Large intermontane basins in fold-thrust belts: keys to understanding the formation and evolution of mountain ranges

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Mountain ranges like the Canadian Rockies are prominent manifestations of plate tectonic activity and are intimately linked to important reserves of hydrocarbons and precious metals. At a global scale, the processes associated with the uplift of mountains are thought to influence everything from global climate to the chemistry of the world's oceans. Despite their importance, a comprehensive understanding of the nature of mountain belt formation remains elusive. This project will examine sedimentary basins that form within mountain ranges (intermontane basins) in order to understand how the basins and the surrounding mountains evolve over time spans of millions of years. The sediments deposited within intermontane basins provide a unique record of the processes that govern the uplift and evolution of mountains and thus have the potential to elucidate many lesser-known and controversial aspects of mountain range development. This project will determine the history of sedimentation within the basins and the evolution of the surrounding mountains through detailed examinations of the geology, and will utilize both time-tested and novel techniques. The elevation history of mountainous regions (the paleoelevation history) will be reconstructed using a recently developed method, which exploits natural variations in the abundance of isotopes within minerals that precipitate in sedimentary rocks. By integrating the history of sediment deposition and crustal deformation with the paleoelevation record of these basins, this research will provide important new insights into how mountain ranges form, grow and evolve. This information can then be used to test plate tectonic hypotheses, examine the connections between climate and mountain belts, and explore the relationships between mountain range development and the genesis of hydrocarbon- and precious metal-bearing rocks in Canada.