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Denudation along the Atlantic passive margin : new insights from apatite fission-track analysis on the western coast of South Africa

Kounov, A. and Viola, G. and de Wit, M. J. and Andreoli, M.. (2009) Denudation along the Atlantic passive margin : new insights from apatite fission-track analysis on the western coast of South Africa. Geological Society Special Publications, 324. pp. 287-306.

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Official URL: http://edoc.unibas.ch/dok/A5250602

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Abstract

Apatite fission-track (AFT) data from two traverses across the Great Escarpment of the western coast of South Africa are used to reconstruct the tectonic evolution and denudation history of this sector of the Atlantic passive margin. Fission-track ages range between 180 and 86 Ma. Modelling of this data identifies two distinct cooling events. The first event, between 160 and 138 Ma, is recorded only by the rocks above the escarpment in the Karoo area, and is tentatively linked to post-Karoo magmatism (~180 Ma) thermal relaxation. The second, between 115 and 90 Ma, results instead from a tectonically-induced denudation episode responsible for the removal of up to 2.5 km of crust across the coastal zone in front of the escarpment and less than 1 km on the elevated interior plateau. Based on these results, it is suggested that the Cretaceous is the time when most of the elevated topography of Southern Africa was generated, with only a minor Cenozoic contribution.
Faculties and Departments:05 Faculty of Science > Departement Umweltwissenschaften > Ehemalige Einheiten Umweltwissenschaften > Tektonik (nn)
UniBasel Contributors:Kounov, Alexandre
Item Type:Article, refereed
Article Subtype:Research Article
Publisher:The Geological Society
ISSN:0305-8719
e-ISSN:2041-4927
Note:Also published in: Thermochronological methods from palaeotemperature constraints to landscape evolution models. - London : Geological Society of London, 2009. - S. 287-306 -- Publication type according to Uni Basel Research Database: Journal article
Language:English
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Last Modified:04 Oct 2017 06:18
Deposited On:22 Mar 2012 14:12

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