Detrital zircon provenance analysis of the Great Valley Group, California: Evolution of an arc-forearc system

Abstract

Research Article| December 01, 2002 Detrital zircon provenance analysis of the Great Valley Group, California: Evolution of an arc-forearc system Kathleen DeGraaff-Surpless; Kathleen DeGraaff-Surpless 1Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-2115, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Stephan A. Graham; Stephan A. Graham 1Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-2115, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Joseph L. Wooden; Joseph L. Wooden 2U.S. Geological Survey, 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, California 90425, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Michael O. McWilliams Michael O. McWilliams 3Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-2115, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (2002) 114 (12): 1564–1580. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(2002)114<1564:DZPAOT>2.0.CO;2 Article history received: 29 Sep 2001 rev-recd: 20 Mar 2002 accepted: 11 Apr 2002 first online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Kathleen DeGraaff-Surpless, Stephan A. Graham, Joseph L. Wooden, Michael O. McWilliams; Detrital zircon provenance analysis of the Great Valley Group, California: Evolution of an arc-forearc system. GSA Bulletin 2002;; 114 (12): 1564–1580. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(2002)114<1564:DZPAOT>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The improved resolution of sediment provenance from detrital zircon analysis of Great Valley stratigraphy enables recognition of previously undocumented arc magmatism and the evolution of regional drainage systems within the Cretaceous arc-forearc system related to uplift, magmatism, and structure in the arc. Great Valley detrital zircon age data confirm previous studies that indicate that the locus of the sediment source in the southern Sierra Nevada arc migrated east with the active volcanic front and suggest rapid rates of uplift and unroofing of the southern arc. Sacramento Valley detrital zircon age data indicate a more complex history of drainage in the northern Klamath-Sierran arc than previously documented. Detrital zircon age distributions from the Cache Creek section of the Great Valley Group broaden through time from nearly unimodal age distributions to signatures with multiple age peaks. This transition to more broadly distributed detrital zircon age spectra likely results from a combination of (1) expanding subaerial drainage systems from highly localized to more broadly distributed catchments; (2) changing shelf and submarine-canyon morphology with rising sea level and/or basin subsidence; (3) increased degree of dissection of the Klamath-Sierran arc; and (4) potential drainage capture and redirection within the arc. Sacramento Valley detrital zircon age data also record a pulse of Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous magmatism in the northwestern Sierra Nevada arc, an age of Cordilleran magmatism and deformation represented by limited exposure in the modern Sierra Nevada. These results offer significant new insights into the evolution of a well-studied arc-forearc system. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.