New geochronologic constraints on Early, Middle, and Late Jurassic orogenesis in the Klamath Mountains
- Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA (United States)
More than 40 new Ar/Ar ages, in conjunction with radiometric data published by many other authors, allow improved recognition of the spatial and temporal ranges of magmatic, metamorphic and deformational events associated with the formation of continental crust in the Klamath Mountains. Magmatism in earliest Jurassic time, [approx]200 Ma, is now recognized to have been widespread. Volcanoplutonic arcs of this age are present in upper levels of the Rattlesnake Creek terrane and in lower levels of the North Fork/Salmon River terrane. Roughly 200 Ma metaplutonic rocks are also found in the basement of the Rogue/Chetco arc, Preston Peak mafic complex, and Lems Ridge olistostrome. From 167--155 Ma, magmatic and structural extension occurred along a NW-SE corridor restricted to the northern Klamaths. Igneous rocks include the Wooley Creek, Preston Peak, Josephine, and Rogue/Chetco suites, and the Marble Mountains fault may represent a contemporaneous normal fault. The southern edge of the extended corridor is the Salmon tectonic line of Irwin (1985), but the northern boundary has not been recognized or named. Both boundaries were presumably transfer zones accommodating differential subhorizontal extension, but many details are still to be determined. The Siskiyou and Nevadan orogenies can no longer be assigned specific, narrow time windows and may have outlived their usefulness as currently defined. Enough geochronologic data are now available to consider the ages and characteristics of specific plutons, deformation fabrics, and metamorphic minerals in individual areas, rather than assuming such events occur throughout the orogen within specific time ranges.
- OSTI ID:
- 5097860
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9305259-; CODEN: GAAPBC
- Journal Information:
- Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 25:5; Conference: 89. annual meeting of the Cordilleran Section and the 46th annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Section of the Geological Society of America (GSA), Reno, NV (United States), 19-21 May 1993; ISSN 0016-7592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CALIFORNIA
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MOUNTAINS
ISOTOPE DATING
IGNEOUS ROCKS
METAMORPHIC ROCKS
OROGENESIS
ARGON ISOTOPES
CONTINENTAL CRUST
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
JURASSIC PERIOD
MAGMATISM
AGE ESTIMATION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EARTH CRUST
GEOLOGIC AGES
ISOTOPES
MESOZOIC ERA
NORTH AMERICA
ROCKS
USA
580000* - Geosciences