Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Analysis Of Cryptotephra At Whitney Mesa Nature Preserve, Henderson, Nevada, Alex Newsom

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

Advanced Undergraduate Winner

Cryptotephra (small volcanic shards ranging 20-80 microns in size) were discovered within Unit X of the Las Vegas Formation at Whitney Mesa Nature Preserve, Henderson, Nevada. Cryptotephra are deposited soon after a volcanic eruption and can be used as a dating tool to create narrow time constraints for surrounding sediments. Cryptotephra have many applications but are mainly useful as a dating tool. Their study has important implications for the understanding of the timing of palaeoclimatological and paleoenvironmental events as well as for archaeological studies to date important events in human history.

The Whitney Mesa cryptotephra were correlated …

Timing Of Mid-Crustal Ductile Extension In The Northern Snake Range Metamorphic Core Complex, Nevada: Evidence From U/Pb Zircon Ages, Jeffrey Lee, Terrence Blackburn, Scott Johnston

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Metamorphic core complexes within the western U.S. record a history of Cenozoic ductile and brittle extensional deformation, metamorphism, magmatism, and exhumation within the footwalls of high-angle Basin and Range normal faults. In models proposed for the formation of metamorphic core complexes there is a close temporal and spatial link between upper crustal normal faulting, lower crustal ductile extension and flow, and detachment faulting. To provide constraints on the timing of ductile extension in the northern Snake Range metamorphic core complex (Nevada) and thereby test these models, we present new 238U-206Pb dates on zircons from both deformed and undeformed rhyolite dikes …

Slides: The Colorado River Basin, Larry Macdonnell

Coping with Water Scarcity in River Basins Worldwide: Lessons Learned from Shared Experiences (Martz Summer Conference, June 9-10)

Presenter: Larry MacDonnell, Senior Fellow, Getches-Wilkinson Center, University of Colorado

17 slides

Slides: The Colorado River: Innovation In The Face Of Scarcity, Anne J. Castle

Innovations in Managing Western Water: New Approaches for Balancing Environmental, Social and Economic Outcomes (Martz Summer Conference, June 11-12)

Presenter: Anne J. Castle, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment

40 slides

Slides: Perspectives On Water Management In Arizona, Kathy Jacobs

Innovations in Managing Western Water: New Approaches for Balancing Environmental, Social and Economic Outcomes (Martz Summer Conference, June 11-12)

Presenter: Kathy Jacobs, Director, Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions (CCASS), Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, University of Arizona

25 slides

Holocene Earthquakes And Late Pleistocene Slip-Rate Estimates On The Wassuk Range Fault Zone, Nevada, J. M. Bormann, Benjamin E. Surpless, M. W. Caffee, S. G. Wesnousky

Geosciences Faculty Research

The Wassuk Range fault zone is an 80‐km‐long, east‐dipping, high‐angle normal fault that flanks the eastern margin of the Wassuk Range in central Nevada. Observations from two alluvial fan systems truncated by the fault yield information on the vertical slip rate and Holocene earthquake history along the range front. At the apex of the Rose Creek alluvial fan, radiocarbon dating of offset stratigraphy exposed in two fault trenches shows that multiple earthquakes resulted in 7.0 m of vertical offset along the fault since ∼9400 cal B.P. These data yield a Holocene vertical slip rate of 0.7±0.1  mm/yr. The south trench …

Cenozoic Tectonic Evolution Of The Central Wassuk Range, Western Nevada, Usa, Benjamin E. Surpless

Geosciences Faculty Research

The central Wassuk Range of western Nevada is ideally located to investigate the interplay of Basin and Range extension and Walker Lane dextral deformation on the margin of the Basin and Range province. To elucidate the Cenozoic evolution of the range, the author conducted geologic mapping, structural data collection and analysis, geochemical analysis of igneous lithologies, and geochronology. This research delineates a three-stage deformational history for the range. A ~15 Ma pulse of ENE-WSW directed extension at high strain rates (~8.7 Ma) was immediately preceded by the eruption of andesites and was accommodated by high-angle, closely spaced (1-2 km), east-dipping …

Slides: Who Should Be At The Table, And What Should They Be Talking About?, Robert W. Adler

Navigating the Future of the Colorado River (Martz Summer Conference, June 8-10)

Presenter: Robert W. Adler, James I. Farr Chair in Law, University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law

9 slides

Slides: Long-Term Augmentation Of The Water Supply Of The Colorado River System, Les Lampe

Navigating the Future of the Colorado River (Martz Summer Conference, June 8-10)

Presenter: Les Lampe, Colorado River Water Consultants, Las Vegas, Nevada

29 slides

Slides: Water Banks: Voluntary And Flexible Water Supplies For The Colorado River's Uncertain Future, Robert Wigington

Navigating the Future of the Colorado River (Martz Summer Conference, June 8-10)

Presenter: Robert Wigington, The Nature Conservancy

7 slides

Materials For Presentation: The Disappearing Colorado River, Lawrence J. Macdonnell

Navigating the Future of the Colorado River (Martz Summer Conference, June 8-10)

7 pages.

"Western Economics Forum, Fall 2010"

Fact Sheet: Study Of Long-Term Augmentation Options For The Water Supply Of The Colorado System, Black & Veatch, Ch2m Hill

Navigating the Future of the Colorado River (Martz Summer Conference, June 8-10)

1 page.

"March 2008"

Material submitted by Les Lampe, Colorado River Water Consultants, for "Augmentation Options" program, Session 3: Mapping a New Course, Panel F: Some Policy Options and Solutions.

Colorado River Water Consultants is a project-specific partnership of engineering firms Black & Veatch and CH2MHill.

Slides: Modifying Prior Appropriation: The Spectrum Of Experiences, Adam Schempp

Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry (Martz Summer Conference, June 3-5)

Presenter: Adam Schempp, Environmental Law Institute, Washington, DC

12 slides

Slides: Indian Water Rights, Robert T. Anderson

Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry (Martz Summer Conference, June 3-5)

Presenter: Robert T. Anderson, Native American Law Center, University of Washington Law School

19 slides

Slides: Status Of Southern Nevada Water Authority (Snwa): Third Intake Into Lake Mead And Groundwater Project, Kay Brothers

Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry (Martz Summer Conference, June 3-5)

Presenter: Kay Brothers, Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA), Las Vegas, NV

37 slides

Slides: Transboundary Solutions: A Water Trust, Policy, And Environmental Flows For The Colorado River Delta, Jennifer Pitt

Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry (Martz Summer Conference, June 3-5)

Presenter: Jennifer Pitt, Environmental Defense Fund, Boulder, CO

26 slides

Slides: Water Towers In The Balance: Time For A New Water Project, Rick Cables

Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry (Martz Summer Conference, June 3-5)

Presenter: Rick Cables, U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region

9 slides

Slides: Finding Flows: Fish Still Need Water Everyday, Melinda Kassen

Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry (Martz Summer Conference, June 3-5)

Presenter: Melinda Kassen, Director of the Western Water Project, Trout Unlimited

12 slides

Biostratigraphy Of The Hunter Creek Sandstone, Verdi Basin, Washoe County, Nevada, Thomas S. Kelly, Ross Secord

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

The Hunter Creek Sandstone of the Verdi Basin, Nevada, yielded a succession of superposed continental faunal assemblages ranging in age from the late Clarendonian (late Miocene) through the late Blancan (late Pliocene) in the North American land mammal age framework, or ca. 10.5-2.5 Ma. We describe two new local faunas from the Hunter Creek Sandstone: the East Verdi local fauna, of late-medial to late Clarendonian age, which includes Dinohippus cf. D. leardi, Camelidae, ?Antilocapridae, and Mammutidae or Gomphotheriidae; and the Mogul local fauna, of Hemphillian age, which includes Dinohippus sp., Rhinocerotidae, Camelidae (at least two species), Mammut sp., and …

Return To The Wild: Translocation As A Tool In Conservation Of The Desert Tortoise (Gopherus Agassizii), Kimberleigh J. Field, C. Richard Tracy, Philip A. Medica, Ronald W. Marlow, Paul Stephen Corn

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Translocation could be used as a tool in conservation of the threatened Mojave Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) by moving individuals from harm’s way and into areas where they could contribute to conservation of the species. Numerous factors may affect the success of translocations, including the conditions experienced by tortoises in holding facilities while awaiting translocation. The tortoises available for our translocation study had been provided supplemental water during their years spent in a captive holding facility, potentially inducing carelessness in water conservation. In addition to generally investigating the efficacy of translocation, we compared the effects of continuing with …

Slides: Do The Upper Basin States Have Enough Water To Grow?: Is There Enough Water To Go Around?, Don A. Ostler

Hard Times on the Colorado River: Drought, Growth and the Future of the Compact (Summer Conference, June 8-10)

Presenter: Don A. Ostler, Upper Colorado River Commission.

24 slides.

Slides: Response Of The System To Various Hydrological And Operational Assumptions: Reclamation Modeling Results, Terry Fulp

Hard Times on the Colorado River: Drought, Growth and the Future of the Compact (Summer Conference, June 8-10)

Presenter: Terry Fulp, US Bureau of Reclamation.

43 slides.

Slides: Groundwater In The West, John Entsminger

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

Presenter: John Entsminger, Deputy Counsel, Southern Nevada Water Authority.

16 slides.

Slides: Overview Of Groundwater Management Laws In The Western United States, Gary Bryner

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

Presenter: Gary Bryner, Natural Resources Law Center and Brigham Young University (see also Groundwater Law Sourcebook of the Western United States).

37 slides.

Slides: Ground-Water Resources In The Western United States: Status And Trends, Alan Burns

Groundwater in the West (Summer Conference, June 16-18)

Presenter: Alan Burns, U.S. Geological Survey.

68 slides.

Thermochronological Constraints On The Timing And Magnitude Of Miocene And Pliocene Extension In The Central Wassuk Range, Western Nevada, D. F. Stockli, Benjamin E. Surpless, T. A. Dumitru

Geosciences Faculty Research

Apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He thermochronological data provide new constraints on the timing of faulting and exhumation of the Wassuk Range, western Nevada, where east dipping normal faults have accommodated large-magnitude ENE-WSW oriented extension. Extensional deformation has resulted in the exhumation of structurally coherent fault blocks that expose sections of preextensional mostly granitic upper crust in the Grey Hills and central Wassuk Range. These fault blocks display westward tilts of ∼60° and expose preextensional paleodepths of up to ∼8.5 km, based on the structural reconstruction of tilted preextensional Tertiary andesite flows that unconformably overlie Mesozoic basement rocks. Apatite fission track …

Present Day Kinematics Of The Eastern California Shear Zone From A Geodetically Constrained Block Model, S. C. Mcclusky, S. C. Bjornstad, B. H. Hager, R. W. King, B. J. Meade, M. Meghan Miller, F. C. Monastero, B. J. Souter

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

We use Global Positioning System (GPS) data from 1993–2000 to determine horizontal velocities of 65 stations in eastern California and western Nevada between 35° and 37° N. We relate the geodetic velocities to fault slip rates using a block model that enforces path integral constraints over geologic and geodetic time scales and that includes the effects of elastic strain accumulation on faults locked to a depth of 15 km. The velocity of the Sierra Nevada block with respect to Nevada is 11.1±0.3 mm/yr, with slip partitioned across the Death Valley, (2.8±0.5 mm/yr), Panamint Valley (2.5±0.8 mm/yr), and Airport Lake/Owens Valley …

Refined Kinematics Of The Eastern California Shear Zone From Gps Observations, 1993-1998, M. Meghan Miller, Timothy H. Dixon, Roy K. Dokka

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Global Positioning System (GPS) results from networks spanning the Eastern California shear zone and adjacent Sierra Nevada block, occupied annually between 1993 and 1998, constrain plate margin kinematics. We use an elastic block model to relate GPS station velocities to long‐term fault slip rate estimates. The model accounts for elastic strain accumulation on the San Andreas fault, as well as faults of the Eastern California shear zone. South of the Garlock fault, 14 mm/yr of dextral shear is distributed across the Eastern California shear zone. Some of this slip penetrates eastward into the Basin and Range, and a collective budget …

Protecting Instream Flows In Prior Appropriation States: Legal And Policy Issues, Janet C. Neuman

Water and Growth in the West (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

17 pages.

Municipal Demands As The Stimulus For Innovation: Tales From The Lower Colorado River Basin, Jerome C. Muys

Water and Growth in the West (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

17 pages.