57 Advances and Applications in Geochronology for Interpreting Stratigraphic and Basin Records, Part II

This session welcomes submissions related to applications of geochronology (e.g., U-Pb, 40Ar/39Ar) in stratigraphic research, including topics such as eruption and maximum depositional age estimation, provenance analysis, numerical modeling of geochronological data, and multi-disciplinary chronostratigraphic characterization.

Sunday, 19 October 2025
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
HBGCC, 304C

Integrating Tectonic Subsidence and Age–Depth Modeling to Constrain Neoproterozoic–Devonian Basin Evolution in the Central Mackenzie Mountains, NW Canada

Paper number: 57-14
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 5:00 PM – 5:15 PM

Authors

Abstract

Neoproterozoic–Devonian strata in the central Mackenzie Mountains of northwestern Canada preserve a record of major Earth system events, including the rifting of the supercontinent Rodinia, large-scale perturbations to the global carbon cycle, and the first appearance datum (FAD) of Ediacaran fossils within the northern Cordilleran fold–thrust belt. This interval also contains evidence for multiple phases of extension across northwestern Canada, complicating efforts to determine when final rifting ended and passive margin development began along the northwestern Laurentian margin.

To place these events in a more robust temporal framework, we apply an integrated subsidence and age–depth modeling approach using SubsidenceChron.jl to reconstruct the extension history and basin evolution recorded in the central Mackenzie Mountains from the Neoproterozoic through the Devonian. The model uses Monte Carlo Markov Chain methods to integrate decompaction, backstripping, and McKenzie-style thermal subsidence techniques to obtain a best estimate of both thermal subsidence parameters and the age of each stratigraphic horizon, with uncertainty.

Using this approach, we aim to estimate the timing of the rift–drift transition, assess the influence of multiphase rifting on basin development, and evaluate how subsidence patterns vary along a proximal-to-distal transect within the basin. By establishing criteria for selecting optimal sections for tectonic subsidence analysis, this work aims to refine the application of this technique and improve chronostratigraphic resolution in ancient rifted margins.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 57, No. 6

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-414281

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