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U-Pb detrital zircon data for: lower Paleozoic sedimentary rocks near Silverton, CO USA

Published by U.S. Geological Survey | Department of the Interior | Catalog Last Checked: May 05, 2026 at 08:54 PM | Dataset Last Updated: August 20, 2020 at 12:00 AM
This Laser ablation ICPMS U-Pb detrital zircon data set supports mapping and stratigraphic interpretations of the Upper Devonian Ignacio Formation in southwestern Colorado (Silverton area). All samples were collected from a measured stratigraphic section called "Sultan Creek South" located at 37.710010 and -107.67530 (Evans and others, 2019). The Ignacio Formation was previously interpreted as Cambrian, but evidence that it is Devonian includes reexamined fossil data and detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology. The Ignacio Formation has a stratigraphic trend of detrital zircon ages shifting from a single ca. 1.7 Ga age peak to bimodal ca. 1.4 Ga and ca. 1.7 Ga age peaks, which represents local source-area unroofing history. Specifically, the upper plate of a Proterozoic thrust system (ca. 1.7 Ga Twilight Gneiss) was eroded prior to exposure of the lower plate (ca. 1.4 Ga Uncompahgre Formation). These results are a significant alternative interpretation of the geologic history of the southern Rocky Mountains.

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