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This study focuses on the provenance of sandstone units in the Upper Triassic Owl Rock Member of the Chinle Formation of northern Arizona. To determine possible source terranes, transport mechanisms, and routes for delivery to the basin, both light and heavy mineral separates were studied to determine provenance, and U/Pb isotope detrital zircon dates were used to further determine specific source ... read moreterranes and maximum age of deposition. Gazzi-Dickinson ternary plots of the light mineral fractions reveal a source likely from uplifted basement rock. Heavy mineral fractions suggest two sources: one mafic and one sialic. U/Pb detrital zircon geochronology identifies arc magmatism to the west of the basin as a primary contributor of zircon. Significant populations of Precambrian zircons were likely sourced from west Texas and southern Arizona, suggesting that a paleo-river system draining areas to the southeast of the study area existed during the Late Triassic and transported sediment northwest to the Chinle basin.read less
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