NEW DETRITAL ZIRCON U-PB AGES FROM THE SANTA FE AND DRY UNION FORMATIONS, COLORADO: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROVENANCE OF RIO GRANDE RIFT SEDIMENT

The Rio Grande Rift is a complex system of half-grabens and sediment-filled basins. To better understand the evolution of drainage networks and sediment provenance of the area, a multi-institution research group collected multiple samples of the sediments, clast counts, stratigraphic, and imbrication data in the Santa Fe and Dry Union Formations. This in turn will give us a better understanding of the depositional and tectonic history of the Rio Grande Rift. Here, we will present new detrital zircon U-Pb age data from the Dry Union and Santa Fe Formations that constrain sediment provenance and the maximum depositional ages of samples. The data will show us the provenance of the sediments found in the rift basin and give us a better picture of how the drainage network has evolved over time. This data is important because it give us more information to understand how the rift faults can influence sediment dispersal. It will also help us constrain the basin of the Santa Fe and Dry Union Formations and their relationship to rift processes. The provenance of Rio Grande Rift sediments and how they are influenced by rift tectonics will have implications for Earth resources and crustal dynamics.