Cenozoic drainage reversal on the southern margin of the Colorado Plateau, east-central Arizona, USA

Laramide northeast-flowing streams from the ancestral Mogollon highland beveled gently northeast-dipping Late Proterozoic to Cretaceous strata across southern Colorado Plateau Transition Zone. Eocene renewed uplift rejuvenated incising paleocanyons. Apache paleocanyon was incised into highland, including north-trending bounded by major reverse faults/monoclines. The Rim sequence aggraded in and on a broad alluvial plain east. Middle Cenozoic tectonic subsidence of Zone, aridification, volcanism combined aggrade with sedimentary volcanic rocks 37.6 18.63 Ma. Emplacement Mogollon-Datil caldera complex Chuska erg southeastern forced streamflow northwest-dispersal fluvio-eolian sediment 34 26 Following erosion northwest-flowing ~26 16 Ma, lake sediments lower Bidahochi Fm were deposited. Southwestward reactivation faults underway ~25 Ma coeval extensive 25 20 Natanes basalt flows extreme crustal thinning southwest As northeastward gradually diminished, Superstition field ash flow tuff ended at followed period sluggish stream ponding until after ~14.84 structural possible spillover Lake Hopi margin caused incision southwest-directed Dagger Canyon paleovalley 14.84, which path earlier possibly Sespe delta California coast before opening Gulf California. Structural collapse Tonto Basin west induced deposition Conglomerate modern Salt River all previous deposits became integrated Gila during Plio-Pleistocene.