Recent research in the Mojave Desert of California has defined the Mojave Extensional Belt, a regional zone of early Miocene-age continental extension, helped understand the tectonic development of the eastern California shear zone and its role in accommodating Pacific- North American plate motion and recognized several Mesozoic tectonometamorphic events. This renewal will attempt to constrain the initial dip of detachment faulting and several metamorphic and structural features associated with a fossil brittle-ductile transition along the detachment. Additionally, paleomagnetic work will help document the timing and magnitude of major early Miocene vertical axis rotations. Results will address several fundamental issues in extensional tectonics that involve how deep-seated rocks reach the surface.
