Constraining the Location of the Archean–Proterozoic 

Suture in the Great Basin Based on Magnetotelluric 

Soundings

By Brian D. Rodriguez and Jay A. Sampson

Open-File Report 2012–1117

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

KEN SALAZAR, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Marcia K. McNutt, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2012

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Suggested citation: 

Rodriguez, B.D., and Sampson, J.A., 2012, Constraining the location of the Archean-Proterozoic suture in the Great Basin 

based on magnetotelluric soundings: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2012–1117, 30 p.

Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply 

endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual 

copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report.
iii

Contents

Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Introduction.................................................................................................................................................................... 1

Electrical Rock Properties.............................................................................................................................................. 3

Magnetotelluric Method ................................................................................................................................................. 3

Magnetotelluric Survey .................................................................................................................................................. 4

Resistivity Modeling....................................................................................................................................................... 5

Geologic Correlations .................................................................................................................................................... 6

Results........................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Discussion ..................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Summary and Conclusions............................................................................................................................................ 8

References Cited........................................................................................................................................................... 9

Appendix 1. Magnetotelluric Data.................................................................................................................................12

Figures

1. Location map of selected features in the Great Basin .......................................................................................... 2

2. Two-dimensional resistivity profile model cross section ....................................................................................... 6

A1. Observed and calculated resistivity data ............................................................................................................ 14

A2. Observed and calculated phase data ................................................................................................................. 15

A3. Impedance skew ratio......................................................................................................................................... 16

A4. Multiple coherency.............................................................................................................................................. 17

A5. Impedance polar plots ........................................................................................................................................ 19

A6. Tipper strike angle.............................................................................................................................................. 30

Table

1. Magnetotelluric station coordinates......................................................................................................................... 5
iv

Conversion Factors

Inch/Pound to SI

Multiply By To obtain

Length

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m)

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)

mile, nautical (nmi) 1.852 kilometer (km)

yard (yd) 0.9144 meter (m)

SI to Inch/Pound

Multiply By To obtain

Length

meter (m) 3.281 foot (ft) 

kilometer (km) 0.6214 mile (mi)

kilometer (km) 0.5400 mile, nautical (nmi) 

meter (m) 1.094 yard (yd) 

Vertical coordinate information is referenced to the 1866 Clarke Spheroid.

Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1927 (NAD 27).

Elevation, as used in this report, refers to distance above the vertical datum.
Constraining the Location of the Archean-Proterozoic 

Suture in the Great Basin Based on Magnetotelluric 

Soundings

By Brian D. Rodriguez and Jay A. Sampson

Abstract

It is important to understand whether major mining districts in north-central Nevada are 

underlain by Archean crust, known to contain major orogenic gold deposits, or, alternatively, by 

accreted crust of the Paleoproterozoic Mojave province. Determining the location and orientation of the 

Archean-Proterozoic suture zone between the Archean crust and Mojave province is also critical 

because it may influence subsequent patterns of sedimentation, deformation, magmatism, and 

hydrothermal activity. In the Great Basin, the attitude of the suture zone is unknown because it is 

concealed below cover. A regional magnetotelluric sounding profile along the Utah-Nevada State line 

reveals a deeply penetrating, broad electrical conductor that may be the Archean-Proterozoic suture 

zone in the northwest corner of Utah. This major crustal conductor’s strike direction is northwest, where 

it broadens to about 80 km wide below about 3-km depth. These results suggest that the southwestern 

limit of intact Archean crust in this part of the Great Basin is farther north than previously reported. 

These results also suggest that the major gold belts in north-central Nevada are located over the 

Paleoproterozoic Mojave province, and the Archean terrain lies northeast in the northwest corner of 

Utah. Rifted Archean crust segments south and west of the suture suggest that future mineral 

exploration northeast of current mineral trends may yield additional gold deposits.

Introduction

North-central Nevada contains a large amount of gold in a variety of deposit types (Hofstra, 

2002), and the origin of that gold (such as in Carlin-type deposits) is a much debated subject (Hofstra 

and others, 2003; Wallace and others, 2004). Major deposits occur in linear belts (fig. 1) that have long 

been believed to be controlled by the underlying crust and large tectonically controlled structures 

(Hofstra and Wallace, 2006).

Globally, the Archean Eon was the main gold mineralization period (Cameron, 1988). To help 

constrain the age and identity of source rocks for gold in north-central Nevada, it is important to know

whether major mining districts in this region are underlain by Archean crust, known elsewhere to 

contain orogenic gold deposits (Hausel and Hull, 1990), or by accreted crust of the Paleoproterozoic 

Mojave province (Whitmeyer and Karlstrom, 2004). The Archean-Proterozoic suture zone that formed 

during Paleoproterozoic rifting of the continent and later Proterozoic accretion (Karlstrom and others, 

2005) influenced many Phanerozoic events including patterns of sedimentation, deformation, 

magmatism, and hydrothermal activity (Crafford and Grauch, 2002; Grauch and others, 2003; Hofstra 

and Wallace, 2006). Determining the location and orientation of the Archean-Proterozoic suture zone 

between these provinces will help constrain the location of the Archean craton margin.
2

Figure 1. Location map of selected features in the Great Basin. Line A-A′ is the magnetotelluric profile. Black 

dashed line is initial 87Sr/86Sr=0.706 isopleth (Sri) for the inferred edge of continental crust (Kistler, 1991). Yellow 

rectangles are major mineral trends and lineaments. AR, Alligator Ridge district; BME, Battle Mountain-Eureka 

trend; CT, Carlin trend; GT, Getchell trend; JC, Jerritt Canyon district. Red solid line is leading edge of Cheyenne 

belt suture zone of Hart and Nelson (2008). Red dashed line is newly interpreted Cheyenne belt based on 

resistivity model (fig. 2). Solid black polygons are Precambrian exposures. GR, Grouse Creek/Raft River 

Mountains; FCC, Farmington Canyon Complex; AI, Antelope Island; REH, Ruby-East Humboldt metamorphic core 

complex (historically lumped with Archean exposures to the east). Inset map shows location of figure and outline 

of the Great Basin (heavy black line). Modified from John and others (2003).
3

The nature of the crystalline basement in the Great Basin is relevant to reconstructions of 

Rodinia, crustal development, and ore deposit models (for example, Hofstra and Cline, 2000; Grauch 

and others, 2003). The suture zone (Cheyenne belt) is up to 7 km wide at the surface in Wyoming, with 

multiple zones of deformation (Houston and others, 1989) and up to 100 km wide at depth (Crosswhite 

and Humphreys, 2003). The suture zone in southern Wyoming strikes southwest in the Medicine Bow 

Mountains; however, west of the Medicine Bow Mountains, in the Sierra Madre, the suture trends westnorthwest. In the Great Basin, the attitude of the suture zone is unknown because it is concealed below a 

Neoproterozoic–Paleozoic miogeocline and Cenozoic basin fill. Hart and Nelson (2008) placed the 

southern limit in the northwest corner of Utah. Rodriguez and Williams (2008) placed the western limit 

in the northeast corner of Nevada and the southern limit along a southwest projection of the Uinta 

Mountains axis (Karlstrom and others, 2005; Tosdal and others, 2000). To better constrain the location 

and strike of the suture zone below cover, a regional north-south magnetotelluric sounding profile was 

acquired along the Utah-Nevada State line.

Electrical Rock Properties

Electromagnetic geophysical investigation methods detect variations in the electrical properties 

of rock units, in particular electrical resistivity, which is measured in units of ohm-meters (Ωm), or its 

inverse, electrical conductivity in units of Siemens per meter (S/m). Electrical resistivity can be 

correlated with geologic units on the surface and at depth using lithologic logs to provide a threedimensional picture of subsurface geology. In the upper crust, the resistivities of geologic units are 

largely dependent upon their fluid content, pore volume porosity, interconnected fracture porosity, and 

conductive mineral content (Keller, 1987).

Although there is not a one-to-one relation between lithology and resistivity, there are general 

correlations that can be made using typical values, even though values can be found at other geographic 

locations (Palacky, 1987) that may fall outside of the ranges presented below. Fluids within the pore 

spaces and fracture openings, especially if saline, can reduce resistivities in what would otherwise be a 

resistive rock matrix. Resistivity can also be lowered by the presence of electrically conductive clay 

minerals, graphitic carbon, and metallic mineralization. It is common, for example, for altered volcanic 

rocks to contain replacement minerals that have resistivities ten times lower than those of the 

surrounding rocks (Nelson and Anderson, 1992). Fine-grained sediments, such as clay-rich alluvium, 

marine shales, and other mudstones are normally conductive, with resistivities ranging from a few 

ohm-meters to tens of ohm-meters (Keller, 1987; Palacky, 1987). Metamorphic rocks (nongraphitic) 

and unaltered, unfractured igneous rocks are normally moderately to highly resistive (a few hundred to 

thousands of ohm-meters). Carbonate rocks can have similarly high resistivities depending on their fluid 

content, porosity, and impurities (Keller, 1987; Palacky, 1987). Fault zones may be moderately 

conductive (tens of ohm-meters) when composed of rocks fractured enough to have allowed fluid 

transport and consequent mineralogical alteration (Eberhart-Phillips and others, 1995) or when 

composed of fractured rock that has graphitic enrichment along former shear planes (Ritter and others, 

2005). At greater depths, higher subsurface temperatures cause higher ionic mobility that reduces rock 

resistivities (Keller, 1987; Palacky, 1987). Tables of electrical resistivity for a variety of rocks, minerals, 

and geological environments may be found in Keller (1989) and Palacky (1987). 

Magnetotelluric Method

The magnetotelluric method is a passive surface geophysical technique that uses the Earth's 

natural electromagnetic fields to investigate the electrical resistivity structure of the subsurface from 
4

depths of tens of meters to tens of kilometers (Vozoff, 1991). Natural variations of the Earth's magnetic 

and electric fields are measured and recorded at each magnetotelluric station. Worldwide lightning 

activity at frequencies of about 1 to 20,000 Hertz and geomagnetic micropulsations at frequencies of 

about 0.0001 to 1 Hertz provide the majority of the signal sensed by the magnetotelluric method. 

The orthogonal horizontal electric field components (Ex and Ey), magnetic field components 

(Hx and Hy), and the vertical magnetic field component (Hz) are recorded. For resistivity modeling, 

magnetotelluric data are normally rotated into directions that are parallel and perpendicular to the 

subsurface geologic strike. These are usually the principal directions that correspond to the direction of 

maximum and minimum apparent resistivity. For a two-dimensional (2-D) Earth, in which the Earth’s 

resistivity structure varies with depth and in one lateral direction, the analysis is simplified. The 

magnetotelluric fields can be decoupled into transverse-electric and transverse-magnetic modes. In this 

case, 2-D resistivity modeling is generally computed to fit both modes. When the geology satisfies the 

2-D assumption and the magnetotelluric profile is perpendicular to the geologic strike, the 

magnetotelluric data for the transverse-electric mode represent the electric field parallel to geologic 

strike, whereas the data for the transverse-magnetic mode represent the electric field across strike. The 

magnetotelluric method is well suited for studying complicated geological environments because the 

electric and magnetic field transfer functions are sensitive to vertical and horizontal variations in 

resistivity. The method is capable of establishing whether the electromagnetic fields are responding to 

subsurface rock bodies of effectively one, two, or three dimensions. An introduction to the 

magnetotelluric method and references for a more advanced understanding are in Kaufman and Keller 

(1981), Dobrin and Savit (1988), and Vozoff (1991). 

Magnetotelluric Survey

Eleven magnetotelluric soundings were collected in July 2008 and September 2009 along a 

151-km-long north-south profile (A-A′, fig. 1) in Box Elder County, Utah, and Elko County, Nev. 

The profile begins south of Wendover, Nev., but north of the Deep Creek Range. It continues north of 

Wendover along the Nevada side of the Nevada-Utah State line, but then crosses over into Utah along 

the east side of the Pilot Range near latitude 41°. The north profile terminus is in the Grouse Creek/Raft 

River Mountains (GR in fig. 1) and north of the southernmost projected location of Archean exposures 

to the east (Egger and others, 2003; Hintze, 1980). Sounding locations were chosen to cross the suture 

zone (Cheyenne belt) hypothesized from interpretations of Hart and Nelson (2008). Magnetotelluric 

data were recorded for periods exceeding 16 to 22 hours to help characterize the lower crust. The 

magnetotelluric data were culled and rotated to perpendicular to the profile azimuth so that propagation 

modes for the signals were decoupled into transverse-electric and transverse-magnetic modes for 

subsequent 2-D resistivity modeling (see appendix).

Station locations were chosen for proximity to roads and in order to avoid electrical noise from 

powerlines. All data at the stations were collected with a portable Electromagnetic Instruments, Inc. 

(EMI) MT24LF system. In addition, station 37 was also collected with an MT-1 system (EMI, Inc., 

1996) in 2009 after discovering the 2008 MT24LF data for station 37 were too corrupted by nearby 

traffic and bovine visitors. Horizontal electric fields were recorded using copper-sulfate porous pots 

placed in an L-shaped, three-electrode array with dipole lengths of 30 m. The orthogonal, horizontal 

magnetic fields in the direction of the electric-field measurement array were sensed using highmagnetic-permeability, mu-metal-cored induction coils (EMI, Inc., 1996). Frequencies were sampled 

from about 0.002 to 200 Hertz using remote reference (Gamble and others, 1979) recordings of the 

orthogonal, horizontal components of the electric and magnetic fields and the vertical magnetic field. 

Table 1 lists the 11 magnetotelluric station locations.
5

Table 1. Magnetotelluric station coordinates.

[Coordinates are referenced to the 1866 Clarke spheroid and North American 1927 Western United States datum. Longitude 

and latitude format is degrees:minutes:seconds. Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) units and station elevations are in 

meters (m). UTM zone 11T for stations 42–44 and 47. UTM zone 12T for stations 37–41, 45, 46, and 48. The accuracy of 

the north and east component is ±5 m and is ±10 m for the elevation. Remote is remote reference station]

Station Remote Longitude Latitude North

(m)

East

(m)

Elevation

(m)

44 43 –114:08:02 40:31:26 4,489,628 742,792 1,458

43 44 –114:07:37 40:42:46 4,510,630 742,699 1,371

47 46 –114:08:08 40:49:19 4,522,735 741,578 1,434

42 41 –114:04:42 40:55:40 4,534,641 745,997 1,353

46 47 –113:58:32 41:00:40 4,544,045 249,765 1,324

41 42 –113:57:55 41:06:35 4,554,975 251,009 1,300

40 39 –113:57:39 41:15:40 4,571,771 251,947 1,589

45 48 –113:52:05 41:22:21 4,583,861 260,136 1,377

39 40 –113:52:16 41:29:14 4,596,602 260,299 1,534

48 45 –113:51:29 41:38:40 4,614,047 261,969 1,627

37 none –113:47:32 41:51:24 4,637,427 268,230 2,013

Resistivity Modeling

The magnetotelluric profile soundings were initially inverted with a 2-D resistivity inversion 

program, RLM2DI (Mackie and others, 1997), using only the transverse-magnetic mode data because 

all of the observed data indicated a 3-D response (Wannamaker and others, 1984). We subsequently 

forward-modeled using a 2-D finite-element integral solution program, PW2DIS (Wannamaker, 1989), 

to improve computed fits to the 3-D magnetotelluric data recorded along the profiles. Each 2-D 

resistivity model is constructed by adjusting the resistivity values beneath the profile of magnetotelluric 

stations, so that for all stations the calculated 2-D response agrees with the measured data. Again, we 

primarily attempted to fit the transverse-magnetic mode data because the observed data indicated a 3-D 

response (fig. A1). Resistivity boundaries in the models are only approximately located because the 

magnetotelluric station spacing is nominally about 15 km along the profile. It is possible that undetected 

rock units may exist between stations in the resistivity model because of the wide station spacing. This 

is especially possible for resistive blocks in the upper kilometer of conductive crust or within the suture 

zone. Narrow or thin conductive zones may also be undetected.

The magnetotelluric profile projection on the resistivity model (A-A′, fig. 2) passes through 

magnetotelluric stations 44 and 37 and bears N.12°E. (A-A′, fig. 1). The finite-element grid used in the 

profile resistivity model consisted of 104×64 variable dimension cells extending over 5,000 km 

horizontally beyond the profile endpoints and over 1,000 km vertically to minimize edge effects. In the 

finer part of the mesh, the horizontal element size varied between 0.6 km and 2.9 km, whereas the 

vertical element size varied between 10 m near the surface to 100 m below 500 m depth to 1 km below 

5 km depth to 10 km below 40 km depth to over 100 km below 200 km depth. Observed data and the 

calculated 2-D response appear in figures A1 and A2.
6

Figure 2. Two-dimensional resistivity profile model cross section. Numbered labels at top of cross section 

are the projected locations of magnetotelluric stations. AR, Archean; PR, Proterozoic; Pz, Paleozoic; Cz, 

Cenozoic. Depths are from ground surface. Physiographic descriptions are as in figure 1. No vertical 

exaggeration in lower cross section and 5:1 vertical exaggeration in upper cross section.

Geologic Correlations

Rodriguez and Williams (2001, 2002) attributed crustal high resistivity (300 to 1,000 Ωm) in 

north-central Nevada to carbonate rock, intrusive rock, crystalline rock, or Precambrian basement, 

whereas Wallin and others (2008) found similar bulk average resistivities (500 to 15,000 Ωm) for these 

rock types from deep induction resistivity logs in southern Nevada. In north-central Nevada, moderately 

resistive (30 to 300 Ωm) rocks were inferred to be volcanic and (or) clastic sedimentary rocks, whereas 

in southern Nevada, the bulk average resistivity of these types of rocks was found to range from 10 to 

200 Ωm. Broad, low resistivity (2 to 100 Ωm) conductors that penetrate to lower crustal depths (20 km) 

may be interpreted as the presence of major crustal-scale suture zones (Rodriguez and others, 2007). 

The low resistivities can be caused by material associated with faulting or fracture filling such as 

mylonitic breccia, brine-filled fractures, argillaceous alteration from hydrothermal fluids, substantial 

graphitic carbon associated with shearing, or fluid-deposited graphite derived from organic shales in the 

section (Wannamaker and Doerner, 2002), or possibly some combination of these (Eberhart-Phillips and 

others, 1995). Shallow conductors in the upper few kilometers may be a combination of conductive (1 to 

30 Ωm) basin fill resting on shaley basement units, such as the Upper Devonian and Lower 

Mississippian Pilot Shale or Lower and Upper Mississippian Chainman Shale with similar resistivities 

depending on their hydrocarbon maturity (Wannamaker and Doerner, 2002).
7

Results

Along the north-south magnetotelluric profile (A-A′, figs. 1 and 2), the northern edge (beneath 

magnetotelluric station 48) of a broad (about 80 km wide) moderately conductive (50 Ωm) zone that 

penetrates to at least 20-km depth has an electrical strike direction of N.60°

W. (black open rectangle, 

fig. A6). This conductive zone appears to be a major structural boundary because its great breadth and 

depth suggests a very broad and thick section of conductive crust that is juxtaposed between thick 

(greater than 20 km) resistive crust north and south of it. This major structural boundary we interpret to 

be a Neoproterozoic rift whose northern edge is the Cheyenne belt suture zone because its thick, broad, 

low resistivity suggests heavily sheared crust of rift margin proportions (about 80 km wide below 3-km 

depth).

This major anomalous conductive zone greatly contrasts with the thick section of resistive (1,000 

to 10,000 Ωm) crust (below 3-km depth), beneath magnetotelluric station 37, that penetrates to the 

lower crust (about 45-km depth) suggesting that this resistive crust is intact. We interpret this resistive 

section of crust to be Archean because its thickness is consistent with Archean craton thickness in 

Wyoming based on seismic data (Keller and others, 1998), and Archean rocks are exposed in the Grouse 

Creek Mountains (Egger and others, 2003; Hintze, 1980).

The thick section of resistive (1,000 to 10,000 Ωm) crust, south of magnetotelluric station 42, 

that penetrates to the middle crust (at least 20-km depth), we interpret to be accreted Proterozoic and 

likely rifted Archean crust because its high resistivity, relatively smaller thickness, and its position south 

of the inferred suture zone along this profile (fig. 1) is consistent with accreted Proterozoic and Archean 

rifted crust. From the resistivity values alone, we cannot differentiate between the Proterozoic and 

Archean terranes, as both would appear as resistive crust, so our interpretation heavily relies upon its 

position south of the inferred suture zone and the tens of kilometers difference in thickness of the 

resistive crust north and south of the conductive suture zone.

Moderately conductive to resistive (10 to 1,000 Ωm) crust in the upper 3 km correlate with 

Paleozoic rocks exposed at the surface along the profile (Hintze, 1980). The boundary between lower 

Paleozoic carbonates and Proterozoic metamorphic rocks is unknown because these rock types would 

have similar high-resistivity values. The interpreted boundary illustrated in figure 2 may be shallower or 

deeper. Anomalous high resistivities near stations 40 and 45 from about 1- to 5-km depth may be related 

to the nearby Emigrant Pass pluton (Egger and others, 2003; Hintze, 1980). Shallower conductive (0.5 

to 20 Ωm) rocks in the upper 0.5 km we infer to be Cenozoic basin fill based on Cenozoic rocks 

exposed at the surface (Hintze, 1980; Moore and Sorensen, 1979) and gravity basement estimates 

(Wallace and others, 2004).

Discussion

The structure of all surviving Archean cratons must extend to mantle depths (Mueller and Frost, 

2006). Rodriguez and Williams (2008) previously reported interpreted resistivity models that supported 

southwest projections of the Cheyenne belt (suture zone) along the Uinta Mountains axis, but these 

models were based on data that were limited to the upper 20 km and, therefore, were not able to detect 

thicker (down to mantle depths) resistive crust indicative of intact Archean crust.

Previously published Cheyenne belt locations in Nevada (Foster and others, 2006; Karlstrom and 

others, 2005; Mueller and Frost, 2006; Tosdal and others, 2000) were drawn south of the Ruby-East 

Humboldt metamorphic core complex (REH, fig. 1), but the basis for those locations has since been 

discounted. The Ruby-East Humboldt metamorphic core complex contains rocks previously interpreted 
8

to be a nappe of Archean crust, but isotopic analysis by Premo and others (2008) found the rocks to be 

Late Cretaceous monzogranite derived from a sedimentary source dominated by Archean detritus.

The newly interpreted Cheyenne belt trace supports the revised location of Hart and Nelson 

(2008) and further delineates its northern edge (near station 48) to the north-central Grouse Creek 

Mountains (figs. 1 and 2). Its northwest strike suggests the inferred Archean terrane at magnetotelluric 

station 48 may be a northwest-striking extension segment subdivided by a northeast-striking transform 

segment where the Cheyenne belt strikes northeast (fig. 1). Intact Archean crust should appear as a 

thick, broad, resistive mass as seen beneath station 37 (fig. 2). The inferred Archean crust is west of the 

western limit of semicontinuous exposures of the Wyoming craton, but its great thickness (about 45 km) 

suggests that it is intact beneath station 37. More magnetotelluric data north and east of station 37 would 

help resolve whether the inferred Archean crust is part of the intact Wyoming craton or just an accreted 

thick Archean block.

Isolated blocks of rifted Archean crust south of the suture zone may exist because the modeled 

20-km-thick resistive crust beneath stations 44, 43, and 47 is too thick to be comprised of subhorizontal 

Proterozoic crust, although it is possible that the thick resistive crust is, in part, intruded by Tertiary and 

Cretaceous rocks south of stations 43 and 44 (Coats, 1987), or its great thickness is a result of stacked 

accreted blocks of subvertical Proterozoic crust. This has important implications on future mineral 

exploration in the area, as it suggests that future mineral exploration northeast of the gold belts in northcentral Nevada may yield additional gold deposits since these exploration targets would be closer to 

Archean gold sources, if ore controlling faults and stratigraphy are favorable (Cline and others, 2005; 

Hofstra and Wallace, 2006). Sediment-hosted mineral deposits tend to follow the same geometry of the 

rifted margin (Lund, 2008).

Rodriguez and others (2007) report isolated blocks of thick (10 to 20 km) resistive (300 to 1,000 

Ωm) crust beneath the Battle Mountain-Eureka, Carlin, Getchell, and Alligator Ridge mineral belts that 

may be isolated blocks of rifted Archean and accreted Proterozoic crust. Thus, Phanerozoic mineral 

deposits along these mineral belts may be produced, at least in part, from recycled Archean gold (Emsbo 

and others, 2006; Hofstra and Wallace, 2006, Tosdal and others, 2000).

Summary and Conclusions

The Archean-Proterozoic suture zone formed after Paleoproterozoic rifting of the continent and 

later Proterozoic accretion, and may have influenced subsequent patterns of sedimentation, deformation, 

magmatism, and hydrothermal activity. This geologic framework is the most compelling explanation of 

the regional north-south magnetotelluric profile resistivity model. Resistivity modeling reveals thick 

(greater than 20 km) resistive (500 to 10,000 Ωm) crust that we interpret as Archean and Proterozoic 

basement. A broad (80 km), thick (about 20 km), moderately conductive (50 Ωm) zone wedged between 

resistive crust is consistent with a suture zone that separates thicker (about 45 km thick) intact Archean 

terrane to the north from thinner (about 20 km thick) rifted Archean and accreted Proterozoic terrane to 

the south. The interpreted suture zone supports recently suggested revisions of the Cheyenne belt north 

of the Uinta Mountains and north of other previously published locations. Our results suggest future 

mineral exploration northeast of the major gold belts in north-central Nevada may yield additional large 

gold deposits that follow the same geometry of the rifted margin because isolated blocks of rifted 

Archean crust likely exist south of the suture zone along the Utah-Nevada State line and also beneath 

the mineral belts in north-central Nevada.
9

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Appendix 1. Magnetotelluric Data

The recorded time-series data were converted to the frequency domain and processed to 

determine the impedance tensor, which is used to derive apparent resistivities and phases at each site. 

Rotation of the impedance tensor allows for decoupling into the transverse-electric and transversemagnetic modes. The data provided here were rotated to a fixed angle perpendicular to the given 

nominal profile orientation. Cross-power files were sorted to select optimal signal-to-noise time-series 

datasets.

Cultural features, such as fences, pipelines, communication lines, moving vehicles and trains, 

and other manmade sources of electromagnetic noise, can contaminate the responses of the 

magnetotelluric system. 

The figures in appendix 1 represent the field-processed magnetotelluric data for each station, 

after the time-series data were converted to the frequency domain and the tensor-transfer function was 

developed. The data at each station include some data scatter and poor signal-to-noise ratios. Efforts 

aimed at removing noisy data points were to visually inspect and digitally select the best signal-to-noise 

field data to combine and remote reference processing.

Six data diagram types are given:

1. Apparent resistivity (fig. A1)

2. Impedance phase (fig. A2)

3. Impedance skew (fig. A3)

4. Multiple coherency (fig. A4)

5. Impedance polar plots (fig. A5)

6. Tipper strike (fig. A6)

Apparent resistivity (fig. A1) is the ratio at a given frequency of the electric field strength 

magnitude to the magnetic field strength magnitude. The impedance phase (fig. A2) is proportional to 

the slope of the apparent resistivity curve on a log-log plot, relative to a baseline at –45° (Vozoff, 1991). 

A measure of the dimensionality for magnetotelluric data is provided by the impedance skew (fig. A3) 

of the impedance tensor (Vozoff, 1972). If the effective, measured resistivity response to the geology 

beneath an magnetotelluric station is truly one or two dimensional, then the skew will be zero. Both 

instrumental and environmental sources of noise contribute to nonzero skew values but are typically 

small (about 0.1) for relatively low noise-level recordings. Higher skews (more than 0.2) indicate either 

the resistivity response to 3-D geology or higher levels of noise. 

In the study area, noise from a number of small powerlines and small moving vehicles was 

negligible at distances of 0.25 km and farther from the noise source. Powerline amplitude levels were 

measured at each site and were typically less than 20 percent of the maximum recordable signals. Noise 

from larger power lines, power generators, pipelines, and trains was negligible at distances greater than 

5 km. Local lightning, wind, and rainstorms also can degrade data quality, but these noise sources were 

avoided by not recording during active thunderstorm periods. Burying the magnetic induction coils and 

keeping the electric dipole wires flat on the ground helped to minimize wind noise.

Predicted values of the electric field can be computed from the measured values of the magnetic 

field (Vozoff, 1991). The coherence of the predicted electric field with the measured electric field is a 

measure of the signal-to-noise ratio provided in the multiple coherency plots (fig. A4). Values are 

normalized between 0 and 1, where values at 0.5 signify signal levels equal to noise levels. For this 
13

dataset, coherencies generally were at an acceptable level, except at times in the frequency “dead band” 

(0.01 to 5 Hertz) (Dobrin and Savit, 1988) and also at times at frequencies below 0.01 Hertz. 

The impedance polar plots (fig. A5) provide a measure of the magnetotelluric data 

dimensionality (Reddy and others, 1977). For 1-D resistivity structures, the principal impedance (off 

diagonal elements) polar diagram (dashed line) is a circle. For 2-D or 3-D resistivity structures, the 

principal impedance polar diagram (dashed line) elongates either parallel to or perpendicular to strike 

direction. Over resistors, the principal impedance polar diagram elongates perpendicular to strike 

direction, whereas over conductors, the principal impedance polar diagram elongates parallel to strike 

direction. For 2-D resistivity structures, the additional impedance polar diagram (solid line) attains the 

shape of a symmetric clover leaf. For 3-D resistivity structures, the additional impedance polar diagram 

(solid line) elongates in one direction, and its amplitude is comparable to that of the principal impedance 

polar diagram (dashed line), although high noise levels can produce the same effect on the polar 

diagram. A 3-D analysis of polar plots at each frequency should also take into account the 

corresponding coherence and skew values along with their associated error levels. The polar plots 

computed for our data show the electromagnetic response for all stations was 3-D over all frequencies 

measured.

The tipper can be calculated from the vertical component of the magnetic field. The tipper strike 

(fig. A6) typically is used to help resolve the 90° ambiguity in the impedance rotation angle.
14

Figure A1. Observed and calculated resistivity data for profile A-A′ (fig. 2). Black circles and crosses are 

transverse-electric and transverse-magnetic mode observed data. Green circles and orange crosses are 

transverse-electric and transverse-magnetic mode calculated two-dimensional resistivity response. 3-D label 

indicates three-dimensional character of electromagnetic response (S for small, M for medium, or L for large 3-D 

response).
15

Figure A2. Observed and calculated phase data for profile A-A′ (fig. 2). Black circles and crosses are 

transverse-electric and transverse-magnetic mode observed data. Green circles and orange crosses are 

transverse-electric and transverse-magnetic mode calculated two-dimensional resistivity response. 3-D label 

indicates three-dimensional character of electromagnetic response (S for small, M for medium, or L for large 3-D 

response).
16

Figure A3. Impedance skew ratio for profile A-A′ (fig. 2). Numbered labels at figure top are 

magnetotelluric stations.
17

Figure A4A. Multiple coherency for profile A-A′ (fig. 2). Coherency of the predicted Ex electric field with 

the measured Ex electric field. Numbered labels at figure top are magnetotelluric stations.
18

Figure A4B. Multiple coherency for profile A-A′ (fig. 2). Coherency of the predicted Ey electric field with 

the measured Ey electric field. Numbered labels at figure top are magnetotelluric stations.
19

Figure A5A. Impedance polar 

plots for magnetotelluric station 44 

(fig. 2). North (0°) is up. Green line 

is Zxy. Orange line is Zxx. Straight 

black line is rotation angle (–78°). 

Numbered label at each diagram 

bottom is frequency in Hertz.
20

Figure A5B. Impedance polar 

plots for magnetotelluric station 43 

(fig. 2). North (0°) is up. Green line 

is Zxy. Orange line is Zxx. Straight 

black line is rotation angle (–78°). 

Numbered label at each diagram 

bottom is frequency in Hertz.
21

Figure A5C. Impedance polar 

plots for magnetotelluric station 47 

(fig. 2). North (0°) is up. Green line 

is Zxy. Orange line is Zxx. Straight 

black line is rotation angle (–78°). 

Numbered label at each diagram 

bottom is frequency in Hertz.
22

Figure A5D. Impedance polar 

plots for magnetotelluric station 42 

(fig. 2). North (0°) is up. Green line 

is Zxy. Orange line is Zxx. Straight 

black line is rotation angle (–78°). 

Numbered label at each diagram 

bottom is frequency in Hertz.
23

Figure A5E. Impedance polar 

plots for magnetotelluric station 46 

(fig. 2). North (0°) is up. Green line 

is Zxy. Orange line is Zxx. Straight 

black line is rotation angle (–78°). 

Numbered label at each diagram 

bottom is frequency in Hertz.
24

Figure A5F. Impedance polar 

plots for magnetotelluric station 41 

(fig. 2). North (0°) is up. Green line 

is Zxy. Orange line is Zxx. Straight 

black line is rotation angle (–78°). 

Numbered label at each diagram 

bottom is frequency in Hertz.
25

Figure A5G. Impedance polar 

plots for magnetotelluric station 40 

(fig. 2). North (0°) is up. Green line 

is Zxy. Orange line is Zxx. Straight 

black line is rotation angle (–78°). 

Numbered label at each diagram 

bottom is frequency in Hertz.
26

Figure A5H. Impedance polar 

plots for magnetotelluric station 45 

(fig. 2). North (0°) is up. Green line 

is Zxy. Orange line is Zxx. Straight 

black line is rotation angle (–78°). 

Numbered label at each diagram 

bottom is frequency in Hertz.
27

Figure A5I. Impedance polar 

plots for magnetotelluric station 39 

(fig. 2). North (0°) is up. Green line 

is Zxy. Orange line is Zxx. Straight 

black line is rotation angle (–78°). 

Numbered label at each diagram 

bottom is frequency in Hertz.
28

Figure A5J. Impedance polar 

plots for magnetotelluric station 48 

(fig. 2). North (0°) is up. Green line 

is Zxy. Orange line is Zxx. Straight 

black line is rotation angle (–78°). 

Numbered label at each diagram 

bottom is frequency in Hertz.
29

Figure A5K. Impedance polar 

plots for magnetotelluric station 37 

(fig. 2). North (0°) is up. Green line 

is Zxy. Orange line is Zxx. Straight 

black line is rotation angle (–78°). 

Numbered label at each diagram 

bottom is frequency in Hertz.
30

Figure A6. Tipper strike angle in degrees for profile A-A′ (fig. 2). Black box delineates tipper strike angle for 

Cheyenne belt (Fig. 2). Numbered labels at figure top are magnetotelluric stations.