Nevadan orogeny

The Nevadan orogeny occurred along the western margin of North America during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous approximately 155 Ma to 145 Ma.[1] Throughout the duration of this orogeny there were at least two different kinds of orogenic processes occurring. During the early stages of orogenesis an "Andean type" continental magmatic arc developed due to subduction of the Farallon oceanic plate beneath the North American Plate.[2] The latter stages of orogenesis, in contrast, saw multiple oceanic arc terranes accreted onto the western margin of North America in a "Cordilleran type" accretionary orogen.[2] Deformation related to the accretion of these volcanic arc terranes is mostly limited to the western regions of the resulting mountain ranges (Klamath Mountain range and Sierra Nevada) and is absent from the eastern regions.[3] In addition, the deformation experienced in these mountain ranges is mostly due to the Nevadan orogeny and not other external events such as the more recent Sevier and Laramide Orogenies.[4] It is noted that the Klamath Mountains and the Sierra Nevada share similar stratigraphy indicating that they were both formed by the Nevadan orogeny.[5][6] In comparison with other orogenic events, it appears that the Nevadan Orogeny occurred rather quickly taking only about 10 million years as compared to hundreds of millions of years for other orogenies around the world (ex. Trans-Hudson orogeny).[7]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  4. ^ Hacker, Bradley; Donato, Mary M.; Barnes, Calvin G.; McWilliams, M.O.; Ernst, W.G. (1995). "Timescales of orogeny: Jurassic construction of the Klamath Mountains". Tectonics. 14 (3): 677–703. Bibcode:1995Tecto..14..677H. doi:10.1029/94tc02454.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Ernst, W.G.; Gottlieb, Eric S.; Barnes, Calvin G; Hourigan, Jeremy K. (2016). "Zircon U-Pb ages and petrologic evolution of the English Peak granitic pluton: Jurassic crustal growth in northwestern California". Geosphere. 12 (5): 1422–1436. Bibcode:2016Geosp..12.1422E. doi:10.1130/ges01340.1.
  7. ^ Hoffman, Paul F. (1988). "United Plates of America, The Birth of a Craton: Early Proterozoic Assembly and Growth of Laurentia". Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences. 16: 543–603. doi:10.1146/annurev.earth.16.1.543.