Chapter 13 - Evidence of Hadean to Paleoarchean Crust in the Youanmi and South West Terranes, and Eastern Goldfields Superterrane of the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia

Abstract

The South West and Youanmi terranes in the western Yilgarn Craton contain quartz-rich metasedimentary rocks, similar in character to those at Mount Narryer and Jack Hills in the Narryer Terrane, with abundant detrital zircons back to c.3800Ma and rare detrital zircons as old as c.4350Ma. Sm–Nd on whole-rock, Lu–Hf studies on detrital zircons in clastic sedimentary rocks, and xenocrystic and magmatic zircons on igneous rocks indicate the possibility that there may once have been widespread Hadean to Paleoarchean crust in the western Yilgarn Craton, particularly in its northern part. Any early crust in the Youanmi and South West terranes was probably contemporaneous and contiguous with preserved ancient crust in the Narryer Terrane.