U-Pb zircon age of gabbroids of the Ust’-Belaya mafic-ultramafic massif (Chukotka) and its interpretation

Abstract

The Ust’-Belaya mafic-ultramafic massif is assigned to the Western Koryak fold belt and largely composed of residual spinel peridotites, layered spinel and plagioclase peridotites, and gabbros. These rocks are crosscut by occasional plagiogranite and diorite veins and exhibit locally a close spatial association with basalts and carbonate-sedimentary deposits of Late Devonian and Early Carboniferous age. Based on this evidence, the massif was ascribed to the pre-Late Devonian ophiolite association. Our study presents new U-Pb SHPIMP II zircon ages and petrographic and mineralogical data on samples of the layered amphibole gabbro and vein diorite from the Ust’-Belaya massif. The approximate concordant U-Pb age corresponding to a timing of of amphibole gabbro crystallization is 799 ± 15 Ma, and the concordant U-Pb age reflecting a timing of of vein diorite crystallization is 575 ± 10 Ma. These ages coupled with geological studies of the massif, petrological and mineralogical investigations of the dated samples, as well as literature data on the petrology of peridotites and the age of formed plagiogranites suggest that the peridotites and layered gabbros of the Ust’-Belaya massif were formed by the Late Riphean, whereas the vein diorite and plagiogranite were resulted from a later (Vendian-Cambrian) magmatic stage. The peridotites and gabbros of the massif display no genetic relationship with spatially associated basalts and sedimentary rocks and, thus, they cannot be considered as members the pre-Late Devonian ophiolitic association. The results of this study will inevitably lead to a significant revision of geological and geodynamic interpretations of the Ust’-Belaya mafic-ultramafic massif. However, uneven study of the Precambrian complexes of the Koryak and Chukchi areas, their evolution in different structures of the region cannot yet be described by a single geodynamic scenario.