Thermochronology in South America

Abstract

Thermochronology and geochronology share many theoretical and technical fundamentals (e.g., Reiners et al., 2005; Braun et al., 2006, among others) and both essentially provide time information, yet they pursue different questions, given the low temperature sensitivity of thermochronometers. While thermochronology is aimed at understanding rates of processes, geochronology, focuses on the calculation of absolute ages. Since the early developments of thermochronology in the 1960’, and the pioneer studies in the 1980’-90’, medium- and low-temperature thermochronology has became a powerful technique in geodynamic and tectonic studies in different settings. More recently, Its uses have broadened to other fields like geomorphology and stratigraphy,as well as mining and oil exploration, as closure temperatures of many mineral systems overlap with the temperature window of epithermal mineral deposits and of source rock maturation for petroleum formation. In South America, low-temperature thermochronometry has been instrumental for understanding the age and mode of Andean construction and to infer its triggering mechanisms, to understand the exhumation associated with opening of the Atlantic and the subsequent evolution of the passive margins, and to focus petroleum exploration, among others. The main objective of this Special Issue “Thermochronology in South America: From Cordilleras to cratons” is to visualize the thermochronology community working in this part of the planet, its current developments regarding new analytical and numerical modelling laboratories, new analytical developments, and novel applications in various mineral systems for geodynamics and applied geological problems.