Archean detrital zircons in the Proterozoic Vishnu Schist of the Grand Canyon, Arizona: Implications for crustal architecture and Nuna supercontinent reconstructions

Abstract

Research Article| December 01, 2010 Archean detrital zircons in the Proterozoic Vishnu Schist of the Grand Canyon, Arizona: Implications for crustal architecture and Nuna supercontinent reconstructions Owen P. Shufeldt; Owen P. Shufeldt 1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Karl E. Karlstrom; Karl E. Karlstrom 1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar George E. Gehrels; George E. Gehrels 2Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Katherine E. Howard Katherine E. Howard 3School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Owen P. Shufeldt 1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA Karl E. Karlstrom 1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131, USA George E. Gehrels 2Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA Katherine E. Howard 3School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 27 Apr 2010 Revision Received: 12 Jul 2010 Accepted: 22 Jul 2010 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 © 2010 Geological Society of America Geology (2010) 38 (12): 1099–1102. https://doi.org/10.1130/G31335.1 Article history Received: 27 Apr 2010 Revision Received: 12 Jul 2010 Accepted: 22 Jul 2010 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Owen P. Shufeldt, Karl E. Karlstrom, George E. Gehrels, Katherine E. Howard; Archean detrital zircons in the Proterozoic Vishnu Schist of the Grand Canyon, Arizona: Implications for crustal architecture and Nuna supercontinent reconstructions. Geology 2010;; 38 (12): 1099–1102. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G31335.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract U-Pb dating of 1035 detrital zircons from 12 spatially distributed samples of the Paleoproterozoic Vishnu Schist (Arizona, United States) reveals a bimodal 207Pb/206Pb age probability diagram with peaks at 1.8 Ga and 2.5 Ga. Surprisingly, only 13% of detrital zircon ages overlap with the published depositional age range of 1750–1741 Ma. The similarity of the age distributions in all samples constrains possible suturing of crustal blocks to pre–Vishnu Schist deposition rather than during the peak 1710–1680 Ma deformation. Of all grains analyzed, 15% overlap at 2σ with the 1.84 ± 1 Ga Elves Chasm orthogneiss of the western Grand Canyon. This supports field evidence that the Vishnu Schist was deposited on 1.84 Ga arc basement rather than in a juvenile 1.75 Ga arc setting. Archean grains of 3.8–2.5 Ga compose 30% of all grains. A comparison of the ages older than 2.2 Ga from the Vishnu Schist (495 grains) with compilations of zircon ages from other cratons does not support provenances in the Wyoming, South China, or Siberian cratons; instead sources may be located in Gawler craton of Australia, North China craton, or Antarctica. If the detrital zircons were far-traveled, this is a new constraint for viable reconstructions of the Nuna supercontinent. However, given the high percentage of pre–1.8 Ga zircons, unexposed proximal basement sources are more likely, resulting in a model by which Vishnu sediments were derived from Mojave province crust that consists of Archean and 1.9–1.8 Ga crust, now in the subsurface, that was unroofed during Vishnu deposition. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.