A current hypothesis is that in the Basin and Range Province in the Western United States the upper crust has been thinned by brittle normal faulting, whereas the lower crust has undergone ductile stretching. Seismic studies have indicated that the entire crust is thinned to 20-30km in western Nevada, however equivalent data on the upper crust are incomplete. This project will expand on prior studies of brittle extension in the Yerington area by documenting upper crustal extension through the Yerington area to the Walker Lane. Results will be integrated with geophysical and neotectonic studies of modern extension and are expected to yield improved models for the evolution of continental crustal extension.
