Quantifying transient erosion of orogens with detrital thermochronology from syntectonic basin deposits

Thermochronology in Orogenic Systems

“…By comparing depositional ages with the cooling ages for detrital minerals, the timescales for erosion and transport in orogenic settings can be ascertained (Brandon and Vance, 1992;Bullen et al, 2001;Cerveny et al, 1988;Copeland and Harrison, 1990;Corrigan and Crowley, 1992;Garver and Brandon, 1994;van der Beek et al, 2006van der Beek et al, , 2010. Thermochronology of detrital minerals is a valuable tool for the reconstruction of regional patterns of erosion (Carrapa et al, 2009;Garver et al, 1999;Lonergan and Johnson, 1998;Najman et al, 2008;Rahl et al, 2007;Renne et al, 1990;Stuart, 2002;Vermeesch et al, 2006). A relatively recent development has been the use of thermochronologic data for modern stream sediment samples to approximate bedrock cooling age distributions (Huntington andHodges, 2006), paleorelief (McPhillips andBrandon, 2010;Stock and Montgomery, 1996), and erosion rates (Brewer et al, 2003(Brewer et al, , 2006Bullen et al, 2001).…”

Environmental signal propagation in sedimentary systems across timescales

“…(B) Lag time type A is the difference between higher-temperature cooling age (e.g., crystallization age) and lower-temperature cooling age of a single grain (e.g., zircon) and represents exhumation from depth. (C) Lag time type B is the difference between a cooling age and depositional age and represents the time from closure temperature depth to surface exhumation plus transport (and transient storage) in the sediment-routing system prior to deposition (adapted from Rahl et al, 2007). A consistent Lag time type B calculated through a stratigraphic succession indicates steady erosion whereas departures from that indicate changing erosion rates through time.…”

“…10) Garver et al, 1999). According to theoretical modeling, the variability in cooling age-1052 depositional age lag times through a stratigraphic succession could be used to infer 1053 changing erosion rates in an orogenic belt (Rahl et al, 2007), which is a potentially 1054 powerful tool to estimate Qs in deep time ( age populations of the Appalachian orogenic belt (Rahl et al, 2003). 1062…”

Reconciling tectonic shortening, sedimentation and spatial patterns of erosion from 10Be paleo-erosion rates in the Argentine Precordillera

“…The missing half consists 54 of linking the histories of deformation and sediment accumulation to upland erosion. 55 on sub-Ma timescales (Rahl et al, 2007). Alternatively, 10 Be-derived erosion rates are 88 much more sensitive to temporal variations in erosion since they average over the 89 uppermost meters of the Earth's surface and integrate erosion over 10 3 -10 5 yr.…”