Profile of a paleo-orogen: High topography across the present-day Basin and Range from 40 to 23 Ma

Abstract

Research Article| November 01, 2014 Profile of a paleo-orogen: High topography across the present-day Basin and Range from 40 to 23 Ma Elizabeth J. Cassel; Elizabeth J. Cassel * 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA *E-mail: [e-mail]. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Daniel O. Breecker; Daniel O. Breecker 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Christopher D. Henry; Christopher D. Henry 3Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Toti E. Larson; Toti E. Larson 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Daniel F. Stockli Daniel F. Stockli 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Elizabeth J. Cassel * 1Department of Geological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844, USA Daniel O. Breecker 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA Christopher D. Henry 3Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, USA Toti E. Larson 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA Daniel F. Stockli 2Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA *E-mail: [e-mail]. Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 28 May 2014 Revision Received: 15 Aug 2014 Accepted: 19 Aug 2014 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2014 Geological Society of America Geology (2014) 42 (11): 1007–1010. https://doi.org/10.1130/G35924.1 Article history Received: 28 May 2014 Revision Received: 15 Aug 2014 Accepted: 19 Aug 2014 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Elizabeth J. Cassel, Daniel O. Breecker, Christopher D. Henry, Toti E. Larson, Daniel F. Stockli; Profile of a paleo-orogen: High topography across the present-day Basin and Range from 40 to 23 Ma. Geology 2014;; 42 (11): 1007–1010. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G35924.1 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 SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Records of past topography connect Earth's deep interior to the surface, reflecting the distribution of heat and mass, past crustal structure, and plate interactions. Many tectonic reconstructions of the North American Cordillera suggest the presence of an Altiplano-like plateau in the location of the modern Basin and Range, with conflicting timing and mechanisms for the onset of surface-lowering extension and orogen collapse. Here we show, through a paleotopographic profile, that from the Eocene to the Oligocene a high, broad orogen stretched across Nevada, with a distinct crest that divided a continuous westward-draining slope extending to central California from an internally drained eastern Nevada plateau. This paleo-orogen maintained demonstrably higher-than-modern elevations, reaching 3500 m in the late Oligocene. Despite the long-term high gravitational potential energy of the crust supporting this topography, surface-lowering extension did not occur until the transition to a transform margin changed the external kinematic framework of the system. Maximum surface lowering was spatially decoupled from brittle upper crustal extension, requiring a large component of mid-crustal flow. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.