Heated topics in Thermochronology and paths towards resolution

Fox, M. and Carter, Andrew (2020) Heated topics in Thermochronology and paths towards resolution. Geosciences 10 (9), pp. 1-19. ISSN 2076-3263.

Abstract

Thermochronometry is widely used to track exhumation, the motion of rock towards Earth’s surface, and to gain fresh insights into geodynamic and geomorphic processes. Applications require models to reconstruct a rock’s cooling history as it is exhumed from higher temperatures at depth within the crust to cooler shallower levels and eventually Earth’s surface. Thermochronometric models are dependent on the predictable accumulation and the temperature-dependent loss of radiogenic daughter products measured in the laboratory. However, there are many geologically reasonable scenarios that will yield very similar thermochronometric ages. This similarity hinders finding the actual scenario, so instead an approximate model is sought. Finding suitable model parameters is a potentially ill-posed inverse problem that requires making decisions about how best to extract information from the data and how to combine data to leverage redundant information and reduce the impact of data noise. Often these decisions lead to differences in conclusions of studies and such discrepancies have led to heated debates. Here, we discuss debates centred on the use of a variety of modelling approaches and potential sources of biases that lead to differences in the predicted exhumation rate. We also provide some suggestions about future research paths that will help resolve these debates.

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