The 40Ar/39Ar Laser Probe is an increasingly accessible tool that has great promise for studying the stratigraphic record of tectonic events. This project will attempt to resolve several tectonic issues concerning the provenance of Eocene basins in northern California and Oregon by dating individual detrital grains of biotite, while mica, and hornblende by 40Ar/39Ar Laser Probe techniques. These include the uplift history of the source terrains, whether or not the klamath Mountains was uplifted during the Eocene and whether tectonic rotation was a major factor during the Eocene. The results of the study will also provide a test and practical demonstration of this provenance technique.
