Unravelling rock cooling histories of the Japanese Alps within the past 1 Ma using ESR and OSL thermochronometry

Bartz, M.*; King, G. E.*; Herman, F.*; Anderson, L.*; Sueoka, Shigeru   ; Tsukamoto, Sumiko*; Tagami, Takahiro*

To resolve exhumation histories of the Japanese Alps throughout the Quaternary, we investigate the potential of ultra-low temperature thermochronometers based on the luminescence of feldspar minerals and electron spin resonance (ESR) of quartz minerals, in combination with inverse modelling to derive rock cooling rates and exhumation rates histories at 10-10 years timescales. We focus on the Tateyama region in the Hida range of the Japanese Alps. In total, 19 new samples were analyzed by luminescence and ESR thermochronometry. While most luminescence signals have already reached saturation, ESR signals (Al and Ti centres) still grow with dose and are suitable for determining finite exhumation rates in the Tateyama region. We used the ESR single aliquot regenerative additive (SARA) dose protocol for dose evaluation including protocol optimization (i.e., preheat-plateau test). We checked for sensitivity changes due to the high-temperature annealing step within the SARA procedure using SARA vs. single aliquot additive dose response, repeated dose points (i.e., recycling ratio) and dose recovery of an artificially zeroed sample. Thermal stabilities of the ESR signals were analysed by using isothermal decay experiments and simulations of the isothermal decay using the experimentally constrained kinetic parameters. Our experiments showed insignificant sensitivity changes during measurements, resulting in Al and Ti ages of between 0.3-0.9 Ma and 0.5-1.1 Ma, respectively. In general, thermal stability is lower for the Al centre compared to that of the Ti centre but simulations yielded valuable thermal stability over Quaternary timescales for both ESR centres. Inversions reveal rock cooling rates on the order of 30-80 deg. C/Ma, much lower than those of the luminescence thermochronometry technique, which helps to resolve erosion rates histories on the order of few mm/a. Thus, preliminary erosion rates of 1 mm/a within the past 1 Ma could be inverted.