Theresa Schwartz
I am a Research Geologist with wide-ranging interests in the realm of tectonics and sedimentary basins.
I use the principles of sedimentary geology, geochronology, and associated fields to perform geologic mapping and conduct geologic research that together enhance our understanding of the geologic framework of the western USA. This work enables public access to regional geological information and directly supports regional assessments of energy, mineral, water, and industrial material resources, as well as geologic hazards.
Professional Experience
2019-present: Research Geologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO
2018-2019: Assistant Research Professor, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO
2017-2019: Science Editor, American Journal Experts
2015-2017: Assistant Professor of Geology, Allegheny College, Meadville, PA
2014 (summer): Geoscience Intern, Hess Corporation, Houston, TX
2011 (summer): Geoscience Intern, NEOS GeoSolutions, Pleasanton, CA
2010-2015: Graduate Research Sedimentologist, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Education and Certifications
2010: BS-Geology, Allegheny College
2015: PhD-Geological & Environmental Sciences, Stanford University
Science and Products
Late Triassic paleogeography of southern Laurentia and its fringing arcs: Insights from detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotope geochemistry, Auld Lang Syne basin (Nevada, USA) Late Triassic paleogeography of southern Laurentia and its fringing arcs: Insights from detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotope geochemistry, Auld Lang Syne basin (Nevada, USA)
Fluvial strata of the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation and Dockum Group, exposed across the Western Interior of North America, have long been interpreted to record a transcontinental river system that connected the ancestral Ouachita orogen of Texas and Oklahoma, USA, to the Auld Lang Syne basin of northwestern Nevada, USA, its inferred marine terminus. Fluvial strata are well...
Authors
Theresa Maude Schwartz, Sandra J. Wyld, Joseph P. Colgan, Douglas W. Prihar
Paleogene sedimentary basin development in southern Nevada, USA Paleogene sedimentary basin development in southern Nevada, USA
The cause of the transition from Mesozoic and early Cenozoic crustal shortening to later extension in the western United States is debated. In many parts of the extant Sevier hinterland, now the Basin and Range Province, the sedimentary sections that provide the most direct record of that transition remain poorly studied and lack meaningful age control. In this paper, we present field
Authors
Jens-Erik Lundstern, Theresa Maude Schwartz, Cameron Mark Mercer, Joseph P. Colgan, Jeremiah B. Workman, Leah E. Morgan
Revised age and regional correlations of Cenozoic strata on Bat Mountain, Death Valley region, California, USA, from zircon U-Pb geochronology of sandstones and ash-fall tuffs Revised age and regional correlations of Cenozoic strata on Bat Mountain, Death Valley region, California, USA, from zircon U-Pb geochronology of sandstones and ash-fall tuffs
Basin analysis and tectonic reconstructions of the Cenozoic history of the Death Valley region, California, USA, are hindered by a lack of volcanic (tuff) age control in many stratigraphic successions exposed in the Grapevine and Funeral Mountains of California, USA. Although maximum depositional ages (MDAs) interpreted from detrital zircon U-Pb data may be a promising alternative to...
Authors
Theresa Maude Schwartz, Amanda Souders, Jens-Erik Lundstern, Amy K. Gilmer, Ren A. Thompson
Tectonic subsidence modeling of diachronous transition from backarc to retroarc basin development and uplift during Cordilleran orogenesis, Patagonian-Fuegian Andes Tectonic subsidence modeling of diachronous transition from backarc to retroarc basin development and uplift during Cordilleran orogenesis, Patagonian-Fuegian Andes
Backstripped tectonic basin subsidence histories are critical for interpreting phases of lithospheric deformation and paleoenvironmental change from the stratigraphic record. This study presents new subsidence modeling of the Rocas Verdes Backarc Basin (RVB) and Magallanes-Austral retroarc foreland basin (MAB) of southernmost South America to evaluate along-strike changes in tectonic...
Authors
Rebecca A. VanderLeest, Julie C. Fosdick, Matthew A. Malkowski, Brian W. Romans, Matias C. Ghiglione, Theresa Maude Schwartz, Zachary T. Sickmann
Depositional controls on detrital zircon provenance: An example from upper Cretaceous strata, southern Patagonia Depositional controls on detrital zircon provenance: An example from upper Cretaceous strata, southern Patagonia
Understanding how depositional environments within a sedimentary system redistribute and sequester sediment is critical for interpreting basin-scale provenance trends. However, sedimentary source-to-sink models commonly examine temporal changes and do not consider how variation in sedimentation processes across a dispersal pathway may result in contrasting provenance signatures. In this...
Authors
Stephen C. Dobbs, Matthew A. Malkowski, Theresa Maude Schwartz, Zachary T. Sickmann, Stephan A. Graham
Detrital zircon record of magmatism and sediment dispersal across the North American Cordilleran arc system (28-48°N) Detrital zircon record of magmatism and sediment dispersal across the North American Cordilleran arc system (28-48°N)
As zircon U-Pb geochronology has become a leading method in sediment provenance studies and basin analysis over the past 20 years, the volume of detrital zircon data made available in published literature has enabled researchers to go beyond source-to-sink provenance studies to explore increasingly complex geologic problems. In this review, we utilize the growing body of detrital zircon...
Authors
Theresa Maude Schwartz, Kathleen D. Surpless, Joseph P. Colgan, Samuel Johnstone, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma
Evidence for variable precipitation and discharge from Upper Cretaceous–Paleogene fluvial deposits of the Raton Basin, Colorado–New Mexico, U.S.A. Evidence for variable precipitation and discharge from Upper Cretaceous–Paleogene fluvial deposits of the Raton Basin, Colorado–New Mexico, U.S.A.
The Raton Basin of Colorado–New Mexico, USA, is the southeasternmost basin of the Laramide intraforeland province of North America. It hosts a thick succession (4.5 km or 15,000 ft) of Upper Cretaceous to Paleogene marine and continental strata that were deposited in response to the final regression of the Western Interior Seaway and the onset of Laramide intraforeland deformation. The...
Authors
Theresa Maude Schwartz, Marieke Dechesne, Kristine L. Zellman
Mesozoic magmatism in Montana Mesozoic magmatism in Montana
From crystalline batholiths with footprints larger than 4,500 km2 to beds of micron-sized ash particles, a record of Mesozoic magmatism is found throughout Montana. Mesozoic igneous rocks are an important natural resource in the state because of their association with precious metal ores and industrial mineral deposits. Mesozoic magmatism in Montana is a tale of volcanic arc eruptions...
Authors
Kaleb C. Scarberry, Petr V. Yakovlev, Theresa Maude Schwartz
Orogenic recycling of detrital zircons characterizes age distributions of North American Cordilleran strata Orogenic recycling of detrital zircons characterizes age distributions of North American Cordilleran strata
Detrital zircon (DZ) analysis has become the standard tool for source‐to‐sink sediment routing studies at many spatial and temporal scales. In North American source‐to‐sink studies, DZ distributions are commonly classified according to the presence/absence and proportions of DZ age groups associated with North American crustal provinces as well as peri‐Gondwanan and Cordilleran terranes...
Authors
Theresa Maude Schwartz, Robert K. Schwartz, A.L. Weislogel
A stratigraphic approach to inferring depositional ages from detrital geochronology data A stratigraphic approach to inferring depositional ages from detrital geochronology data
With the increasing use of detrital geochronology data for provenance analyses, we have also developed new constraints on the age of otherwise undateable sedimentary deposits. Because a deposit can be no older than its youngest mineral constituent, the youngest defensible detrital mineral age defines the maximum depositional age of the sampled bed. Defining the youngest `defensible' age...
Authors
Samuel Johnstone, Theresa M. Schwartz, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma
Non-USGS Publications**
Sickmann, Z., Schwartz, T.M., Malkowski, M.A., Dobbs, S., and Graham, S.A., 2019, Interpreting large detrital geochronology data sets in retroarc foreland basins: An example from the Magallanes-Austral Basin, southernmost Patagonia: Lithosphere, v. 11, no. 5, p. 620-642. doi:10.1130/L1060.1
Daniels, B.G., Hubbard, S.M., Romans, B.W., Malkowski, M.A., Matthews, W.A., Bernhardt, A., Kaempfe, S.A., Jobe, Z.R., Fosdick, J.C., Schwartz, T.M., Fildani, A., and Graham, S.A., 2019, Revised chronostratigraphic framework for the Cretaceous Magallanes-Austral Basin, Ultima Esperanza Province, Chile: Journal of South American Earth Sciences, v. 94. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2019.05.025
Johnstone, S.A., Schwartz, T.M., and Holm-Denoma, C., 2019, A stratigraphic approach to inferring depositional ages from detrital geochronology data: Frontiers in Earth Science, v. 7. doi:10.3389/feart.2019.00057
Schwartz, T.M., Methner, K., Mulch, A., Graham, S.A., and Chamberlain, C.P., 2019, Paleogene topographic and climatic evolution of the Northern Rocky Mountains from integrated sedimentary and isotopic data: GSA Bulletin, v. 131, no. 7-8, p. 1203-1223. doi:10.1130/B32068.1
Sickmann, Z.T., Schwartz, T.M., and Graham, S.A., 2018, Refining stratigraphy and tectonic history using detrital zircon maximum depositional age: an example from the Cerro Fortaleza Formation, Austral Basin, southern Patagonia: Basin Research, v. 30, iss. 4, p. 708-729. doi:10.1111/bre.12272
Malkowski, M.A., Schwartz, T.M., Sharman, G.R., Sickmann, Z., and Graham, S.A., 2017, Stratigraphic and provenance variations in the early evolution of the Magallanes-Austral foreland basin: implications for the role of longitudinal vs. transverse sediment dispersal during oblique arc-continent collision: GSA Bulletin, v. 129, no. 3-4, p. 349-371. doi:10.1130/B31549.1
Schwartz, TM, Fosdick, JC, and Graham, SA (2017) Using detrital zircon U-Pb ages to calculate Late Cretaceous sedimentation rates in the Magallanes-Austral Basin, Patagonia. Basin Research, v. 29. doi:10.1111/bre.12198
Schwartz, T.M., and Graham, S.A., 2017, Depositional history and provenance of Paleogene strata in the Sage Creek basin, southwestern Montana: Geosphere, v. 13, no. 4, p. 1285-1309. doi:10.1130/GES01450.1
Sharman, G.R., Schwartz, T.M., Shumaker, L.E., Trigg, C., Nieminski, N., Sickmann, Z., Malkowski, M.A., Hourigan, J.K., Schulein, B.J., and Graham, S.A., 2017, Submarine mass-failure within the shelfal-deltaic Domengine Formation (Eocene), California: Geosphere, v. 13, no. 3, p. 1285-1309. doi:10.1130/GES01442.1
Schwartz, T.M., and Graham, S.A., 2015, Stratigraphic architecture of a tide-influenced shelf-edge delta, Upper Cretaceous Dorotea Formation, Magallanes-Austral Basin, Patagonia: Sedimentology, v. 62, iss. 4, p. 1039-1077. doi:10.1111/sed/12176
Schwartz, T.M., and Schwartz, R.K., 2013, Paleogene post-compressional intermontane basin evolution along the frontal Cordilleran fold-and-thrust belt of southwestern Montana: GSA Bulletin, v. 125, no. 5-6, p. 961-984. doi:10.1130/B30766.1
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Sedimentology and Structure Working Group
The Sedimentology and Structure Working Group supports the Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West (IMW) Project by conducting geologic mapping and research focused on the structural and sedimentary processes that shaped the Intermountain West region and their implications for resource exploration and tectonic history. This research provides a process-based framework for understanding mineral...
Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West
The Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West (IMW) Project conducts 1:24,000- to 1:100,000-scale geologic mapping to support framework geologic investigations. The IMW project is prioritizing development of a seamless, integrated geologic map database in targeted areas of the Intermountain West region of the United States that host substantial mineral, energy, water, and industrial material...
Detrital zircon U-Pb data for reconnaissance characterization of strata across the Intermountain West region of the United States Detrital zircon U-Pb data for reconnaissance characterization of strata across the Intermountain West region of the United States
This document describes sedimentary rock samples and their associated detrital zircon U-Pb data that were collected to support geologic mapping and research initiatives within the context of the Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West Project. The data characterize the age and/or provenance of Neoproterozoic to Miocene strata exposed across the Intermountain West region of the...
Bedrock geologic map database for the Blanca Peak, Walsenburg, Trinidad, and Alamosa 30' x 60' quadrangles, Colorado Bedrock geologic map database for the Blanca Peak, Walsenburg, Trinidad, and Alamosa 30' x 60' quadrangles, Colorado
This data release presents geologic map data for the bedrock geology of the Blanca Peak, Walsenburg, Trinidad, and Alamosa 30' x 60' quadrangles, Colorado. Geologic mapping incorporates new interpretive contributions and compilation from published geologic map data sources primarily ranging from 1:24,000 to 1:50,000 scale. Much of the geology incorporated from published geologic maps is...
Detrital zircon U-Pb data for Upper Triassic sandstones of the Auld Lang Syne basin, northwest Nevada, USA Detrital zircon U-Pb data for Upper Triassic sandstones of the Auld Lang Syne basin, northwest Nevada, USA
This data release includes raw detrital zircon U-Pb data for isolated sandstones in Upper Triassic deposits of the Auld Lang Syne basin of northwest Nevada, USA. Detrital zircon U-Pb data for 11 sandstone samples (3269 zircon U-Pb dates) were acquired via LA-ICP-MS at the University of Arizona LaserChron Center for 11 sandstone samples. Primary insights from the data are twofold: 1) The...
Zircon U-Pb data for ash-fall tuffs and sandstones of the Cenozoic Amargosa Valley and Bat Mountain Formations exposed on Bat Mountain, southern Funeral Mountains, California, USA Zircon U-Pb data for ash-fall tuffs and sandstones of the Cenozoic Amargosa Valley and Bat Mountain Formations exposed on Bat Mountain, southern Funeral Mountains, California, USA
This document includes two suites of zircon U-Pb data that establish a detailed chronostratigraphy for Cenozoic strata exposed on Bat Mountain of the southern Funeral Mountains, California, USA. The first suite of data includes detrital zircon U-Pb age distributions that characterize the maximum depositional age and provenance of five sandstone samples from the Oligocene-Miocene Amargosa...
Compilation of in situ and detrital zircon U-Pb ages for the Jurassic-Paleocene North American Cordillera (28-50 degrees north) Compilation of in situ and detrital zircon U-Pb ages for the Jurassic-Paleocene North American Cordillera (28-50 degrees north)
This document includes two suites of zircon U-Pb ages that help to characterize the magmatic and sedimentary history of the North American Cordillera between ~28 and 50 degrees north. The first dataset is a compilation of published zircon U-Pb ages of igneous rocks associated with the Mesozoic-Cenozoic North American Cordilleran arc. The compilation of igneous zircon data includes 1,492...
Preliminary detrital zircon data for Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene strata of the Crazy Mountains basin, Montana Preliminary detrital zircon data for Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene strata of the Crazy Mountains basin, Montana
This document includes sandstone provenance data for Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene strata preserved in the Crazy Mountains Basin of western Montana, USA. The dataset includes detrital zircon data for six samples from the Upper Cretaceous Hoppers Formation (1 sample), Upper Cretaceous Billman Creek Formation (1 sample), and Paleocene Fort Union Formation (4 samples). Detrital zircon data...
Measured sections and paleocurrent data from fluvial deposits of the Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene Raton and Poison Canyon Formations, Raton Basin, Colorado-New Mexico, USA Measured sections and paleocurrent data from fluvial deposits of the Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene Raton and Poison Canyon Formations, Raton Basin, Colorado-New Mexico, USA
This document provides two data sets that characterize outcrops of fluvial deposits of the Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene Raton and Poison Canyon Formations of the Raton Basin of Colorado-New Mexico, USA. First, the dataset includes stratigraphic sections measured through fluvial deposits of the Raton and Poison Canyon Formations (ten unique .tif files), currently exposed in roadside...
Investigating the mineral potential of the Boulder batholith Investigating the mineral potential of the Boulder batholith
Narrative about the ongoing Earth MRI efforts to understand the geologic framework of mineral deposits, both common and critical, in southwestern Montana.
Science and Products
Late Triassic paleogeography of southern Laurentia and its fringing arcs: Insights from detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotope geochemistry, Auld Lang Syne basin (Nevada, USA) Late Triassic paleogeography of southern Laurentia and its fringing arcs: Insights from detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotope geochemistry, Auld Lang Syne basin (Nevada, USA)
Fluvial strata of the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation and Dockum Group, exposed across the Western Interior of North America, have long been interpreted to record a transcontinental river system that connected the ancestral Ouachita orogen of Texas and Oklahoma, USA, to the Auld Lang Syne basin of northwestern Nevada, USA, its inferred marine terminus. Fluvial strata are well...
Authors
Theresa Maude Schwartz, Sandra J. Wyld, Joseph P. Colgan, Douglas W. Prihar
Paleogene sedimentary basin development in southern Nevada, USA Paleogene sedimentary basin development in southern Nevada, USA
The cause of the transition from Mesozoic and early Cenozoic crustal shortening to later extension in the western United States is debated. In many parts of the extant Sevier hinterland, now the Basin and Range Province, the sedimentary sections that provide the most direct record of that transition remain poorly studied and lack meaningful age control. In this paper, we present field
Authors
Jens-Erik Lundstern, Theresa Maude Schwartz, Cameron Mark Mercer, Joseph P. Colgan, Jeremiah B. Workman, Leah E. Morgan
Revised age and regional correlations of Cenozoic strata on Bat Mountain, Death Valley region, California, USA, from zircon U-Pb geochronology of sandstones and ash-fall tuffs Revised age and regional correlations of Cenozoic strata on Bat Mountain, Death Valley region, California, USA, from zircon U-Pb geochronology of sandstones and ash-fall tuffs
Basin analysis and tectonic reconstructions of the Cenozoic history of the Death Valley region, California, USA, are hindered by a lack of volcanic (tuff) age control in many stratigraphic successions exposed in the Grapevine and Funeral Mountains of California, USA. Although maximum depositional ages (MDAs) interpreted from detrital zircon U-Pb data may be a promising alternative to...
Authors
Theresa Maude Schwartz, Amanda Souders, Jens-Erik Lundstern, Amy K. Gilmer, Ren A. Thompson
Tectonic subsidence modeling of diachronous transition from backarc to retroarc basin development and uplift during Cordilleran orogenesis, Patagonian-Fuegian Andes Tectonic subsidence modeling of diachronous transition from backarc to retroarc basin development and uplift during Cordilleran orogenesis, Patagonian-Fuegian Andes
Backstripped tectonic basin subsidence histories are critical for interpreting phases of lithospheric deformation and paleoenvironmental change from the stratigraphic record. This study presents new subsidence modeling of the Rocas Verdes Backarc Basin (RVB) and Magallanes-Austral retroarc foreland basin (MAB) of southernmost South America to evaluate along-strike changes in tectonic...
Authors
Rebecca A. VanderLeest, Julie C. Fosdick, Matthew A. Malkowski, Brian W. Romans, Matias C. Ghiglione, Theresa Maude Schwartz, Zachary T. Sickmann
Depositional controls on detrital zircon provenance: An example from upper Cretaceous strata, southern Patagonia Depositional controls on detrital zircon provenance: An example from upper Cretaceous strata, southern Patagonia
Understanding how depositional environments within a sedimentary system redistribute and sequester sediment is critical for interpreting basin-scale provenance trends. However, sedimentary source-to-sink models commonly examine temporal changes and do not consider how variation in sedimentation processes across a dispersal pathway may result in contrasting provenance signatures. In this...
Authors
Stephen C. Dobbs, Matthew A. Malkowski, Theresa Maude Schwartz, Zachary T. Sickmann, Stephan A. Graham
Detrital zircon record of magmatism and sediment dispersal across the North American Cordilleran arc system (28-48°N) Detrital zircon record of magmatism and sediment dispersal across the North American Cordilleran arc system (28-48°N)
As zircon U-Pb geochronology has become a leading method in sediment provenance studies and basin analysis over the past 20 years, the volume of detrital zircon data made available in published literature has enabled researchers to go beyond source-to-sink provenance studies to explore increasingly complex geologic problems. In this review, we utilize the growing body of detrital zircon...
Authors
Theresa Maude Schwartz, Kathleen D. Surpless, Joseph P. Colgan, Samuel Johnstone, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma
Evidence for variable precipitation and discharge from Upper Cretaceous–Paleogene fluvial deposits of the Raton Basin, Colorado–New Mexico, U.S.A. Evidence for variable precipitation and discharge from Upper Cretaceous–Paleogene fluvial deposits of the Raton Basin, Colorado–New Mexico, U.S.A.
The Raton Basin of Colorado–New Mexico, USA, is the southeasternmost basin of the Laramide intraforeland province of North America. It hosts a thick succession (4.5 km or 15,000 ft) of Upper Cretaceous to Paleogene marine and continental strata that were deposited in response to the final regression of the Western Interior Seaway and the onset of Laramide intraforeland deformation. The...
Authors
Theresa Maude Schwartz, Marieke Dechesne, Kristine L. Zellman
Mesozoic magmatism in Montana Mesozoic magmatism in Montana
From crystalline batholiths with footprints larger than 4,500 km2 to beds of micron-sized ash particles, a record of Mesozoic magmatism is found throughout Montana. Mesozoic igneous rocks are an important natural resource in the state because of their association with precious metal ores and industrial mineral deposits. Mesozoic magmatism in Montana is a tale of volcanic arc eruptions...
Authors
Kaleb C. Scarberry, Petr V. Yakovlev, Theresa Maude Schwartz
Orogenic recycling of detrital zircons characterizes age distributions of North American Cordilleran strata Orogenic recycling of detrital zircons characterizes age distributions of North American Cordilleran strata
Detrital zircon (DZ) analysis has become the standard tool for source‐to‐sink sediment routing studies at many spatial and temporal scales. In North American source‐to‐sink studies, DZ distributions are commonly classified according to the presence/absence and proportions of DZ age groups associated with North American crustal provinces as well as peri‐Gondwanan and Cordilleran terranes...
Authors
Theresa Maude Schwartz, Robert K. Schwartz, A.L. Weislogel
A stratigraphic approach to inferring depositional ages from detrital geochronology data A stratigraphic approach to inferring depositional ages from detrital geochronology data
With the increasing use of detrital geochronology data for provenance analyses, we have also developed new constraints on the age of otherwise undateable sedimentary deposits. Because a deposit can be no older than its youngest mineral constituent, the youngest defensible detrital mineral age defines the maximum depositional age of the sampled bed. Defining the youngest `defensible' age...
Authors
Samuel Johnstone, Theresa M. Schwartz, Christopher S. Holm-Denoma
Non-USGS Publications**
Sickmann, Z., Schwartz, T.M., Malkowski, M.A., Dobbs, S., and Graham, S.A., 2019, Interpreting large detrital geochronology data sets in retroarc foreland basins: An example from the Magallanes-Austral Basin, southernmost Patagonia: Lithosphere, v. 11, no. 5, p. 620-642. doi:10.1130/L1060.1
Daniels, B.G., Hubbard, S.M., Romans, B.W., Malkowski, M.A., Matthews, W.A., Bernhardt, A., Kaempfe, S.A., Jobe, Z.R., Fosdick, J.C., Schwartz, T.M., Fildani, A., and Graham, S.A., 2019, Revised chronostratigraphic framework for the Cretaceous Magallanes-Austral Basin, Ultima Esperanza Province, Chile: Journal of South American Earth Sciences, v. 94. doi:10.1016/j.jsames.2019.05.025
Johnstone, S.A., Schwartz, T.M., and Holm-Denoma, C., 2019, A stratigraphic approach to inferring depositional ages from detrital geochronology data: Frontiers in Earth Science, v. 7. doi:10.3389/feart.2019.00057
Schwartz, T.M., Methner, K., Mulch, A., Graham, S.A., and Chamberlain, C.P., 2019, Paleogene topographic and climatic evolution of the Northern Rocky Mountains from integrated sedimentary and isotopic data: GSA Bulletin, v. 131, no. 7-8, p. 1203-1223. doi:10.1130/B32068.1
Sickmann, Z.T., Schwartz, T.M., and Graham, S.A., 2018, Refining stratigraphy and tectonic history using detrital zircon maximum depositional age: an example from the Cerro Fortaleza Formation, Austral Basin, southern Patagonia: Basin Research, v. 30, iss. 4, p. 708-729. doi:10.1111/bre.12272
Malkowski, M.A., Schwartz, T.M., Sharman, G.R., Sickmann, Z., and Graham, S.A., 2017, Stratigraphic and provenance variations in the early evolution of the Magallanes-Austral foreland basin: implications for the role of longitudinal vs. transverse sediment dispersal during oblique arc-continent collision: GSA Bulletin, v. 129, no. 3-4, p. 349-371. doi:10.1130/B31549.1
Schwartz, TM, Fosdick, JC, and Graham, SA (2017) Using detrital zircon U-Pb ages to calculate Late Cretaceous sedimentation rates in the Magallanes-Austral Basin, Patagonia. Basin Research, v. 29. doi:10.1111/bre.12198
Schwartz, T.M., and Graham, S.A., 2017, Depositional history and provenance of Paleogene strata in the Sage Creek basin, southwestern Montana: Geosphere, v. 13, no. 4, p. 1285-1309. doi:10.1130/GES01450.1
Sharman, G.R., Schwartz, T.M., Shumaker, L.E., Trigg, C., Nieminski, N., Sickmann, Z., Malkowski, M.A., Hourigan, J.K., Schulein, B.J., and Graham, S.A., 2017, Submarine mass-failure within the shelfal-deltaic Domengine Formation (Eocene), California: Geosphere, v. 13, no. 3, p. 1285-1309. doi:10.1130/GES01442.1
Schwartz, T.M., and Graham, S.A., 2015, Stratigraphic architecture of a tide-influenced shelf-edge delta, Upper Cretaceous Dorotea Formation, Magallanes-Austral Basin, Patagonia: Sedimentology, v. 62, iss. 4, p. 1039-1077. doi:10.1111/sed/12176
Schwartz, T.M., and Schwartz, R.K., 2013, Paleogene post-compressional intermontane basin evolution along the frontal Cordilleran fold-and-thrust belt of southwestern Montana: GSA Bulletin, v. 125, no. 5-6, p. 961-984. doi:10.1130/B30766.1
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Sedimentology and Structure Working Group
The Sedimentology and Structure Working Group supports the Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West (IMW) Project by conducting geologic mapping and research focused on the structural and sedimentary processes that shaped the Intermountain West region and their implications for resource exploration and tectonic history. This research provides a process-based framework for understanding mineral...
Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West
The Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West (IMW) Project conducts 1:24,000- to 1:100,000-scale geologic mapping to support framework geologic investigations. The IMW project is prioritizing development of a seamless, integrated geologic map database in targeted areas of the Intermountain West region of the United States that host substantial mineral, energy, water, and industrial material...
Detrital zircon U-Pb data for reconnaissance characterization of strata across the Intermountain West region of the United States Detrital zircon U-Pb data for reconnaissance characterization of strata across the Intermountain West region of the United States
This document describes sedimentary rock samples and their associated detrital zircon U-Pb data that were collected to support geologic mapping and research initiatives within the context of the Geologic Framework of the Intermountain West Project. The data characterize the age and/or provenance of Neoproterozoic to Miocene strata exposed across the Intermountain West region of the...
Bedrock geologic map database for the Blanca Peak, Walsenburg, Trinidad, and Alamosa 30' x 60' quadrangles, Colorado Bedrock geologic map database for the Blanca Peak, Walsenburg, Trinidad, and Alamosa 30' x 60' quadrangles, Colorado
This data release presents geologic map data for the bedrock geology of the Blanca Peak, Walsenburg, Trinidad, and Alamosa 30' x 60' quadrangles, Colorado. Geologic mapping incorporates new interpretive contributions and compilation from published geologic map data sources primarily ranging from 1:24,000 to 1:50,000 scale. Much of the geology incorporated from published geologic maps is...
Detrital zircon U-Pb data for Upper Triassic sandstones of the Auld Lang Syne basin, northwest Nevada, USA Detrital zircon U-Pb data for Upper Triassic sandstones of the Auld Lang Syne basin, northwest Nevada, USA
This data release includes raw detrital zircon U-Pb data for isolated sandstones in Upper Triassic deposits of the Auld Lang Syne basin of northwest Nevada, USA. Detrital zircon U-Pb data for 11 sandstone samples (3269 zircon U-Pb dates) were acquired via LA-ICP-MS at the University of Arizona LaserChron Center for 11 sandstone samples. Primary insights from the data are twofold: 1) The...
Zircon U-Pb data for ash-fall tuffs and sandstones of the Cenozoic Amargosa Valley and Bat Mountain Formations exposed on Bat Mountain, southern Funeral Mountains, California, USA Zircon U-Pb data for ash-fall tuffs and sandstones of the Cenozoic Amargosa Valley and Bat Mountain Formations exposed on Bat Mountain, southern Funeral Mountains, California, USA
This document includes two suites of zircon U-Pb data that establish a detailed chronostratigraphy for Cenozoic strata exposed on Bat Mountain of the southern Funeral Mountains, California, USA. The first suite of data includes detrital zircon U-Pb age distributions that characterize the maximum depositional age and provenance of five sandstone samples from the Oligocene-Miocene Amargosa...
Compilation of in situ and detrital zircon U-Pb ages for the Jurassic-Paleocene North American Cordillera (28-50 degrees north) Compilation of in situ and detrital zircon U-Pb ages for the Jurassic-Paleocene North American Cordillera (28-50 degrees north)
This document includes two suites of zircon U-Pb ages that help to characterize the magmatic and sedimentary history of the North American Cordillera between ~28 and 50 degrees north. The first dataset is a compilation of published zircon U-Pb ages of igneous rocks associated with the Mesozoic-Cenozoic North American Cordilleran arc. The compilation of igneous zircon data includes 1,492...
Preliminary detrital zircon data for Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene strata of the Crazy Mountains basin, Montana Preliminary detrital zircon data for Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene strata of the Crazy Mountains basin, Montana
This document includes sandstone provenance data for Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene strata preserved in the Crazy Mountains Basin of western Montana, USA. The dataset includes detrital zircon data for six samples from the Upper Cretaceous Hoppers Formation (1 sample), Upper Cretaceous Billman Creek Formation (1 sample), and Paleocene Fort Union Formation (4 samples). Detrital zircon data...
Measured sections and paleocurrent data from fluvial deposits of the Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene Raton and Poison Canyon Formations, Raton Basin, Colorado-New Mexico, USA Measured sections and paleocurrent data from fluvial deposits of the Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene Raton and Poison Canyon Formations, Raton Basin, Colorado-New Mexico, USA
This document provides two data sets that characterize outcrops of fluvial deposits of the Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene Raton and Poison Canyon Formations of the Raton Basin of Colorado-New Mexico, USA. First, the dataset includes stratigraphic sections measured through fluvial deposits of the Raton and Poison Canyon Formations (ten unique .tif files), currently exposed in roadside...
Investigating the mineral potential of the Boulder batholith Investigating the mineral potential of the Boulder batholith
Narrative about the ongoing Earth MRI efforts to understand the geologic framework of mineral deposits, both common and critical, in southwestern Montana.