Matching Items (2)
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Description
An array of north-striking, left-stepping, active normal faults is situated along the southwestern margin of the Gulf of California. This normal fault system is the marginal fault system of the oblique-divergent plate boundary within the Gulf of California. To better understand the role of upper-crustal processes during development of an

An array of north-striking, left-stepping, active normal faults is situated along the southwestern margin of the Gulf of California. This normal fault system is the marginal fault system of the oblique-divergent plate boundary within the Gulf of California. To better understand the role of upper-crustal processes during development of an obliquely rifted plate margin, gravity surveys were conducted across the normal-fault-bounded basins within the gulf-margin array and, along with optically stimulated luminescence dating of offset surfaces, fault-slip rates were estimated and fault patterns across basins were assessed, providing insight into sedimentary basin evolution. Additionally, detailed geologic and geomorphic maps were constructed along two faults within the system, leading to a more complete understanding of the role of individual normal faults within a larger array. These faults slip at a low rate (0.1-1 mm/yr) and have relatively shallow hanging wall basins (~500-3000 m). Overall, the gulf-margin faults accommodate protracted, distributed deformation at a low rate and provide a minor contribution to overall rifting. Integrating figures with text can lead to greater science learning than when either medium is presented alone. Textbooks, composed of text and graphics, are a primary source of content in most geology classes. It is essential to understand how students approach learning from text and figures in textbook-style learning materials and how the arrangement of the text and figures influences their learning approach. Introductory geology students were eye tracked while learning from textbook-style materials composed of text and graphics. Eye fixation data showed that students spent less time examining the figure than the text, but the students who more frequently examined the figure tended to improve more from the pretest to the posttest. In general, students tended to examine the figure at natural breaks in the reading. Textbook-style materials should, therefore, be formatted to include a number of natural breaks so that learners can pause to inspect the figure without the risk of losing their place in the reading and to provide a chance to process the material in small chunks. Multimedia instructional materials should be designed to support the cognitive processes of the learner.
ContributorsBusch, Melanie M. D (Author) / Arrowsmith, Ramon (Thesis advisor) / Reynolds, Stephen (Thesis advisor) / Chi, Michelene (Committee member) / Semken, Steven (Committee member) / Tyburczy, James (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2011
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Description
The historic Cacachilas mining district is located in Baja California Sur, approximately 20 kilometers east of La Paz, and has a series of gold- and silver-hosted veins, faults, and shear zones within Cretaceous granodioritic plutons. The remote geographic location and past political events within Mexico left the district essentially unexplored

The historic Cacachilas mining district is located in Baja California Sur, approximately 20 kilometers east of La Paz, and has a series of gold- and silver-hosted veins, faults, and shear zones within Cretaceous granodioritic plutons. The remote geographic location and past political events within Mexico left the district essentially unexplored after the late 1800s, when the Mexican Revolution began. More recent discovery of gold deposits along the Baja peninsula instigated a renewed interest in mineralization in the Sierra Cacachilas. The area lacks detailed previous geologic data, so this study focused on characterizing the controls of mineralization and the locations of mineralized trends of deposits within the northeastern Sierra Cacachilas, with a goal toward helping assess economic viability of the deposits. I mapped surficial geologic data, such as outcrop locations, alteration assemblages, limonite intensities, and structural measurements. I then synthesized these into geologic maps and cross sections. I combined field data with geochemical assays and structural plots to better characterize individual historic district trends and newly located trends to understand the distribution of mineralization at surface and at depth. Lastly, I synthesized geology of the Sierra Cacachilas with other gold and silver deposits located in the southern Baja peninsula to better characterize the mineralization and deposit style of the Cacachilas district.

Mineralization in the northeastern Sierra Cacachilas is mainly restricted to steeply dipping quartz veins, faults, and brittle-ductile shear zones that trend generally northeast. Some veins are en-echelon within the mineralized zones, implying some lateral movement along the zones. Veins are dominated by milky to clear quartz with trace sulfides, abundant limonite (after sulfides), and local open-space textures. Mineralization is interpreted to be intermediate between classic epithermal and mesothermal veins. Within mineralized trends and commonly associated with mineralization are greisen-like zones that are defined by intense sericitic to muscovitic overprint, trend northeast, and are with or without sulfides. The intensity of sulfide abundance and limonitic alteration after sulfides within and near mineralized zones is overall a good guide to mineralization. Based on past reports and on my recent studies, the Cacachilas district has very promising potential for relatively small, high-grade deposits.
ContributorsSeverson, Allison Rose (Author) / Reynolds, Stephen J. (Thesis advisor) / Semken, Steven (Committee member) / Burt, Donald (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015