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SUMMARY:Hot to cold: applications of low-temperature thermochronology acro
 ss latitudes and tectonic settings - Ethan Conrad (UCL)
DTSTART:20251029T140000Z
DTEND:20251029T150000Z
UID:TALK239377@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Alice Turner
DESCRIPTION:Many studies have demonstrated that low-temperature thermochro
 nology is a powerful tool for constraining and interpreting the thermal hi
 stories of rocks. When combined with tectonic and geomorphological analysi
 s\, it allows researchers to reconstruct how Earth’s crust has evolved o
 ver time as it was shaped by tectonic\, geodynamic\, and surface processes
 . Thermochronological studies typically rely on our understanding of radio
 active decay and the temperature sensitivity of diffusion to estimate how 
 long since a rock was at a certain temperature\, enabling researchers to c
 alculate an exhumation rate assuming a geothermal gradient. Using this tra
 ditional “date to exhumation rate” approach\, we combine zircon U-Pb g
 eochronology\, apatite and zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronology\, structural 
 geology\, and geomorphology in the Dominican Republic to link exhumation p
 atterns with the tectonic evolution of the boundary between the North Amer
 ican and Caribbean Plates. We then shift focus to West Antarctica\, presen
 ting findings on how low-temperature thermochronology\, combined with pale
 otopographic reconstructions and numerical modeling\, can help constrain t
 he geophysical properties of the crust beneath the Thwaites glacier. This 
 approach inverts the “date to exhumation rate” method\, using independ
 ent constraints on sediment flux and glacial incision to infer variability
  in geothermal heat flux across the Thwaites glacial catchment. Our result
 s refine current heat flux models by better accounting for the effects of 
 exhumation and topography on the thermal structure of the subsurface\, lea
 ding to a deeper understanding of the processes influencing geothermal var
 iability and more accurate models of the past and future behavior of the W
 est Antarctic ice sheet\, as part of the international SWAIS2C project (Se
 nsitivity of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet to 2ºC warming). Additionally\,
  despite their contrasting climates\, both presented study areas are chara
 cterized by oblique tectonic regimes. Oblique tectonic settings exhibit co
 mplex and poorly understood patterns of relief development and concentrate
 d exhumation\, which these studies help to uncover.
LOCATION:Wolfson Lecture Theatre
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