Title: Lidar mapping and field observations along the Mount Callaghan faults, central Nevada
Author: Rich D. Koehler
Year: 2022
Series: Open-File Report 2022-10
Version:
Format: text: 15 pages
Scale:
This report presents the findings of a reconnaissance lidar and field assessment of the Mount Callaghan faults located along the eastern margin of the Toiyabe Range in Lander County, Nevada, approximately 25 km northeast of Austin, Nevada. The site is characterized by a subdued range front and gently east-sloping alluvial fans of various ages incised by narrow alluvial valleys. Isolated knobs of bedrock in the south-central part of the property crop out above the alluvial cover consistent with long-term tectonic activity.
The purpose of the project was to map and characterize Quaternary active fault structures associated with the Mount Callaghan fault system. In particular, the mapping focused on defining the distribution, extent, and orientation of faults, and the width and style of deformation. The mapping utilized high-resolution topographic data (lidar) and derivative map products including hillshade, intensity, and slope maps. The results are intended to refine previous fault mapping and inform local and regional subsurface structural modeling useful in future assessments of gold mineralization at depth.
The results indicate that the east-dipping range-front fault within the study area is weakly expressed and lacks tectonic geomorphic features indicative of active tectonic deformation. A prominent graben system extends across the south-central part of the study area and is characterized by clear east- and west-facing scarps that displace Quaternary deposits on the piedmont slope. These faults project towards a prominent east-dipping fault south of the field area, which may be the master fault of the Mount Callaghan fault system. It is inferred that hanging-wall deformation is responsible for the wide zone of faults distributed across the piedmont in the study area.
Suggested citation:
Koehler, R.D., 2022, Lidar mapping and field observations along the Mount Callaghan faults, central Nevada: Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Open-File Report 2022-10, 15 p.
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