Tectonic development of the Alpine fault zone, New Zealand: A fission-track study

Research Article| February 01, 1986 Tectonic development of the Alpine fault zone, New Zealand: A fission-track study S. H. White; S. H. White 1Geology Department, Imperial College, London SW7 2BP, England Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar P. F. Green P. F. Green 2Geology Department, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information S. H. White 1Geology Department, Imperial College, London SW7 2BP, England P. F. Green 2Geology Department, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (1986) 14 (2): 124–127. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1986)14<124:TDOTAF>2.0.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation S. H. White, P. F. Green; Tectonic development of the Alpine fault zone, New Zealand: A fission-track study. Geology 1986;; 14 (2): 124–127. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1986)14<124:TDOTAF>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 Fission-track dating of zircons from the Alpine fault zone in New Zealand and associated granites and gneisses reveals at least three stages in the development of the present fault zone. Mylonites northwest of the Fraser fault give ages of ∼80 Ma. Zircons from the Fraser Formation, bounded by the Fraser and Alpine faults, give ages of ∼9 Ma. Samples east of the Alpine fault give ages below 5 Ma. These youngest ages result from the currently active uplift of the Alpine schists against the Alpine fault. The ∼9 Ma ages record a rapid uplift of the Fraser Formation owing to the onset of compression across the plate boundary. Mylonites to the west of the mapped Fraser fault that give zircon fission-track ages of ∼80 Ma indicate a third, much earlier phase of fault movement. Structural and other geologic evidence supports these conclusions.The observation that the present plate boundary was located along a preexisting zone of weakness suggests that mylonite zones may merit greater attention as possible sites for initiation of rifting and/or continental transform faults. 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.