Low‐temperature thermochronometric data can reveal the long‐term evolution of erosion, uplift, and thrusting in fold‐thrust belts. We present results from central Idaho and southwestern Montana, where the close spatial overlap of the Sevier fold‐thrust belt and Laramide style, basement‐involved foreland uplifts signify a complex region with an unresolved, long‐term tectono‐thermal history. Inverse QTQt thermal history modeling of new zircon (U‐Th)/He (ZHe, n = 106), and apatite (U‐Th)/He dates (AHe, n = 43) collected from hanging walls of major thrusts systems along a central Idaho to southwestern Montana transect, and apatite fission track results from 6 basement samples, reveal regional thermal and spatial trends related to Sevier and Laramide orogenesis. Inverse modeling of foreland basement uplift samples suggest Phanerozoic exhumation initiated as early as ∼80 Ma and continued through the early Paleogene. Inverse modeling of interior Idaho fold‐thrust belt ZHe samples documents Early Cretaceous cooling at ∼125 Ma in the Lost River Range (western transect), and a younger cooling episode in the Lemhi Arch region (mid‐transect) at ∼90–80 Ma through the late Paleogene. This cooling in the Lemhi Arch temporally overlaps with cooling in southwestern Montana's basement‐cored uplifts, which we interpret as roughly synchronous exhumation related to contractional tectonics and post‐orogenic collapse. These data and models, integrated with independent timing constraints from foreland basin strata and previously published thermochronometric results, suggests that middle Cretaceous deformation of southwestern Montana's basement‐cored uplifts was low magnitude and preceded tectonism along the classic Arizona‐Wyoming Laramide “corridor.” In contrast, Late Cretaceous and Paleogene thrust‐related exhumation was more significant and largely complete by the Eocene. The basement‐involved deformation was contemporaneous with and younger than along‐strike Sevier belt thrusting in central Idaho.

The Great Valley Forearc (GVF) basin of California, USA, preserves an extensive rock record of the Jurassic-Paleogene tectonic development of the California segment of the North American Cordillera. We present new U-Pb geochronology, zircon and wholerock geochemistry, and petrographic analyses from the Great Valley Group (GVG), Franciscan subduction complex, and Coast Range Ophiolite (CRO) in the northern San Joaquin Valley to better understand the timing and location of initial forearc sedimentation, and how sediment routing systems may have evolved during Cretaceous time. Basal GVG strata of the Knoxville Formation were deposited ca. 145-140 Ma and are separated by an-40 m.y. unconformity with overlying strata of the Upper Cretaceous Panoche Formation. Pre-Mesozoic zircon grains are present in both the Knoxville and Panoche formations, but are sparse (0%-7%) compared to other GVG sandstones. Zircon geochemistry records felsic igneous sources (Th/U 0.9-0.2) during both periods of deposition, and epsilon Hf signatures reveal a shift from juvenile to more evolved sources between Knoxville and Panoche deposition. Whole-rock geochemistry shows increasing compositional maturity from latest Jurassic crystallization of the CRO to Early and Late Cretaceous deposition of the GVG. Integrating these data, we present a tectonic model for the northern San Joaquin portion of the GVF basin from ca. 145 Ma to 80 Ma that documents the onset of basin deposition and details sediment pathways during the Early to earliest Late Cretaceous. In addition, we discuss potential drivers for the-40 m.y. unconformity within the San Joaquin Valley and implications of this work for global forearc basin processes.

ABSTRACT The Great Valley forearc (GVf) basin, California, records deposition along the western margin of North America during active oceanic subduction from Jurassic through Paleogene time. Along the western GVf, its underlying basement, the Coast Range Ophiolite (CRO), is exposed as a narrow outcrop belt. CRO segments are overlain by the Great Valley Group (GVG), and locally, an ophiolitic breccia separates the CRO from basal GVG strata. New stratigraphic, petrographic, and geochronologic data (3865 detrital and 68 igneous zircon U-Pb ages) from the upper CRO, ophiolitic breccia, and basal GVG strata clarify temporal relationships among the three units, constrain maximum depositional ages (MDAs), and identify provenance signatures of the ophiolitic breccia and basal GVG strata. Gabbroic rocks from the upper CRO yield zircon U-Pb ages of 168.0 ± 1.3 Ma and 165.1 ± 1.2 Ma. Prominent detrital-zircon age populations of the ophiolitic breccia and GVG strata comprise Jurassic and Jurassic–Early Cretaceous ages, respectively, with pre-Mesozoic ages in both that are consistent with sources of North America affinity. Combined with petrographic modal analyses that show abundant volcanic grains (> 50%), we interpret the breccia to be mainly derived from the underlying CRO, with limited input from the hinterland of North America, and the basal GVG to be derived from Mesozoic igneous and volcanic rocks of the Sierra Nevada–Klamath magmatic arc and hinterland. Analysis of detrital-zircon grains from the lower and upper ophiolitic breccia yields MDAs of ∼ 166 Ma and ∼ 151 Ma, respectively. Along-strike variation in Jurassic and Cretaceous MDAs from basal GVG strata range from ∼ 148 to 141 Ma, which are interpreted to reflect diachronous deposition in segmented depocenters during early development of the forearc. The ophiolitic breccia was deposited in a forearc position proximal to North America < 4 Myr before the onset of GVG deposition. A new tectonic model for early development of the GVf highlights the role of forearc extension coeval with magmatic arc compression during the earliest stages of basin development.

The Great Valley forearc (GVf) basin, California, records deposition along the western margin of North America during active oceanic subduction from Jurassic through Paleogene time. Along the western GVf, its underlying basement, the Coast Range Ophiolite (CRO), is exposed as a narrow outcrop belt. CRO segments are overlain by the Great Valley Group (GVG), and locally, an ophiolitic breccia separates the CRO from basal GVG strata. New stratigraphic, petrographic, and geochronologic data (3865 detrital and 68 igneous zircon U-Pb ages) from the upper CRO, ophiolitic breccia, and basal GVG strata clarify temporal relationships among the three units, constrain maximum depositional ages (MDAs), and identify provenance signatures of the ophiolitic breccia and basal GVG strata. Gabbroic rocks from the upper CRO yield zircon U-Pb ages of 168.0 +/- 61.3 Ma and 165.1 +/- 61.2 Ma. Prominent detrital-zircon age populations of the ophiolitic breccia and GVG strata comprise Jurassic and Jurassic-Early Cretaceous ages, respectively, with pre-Mesozoic ages in both that are consistent with sources of North America affinity. Combined with petrographic modal analyses that show abundant volcanic grains (> 50%), we interpret the breccia to be mainly derived from the underlying CRO, with limited input from the hinterland of North America, and the basal GVG to be derived from Mesozoic igneous and volcanic rocks of the Sierra Nevada-Klamath magmatic arc and hinterland. Analysis of detrital-zircon grains from the lower and upper ophiolitic breccia yields MDAs of similar to 166 Ma and similar to 151 Ma, respectively. Along-strike variation in Jurassic and Cretaceous MDAs from basal GVG strata range from similar to 148 to 141 Ma, which are interpreted to reflect diachronous deposition in segmented depocenters during early development of the forearc. The ophiolitic breccia was deposited in a forearc position proximal to North America < 4 Myr before the onset of GVG deposition. Anew tectonic model for early development of the GVf highlights the role of forearc extension coeval with magmatic arc compression during the earliest stages of basin development.

Archean rocks exposed in the Beartooth Mountains, Montana and Wyoming, have experienced a complex >2.5 Gyr thermal history related to the long‐term geodynamic evolution of Laurentia. We constrain this history using “deep‐time” thermochronology, reporting zircon U‐Pb, biotite 40 Ar/ 39 Ar, and zircon and apatite [U‐Th(‐Sm)]/He results from three transects across the basement‐core of the range. Our central transect yielded a zircon U‐Pb concordia age of 2,805.6 ± 6.4 Ma. Biotite 40 Ar/ 39 Ar plateau ages from western samples are ≤1,775 ± 27 Ma, while those from samples further east are ≥2,263 ± 76 Ma. Zircon (U‐Th)/He dates span 686.4 ± 11.9 to 13.5 ± 0.3 Ma and show a negative relationship with effective uranium—a proxy for radiation damage. Apatite (U‐Th)/He dates are 109.2 ± 23.9 to 43.6 ± 1.9 Ma and correlate with sample elevation. Multi‐chronometer Bayesian time‐temperature inversions suggest: (a) Cooling between ∼1.90 and ∼1.80 Ga, likely related to Big Sky orogeny thermal effects; (b) Reheating between ∼1.80 Ga and ∼1.35 Ga consistent with Mesoproterozoic burial; (c) Cooling to ≤100°C between Mesoproterozoic and early Paleozoic time, likely reflecting continental erosion; (d) Variable Paleozoic–Jurassic cooling, possibly related to Paleozoic tectonism and/or low eustatic sea level; (e) Rapid Cretaceous–Paleocene cooling, preceding accepted proxies for flat‐slab subduction; (f) Eocene–Miocene reheating consistent with reburial by Cenozoic volcanics and/or sediments; (g) Post‐20 Ma cooling consistent with Neogene development of topographic relief. Our results emphasize the utility of multi‐chronometer thermochronology in recovering complex, non‐monotonic multi‐billion‐year thermal histories.

Supporting datasets for Ronemus et al., "Orogens of Big Sky Country: Reconstructing the Deep-Time Tectonothermal History of the Beartooth Mountains, Montana and Wyoming, USA" in review at Tectonics as of August 16, 2022. Dataset S1. Detailed analytical settings and data for zircon U-Pb geochronology Dataset S2. Biotite 40Ar/39Ar analytic results Dataset S3. Zircon (U-Th)/He analytic results Dataset S4. Apatite and zircon grain photomicrographs with measurements Dataset S5. Apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He analytic results Dataset S6. QTQt input and results files Datasets S1, S2, S3, and S5 are also available in the Tectonics submission supporting information.

The India-Asia continental collision zone archives a sedimentary record of the tectonic, geodynamic, and erosional processes that control the thermal history of the Himalayan orogenic interior since the onset of collision in early Paleogene time. In this paper, we present new (U-Th)/He thermochronometric cooling age data from 18 detrital zircons (ZHe) and 19 detrital apatites (AHe) of the early Eocene-early Miocene (ca. 50-23 Ma) continental facies of the Indus Group along the India-Asia collision zone in Ladakh, northwest (NW) India. This along-strike regional-scale low-temperature thermochronometric data set from the Indus basin is the first report of ZHe and AHe cooling ages from western and eastern Ladakh. Thermal modeling of our ZHe and AHe cooling ages indicates a postdepositional Neogene cooling signal in the Indus Group. Cooling initiated at ca. 21-19 Ma, was operational along the similar to 300 km strike of the collision zone in NW India by ca. 11 Ma, and continued until ca. 3 Ma. The Miocene cooling signal, also present along the India-Asia collision zone in south Tibet, is a continental-scale cooling event likely linked to increased erosional efficiency by the Indus and Yarlung Rivers across an elevated region resulting from the subduction dynamics of the underthrusting Indian plate.