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geothermal resource potential of the safford-san simon basin, arizona

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<strong>the</strong> area less than one mile north <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Buena Vista <strong>the</strong>rmal wells.<br />

Core descriptions<br />

by E.S. Davidson <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> U.S. Geological Survey from well D-6-27-35CBB<br />

suggest that this well is very near <strong>the</strong> fault zone (files, USGS,<br />

Tucson).<br />

Davidson describes a conglomerate between 171 and 210 m whose bedding dips 30 0<br />

"from vertical" (files, USGS, Tucson).<br />

The bedding orientation is interpreted<br />

as ei<strong>the</strong>r evidence <strong>of</strong> drag on <strong>the</strong> hanging wall <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Butte fault zone or talus<br />

below a paleo-escarpment.<br />

Fanglomerate depositional dip is ruled out because<br />

<strong>the</strong>'observed dip is probably too steep.<br />

While conglomerates, predating highangle<br />

Basin and Range faulting, commonly have monoclinal geometry in Bonita<br />

Creek and in Eagle Creek, both east <strong>of</strong> Buena Vista, <strong>the</strong>se sediments do not<br />

contain red granite clasts.<br />

Instead, <strong>the</strong>y are angularly unconformable with<br />

overlying flat-bedded conglomerate, which consists <strong>of</strong> basaltic. and red granite<br />

clasts (Heindl, 1958).<br />

The younger bimodal gravels are post and syntectonic<br />

high-angle Basin and Range faulting such that <strong>the</strong>y fill contemporary structural<br />

<strong>basin</strong>s.<br />

Tilted gravels in D-6-27-35CBB, which contain red granite, are<br />

included in <strong>the</strong> younger suite <strong>of</strong> sediment that fill contemporary <strong>basin</strong>s;<br />

<strong>the</strong>refore, <strong>the</strong> apparently anomalous bedding orientation <strong>of</strong> gravels in D-6-27­<br />

35CBB may indicate deformation proximal to a fault, albeit <strong>the</strong> Butte Fault.<br />

Below <strong>the</strong> tilted gravels in well D-6-27-35CBB, volcanic rock and volcanoclastic<br />

sediments are encountered at 211 m depth, while at 275 m depth, probable<br />

Laramide andesite is encountered.<br />

The andesite is epidotized and mineralized<br />

with copper (files, USGS, Tucson). Ano<strong>the</strong>r well, 1.5 miles south <strong>of</strong><br />

D-6-27-35CBB, also is believed to bottom in bedrock. This well, D-7-27-2CDB,<br />

reaches "red granite" at 213 m depth (files, USGS, Tucson). This "red granite"<br />

is interpreted by <strong>the</strong> writer as a red stained "Laramide" silicic tuff or a<br />

stained quartz monzonite intrusion like those exposed in <strong>the</strong> Gila Mountains<br />

near <strong>the</strong> Lone Star mine.<br />

This "red granite" is not believed to be lithology<br />

44

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