Detrital Zircon Record of a Mesozoic Collisional Forearc Basin in South Central Alaska: The Tectonic Transition From an Oceanic to Continental Arc

Abstract

AbstractThe collision of oceanic arcs with continental margins is an important mechanism for the growth of continents. Ancient forearc basin strata in collisional orogens provide a record of the upper crustal response to this tectonic process. In south central Alaska, Mesozoic forearc basin strata are exposed in a complete crustal section. U‐Pb detrital zircon geochronology from the forearc basin strata was analyzed within a ~107 Ma stratigraphic framework. The Jurassic strata contain unimodal detrital zircon populations that become progressively younger upsection and range from 175 to 151 Ma. These strata are derived from the active oceanic Talkeetna arc. The Cretaceous strata were deposited above multiple unconformities that collectively represent as much as ~30 Ma of nondeposition and/or erosion in the forearc basin. Erosion in the forearc basin and a general absence of detrital zircon ages between 140 and 120 Ma are interpreted as a hiatus of magmatism triggered by collision of the oceanic arc with the former continental margin. The Cretaceous strata have two main detrital zircon populations: a Cretaceous population ranging from 90 to 68 Ma that becomes progressively younger upsection and a Jurassic population with a broad range of peak ages from 194 to 144 Ma. The Cretaceous population marks the establishment of an active Cretaceous continental arc following the collisional event, and the older population reflects continued erosion of the remnant Jurassic oceanic arc plutons. Our results show that detrital zircon geochronology provides a powerful approach for delineating stages of forearc basin collision and the erosion of multiple magmatic arcs.