Reply to Flowers et. al.: Existing thermochronologic data constrain Snowball glacial erosion below the Great Unconformity

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Abstract:
The origin of the Great Unconformity has recently been de- bated (1–3). Flowers et al. (2) suggested that erosion of the Pikes Peak granite (Colorado) was caused by Neoproterozoic tectonism prior to the Cryogenian, and implied that this local signal, if correct, invalidated a Neoproterozoic glacial origin for the global phenomenon of the Great Unconfor- mity (1). McDannell et al. (3) instead find that inversions of thermochronometric data from widespread North Amer- ican locations and tectonic settings (including Pikes Peak) are consistent with a Cryogenian glacial contribution to development of the Great Unconformity. Here we address the Flowers et al. comment (4) on our work.

Suggested citation:
McDannell, K.T., Keller, C.B., Guenthner, W.R., Zeitler, P.K., & Shuster, D.L. (2022). Reply to Flowers et. al.: Existing thermochronologic data constrain Snowball glacial erosion below the Great Unconformity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119 (38), e2209946119.