Cosmogenic ³⁶ Cl dating of a young basaltic eruption complex, Lathrop Wells, Nevada

It has been proposed that the Lathrop Wells volcanic center, a late Quaternary basaltic complex in southern Nevada, has erupted more than once. In common with most Quaternary basalts, this volcanic center has proved difficult to date by K/Ar and other commonly employed methods. The accumulation of ³⁶ Cl in 11 samples from lava flows and volcanic bombs was measured, producing a combined average age of 81 ± 7.9 ka, with no systematic differences between sample subsets collected from different volcanic features. The ³⁶ Cl dates do not supprt a history of multiple eruptions, but neither do they completely preclude the possibility. -Authors