Schedule

• Monday, January 11: Introduction.
• Wednesday Jan 13, Friday Jan 15: Precambrian terranes, U-Pb dating, Sm-Nd model ages Reading:
  • sec. 10-3 and 10-4 of Turcotte and Schubert (10-1 and 10-2 are helpful). 
  • Radiometric dating handout
  • Ch. 1 of Baldridge is relevant
  • Reed, J. C., Jr., T. T. Ball, G. L. Farmer, and W. B. Hamilton, A broader view, in Precambrian: Conterminous U. S., The Geology of North America, vol. C-2, edited by J. C. Reed, Jr. and others, pp. 614-622 (Farmer's section), Geol. Soc. Amer., Boulder, Colo., 1993
    
• Wednesday Jan. 20, Friday Jan 22: Mid-Late Proterozoic Sedimentation. Figure handouts in class, many papers listed in bibliography
• Monday Jan 25: Tectonic interpretations of Mid-Late Proterozoic sedimentation, Thermal subsidence and backstripping (Cordilleran miogeocline)
  • Turcotte and Schubert, sec. 4-15, 4-16, 4-23, 4-25, last is most relevant, earlier readings provide background. [An alternative that is more compact and comes from a more geologic point of view is in Stüwe's text, sections 6.1.3 & 6.1.4; this also includes a description of how backstripping works missing from Turcotte and Schubert]
  • Bond, G. C., and M. A. Kominz, Construction of tectonic subsidence curves for the early Paleozoic miogeocline, southern Canadian Rocky Mountains; implications for subsidence mechanisms, age of breakup, and crustal thinning, Geological Society of America Bulletin, 95, (2), 155-173, 1984.
  • Chs. 2 and 3 of Baldridge are relevant
• Wednesday Jan 27: Interpreting sedimentation patterns, Ancestral Rockies
  • Ye, H. Z., L. Royden, C. Burchfiel, and M. Schuepbach, Late Paleozoic deformation of interior North America: The greater Ancestral Rocky Mountains, Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull., 80, 1397-1432, 1996.
    • Kluth, C. F., Late Paleozoic deformation of interior North America: The Greater Ancestral Rocky Mountains: Discussion, Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull., 82, 2272-2276, 1998.
    • Ye, H. Z., L. Royden, C. Burchfiel, and M. Schuepbach, Late Paleozoic deformation of interior North America: The Greater Ancestral Rocky Mountains: Reply, Amer. Assoc. Petrol. Geol. Bull., 82, 2277-2279, 1998.
  • Ch. 5 of Baldridge relevant
• Friday, Jan 29: Plate flexure in interpreting the Ancestral Rockies
  • Plate flexure handout or equivalent sections in Turcotte and Schubert, 3-9, 3-13, 3-14 to 3-18.
• Monday, Feb. 1: Antler orogeny (interpreting sediments again)
  • Giles, K. A., and W. R. Dickinson, The interplay of eustasy and lithospheric flexure in forming stratigraphic sequences in foreland settings: An example from the Antler foreland, Nevada and Utah, in Stratigraphic Evolution of Foreland Basins, SEPM Special Publication, vol. 52, edited by S. L. Dorobek and G. M. Ross, pp. 187-211, SEPM, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 1995. [In box in mailroom. We'll be examining the interpretation here and its flexural origin, so just focus on that aspect as the paper overall is pretty long].
  • Powerpoint for Antler (8 Mb) and animation of a moving line load with a weak spot near x=130, full and forebulge detail (each about 7 Mb)
  • Burchfiel, B. C., and L. H. Royden, Antler Orogeny: A Mediterranean-type orogeny, Geology, 19, (1), 66-69, 1991.
• Wednesday, Feb. 3: Paleozoic truncation, Sonoman orogeny (start)
  • Stevens CH, Stone P, Miller JS, A new reconstruction of the Paleozoic continental margin of southwestern North America: Implications for the nature and timing of continental truncation and the possible role of the Mojave-Sonora megashear, in Anderson, T.H., Nourse, J.A., McKee, J.W., and Steiner, M.B., eds., The Mojave-Sonora megashear hypothesis: Development, assessment, and alternatives, Geological Society of America Special Paper, 393 pp. 597-618 , 2005. (this is more for reference than really intended for you to read)
  • Powerpoint for Paleozoic truncation (7.2 Mb)
• Friday, Feb. 5: Sonoman orogeny (detrital zircons in suspect terranes)
  • Gehrels, G. E., W. R. Dickinson, B. J. Darby, J. P. Harding, J. D. Manuszak, B. C. D. Riley, M. S. Spurlin, S. C. Finney, G. H. Girty, D. S. Harwood, M. M. Miller, J. I. Satterfield, M. T. Smith, W. S. Snyder, E. T. Wallin, and S. J. Wyld, Tectonic implications of detrital zircon data from Paleozoic and Triassic strata in western Nevada and Northern California, in Paleozoic and Triassic paleogeography and tectonics of western Nevada and Northern California., Special Paper - Geological Society of America, vol. 347, edited by J. Soreghan Michael and E. Gehrels George, pp. 133-150, Geological Society of America, Boulder, Colorado, 2000. [paper at start of this volume describes methodology in greater detail of detrital zircon work. This paper summarizes fair bit of work trying to figure connections between suspect terranes in eastern California-Nevada region]
  • Powerpoint of Sonoma orogeny/detrital zircon (7 Mb)
• Monday. Feb. 8: Exotic terranes: paleomagnetism
  • Paleomag handout
  • Gabrielse, H., J. W. H. Monger, J. O. Wheeler, and C. J. Yorath, Part A, Morphogeological belts, tectonic assemblages, and terranes, in Chapter 2 of Geology of the Cordilleran Orogen in Canada, Geology of Canada, v. 4, edited by H. Gabrielse and C. J. Yorath, pp. 15-28, Geol. Surv. Canada, 1991. [Will be in the mailroom. Also called The Geology of North America, vol. G-2]. [Note that the plates with this volume are quite useful in understanding the basis for terrane mapping].
  • Carter, E. S., M. J. Orchard, C. A. Ross, J. R. P. Ross, P. L. Smith, and H. W. Tipper, Part B, Paleontological signatures of terranes, in Chapter 2 of Geology of the Cordilleran Orogen in Canada, Geology of Canada, v. 4, edited by H. Gabrielse and C. J. Yorath, pp. 28-38, Geol. Surv. Canada, 1991. [Will be in the mailroom with above paper. Also called The Geology of North America, vol. G-2; note this is after Gabrielse paper, above]
• Wednesday, Feb. 10: Finish paleomag, background to Baja-B.C.
  • Cowan, D., Brandon, M., and Garver, J., 1997, Geologic tests of hypotheses for large coastwise displacements—A critique illustrated by the Baja British Columbia controversy:American Journal of Science, 297, p.117–173, 1997.
  • Will assign papers as HW2 for discussion Friday.
• Friday, Feb 12: Discussion of Baja-BC alternatives (papers assigned 2/10) Homework 2
• Monday, Feb. 15: Complete discussion of Baja-BC, review information indicating degree of exoticity of various terranes
  • Powerpoint on exotic terranes (7.9 Mb)
• Wednesday, Feb. 17: Plate reconstructions (handout)
  • Powerpoint on reconstructions (6.3 Mb)
• Friday, Feb. 19, Monday Feb. 22: Fold-and-thrust belt and critical wedges
  • Coulomb wedge handout
  • Turcotte and Schubert, section 8-6 (also Stüwe, pp. 294-298)
  • Baldridge sections 6.6, 7.2
  • DeCelles, P. G., and G. Mitra, History of the Sevier orogenic wedge in terms of critical taper models, Northeast Utah and Southwest Wyoming, Geological Society of America Bulletin, 107, 454-462, 1995
  • Sevier orogeny powerpoint (18.6 Mb)
• Wednesday, Feb. 24: Finish critical wedge-Sevier interpretation; a bit on balancing cross sections and the Laramide orogeny (many structural geology texts have sections on balancing cross sections; a professional short course version was published by AGU in 1989: N. B. Woodward, S. E. Boyer, and J. Suppe, Balanced Geological Cross-Sections: An Essential Technique in Geological Research and Exploration, Short Course in Geology, v. 6, Amer. Geophys. Union, 1989)
• Friday, Feb. 26, Monday March 1: Laramide faulting style, shortening magnitude
  • Erslev, E. A.. Basement balancing of Rocky Mountain Foreland uplifts, Geology, 14 (3) pp. 259-262, 1986.
  • Laramide style powerpoint (11.8 Mb)
• Wednesday, March 3: Paleostress and Laramide faulting directions
  • Stress inversion handout (updated 3/4; reviewing stress and strain not unwise; Turcotte and Schubert sections 2-3 and 2-4 cover basics)
  • Erslev, E. A. and N. V. Koenig. Three-dimensional kinematics of Laramide, basement-involved Rocky Mountain deformation, USA: Insights from minor faults and GIS-enhanced structure maps. Geol. Soc. Am. Memoir, 204 pp. 125-150, 2009. [no free CU link]
• Friday, March 5: Dynamic subsidence and the Western Interior Seaway
  • Mitrovica J.X., C. Beaumont, and G. T. Jarvis, Tilting of continental interiors by the dynamical effects of subduction, Tectonics, 8 (5) pp. 1079-1094, 1989.
  • Turcotte and Schubert, section 6-11 is relevant (you have to read some of 6-7 to 6-9 to get the underpinnings).
  • Dynamic topography powerpoint (10.1 Mb)
• Monday, March 8: Pelona/Rand/Orocopia schists
  • Eugeoclinal schists powerpoint (8.2 Mb)
• Wednesday, March 10; Friday March 12: Laramide model discussion (see also bibliography)
  • Maxson, J., and B. Tikoff, Hit-and-run collision model for the Laramide orogeny, western United States, Geology, 24, (11), 968-972, 1996.
  • Livaccari, R. F., Role of crustal thickening and extensional collapse in the tectonic evolution of the Sevier-Laramide Orogeny, Western United States, Geology, 19, (11), 1104-1107, 1991.
  • Bird, P., Formation of the Rocky Mountains, Western United States; a continuum computer model, Science, 239, (4847), 1501-1507, 1988.
  • Laramide analogs and hypotheses overview powerpoint (8.3 Mb)
• Monday, March 15: Hinterland extension and geobarometry
  • (Ch. 7 of Stüwe addresses this; some more detailed info in refs in bibliography)
  • Wells, M. L., and T. D. Hoisch. The role of mantle delamination in widespread Late Cretaceous extension and magmatism in the Cordilleran orogen, western United States. Geol Soc Am Bull, 120 (5-6) pp. 515-530, 2008.
  • Hinterland extension powerpoint (9.3 Mb)
• Wednesday, March 17: Arc emplacement and patterns of late Mesozoic-early Cenozoic magmatism
  • Mz-Cz magmatism powerpoint (11.6 Mb)
• Friday, March 19: No class
• Monday, March 29: Core complexes
  • Turcotte and Schubert, pp. 226-229 (section 6-1, 6-2)
  • Rheology of the lithosphere
  • (Baldridge sec. 8.4)
  • Brace, W. F., and D. L. Kohlstedt, Limits on lithospheric stress imposed by laboratory experiments, J. Geophys. Res., 85, 6248-6252, 1980. [this is basis for rheological stratification of the crust that is crucial to a lot of theories; seems that you'd have to stomach most of Ch. 7 of Turcotte and Schubert to extract this]
  • Block, L., and L. H. Royden, Core complex geometries and regional scale flow in the lower crust, Tectonics, 9, 557-567, 1990.
• Wednesday, March 31: Driving forces for extension
  • Rheology of the lithosphere handout (revised 3/31)
  • Jones, C. H., L. J. Sonder, and J. R. Unruh, Lithospheric gravitational potential energy and past orogenesis: Implications for conditions of initial basin and range and Laramide deformation. Geology, 26 pp. 639-642, 1998 [gets most of the physics in front of you]
  • Sonder, L. J., and C. H. Jones. Western United States extension: How the West was widened. Annu Rev Earth Pl Sc, 27 pp. 417-462+3 color plates, 1999. [this is rather long and is more a reference than a paper to study closely]
• Friday, April 2: Sevier Desert low-angle normal fault discussion
  • Allmendinger, R. W., James W. Sharp, Douglas Von Tish, Laura Serpa, Larry Brown, Sidney Kaufman, Jack Oliver, and Robert B. Smith, Cenozoic and Mesozoic structure of the eastern Basin and Range province, Utah, from COCORP seismic-reflection data, Geology, 11, p. 532-536, 1983.[Although McDonald (1976) first suggested a large low-angle normal fault under the Sevier Desert, this paper served to advance the idea to the broader community]
  • Anders, M. H., and N. Christie-Blick. Is the Sevier Desert reflection of west-central Utah a normal fault?, Geology, 22 (9) pp. 771-774, 1994
    • Allmendinger, R. W. and F. Royse, Is the Sevier Desert reflection of west-central Utah a normal fault - Comment, Geology, 23 (7) pp. 669-670, 1995 (reply on p. 670)
  • Otton, J. K., Western frontal fault of the Canyon Range: Is it the breakaway zone of the Sevier Desert detachment?: Geology, 23 (6), p. 547–550, 1995. [argues that detachment is exposed]
    • Wills, S., and M. H. Anders. Western frontal fault of the canyon range: Is it the breakaway zone of the Sevier desert detachment? Comment. Geology, 24 (7) pp. 667-668, 1996. (Otton's reply follows on p. 668-9)
  • Coogan, J., and P. G. DeCelles. Extensional collapse along the Sevier Desert reflection, northern Sevier Desert basin, western United States. Geology, 24 (10) pp. 933-936, 1996. [argument for large extension from trying to reconstruct the Mesozoic fold-and-thrust belt]
    • Anders, M.H., N. Christie-Blick,and S. Wills. Extensional collapse along the Sevier Desert reflection, northern Sevier Desert basin, western United States: Comment. Geology, 26 (5) pp. 474-474, 1998. (Coogan and DeCelles reply on p. 475)
  • Stockli, D.F., Linn, J.K., Walker, J.D., and Dumitru, T.A., 2001, Miocene unroofing of the Canyon Range during extension along the Sevier Desert detachment, west central Utah: Tectonics, 20, p. 289–307, doi: 10.1029/2000TC001237, 2001.
  • Wills, S, M. H. Anders, and N. Christie-Blick, Pattern of Mesozoic thrust surfaces and Tertiary normal faults in the Sevier Desert subsurface, west-central Utah. Am J Sci, 305 (1) pp. 42-100, 2005. [this will NOT be one of the papers we discuss as it is awfully long, but I am listing it here in case you want to get the full Lamont view of how this region works]
    
• Monday, April 5: Paleoelevation intro
• Wednesday, April 7: Paleoelevation
  • Horton, T.W., D. K. Sjostrom, M. J. Abruzzese, M. A. Poage, J. R. Waldbauer, M. Hren, J. Wooden, and C. P. Chamberlain, Spatial and temporal variation of Cenozoic surface elevation in the Great Basin and Sierra Nevada. Am J Sci, 304 pp. 862-888, 2004. [this is one of a large number of recent papers attacking this problem and so gives an idea of scope of work and kinds of issues that develop]
    • Chamberlain, C. P. and M. A. Poage. Reconstructing the paleotopography of mountain belts from the isotopic composition of authigenic minerals. Geology, 28 (2) pp. 115-118, 2000. [kind of outlines basic idea behind oxygen and hydrogen isotopic approaches to paleoelevation, if you prefer]
  • Paleoelevation powerpoint (15 Mb)
• Friday, April 9: Ignimbrite flareup (volcanism and extension)
  • Best MG, Barr DL, Christiansen EH, Gromme S, Deino AL, Tingey DG, The Great Basin Altiplano during the middle Cenozoic ignimbrite flareup: insights from volcanic rocks. Int Geol Rev, 51 (7-8) pp. 589-633, 2009. [This covers a lot more ground than just the ignimbrite flareup but makes for an interesting read]
• Monday, April 12; Wednesday April 14: Sierra Nevada
  • Gravity, refraction, heat flow overview
    • Chapter 4 of Turcotte and Schubert covers heat transport, which is useful background for some of this discussion. (Section 4-6 is of direct interest), and chapter 5 covers gravity.
  • Saltus, R. W., and A. H. Lachenbruch, Thermal evolution of the Sierra Nevada: Tectonic implications of new heat flow data, Tectonics, 10, (2), 325-344, 1991.
• Friday, April 16: Plate margin evolution
  • Atwater, T., and J. Stock, Pacific-North America plate tectonics of the Neogene southwestern United States: An update, International Geology Review, 40, 375-402, 1998 [also in Integrated Earth and Environmental Evolution of the Southwestern United States: The Clarence A. Hall, Jr. Volume, edited by W. G. Ernst and C. A. Nelson, pp. 393-420, Bellweather Publ., Columbia, Maryland, 1998].
  • Plate evolution powerpoint (8.4 Mb)
  • Tanya Atwater's animations of plate boundary evolution
• Monday, April 19: Neogene volcanism
  • Pierce and Morgan. Is the track of the Yellowstone hotspot driven by a deep mantle plume? Review of volcanism, faulting, and uplift in light of new data. J Volcanol Geoth Res., 188 (1-3) pp. 1-25, 2009.
  • Neogene volcanism powerpoint (9.7 Mb)
• Wednesday, April 21: Erosion and tectonics
  • R.M. Flowers, B.P. Wernicke, and K.A. Farley, Unroofing, incision, and uplift history of the southwestern Colorado Plateau from apatite (U-Th)/He thermochronometry,Geological Society of America Bulletin, 120, p. 571-587, 2008
  • Neogene erosion powerpoint (10.7 Mb)
• Monday, April 26: Geodesy and modern deformation (4/23 cancelled at last minute)
  • Wernicke, BP, Davis J, Niemi NA, Luffi P, Bisnath S, Active megadetachment beneath the western United States. J Geophys Res, 113 (B11) pp. 26, 2008 [a very speculative paper that, though, highlights an interesting intersection of geodesy and tectonics]
  • Optional (a short paper, though:) Flesch, L. M., W. E. Holt, A. J. Haines, and B. M. Shen-Tu, Dynamics of the Pacific-North American plate boundary in the western United States, Science, 287, 834-836, 2000.
    • And a sort of followup, if you are really interested: Flesch LM, Holt WE, Haines AJ, Wen L, Shen-Tu BM, The dynamics of western North America: stress magnitudes and the relative role of gravitational potential energy, plate interaction at the boundary and basal tractions. Geophys J Int, 169 (3) pp. 866-896, 2007.
  • Neotectonics powerpoint (21.5 Mb)

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Last modified at April 27, 2010 11:30 AM