New data are presented that provide evidence for the onset of extensional deformation in the Northwestern Basin and Range within 1 million years after the eruption of the Steens Basalt at 16.5 Ma. New geologic mapping (1:24,000), stratigraphic sections, and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of the Crane Basin rocks provide a control...
The northwestern corner of the Basin and Range Province (NWBR) lies in southeast Oregon where extensive Late Miocene, mafic to bimodal basalt-rhyolite volcanism and extensional faults dominate a stark and arid landscape. Near Lake Abert, the Late Miocene volcanic section abuts Early Miocene, dominantly intermediate composition volcanoes at the Coleman...
The eruptive history of the Quaternary Cascades arc has been relatively well characterized. However, much less is known about the frequency and sizes of explosive eruptions produced by earlier stages of the arc. The Late Neogene Deschutes Formation of Central Oregon preserves a remarkable record of heightened pyroclastic activity during...