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Paleozoic-Mesozoic basins in Cordilleran terranes of western North America contain detrital zircon U-Pb age distributions that vary over 10-100 Ma in a systematic and predictable manner. A minimum of four detrital zircon age distributions, here termed "detrital zircon facies," are present: (1) Paleoproterozoic and Archean facies, chiefly found in Paleozoic and early Mesozoic accretionary complexes, is defined by late Archean-early Proterozoic (ca. 2.7-2.3 Ga) and late Proterozoic ages (ca. 2.0- 1.6 Ga) with variable quantities of Paleozoic and early Mesozoic ages. (2) Mixed Proterozoic and Phanerozoic facies is found in Early-Late Jurassic basins and is defined by grains spanning ca. 2.0 Ga-160 Ma, derived from eastern-southwestern Laurentian transcontinental sources and enriched by western U.S. and eastern Mexican early Mesozoic plate-margin magmatism. (3) Triassic and Jurassic facies, found in Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous basins, is defined by Late Jurassic ages (peak ca. 155 Ma) with a subordinate proportion of Triassic ages (peak ca. 230 Ma). (4) Jurassic and Early Cretaceous facies is found in late Early-early Late Cretaceous marginal basins and is defined by Jurassic and Early Cretaceous ages (ca. 200-130 and ca. 130-100 Ma). Detrital zircon U-Pb ages from terranes of western North America record stages of basin formation during phases of the supercontinent cycle and reflect second-order variability in the tectonic setting of an active continental plate margin. At this temporal and spatial scale, the integrated evolution of orogenic, erosion, and sedimenttransport systems controls sediment provenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]