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Provenance of Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous strata in the Mentelle Basin, southwestern Australia, reveals a trans-Gondwanan fluvial pathway

Citation

Maritati, A and Halpin, JA and Whittaker, JM and Daczko, NR and Wainman, CC, Provenance of Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous strata in the Mentelle Basin, southwestern Australia, reveals a trans-Gondwanan fluvial pathway, Gondwana Research, 93 pp. 128-141. ISSN 1342-937X (2021) [Refereed Article]

Copyright Statement

Copyright 2021 International Association for Gondwana Research

DOI: doi:10.1016/j.gr.2020.12.032

Abstract

Australia, and East Gondwana more broadly, host extensive Paleozoic–Mesozoic sedimentary basins with thick siliciclastic sequences. These sediments were for the greater part transported by large-scale fluvial systems; however, the spatial and temporal patterns of sediment dispersal remain poorly understood. We investigate the provenance of rift strata in the Mentelle Basin, Western Australia, which were deposited during the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous breakup of India from Australia-Antarctica. Monazite U–Pb and zircon U–Pb–Hf isotopic signatures suggest that the Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous syn-rift sediments were supplied predominately by a transcontinental river system draining sediments from interior regions of East Antarctica to the northern Gondwanan passive margin. This fluvial system was focused within the developing rift between India and Australia-Antarctica. Provenance of the transgressive marine post-breakup strata reflects a transition to a proximal sediment source and marks the end of the transcontinental fluvial system after the final breakup of India from Australia-Antarctica in the Valanginian (~136 Ma). Statistical comparison of detrital zircon spectra of Mentelle Basin syn-rift strata with other Australian Paleozoic–Mesozoic rift strata located along our proposed transport route suggests that the transcontinental fluvial pathway was active since the Late Paleozoic. We infer that this fluvial system was one of the principal modes of siliciclastic sediment delivery to rift and passive margin basins of western Australia.

Item Details

Item Type:Refereed Article
Keywords:Mentelle Basin, Gondwana, Australia, Antarctica, zircon
Research Division:Earth Sciences
Research Group:Geology
Research Field:Geochronology
Objective Division:Expanding Knowledge
Objective Group:Expanding knowledge
Objective Field:Expanding knowledge in the earth sciences
UTAS Author:Maritati, A (Mr Alessandro Maritati)
UTAS Author:Halpin, JA (Dr Jacqueline Halpin)
UTAS Author:Whittaker, JM (Associate Professor Jo Whittaker)
ID Code:143732
Year Published:2021
Web of Science® Times Cited:4
Deposited By:Oceans and Cryosphere
Deposited On:2021-03-31
Last Modified:2021-10-11
Downloads:0

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