Scholarly Work - Earth Sciences
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Item Episodic Late Cretaceous to Neogene crustal thickness variation in southern Tibet(Wiley, 2023-10) Sundell, Kurt E.; Laskowski, Andrew K.; Howlett, Caden; Kapp, Paul; Ducea, Mihai; Chapman, James B.; Ding, LinRecent advancements in quantitatively estimating the thickness of Earth's crust in the geologic past provide an opportunity to test hypotheses explaining the tectonic evolution of southern Tibet. Outstanding debate on southern Tibet's Cenozoic geological evolution is complicated by poorly understood Mesozoic tectonics. We present new U-Pb geochronology and trace element chemistry of detrital zircon from modern rivers draining the Gangdese Mountains in southern Tibet. Results are similar to recently published quantitative estimates of crustal thickness derived from intermediate-composition whole rock records and show ~30 km of crustal thinning from 90 to 70 Ma followed by thickening to near-modern values from 70 to 40 Ma. These results extend evidence of Late Cretaceous north–south extension along strike to the west by ~200 km, and support a tectonic model in which an east–west striking back-arc basin formed along Eurasia's southern margin during slab rollback, prior to terminal collision of India with Eurasia.Item Kilometer-scale recumbent folding, tectonic attenuation, and rotational shear in the western Anaconda Range, southwestern Montana, USA(Geological Society of America, 2023-10) Neal, Bryce A.; Laskowski, Andrew K.; Lonn, Jeffrey D.; Burrell, William B.The Eocene Anaconda metamorphic core complex is the most recently documented metamorphic core complex in the North American Cordillera. While much work has focused on constraining the nature and timing of core complex extension, earlier deformation preserved in its footwall is not as well understood. The Anaconda metamorphic core complex footwall contains an anomalously thin, lower- to uppermost-amphibolite-facies section of Mesoproterozoic Belt Supergroup and Paleozoic metasedimentary strata. While the tectonic nature of this thinning is generally accepted, the mechanisms behind it remain enigmatic. Previous workers have hypothesized that footwall strata were attenuated along the upper limb of the Late Cretaceous Fishtrap recumbent anticline, a kilometer-scale, NW-vergent, recumbent fold exposed throughout the west-central metamorphic core complex footwall. New geologic mapping in the west-central Anaconda Range better constrains the nature and timing of tectonic attenuation in this structurally complex area. Two generations of folds were recognized: (1) F1 recumbent isoclines associated with the Fishtrap recumbent anticline and (2) F2 W-vergent asymmetric folds associated with map-scale N-plunging folds. F1 folds, axial planar S1 transposition fabrics, and bedding-parallel faults and shear zones boudinage, transpose, and omit strata of the Belt Supergroup. We suggest that the Fishtrap recumbent anticline tectonically attenuated the Belt Supergroup through Paleozoic section of the west-central Anaconda metamorphic core complex footwall, and we propose that it is a kilometer-scale, regionally significant structure. We further propose that the fold may have developed in response to rotational shear and sinistral transpression along the Lewis and Clark Line, which was further driven by accretion of outboard terranes along the western margin of North America during Late Cretaceous time.Item New Paleomagnetic Constraints on the Early Cretaceous Paleolatitude of the Lhasa Terrane (Tibet)(Frontiers Media SA, 2022-05) Li, Zhenyu; Ding, Lin; Laskowski, Andrew K.; Burke, William B.; Chen, Yaofei; Song, Peiping; Yue, Yahui; Xie, JingNew zircon U-Pb dating results from the Zonggei Formation volcanics indicate that the volcanic rocks formed at ∼114–110 Ma. Paleomagnetic data, petrography, and rock magnetism confirm the primary nature of isolated characteristic remanent magnetizations carried by titanomagnetite and hematite. A statistical analysis of the combined results from the Zonggei and Duoni formations reveals a group-mean direction of D±ΔD = 0.4° ± 6.0°, I±ΔI = 22.2° ± 5.6°, α95 = 5.6°, k = 35.2 after bedding correction based on 20 group-mean directions. The corresponding paleopole was calculated to be λp = 70.3°N, φp = 270.5°E with A95 = 5.2°. The interpretation of our data alongside the Cenozoic data from the Tethyan Himalaya indicates that the India–Asia collision initiated by 61.7 ± 3.0 Ma at 13.0° ± 1.8°N, assuming a single-collision model. Intracontinental crustal shortening totaling 1,770 ± 470 km took place on the Asian side since the onset of India–Asia collision. Furthermore, the data show that the Neo-Tethys Ocean reached its maximum N-S width of 7,100 ± 530 km at ∼132 Ma and shrank to 6,400 ± 550 km by ∼115 ± 5 Ma. This is consistent with previous estimates based on the geophysical images of the subducted Neo-Tethyan slab beneath Eurasia.Item Configuration and Timing of Collision Between Arabia and Eurasia in the Zagros Collision zone, Fars, Southern Iran(American Geophysical Union, 2021-08) Cai, Fulong; Ding, Lin; Wang, Houqi; Laskowski, Andrew K.; Zhang, Liyun; Zhang, Bo; Mohammadi, Ali; Li, Jinxiang; Song, Peiping; Li, Zhenyu; Zhang, QinghaiThe configuration and timing of the Arabia-Eurasia continental collision, part of the broader Alpine-Himalayan collisional system, remains controversial. We conducted sandstone petrology, detrital zircon U-Pb-Hf isotopic and trace element analysis, and Cr spinel electron microprobe geochemical analysis of samples from Paleocene to Miocene peripheral foreland strata in interior Fars, southern Iran. These data were used to test competing models for ophiolite obduction and Arabia-Eurasia collision. In addition, we applied these data to compare the history of outward and upward growth of the Zagros and Himalayan-Tibetan segments of the Alpine-Himalayan collisional orogenic belt. The first appearance of radiolarian-rich chert conglomerate, 100–90 Ma detrital zircons with positive ɛHf(t) values from +1 to +20 and midocean ridge geochemical affinity, and suprasubduction zone (SSZ) affinity Cr-spinel is in the lower and middle Sachun Formation. These data indicate that obduction occurred before deposition of the upper Maastrichtian-lower Paleocene Sachun Formation and developed in an intra-oceanic setting rather than an Arabia-Eurasia collision setting. Abundant continental-arc affinity detrital zircon with 180–160 Ma and 50–27 Ma age-probability peaks and varied ɛHf(t) values are present in the upper Oligocene-lower Miocene Razak and Agha Jari formations, indicating sedimentary overlap with Eurasia. SSZ-affinity Cr-spinel in all samples indicates that ophiolitic rocks were a continual source of detritus in the foreland basin since Paleocene. The depositional age of the basal Razak Formation is between 25.7 and 21.5 Ma. Therefore, we interpret that collision between Arabia and Eurasia must have been initiated before deposition of the Razak Formation.Item Sedimentology and provenance of newly identified Upper Cretaceous trench basin strata, Dênggar, southern Tibet: Implications for development of the Eurasian margin prior to India–Asia collision(Wiley, 2021-04) Orme, Devon A.; Laskowski, Andrew K.; Zilinsky, Misia F.; Chao, Wang; Guo, Xudong; Cai, Fulong; Lin, DingTrench basins preserved along the southern margin of the Lhasa Terrane, Tibet, are sedimentologic records of convergent margin processes preceding Cenozoic India–Asia collision. We present new sedimentologic, petrographic and geochronologic data from the Rongmawa Formation and surrounding strata near Dênggar, Tibet, to determine depositional environment, provenance and age. Depositional ages range from ca. 92 to 87 Ma and lithofacies are consistent with deposition by low- and high-density turbidity currents and suspension settling of pelagic detritus in a deep-marine, trench basin setting. Sandstone modal analyses and U–Pb geochronology indicate that trench basin detritus in this region was derived from the Lhasa Terrane. We interpret that the Cretaceous subduction trench received detritus from an axial sediment dispersal system that transported sediment from headwaters in the central-southern Lhasa terrane near Lhasa City directly to the trench and then flowed westwards parallel to the trench. The preservation of trench basin strata deposited during Late Cretaceous time compared with the lack of trench deposits prior to ca. 92 Ma and after ca. 80 Ma suggests the margin experienced a period of significant accretion during this interval. In addition, deposition of trench basin strata occurred during Late Cretaceous adakitic magmatism and high-temperature metamorphism, which are hypothesized to be explained by subduction of an oceanic ridge or subduction zone retreat and related upper plate extension along the southern margin of the Lhasa terrane. Subduction of an oceanic ridge may provide a mechanism to potentially erode forearc basin strata and promote increased sediment delivery directly to the trench.Item Record of Crustal Thickening and Synconvergent Extension from the Dajiamang Tso Rift, Southern Tibet(MDPI AG, 2021-05) Burke, William B.; Laskowski, Andrew K.; Orme, Devon A.; Sundell, Kurt E.; Taylor, Michael H.; Guo, Xudong; Ding, LinNorth-trending rifts throughout south-central Tibet provide an opportunity to study the dynamics of synconvergent extension in contractional orogenic belts. In this study, we present new data from the Dajiamang Tso rift, including quantitative crustal thickness estimates calculated from trace/rare earth element zircon data, U-Pb geochronology, and zircon-He thermochronology. These data constrain the timing and rates of exhumation in the Dajiamang Tso rift and provide a basis for evaluating dynamic models of synconvergent extension. Our results also provide a semi-continuous record of Mid-Cretaceous to Miocene evolution of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogenic belt along the India-Asia suture zone. We report igneous zircon U-Pb ages of ~103 Ma and 70–42 Ma for samples collected from the Xigaze forearc basin and Gangdese Batholith/Linzizong Formation, respectively. Zircon-He cooling ages of forearc rocks in the hanging wall of the Great Counter thrust are ~28 Ma, while Gangdese arc samples in the footwalls of the Dajiamang Tso rift are 16–8 Ma. These data reveal the approximate timing of the switch from contraction to extension along the India-Asia suture zone (minimum 16 Ma). Crustal-thickness trends from zircon geochemistry reveal possible crustal thinning (to ~40 km) immediately prior to India-Eurasia collision onset (58 Ma). Following initial collision, crustal thickness increases to 50 km by 40 Ma with continued thickening until the early Miocene supported by regional data from the Tibetan Magmatism Database. Current crustal thickness estimates based on geophysical observations show no evidence for crustal thinning following the onset of E–W extension (~16 Ma), suggesting that modern crustal thickness is likely facilitated by an underthrusting Indian lithosphere balanced by upper plate extension.Item Provenance analysis of Cretaceous peripheral foreland basin in central Tibet: Implications to precise timing on the initial Lhasa-Qiangtang collision(Elsevier BV, 2020-01) Chen, Yaofei; Ding, Lin; Li, Zhenyu; Laskowski, Andrew K.; Li, Jinxiang; Baral, Upendra; Qasim, Muhammad; Yue, YahuiMesozoic strata along northern margin of the Lhasa terrane near Dingqing, Tibet provide a semi-continuous record of the Bangong-Nujiang Ocean closure and the subsequent Lhasa-Qiangtang collision. In this study, we present results of sandstone petrographic, detrital zircon Usingle bondPb, and Cr-spinel geochemical data to determine the provenance of the Mesozoic strata (from the Triassic Quehala Group and the Mid-Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Xihu, Lagongtang, and Duoni Formations, which are young from ~220 Ma to ~100 Ma) in this region, thereby allowing for interpretation of their tectonic setting. The similar 1200–900 age cluster from the lower Xihu Formation to that of the Triassic Quehala Group and the distinct age peaks at ~200 Ma and ~146 Ma from the upper Xihu Formation suggest a Lhasa terrane provenance to the south. Distinctive age clusters of 300–210 Ma and ~1800 Ma and Cr-spinel composition analysis of the Lagongtang Formation indicate a provenance shift from the Lhasa terrane to the Qiangtang terrane and the Bangong-Nujiang suture zone to the north. The Lagongtang Formation was deposited in a bathyal-abyssal to shallow-slope environment from north to south, that we interpret as the foredeep depozone and distal foredeep of a peripheral foreland basin system that developed due to flexural subsidence related to the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision and terrane accretion. The age of the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision is constrained by a ~140 Ma tuffite Usingle bondPb age at the base of the foreland basin strata. An angular unconformity between the Xihu and Lagongtang Formation, which we interpret as the result of the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision. Our results indicate that the Lhasa-Qiangtang collision initiated around ~140 Ma in the Dingqing region, simultaneously with previous determinations 1200 km to the west near Gaize area. Therefore, we prefer quasi-simultaneous onset of collision along-strike to zippering collision models wherein the east collision age is older than the west.Item Magmatism and Extension in the Anaconda Metamorphic Core Complex of Western Montana and Relation to Regional Tectonics(2021-09) Howlett, Caden J.; Reynolds, Aislin N.; Laskowski, Andrew K.Metamorphic core complexes (MCCs) are a product of crustal extension, but their dynamics are still debated. Early research suggests that the formation of MCCs in the western United States was due to gravitational collapse of crust that had been thickened during Cordilleran orogenesis. However, the instability of overthickened crust alone cannot explain the diachronous formation of core complexes with a strong spatial dependency, as there was relatively uniform crustal thickness along strike of the Cordillera. For this reason, there is an interest in what role other lithospheric processes (such as subducted slab removal) play in the evolution of MCCs. We investigate the role of such processes by determining the temporal relation between magmatism and extension in the Anaconda MCC (AMCC) of western Montana. Geologic mapping, zircon U-Pb geochronology, and zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronology reveal that the initiation of extension in the AMCC in the Eocene (∼53 Ma) began at least 3 Myr after the emplacement of voluminous Paleocene two-mica plutons. We interpret that the AMCC is an example of a core complex that was primed for extension by magmatic thermal weakening and suggest that foundering of the Farallon flat slab and the onset of the ignimbrite flareup in western Montana was responsible for the initiation of AMCC extension. An updated compilation of MCC cooling ages and Cenozoic volcanic activity across the western United States supports previous interpretations that the removal of Farallon oceanic lithosphere likely initiated MCC exhumation in some regions.Item Determining the source of placer gold in the Anaconda metamorphic core complex supradetachment basin using detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology, western Montana, USA(2020-12) Howlett, Caden J.; Laskowski, Andrew K.Despite the widespread occurrence and economic significance of gold placer deposits, modern provenance studies of placer sediments remain largely qualitative. This study applies detrital zircon (DZ) geochronology to determine the source of zircon in placer deposits. We then evaluate the provenance of the zircon to assess whether the gold might have been derived from the same sources, thereby providing a case study of the use of DZ geochronology applied to placers. We present a new set of DZ U-Pb ages (n = 1058) and Lu-Hf (n = 61) isotopic data from four placer deposit samples collected from the Pioneer District of western Montana (USA). Each of the four samples yielded similar age spectra, with a range of U-Pb ages between 3000 and 25 Ma. We interpret that ≥250 Ma zircons were recycled from the Mesoproterozoic Belt Supergroup, Paleozoic–Mesozoic sedimentary rocks, and the Upper Cretaceous–Paleocene Beaverhead Group. Our 237 DZ U-Pb ages ≤250 Ma reveal two prominent age-probability peaks centered at ca. 69 Ma and ca. 26 Ma, which we interpret to record first-cycle derivation from the Royal stock and nearby Dillon Volcanics, respectively. We evaluate these data using an inverse Monte Carlo DZ unmixing model that calculates relative contributions from plausible source units, determining a 12% contribution from the Royal stock and a 43% contribution from the Beaverhead Group. A current absence of the Beaverhead Group in the hypothesized source region suggests complete erosion of the unit into the placer-bearing basin. Detrital zircon geochronology, Hf isotopic data, and the unmixing modeling results offer the first zircon-based support for previous interpretations that the Late Cretaceous Royal stock precipitated gold along its contact with overlying Proterozoic–Mesozoic sedimentary strata. Subsequent exhumation and erosion of the lode source led to gold deposition in the Anaconda metamorphic core complex supradetachment basin during the late Oligocene–late Miocene. The worldwide occurrence of gold placer deposits with unknown source areas provides abundant opportunity to apply these techniques elsewhere.Item The Ancestral Lhasa River: A Late Cretaceous trans-arc river that drained the proto-Tibetan Plateau(2019-09-19) Laskowski, Andrew K.; Orme, Devon A.; Cai, Fulong; Ding, LinLate Cretaceous trench basin strata were deposited in the subduction zone that consumed Neo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere along the southern margin of the proto–Tibetan Plateau. We conducted detrital zircon (DZ) U-Pb geochronology on six trench basin samples (n = 1716) collected near Dênggar, Tibet (∼500 km west of Lhasa), to assess the provenance of these rocks and reconstruct Late Cretaceous sediment transport pathways. They contained DZ ages that point to a unique source around Lhasa city, north of the Late Cretaceous Gangdese magmatic arc. The modern Lhasa River catchment contains the requisite sources, and its main trunk transects the Gangdese magmatic arc, joining with the Yarlung River at a barbed junction at the India-Asia suture. We infer that the Lhasa River is an ancient feature that transported sediment to the subduction zone in Late Cretaceous time and persisted during India-Asia collision.