40Ar/39Ar and K–Ar age constraints on the timing of regional deformation, south coast of New South Wales, Lachlan Fold Belt: Problems and implications

Abstract

Four slate samples from subduction complex rocks exposed on the south coast of New South Wales, south of Batemans Bay, were analysed by K–Ar and 40Ar/39Ar step‐heating methods. One sample contains relatively abundant detrital muscovite flakes that are locally oblique to the regional cleavage in the rock, whereas the remaining samples appear to contain sparse detrital muscovite. Separates of detrital muscovite yielded plateau ages of 505 ± 3 Ma and 513 ± 3 Ma indicating that inheritance has not been eliminated by metamorphism and recrystallisation. Step‐heating analyses of whole‐rock chips from all four slate samples produced discordant apparent age spectra with ‘saddle shapes’ following young apparent ages at the lowest temperature increments. Elevated apparent ages associated with the highest temperature steps are attributed to the presence of variable quantities of detrital muscovite (<1–5%). Two whole‐rock slate samples yielded similar 40Ar/39Ar integrated ages of ca 455 Ma, which are some 15–30 million years older than K–Ar ages for the same samples. These discrepancies suggest that the slates have also been affected by recoil loss/redistribution of 39Ar, leading to anomalously old 40Ar/39Ar ages. Two other samples, from slaty tectonic mélange and intensely cleaved slate, yielded average 40Ar/39Ar integrated ages of ca 424 Ma, which are closer to associated mean K–Ar ages of 423 ± 4 Ma and 409 ± 16 Ma, respectively. Taking into account the potential influences of recoil loss/redistribution of 39Ar and inheritance, the results from the latter samples suggest a maximum age of ca 440 Ma for deformation/metamorphism. The current results indicate that recoil and inheritance problems may also have affected whole‐rock 40Ar/39Ar data reported from other regions of the Lachlan Fold Belt. Therefore, until these effects are adequately quantified, models for the evolution of the Lachlan Fold Belt, that are based on such whole‐rock 40Ar/39Ar data, should be treated with caution.