Skip to main content
Vai all'homepage della Commissione europea (si apre in una nuova finestra)
italiano it
CORDIS - Risultati della ricerca dell’UE
CORDIS

A new understanding of the uplift and incision of the Colorado Plateau from classical and electron spin resonance thermochronology

Descrizione del progetto

La storia dell’erosione dell’Altopiano del Colorado

Gli altopiani orogenici come quello del Colorado influiscono in modo significativo sui modelli climatici regionali e globali, ma la loro storia geologica rimane dibattuta. In particolare, l’altopiano del Colorado, con i suoi suggestivi canyon in rilievo, solleva interrogativi sui tempi e sui processi responsabili del sollevamento e dell’incisione della roccia. Con il sostegno del programma di azioni Marie Skłodowska-Curie, il progetto PLATOCHRON contribuirà a risolvere queste incertezze. Per farlo userà tecniche avanzate di termocronologia, tra cui dati di apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He e di fissione, nonché la risonanza di spin elettronico, per ricostruire la storia termica delle rocce di alcuni canyon selezionati e per determinare i tempi e il tasso della loro incisione. Questi risultati permetteranno di verificare le teorie concorrenti sul sollevamento e sull’erosione dell’altopiano.

Obiettivo

High-standing orogenic plateaus are key features of most mountainous regions, and typically have profound regional, and in many cases global, impacts on atmospheric circulation and precipitation patterns. The Colorado Plateau is characterized by a low-relief surface at high elevation and deep canyon incision at the plateau margins. Although these canyons are key features of ecosystems and water resources, the chronology of the uplift and subsequent canyon incision remains debated. In addition, the relative importance of deep-seated processes, changes in paleogeography and climate, on the late geomorphologic evolution of the plateau remains controversial. Two endmember models of Grand Canyon incision have been proposed: a 80-60 Ma incision or a 6-5 Ma incision, the discrepancy between these models is partly related to limitations in conventional thermochronology techniques. This project will provide new constraints on the incision history of the canyons carved across the Colorado Plateau using an innovative set of thermochronometers. I will combine apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He and fission-track data to document the thermal history of rocks in Zion Canyon which has never been explored and infer the respective effects of erosion and regional magmatism on the thermal evolution of the lithosphere. Electron spin resonance (ESR) thermochronometry, a new thermochronometer sensitive to temperature ranging from 50 to 20˚C will be performed on the same samples and combined with thermo-kinematic modelling to decipher the timing and rate of canyon incision in Zion. Finally, I will apply ESR thermochronometry in selected canyons to decipher the timing of incision across the Colorado Plateau. Low-temperature thermochronology data, including ESR, will be integrated in a numerical model of the landscape evolution to test different processes (change in base level versus mantellic process) and associated scenarios for the Colorado Plateau uplift and incision.

Campo scientifico (EuroSciVoc)

Programma(i)

Argomento(i)

Meccanismo di finanziamento

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships

Vedi tutti i progetti finanziati nell’ambito di questo schema di finanziamento

Invito a presentare proposte

(si apre in una nuova finestra) HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01

Vedi tutti i progetti finanziati nell’ambito del bando

Coordinatore

UNIVERSITE GRENOBLE ALPES
Contributo netto dell'UE
€ 308 746,56
Indirizzo
621 AVENUE CENTRALE
38058 Grenoble
Francia
Regione
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Rhône-Alpes Isère
Tipo di attività
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Collegamenti
Costo totale
Nessun dato

Partner (1)