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Evolution of a strike-slip fault network, Valley of Fire State Park, southern Nevada

Eric A. Flodin^,1 and Atilla Aydin^,1

¹ Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Room 118, Building 320, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-2115, USA

In the Valley of Fire State Park of southern Nevada, the Jurassic Aztec Sandstone is deformed by two predominately strike-slip fault sets with opposite slip sense. One fault set is north-northeast oriented and shows maximum left-lateral separations that range between centimeters and kilometers. The other fault set is northwest oriented and shows maximum right-lateral separations that range between centimeters and hundreds of meters. At a regional scale, most of the right-lateral faults terminate against the larger-offset left-lateral faults and are found localized between en echelon and parallel left-lateral faults, and at the ends of the larger left-lateral faults. At a local scale, right- and left-lateral faults of smaller size show mutually abutting relationships. Furthermore, Mode I splay fractures related to fault slip are observed sharing the same orientation and abutting relationships as members of the left- and right-lateral fault sets. A conceptual model for the evolution of the strike-slip fault network in the Valley-of-Fire is presented whereby the fault network formed via progressive Mode I splay fracturing and subsequent shearing along the fractures. At the outcrop scale, at least five hierarchical generations of structures are identified. It is proposed that shearing of Mode I splay fractures is facilitated by material rotation near and between slipping faults and/or local stress rotation due to fault interaction.

Key Words: strike-slip faults • joints • rotation • brittle deformation • Basin and Range • Aztec Sandstone

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