Carbonatite magmatism of the southern Siberian Craton 1 Ga ago: Evidence for the beginning of breakup of Laurasia in the early Neoproterozoic

Abstract

Apatite and biotite from dolomite‒ankerite and calcite‒dolomite carbonatite dikes emplaced into the Paleoproterozoic metamorphic rock complex in the southern part of the Siberian Craton are dated by the U–Pb (LA-ICP-MS) and 40Ar–39Ar methods, respectively. Proceeding from the lower intercept of discordia with concordia, the age of apatite from calcite‒dolomite carbonatite is estimated to be 972 ± 21 Ma and that for apatite from dolomite‒ankerite carbonatite, as 929 ± 37 Ma. Values derived from their upper intercept have no geological sense. The ages obtained for biotite by the 40Ar–39Ar method are 965 ± 9 and 975 ± 14 Ma. It means that the formation of carbonatites reflects the earliest phases of the Neoproterozoic stage in extension of the continental lithosphere.