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Abstract:
The Rb-Sr decay system forms the basis for one of the oldest and most established isotopic dating techniques in geology. Its versatility
arises from the fact that Rb and Sr are present in most rock-forming minerals, which provides the means to date geologic processes
in a wide variety of rocks and geologic environments. In recent years, one of the main innovations of the Rb-Sr method was the
direct age dating of deformation processes in the Earth’s crust. Since deformation is a key factor in shaping the Earth’s surface and
the internal architecture of the crust, age data for deformation processes are essential to constrain the time scales of crustal evolution.
Time constraints on deformation facilitate the calculation of rates of movements of crustal units, the understanding of orogenic
processes and ultimately of the dynamics of the Earth’s crust. Deformation processes occur over the entire range of depths and
temperatures in the crust, from migration of melts at depth, through ductile deformation in the middle crust, to brittle fragmentation
of rocks in earthquake-related near-surface shear zones. This contribution provides an overview of the potential of Rb-Sr geochronology
of rock deformation.
