Table of Contents
Acknowlegments iv
Geologic time Chart x
Introduction to Nevada's Magnificent Landscape 1
The Basin and Range Province 1
The Tectonic Forces Tearing Nevada Apart 4
Earthquakes in Nevada 8
Rocks of Nevada 9
Minerals and Mining 13
Mineral Trends 21
Overview of Nevada's Plate Tectonic History 22
Proterozoic Eon 22
Paleozoic Era 24
Antler Orogeny 25
Alamo Impact Event 28
Humboldt and Sonoma Orogenies 28
Mesozoic Era 30
Thrust Faults and the Sevier Orogeny 31
Cenozoic Era 33
Supervolcanoes and Their Calderas 33
Ancestral Cascade Arc 38
Biomodal Volcanism 38
Metamorphic Core Complexes 39
Ice Age Nevada 42
Mountain Glaciers 42
Ice Age Lakes 43
The Future 47
Las Vegas Area 48
Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument 49
Spring Mountains 50
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (NV 159) 52
Lee Canyon (NV 156) 54
Kyle Canyon Road to Mt. Charleston (NV 157) 56
Lone Mountain 58
Pahrump Road 58
Sheep and Las Vegas Ranges 60
Valley of Fire State Park 62
Frenchman Mountain via Lake Mead Boulevard 66
Hoover Dam 71
Northshore Road: Las Vegas Bay-Overton 73
1-15: Primm-Las Vegas 84
1-15: Las Vegas-Arizona Border 86
The Bowl 89 US 95: California Border-Las Vegas 90
Techatticup Mine at Nelson 95
NV 163: US 95-Laughlin 96
Petroglyphs and Dikes at Grapevine Canyon 97
Northern and Central Nevada Federal Highways
Interstate 80: California Border-Reno-Winnemucca 104
Interstate 80: Winnemucca-Battle Mountain-Elko 119
Beowawe Geyser Field 127
Interstate 80: Elko-Utah Border 134
Secret Pass through a Metamorphic Core Complex 136
US 6: California Border-Coal dale Junction 143
US 6: Tonopah-Ely 146
Lunar Crater Volcanic Field 151
US 50: Lake Tahoe-Carson City-Fallon 158
Daggett Pass of the Kingsbury Grade 160
US 50: Fallon-Austin-Eureka-Ely 165
Scarp of the 1954 Fairview Peak Earthquake 174
NV 722 through the Desatoya Caldera 175
US 50: Ely-Utah Border 192
Snake Range Metamorphic Core Complex 195
Great Basin National Park 198
US 93: Las Vegas-US 50 near Ely 199
Cathedral Gorge State Park 210
US 93: Ely-Wells-Jackpot 217
Ruby Mountains and Ruby Marshes 221
US 93 Alternate: US 93 at Lages Station-West Wendover 227
US 95: Indian Springs-Beatty-Tonopah 231
US 95: Tonopah-Hawthorne 238
US 95: Hawthorne-Fallon-Interstate 80 244
US 95 Alternate: Schurz-Yerington-Fernley 249
Wilson Canyon 252
US 95: Winnemucca-Oregon Border 253
US 395: California Border-Reno-Topaz Lake 256
Genoa Fault Scarp 263
State Highways
NV 140: US 95-Denio-Oregon Border 266
NV 225: Elko-Idaho Border 274
NV 227: Elko-Lamoille Canyon 280
NV 231: Wells-Angel Lake 284
NV 266 and NV 264: US 95-Fish Lake Valley 289
NV 278: Carlin-Eureka 293
NV 305: Battle Mountain-Austin 298
NV 318: Hiko-Lund 302
NV 338: Smith Valley-California Border 306
NV 341 and NV 342: Virginia City Loop 309
NV 361: Middlegate (US 50)-Liming (US 95) 316
Berlin Ichthyosaur State Park 319
NV 375: Hiko (US 93)-Warm Springs (US 6) 326
NV 376: US 50 near Austin-US 6 near Tonopah 331
NV 431: Reno-Lake Tahoe 338
Lake Tahoe Basin 342
NV 445: Sparks-Pyramid Lake 345
NV 447: Wadsworth-Gerlach-California Border 351
Glossary 360
References 368
Index 387