Date of Award:

5-2017

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Geosciences

Department name when degree awarded

Geology

Committee Chair(s)

Dennis L. Newell

Committee

Dennis L. Newell

Committee

James P. Evans

Committee

Alexis K. Ault

Abstract

The Hurricane Fault is a 250-km long, west dipping, active Basin and Range-bounding normal fault in southwest Utah and northwest Arizona. There are multiple known hot springs along its 250-km length and multiple late Tertiary-Quaternary basaltic centers that broadly parallel the fault. Possible sources of hot spring fluids include deeply circulated meteoric water that experienced water-rock exchange at high temperatures (>100 °C) and deep-seated crustal fluids. Abundant damage zone veins, cements, and host rock alteration are present along strike, indicative of past fluid flow. Carbonate veins and cements are key features of the Hurricane Fault zone, and the primary feature utilized to characterize the thermochemical history of fault-related paleofluids. Macroscopic and microscopic observations of veins and cements are combined with analyses of the chemical composition and precipitation temperature of calcite veins to determine past water-rock diagenetic interaction in the Hurricane Fault zone. Fault zone diagenesis is caused by meteoric water infiltration and interaction with carbonate rich rocks, mixed with upwelling basin brines. At least one mineralization event punctuated this history, associated with basin brines that were chemically influenced by basaltic magmatism.

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