U/Pb dating of detrital zircons: Implications for the provenance record of Gondwana margin terranes

Abstract

Research Article| August 01, 1999 U/Pb dating of detrital zircons: Implications for the provenance record of Gondwana margin terranes Peter A. Cawood; Peter A. Cawood 1Tectonics Special Research Centre, School of Applied Geology, Curtin University, G.P.O. Box U1987, Perth 6001, Western Australia, Australia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Alexander A. Nemchin; Alexander A. Nemchin 1Tectonics Special Research Centre, School of Applied Geology, Curtin University, G.P.O. Box U1987, Perth 6001, Western Australia, Australia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Axel Leverenz; Axel Leverenz 2Department of Geology, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Ayesha Saeed; Ayesha Saeed 2Department of Geology, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Peter F. Balance Peter F. Balance 2Department of Geology, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Peter A. Cawood 1Tectonics Special Research Centre, School of Applied Geology, Curtin University, G.P.O. Box U1987, Perth 6001, Western Australia, Australia Alexander A. Nemchin 1Tectonics Special Research Centre, School of Applied Geology, Curtin University, G.P.O. Box U1987, Perth 6001, Western Australia, Australia Axel Leverenz 2Department of Geology, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand Ayesha Saeed 2Department of Geology, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand Peter F. Balance 2Department of Geology, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, New Zealand Publisher: Geological Society of America First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Geological Society of America GSA Bulletin (1999) 111 (8): 1107–1119. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1999)111<1107:UPDODZ>2.3.CO;2 Article history First Online: 01 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Peter A. Cawood, Alexander A. Nemchin, Axel Leverenz, Ayesha Saeed, Peter F. Balance; U/Pb dating of detrital zircons: Implications for the provenance record of Gondwana margin terranes. GSA Bulletin 1999;; 111 (8): 1107–1119. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1999)111<1107:UPDODZ>2.3.CO;2 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 SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract SHRIMP U/Pb age data for more than 300 detrital zircons from late Mesozoic samples of the Torlesse and Waipapa arc-trench terranes in New Zealand range from ca. 100 Ma (Early Cretaceous) to 3140 Ma (Archean). More than 65% of the analyzed zircon grains are Permian or Mesozoic age. The remaining detritus is largely of Paleozoic age with progressively smaller amounts of Proterozoic and Archean debris. Cathodoluminescence imaging indicates that the younger grains are exclusively of igneous origin, whereas the older grains show evidence for a more complex history including metamorphic overprints and inherited cores. The youngest zircon grains in most of the samples approximate the age of deposition of the rock units, suggesting input into the depositional basins from contemporaneous igneous activity. The overall age profile of the detrital zircons is consistent with sediment accumulation adjacent to the Gondwana margin rather than in exotic blocks accreted to the margin. The bulk of the detritus is derived from a late Paleozoic to Mesozoic Gondwana margin, Andean-style magmatic arc. Elements of this arc extend from Marie Byrd Land in Antarctica, through New Zealand (Median tectonic zone) to New England in eastern Australia. Paleozoic and older grains form a minor but significant component of all samples and have an age signature indicative of derivation from the Paleozoic and Neoproterozoic fold belts of East Australia and Antarctica (Gondwana). A characteristic feature of the older grains is ages in the range 500–650 and 1000–1200 Ma, which is also a feature of the zircon age spectrum for early Paleozoic graywackes from the Lachlan-Tuhua fold belt, suggesting derivation from these sedimentary rocks or from the same original source rocks. This content is PDF only. Please click on the PDF icon to access. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.