Detrital zircon geochronology and provenance of the Middle Cambrian Flathead Sandstone, Park County, Wyoming

Abstract

We report the results of analyses of detrital zircon from the middle Cambrian Flathead Sandstone from four locations in Park County, WY. The Flathead U-Pb zircon age spectra (n=355) includes one peak at 2702–3345 Ma (95%) and two small age peaks at 1784 Ma (4%) and ∼1830 Ma (1%). Regional paleocurrent data for the Flat-head indicate sediment transport from east to west but the dominant Archean detrital zircons in our sample suite indicates a proximal source in structurally and topographically high Wyoming Province crust. The Archean ages are consistent with the >3.0 Ga fraction being derived from basement rocks present in the northern Beartooth Range and areas further to the west. The 2.8–3.0 Ga grains were derived from the Beartooth-Bighorn magmatic zone, which directly underlies and extends to the south and east of these Flathead sampling localities. The 1.7–1.8 Ga grains were derived from 100s of km to the south and east, in the Cheyenne Belt or more distal Yavapai Province rocks. This 1.7–1.8 Ga crust was uplifted along the Transcontinental Arch during late Precambrian time. The Transcontinental Arch, and perhaps the Midcontinent Rift further to the east as well, prevented easterly-sourced (i.e. Grenville) zircons from reaching the Wyoming Sauk shoreline.