Plate Tectonics and Foreland Basement Deformation

Research Article| June 01, 1974 Plate Tectonics and Foreland Basement Deformation James D. Lowell James D. Lowell 1Exxon Company, U.S.A., P.O. Box 120, Denver, Colorado 80201 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (1974) 2 (6): 275–278. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1974)2<275:PTAFBD>2.0.CO;2 Article history first online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation James D. Lowell; Plate Tectonics and Foreland Basement Deformation. Geology 1974;; 2 (6): 275–278. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1974)2<275:PTAFBD>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The extent and complexity of Laramide foreland basement deformation in the Wyoming province adjacent to the Idaho-Wyoming thrust-fold belt have led to numerous tectonic hypotheses, including tangential crustal compression (manifest as thrusting), vertical uplift, and strike slip; actually, all three types of deformation have occurred. With the advent of plate tectonics, tangential compression related to subduction has been mentioned most frequently as the ultimate cause of foreland deformation. Tangential compression is presumably operative in all subduction-related orogenic belts, but because most orogenic belts do not have foreland basement deformation comparable with that of the Wyoming province, compression alone does not seem sufficient to account for foreland basement structuring. Apparently a more specific condition is necessary. It is here proposed that in addition to tangential compression and strike slip, a lithospheric slab subducted well beneath the foreland is a fundamental requisite for deformation there, providing the buoyancy necessary for uplift of basement blocks. Recent work based on K2O/SiO2 ratios of Cenozoic andesites suggests that paleosubduction did occur far east within the Wyoming province (Lipman and others, 1971). This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.