Date of Graduation
Summer 2020
Degree
Master of Science in Geography and Geology
Department
Geography, Geology, and Planning
Committee Chair
Matthew McKay
Abstract
Detrital petrochronology can provide a detailed look into sedimentary provenance through integrated mineral radioisotopic ages with corresponding mineral chemistry. By combining U-Pb ages and Th/U values of detrital zircon from 13 samples collected from Quaternary sand deposits in the Upper Missouri, Yellowstone, Bighorn, Platte, Kansas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Red and Brazos Rivers, an interpretation of detailed signatures that record evidence of the evolution of the Mississippi/Missouri River drainage and the tectonic events that shaped it were observed. Low Th/U values in zircon correlate temporally to convergent magmatism, whereas, higher and more variable Th/U zircon are coeval with known extensional tectonism. Using these data, this study was able to resolve the evolution of drainage patterns from the Cretaceous to the Cenozoic. Grains found within the N. Rocky Mountains and Northern Plains samples as well as the Central Plains samples exhibited Cordilleran ages (<280 >Ma) and Th/U values
Keywords
zircon, provenance, North America, Th/U, petrochronology, detrital, Missouri River, basin
Subject Categories
Geochemistry | Geology | Sedimentology | Stratigraphy | Tectonics and Structure
Copyright
© Sage Denali Muttel
Recommended Citation
Muttel, Sage Denali, "Detrital Zircon Petrochronology for Sedimentary Provenance Analysis: Source to Sink of the Mississippi/Missouri River Drainage Basin" (2020). MSU Graduate Theses. 3529.
https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/3529
Open Access
Included in
Geochemistry Commons, Geology Commons, Sedimentology Commons, Stratigraphy Commons, Tectonics and Structure Commons
