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29-612: This canyon connects the Animas Valley of New Mexico with the San Simon Valley of Arizona, and was once a main route between the United States and Mexico for both legal and illegal traffic. While originally known as Guadalupe Canyon, the area became called Skeleton Canyon, as a result of the bones of cows and humans left behind from cattle drives from Mexico. The canyon was the site of several battles during

58-476: A subduction zone is transferred to the overriding plate as subduction proceeds. Fluids along fault zones then transfer heat vertically through the crust. This model has led to increasing interest in geothermal systems in the Basin and Range, and requires consideration of the continued influence of the fully subducted Farallon plate in the extension responsible for the Basin and Range Province. In some localities in

87-552: Is a complex and controversial issue among the geoscience community. The most accepted hypothesis suggests that crustal shearing associated with the San Andreas Fault caused spontaneous extensional faulting similar to that seen in the Great Basin. However, plate movement alone does not account for the high elevation of the Basin and Range region. The western United States is a region of high heat flow which lowers

116-647: Is a lengthy and narrow north–south valley 85 miles (137 kilometres) long, located in western Hidalgo County, New Mexico , in the Bootheel Region ; the extreme south of the valley lies in Sonora - Chihuahua , in the extreme north-west of the Chihuahuan Desert , the large desert region of the north-central Mexican Plateau and the Rio Grande valley and river system. The Continental Divide of

145-600: Is arid, with numerous ecoregions . Most North American deserts are located within it. The Basin and Range Province should not be confused with the Great Basin , a region defined by its unique hydrological characteristics (internal drainage) that overlaps much of the greater Basin and Range physiographic region. Nor should it be confused with the Basin and Range National Monument , located in Southern Nevada, which

174-402: Is generally accepted that basin and range topography is the result of extension and thinning of the lithosphere , which is composed of crust and upper mantle . Extensional environments like the Basin and Range are characterized by listric normal faulting , or faults that level out with depth. Opposing normal faults link at depth producing a horst and graben geometry, where horst refers to

203-602: Is linear, north–south trending, surrounded by mountain ranges, and is part of the Basin and Range Province of south-west North America . At the southern extremity of the valley straddling the United States and Mexico border lies the Pleistocene aged Lake Cloverdale The extreme north has the Lordsburg Mesa located north-west of Lordsburg and is on the northern perimeter of the Animas Valley, south of

232-818: Is one small part of the much larger province. The Basin and Range Province includes much of western North America . In the United States, it is bordered on the west by the eastern fault scarp of the Sierra Nevada and spans over 500 miles (800 km) to its eastern border marked by the Wasatch Fault , the Colorado Plateau and the Rio Grande Rift . The province extends north to the Columbia Plateau and south as far as

261-429: Is suggested that this plate continued to be underthrust until about 19 Ma, at which time it was completely consumed and volcanic activity ceased, in part. Olivine basalt from the oceanic ridge erupted around 17 Ma and extension began. In addition to small amounts of Nevada petroleum , the Basin and Range Province supplies nearly all the copper and most of the gold , silver , and barite mined in

290-596: The Chiricahua Mountains and associated mountain ranges, which anchor the eastern half of Cochise County . Parts of this entire region with its mountain ridgelines, and mountaintops, and associated valleys are part of the sky island region called the Madrean Sky Islands of Arizona– New Mexico , and Sonora – Chihuahua , in the Sonoran and Chihuahuan Deserts. The Animas Valley

319-694: The Gulf of California and Baja Peninsula with notably less faulting apparent in the Sierra Madre Occidental in the center of the southernmost Basin and Range Province. Common geographic features include numerous endorheic basins , ephemeral lakes, plateaus, and bolson valleys alternating with mountains (as described below). The area is mostly arid and sparsely populated, although there are several major metropolitan areas, such as Reno , Las Vegas , Salt Lake City , Phoenix , Tucson , El Paso — Ciudad Juárez , Mexicali , and Hermosillo . It

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348-743: The Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt in Mexico , though the southern boundaries of the Basin and Range are debated. In Mexico, the Basin and Range Province is dominated by and largely synonymous with the Mexican Plateau . Evidence suggests that the less-recognized southern portion of the province is bounded on the east by the Laramide Thrust Front of the Sierra Madre Oriental and on the west by

377-607: The mantle . The movement at this boundary divided the Pacific-Farallon Ridge and spawned the San Andreas transform fault , generating an oblique strike-slip component. Today, the Pacific plate moves north-westward relative to North America, a configuration which has given rise to increased shearing along the continental margin . The tectonic activity responsible for the extension in the Basin and Range

406-652: The American Old West. In 1879, a group of outlaw Cowboys attacked a group of Mexican Rurales and stole their cattle. In July 1881, Curly Bill Brocius attacked and killed about a dozen Mexican smugglers carrying silver and heading to the United States. In retribution, the Mexican government attacked and killed Newman Haynes Clanton and others as they were driving cattle through Guadalupe Canyon . In 1883, Apache Indians from Chihuahua's band surprised eight troopers of Troop D, Fourth Cavalry, killed three men, burned

435-639: The Americas forms the valley's eastern border in a series of mountain ranges . The parallel valley eastwards on the eastern side of the Continental Divide is the slightly shorter, but also long and narrow Playas Valley . Westwards of the narrow, lengthy and divided Peloncillo Mountains , are the two valleys in Arizona , the San Simon and San Bernardino Valleys , both east of the massif of

464-527: The Basin and Range and has led geologists to examine them as a group of related geologic features formed by crustal extension during the Cenozoic era (66.0 million years ago to present). The study of metamorphic core complexes has provided valuable insight into the extensional processes driving Basin and Range formation. Prior to the Eocene Epoch (55.8 ±0.2 to 33.9 ±0.1 Ma) the convergence rate of

493-529: The Basin and Range, metamorphic basement is visible at the surface. Some of these are metamorphic core complexes (MCC), an idea that was first developed based on studies in this province. A metamorphic core complex occurs when lower crust is brought to the surface as a result of extension. MCCs in the Basin and Range were not interpreted as being related to crustal extension until after the 1960s. Since then, similar deformational patterns have been identified in MCCs in

522-652: The Farallon and North American plates was fast, the angle of subduction was shallow, and the slab width was huge. During the Eocene the Farallon plate subduction -associated compressive forces of the Laramide , Sevier and Nevada orogenies ended, plate interactions changed from orthogonal compression to oblique strike-slip , and volcanism in the Basin and Range Province flared up ( Mid-Tertiary ignimbrite flare-up ). It

551-536: The Farallon plate had been consumed, and the seafloor spreading ridge that separated the Farallon plate from the Pacific plate ( Pacific-Farallon Ridge ) approached North America. In the Middle Miocene (15.97-11.63 million years ago), the Pacific-Farallon Ridge was subducted beneath North America ending subduction along this part of the Pacific margin; however, the Farallon plate continued to subduct into

580-804: The canyon lies about 9.5 mi (15.3 km) to the southeast just west of the Arizona – New Mexico line. On November 4, 1889, Judson "Comanche" White was found dead in Skeleton Canyon after being killed by person or persons unknown; all his possession had been stolen as well. On August 12, 1896, a shoot-out between the Christian gang and a posse resulted in the Skeleton Canyon shootout . 31°35′24″N 109°2′10″W  /  31.59000°N 109.03611°W  / 31.59000; -109.03611 Animas Valley The Animas Valley

609-570: The density of the lithosphere and stimulates isostatic uplift as a consequence. Lithospheric regions characterized by elevated heat flow are weak and extensional deformation can occur over a broad region. Basin and Range extension is therefore thought to be unrelated to the kind of extension produced by mantle upwelling which may cause narrow rift zones, such as those of the Afar triple junction . Geologic processes that elevate heat flow are varied, however some researchers suggest that heat generated at

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638-416: The inland Western United States and northwestern Mexico . It is defined by unique basin and range topography , characterized by abrupt changes in elevation, alternating between narrow faulted mountain chains and flat arid valleys or basins. The physiography of the province is the result of tectonic extension that began around 17 million years ago in the early Miocene epoch. The numerous ranges within

667-996: The province in the United States are collectively referred to as the "Great Basin Ranges", although many are not actually in the Great Basin . Major ranges include the Snake Range , the Panamint Range , the White Mountains , and the Sandia Mountains . The highest point fully within the province is White Mountain Peak in California , while the lowest point is the Badwater Basin in Death Valley at −282 feet (−86 m). The province's climate

696-476: The southern Basin and Range and propagated north over time. Clarence Dutton famously compared the many narrow parallel mountain ranges that distinguish the unique topography of the Basin and Range to an "army of caterpillars crawling northward." The tectonic mechanisms responsible for lithospheric extension in the Basin and Range province are controversial, and several competing hypotheses attempt to explain them. Key events preceding Basin and Range extension in

725-463: The total extension of the region; however, the median estimate is about 100% total lateral extension. Total lateral displacement in the Basin and Range varies from 60 to 300 km since the onset of extension in the Early Miocene with the southern portion of the province representing a greater degree of displacement than the north. Evidence exists to suggest that extension initially began in

754-429: The upthrown fault block and graben to the down dropped fault block. The average crustal thickness of the Basin and Range Province is approximately 30–35 km and is comparable to extended continental crust around the world. The crust in conjunction with the upper mantle comprises the lithosphere . The base of the lithosphere beneath the Basin and Range is estimated to be about 60–70 km. Opinions vary regarding

783-523: The wagons and supplies, and drove off forty horses and mules. Geronimo 's final surrender to General Nelson A Miles on September 4, 1886, occurred at the western edge of this canyon. As the surrender site is now on private property, commemorative monument has been erected to the northwest along SR 80 , where it intersects with Skeleton Canyon Road in Arizona, at geographic coordinates 31°41′28″N 109°07′56″W  /  31.69111°N 109.13222°W  / 31.69111; -109.13222 . The mouth of

812-467: The west-flowing Gila River and the towns of Virden and Red Rock . The valley forms a topographically closed basin . At the southern end is the usually dry Lake Cloverdale , also known as Animas Flats, which extends slightly into Mexico. Some groundwater may feed the Gila River . Basin and Range Province The Basin and Range Province is a vast physiographic region covering much of

841-578: The western United States include a long period of compression due to the subduction of the Farallon plate under the west coast of the North American continental plate which stimulated the thickening of the crust. Most of the pertinent tectonic plate movement associated with the province occurred in the Neogene period (23.03-2.58 million years ago) and continues to the present. By the Early Miocene sub-epoch (23.03-15.97 million years ago), much of

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