DETRITAL ZIRCON LINK BETWEEN HEADWATERS AND TERMINUS OF THE UPPER TRIASSIC CHINLE-DOCKUM PALEORIVER SYSTEM

Citation
Nr. Riggs et al., DETRITAL ZIRCON LINK BETWEEN HEADWATERS AND TERMINUS OF THE UPPER TRIASSIC CHINLE-DOCKUM PALEORIVER SYSTEM, Science, 273(5271), 1996, pp. 97-100
Citations number
38
Categorie Soggetti
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Journal title
ISSN journal
00368075
Volume
273
Issue
5271
Year of publication
1996
Pages
97 - 100
Database
ISI
SICI code
0036-8075(1996)273:5271<97:DZLBHA>2.0.ZU;2-8
Abstract
New detrital-zircon geochronologic data reveal that a through-going pa leoriver connected Texas with Nevada in Late Triassic time. Sandstone from the Upper Triassic Santa Rosa Sandstone (Dockum Group) from north western Texas contains a detrital zircon suite nearly identical to tha t found in western Nevada in the Upper Triassic Osobb Formation (Auld Lang Syne Group, correlative with the Chinle Formation). The Santa Ros a Sandstone was derived in large part from the eroded Cambrian core of the Amarillo-Wichita uplift, as evidenced by abundant zircons with ag es of 515 to 525 million years. Other zircon grains in the sandstone a re Permian, Devonian, Proterozoic, and Archean in age and, with the ex ception of the Archean grain, are also matched by the population in th e Nevada strata.