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U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009-1157

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# Geophysical Studies in the Vicinity of the Warner Mountains and Surprise Valley, Northeast California, Northwest Nevada, and Southern Oregon

#### By David A. Ponce, Jonathan M.G. Glen, Anne E. Egger, Claire Bouligand, Janet T. Watt, and Robert L. Morin

| Introduction
From May 2006 to August 2007, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) collected 793 gravity stations, about 102 line-kilometers of truck-towed and ground magnetometer data, and about 325 physical-property measurements in northeastern California, northwestern Nevada, and southern Oregon. Gravity, magnetic, and physical-property data were collected to study regional crustal structures and geology as an aid to understanding the geologic framework of the Surprise Valley geothermal area and, in general, geothermal systems throughout the Great Basin. 

The Warner Mountains and Surprise Valley mark the transition from the extended Basin and Range province to the unextended Modoc Plateau. This transition zone, in the northwestern corner of the Basin and Range, is relatively diffuse compared to other, more distinct boundaries, such as the Wasatch front in Utah and the eastern Sierran range front. In addition, this transition zone is the site of a geothermal system with potential for development, and previous studies have revealed a complex structural setting consisting of several obliquely oriented fault sets. As a result, this region has been the subject of several recent geological and geophysical investigations. The gravity and magnetic data presented here support and supplement those studies, and although the study area is composed predominantly of Tertiary volcanic rocks of the Modoc Plateau rocks, the physical properties of these and others rocks create a distinguishable pattern of gravity and magnetic anomalies that can be used to infer subsurface geologic structure. | Last modified October 14, 2009

First posted August 13, 2009
-  **Report** PDF (8.7 MB) 
-  **Data tables** folder (six .xls files; 21 MB total) 
- This report is available only on the Web.

**For additional information:**Contact Information, Western Region Geology and Geophysics Science Center—Menlo ParkU.S. Geological Survey345 Middlefield Road, MS-989Menlo Park, CA 94025-3591http://geomaps.wr.usgs.gov/

Part of this report is presented in Portable Document Format (PDF); the latest version of Adobe Reader or similar software is required to view it. Download the latest version of Adobe Reader, free of charge. |
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### Suggested citation:

Ponce, D.A., Glen, J.M.G., Egger, A.E., Bouligand, Claire, Watt, J.T., and Morin, R.L., 2009, Geophysical studies in the vicinity of the Warner Mountains and Surprise Valley, northeast California, northwest Nevada, and southern Oregon: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2009-1157, 19 p., 6 data files.

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### Contents

Introduction

Gravity, Magnetic, and Physical-Property Data

General Discussion

Acknowledgments

References Cited

six data tables

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U.S. Department of the Interior |		U.S. Geological Survey		URL: *http://    pubsdata.usgs.gov    /pubs/of/2009/1157/index.html*		Page Contact Information: USGS Publications Team		Page Last Modified: Wednesday, 07-Dec-2016 21:59:52 EST