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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 …