Reconstruction of large-scale strains in highly extended terranes is difficult due to lack of appropriate scale strain markers. Regional synthesis of Cenozoic extension in the Basin and Range province near Las Vegas indicates that the area is amenable to tectonic reconstruction using Mesozoic thrust faults as strain markers. This project will involve extensive detailed field mapping in order to provide sufficient data to measure the large-scale finite strain history of a region of highly deformed continental lithosphere. Results will be useful in testing physical models that predict displacement vector fields.
