Geological Society of Nevada, Southern Chapter
Spring 2005 Field Trip
Pleistocene Glacial Moraine at Kyle Canyon
Saturday, May 28, 2005

WHAT WE WILL SEE
We will be visiting a remnant glacial moraine with an optional hike to Big Falls. Big Falls may represent a possible hanging valley below a cirque basin. Evidence for Pleistocene glaciation that we will observe includes morainal landforms, glacial till, striated stones, and glacio-fluvial deposits. The trip will also be a wonderful opportunity to experience the spectacular scenery of the Spring Mountains.

DISCUSSION
Rick Orndorff, John Van Hoesen, and Nick Saines have interpreted the features as glacial in origin (see References below). However, interpretations can be challenged, and Nick welcomes debate and use of multiple working hypotheses to brainstorm alternative possible origins for the features present in the Kyle Canyon area.

LOGISTICS
Meeting time: 9:00 AM
Location: Free parking lot (UNLV) at the corner of Swenson & Harmon near the Softball Stadium.
[Directions: from Swenson go east on Harmon and take the first left across from the intramural field, drive over the first large speed bump and take the first left into the free parking lot. Visit www.unlv.edu for a map.] Alternatively, meet us at 10:15 am at the Mary Jane Falls parking lot in Kyle Canyon.

Transportation:
We will car-pool to Kyle Canyon, and park in the Mary Jane Falls parking lot. Since gas prices are so high it would be appreciated if passengers compensate the drivers. Suggested amount $3 - $5 per person. From the parking lot we will hike ~ 1 mile to the moraine. Keep in mind that we will be at ~8300 feet so please wear comfortable and appropriate clothes, and hiking shoes. The temperature will be about 20 degrees cooler than in Vegas so be prepared. Bring a daypack, lunch/snack, water, camera, and a notebook. Note: Those who will continue on to Big Falls (an additional 2.0 miles of rough hiking each way) should car pool separately from those who only have time to visit the moraine.

Contact Information:
Nick Saines: greatunc@aol.com, phone (702) 896-4049.

REFERENCES

Orndorff, R.L., Van Hoesen, J.G., and Saines, M., 2003, Implications of New Evidence for Late Quaternary Glaciation in the Spring Mountains, Southern Nevada. Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science 36(1): 37-45.

Van Hoesen, J.G. and Orndorff, R.L., 2000, SEM micromorphology of Pleistocene aged till, Spring Mountains, Nevada. GSA Abstracts with Programs, Reno, Nevada, v.32, no.7.

Van Hoesen, J.G. and Orndorff, R.L., 2001, SEM Micromorphology of limestone clasts from a Pleistocene ice contact deposit, Spring Mountains, Nevada: 2nd Annual Graduate Student Research Forum, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV.

Van Hoesen, J.G. and Orndorff, R.L., 2003, Using GIS To Evaluate An Enigmatic Diamicton In The Spring Mountains, Southern Nevada. Professional Geographer 55: 206- 215.

Van Hoesen, J.G. and Orndorff, R.L., 2003, The micromorphology of glacial and non-glacial clasts: Evaluating the effects of lithology and age. GSA Abstracts with Programs, Seattle, Washington.

Van Hoesen, J.G., Orndorff, R.L., and Saines, M., 2000, Evidence for Pleistocene Glaciation in the Spring Mountains, Nevada. GSA Abstracts with Programs, Reno, Nevada, v.32, no.7.

Abstract from Van Hoesen et al., 2000:
We have identified a number of glacial landforms in the Spring Mountains of southern Nevada. These include high valley cirques and moraines northwest of the town of Mt. Charleston, NV and due east of Mt. Charleston peak (11,990 ft above sea level). The moraines are unstratified and unsorted containing abundant fines and numerous striated limestone clasts. Most clasts are striated; however, the consistency of a preferred orientation for striations increases with increasing clast size and elongation, although many smaller clasts do contain striations with a distinct preferred orientation. The entrenchment of Big Falls stream through limestone bedrock suggests this is an early-middle Pleistocene glaciation. However, quantitative time constraints have yet to be established. Most of the glacial record has been destroyed or buried over time through fluvial and mass wasting events. However, the same mass wasting events that ultimately obscured the majority of the glacial record may be responsible for the preservation of the few remaining moraines in the region. Debris slides may have prevented the erosion of two morainal deposits located high on the valley walls and protected a moraine located on the valley floor. Two remnant cirques are located at the head of Big Falls stream and one remnant cirque is located at the head of Kyle Canyon; they exhibit a classic bowl shaped morphology. The cirques are carved into limestone bedrock that lacks any surficial evidence of glaciation such as striations, chatter marks, and crescentic gouges. This is attributed to the age of glaciation coupled with the lithology of the bedrock. Evidence for glaciation in the Spring Mountains suggests they represent the southernmost extent of Late Quaternary glaciation in the Great Basin and ends the long-standing debate over whether this region experienced glaciation during the Pleistocene.