The Geology of Source Materials for Lithic Artifacts in Southern Nevada

Summary

Archaeological and cultural surveys have been done in the NAFB vicinity in order to open up more acreage for new target construction. Through these surveys NAFB hopes to find areas with the highest potential for mission expansion and the lowest potential for number and complexity of eligible archaeological sites.

This report provides a discussion on the geology of the southern Great Basin to be used by non-geologists who need to understand what type of rocks exist in this region. The following discussion of the geology of the southern Great Basin begins with a brief geologic history of the region, and includes a simple description of plate tectonics and of geologic time. Such a discussion provides a useful context for understanding the distribution of the different types of rocks found in this region. This is followed by a narrative that discusses the specific rock types found in each of the mountain ranges in the southern Great Basin. Finally, a more detailed discussion of certain rock types of particular interest to archeologists is included near the end of this report. Numerous photographs of the different types of rocks and features and geologic maps show the distribution of the different rock types.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Nellis Air Force Base Cultural Resources Archive   •
• Nellis AFB - Survey Reports

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nellis Air Force Base CRM Manager

Sponsor(s): US Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District

Submitted To(s): Nellis Air Force Base

Record Identifiers

Cultural Resources Report No.(s): NAFB 00-XX

File Information