Zircons isotope dating and thermochronology of the migmatites from the Gondaray metamorphic complex of the Greater Caucasus

Abstract

Results from isotope dating of the Greater Caucasus crystalline basement in the Elbrus subzone of the Main Caucasus Range inside of the HT gneiss-migmatite area of the Gondaray Metamorphic Complex is discussed herein. The measurements of the zircons isotope composition were performed on the ion microprobe SHRIMP-II at the CIR VSEGEI (St. Petersburg). All zircon crystals from the gneiss sample N 526 show chemical zoning and an old clastogenic core. Almost all U-Pb isotope dating points toile on the concordant line of the concordia diagram and show a wide age range from 320–1000 Ма, partially obtained from clastogenic grains of the zircon from the initial pelitic sediments. The youngest ages (320 Ма) belong to regenerating zones of the zircon grains recrystallized during stage of the anatexis and migmatization. The other part of the age range 540–1000 Ма belongs to detrital zircons from different magmatic sources that existed during accumulation of the proto-metamorphic sediments. Several clastogenic zircon grains show a Cambrian age, which is an evidence for the Early Paleozoic age of the metamorphic protolith. Traditionally the age of the Caucasus crystalline basement was suggested to be Precambrian. The ages of rim zones of the recrystallized zircons (320 Ма) have a direct correlation with postmetamorphic granite ages of the Greater Caucasus. It is shown by termochronological modeling that cooling of the Gondaray Metamorphic Complex during a retrogressive stage, from the temperature of migmatite crystallization (650оС) to the moment of biotite K-Ar isotope system closure temperature (350оС), was relatively fast (rate of cooling 8–10оС/Ma) at subisobaric conditions and during a time range about 30–40 Ма.