Collaborative Research: Thermochronometry and Evolution of the Taiwan Fold and Thrust Belt

这个项目是针对台湾活跃的造山过程。台湾作为一个年轻的构造活动区，表现出高速率的变形、隆升和侵蚀。这些高速率有利于研究与造山过程有关的变形。本研究的重点是台湾西部的褶皱冲断带，来自亚洲板块的地壳物质被纳入台湾造山带。研究人员正在使用磷灰石裂变径迹测年和磷灰石的U-Th/He测年来确定整个褶皱冲断带岩石的低温冷却速率。地质测绘为测年提供了结构背景，从而可以对单个逆冲岩席的折返进行测年。冷却与断层运动的速率和时间有关，并提供地壳形变运动学模式的信息。为了量化这种模式，研究人员正在使用结构重建软件结合热建模来关联冷却数据，断层运动和温度历史。商业软件的使用与热模拟，校准到低温热年代学代表了一个新的创新，在冲断带的解释。

This project is directed at the processes of active mountain-building in Taiwan. As a region of young tectonic activity, Taiwan exhibits high rates of deformation, uplift and erosion. These high rates are advantageous to studies of deformation associated with the mountain-building process. This study is focused on the fold-and-thrust belt of western Taiwan where crustal material from the Asian plate is incorporated into the Taiwan orogen. The investigators are using apatite fission track dating and U-Th/He dating of apatite to determine low-temperature cooling rates of rock throughout the fold-and-thrust belt. Geologic mapping provides structural context for the dating, permitting dating of exhumation of individual thrust sheets. The cooling is related to the rates timing of fault motion and provides information on the kinematic pattern of crustal deformation. To quantify this pattern, the investigators are using structural reconstruction software combined with thermal modeling to relate cooling data, fault motion and temperature history. The use of commercial software with thermal modeling, calibrated to low temperature thermochronomety represents a new innovation in thrust belt interpretation.