U-Pb Geochronology of the Wildhorse Gneiss Complex, Pioneer Mountains Core Complex, South-Central Idaho

来自爱达荷州州立大学的教师和学生从事爱达荷州先锋山核杂岩中新元古代地层的综合野外、岩相学、地球化学和地质年代学研究。以前对古生代地层的研究已经确定了一个不寻常的碎屑锆石群，年龄约为750至600 Ma。这种年龄的岩石在北美西缘沿着是很不寻常的。野外工作已经将这些岩石的明显起源追溯到先锋山脉。这项研究利用学生的项目来确定这些岩石的来源，并确认其同位素年龄。这项工作对Rodinia的古地理重建和雪球地球假说的评估具有影响。

Faculty and students from Idaho State University are engaged in integrated field, petrographic, geochemical, and geochronologic study of Neoproterozoic strata exposed in the Pioneer Mountains core complex of Idaho. Previous studies of Paleozoic strata have identified an unusual population of detrital zircons with ages of about 750 to 600 Ma. Rocks of this age are very unusual along the western margin of North America. Fieldwork has traced the apparent origin of these rocks to the Pioneer Mountains. This study utilizes student projects to determine the source of these rocks and confirm their isotopic ages. The work has implications for paleogeographic reconstructions of Rodinia and evaluation of the Snowball Earth hypothesis.