southwest or through breaches in the paleoscarp. At this time, volcanic sediment is entering from the north. Note that part B is a time slice between that of T3 and T4 in Lamb et al. (2015).]()
![Geologic map of the Lake Mead area, northern Colorado River extensional corridor and southwestern Colorado Plateau. Base map is from Ludington et al. (2007). GNPT—Gerstley-Nopah Peak thrust fault of Pavlis et al. (2014); KT—Keystone thrust. The hypothesized dashed southeasterly extensions of the Gerstley–Nopah Peak thrust are ours, not Pavlis et al. (2014). Colored lines are generalized southern contacts of strata on post-Laramide, pre-extension erosion surface (sub–Rainbow Gardens Formation unconformity; Beard and Faulds, 2011). Yellow stars include the Rainbow Gardens Formation (the four stars north of Lake Mead and east of Las Vegas), the Jean Conglomerate, and, in the southeast, the Buck and Doe Conglomerate at Iron Mountain and Hackberry locations.]()
![Previous tectonic reconstructions of the Lake Mead region based on the Rainbow Gardens and Horse Spring Formations and other data. (A) Fryxell and Duebendorfer (2005, and references therein) summary diagram of the placement of the Frenchman Mountain block at the end of Rainbow Gardens deposition in various previous studies and based on their own work. Black dots show location of distinctive megabreccia deposits sourced from Gold Butte. (B) Duebendorfer et al. (1998) reconstruction to pre-extension time, during deposition of the Rainbow Gardens Formation. Note that the Gold Butte block has not been restored, whereas the fault blocks north of Gold Butte have been restored.]()
![Cartoon block diagram showing interpreted paleogeography and depositional environments during deposition of the middle unit of the Rainbow Gardens Formation.]()
![Maps to explain the hypothesis that an eastern basin margin was created over time and inherited at the start of Rainbow Gardens deposition. (A) Schematic map to show the simplified topography and structural elements of the Rainbow Gardens Formation basin just prior to deposition (see text for explanation). Large arrows show sediment transport direction. Bold black lines represent the basin margin. A schematic cross section illustrates the cuesta created by the resistant Kaibab Formation, which created much of the southern margin of the Rainbow Gardens basin. Pz—Paleozoic strata, Mz—Mesozoic strata, PЄ—Precambrian strata. (B) Structural and topographic elements from A shown on the modern-day landscape of a Google Earth image. Note Lake Mead on both images and the Grand Canyon on the eastern half of the Google Earth image. Modern Colorado River is shown by white line. Field locality abbreviations are explained in Figure 2.]()
![Reconstructed Miocene paleogeography: gray shading represents fault blocks shown in a pre-extension, retrodeformed configuration from Lamb et al. (2015) with the modern features of the Colorado Plateau, White Hills, and Lake Mead for visual reference. Key Miocene features present during deposition of the Rainbow Gardens Formation, including the Sevier thrust terranes, Kingman Uplift, and south-facing paleocliff of Permian strata, are also shown. The Kingman Uplift is a north-plunging, broad antiformal dome. Ovals and stars highlight locations of outcrops of Rainbow Gardens Formation and correlative units, with new data presented in this paper. Note that only one of two Buck and Doe Conglomerate sample localities, the Iron Mountain sample, is shown on this map: the other one, Hackberry, is farther south, as shown on Figure 2. Black dots represent measured sections presented here and in Lamb et al. (2015). Diagonal box shows the location of the base map used in Figure 5B fence diagram. Inset rectangular box shows location of image used in Figure 6. Locality name abbreviations: BH—Boathouse Cove; EH—Echo Hills; HSR—Horse Spring Ridge; IM—Iron Mountain, LRF—Lime Ridge fault; LLW—lower Lime Wash; MH—Mud Hills; MWn—Mud Wash north; MWs—Mud Wash south; N—Narrows; PR—Pakoon Ridge; RGRA—Rainbow Gardens Recreation Area; RR—Razorback Ridge; SSTG—south St. Thomas Gap; TCW—Tom and Cull Wash; TW—Tassi Wash; ULW—upper Lime Wash; WE—Wechech.]()
![Present-day and pre-Miocene maps to show the location of key geographic features and Rainbow Gardens field localities, as introduced on Figure 2. Dashed line shows southern edge of possible uplift in the South Virgin Mountains area. (A) Present-day geography with the location of older topographic highs, Miocene volcanic centers, and the current edge of the modern Colorado Plateau shown plotted on a digital elevation model image. Select locality names are shown on A to allow for comparison of relative positions on B. The outlined gray box shows the area restored in maps B and C. (B) The same key geographic features plotted on a pre-Miocene reconstruction: areas shaded in light gray are fault blocks or geographic domains that were retrodeformed to their pre–Rainbow Gardens position (see text for further explanation). Black dots show location of Rainbow Gardens Formation field localities. Note that the Frenchman Mountain block contains several dots, all of which are part of the Rainbow Gardens Recreation Area (RG) locality. (C) A subcrop map of the formations that directly underlie the Rainbow Gardens unit at each location, plotted on and used as a check on the reconstruction shown in B (see text for further discussion). Black stars are locations where the Rainbow Gardens unit was studied but where the underlying base rock was not exposed. Solid black lines represent contacts between pre-Cenozoic formations, which show a younging to the north reflecting the regional northerly tilt of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic layers at the north end of the Kingman uplift and beveling at the sub-Tertiary unconformity, after Bohannon (1984) and Beard (1996). Note that contacts were not drawn around two localities, shown in shaded gray ovals (see text for explanation).]()
![Simplified stratigraphic column of the Horse Spring and Rainbow Gardens Formations with radiometric age data, the prior nomenclature of the Horse Spring Formation, our proposed nomenclature, and lithologic descriptions (see text for additional details). Stratigraphic column is modified from Castor (1993) with representative geochronologic data from Lamb et al. (2005), our unpublished data, and this study.]()
![Isopach maps showing the thickness of the units within the Rainbow Gardens Formation. Note that thickness increments vary from map to map in order to highlight variations and show patterns within each unit. Stratigraphic columns introduced below allow for comparison of thicknesses across units. (A) Thickness of the basal conglomerate unit (Trc). (B) Thickness of the middle unit (Trm). (C) Thickness of the nonmicrobial facies of the uppermost unit (Trl). (D) Combined thickness of the conglomerate and middle units. Field locality abbreviations are explained in Figure 2.]()
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Journal Article
Provenance and paleogeography of the 25–17 Ma Rainbow Gardens Formation: Evidence for tectonic activity at ca. 19 Ma and internal drainage rather than throughgoing paleorivers on the southwestern Colorado Plateau Open Access
Journal: Geosphere
Publisher: Geological Society of America
Published: 17 May 2018
Geosphere (2018) 14 (4): 1592–1617.
... the geologic history of the U.S. Southwest, including the evolution of the Colorado Plateau and formation of the Grand Canyon. The ca. 25–17 Ma Rainbow Gardens Formation in the Lake Mead region, the informally named, roughly coeval Jean Conglomerate, and the ca. 24–19 Ma Buck and Doe Conglomerate southeast...
FIGURES
Includes: Supplemental Content
Image
Stratigraphy of the Rainbow Gardens Formation. (A) Simplified schematic str... Open Access
in Provenance and paleogeography of the 25–17 Ma Rainbow Gardens Formation: Evidence for tectonic activity at ca. 19 Ma and internal drainage rather than throughgoing paleorivers on the southwestern Colorado Plateau
> Geosphere
Published: 17 May 2018
Figure 3. Stratigraphy of the Rainbow Gardens Formation. (A) Simplified schematic stratigraphic column of the Rainbow Gardens Formation with radiometric age data from Lamb et al. (2015) . (B) Photo of the Rainbow Gardens Formation from the Rainbow Gardens Recreation Area. Bushes in foreground
Image
Provenance and paleocurrent data from the Rainbow Gardens Formation basal c... Open Access
in Provenance and paleogeography of the 25–17 Ma Rainbow Gardens Formation: Evidence for tectonic activity at ca. 19 Ma and internal drainage rather than throughgoing paleorivers on the southwestern Colorado Plateau
> Geosphere
Published: 17 May 2018
Figure 6. Provenance and paleocurrent data from the Rainbow Gardens Formation basal conglomerate (Trc) at the Rainbow Gardens Recreation Area, just east of Las Vegas, with sample locations shown on a Google Earth image. See Figure 4 for location. Pie charts show conglomerate clast count results
Image
Map of the extent of Rainbow Gardens Formation outcrops and the underlying ... Available to Purchase
in Late Oligocene–early Miocene landscape evolution of the Lake Mead region during the transition from Sevier contraction to Basin and Range extension
> GSA Bulletin
Published: 01 July 2015
Figure 2. Map of the extent of Rainbow Gardens Formation outcrops and the underlying formations in the Lake Mead region, adapted from Beard et al. (2007) and Felger and Beard (2010) . Note that this figure roughly covers the same area as the map in Figure 1B . Field locality name
Journal Article
Late Oligocene–early Miocene landscape evolution of the Lake Mead region during the transition from Sevier contraction to Basin and Range extension Available to Purchase
Journal: GSA Bulletin
Publisher: Geological Society of America
Published: 01 July 2015
GSA Bulletin (2015) 127 (7-8): 899–925.
...Figure 2. Map of the extent of Rainbow Gardens Formation outcrops and the underlying formations in the Lake Mead region, adapted from Beard et al. (2007) and Felger and Beard (2010) . Note that this figure roughly covers the same area as the map in Figure 1B . Field locality name...
FIGURES
Image
Detrital zircon data for all late Oligocene–early Miocene samples from the ... Open Access
in Provenance and paleogeography of the 25–17 Ma Rainbow Gardens Formation: Evidence for tectonic activity at ca. 19 Ma and internal drainage rather than throughgoing paleorivers on the southwestern Colorado Plateau
> Geosphere
Published: 17 May 2018
Figure 8. Detrital zircon data for all late Oligocene–early Miocene samples from the Rainbow Gardens Formation and the Jean and Buck and Doe Conglomerates. See Figure 5 for locations of samples within stratigraphic sections and Figures 2 and 4 for geographic locations. (A) Kolmogorov
Image
Detrital zircon data for all late Oligocene–early Miocene samples from the ... Open Access
in Provenance and paleogeography of the 25–17 Ma Rainbow Gardens Formation: Evidence for tectonic activity at ca. 19 Ma and internal drainage rather than throughgoing paleorivers on the southwestern Colorado Plateau
> Geosphere
Published: 17 May 2018
Figure 8. Detrital zircon data for all late Oligocene–early Miocene samples from the Rainbow Gardens Formation and the Jean and Buck and Doe Conglomerates. See Figure 5 for locations of samples within stratigraphic sections and Figures 2 and 4 for geographic locations. (A) Kolmogorov
Image
Simplified stratigraphic columns with provenance and geochronology data. Me... Open Access
in Provenance and paleogeography of the 25–17 Ma Rainbow Gardens Formation: Evidence for tectonic activity at ca. 19 Ma and internal drainage rather than throughgoing paleorivers on the southwestern Colorado Plateau
> Geosphere
Published: 17 May 2018
was determined by both field work and mapwork and is therefore slightly approximated. Trl—Rainbow Gardens Formation upper limestone unit; Trm—Rainbow Gardens Formation middle unit; Trc—Rainbow Gardens Formation basal conglomerate. (A) Simplified stratigraphy from the three north-south transects in the southern
Image
Simplified stratigraphic columns with provenance and geochronology data. Me... Open Access
in Provenance and paleogeography of the 25–17 Ma Rainbow Gardens Formation: Evidence for tectonic activity at ca. 19 Ma and internal drainage rather than throughgoing paleorivers on the southwestern Colorado Plateau
> Geosphere
Published: 17 May 2018
was determined by both field work and mapwork and is therefore slightly approximated. Trl—Rainbow Gardens Formation upper limestone unit; Trm—Rainbow Gardens Formation middle unit; Trc—Rainbow Gardens Formation basal conglomerate. (A) Simplified stratigraphy from the three north-south transects in the southern
Image
Simplified stratigraphic columns with provenance and geochronology data. Me... Open Access
in Provenance and paleogeography of the 25–17 Ma Rainbow Gardens Formation: Evidence for tectonic activity at ca. 19 Ma and internal drainage rather than throughgoing paleorivers on the southwestern Colorado Plateau
> Geosphere
Published: 17 May 2018
was determined by both field work and mapwork and is therefore slightly approximated. Trl—Rainbow Gardens Formation upper limestone unit; Trm—Rainbow Gardens Formation middle unit; Trc—Rainbow Gardens Formation basal conglomerate. (A) Simplified stratigraphy from the three north-south transects in the southern
Image
Block diagram showing interpreted paleogeography and sediment pathways. The... Open Access
in Provenance and paleogeography of the 25–17 Ma Rainbow Gardens Formation: Evidence for tectonic activity at ca. 19 Ma and internal drainage rather than throughgoing paleorivers on the southwestern Colorado Plateau
> Geosphere
Published: 17 May 2018
Figure 10. Block diagram showing interpreted paleogeography and sediment pathways. The Sevier uplift and Kingman Uplift north of the paleoscarp of Permian strata provided the majority of sediment throughout deposition of the Rainbow Gardens Formation. Stars show sample locations for detrital
Image
Geologic map of the Lake Mead area, northern Colorado River extensional cor... Open Access
in Provenance and paleogeography of the 25–17 Ma Rainbow Gardens Formation: Evidence for tectonic activity at ca. 19 Ma and internal drainage rather than throughgoing paleorivers on the southwestern Colorado Plateau
> Geosphere
Published: 17 May 2018
extensions of the Gerstley–Nopah Peak thrust are ours, not Pavlis et al. (2014) . Colored lines are generalized southern contacts of strata on post-Laramide, pre-extension erosion surface (sub–Rainbow Gardens Formation unconformity; Beard and Faulds, 2011 ). Yellow stars include the Rainbow Gardens
Image
Previous tectonic reconstructions of the Lake Mead region based on the Rain... Available to Purchase
in Late Oligocene–early Miocene landscape evolution of the Lake Mead region during the transition from Sevier contraction to Basin and Range extension
> GSA Bulletin
Published: 01 July 2015
Figure 4. Previous tectonic reconstructions of the Lake Mead region based on the Rainbow Gardens and Horse Spring Formations and other data. (A) Fryxell and Duebendorfer (2005 , and references therein) summary diagram of the placement of the Frenchman Mountain block at the end of Rainbow Gardens
Image
Cartoon block diagram showing interpreted paleogeography and depositional e... Available to Purchase
in Late Oligocene–early Miocene landscape evolution of the Lake Mead region during the transition from Sevier contraction to Basin and Range extension
> GSA Bulletin
Published: 01 July 2015
Figure 13. Cartoon block diagram showing interpreted paleogeography and depositional environments during deposition of the middle unit of the Rainbow Gardens Formation.
Image
Maps to explain the hypothesis that an eastern basin margin was created ove... Available to Purchase
in Late Oligocene–early Miocene landscape evolution of the Lake Mead region during the transition from Sevier contraction to Basin and Range extension
> GSA Bulletin
Published: 01 July 2015
Figure 14. Maps to explain the hypothesis that an eastern basin margin was created over time and inherited at the start of Rainbow Gardens deposition. (A) Schematic map to show the simplified topography and structural elements of the Rainbow Gardens Formation basin just prior to deposition (see
Image
Reconstructed Miocene paleogeography: gray shading represents fault blocks ... Open Access
in Provenance and paleogeography of the 25–17 Ma Rainbow Gardens Formation: Evidence for tectonic activity at ca. 19 Ma and internal drainage rather than throughgoing paleorivers on the southwestern Colorado Plateau
> Geosphere
Published: 17 May 2018
during deposition of the Rainbow Gardens Formation, including the Sevier thrust terranes, Kingman Uplift, and south-facing paleocliff of Permian strata, are also shown. The Kingman Uplift is a north-plunging, broad antiformal dome. Ovals and stars highlight locations of outcrops of Rainbow Gardens
Image
Present-day and pre-Miocene maps to show the location of key geographic fea... Available to Purchase
in Late Oligocene–early Miocene landscape evolution of the Lake Mead region during the transition from Sevier contraction to Basin and Range extension
> GSA Bulletin
Published: 01 July 2015
) The same key geographic features plotted on a pre-Miocene reconstruction: areas shaded in light gray are fault blocks or geographic domains that were retrodeformed to their pre–Rainbow Gardens position (see text for further explanation). Black dots show location of Rainbow Gardens Formation field
Image
Simplified stratigraphic column of the Horse Spring and Rainbow Gardens For... Available to Purchase
in Late Oligocene–early Miocene landscape evolution of the Lake Mead region during the transition from Sevier contraction to Basin and Range extension
> GSA Bulletin
Published: 01 July 2015
Figure 3. Simplified stratigraphic column of the Horse Spring and Rainbow Gardens Formations with radiometric age data, the prior nomenclature of the Horse Spring Formation, our proposed nomenclature, and lithologic descriptions (see text for additional details). Stratigraphic column is modified
Book Chapter
Geology of Frenchman Mountain and Rainbow Gardens, southern Nevada, USA Available to Purchase
Series: GSA Field Guide
Publisher: Geological Society of America
Published: 14 March 2022
DOI: 10.1130/2022.0063(02)
EISBN: 9780813756639
... of this stop, which involves a short hike, is to provide an opportunity to see a small portion of the Mesozoic section in Rainbow Gardens and the contact between a wedge-shaped outcrop area of the Jurassic Aztec Sandstone and the overlying Oligocene–Miocene Rainbow Gardens Formation. A geologic map...
Image
Isopach maps showing the thickness of the units within the Rainbow Gardens ... Available to Purchase
in Late Oligocene–early Miocene landscape evolution of the Lake Mead region during the transition from Sevier contraction to Basin and Range extension
> GSA Bulletin
Published: 01 July 2015
Figure 7. Isopach maps showing the thickness of the units within the Rainbow Gardens Formation. Note that thickness increments vary from map to map in order to highlight variations and show patterns within each unit. Stratigraphic columns introduced below allow for comparison of thicknesses
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