| Provenance study is a fundamental element of basin analysis, where understanding of sedimentation patterns and their driving mechanisms often requires information about the source of basin sediments. Many recent studies have turned to the geochronology (particularly single detrital zircon ages) and isotope geochemistry in sedimentary rocks to derive detailed information about sediment sources. This dissertation applies geochronology and isotope geochemistry to provenance questions in different settings, utilizing zircon U/Pb ages, feldspar common Pb isotope ratios, and carbonate 87Sr/86Sr ratios to gain new insights into provenance in three well-studied sedimentary systems.;The first chapter, set in the Gualala Basin of northern California, provides an example of how conventional provenance indicators, detailed study of conglomerate clasts, U/Pb zircon ages, and common Pb isotope ratios of feldspar from the sand-sized fraction can all provide useful information. Combined, these different data types can produce a more complete picture of sedimentary source areas than any of them would be able to alone. In a continued investigation of applications for detrital zircon ages in provenance study, the second chapter develops a new "Confidence Envelope" method for comparing age distributions. The method developed here is based on characterizing the expected range of variability in samples drawn from the age distribution of a proposed sediment source area, and testing whether a sample of unknown provenance falls within that range.;Using the uniquely well-constrained setting of the Green River Formation in Wyoming, the last two chapters investigate paleo-water provenance using an unprecedented dataset of 87Sr/86Sr ratios and Sr concentrations, compiled from both new data and data collected from previous studies. These data demonstrate that isotopic ratios in the Green River Formation lacustrine system changed rapidly, therefore lacustrine sediments were an extremely high-resolution recorder of lacustrine Sr evolution. |
