Surficial Geologic Map of Calico Mountains and Coyote Lake

A 1:24,000 scale surficial geologic map and digital database covering 258 square kilometers of the Calico Mountains piedmont and Coyote Lake in California's Mojave Desert. The dataset was produced by the USGS as part of a project investigating climate-linked deposits, tectonic history, and land use management. It integrates bedrock mapping from McCulloh (1960, 1965) with new findings, including previously unrecognized faults.

Use Cases

• Analyzing the spatial distribution of Quaternary surficial deposits and Pliocene-Pleistocene basin fill to model past climate changes.
• Mapping fault lines like the Tin Can Alley fault to study neo-tectonic strain within the Paradise fault zone.
• Using collected Anodonta shell samples and associated geochronology data for radiocarbon dating to refine the timeline of Mojave River inflow into Coyote Basin.
• Correlating geologic deposit units with topographic features from four USGS 7.5-minute series maps for terrain analysis.
• Integrating generalized bedrock units, including Paleozoic metamorphic and Mesozoic plutonic rocks, with surficial data for comprehensive geologic framework modeling.

Strengths

• Detailed 1:24,000 scale mapping covering a defined 258 square kilometer area.
• Database integrates multiple data types: spatial map data, sample information, and geochronology.
• Findings include discovery of previously unrecognized faults, adding new structural data.

Limitations

• Bedrock structures from earlier mapping by McCulloh are not fully shown, creating an incomplete structural picture.
• Sample data like Anodonta shells are described but their full analytical results may not be included.
• Spatial data is distributed in legacy formats (ArcInfo geodatabase, MDB, DBF) requiring specific software.

Provenance

Source

United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Collection Method

Field geologic mapping integrated with compilation of prior bedrock mapping by McCulloh.

Time Range

Focuses on Quaternary and older deposits; study references work from 1999 to 2005.

Freshness

null

Geography

Central Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County, California, northeast of Barstow and south of Fort Irwin.