Tectonic control on the late stage exhumation of the Aar Massif (Switzerland): Constraints from apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He data
We examine the hypothesis that Pliocene exhumation of the external massifs in the central Alps is controlled by climatic change. New thermochronological data from the western Gastern-Aar massif are used to investigate the timing, extent, and reasons for Neogene exhumation. Our data reveal that exhum...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2008
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/28060 |
| _version_ | 1848752434349867008 |
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| author | Reinecker, J. Danišík, Martin Schmid, C. Glotzbach, C. Rahn, M. Frisch, W. Spiegel, C. |
| author_facet | Reinecker, J. Danišík, Martin Schmid, C. Glotzbach, C. Rahn, M. Frisch, W. Spiegel, C. |
| author_sort | Reinecker, J. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | We examine the hypothesis that Pliocene exhumation of the external massifs in the central Alps is controlled by climatic change. New thermochronological data from the western Gastern-Aar massif are used to investigate the timing, extent, and reasons for Neogene exhumation. Our data reveal that exhumation was constant with 0.5 km/Ma over the last 10 Ma in the north. In the southern part, exhumation was of the same order until ∼3.5 Ma but then increased gradually toward the south to values of up to 1.2 km/Ma, resulting in overall northward tilting of the western Aar massif. We explain this accelerated exhumation in the south after ∼3.5 Ma mainly by tectonic denudation in the footwall of the Rhône-Simplon fault and discuss changes in deep crustal configuration, which may have triggered south directed normal faulting. We propose that the Rhône river was structurally trapped by the Rhône-Simplon normal fault zone, which additionally enhanced erosion in the southern section of the Aar massif. Climatic forcing may have an impact in the very late stage of exhumation due to Alpine glaciation in the late Pliocene. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:08:33Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-28060 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:08:33Z |
| publishDate | 2008 |
| publisher | American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-280602017-09-13T15:11:17Z Tectonic control on the late stage exhumation of the Aar Massif (Switzerland): Constraints from apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He data Reinecker, J. Danišík, Martin Schmid, C. Glotzbach, C. Rahn, M. Frisch, W. Spiegel, C. Gastern-Aar Massif thermochronology exhumation We examine the hypothesis that Pliocene exhumation of the external massifs in the central Alps is controlled by climatic change. New thermochronological data from the western Gastern-Aar massif are used to investigate the timing, extent, and reasons for Neogene exhumation. Our data reveal that exhumation was constant with 0.5 km/Ma over the last 10 Ma in the north. In the southern part, exhumation was of the same order until ∼3.5 Ma but then increased gradually toward the south to values of up to 1.2 km/Ma, resulting in overall northward tilting of the western Aar massif. We explain this accelerated exhumation in the south after ∼3.5 Ma mainly by tectonic denudation in the footwall of the Rhône-Simplon fault and discuss changes in deep crustal configuration, which may have triggered south directed normal faulting. We propose that the Rhône river was structurally trapped by the Rhône-Simplon normal fault zone, which additionally enhanced erosion in the southern section of the Aar massif. Climatic forcing may have an impact in the very late stage of exhumation due to Alpine glaciation in the late Pliocene. 2008 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/28060 10.1029/2007TC002247 American Geophysical Union (AGU) unknown |
| spellingShingle | Gastern-Aar Massif thermochronology exhumation Reinecker, J. Danišík, Martin Schmid, C. Glotzbach, C. Rahn, M. Frisch, W. Spiegel, C. Tectonic control on the late stage exhumation of the Aar Massif (Switzerland): Constraints from apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He data |
| title | Tectonic control on the late stage exhumation of the Aar Massif (Switzerland): Constraints from apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He data |
| title_full | Tectonic control on the late stage exhumation of the Aar Massif (Switzerland): Constraints from apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He data |
| title_fullStr | Tectonic control on the late stage exhumation of the Aar Massif (Switzerland): Constraints from apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He data |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tectonic control on the late stage exhumation of the Aar Massif (Switzerland): Constraints from apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He data |
| title_short | Tectonic control on the late stage exhumation of the Aar Massif (Switzerland): Constraints from apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He data |
| title_sort | tectonic control on the late stage exhumation of the aar massif (switzerland): constraints from apatite fission track and (u-th)/he data |
| topic | Gastern-Aar Massif thermochronology exhumation |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/28060 |