Collaborative Research: Four-Dimensional Evaluation of a Major Continental Detachment Fault: Structural, Paleomagnetic, and Thermochronologic Constraints

Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff AZ

Investigators

Abstract

9909275 Duebendorfer 0002008 Fitzgerald 9910977 Faulds Continental extension is a fundamental geologic process that results in crustal thinning, basin development, and can ultimately lead to continental breakup and development of passive continental margins and ocean basins. This project will utilize a well-studied detachment fault in Arizona and Nevada to investigate several aspects of normal faulting including the uplift and exhumation history of the lower plate relative to displacement and the extent to which upper and lower plate processes are coupled. The work involves an integrated structural, fission track and paleomagnetic study. Results are expected to contribute to a better understanding of how major normal fault systems evolve through time.