Abstract
Rb–Sr mica ages are reported here, from the Dalradian meta-sediments of the Angus region in the Scottish Highlands (Fig. 1), in a study of the uplift history of this classic metamorphic terrain. The samples come from across the Barrovian metamorphic zones1, and provide evidence of diachroneity in both metamorphism and later cooling. Thus, the oldest mineral ages, and hence earliest cooling, are found in the highest grade metamorphic rocks to the north. The results show the importance of tectonically-controlled, localized uplift processes. Given that erosion is an important influence on the thermal development of metamorphic rocks2, the constant or steadily decaying isostatic uplift rates, often assumed in models of orogenic belts2,3, may be a marked oversimplification of the real events.
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Dempster, T. Localized uplift in the Scottish Dalradian. Nature 307, 156–159 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/307156a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/307156a0
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