Assessing patterns of deformation across the Precordillera thrust belt of northwestern Argentina: A multiple thermochronometer study of foreland exhumation

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Dr. Julie Fosdick has been awarded an NSF Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship to carry out a research and education plan at the University of Arizona, Tucson. This project aims to quantify temporal changes in crustal thickening and thrust belt exhumation along the central Andes of northwestern Argentina by employing bedrock and detrital geo-thermochronology of the Bermejo Basin and Precordillera fold-thrust belt. Results from this study will also characterize the source-sink thermal history of Tertiary foreland and intermontane basin strata. Findings will be evaluated in the larger regional context to elucidate the spatial pattern, timing, and rates of foreland exhumation and deformation in the central Precordillera of northwestern Argentina to investigate along-strike changes in structural style and basin evolution within the Central Andean orogen.Convergent plate tectonic systems are represented by impressive mountain belts throughout the world, forming significant topographic features that provide sediment to the world's basins. However, existing models for continental deformation along subduction zones do not sufficiently explain the diversity and magnitude of tectonic structures, motivating the need to better understand the geologic processes that modulate the development of orogenic belts. These are also important processes to understand because they are linked to seismic and volcanic hazards and the distribution of natural resources. The project includes a detailed education and outreach program at the University of Arizona and the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Two upper-division and graduate level seminars will be taught by the fellow: Exhumation and Controlling Mechanisms in Cordilleran Orogenic Systems (Year 1, UA), and Thermochronology Applied to Tectonic Problems (Year 2, UBA). Lastly, the postdoctoral fellow will mentor student research projects to broaden her teaching and mentorship experience in preparation for an academic career in the geosciences.