Long-distance transport of clastic material revealed by monazite and muscovite dating: Albian arenites, extra-Carpathian Poland

Abstract

The absolute ages based on chemical UPb dating of monazite (CHIME) and 40Ar/39Ar muscovite were used for provenance determination of the Albian arenites of the southern part of the extra-Carpathian Poland. The ages of detrital monazites allowed a division of the study area into two domains: western and eastern, related to the Miechów and Lublin areas respectively. The western domain is characterized by a unimodal distribution of monazite ages – 330–380 Ma that unequivocally indicates a Variscan provenance of the detrital monazite. The muscovite 40Ar/39Ar method applied to a western domain sample yielded a primary 360.0 ± 1.21 Ma age, confirming a Variscan source of the detrital material. The eastern domain is characterized by a polymodal distribution of monazite ages and is further divided into two subdomains: northeastern and southeastern. Both subdomains are characterized by a polymodal distribution of monazite ages peaking at 390–490 Ma; 0.8–1.1 Ga; ca. 1.5 Ga and ca. 1.8 Ga, indicating the Caledonian, Sveconorwegian, Hallandian-Danopolonian plus Gothian and Svecofennian origins of the detrital monazite. The southeastern subdomain additionally has a significant amount of detrital monazite with 330–380 Ma ages, suggesting a notable influence of a Variscan source. The 40Ar/39Ar muscovite data from the northeastern subdomain sample, ca. 476.4 ± 1.27 and subordinate 496.4 ± 2.83 Ma, confirms that a Caledonian source area was active during sedimentation of the Albian deposits. Detrital muscovite from southeastern subdomain sample yielded two ages: 478.1 ± 3.71 Ma and 502.1 ± 0.65 Ma also indicating a Caledonian age of the detrital muscovite. The monazite and muscovite data indicate at least two independent main ultimate source areas: the Bohemian Massif for the Miechów area (western domain) and the Baltic Shield for the Lublin area (eastern domain). The results document an over 1200 km long transport of clastic material in the Central European Sedimentary Basin during the Albian.