Age constraints on high-pressure/low-temperature metamorphism and sedimentation in the Luk Ulo Complex (Java, Indonesia)

Abstract

Pre-Cenozoic blueschist- and eclogite-facies rocks occur widely scattered in the central Indonesian region, possibly representing lateral equivalents of the same subduction zone. High-pressure/low-temperature (HP/LT) metamorphism is thought to have occurred during the Early Cretaceous, which however is only constrained by K–Ar ages. This study is part of a systematic re-investigation of the regional geochronological record of various metamorphic rocks from this belt and focuses on the Luk Ulo Complex in central Java. Rubidium–Sr multipoint isochrons of one eclogite, two epidote-glaucophane schists and one epidote amphibolite yielded Early Cretaceous (Aptian) ages of 119–117 Ma (± 0.6–0.8 Ma). These ages are similar to previously reported K–Ar results, indicating that the existing data had not significantly been compromised by extraneous Ar contamination. Relatively low peak metamorphic temperatures (ca. 400 °C) during the HP/LT stage suggest that the Rb–Sr isotopic system was not significantly affected by diffusive loss during cooling. The Rb–Sr ages most likely constrain the time of mica growth or recrystallization during high-pressure metamorphism. The matching ages of high-pressure and lower pressure rocks are attributed to inheritance, but mixing of rocks that originally had formed at the same time at different depths of the subduction complex cannot completely be ruled out yet. Rubidium–Sr white mica ages of eclogite- and blueschist-facies rocks from central Java are younger than those of similar rocks from the Western Sulawesi tectonic province (130–120 Ma), revealing a previously unknown age difference that had been hidden by the poorer precision of the K–Ar dataset. At this point, it remains unclear whether this age difference is related to processes operating within the same or in different subduction zones.The zircon populations of clastic metasedimentary rocks from the Luk Ulo Complex are dominated by a prominent Jurassic to Carboniferous population (ca. 320–180 Ma) with a distinct Permo-Triassic peak (ca. 270–200 Ma). Another less pronounced Paleozoic age signal shows up at 450–380 Ma. Proterozoic and Archean zircon grains are very rare. At least some data points at the lower end of the age spectrum (ca.135–117 Ma) most likely are related to in-situ metamorphic processes. The youngest zircon grains of unambiguous detrital origin show up at ca. 160 Ma, indicating a Late Jurassic maximum depositional age. Additional detrital zircon data for the Barru Complex (Western Sulawesi) further substantiate previous findings documenting a complex age spectrum with contributions of Mesozoic (Triassic), Paleozoic (Permian, Carboniferous, Devonian to Ordovician), Meso- to Paleoproterozoic subpopulations and rare Archean zircons. The youngest zircons indicate a maximum depositional age of ca. 255–250 Ma. New and existing U–Pb zircon data indicate that the pre-metamorphic basin histories recorded in the Luk Ulo and Barru complexes are linked to different source terrains and depositional systems.