Lyell Collection
Geological Society, London, Special Publications
Lyell Centre  |   Lyell Collection  |   Subscriptions   |   Geological Society  |   Email alerts  |   Online bookshop  |   Help

Keywords:
Author:
Advanced search>>
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Green, P. F.
Right arrow Articles by Hegarty, K. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
GeoRef
Right arrow GeoRef Citation
Geological Society, London, Special Publications; 2002; v. 196; p. 331-354;
DOI: 10.1144/GSL.SP.2002.196.01.18
© 2002 Geological Society of London

UK, Ireland and Adjacent Margin

Quantifying exhumation from apatite fission-track analysis and vitrinite reflectance data: precision, accuracy and latest results from the Atlantic margin of NW Europe

Paul F. Green, Ian R. Duddy & Kerry A. Hegarty

Geotrack International Pty Ltd, 37 Melville Road, Brunswick West, Vic. 3055, Australia

In areas where significant unconformities are present, palaeotemperatures derived from apatite fission-track analysis (AFTA) and vitrinite reflectance (VR) data through a vertical rock section can be used to estimate palaeogeothermal gradients and (by extrapolation to an assumed palaeo-surface temperature) amounts of exhumation (palaeoburial). AFTA also provides a direct estimate of the timing of exhumation. These parameters can be used to reconstruct more complete histories than those based purely on the preserved rock record.

Precision and accuracy of these estimates are controlled by a range of theoretical and practical factors, perhaps the most important being the use of appropriate kinetic models. In extracting thermal history information from fission tracks in apatite, it is essential to use models that can describe variation in response between apatite grains within a sample. It is also important to recognize the limitations of the methods. AFTA and VR are dominated by maximum temperatures, preserving no information on events prior to a palaeo-thermal maximum. Recognition of this allows definition of key aspects of the history with greater precision.

Results from NW Europe define a series of regionally synchronous palaeo-thermal episodes, with cooling beginning in Early Cretaceous, Early Tertiary and Late Tertiary times. Latest results show that Early Tertiary palaeo-thermal effects in NW England can be understood as being due to a combination of higher basal heat flow and deeper burial, and emphasize the importance of obtaining data from a vertical sequence of samples. Comparison with similar results from other parts of the world suggests that events at plate margins exert a key influence on the processes responsible for regional exhumation, as recognized through Mesozoic and Cenozoic times across NW Europe.





This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Petroleum GeoscienceHome page
S. P. Holford, P. F. Green, R. R. Hillis, J. P. Turner, and C. T.E. Stevenson
Mesozoic-Cenozoic exhumation and volcanism in Northern Ireland constrained by AFTA and compaction data from the Larne No. 2 borehole
Petroleum Geoscience, 2009; 15: 239 - 257.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Geological Society, London, Special PublicationsHome page
F. Lisker, B. Ventura, and U. A. Glasmacher
Apatite thermochronology in modern geology
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 2009; 324: 1 - 23.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Geological Society, London, Special PublicationsHome page
S. P. Holford, P. F. Green, J. P. Turner, G. A. Williams, R. R. Hillis, D. R. Tappin, and I. R. Duddy
Evidence for kilometre-scale Neogene exhumation driven by compressional deformation in the Irish Sea basin system
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 2008; 306: 91 - 119.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Petroleum GeoscienceHome page
J. Parnell, P.F. Green, G. Watt, and D. Middleton
Thermal history and oil charge on the UK Atlantic margin
Petroleum Geoscience, 2005; 11: 99 - 112.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]