Post date: Nov 20, 2009 11:58:39 AM
Geochronology session: 20d: Constructing a 4D Thermal History of the Earth Through Isotopic Chronometry
Convenors: Geoffrey Batt, Fred Jourdan
This session will highlight new research directions in geochronology and thermochronology that contribute to our understanding of the 4D evolution of the Earth. Continuing advances in the understanding of elemental diffusion in minerals have provided a capability to identify the geological and thermal history of a rock unit arising from processes ranging from magmatic crystallization to low-temperature weathering. Interpretations of such geo/thermochronometric records have important applications in many areas of fundamental and applied science, including provenance studies, structural geology, landscape evolution, petroleum and ore system genesis, and paleoclimate-tectonic linkages. We would invite submissions relating to technical advancements in any area of mineral chronometry or the development of new chronometers, the quantification of diffusional processes, the determination of time-temperature histories via modeling and inversion techniques, time-series analysis of chronometric data, and case studies in which an integrated approach to mineral chronometry has contributed to the resolution of complex geological problems.