Late Cenozoic crustal deformation of the north-central Basin and Range Province, western US

Late Cenozoic (mid-Miocene and younger) deformation of the Basin and Range Province in north-central Nevada is studied by an analysis of mesoscopic faults. Correlations between fault strikes, fault types and senses of displacement were found for this area. Normal faults strike N-S, and right-lateral and left-lateral faults strike NNW and NNE respectively. The existence of strike-slip faulting, mainly right-lateral, is consistent with vertical-axis counterclockwise rotation interpreted from paleomagnetic declination data. These data suggest that mid-Miocene and younger crustal deformation in north-central Nevada was accompanied by both E-W extension, and N-S compression and shortening. Moreover, the contribution of strike-slip faulting to the net extension of this area, although hard to estimate, is significant.