Field and Petrographic Analysis of the Indian Peak-Caliente Caldera Complex at Condor and English Canyons in Eastern Nevada

Abstract

The Indian Peak-Caliente Caldera Complex, or IPCCC, is an ideal site to study how large-scale tectonic forces can influence mineralogy on a local scale. This research was completed and compiled by the Tectonics and Mineralogy classes at Southern Utah University during a joint class field study and subsequent laboratory analyses. During the field trip, the main focuses were to observe caldera collapse relationships and ignimbrite features and to collect samples at Condor Canyon and English Canyon, two sites near the border between Nevada and Utah within the IPCCC. After the field trip, the Tectonics class completed a detailed literature review of the overall tectonic evolution of the region while the Mineralogy students petrographically analyzed the collected samples. This report provides a summary of the results, including mineralogical descriptions; an interpretation of a piece-meal, or piston-like, collapse of the caldera complex; and a connection between the local geology and the regional tectonic setting.