Cenozoic thermal evolution of the central Sierra Nevada, California, from (U-Th)/He thermochronometry

Abstract

Apatite(U-Th)/He cooling ages are reported for igneous apatite samples from the central Sierra Nevada and compared to published apatite fission track ages and track length data from the same mineral separates. Helium ages are youngest at low elevations and increase systematically toward higher elevations, ranging from 43 to 84 Ma at Yosemite Valley, 32 to 74 Ma at Kings River Canyon, and 23 to 75 Ma at Mt. Whitney. Helium ages from high elevation samples are generally concordant with corresponding fission track ages, while lower elevation helium ages are substantially younger. Cooling histories inferred from present laboratory derived fission track annealing and helium diffusion models do not match well, suggesting that either helium diffusion rates or fission track annealing rates are miscalibrated at temperatures below about 60°C for geologic exposure periods. Unlike the fission track results, the helium data do not indicate a very low geothermal gradient in the Sierra Nevada during early to middle Tertiary time.