Links between sedimentary basin development and Pacific Basin plate kinematics recorded in Jurassic to Miocene strata on the western Alaska Peninsula

Finzel, Emily S.; Ridgway, Kenneth D.

doi:10.1130/l592.1

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 116 publications

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“…1C). These proposed mid-ocean ridges imply an additional, now-vanished "Resurrection" plate between the Farallon and Kula plates during early Cenozoic time (Haeussler et al, 2003;Madsen et al, 2006;Farris and Paterson, 2009;Scharman and Pavlis, 2012;McCrory and Wilson, 2013;Finzel and Ridgway, 2017). However, the Resurrection plate hypothesis has been questioned due to possible northward terrane translation along western North America (see below).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raising the Resurrection plate from an unfolded-slab plate tectonic reconstruction of northwestern North America since early Cenozoic time

Fuston

2020

GSA Bulletin

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The configuration of mid-ocean ridges subducted below North America prior to Oligocene time is unconstrained by seafloor isochrons and has been primarily inferred from upper-plate geology, including near-trench magmatism. However, many tectonic models are permitted from these constraints. We present a fully kinematic, plate tectonic reconstruction of the NW Cordillera since 60 Ma built by structurally unfolding subducted slabs, imaged by mantle tomography, back to Earth’s surface. We map in three-dimensions the attached Alaska and Cascadia slabs, and a detached slab below western Yukon (Canada) at 400−600 km depth that we call the “Yukon Slab.” Our restoration of these lower plates within a global plate model indicates the Alaska slab accounts for Pacific-Kula subduction since ca. 60 Ma below the Aleutian Islands whereas the Cascadia slab accounts for Farallon subduction since at least ca. 75 Ma below southern California, USA. However, intermediate areas show two reconstruction gaps that persist until 40 Ma. We show that these reconstruction gaps correlate spatiotemporally to published NW Cordillera near-trench magmatism, even considering possible terrane translation. We attribute these gaps to thermal erosion related to ridge subduction and model mid-ocean ridges within these reconstruction gap mid-points. Our reconstructions show two coeval ridge-trench intersections that bound an additional “Resurrection”-like plate along the NW Cordillera prior to 40 Ma. In this model, the Yukon slab represents a thermally eroded remnant of the Resurrection plate. Our reconstructions support a “northern option” Farallon ridge geometry and allow up to ∼1200 km Chugach terrane translation since Paleocene time, providing a new “tomographic piercing point” for the Baja-British Columbia debate.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Raising the Resurrection plate from an unfolded-slab plate tectonic reconstruction of northwestern North America since early Cenozoic time

Fuston

2020

GSA Bulletin

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“…In these interpretations, the Gravina‐Nutzotin‐Kahiltna basin system along the inboard margin of the composite terrane (KB in Figure ) formed synchronously with collision and was closed diachronously, consistent with the northward younging of strata within these basins (Kalbas et al, ; Pavlis, ; Wallace et al, ). In a similar line of reasoning, the diachronous forearc basin unconformities that occur in Middle to Upper Jurassic strata in the Queen Charlotte basin, Lower Cretaceous strata in south central Alaska, and in Upper Cretaceous strata in the Alaska Peninsula forearc basin also appear to indicate a south‐to‐north sequential collision (Finzel & Ridgway, ; Trop et al, ). Following south‐to‐north closure along the suture zone, the strata representing these ocean basins are interpreted to have been further disrupted by younger strike‐slip displacement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Cretaceous strata of the forearc basin in south central Alaska were deposited across multiple unconformities that represent as much as 30 Ma of nondeposition and/or erosion (Figure 3) (Finzel & Ridgway, 2017;Grantz, 1960aGrantz, , 1960bImlay, 1981;Imlay & Detterman, 1973). Strata overlying one of the unconformities, the lower Matanuska Formation, document the introduction of multiple sediment sources during Cretaceous deposition in the forearc basin ( Figure 5).…”

Section: 1002/2017tc004825mentioning

confidence: 99%

Detrital Zircon Record of a Mesozoic Collisional Forearc Basin in South Central Alaska: The Tectonic Transition From an Oceanic to Continental Arc

2018

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The collision of oceanic arcs with continental margins is an important mechanism for the growth of continents. Ancient forearc basin strata in collisional orogens provide a record of the upper crustal response to this tectonic process. In south central Alaska, Mesozoic forearc basin strata are exposed in a complete crustal section. U‐Pb detrital zircon geochronology from the forearc basin strata was analyzed within a ~107 Ma stratigraphic framework. The Jurassic strata contain unimodal detrital zircon populations that become progressively younger upsection and range from 175 to 151 Ma. These strata are derived from the active oceanic Talkeetna arc. The Cretaceous strata were deposited above multiple unconformities that collectively represent as much as ~30 Ma of nondeposition and/or erosion in the forearc basin. Erosion in the forearc basin and a general absence of detrital zircon ages between 140 and 120 Ma are interpreted as a hiatus of magmatism triggered by collision of the oceanic arc with the former continental margin. The Cretaceous strata have two main detrital zircon populations: a Cretaceous population ranging from 90 to 68 Ma that becomes progressively younger upsection and a Jurassic population with a broad range of peak ages from 194 to 144 Ma. The Cretaceous population marks the establishment of an active Cretaceous continental arc following the collisional event, and the older population reflects continued erosion of the remnant Jurassic oceanic arc plutons. Our results show that detrital zircon geochronology provides a powerful approach for delineating stages of forearc basin collision and the erosion of multiple magmatic arcs.

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“…It is also noteworthy that the data presented here are not alone in rendering maximum depositional constraints for Jurassic forearc units in southern Alaska that are ostensibly too young. In fact, detrital zircon dates from the Naknek Formation of the Alaska Peninsula (Finzel and Ridgway, 2017) and Talkeetna Mountains (Reid and others, 2018;Stevens Goddard and others, 2018) similarly yielded results that are in many cases younger than biostratigraphic relations tied to the geologic time scale readily permit.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detrital zircon maximum depositional dates for the Jurassic Chinitna and Naknek Formations, lower Cook Inlet, Alaska: A preliminary view

Herriott¹,

Wartes²,

O’Sullivan³

et al. 2019

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Oblique aerial view east-southeastward across the head of Oil Bay. Strata exposed along the shoreline and uplands near Oil Bay comprise Jurassic forearc basin units of lower Cook Inlet. Detrital zircon samples collected from sandstone beds that crop out above the tidal flats at photograph-center are the subject of this report. The east shore of Oil Bay (visible below skyline-center) is ~4 km long, for sense of scale. See figure 1 for further context. Photograph by T.M. Herriott. This publication is PRELIMINARY in nature and meant to allow rapid release of field observations or initial interpretations of geology or analytical data. It has undergone limited peer review but does not necessarily conform to DGGS editorial standards. Interpretations or conclusions contained in this publication are subject to change.

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Links between sedimentary basin development and Pacific Basin plate kinematics recorded in Jurassic to Miocene strata on the western Alaska Peninsula

Cited by 10 publications

References 116 publications

Raising the Resurrection plate from an unfolded-slab plate tectonic reconstruction of northwestern North America since early Cenozoic time

Raising the Resurrection plate from an unfolded-slab plate tectonic reconstruction of northwestern North America since early Cenozoic time

Detrital Zircon Record of a Mesozoic Collisional Forearc Basin in South Central Alaska: The Tectonic Transition From an Oceanic to Continental Arc

Detrital zircon maximum depositional dates for the Jurassic Chinitna and Naknek Formations, lower Cook Inlet, Alaska: A preliminary view

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