Journal article
Unroofing of fore-arc ranges along the Hikurangi Margin, New Zealand: Constraints from low-temperature thermochronology
R Jiao, D Seward, TA Little, BP Kohn
Tectonophysics | Published : 2015
Abstract
The Axial Ranges of North Island, New Zealand, parallel the Hikurangi subduction margin. They consist of uplifted and exhumed Mesozoic meta-sedimentary basement rocks of the overriding Australian Plate, beneath which the Pacific Plate has been subducting since at least the Late Oligocene. We investigate the unroofing histories of these fore-arc mountains during the evolution of the Hikurangi Margin, based on new and previous zircon and apatite fission-track, and apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He data which we interpret based on inverse modelling. The results suggest that the exhumation of rocks in the Axial Ranges initiated in the west and migrated trench-wards towards the east. Onsets of accelerated exh..
View full abstractGrants
Funding Acknowledgements
R. Jiao is funded by a Doctoral Scholarship from the Victoria University of Wellington. VUW colleagues Kevin Norton, Ben Hines and Joseph Kelly provided field assistance. Additional samples were collected by Kirsten Henden. R. Jiao and D. Seward appreciate the helpful discussions with Andrew Nicol and Hannu Seebeck, both from GNS Science, during the preparation of this paper. The Thermochronology Laboratory at the University of Melbourne receives infrastructure support under the AuScope programme of NCRIS. Andrew Nicol and an anonymous reviewer are thanked for their valuable comments.