Overflight of the Tectonic Boundary Between the Colorado Plateau and the Basin Range Provinces – Northhwest Arizona, Field Trip Guidebook T116/389

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Field Trip Guidebooks Series, Volume 116/389.

The purpose of the overflight is to examine the transition from the extended terrane of the Basin and Range Province eastward onto the relatively stable terrane of the Colorado Plateau. To achieve this, the flight is routed to show two aspects of the transition -- the remarkably sharp one in the Lake Mead area (on the way out from Las Vegas), and the diffuse one (called the Transition Zone) on the return. The overflight also displays three different terranes within the Basin and Range Province. Various aspects of the geology of the Colorado Plateau will be inspected and discussed during the hike to the magnificent exposures within the Grand Canyon.