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Geologic mapping in the Yucca Mountain area began in 1962 with the Topopah Spring NW (Christiansen and Lipman, 1965) and Topopah Spring SW quadrangles (Lipman and McKay, 1965) at a scale of 1:24,000.
In 1984, Scott and Bonk (1984) published a preliminary geologic map of Yucca Mountain at a scale of 1:12,000.
Spengler and others (1993 and 1994) reported previously undiscovered structures in the central Yucca Mountain area.
Dickerson and Drake (1998) published a geologic map of the Paintbrush Canyon area (just north of Yucca Mountain) at a scale of 1:6,000.
Day, Potter, and others (1998) remapped the central block of Yucca Mountain at a scale of 1:6,000 using more detailed stratigraphic units defined by Buesch and others (1996).

 image is an extraction from a larger map
Image modified from Potter,C.J., Dickerson, R.P., Sweetkind, D.S., Drake, R.M.,
San Juan, C.A., Taylor, E.M., Fridrich, C.J., and Day,W.C., 2002, Geologic map of the Yucca Mountain region: U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Investigations Series Map I-2755, scale 1:50,000, 37 p. pamphlet.
 
 
The Day, Dickerson, and others (1998) geologic map of the Yucca Mountain area at a scale of 1:24,000 also uses the stratigraphic nomenclature of Buesch and others (1996).
In 2002, Potter and others published a geologic map of the Yucca Mountain region at a scale of 1:50,000.
Dickerson and Drake (2004) mapped south-central Yucca Mountain at a scale of 1:6,000.
    

image of a USGS geologist mapping volcanic tuffs near Yucca Mountain.

USGS began using digital global positioning system (GPS) mapping techniques and software to map geology more efficiently. Geologic data and GPS positions are recorded digitally in a personal digital assistant (PDA) using customized forms in the field, eliminating traditonal time-consuming digitizing.

 
USGS geologist calibrating digital mapping equipment

Publications

Buesch, D.C., Spengler, R.W., Moyer, T.C., and Geslin, J.K., 1996, Proposed stratigraphic nomenclature and macroscopic identification of lithostratigraphic units of the Paintbrush Group exposed at Yucca Mountain, Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 94-469, 45 p.

Christiansen, R.L., and Lipman, P.W., 1965, Geologic map of the Topopah Spring NW quadrangle, Nye County, Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Quadrangle Map GQ-444, scale 1:24,000.

Day, W.C., Dickerson, R.P., Potter, C.J., Sweetkind, D.S., San Juan, C.A., Drake, R.M. II, and Fridrich, C.J., 1998, Bedrock geologic map of the Yucca Mountain area, Nye County, Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Investigations Series Map I-2627, scale 1:24,000, 21 p. pamphlet.
Day, W.C., Potter, C.J., Sweetkind, D.S., Dickerson, R.P., and San Juan, C.A., 1998, Bedrock geologic map of the central block area, Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Investigations Series Map I-2601, scale 1:6,000.

Dickerson, R.P., and Drake, R.M. II, 1998, Geologic map of the Paintbrush Canyon area, Yucca Mountain, Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 97-783, scale 1:6,000, 25 p. pamphlet.

Lipman, P.W., and McKay, E.J., 1965, Geologic map of the Topopah Spring SW quadrangle, Nye County, Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Quadrangle Map GQ-439, scale 1:24,000.

Dickerson, R.P. and Drake, R.M. II, 2004, Geologic map of south-central Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Miscellaneous Field Studies Map MF-2422, scale 1:6,000.

Potter,C.J., Dickerson, R.P.,Sweetkind, D.S., Drake, R.M., San Juan, C.A., Taylor, E.M., Fridrich, C.J., and Day,W.C., 2002, Geologic map of the Yucca Mountain region: U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Investigations Series Map I-2755, scale 1:50,000, 37 p. pamphlet.

Potter, C.J., Day, W.C., San Juan C.A., Sweetkind, D.S., Drake , R.M. II, 1998, Pre-construction geologic section along the Cross Drift through the potential high-level radioactive waste repository, Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada: U.S. Geologicial Survey Open-File Report 98-530, 22 p.

Spengler, R.W., Braun, C.A., Linden, R.M., Martin, L.G., Ross-Brown, D.M., and Blackburn, R.L., 1993, Structural character of the Ghost Dance fault, Yucca Mountain, Nevada, In High Level Radioactive Waste Management, Proceedings of the Fourth Annual International Conference, Las Vegas, Nev., April 26-30, 1993: LaGrange Park, Ill., American Nuclear Society, v. 1, p. 653-659.

Spengler, R.W., Braun, C.A., Martin, L.G., and Weisenberg, C.W., 1994, The Sundance fault—a newly recognized shear zone at Yucca Mountain, Nevada: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 94-49, 11 p
 
 

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