INVITED TALKS BY:
Eduardo GARZANTI (Milan)
Randy PARRISH (NIGL)

The detrital record is a vast archive of material that has been accumulated on the surface of the Earth over time. This record can be used to provide insights into the generation and evolution of continental crust in a variety of constructive and destructive plate tectonic settings. The detrital record can provide the only remaining record of past geological history when information in the hinterland is lost due tectonism, erosion or overprinted by metamorphism, providing clues about the thermal and tectonic evolution of orogens and plate growth.

In recent years the number of studies using single-grain age dating and isotope geochemistry techniques on detrital sediments has increased, particularly with a focus on zircon and other accessory minerals. This is a direct response to an increasing impetus to improve temporal constraints on factors that govern crustal evolution and the rates at which surface processes operate. New techniques are being developed, and data – model comparisons are being undertaken to investigate how faithfully the detrital archive records hinterland tectonics and erosion. There is a general acceptance that the sediment archive is an accurate reflection of the material that has been removed. However, recent studies have suggested that there is a bias in preservation – due to plate setting, sediment storage, or low temperature alteration - that can dramatically alter how we interpret the detrital record. As the number of studies increases awareness of potential limitations needs to improve.

We actively encourage contributions that investigate aspects of the detrital record from crustal growth and orogenesis through to preservation and phase alteration. Especially encouraged are multidisciplinary approaches that incorporate geochronology, petrology and isotope studies.