Quantifying the Phanerozoic thermal evolution and long-term stability of cratonic lithosphere using integrated low temperature thermochronology

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Quantifying the Phanerozoic thermal evolution and long-term stability of cratonic lithosphere using integrated low temperature thermochronology. The Earth's most ancient crustal regions (i.e. cratons) are thought to have remained remarkably stable since their formation >2.5 billion years ago. This project will re-evaluate this paradigm by applying low temperature thermochronology by the fission track and (U-Th)/He methods to three key cratons, to detect and quantify previously unknown episodes of significant cooling and denudation (i.e. low-level instability) which are invisible to other analytical techniques. The outcomes will open a new research avenue in these terrains, which host some of the world's most valuable mineral resources, underlie important petroleum basins and are potential long-term repositories for radioactive waste.