Maximum depositional age of the Neoproterozoic Jacobsville Sandstone, Michigan; implications for the evolution of the Midcontinent Rift @reply

We thank T.J. Bornhorst (2018) for consideration of our work on the Jacobsville Sandstone in northern Michigan. We engaged in this research to advance understanding of the geology of the Lake Superior region. As we began this project, we were fascinated that little attention had been paid to refining the lithostratigraphic and chronostratigraphic understanding of the Jacobsville Sandstone; our work is ongoing. Since publication of Malone et al. (2016a), we have analyzed ∼400 additional zircons from 3 Jacobsville Sandstone exposures in Ontario (Canada). We will collect and analyze Jacobsville subsurface occurrences in the next few months. Bornhorst's comment questioned our sampling and analytical methodologies, and the statistical factors used to determine the Jacobsville maximum depositional age (MDA). He also challenged our interpretations as well as "...far-reaching conclusions ..." here. We find these generalizations puzzling, but welcome this opportunity to expand our discussion of the Jacobsville Sandstone in Malone et al. (2016a).