The Atnarko complex located in west-central British Columbia comprises pre-Early Jurassic metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks, termed the Atnarko assemblage, which is structurally interleaved with Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous orthogneiss. The Atnarko assemblage correlates with continental margin assemblages found within the Coast plutonic complex. Tectonic interaction between the Insular and Intermontane superterranes resulted in several phases of deformation including; 1) poorly preserved Jurassic deformation, 2) Early to mid-Cretaceous, southwest to west directed, compression, 3) mid-Cretaceous, north to northeast directed, compression, 4) mid- to Late Cretaceous dextral and sinistral ductile/brittle shearing, and 5) post latest Cretaceous brittle faulting. Peak metamorphism coincides with generation of migmatite in the Early Cretaceous (~117-115 Ma) and is contemporaneous with penetrative ductile fabrics. The Atnarko complex had cooled below 350°C by the Late. Comparison of the Atnarko complex to equivalent portions of the orogen along strike, indicates a post mid-Cretaceous change in structural style. To the northwest the orogen records continued southwest-directed compression which dominates the deformation style; while to the southeast large dextral strike-slip faults dominate. Relative plate motions between ca. 70-60 Ma indicate that dextral transpression occurred between the Kula and North American plates. Strain during this transpressive deformation was partitioned into compressive and translational regions. The Atnarko complex area is situated at the transition between translation and compression. The conditions of the lower and middle crust within the orogen were established by how strain was partitioned across the orogen. The distributed strain also shaped how the orogen responded to Tertiary extension. Continued compression to the northwest of the Atnarko complex led to increased crustal thickness and partial melting of lower and middle crust in the Tertiary. Conversely, the cessation of compression in the southeast lead to a more stable (i.e. cooler) crustal lithosphere. A change in relative plate motions in the early Tertiary triggered full-scale, orogen-perpendicular, collapse in the northwest facilitated by decoupling between the middle and lower crusts along thermally weakened layers. Localized orogen-parallel extension occurred in the southeast which was kinematically linked to large dextral strike-slip faults where the upper crust remained coupled to the middle and lower crust.

The Atnarko complex located in west-central British Columbia comprises pre-Early Jurassic metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks, termed the Atnarko assemblage, which is structurally interleaved with Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous orthogneiss. The Atnarko assemblage correlates with continental margin assemblages found within the Coast plutonic complex. Tectonic interaction between the Insular and Intermontane superterranes resulted in several phases of deformation including; 1) poorly preserved Jurassic deformation, 2) Early to mid-Cretaceous, southwest to west directed, compression, 3) mid-Cretaceous, north to northeast directed, compression, 4) mid- to Late Cretaceous dextral and sinistral ductile/brittle shearing, and 5) post latest Cretaceous brittle faulting. Peak metamorphism coincides with generation of migmatite in the Early Cretaceous (~117-115 Ma) and is contemporaneous with penetrative ductile fabrics. The Atnarko complex had cooled below 350°C by the Late. Comparison of the Atnarko complex to equivalent portions of the orogen along strike, indicates a post mid-Cretaceous change in structural style. To the northwest the orogen records continued southwest-directed compression which dominates the deformation style; while to the southeast large dextral strike-slip faults dominate. Relative plate motions between ca. 70-60 Ma indicate that dextral transpression occurred between the Kula and North American plates. Strain during this transpressive deformation was partitioned into compressive and translational regions. The Atnarko complex area is situated at the transition between translation and compression. The conditions of the lower and middle crust within the orogen were established by how strain was partitioned across the orogen. The distributed strain also shaped how the orogen responded to Tertiary extension. Continued compression to the northwest of the Atnarko complex led to increased crustal thickness and partial melting of lower and middle crust in the Tertiary. Conversely, the cessation of compression in the southeast lead to a more stable (i.e. cooler) crustal lithosphere. A change in relative plate motions in the early Tertiary triggered full-scale, orogen-perpendicular, collapse in the northwest facilitated by decoupling between the middle and lower crusts along thermally weakened layers. Localized orogen-parallel extension occurred in the southeast which was kinematically linked to large dextral strike-slip faults where the upper crust remained coupled to the middle and lower crust.

The Atnarko complex located in west-central British Columbia comprises pre-Early Jurassic metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks, termed the Atnarko assemblage, which is structurally interleaved with Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous orthogneiss. The Atnarko assemblage correlates with continental margin assemblages found within the Coast plutonic complex. Tectonic interaction between the Insular and Intermontane superterranes resulted in several phases of deformation including; 1) poorly preserved Jurassic deformation, 2) Early to mid-Cretaceous, southwest to west directed, compression, 3) mid-Cretaceous, north to northeast directed, compression, 4) mid- to Late Cretaceous dextral and sinistral ductile/brittle shearing, and 5) post latest Cretaceous brittle faulting. Peak metamorphism coincides with generation of migmatite in the Early Cretaceous (~117-115 Ma) and is contemporaneous with penetrative ductile fabrics. The Atnarko complex had cooled below 350°C by the Late. Comparison of the Atnarko complex to equivalent portions of the orogen along strike, indicates a post mid-Cretaceous change in structural style. To the northwest the orogen records continued southwest-directed compression which dominates the deformation style; while to the southeast large dextral strike-slip faults dominate. Relative plate motions between ca. 70-60 Ma indicate that dextral transpression occurred between the Kula and North American plates. Strain during this transpressive deformation was partitioned into compressive and translational regions. The Atnarko complex area is situated at the transition between translation and compression. The conditions of the lower and middle crust within the orogen were established by how strain was partitioned across the orogen. The distributed strain also shaped how the orogen responded to Tertiary extension. Continued compression to the northwest of the Atnarko complex led to increased crustal thickness and partial melting of lower and middle crust in the Tertiary. Conversely, the cessation of compression in the southeast lead to a more stable (i.e. cooler) crustal lithosphere. A change in relative plate motions in the early Tertiary triggered full-scale, orogen-perpendicular, collapse in the northwest facilitated by decoupling between the middle and lower crusts along thermally weakened layers. Localized orogen-parallel extension occurred in the southeast which was kinematically linked to large dextral strike-slip faults where the upper crust remained coupled to the middle and lower crust. / Science, Faculty of / Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of / Graduate

The fault-bounded Cianzo basin represents a Cenozoic intermontane depocenter between the Puna plateau and Eastern Cordillera of the central Andean fold-thrust belt in northern Argentina. New characterizations of fold-thrust structure, nonmarine sedimentation, and sediment provenance for the shortening-induced Cianzo basin at 23°S help constrain the origin, interconnectedness, and subsequent uplift and exhumation of the basin, which may serve as an analogue for other intermontane hinterland basins in the Andes. Structural mapping of the Cianzo basin reveals SW and NE-plunging synclines within the >6000 m-thick, upsection coarsening Cenozoic clastic succession in the shared footwall of the N-striking, E-directed Cianzo thrust fault and transverse, NE-striking Hornocal fault. Growth stratal relationships within upper Miocene levels of the succession indicate syncontractional sedimentation directly adjacent to the Hornocal fault. Measured stratigraphic sections and clastic sedimentary lithofacies of Cenozoic basin-fill deposits show upsection changes from (1) a distal fluvial system recorded by vi fine-grained, paleosol-rich, heavily bioturbated sandstones and mudstones (Paleocene‒Eocene Santa Bárbara Subgroup, ~400 m), to (2) a braided fluvial system represented by cross-stratified sandstones and interbedded mudstones with 0.3 to 8 m upsection-fining sequences (Upper Eocene–Oligocene Casa Grande Formation, ~1400 m), to (3) a distributary fluvial system in the distal sectors of a distributary fluvial megafan represented by structureless sheetflood sandstones, stratified pebble conglomerates and sandstones, and interbedded overbank mudstones (Miocene Río Grande Formation, ~3300 m), to (4) a proximal alluvial fan system with thick conglomerates interbedded with thin discontinuous sandstone lenses (upper Miocene Pisungo Formation, ~1600 m). New 40Ar/39Ar geochronological results for five interbedded volcanic tuffs indicate distributary fluvial deposition of the uppermost Río Grande Formation from 16.31 ± 0.6 Ma to 9.69 ± 0.05 Ma. Sandstone petrographic results show distinct upsection trends in lithic and feldspar content in the Casa Grande, Río Grande, and Pisungo formations, potentially distinguishing western magmatic arc (Western Cordillera) sediment sources from evolving eastern thrust-belt sources (Puna‒Eastern Cordillera). In addition to growth stratal relationships and 40Ar/39Ar constraints, conglomerate clast compositions reflect distinct lithologic differences, constraining the activation of the Cianzo thrust and coeval movement on the reactivated Hornocal fault. Finally, U-Pb geochronological analyses of sandstone detrital zircon populations in conjunction with paleocurrent data and depositional facies patterns help distinguish localized sources from more distal sources west of the basin, revealing a systematic eastward advance of Eocene to Miocene fold-thrust deformation in the central Andes of northern Argentina. / text

The intermontane Ipswich Basin, which is situated 30km south-west of Brisbane, contains coal measures formed in the Late Triassic Epoch following a barren non-depositional period. Coal, tuff, and basalt were deposited along with fluvial dominated sediments. The Ipswich Coal Measures mark the resumption of deposition in eastern Australia after the coal hiatus associated with a series of intense tectonic activity in Gondwanaland during the Permo-Triassic interval. A transtensional tectonic movement at the end of the Middle Triassic deformed the Toogalawah Group before extension led to the formation of the Carnian Ipswich Coal Measures in the east. The Ipswich Coal Measures comprise the Brassall and Kholo Subgroups. The Blackstone Formation, which forms the upper unit of the Brassall Subgroup, contains seven major coal seams. The lower unit of the Brassall Subgroup, the Tivoli Formation, consists of sixteen stratigraphically significant coal seams. The typical thickness of the Blackstone Formation is 240m and the Tivoli Formation is about 500m. The coal seams of the Ipswich Basin differ considerably from those of other continental Triassic basins. However, the coal geology has previously attracted little academic attention and the remaining exposures of the Ipswich coalfield are rapidly disappearing now that mining has ceased. The primary aim of this project was to study the patterns of coal sedimentation and the response of coal seam characteristics to changing depositional environments. The coal accumulated as a peat-mire in an alluvial plain with meandering channel systems. Two types of peat-mire expansion occurred in the basin. Peat-mire aggradation, which is a replacement of water body by the peatmire, was initiated by tectonic subsidence. This type of peat-mire expansion is known as terrestrialisation. It formed thick but laterally limited coal seams in the basin. Whereas, peat-mire progradation was related to paludification and produced widespread coal accumulation in the basin. The coal seams were separated into three main groups based on the mean seam thickness and aerial distribution of one-meter and four-meter thickness contour intervals. Group 1 seams within the one-meter thickness interval are up to 15,000m2 in area, and seams within the four-meter interval have an aerial extent of up to 10,000m2. Group 1A contains the oldest seam with numerous intraseam clastic bands and shows a very high thickness to area ratio, which indicates high subsidence rates. Group 1B seams have moderately high thickness to area ratios. The lower clastic influx and slower subsidence rates favoured peat-mire aggradation. The Group 1A seam is relatively more widespread in aerial extent than seams from Group 1B. Group 1C seams have low mean thicknesses and small areas, suggesting short-lived peat-mires as a result of high clastic influx. Group 2 seams arebetween 15,000 and 35,000m2 in area within the one-meter interval, and between 5,000 and 10,000m2 within the four-meter interval. They have moderately high area to thickness ratios, indicating that peat-mire expansion occurred due to progressively shallower accommodation and a rising groundwater table. Group 3 seams, which have aerial extents from 35,000 to 45,000m2 within the one-meter thickness contour interval and from 10,000 to 25,000m2 within the four-meter interval, show high aerial extent to thickness ratios. They were deposited in quiet depositional environments that favoured prolonged existence of peat-mires. Group 3 seams are all relatively young whereas most Group 1 seams are relatively old seams. All the major fault systems, F1, F2 and F3, trend northwest-southeast. Apart from the West Ipswich Fault (F3), the F1 and F2 systems are broad Palaeozoic basement structures and thus they may not have had a direct influence on the formation of the much younger coal measures. However, the sedimentation patterns appear to relate to these major fault systems. Depocentres of earlier seams in the Tivoli Formation were restricted to the northern part of the basin, marked by the F1 system. A major depocentre shift occurred before the end of the deposition of the Tivoli Formation as a result of subsidence in the south that conformed to the F2 system configuration. The Blackstone Formation depocentres shifted to the east (Depocentre 1) and west (Depocentre 2) simultaneously. This depocentre shift was associated with the flexural subsidence produced by the rejuvenation of the West Ipswich Fault. Coal accumulation mainly occurred in Depocentre 1. Two types of seam splitting occurred in the Ipswich Basin. Sedimentary splitting or autosedimentation was produced by frequent influx of clastic sediments. The fluvial dominant depositional environments created the random distribution of small seam splits. However, the coincidence of seam splits and depocentres found in some of the seams suggests tectonic splitting. Furthermore, the progressive splitting pattern, which displays seam splits overlapping, was associated with continued basin subsidence. The tectonic splitting pattern is more dominant in the Ipswich Basin. Alternating bright bands shown in the brightness profiles are a result of oscillating water cover in the peat-mire. Moderate groundwater level, which was maintained during the development of the peat, reduced the possibility of salinisation and drowning of the peat swamp. On the other hand, a slow continuous rise of the groundwater table, that kept pace with the vertical growth of peat, prevented excessive oxidation of peat. Ipswich coal is bright due to its high vitrinite content. The cutinite content is also high because the dominant flora was pteridosperms of Dicroidium assemblage containing waxy and thick cuticles. Petrographic study revealed that the depositional environment was telmatic with bog forest formed under ombrotrophic to mesotrophic hydrological conditions. The high preservation of woody or structured macerals such as telovitrinite and semifusinite indicates that coal is autochthonous. The high mineral matter content in coal is possibly due to the frequent influx of clastic and volcanic sediments. The Ipswich Basin is part of a much larger Triassic basin extending to Nymboida in New South Wales. Little is known of the coal as it lacks exposures. It is apparently thin to absent except in places like Ipswich and Nymboida. This study suggests that the dominant control on depocentres of thick coal at Ipswich has been the tectonism. Fluvial incursions and volcanism were superimposed on this.

<p dir="ltr">The Intermontane terranes represent one of the largest composite accreted terranes that built the northern Cordillera. To better understand the interactions between the continental margin of Laurentia and the Intermontane terranes, this study analyzes twelve detrital zircon samples (n=3232) from a Neoproterozoic (?) to Cretaceous metasedimentary stratigraphic section exposed in central Alaska. Distinct detrital zircon populations have been identified and are interpreted to represent four stages in the geologic development of this part of western North America. Stage 1 extends from the Neoproterozoic (?) to the Early Paleozoic, and is characterized by Proterozoic and Archean detrital zircon populations that correlate with Laurentian sources of sediment. We interpret Stage 1 to represent deposition along the northwestern continental margin of Laurentia. Stage 2 extends from the Silurian (?) to the Devonian and is characterized by a dominant Devonian and Silurian detrital zircon population. We interpret Stage 2 to have been deposited in a backarc basin coeval with active volcanism as the Yukon-Tanana terrane was rifted away from the Laurentian continental margin as the Slide Mountain Ocean opened. Stage 3 extends from the Mississippian to the Jurassic and records a shift back to sediment sources with abundant Proterozoic and Archean zircon. We interpret this stage to represent deposition of Laurentian detritus along the eastern margin of the Slide Mountain Ocean basin. Stage 4 is represented by the Lower Cretaceous strata of the Manley basin that contain one major Late Triassic to Early Jurassic detrital zircon population. We interpret this population to be sourced from the syn-collisional and post-collisional Late Triassic to Early Jurassic plutons and related sedimentary basins of the Intermontane terranes that were exhumed and eroded during the closure of the Slide Mountain Ocean and the subsequent collision with the Laurentian continental margin. We interpret the Manley basin as a syn- to post-collisional extensional basin associated with regional detachment faults that formed because of crustal thickening in the collisional zone. From a regional perspective, an extensive clastic wedge prograded northward away from the zone of crustal thickening and can be identified in a series of Mesozoic sedimentary basins that are discontinuously exposed over 1500 km in southern Alaska. Results of our study better delineate the tectonic processes that set the framework for the construction of the Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic Cordilleran orogen.</p>