Paleogeography of Western North America: Insights from Detrital Zircon U-Pb Geochronology and Hf Isotope Geochemistry
type: CreativeWork
description: Reconstructing the geologic and tectonic evolution of western North America from Paleozoic through Eocene time is the goal of this dissertation. Three geographical regions were selected for analysis using modern analytical techniques including U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotope geochemistry of detrital zircons, as well as, geologic mapping and paleocurrent analysis. The Neoproterozoic through Pennsylvanian Yukon-Tanana terrane (YTTs) in the Coast Mountains of southeastern Alaska, the Cretaceous through Eocene strata in the San Juan basin of northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado, and the Paleocene Wilcox Group in the Gulf of Mexico are the regions selected for analysis. The project also includes a large compilation of εHft from the eight main elements that comprise the North American Cordilleran arc: Coast Mountains batholith, North Cascades Range, Idaho batholith, Sierra Nevada batholith, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, Sierra Madre Occidental, and the Porphyry Copper Province. Identifying changes in sediment provenance from Sevier thin-skinned thrusting through the formation of Laramide basement block uplifts was accomplished by conducting U-Pb geochronologic and Hf isotopic analyses on 32 detrital zircon samples from across the entire San Juan basin. The detrital zircon U-Pb results indicate four stratigraphic intervals with internally consistent age peaks. Based on a combination of U-Pb ages and paleocurrent indicators, three transitions in sediment provenance were identified, resulting in a refined paleogeographic model for Late Cretaceous through Eocene time. This model includes a transition from initial reworking of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic cratonal blanket to unroofing of distant basement cored-uplifts and Laramide plutons, then a final transition to more local Laramide uplifts. Hf isotopes were also collected on zircons from the San Juan basin, and also for a select group of samples of the Paleocene Wilcox Group in the Gulf of Mexico. This…
abstract: Reconstructing the geologic and tectonic evolution of western North America from Paleozoic through Eocene time is the goal of this dissertation. Three geographical regions were selected for analysis using modern analytical techniques including U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotope geochemistry of detrital zircons, as well as, geologic mapping and paleocurrent analysis. The Neoproterozoic through Pennsylvanian Yukon-Tanana terrane (YTTs) in the Coast Mountains of southeastern Alaska, the Cretaceous through Eocene strata in the San Juan basin of northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado, and the Paleocene Wilcox Group in the Gulf of Mexico are the regions selected for analysis. The project also includes a large compilation of εHft from the eight main elements that comprise the North American Cordilleran arc: Coast Mountains batholith, North Cascades Range, Idaho batholith, Sierra Nevada batholith, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, Sierra Madre Occidental, and the Porphyry Copper Province. Identifying changes in sediment provenance from Sevier thin-skinned thrusting through the formation of Laramide basement block uplifts was accomplished by conducting U-Pb geochronologic and Hf isotopic analyses on 32 detrital zircon samples from across the entire San Juan basin. The detrital zircon U-Pb results indicate four stratigraphic intervals with internally consistent age peaks. Based on a combination of U-Pb ages and paleocurrent indicators, three transitions in sediment provenance were identified, resulting in a refined paleogeographic model for Late Cretaceous through Eocene time. This model includes a transition from initial reworking of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic cratonal blanket to unroofing of distant basement cored-uplifts and Laramide plutons, then a final transition to more local Laramide uplifts. Hf isotopes were also collected on zircons from the San Juan basin, and also for a select group of samples of the Paleocene Wilcox Group in the Gulf of Mexico. This…
author: Pecha, Mark Ernest
language: en
keywords: Coast Mountains batholith, detrital zircon, Gulf of Mexico, Hf isotopes, San Juan basin, U-Pb geochronology
date published: 2019
date modified: 2026-07-24T00:55:47Z
provider: University of Arizona
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: The University of Arizona.

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/10150/634337