Crustal-scale perspective on the rapid development of Oligocene silicic calderas and related underlying plutonic systems, western Nevada USA

Abstract:

Geologic mapping, U-Pb zircon ages, and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar sanidine ages document the timing and extent of Oligocene magmatism in the southern Stillwater Range and Clan Alpine Mountains of western Nevada, where Miocene extension has exposed five nested silicic calderas and related granitic plutons to crustal depths locally ≥9 km. The ≤29.4-28.8 Ma Job Canyon caldera in the Stillwater Range is filled with ~4 km of intracaldera tuff and lava flows; the 28.4 Ma IXL pluton intrudes intracaldera tuff and extends to ≥9 km depth. The 29 Ma Deep Canyon caldera covers ~250 km² of the Clan Alpine Mountains, but only the upper ~1 km is exposed. The ≤26.0-25.2 Ma Poco Canyon caldera in the Stillwater Range is filled with two distinct intracaldera tuffs totaling 4.5 km thick, underlain by the 24.8 Ma Freeman Creek pluton exposed to depths ≥8 km. The small 25.3 Ma Louderback Mountains caldera in the SW Clan Alpine Mountains is filled with ~600 m of intracaldera tuff deposited on Oligocene rhyolite lava flows. The 25.1 Ma Elevenmile Canyon caldera spans ~1600 km² in the Stillwater Range, Clan Alpine Mountains, and Desatoya Mountains, where it overlaps or cross cuts older calderas. Its total volume is ≥2500 km³, mostly consisting of the 1-4 km thick tuff of Elevenmile Canyon. 24.9-25.5 Ma silicic intrusive rocks underlie the Louderback Mountains and Elevenmile Canyon calderas to depths ≥6-8 km, locally surrounding septa of basement rock and older Oligocene igneous rocks. Two magmatic pulses, each lasting ~1 m.y. and associated with the 29 and 25 Ma caldera complexes, replaced almost the entire Mesozoic upper crust with Oligocene intrusive and extrusive rock to depths ≥9 km over a 1500 km² area (pre-extension). Magma emplacement was most likely accommodated by downward transfer of country rocks and accompanied by isostatic surface uplift. If other Great Basin calderas are similar, the dense concentration of shallowly exposed calderas in central Nevada may be underlain by a mid-Tertiary batholith assembled in discrete pulses that coincided with formation of large silicic calderas.