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New Perspectives in Basin Analysis pp 353–366Cite as

Provenance and Dispersal of Tectogenic Sediments in Thin-Skinned, Thrusted Terrains

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Part of the book series: Frontiers in Sedimentary Geology ((SEDIMENTARY))

Abstract

The style of deformation in thin-skinned, thrusted terrains provides a setting for complex provenance and dispersal relations between source and sediment. Whereas it is commonly assumed that clastic wedges are shed by active thrusts and therefore can be used to date thrust motion, passive sources, formed when inactive terrain is transported over a ramp, may also generate tectogenic sediments. Furthermore, these sediments may be dispersed either synthetically or antithetically to tectonic transport. In some cases the clast composition of these deposits displays an inverted stratigraphy, reflecting unroofing in the source, while in other instances, blended clast compositions may form because of the simultaneous erosion of a thick stratigraphic section, complex geology in the source, or depositional amalgamation during sediment accumulation. Finally, during the evolution of a thrusted terrain, tectogenic sediments are tectonically transported, continually reworked, and cannibalized.

Case histories from the thrust belt of the western United States demonstrate these concepts. Some are rather clear-cut examples while others are more circumstantial and are given as alternatives to prevailing interpretations. Although presented individually, each concept is an integral part of an uplift-erosion-transport-deposition system inherent to thin-skinned, thrusted terrains. An understanding of these concepts is a potentially powerful tool and should provide the basis for more fruitful studies of tectogenic sediments.

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Authors
  1. James R. Steidtmann
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  2. James G. Schmitt
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, USA

    Karen L. Kleinspehn  & Chris Paola  & 

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Steidtmann, J.R., Schmitt, J.G. (1988). Provenance and Dispersal of Tectogenic Sediments in Thin-Skinned, Thrusted Terrains. In: Kleinspehn, K.L., Paola, C. (eds) New Perspectives in Basin Analysis. Frontiers in Sedimentary Geology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3788-4_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3788-4_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8351-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-3788-4

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