Quantifying deformation and erosion at the Yakutat plate corner (SE Alaska) with integrated thermochronology and numerical modeling.
Enkelmann E and Ehlers T. Quantifying deformation and erosion at the Yakutat plate corner (SE Alaska) with integrated thermochronology and numerical modeling.
We propose an integration of field studies, thermochronology, sedimentology, and numerical modeling at the active plate corner of the Yakutat–North American subduction zone in SE Alaska (St. Elias orogen). We will reconstruct temperature–time paths from detrital and bedrock geo/thermochronology samples using thermo-kinematic and erosion models that quantify the range of possible deformation and erosion histories in this region. The data and models will be used to test the controversial hypothesis that plate corners produce rapid and focused deformation and exhumation. Results from this study will be applicable to understanding orogenic processes elsewhere in the world by documenting geodynamic processes at plate corners. Unlike the Himalayan syntaxes where protracted deformation has obscured previous events we will be able to document the deformation and erosion history during the early stages of orogen formation. Project results will provide an observational test of if the deformation and erosion history is consistent with the recently proposed tectonic ‘aneurysm’ model model suggested for the Himalaya and SE Alaska.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Enkelmann, Eva; Ehlers, Todd
- Units
- WRST
- Keywords
- Geology, Modeling, numerical modeling, Plate, SE Alaska, Southeast Alaska, Tectonics, thermal modeling, Thermochronology, Yakutat