Late Cretaceous–Recent Low‐Temperature Cooling History and Tectonic Analysis of the Zuni Mountains, West‐Central New Mexico

Thacker, Jacob O.; Kelley, Shari A.; Karlstrom, Karl E.

doi:10.1029/2020tc006643

Cited by 7 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 83 publications

(104 reference statements)

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“…These observations support the notion that most of the Colorado Plateau's buoyancy is within the uppermost ∼100 km, thus highlighting the importance of ∼75 Ma to present evolution of the crust and shallow mantle lithosphere. Modest Laramide shortening affected a broader region and swept across the Colorado Plateau from ∼90 to 75 Ma (Thacker et al 2021). More focused effects on the Colorado Plateau and Wyoming province are plausible following the model that subduction of the conjugates of known Pacific oceanic plateaus traversed the base of the lithosphere along this corridor [the conjugate Hess Rise (Livaccari et al 1981), but more likely the conjugate Shatsky Rise (Liu et al 2010)].…”

Section: Geodynamics and Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

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Tectonics of the Colorado Plateau and Its Margins

Karlstrom

Wilgus

Thacker

et al. 2022

Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci.

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The Cenozoic Colorado Plateau physiographic province overlies multiple Precambrian provinces. Its ∼2-km elevation rim surrounds an ∼1.6-km elevation core that is underlain by thicker crust and lithospheric mantle, with a sharp structural transition ∼100 km concentrically inboard of the physiographic boundary on all but its northeastern margin. The region was uplifted in three episodes: ∼70–50 Ma uplift above sea level driven by flat-slab subduction; ∼38–23 Ma uplift associated with voluminous regional magmatism and slab removal, and less than 20 Ma uplift associated with inboard propagation of basaltic magmatism that tracked convective erosion of the lithospheric core. Neogene uplift helped integrate the Colorado River from the Rockies at 11 Ma to the Gulf of California by ∼5 Ma. The sharp rim-to-core transition defined by geological and geophysical data sets suggests a young transient plateau that is uplifting as it shrinks to merge with surrounding regions of postorogenic extension. ▪ The Colorado Plateau's iconic landscapes were shaped during its 70-million-year, still-enigmatic, tectonic evolution characterized by uplift and erosion. ▪ Uplift of the Colorado Plateau from sea level took place in three episodes, the youngest of which has been ongoing for the past 20 million years. ▪ Tectonism across the Colorado Plateau's nearest plate margin (the base of the plate!) is driving uplift and volcanism and enhancing its rugged landscapes. ▪ The bowl-shaped Colorado Plateau province is defined by ongoing uplift and an inboard sweep of magmatism around its margins. ▪ The keel of the Colorado Plateau is being thinned as the North American plate moves southwest through the underlying mantle. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Volume 50 is May 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

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Section: Geodynamics and Synthesismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…75 Ma ± 5 Ma(Dickinson et al 1988, Davis & Bump 2009. Rather, thermochronologic data(Thacker et al 2021) suggest onset of tectonism at 90-85 Ma in the western Colorado Plateau, ca. 80 Ma in the eastern Colorado Plateau, and 75-70 Ma in the southern Rocky Mountains.…”

mentioning

confidence: 96%

Tectonics of the Colorado Plateau and Its Margins

Karlstrom

Wilgus

Thacker

et al. 2022

Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci.

Self Cite

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“…50-40 Ma, recorded by the creation of metamorphic core complexes, extensional basin development and felsic magmatism (e.g., Barton, 1990;Best et al, 2009Best et al, , 2016Wells & Hoisch, 2008;Yonkee & Weil, 2015, and references therein) which swept southward from southern Canada, causing an increase in rock cooling and exhumation (Copeland et al, 2017;Fan & Carrapa, 2014). However, in Arizona and New Mexico it has been proposed that the slab-roll back did not occur until ≤40 Ma (e.g., Coney & Reynolds, 1977;Thacker et al, 2021).…”

Section: Tectonic Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Where did the Arizona‐Plano Go? Protracted Thinning Via Upper‐ to Lower‐Crustal Processes

et al. 2022

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“…Figure SM-10:Full time-temperature histories from HeFTy inverse modeling for samples presented in the paper.Zuni samples 07SJB10 and Zuni07 are presented inThacker et al (2021).…”

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confidence: 99%

Late Cretaceous time-transgressive onset of Laramide arch exhumation and basin subsidence across northern Arizona–New Mexico, USA, and the role of a dehydrating Farallon flat slab

et al. 2022

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Spatiotemporal constraints for Late Cretaceous tectonism across the Colorado Plateau and southern Rocky Mountains (northern Arizona−New Mexico, USA) are interpreted in regards to Laramide orogenic mechanisms. Onset of Laramide arch development is estimated from cooling recorded in representative thermochronologic samples in a three-step process of initial forward models, secondary HeFTy inverse models with informed constraint boxes, and a custom script to statistically estimate timing of rapid cooling from inverse model results. Onset of Laramide basin development is interpreted from increased rates of tectonic subsidence. Onset estimates are compared to published estimates for Laramide timing, and together suggest tectonism commenced ca. 90 Ma in northwestern Arizona and progressed eastward with later onset in north-central New Mexico by ca. 75−70 Ma. The interpreted sweep of onset progressed at a rate of ∼50 km/m.y. and was approximately half the 100−150 km/m.y. rate estimated for Late Cretaceous Farallon-North America convergence during the same timeframe. Previous suggestions that the Laramide tectonic front progressed at a rate similar to convergence via basal traction are not supported by our results. We thereby suggest that (1) a plate margin end load established far field compression and that (2) sequential Laramide-style strain was facilitated by progressive weakening of North American lithosphere from the dehydrating Farallon flat slab. Results are compared to models of sweeping tectonism and magmatism in other parts of the Laramide foreland. Discussions of the utility of the custom script and the potential for stratigraphic constraints to represent only minimum onset estimates are also presented.

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Late Cretaceous–Recent Low‐Temperature Cooling History and Tectonic Analysis of the Zuni Mountains, West‐Central New Mexico

Cited by 7 publications

References 83 publications

Tectonics of the Colorado Plateau and Its Margins

Tectonics of the Colorado Plateau and Its Margins

Where did the Arizona‐Plano Go? Protracted Thinning Via Upper‐ to Lower‐Crustal Processes

Late Cretaceous time-transgressive onset of Laramide arch exhumation and basin subsidence across northern Arizona–New Mexico, USA, and the role of a dehydrating Farallon flat slab

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