GEOCHEMICAL CONSTRAINTS ON THE PROVENANCE OF EDIACARAN-CAMBRIAN SEDIMENTARY ROCKS FROM THE SOUTHWESTERN MARGIN OF LAURENTIA

The break-up of the supercontinent Rodinia is often mechanistically linked to coeval changes in Neoproterozoic–Cambrian surface conditions, climate, and life, yet the timing and nature of this tectonic evolution remain debated topics. Calibration of the rift to drift transition along the western (present-day coordinates) margin of Laurentia has remained particularly contentious with suggestions ranging over a hundred million years from the early Ediacaran to the middle Cambrian. We present high resolution whole rock ε_Nd and trace element geochemical data of fine-grained clastic rocks from late Ediacaran–Cambrian str­atigraphic sections in southwestern North America. This study aims to use these geochemical data to understand temporal changes in sedimentary provenance that may be associated with the weathering of rift-related volcanic rocks along this margin.