Constraints on provenance of the central European Triassic using detrital zircon fission track data

Abstract

The type of provenance information obtained from dating detrital grains will depend upon the thermal sensitivity of the isotopic dating method. For detrital zircon, the two methods (fission track and U–Pb) in routine use have widely different thermal sensitivities and therefore may provide quite different provenance information. Zircon fission track data are sensitive to thermal overprinting in the temperature range 200–300°C and therefore have the unique ability to provide source thermal history data. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the suitability of zircon fission track data for provenance studies of the Triassic siliciclastic sediments of central Europe with an emphasis on testing proposed sediment pathways. Zircon fission track data obtained during this study are consistent with a sediment pathway linking Fennoscandia with the central German Basin. In addition, during Carnian times, there must also have been a pathway linking the Schilfsandstein Formation of the German basin with the Lunzersandstein of the Tethyan realm, pointing to a European-wide fluvial transport system. Detrital zircon fission track data are therefore a useful means for discerning sediment source and reconstructing sediment pathways.