Unraveling the exhumation history of high-pressure ophiolites using magnetite (U-Th-Sm)/He thermochronometry
International audience; Magnetite is a ubiquitous oxide in ultramafic and mafic rocks, which is present in a large range of geological and tectonic settings. In the case of high-pressure ultramafic rocks, exhumation timing is commonly constrained by geochronometers in nearby lithologies. The development of the magnetite (U-Th-Sm)/He method (MgHe) has opened new perspectives to refine the exhumation history of such rocks. However no thermal history has been deduced using MgHe data so far. Here we applied MgHe dating to magnetite from an HP-LT alpine ophiolite body (Rocher Blanc) from the Schistes lustres units (Western Alps, France) where part the P-T-t history is constrained to further refi…
Late Paleozoic Ice Age glaciers shaped East Antarctica landscape
International audience; The erosion history of Antarctica is fundamental to our understanding of interlinks between climate and glacier dynamics. However, because of the vast polar ice sheet covering more than 99% of Antarctica land mass, the continental surface response to glacial erosion remains largely unknown. Over the last decade the subglacial topography of Antarctica has been imaged by airborne radar surveys. These studies revealed high and complex sub-glacial relief in the core of the East Antarctic shield, interpreted as resulting from rifting episodes and low long-term erosion rates, or repeated large-scale glacial retreats and advances. In East Antarctica, thermochronology studie…