Tectonic evolution of the southern Laurentian Grenville orogenic belt

Abstract

Research Article| November 01, 1998 Tectonic evolution of the southern Laurentian Grenville orogenic belt Sharon Mosher Sharon Mosher 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (1998) 110 (11): 1357–1375. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1998)110<1357:TEOTSL>2.3.CO;2 Article history first online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Sharon Mosher; Tectonic evolution of the southern Laurentian Grenville orogenic belt. GSA Bulletin 1998;; 110 (11): 1357–1375. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1998)110<1357:TEOTSL>2.3.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 Grenville orogenic belt along the southern margin of Laurentia records more than 300 m.y. of orogenic activity culminating in arc-continent and continent-continent collision ca. 1150–1120 Ma. Exposures in Texas provide a unique profile across the Grenville orogen from the orogen core to the cratonal margin. In the Llano uplift of central Texas, ca. 1360–1232 Ma upper amphibolite–lower granulite facies, polydeformed supracrustal and plutonic rocks represent the core of the collisional orogen. This exposure contains a suture between a 1326–1275 Ma exotic island-arc terrane and probable Laurentian crust and records A-type subduction. In west Texas, 1380–1327 Ma amphibolite to greenschist facies, polydeformed supracrustal rocks are thrust over ca. 1250 Ma carbonate and volcanic rocks along the cratonal margin. The carbonate and volcanic rocks form a narrow thrust belt with post–1123 Ma synorogenic sedimentary rocks, which grade into undeformed sedimentary rocks northward on the Laurentian craton.The Texas basement reveals a consistent but evolving tectonic setting for the southern margin of Laurentia during Mesoproterozoic time. This paper summarizes recent advances in our knowledge of the Texas basement and proposes plate models to explain the tectonic evolution of this margin during Mesoproterozoic time. The orogenic history is strikingly similar to that of the Canadian Grenville orogen and requires a colliding continent off the southern Laurentian margin during the assembly of Rodinia. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.