New approach to resolve the amount of Quaternary uplift and associated denudation of the mountain ranges in the Japanese Islands

Sueoka, Shigeru   ; Tsutsumi, Hiroyuki*; Tagami, Takahiro*

Thermochronology is a discipline to determine the timing/temperature of past thermal events based on radiometric ages, which is used to reconstruct denudation history of mountains and has been successfully applied to major orogens worldwide. It has been however difficult to apply the method to relatively young/low-relief mountains in Japan. Nonetheless, the recent development of low-temperature thermochronology has greatly expanded its applicability. In this review, we introduce (1) tectonic and geomorphic settings of the Japanese Islands and their mountains, (2) previous attempts to measure uplift/denudation of the mountains in Japan by using methods other than thermochronology, (3) problems of the thermochronologic applications to reveal denudation histories of the Japanese mountains and overview of some previous attempts, and (4) a case study of the Kiso Range and discussions about the current effectivity and applicability of low-temperature thermochronology on the Japanese mountains.