- Contributions to 

General Geology 

. 1956 

• 

• 

•f 

G E 0 L 0 G I CAL S U R V E Y B U L L E TIN 1061 

This bulletin was published 

as separate chapters A-F 
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 

Thomas B. Nolan, Director 

.

.
CONTENTS 

[The letters in parentheses preceding the titles designate se-pa.rately published chapters] 

Page 

(A) Pennsylvanian and Permian rocks of the southern Inyo Mountains, 

California, by Charles W. Merriam and Wayne E. HalL________ 1 

(B) Hawaiian volcanoes during 1954, by Gordon A. Macdonald and 

Jerry P. Eaton---------------------------------------------- 17 

(C) Surficial geology of the Canaan area, New Hampshire, by Charles 

S. I>enny____________________________________________________ 73 

(I>) Quaternary geology of Boulder Mountain Aquarius Plateau, Utah, 

by Richard F. Flint and Charles S. I>enny_____________________ 103 

(E) Vegetation of northwestern North America, as an aid in interpretation of geologic data, by Robert S. Sigafoos_______________ 165 

(F) Glacial geology of the Mystic J_.akes-Fresh Pond area, Massachusetts, by Newton E. Chute________________________________ 187 
/ 

c. 

! 
Pennsylvanian and 

Permian Rocks of the 

Southern lnyo Mountains 

California 

• 

By CHARLES W. MERRIAM and WAYNE E. HALL 

CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY 

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1061-A 

Stratigraphic revision of the lnyo section 

is made, and two new formations are 

described-the Keeler Canyon formation 

of Pennsylvanian and early Permian 

_ age and the Owens Valley formation of 

Permian age • 

, UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1957 

CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY 

PENNSYLVANIAN AND PERMIAN ROCKS OF THE 

SOUTHERN INYO MOUNTAINS, CALIFORNIA 

By CHARLES W. MERRIAM and WAYNE E. HALL 

ABSTRACT 

Pennsylvanian and Permian strata constitute about a third of the exposed 

Paleozoic rocks in the southern Inyo Mountains, Calif. Recent detailed mapping in the New York Butte and Darwin quadrangles and comparison, with 

upper Paleozoic rocks of the Eureka district, Nevada and other areas in the 

Great Basin calls for a complete stratigraphic revision of the Inyo section. Two 

formations are described, the Keeler Canyon formation of Pennsylvanian and 

early Permian age and the Owens Valley formation of Permian age. The 

Owens Valley locally rests with angular unconformity on the Keeler Canyon. 

Paleontologic zonation is based mainly on fusulinids, which are abundant in 

both formations. 

INTRODUCTION 

Folded rocks of Paleozoic and Triassic ages underlie the southern 

Inyo Mountains, Calif. The Paleozoic rocks are of marine origin, but 

the Triassic includes both marine sediments and subaerial volcanic 

rocks. At the south end of the Inyo Mountains, the older rocks are 

covered in large part by Cenozoic flows and pyroclastic rocks of 

andesitic and basaltic composition. 

Strata of Pennsylvanian and Permian age ~hich constitute about a 

third of the exposed Paleozoic rocks were studied in 1912 and 1913 

during a reconnaissance by the United States Geological Survey 

(Knopf, 1918); at this time they were compared (Kirk, 1918) with 

similar formations in the Eureka mining district, Nevada (Hague, 

1883; 1892; Walcott, 1884). In subsequent years detailed geologic 

mapping and stratigraphic work in the Inyo Mountains as well as 

the Eureka district and neighboring areas (Nolan and others, 1956) 

made possible a more thorough comparison of these rocks. Beginning in 1943, special geologic studies of the Cerro Gordo mine area and 

adjoining parts of the Inyo Mountains were initiated by the Geological Survey; these led to detailed structural and stratigraphic investigations relating to the strata of later Paleozoic age·. 

1 
2 CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY 

Since 1946, geologic mapping of several quadrangles in this general 

region has been carried forward by the Geological Survey in cooperation with the California State Division of Mines. 

Except for reconnaissance stratigraphic work by the Geological 

Survey in 1912-13 (Kirk, 1918), published investigations dealing with 

Paleozoic stratigraphy of the Inyo Mountains relate mainly to older 

rocks farther north. Among these are Walcott's Cambrian studies 

( 1908, p. 185-188), the Ordovician contribution of Phleger ( 1933), 

and Devonian investigations by Stauffer (1930). Hopper (1947, 

p. 393-432) mapped a strip from the Sierra Nevada to Death Valley 

through the Darwin area. In this work the Ordovician to upper 

Paleozoic rocks are described and correlated with other formations in 

the Great Basin. McAllister ( 1952), in mapping and describing 

Paleozoic rocks of the Quartz Spring area 24 miles northeast of Cerro 

Gordo, proposed stratigraphic terms applicable to most of the southern 

Inyo rocks, with exception of those Pennsylvanian and Permian strata 

here described. 

Acknowledgment is made to the late James Steele Williams and to 

Lloyd G. Henbest, of the Geological Survey, who read and criticized 

the manuscript. Unless otherwise indicated, fossil determinations 

were made by the senior author. 

GENERAL FEATURES OF THE ROCKS 

Upper Paleozoic rocks which form the subject of the present contribution lie mainly in the New York Butte and Darwin quadrangles 

at the south end of the Inyo Mountains, continuip.g thence southeast 

into the Darwin Hills (fig. 1). Of a Paleozoic sequence approximately 12,000 feet thick, including all systems from Ordovician to 

Permian (table 1), about one-third, or 4,000 feet, is combined Pennsylvanian and Permian. 

Pennsylvania and Permian rocks of this region are predominantly 

impure carbonates with subordinate shale, calcareous shale, siltstone, 

sandstone, conglomerate, and chert. Most of these are mildly metamorphosed; carbonate rocks are in part recrystallized to marble, and 

argillaceous rocks, to argillite and hornfels. Commonly, within a 

mile of granitic intrusions, the limestones are altered to calc-hornfels 

and tactite. 

In this report the Pennsylvanian and Permian strata, not previously 

differentiated and described adequately, _are divided in two forma .. 

tions: the Keeler Canyon formation of Pennsylvanian to early Per .. 

mian age inclusive ·and the Owens Valley formation of Permian age. 

Previously named units, the Reward conglomerate and Owenyo limestone (Kirk, 1918, p. 42-45) are localized lenticular members of the 
EXPLANATION 

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5 0 10 Miles .., 1- \!' 

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UBEHEBE PEAK 

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Outcrop of rocks of Permian and 

Pennsylvanian age 

2 FOSSIL HILL FOSSIL 

LOCALITY 

3. SHELL RIDGE FOSSil. 

4, ESTELLE TUNNEL 

5. SO['IA CANYON FOSSIL 

PANAMINT BUTTE 

QUADRANGLE 

FIGURE 1.-Index Map showing distribution of Carboniferous and Permian rocks in the 

southern Inyo Mountains, Calif. 

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-~ ~ 

~ 

~ pj 

0 

~~ !1l 

0 

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4 CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY 

·new Owens Valley formation; because they are local facies, they have 

not been utilized as map units. 

TABLE !.-Paleozoic rocks of the southern lnyo Mountains, Calif. 

ThickAge Formation ness Lithology (feet) 

Triassic Unnamed rocks Andesite flows and pyroclastic rocks, lime· stone and shale. 

Unconformity Silty and sandy limestone, fusulinid limePermian Owens Valley formation 1,800± 

stone, siliceous conglomerate, limestone 

conglomerate, shale, siltstone, sandstone, 

and hornfels. 

-Local unconformity--- Pennsylvanian Sandy and pebbly fusulinid limestone, 

Keeler Canyon formation 2,200± shale, siltstone, and marble. 

Chainman shale 1,000± Dark-gray silty shale and phyllite. stone interbeds. 

LimeMississippian Perdido formation 5o-2oo Limestone, chert, siltstone, quartzite. 

Tin Mountain limestone 350 Dark-gray limestone, chert nodules. 

Devonian Lost Burro formation 1,600± Light- and dark-gray marble, dolomite, 

quartzite. 

Silurian and Hidden Valley dolomite 1, 700± Massive light- and dark-gray dolomite, 

Devonian. (lower boundary difficult quartzite. to place in this area). 

Ely Springs dolomite 240--550 Light- and dark-gray cherty dolomite. 

Ordovician Eureka quartzite 400± Light-gray vitreous quartzite. 

Pogonip group (basal part not exposed in this area). 1,350± Saccharoidal dolomite and limestone. 

R 

In previous discussions of undifferentiated Pennsylvanian and Permian rocks of this region, they have been referred to provisionally as 

Bird Spring(~) formation. In the Ubehebe Peak quadrangle these 

strata increase in thickness to over 5,000 feet (McAllister, 1955). The 

Bird Spring formation of southern Nevada (Hewett, 1931, p. 21; 1956, 

p. 42; Longwell and Dunbar, 1936, p. 1202}, is believed to embrace 

strata ranging in age from Late Mississippian to Permian. 

KEELER CANYON FORMATION 

NAME AND OCCURRENCE 

The Keeler Canyon formation, of Pennsylvanian to early Permian 

age, is here named for exposures in upper l{eeler Canyon, where the 

type section lies east of the Estelle Tunnel portal and 2 milBs southwest 

of Cerro Gordo Peak (fig. 1). The formation is widely exposed in 

the southern Inyo Mountains and also underlies most of the Darwin 

Hills and the northern Argus Range. It generally forms smooth 

slopes, but resistant beds protrude locally to emphasize the incompetent folded nature of these stratai 
PENNSYLVANIAN, PERMIAN ROCKS, SOUTHERN. INYO MOUNTAINS fj 

i:n the ·earlier stratigraphic studies by Kirk ( 1918, p. 40-41) ;··part·Of 

these beds were referred to as basal Pennsylvanian limestones. and 

part as limestone and shale of later Pennsylvanian age; siliceous and 

silicated limestones west of the Cerro Gordo mine previously regarded 

as Diamond Peak quartzite appear in that particular area to be. cor:.· 

rectly assigned to the Keeler Canyon.! 

LITHOLOGY 

The Keeler Canyon formation (table 2) comprises thin-bedded 

medium- to dark-gray impure silty and arenaceous to pebbly lime· 

stones and limy siltstones, with intercalations of pinkish or ·maroon 

fissile shale. Pebbly limestones occasionally grade into chert pebble 

conglomerate with limestone matrix. Silicified fusulinids are so~ 

times an important constituent of the pebbly limestones. All of these 

rocks, including the limestones, show clastic texture and bedding is 

inclined to be platy or flaggy with few layers as much as 3 feet thick! 

The basal150-200 feet of the Keeler Canyon formation differs lithologically from the overlying beds. These lower beds are purer, thinbedded dark-gray crinoidal and fusulinid-ooaring limestones contain· 

ing nearly spheroidal black chert nodules lj2-2 inches in diameter. 

The cherty Fusulinella-bearing strata, which were given the field designation "golf ball beds," constitute a reliable stratigraphic marker:, 

having been recognized widely in the southern Inyo Mountains, the 

Darwin Hills, and the Argus Range. 

TmCKNESS AND STRATIGRAPmC RELATIONS 

Because of its incompetent, highly folded nature, the Keeler Canyon 

formation does not lend itself to accurate thickness measurement. 

In the New York Butte quadrangle, the formation averages about 

2,200 feet in thickness, as judged by measurement of several sections 

which ranged from 1,300 to 2,500 feet. Where the section is greatly 

thinned, there is evidence that segments have been cut out by faulting. 

In the Darwin quadrangle, at the Darwin antimony mine, the Keeler 

Canyon thickens to about 4,000 feet. · 

The Keeler Canyon formation rests conformably upon the Chainman shale of Late Mississippian age in the New York Butte quad;. 

rangle. In the Darwin quadrangle it is underlain by an ·unnamed 

thinly bedded limestone which seemingly overlies the Chainman shale. 

In the New York Butte quadrangle the Owens Valley formation, of 

Permian age, rests unconformably on the Keeler Canyon, at some 

places with angular discordance of about 15 °. 

423184-57-2 
6 CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY 

TABLE 2.-PennJ~ylvantan and Permian sequence in the southern Inyo Mountains, 

Oalif. 

J Thick· 

System Formation ness Lithology Characteristic fossUs 

(feet) 

---- Sandy and silty lime- Punctospi'ff: t/,ulche. stone with chert peb- (Meek), piri er&:f bles, calr.areouR sand- docameratus (G ty)" Upper part lSQ-500 st;me, siliceous con- glomerate, limestone 

cobble conglomerate, quartzite. 

Dlsconformit¥. 

Calcareous shale with Pamjusulina, Pseudoargillaceous, Silty and fusulina Herit8chia. 

sandy limestone in- Parenteletes. 

tercalati 'ms; s 11 t y Middle part 400-700 clay shale; fin£> sandstone; hornfels. Fusulinids abundant in 

limestone. 

Permian Owens Valley formation 

Silty fusullnid lime- Pseudoschwagerina, 

stone, lenticular fair- Pseudofn8'Ulina, PUbly pure organic ordinate Pam/UBUlimestone, limestone lina1 Triticites, HeriLower part 1,000± mud breccia, platy tschta, Omphalotro- ar~tillaceous lime- chua. 

stone, blocky lime- stone conglomerate, hornfels. 

Unconformity! Upper part - ______ ? ------- Paeudojui'UlifUJ, 

cites. 

TrlUArenaceous, silty, and 

J)('bbly limestone 

with shalf' intercalations; calcareous ---·--' ------- sandstone and silt- ------------?----------- Middle part st,me. Shale interoolations commonly 

~nk or maroon. 2,200± arble. TrUicitu. 

Keeler Canyon formation P~nnsylvanIan -------....... ____ -Fhi"e-i(iii"liie-d-rustiun:- ---------·-------------- Lower part id-crinoidallimest-me 

with rotmd black 

ch£>rt nodules in "golf baH beds." Tactite Fusulinella, Millerella. 

and marble. 

t AnJmlar unconformity on west side of Inyo Mountains; not recognized in the Darwin quadrangle. 

Where the section is overturned in the Darwin Hills near the Darwin antimony mine, the Keeler Canyon formation lends itself to a 

twofold informal division. The 2,300-foot lower member contains 

mainly thin-bedded medium-gray silty limestone with local chert 

nodules, iron-stained partings, and crinoidal beds. The upper member, 1,700 feet thick, contains largely pink limy shale and mediumgray thinly bedded silty limestone. In the type area the two divisions 

were not distinguished, pink shale appearing in the "golf ball beds" 

with Fusulinella only about 75 feet above the base of the formation. 
PENNSYLVANIAN, PERMIAN ROCKS, SOUTHERN INYO MOUNTAINS 7 

AGE AND CORRELATION 

Abundant fusulinids make possible a threefold paleontologic zona--

tion of the Keeler Canyon formation as follows: 

Upper part of the Keeler Canyon _________ Pseudofusulina-Triticites zone. 

Middle part of the Keeler Canyon_________ Triticites zone, 

Lower part of the Keeler Canyon _________ Jl'usuUnella zone. 

Fusulinella occurs only in the basal beds, essentially in the "golf 

ball beds" of the lower 200 feet. Locally, Fusulinella is associated with 

M illerella in the Santa Rosa Hills, Darwin quadrangle, and upper 

Soda Canyon, New York Butte quadrangle. The Fusulinella-bearing 

beds are Middle Pennsylvanian of about Atoka age. 

Tritieites is the characteristic genus throughout most of the middle 

and upper parts of the Keeler Canyon formation. From horizon to 

horizon across the section specific changes are apparent, but our 

studies are not sufficiently refined to recognize detailed zonation on 

the basis of species. At least some of these species of Tritioites 

indicate Pennsylvanian age. 

In the upper part of the Triticites zone, Permian fusulinids typified 

by species of Pseudofusvlina become important constituents of the 

faunas. This association is found at two localities, one on the Cerro 

Gordo road, New York Butte quadrangle, and the other on the west 

side of the Santa Rosa Hills in the Darwin quadrangle. At the Cerro 

Gordo road occurrence, species of Pseudofusulina are associated with 

typical early Permian species of Tritioites near the top of the formation. That the formation includes strata of both Pennsylvanian and 

Permian (W olfcamp) age is therefore indicated. 

The Keeler Canyon formation is correlated with the Pennsylvanian 

and the early part of the Permian division of the Bird Spring formation southern Nevada (Longwell and Dunbar, 1936), which also includes the zones of Fusulinella and Triticites. As earlier mentioned 

the Bird Spring formation restudied northwest of Las Vegas by Longwell and Dunbar is not wholly Pennsylvanian but embraces Upper 

Mississippian and Permian. 

At least part of the little-known Ely limestone of central Nevada 

(Nolan and others, 1956, p. 61-63) is correlative with the Keeler Canyon, as demonstrated by occurrence of the Fusulinella zone near its 

base. 

OWENS VALLEY FORMATION 

NAME AND OCCURRENCE 

The name Owens Valley formation is proposed for the highly diverse marine strata of Permian age which occupy large areas on the 

western slope of the Inyo Mountains near the Owens Valley border. 
8 CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY· 

The type locality of the new formation is in the foothills between 

Union Wash and the Reward mine (fig.i), about 9 miles.;southe~st 

of Independence between Owen yo and Kearsarge. Oweny(} limestQne 

and Reward conglo:q1erate, earlier described as for~Uatio~ by Kirk 

(1918, p. 42-45), are herein considered local members.of th~ more inclusive Owens Valley forn1ation. 

The Owens Valley formation has been mapped in the Inyo Molllltains from the Reward mine, 5 miles north of Owenyo, to Conglomerate 

Mesa in the Darwin quadrangle. It also underlies the east slope of 

the Darwin Hills and most of the northern part of the Argus Range 

in the Darwin and Panamint Butte quadrangles. Northwest of thQ 

Reward mine the formation strikes into the alluvium of Owens Valley 

and is not known to reappear again to the north. 

LITHOLOGY AND STRATIGRAPHIC RELATIONS 

The Owens Valley formation (table 2) comprises interbedded·silty 

and sandy limestones, fairly pure biogenic limestone, argillaceous 

shale, siltstone, sandstone, and conglomerate. The formation is 

highly diverse lithologically both laterally and across the section~ 

Because of this heterogeneity and absence of marker beds, mappable 

subunits are for the most part very local and of the nature of large 

tongues or lenses. Nonetheless, on the basis of lithology and fossil 

faunas, certain broad stratigraphic zones are recognized; these are 

referred to informally as lower, middle, and upper parts of the Owen$ 

Valley formation. 

In areas of plutonic intrusion, especially on the west side of the 

Inyo Mountains, this formation has been altered to argillite, minor 

quartzite, and calc-hornfels. Rocks previously classified as Diamond 

Peak quartzite (Kirk, 1918, p. 40) are in considerable part altered 

middle and lower Owens Valley. The Diamond Peak formation, an 

Upper Mississippian unit in central Nevada (Nolan and others, 1956, 

p. 60-61), has not been traced to the In yo Mountains. 

The Owens Valley formation rests with local angular unconformity 

upon the Keeler Canyon formation, as shown south of Cerro Gordo 

road on the west side of the Inyo Mountains. It is overlain by beds 

of very early Triassic age bearing species of the ammonoid genus 

U ssuria. No compelling evidence of angular discordance was noted 

at the base of the Triassic rocks. Disconformity is suggested because 

the Lower Triassic U ssuria zone rests on beds ranging in age from 

late Owens Valley to late Keeler Canyon. 

The lower part of the Owens Valley comprises tan-weathering 

shales, sandy limestones, lenticular bodies of massive fairly pure limestone, conglomerate, and heavy limestone sedimentary breccia. At 

the base of the formation are limestone breccias, containing angular 
PENNSYLVANIAN, PERMIAN ROCKS, SOUTHERN INYO MOUNTAINS 9 

blocks of limestone up to 3 feet in diameter. Lenticular masses of 

this breccia rest with angular discordance upon truncated beds of 

the Keeler Canyon. Also quite lenticular and localized are the clean 

gray limestones partly composed of crinoidal, fusulinid, molluscan, 

coral, and other shell materials. Such carbonate lenses often form 

prominent ridges or bold craggy outcrops of medium dark gray. 

The lower part of the Owens Valley formation differs from the 

under lying Keeler Canyon by lacking pinkish or maroon punky 

shales and by containing large fairly pure biogenic limestone bodies. · 

Crossbedding, a common feature in sandy limestone of the Owens 

Valley formation, is rare in the Keeler Canyon beds. 

In the Darwin quadrangle the lower beds of the Owens Valley 

are widely exposed in low rolling hills from 1 to 3 miles east of 

Conglomerate Mesa (fig. 1). These beds also crop out in the southeastern part of the quadrangle, where they are well shown east of 

the Darwin antimony mine, at the north end of Darwin Wash, and 

on the west slope of the Argus Range. 

Contact of the Keeler Canyon and the lower part of the Owens 

Valley is found 3 miles east of the northwest corner of the Darwin 

quadrangle. West of this point the lower part of the Owens Valley 

contains numerous large fairly clean limestone lenses in. sandy and 

silty limestones, while the underlying Keeler Canyon to the east includes silty limestone, siltstone, and pink shale interbeds. In the Darwin Hills the same contact was delineated 4,500 feet east of the Darwin 

antimony mine, at the base of a 450-foot-thick brown-weathering siltstone bed. The siltstone is overlain in an overturned section by crossbedded silty and sandy limestone with many thick lenses of pure limestone and limestone breccia. Pink shale is abundant in the underlying Keeler Canyon formation at the Darwin antimony mine. 

Generally speaking, the middle part of the Owens Valley includes 

much more shale than the lower, and fossiliferous limestones are less 

numerous. At Conglomerate Mesa a 200-foot unit in the upper part 

of the middle portion of the Owens Valley shows conspicuous brickred, greenish-gray, and yellowish-brown fissile shales with thin siltstone beds. 

Change from lower to middle Owens Valley lithology is gradational 

and may be observed east of Conglomerate Mesa (fig. 1) near the old 

Saline Valley road 1.8 miles east of the northwest corner of the Darwin quadrangle. 

The upper beds of the Owens Valley formation, in which conglomerate and sandstone are abundant, nearly everywhere are mappable 

separately. At the type locality and southeastward through the 

western Inyo Mountains, this part of the formation comprises cal-
10 CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY 

careous sandstones, arenaceous limestones, and conglomerates. Some 

of the conglomerates are highly siliceous; others are limestone 

conglomerates. 

The upper beds of the Owens Valley of the type area are best shown 

at Fossil Hill (fig. 1). Here they are 300 feet thick and consist of 

fossil-bearing calcareous sandstone, sandy and silty limestone, and 

siliceous conglomerate. Beneath the upper beds at this exposure are 

phyllitic shale and hornfels. A somewhat undulant contact is shown 

· with overlying shales of Early Triassic age. 

Followed southeast through the western Inyo Mountains, the upper 

part of the Owens Valley shows more limestone conglomerate and less 

of the siliceous or chert conglomerate. The intensely siliceous lenticular Reward conglomerate described by Kirk (1918, p. 42-43) is 

herein reduced to a member of the upper part of the Owens Valley, 

which probably for the most part underlies the 300-foot unit at Fossil 

Hill. However, at Fossil Hill the upper part of the Owens Valley 

exposures are separated :from the typical Reward conglomerate member by a broad wash, so that the stratigraphic relations are not clear. 

A half mile south of the Reward mine, the typical Reward conglomerate member is actually in large part quartzite and has a maximum 

thickness of 500 feet. 

The Owenyo limestone, 125 feet in thickness, crops out between 

Union Wash and the Reward mine three-fourths of a mile southeast of 

Fossil Hill. Herein reduced to a local member of the Owens Valley 

formation, it may be correlative with part of the 300-foot section of 

the upper part of the Owens Valley at Fossil Hill. The Owenyo 

limestone member includes a lower partly silicated white limestone 

with chert pebbles overlain by dense hornfels. 

At Conglomerate Mesa the contact between the middle part and 

the upper part of the Owens Valley is sharp and possibly disconformable. The upper division, about 180 feet thick, consists of limestone cobble conglomerate, calcareous sandstone, and siltstone forming the resistant cap rock of the· mesa. In the adjacent Ubehebe 

Peak quadrangle, the upper limestone conglomerate is reported to 

be 600 feet thick (McAllister, 1955, p. 14). The conglomerate contains fragments of gray silty limestone 1-4 inches in diameter in a 

calcareous sandy matrix. There are at Conglomerate Mesa local 

patches of silicification in the conglomerate, similar to those of the 

Reward conglomerate member. 

THICKNESS 

No precise thickness can be given for the Owens Valley formation 

because of its folded and faulted nature. At Fossil Hill in the type 
PENNSYLVANIAN, PERMIAN ROCKS, SOUTHERN INYO MOUNTAINS 11 

area the formation is about 1,800 feet thick, while from Conglomerate 

Mesa eastward in the Darwin quadrangle it may increase to· about 

3,000 feet. This figure is, however, an estimate made in highly folded 

and faulted terrane, where allowance must be made for duplication 

of beds. North of Cerro Gordo road in the New York Butte quadrangle the formation locally pinches out completely between the 

Keeler Canyon formation and the Lower Triassic rocks. 

AGE AND CORRELATION 

The Owens Valley formation is of Permian age, ranging from late 

Wolfcamp or early Leonard to Word and possibly Guadalupe age, 

Correlation and paleontologic subdivisions are based largely on fusulinids, by far the most numerous fossils. In the upper part of the 

Owens Valley formation, however, all known faunas represent brachiopod and molluscan facies, the fusulinids being conspicuously 

absent except in reworked cobbles. In the middle and lower parts of 

the formation, molluscan, coral, and brachiopod facies are very much 

localized. 

The three paleontologic zones recognized are follows : 

3. Spirijer pseudocameratus zone 

2. Parajusulina zone 

1. Pseu,doschwa,gerina zone 

The upper, or Spirifer pseudocameratu,s zone, coincides with the 

upper part of the Owens Valley in the lithologic sense. Parafusulintt 

of the middle part of the Owens Valley is not restricted to this part 

of the column, for it occurs below associated with Pseudoschwagerina 

in beds regarded as of late W olfcamp or early Leonard age. 

Spirifer pseudocameratus Girty is very abundant in the calcareous 

sandstones associated with limestone conglomerate in the upper part 

of the Owens Valley. Beds loaded with this gregarious form have 

been recognized here and there from the type area at Fossil Hill 

southward to a point near the formational pinch-out north of Cerro 

Gordo road. Punctospirifer pulcher (Meek) is less com1non, sometimes occurring in beds with a cephalopod fauna. This species occurs at Fossil Hill from which locality the Phosphoria fauna identified by Girty (Kirk, 1918, p. 44-45) may have come. P. pule her is 

less abundant than S. pseudocameratus. These two species were not 

associated at most of the fossil localities, the beds with prolific S. 

pseudocameratU8 apparently being for the most part lower in the section than those with the Punctospirifer fauna. 

The Genus Parafusulina occurs abundantly with Pseudofusulina 

in the middle part of the Owens Valley formation, locally with coral, 

molluscan, and brachiopod assemblages. H eritschia and PaTenteletes 
12 CONTRIBUTIONS TO GENERAL GEOLOGY 

are among the common genera recognized. A large limestone lens of 

the middle part of the Owens Valley 1.3 miles southeast of the northwest corner of the Darwin quadrangle has yielded an abundant but 

poorly preserved megafossil assemblage. Material from this fauna. 

determined by the late James Steele Williams (written communication, Dec. 7, 1953), of the Geological Survey, as probably Leonard 

or younger includes Dictyoclostus aff. D. ivesi bassi McKee, Dictyoclostus aff~ D. ivesi (Newberry), Meekella sp., Enteletes.lf sp. and Pe'f"lU 

vispira sp. The Peruvispira was identified by Ellis Y ochelson, ot 

the Geological Survey. All fossils not otherwise credited were determined by the senior author. 

The Pseudoschwagerina zone is characterized not only by this genus 

but also by Pseudo fusulina and a species classed with question as 

Triticites. Pseudofusulina and Triticites carry over from the Keeler 

Canyon formation. Fusulinids are often prolific in the purer limestone bodies of the lower part of the Owens Valley, where they are 

associated with corals of the genus Heritschia and a large Omphalotrochus resembling 0. whitneyi Meek. 

The lower part of the Owens Valley formation correlates with the 

part of the Bird Spring formation in southern Nevada that contains 

the Pseudoschwagerina zone. In central Nevada the lower part of 

the Garden Valley formation with Parafusulina and associated Pseudoschwagerina is likewise correlative with the lower part of the Owens 

Valley, while the Carbon Ridge formation at Eureka, Nev. (Nolan 

and others, 1956, p. 64-67), with Omphalotrochus cf. 0. whitneyi 

Meek and Parafusulina may be alined with the lower and middle parts 

of the Owens Valley. Pseudoschwagerina and Omphalotrochus cf. 

0. w~hitneyi point to a correlation with lower part of the McCloud 

limestone of northern California, while the upper part of the McCloud 

and theN osoni with Parafusulina may be alined with the middle part 

and possibly the upper part of the Owens Valley.. The upper part 

of the Owens Valley with Punctospirifer pulcher (Meek) is with little 

doubt correlative with the Phosphoria. 

LITERATURE CITED 

Hague, Arnold, 1883, Abstract of report on the geology of the Eureka district, 

Nevada: U.S. Geol. Survey 3d Ann. Rept., p. 237-272. 

--1892, Geology of the Eureka district, Nevada: U. S. GeoL Survey Mon. 20 

[with atlas]. 

Hewett, D. F., 1931, Geology and ore deposits of the Goodsprings quadrangle, 

Nevada: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 162. 

--1956, Geology and Mineral Resources of Ivanpah quadrangle, California 

and Nevada : U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 275. 

Hopper, R. H., 1947, Geologic section from the Sierra Nevada to Death Valley, 

Calif. : Geol. Soc. America Bull., v. 58, p. 393-432. 
PENNSYLVANIAN, PERMIAN ROCKS, SOUTHERN INYO MOUNTAINS 13 

Kirk, Edwin, 1918, The Stratigraphy of the Inyo Range, in Adolph Knopf, A 

geologic reconnaissance of the Inyo Range and the eastern slope of the 

Sierra Nevada, Calif.: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 110, p. 19-48. 

Knopf, Adolph, 1918, A geologic reconnaissance of the Inyo Range and the eastern 

slope of the Sierra Nevada, Calif.: U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 110. 

Longwell, C. R., and Dunbar, C. 0., 1936, Problems of Pennsylvanian-Permian 

boundary in southern Nevada: Am. Assoc. Petroleum Geologists Bull., v. 

20,no.9,p.1198-1207. 

McAllister, J. F., 1952, Rocks and structure of the Quartz Spring area, northern 

Panamint Range, Oalif.: Calif. Div. Mines Special Rept. 25. 

--- 1965, Geology of mineral deposits in the Ubehebe Peak quadrangle, Inyo, 

County, Calif. : Calif. Div. Mines Special Rept. 42. 

Nolan, T. B., Merriam, C. ,V., and Williams, James Steele, 1956, The stratigraphic section in the vicinity of Eureka, Nev.; U. S. Geol. Survey Prof. 

Paper 276. 

Phleger, 1J". B., Jr., 1933, Notes on certain Ordovician faunas of the Inyo Mountains, Calif.: S. Calif. Acad. Sci. Bull., v. 32, p.l-21. 

Stauffer, C. R., 1930, The Devonian of California: Calif. Univ. Pub. Geol. Sci., 

v.19, p. si-118. 

Walcott, C. D., 1884, Paleontology of the Eureka district: U. S. Geol. Survey 

Mon.8. 

--- 1908, Cambrian sections of the Cordilleran area : Smithsonian Misc. Coli., 

v. 53, p. 185-188. 

INDEX 

Page 

Abstract_ _______ --------------------------- __ --- 1 

Age, Keeler Canyon formation_________________ 7 

Owens Valley formation __________________ 11-12 

Argus Range___________________________________ 4 

bassi, Dictyoclostus ivesL------------------------ 12 

Bibliography------------------------------_____ 12 Bird Spring formation _______________________ 4, 7, 12 

Brachiopods____________________________________ 11 

Page 

Omphalotrochus ____ ________ ---- _ ___ ___ _ ___ __ ____ 6 

whitneyi. __ --------------------------------- 12 

Owens Valley __ -------------------------------- 7 Owens Valley formation _________________ 2, 4, 5, 7-12 

:~:;;,l~ti~~~~~~+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~=~: lithology. ___ ------------------------------ 8-10 name and occurrence _______________________ 7-8 

stratigraphic relations _____________________ 8-10 

Carbon Ridge formation________________________ 12 thickness _________________________________ 1o-11 

Cerro Gordo mine______________________________ 5 Owenyo limestone _____________________________ 2,10 

Cerro Gordo Peak ______________________________ _ 

Chainman shale-------------------------------- 4, 5 Conglomerate Mesa _________________________ 8, 9,10 

CoraL ______________________________________ 9, 11, 12 

Correlation, Keeler Canyon formation__________ 7 

Owens Valley formation __________________ 11-12 

Crinoids ________________________________________ 5, 9 

Darwin antimony mine ______________________ 5, 6, 9 

Darwin Hills ____ ----------------------------- 4, 6, 9 Darwin Wash__________________________________ 9 

Diamond Peak quartzite _______________________ 5,8 

Parafusulina ____ ------------------------------ 6, 12 

Parenteletes _____ ____ --------------------------- 6, 11 

Perdido formation______________________________ 4 

Peruvispira sp_ --------------------------------- 12 

Phosphoria formation. ___ ---------------------- 11 

Pogonip group__________________________________ 4 

pseudocameratus, Spirifer __ --------------------- 6 Parafusulina zone ______________________________ 11 

Pseudofusulina __ ------------------------------- 6 

Pseudofusulina-Triticites zone___________________ 7 

Pseudoschwagerina_ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ 6 

Dictyoclostus ivesL-------------------------~---- 12 ivesi bassi _____ ------------------------------_ 12 zone __ -------------------------------------- 12 pulcher, Punctospirifer ________________________ 6,11 

Ely Springs dolomite ___________________________ 4, 7 Punctospirifer pulcher ------------------------- 6,11 

Enteletes sp ___ --------------------------- _______ 12 

Estelle Tunnel portaL_________________________ 4 Reward conglomerate.---------------------- 2, 8, 10 

Eureka quartzite __________ --------------------- Reward mine __________________ -------------__ 8 

Faulting .. ~------------------------------------- 10 Santa Rosa Hills. __ -------------------------- Folding_-------------------------------------- 4,10 Fossil Hill ____________________________________ 10,11 

Fusulinella. ------------------------------------ 6 zone ___________________________ --- _________ _ 

Fusulinid limestone____________________________ 9 

Fusulinids ___________________ ------------------ 5, 11 

Soda Canyon ________________ -- ______ ------_--

Spirifer pseudocameratus _____________________ _ 

pseudocameratus zone. ___ --- __________ -- __ 

Stratigraphic relations, Keeler Canyon forma- tion _____________________________ _ 

Owens Valley formation _________________ _ 

Garden Valley formation_______________________ 12 

7 

6 

11 

5-6 

8-10 

General features of rocks ________________________ 2-4 Thickness of Keeler Canyon formation_______ 5-6 

Heritschia ___________________________________ 6

, 11, 12 Thickness of Owens Valley formation ________ 1o-11 

Hidden Valley dolomite________________________ 4 Tin Mountain limestone_____________________ 4 Triticites ___________________________ ___ -------- 6, 12 

Introduction _______ ---------------------------- 1-2 zone .. ___________________________ --------_ 7 

Intrusions. __________ ---- ___________ -___________ 8 

ivesi, Dictyoclostus _________________ -------------- 12 Unconformity_------------------------------- ivesi bassi, Dictyoclostu _________________________ 12 Union Wash ________________________________ _ 

Keeler Canyon formation _____________________ 2, 4-7 Ussuria zone.--------------------------------

age ____ ------------·------------------------ 7 

correlation _________________ --_-- ____ --- ____ _ whitneyi, Omphalotrochus. -------------------- name and occurrence _______________________ 4-5 

stiatigraphic relations .• -------------------- 5-6 Zones: 

thickness ___________________________________ 5-6 Fusulinella. _- _- --------------------------

Parafusulina. _ --------------------------- Pseudofusulina-Triticites- ________ -_------ _ 

Pseudoschwagerina ____ _______________ -----

Lithology, Owens Valley formation ____________ 8-10 

Lost Burro formation___________________________ 4 

Meekella SP------------------------------------- 12 Spirifer pseudocameratus _________________ _ 

Millerella ___ ----------------------------------- _ 6, 7 Triticites ____ _____________________________ _ 

Molluscan limestone____________________________ 9 Triticites-Pseudofusulina _________________ _ 

Mollusks.----- _______ ------ _________ -----______ 11 Ussuria. __ -------------------------------

15 

5,9 

8 

8 

12 

7 

11 

7 

12 

1 

7 

7 

8 
-·