Sources of Neogene erosion in the European Central Alps : the cooling history of the Lepontine Dome revealed by low-temperature thermochronology and numerical sandbox modelling

Abstract

This PhD-thesis contains both, a classical low-temperature thermochronologic study from the European Central Alps (Lepontine Dome) and a new approach to couple apatite fission track analyses and numerical 'sandbox' modelling. Resulting, a refined kinematic evolution model for the Lepontine Dome is proposed. The newly developed approach to couple apatite fission track analyses and numerical sandbox modelling demonstrates the influence of deep crustal mechanic properties and geometries on upper crustal exhumation processes. Finally, the new approach is successfully applied to the Lepontine Dome.