Basement Inliers Research Articles

A Baltic heritage in Scotland: Basement terrane transfer during the Grenvillian orogeny

Abstract Archean basement inliers within the Northern Highland terrane (NHT), Scottish Caledonides, have been correlated with the Lewisian Gneiss Complex of the Laurentian foreland. New zircon U-Pb ages indicate that the NHT basement contains evidence for magmatism at 2823–2687 Ma and 1772–1655 Ma. The first group compares with crystallization ages of the foreland Archean gneisses. However, the second group, and a supracrustal unit, formed ∼100–250 m.y. after the youngest major phase of juvenile magmatism and sedimentation in the foreland. Also, there is no indication within the NHT basement of the Paleoproterozoic mafic and felsic intrusions common within the foreland, leading us to conclude that there is no firm basis for correlation of the two crustal blocks. The Caledonian Moine thrust, which separates the foreland and the NHT basement, is thought to have reworked a Grenvillian suture indicated by the presence of the ca. 1100–1000 Ma Eastern Glenelg eclogites. On the basis of the new isotopic data, we propose that the NHT basement was a fragment of Baltica that was emplaced onto Laurentia during the Grenvillian orogeny, representing a further example of basement terrane transfer in the circum–North Atlantic orogens.

Arc accretion and crustal reworking from late Archean to Neoproterozoic in Northeast Brazil

New systematic Nd isotope and U-Pb geochronology data were applied to Precambrian rocks of northeastern Brazil to produce a crustal-age distribution map for a small basement inlier (1,500 km2). The results support episodic crustal growth with five short periods of crustal formation at ca. 2.9 Ga, 2.65 Ga, 2.25 Ga, 2.0 Ga, and 0.6 Ga. Based on the frequency histogram of U-Pb zircon ages and Nd isotopic data, we suggest that about 60% of the continental crust was formed during the Archean between 2.9 Ga and 2.65 Ga. The remaining 40% of crust was generated during the Rhyacian to Neoproterozoic (~2.0–0.6 Ga). This overall continental growth is manifested by accretionary processes that involved successive accretions surrounding an older core, becoming younger toward the margin. Strikingly, this repetitive history of terrane accretion show a change from lithospheric peeling dominated accretionary setting during the late Archean to a more, modern-day akin style of arc-accretion during the Proterozoic. Similar tectonic processes are observed only in large continental areas (>1,000,000 km2) as in the North American continent basement and in the Amazonian Craton.

U-Pb SHRIMP dating of the Itabaiana Dome: a Mesoarchean basement inlier (2.83 Ga) in the Sergipano Orogenic System, Borborema Province

Abstract In the southern portion of the Borborema Province, in the Sergipano Orogenic System, three basement inliers have been described: the Domes of Itabaiana and Simao Dias, in Sergipe; and the Girau do Ponciano Dome, in Alagoas. The Itabaiana and Simao Dias Domes occur in the central part of the Vaza Barris Domain, being composed of gneisses and migmatites. The Itabaiana rocks are calc-alkaline with trondhjemitic affinities. The Girau do Ponciano Dome, outcropping in the Macurure Domain, consists mainly of tonalitic, dioritic, monzonitic, granodioritic and high-grade granitic orthogneisses. SHRIMP U-Pb zircon date of a melanosome sample from a trondhjemitic migmatitic gneiss in the central part of Itabaiana Dome provided an age of 2831 ± 6 Ma, indicating that the migmatitic gneisses of this dome are correlated to the Mesoarchean terranes of the Sao Francisco Craton (Serrinha Block). These rocks represent the oldest geological record in the Sergipe State.

The Neoproterozoic basement of the Sauce Chico Inlier (Ventania System): Geochemistry and U–Pb geochronology of igneous rocks with African lineage in central-eastern Argentina

This study describes the geology, geochemistry, and LA-ICP-MS U–Pb geochronology of igneous rocks that crop out in the Sauce Chico Inlier (SCI) and constitute the Neoproterozoic basement of the Ventania System, Argentina. Magmatism registered in the SCI has developed in two phases. The first phase, of Tonian age, is represented by rift-related calc-alkaline and alkaline granites with ages of 783.8 ± 3.7 Ma (εNd(t) = −7.20) and 776.5 ± 4.7 Ma (εNd(t) = +1.65), respectively. This phase would be related to the break-up of the Rodinia supercontinent and subsequent opening of the Adamastor Ocean. In the Dom Feliciano Belt of southern Brazil and eastern Uruguay, the Tonian magmatism is represented in the Cerro Olivo Complex of the Punta del Este Terrane and in basement inliers of the Pelotas Batholith. The second phase, of Ediacaran age, started with the intrusion of syn-orogenic calc-alkaline granites (620.8 ± 5.8 Ma and 620.3 ± 2.5 Ma; εNd(t) = −9.94/−9.18) and continued with the extrusion of post-orogenic alkaline (577.3 ± 3.9 Ma; εNd(t) = −6.29) and calc-alkaline (543.6 ± 4.0 Ma; εNd(t) = −3.38) acid volcanic rocks. This phase would be related to the closure of the Adamastor Ocean, generation of a magmatic arc along the western margin of the Kalahari Craton, and collision between this and the Río de la Plata Craton. A post-collisional magmatism would have developed due to orogenic collapse (< 580 Ma). With the exception of the Tonian alkaline granite, in the remaining SCI igneous rocks, the juvenile component becomes more important as the crystallization age decreases. The available Nd model ages are between 1.80 and 1.14 Ga and suggest a mixing of older crust with juvenile material. The tectonic evolution of the Ventania System basement is consistent with that observed in the Dom Feliciano Belt and its African counterparts. We present here the first evidence of Tonian magmatism in the Ventania System basement. The results presented here also confirm those obtained previously by other authors. Zircon cores from the SCI igneous rocks have U–Pb inherited ages between ca. 1200 and 900 Ma that could be indicative of a lineage with the Gariep Belt and its Namaqua basement in southwestern Africa.

Laurentian origin of the Cuyania suspect terrane, western Argentina, confirmed by Hf isotopes in zircon

Abstract The proto-Andean margin of Argentina consists of several suspect terranes, the origins of which are disputed. The Cuyania (greater Precordillera) suspect terrane was originally interpreted to be of southeast Laurentian affinity, but more recently a southwestern Gondwanan provenance has been argued. Both potential source regions comprise Mesoproterozoic rocks, but we show they are isotopically distinct, using previously published zircon Lu-Hf data. Detrital zircon εHf data from southwestern Gondwana (Namaqua-Natal belt) show no correlation with new zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf data from Cuyania, suggesting that Gondwana was not the source of these sediments. Rather, detrital zircons from Cambrian strata in Cuyania yield Mesoproterozoic zircons with depleted εHf that correlate to the Grenville margin of Laurentia, and a ca. 535 Ma zircon population sourced directly from rift-related rocks of the Ouachita Embayment, thus recording rifting and drifting of Cuyania from Laurentia. By contrast, zircons from Middle to Late Ordovician strata of Cuyania record a larger range of εHf values, correlated with Western Sierras Pampeanas Mesoproterozoic basement inliers of Argentina. These synorogenic clastic deposits record the Ordovician arrival of Cuyania at the proto-Andean margin of Gondwana. The new data require the terrane boundaries of Cuyania to be redefined, thereby excluding Western Sierras Pampeanas basement inliers. The results verify the Laurentian microcontinent model for the origin of Cuyania.

Structural features and age of gold mineralization in the Troia Massif, Borborema Province, NE Brazil: A Paleoproterozoic (∼2029 Ma) hypozonal orogenic gold deposit overprinted by the late Neoproterozoic Brasiliano/Pan–African orogeny

Hypozonal orogenic gold mineralization has been recently recognized in the Troia Massif, an Archean/Paleoproterozoic basement inlier within the Neoproterozoic Borborema Province, NE Brazil. The mineralization occurs in association with quartz veins hosted by the amphibolite facies Paleoproterozoic Serra das Pipocas greenstone belt. The main mineralized areas are located near parallel to lithological contacts, siting on shear zones established at the metavolcanic and metasedimentary boundary. Four deformation events are recognized: (1) Dn was responsible for the early Sn foliation, parallel to the bedding (So) of the greenstone units. (2) Dn+1 is characterized by a pervasive, southeasterly–dipping Sn+1 foliation that is axial–planar to several asymmetric, tight to isoclinal and recumbent folds. (3) Dn+2 represents a strike–slip NE–trending shear zones, and (4) the late Dn+3 event is characterized by ductile–brittle deformation. Evolution from Dn+1 to Dn+3 is interpreted as a progressive deformation, with the maximum compressive stress in the WNW–ESE direction. The main stage of gold mineralization is associated with the Dn event, and comprised by deformed quartz veins and associated high–temperature calc–silicate alteration (diopside, hornblende, titanite) and albitization of the host rocks. Lower temperature gold (±Te, Ag) occurs along late stage brittle structures (Dn+3). The U–Pb titanite age of 2029 ± 28 Ma for the calc–silicate alteration of the early gold mineralization is similar to the age of many Transamazonian/Eburnean gold mineralizations elsewhere. However, the strong Pb loss of titanite grains defines a 574 ± 7 Ma lower intercept age, indicating that early gold mineralization was affected (remobilized) by Neoproterozoic deformational events and metamorphism (Brasiliano/Pan–African orogeny). This is in agreement with the U–Pb zircon age of 575 ± 3 Ma obtained for the syn–tectonic Guaribas dikes, which bracketed the age of Dn+3. Therefore, as Dn+1, Dn+2 and Dn+3 evolved by progressive deformation; they are all of Neoproterozoic age. This two–stage gold mineralization is here interpreted as product of crustal exhumation, with (1) early hypozonal orogenic gold mineralization occurring shortly after the high–grade Paleoproterozoic metamorphism and first exhumation processes of the greenstone pile; and (2) late gold mineralization occurring at shallow levels (second exhumation process), associated with the Neoproterozoic Brasiliano/Pan–African orogeny.

Late Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic magmatism of the Nico Pérez Terrane (Uruguay): Tightening up correlations in southwestern Gondwana

New geochronological, isotopic and geochemical data were obtained from the late Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic magmatic units of the Nico Pérez Terrane (Uruguay). A U-Pb LA-ICP-MS zircon age of 1768 ± 11 Ma confirms the Statherian age for the Illescas rapakivi intrusion, being thus comparable with the age of the Campanero Unit felsic orthogneisses. Though both the Illescas and Campanero intrusions exhibit dominantly granitic, meta- to peraluminous compositions, the first shows a dominant shoshonitic and ferroan composition, whereas high-K calc-alkaline and magnesian to ferroan compositions characterize orthogneisses of the Campanero Unit. Additionally, Sm/Yb and LaN/YbN ratios indicate that both suites were emplaced in a thickened crust, whereas Lu-Hf zircon data of the Illescas granite together with available Sm-Nd data of the Campanero Unit point to significant recycling of an older, Archean and/or Paleoproterozoic crust of the Nico Pérez Terrane. Results suggest a common origin for both the Illescas and Campanero magmatism, probably related to a post-collisional/post-orogenic setting. On the other hand, metagabbros of the Zanja del Tigre Complex present U-Pb LA-ICP-MS zircon ages of 1479 ± 4 and 1482 ± 6 Ma and tholeiitic gabbroic compositions. Geochemical and Sm-Nd isotopic data show similarities with LIP-related intracontinental mafic magmatism, suggesting a mixed magma source derived from depleted asthenosphere and fertile subcontinental lithospheric mantle contributions. Emplacement of the metagabbros was related to lithospheric extension in a continental rifting setting and, therefore, fertilization of the lithospheric mantle probably took place during older Paleoproterozoic subduction-related events. Coeval late Paleoproterozoic and early Mesoproterozoic magmatism is also recorded in the northern Nico Pérez Terrane of southernmost Brazil, and in basement inliers of the Kaoko Belt and the Angolan Shield (southwestern Congo Craton), thus suggesting a common evolution of these blocks prior to the Neoproterozoic.

Sistema de dobramentos Piancó-Alto Brígida (PE-PB-CE), Regionalização geotectônica e geocronologia

O Sistema de Dobramentos Piancó-Alto Brígida (SPAB) situa-se na porção central a centro-ocidental da Zona Transversal, da Província Borborema, nos Estados da Paraíba e do Pernambuco e em parte do Estado do Ceará. Trata-se do produto de um desenvolvimento orogenético na passagem Criogeniano-Ediacarano (630–580 Ma, acresção seguida de colisão), levando à inversão vigorosa de uma pretérita bacia de sedimentação marinha costeira. O limite ao norte é marcado pelo Lineamento de Patos e o ao sul é balizado pelo Lineamento Pernambuco. O contexto paleogeográfico (e litoestratigráfico) original é de reconstituição difícil devido aos eventos de deformação (pelo menos três fases) e metamorfismo, lateralmente variável de muito baixo, baixo a médio graus, seguidos de uma importante fase de tectônica extrusional tardia. O SPAB se encontra hoje geológico-geograficamente ramificado em diferentes faixas, separadas por alguns basement inliers, paleoproterozoicos/“terrenos”, expressivos em área e importantes partícipes dos eventos de deformação. Os principais litotipos presentes no SPAB se enquadram nas típicas assembleias quartzito-pelito-calcário (QPC) com a característica primordial da grande ritmicidade. Os gradientes metamórficos são de muito baixo, baixo e médio graus (nesse último caso, para o sul, faixa do interior de Pernambuco, “Supergrupo Salgueiro”). Nas zonas proximais dos contatos com o embasamento, consoante a linhas de falhas importantes, são registrados brechas e conglomerados polimícticos, arenitos imaturos, metagrauvacas e metacórseos (Formação Olhos d’Água). Embora haja várias contribuições, de diversas fontes, ao longo dos últimos 50 anos, em diferentes tempos e propósitos, uma discriminação da litoestratigráfica satisfatória ainda não foi possível. De sorte que todos os termos litoestratigráficos devem ser encarados como informais e provisórios. Múltiplos trabalhos de reconhecimento em geocronologia foram realizados aleatoriamente nesse sistema nas

Isotopic and geochemical characterization of the metavolcano-sedimentary rocks of the Jirau do Ponciano Dome: A structural window to a Paleoproterozoic continental arc root within the Southern Borborema Province, Northeast Brazil

The Sergipano Fold Belt is a Neoproterozoic orogen exposed in the southern Borborema Province (Northeast Brazil), which is interpreted as the result of the oblique convergence process between the São Francisco-Congo block and smaller crustal fragments. The Nicolau-Campo Grande Complex is the metavolcanic-sedimentary portion of the Jirau do Ponciano Dome, an important basement inlier within this collisional belt. Whole-rock-geochemical major and trace-element data of major and trace elements from the metavolcanic rocks of the Nicolau-Campo Grande Complex indicate basaltic-andesite, andesitic, rhyodacitic, and rhyolitic compositions. Rare earth element and trace elements show the typical signature of magmatic arc rocks with negative Nb, Ta, P, and Ti anomalies. New U-Pb zircon data from amphibolite and hornblende-biotite paragneiss samples from the complex confirm the existence of a Paleoproterozoic zircon population of a Paleoproterozoic age of approximately ca. 2054 Ma with Archean inheritance ranging in age between 2779 and 3324 Ma. A maximum sedimentation age of 2028 Ma is constrained by the youngest zircon grain in the hornblende-biotite paragneiss. Zircon U-Pb data from the metarhyolite and rhyodacites indicate Paleoproterozoic ages of ca. 2061 and 2074 Ma, respectively, interpreted as their crystallization age. Nd isotopic data in the metarhyolite and rhyodacites indicate Nd TDM ages between 2.54 and 3.07 Ga and 87Sr/86Sr (2061Ma) values from 0.71396 to 0.72351. Based on these data, we suggest that the probable source area of the metavolcanic-sedimentary complex is a Paleoproterozoic magmatic arc that was exhumed and covered by the paleobasins of the Macururé Domain in the northeast portion of the Sergipano Fold Belt.

Igneous and detrital zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf geochronology of the late Meso- to Neoproterozoic northwest Botswana rift: Maximum depositional age and provenance of the Ghanzi Group, Kalahari Copperbelt, Botswana and Namibia

New igneous and detrital zircon laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) U-Pb geochronology and Lu-Hf isotopic data are presented for the Mesoproterozoic Kgwebe Formation and the unconformably overlying Ghanzi Group in northwestern Botswana. The Makgabana Hills porphyritic rhyolite flow from the Ghanzi area yielded a U-Pb concordia age of 1085.5 ± 4.5 Ma and provides a new maximum depositional age for the unconformably overlying Ghanzi Group. Detrital zircon (n = 448) from the Ghanzi Group yielded a 207Pb/206Pb age distribution with a dominant (70 to 90%) Mesoproterozoic population (∼1450 to ∼1050 Ma), a smaller (5 to 20%) Paleoproterozoic (∼2200 to ∼1700 Ma) population, and a few (n = 4) older (∼3000 Ma to ∼2450 Ma) grains. A maximum depositional age constraint of ∼1060 to ∼1050 Ma was obtained for middle and upper Ghanzi Group based on the weighted-mean 207Pb/206Pb age of the youngest clusters of overlapping zircon ages for each sample.Initial hafnium ratios (εHfi) and corresponding crustal residence model ages (TCDM) for the Paleoproterozoic zircon populations indicate either fractionation from a chondritic uniform reservoir (CHUR) or mixing between juvenile mantle and older crustal components. Mesoproterozoic zircon with εHfi values between −20 and +15 and TCDM model ages between 3000 and 1200 Ma suggest that the source terrane(s) contained magmatic rocks including both juvenile material and substantially reworked Paleoproterozoic and possibly Archean crust.Comparison with a compilation of published U-Pb, Lu-Hf, and Sm-Nd data from the Kalahari Craton suggests that the predominant Mesoproterozoic zircon population was derived from the Namaqua Sector, Rehoboth Basement Inlier, Kwando Complex, and Choma-Kalomo Block; some zircon may have had distal sources in adjacent Rodinia landmasses. Both Archean cratonic components and juvenile ∼1200 to ∼1000 Ma magmatic rocks of the Natal Sector and the Maud and Mozambique belts on the eastern margin of the craton are unlikely sources for the detrital zircon based on isotopic composition. Sediment transported from the western margin of the Kalahari Craton entered the northwest Botswana rift and mixed with sediments from the Rehoboth Basement Inlier and Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic terranes that bound the northwest Botswana rift.

Provenance of Austroalpine basement metasediments: tightening up Early Palaeozoic connections between peri-Gondwanan domains of central Europe and Northern Africa

New U–Pb and Lu–Hf detrital zircon data together with whole-rock geochemical and Sm–Nd data were obtained for paragneisses of the Austroalpine basement south of the Tauern Window. Geochemically immature metasediments of the Northern–Defereggen–Petzeck (Otztal–Bundschuh nappe system) and Defereggen (Drauzug–Gurktal nappe system) groups contain zircon age populations which indicate derivation mainly from Pan-African orogens. Younger, generally mature metasediments of the Gailtal Metamorphic Basement (Drauzug–Gurktal nappe system), Thurntaler Phyllite Group (Drauzug–Gurktal nappe system) and Val Visdende Formation (South Alpine Basement) were possibly derived from more distant sources. Their significantly larger abundances of pre-Pan-African zircons record a more advanced stage of downwearing of the Pan-African belts and erosion of older basement when the Austroalpine terrane was part of the Early Palaeozoic Northern Gondwana passive margin. Most zircon age spectra are dominated by Ediacaran sources, with lesser Cryogenian, Tonian and Stenian contributions and subordinate Paleoproterozoic and Neoarchean ages. These age patterns are similar to those recorded by Cambro–Ordovician sedimentary sequences in northeastern Africa between Libya and Jordan, and in some pre-Variscan basement inliers of Europe (e.g. Dinarides–Hellenides, Alboran microplate). Therefore, the most likely sources seem to be in the northeastern Saharan Metacraton and the Northern Arabian–Nubian Shield (Sinai), further supported by whole-rock Sm–Nd and zircon Lu–Hf data.

1.88 Ga São Gabriel AMCG association in the southernmost Uatumã-Anauá Domain: Petrological implications for post-collisional A-type magmatism in the Amazonian Craton

In the southernmost Uatumã-Anauá Domain, central Amazonian craton (Brazil), crop out 1.98Ga basement inliers represented by (meta)leucosyenogranites and amphibolites (Igarapé Canoas Suite), 1.90–1.89Ga high-K calc-alkaline granitoids (Água Branca Suite), a 1.88–1.87Ga alkali-calcic A-type volcano-plutonic system (Iricoumé-Mapuera), Tonian SiO2-satured alkaline granitoids, 1.45–1.25Ga orthoderived metamorphic rocks (Jauaperi Complex) and Orosirian–Upper Triassic mafic intrusions. New data on petrography, multielementar geochemistry, in situ zircon U–Pb ages and Nd and Hf isotopes of alkali-calcic A-type granites (São Gabriel Granite, Mapuera Suite) and related rocks are indicative of a 1.89–1.87Ga volcano-plutonic system integrated to the São Gabriel AMCG association. Its magmatic evolution was controlled by the fractional crystallization combined with magma mixing and cumulation processes. Nd isotope values (εNdt values=−3.71 to +0.51 and Nd TDM model age=2.44 to 2.12Ga) and U–Pb inherited zircon crystals (2115±22Ma; 2206±21Ma; 2377±17Ma, 2385±17Ma) of the São Gabriel system indicate a large participation of Siderian–Rhyacian crust (granite-greenstones and granulites) and small contribution of Rhyacian mantelic magma. εHft values (+5.2 to −5.8) and Hf TDM ages (3.27–2.14Ga) also point to contribution of Paleoarchean–Rhyacian crustal melts and small participation of Siderian–Rhyacian mantle melts. Residual melts from the lower crust have been mixed with basaltic melts generated by partial melting of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (peridotite) in a post-collisional setting at 1.89–1.87Ga. The mafic melts of such a mixture could have been originated through partial melting of residual ocean plate fragments (eclogites) which ascended onto a residual mantle wedge (hornblende peridotite) and melted it, resulting in modified basaltic magma which, by underplating, led heat to the anatexis of the lower continental crust. This widespread alkali-calcic A-type magmatism was caused by destabilization and magmatic reactivation in the Ventuari-Tapajós and Central Amazonian Provinces, resulting from the Ventuari-Tapajós collision periods. Younger igneous reactivations have been registered at 1.45 to 1.25Ga, ~1.0Ga and ~100Ma, culminating with the production of mafic and felsic alkaline magmas, along of the northern border of the Amazon Basin.

Geochronology and thermochronology of the gneisses of the Brasiliano/Pan-African Araguaia Belt: Records of exhumation of West Gondwana and Pangea break up

The 1200 km long Araguaia Belt, central-north Brazil, was formed as a result of the Neoproterozoic (Ediacaran) to Early Cambrian collage of West Gondwana and has several dome structures in whose nuclei crop out basement inliers of Archean and Paleoproterozoic orthogneisses. Thus, the orthogneisses from Lontra, Cocalândia, Colméia and Cantão dome structures were selected for fission-track thermochronology and U-Pb double dating. Three Archean magmatic episodes ranging from 2830.9 ± 6.9 Ma (Colméia dome) to 2905 ± 5.1 Ma (Lontra dome) and one Paleoproterozoic magmatic event at 1835 ± 31 Ma (Cantão dome) are recognized by U-Pb LA-MC-ICP-MS zircon dating. Fission-track thermochronology in zircon permitted to identify three well-defined age populations, which correspond to major regional geological events. The older population (489 ± 15 Ma to 498±8Ma) records the exhumation process and the orogenetic collapse of the Araguaia Belt. The intermediate population (331 ± 8 Ma to 345 ± 13 Ma) is related to the Gondwanides orogeny which affected the western margin of Gondwana and therefore the interior of South American. Finally, the younger fission track ages (197 ± 3 Ma, 197 ± 4 Ma, 198 ± 2 Ma and 208 ± 10 Ma) reflect crustal heating around 200 Ma, which is associated with the Lower Jurassic Mosquito tholeiitic magmatism and extended the influence of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province to the Araguaia Belt. This mafic magmatism has been recognized in different regions of the South American and was an important source of heat for hydrocarbon generation in some Paleozoic intracratonic basins.

Genesis and evolution of a Paleoproterozoic basement inlier within West Gondwana addressed by Sm-Nd isotopic geochemistry and Zr saturation thermometry

This paper presents new isotopic Sm-Nd ID-TIMS data and applies the Zr saturation thermometry on orthogneisses of the Quirino Complex to address the mechanisms of magma genesis, evolution and tectonic setting. Quirino Complex is considered a Paleoproterozoic basement inlier within a Neoproterozoic belt, comprised of two distinct calcalkaline magmatic suites: a Siderian to Rhyacian high-K suite (2.30–2.19 Ga); and a Rhyacian medium-K suite (2.17–2.16 Ga). High zircon solubility and εNd(t) values (+2.7 to −5.8) indicate that the protoliths of the high-K suite gneisses can be related to high-temperature (TZr = ca. 810 °C) I-type granites. The gneisses of the medium-K suite display isotopic signature for crustal residence (εNd(t) = −17.9 and −8.1). Their protoliths, rich in inherited zircons (ca. 3.0 Ga) and other restitic/refractory components (hornblende clots and mafic enclaves), were derived from partial melting of Archean crust at relatively low temperature (TZr = ca. 750 °C) within a collisional tectonic setting.

Middle Ordovician effusive rocks of the Khamsara terrane (Tyva) as an indicator complex

Felsic rocks of the Khamsara terrane in Tyva (southern Siberia) have been studied in terms of major- and trace-element compositions and U-Pb isotope geochronology. The Khamsara Formation rocks have compositions of A2-subtype within-plate anorogenic volcanics derived from molten continental crust and SIMS U-Pb zircon ages of 463.9 ± 2.8 and 461.7 ± 3.1 Ma of two rhyolite porphyry samples. The Khamsaravolcanics are compared with subvolcanic granitoids of the Ognit complex in the Biryusa terrane (Sharyzhalgai basement inlier of the Siberian craton) adjacent to the Khamsara terrane. The volcanics and the granites are coeval and share compositional similarity. The Khamsara Formation is interpreted as a cap complex that marks the upper age bound of the accretionary-collisional events when amalgamated terranes in this part of the Central Asian orogen accreted to the Siberian craton.

ALPINE BASEMENT OUTCROPS AT NORTHERN PELOPONNESUS: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE EARLY STAGES IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE CORINTH RIFT

We focus on the central and eastern southern onshore parts of the Corinth Rift (CR), where basement outcrops are few and of limited extent, to study three key locations: a basement inlier east of Xylokastro, a new outcrop of the Tripolis Unit at the western edge of the Xylokastro horst, and a re-mapped and re-evaluated outcrop of the Pindos Unit northwest of Nemea. The results of this study show that there are elements which could help overcome the significant difficulties in our understanding of the structure and evolution of the rift, posed by the lack of basement outcrops in the central and eastern onshore parts of the Rift. This, in turn, calls for a reconsideration of the generally accepted idea that the broader onshore eastern sector of the CR lacks significant basement and intrabasinal faults.

Origin and tectonic evolution of the NE basement of Oman: a window into the Neoproterozoic accretionary growth of India?

AbstractThe Omani basement is located spatially distant from the dominantly juvenile Arabian–Nubian Shield (ANS) to its west, and its relationship to the amalgamation of those arc terranes has yet to be properly constrained. The Jebel Ja'alan (NE Oman) basement inlier provides an excellent opportunity to better understand the Neoproterozoic tectonic geography of Oman and its relationship to the ANS. To understand the origin of this basement inlier, we present new radiogenic isotopic data from igneous bodies in Jebel Ja'alan. U–Pb and 40Ar/39Ar geochronological data are used to constrain the timing of magmatism and metamorphism in the jebel. Positive εHf and εNd values indicate a juvenile origin for the igneous lithologies. Phase equilibria modelling is used to constrain the metamorphic conditions recorded by basement. Pressure–temperature (P–T) pseudosections show that basement schists followed a clockwise P–T path, reaching peak metamorphic conditions of c. 650–700°C at 4–7.5 kbar, corresponding to a thermal gradient of c. 90–160°C/kbar. From the calculated thermal gradient, in conjunction with collected trace-element data, we interpret that the Jebel Ja'alan basement formed in an arc environment. Geochronological data indicate that this juvenile arc formed during Tonian time and is older than basement further west in Oman. We argue that the difference in timing is related to westwards arc accretion and migration, which implies that the Omani basement represents its own tectonic domain separate to the ANS and may be the leading edge of the Neoproterozoic accretionary margin of India.

Pan-African accretionary metamorphism in the Sperrgebiet Domain, Gariep Belt, SW Namibia

The newly described Sperrgebiet Domain is a part of the Palaeo- to Mesoproterozoic Namaqua–Natal Province that is exposed as a basement inlier within the Pan-African Gariep Belt in SW Namibia. Clastic metasediments of the c. 1700Ma Aurus Schist of the Sperrgebiet Domain exhibit Pan-African fabrics and metamorphic mineral assemblages that are not present in the low-grade metamorphic Gariep Supergroup against which it is tectonically juxtaposed. Metapelitic and semi-pelitic schists consist of phengitic white mica, chlorite, minor garnet and quartz ± biotite, and contain pseudomorphs after a prismatic aluminous mineral, likely chloritoid or staurolite. Calculated pseudosections for four mica schist samples constrain P–T conditions of around 10kbar and 500°C, and the late paragenesis of garnet indicates that these conditions were attained along a prograde, clockwise trajectory. These conditions and the low apparent geotherm (∼14°C.km−1) are typical of subduction zone metamorphism, and are similar to those documented for peri-contemporaneous accretionary metamorphism in the adjacent Damara Belt to the NE. A subduction origin has also been proposed for exotic ‘blueschist’ blocks within the Gariep Belt; however, the absence of an accretionary metamorphic imprint in the Gariep Supergroup indicates that the Sperrgebiet Domain was decoupled from these lithologies for much of the Pan-African Orogeny. Our results are the first indication that the continental margin of the western Kalahari Craton may have been subducted during the latter stages of Pan-African convergence and Gondwana assembly.

Early Cambrian metamorphic zircon in the northern Pinjarra Orogen: Implications for the structure of the West Australian Craton margin

The Mesoproterozoic Pinjarra Orogen formed when present-day India and Australia amalgamated to form Gondwana. Outcrop of the Pinjarra Orogen is limited to the Leeuwin, Mullingarra, and Northampton Complexes, which are exposed as basement inliers in the Paleozoic to Mesozoic Perth and Southern Carnarvon Basins. We used U-Pb zircon geochronology to date Pinjarra Orogen basement rocks from the Wendy-1 drill core, which intersects the Paleozoic Tumblagooda Sandstone and its underlying paragneiss basement east of the Northampton Complex. Our results suggest an Early Cambrian (526.3 ± 12 Ma) metamorphic age for this basement domain, which is uncharacteristic for the nearby Northampton Complex, but correlates well with the much more distant Leeuwin Complex. Detrital ages between 1120 Ma, 1210 Ma, and 1530 Ma dominate the zircon cargo of this basement sample, which may have been sourced from the Albany-Fraser Orogen to the south and east. An Archean detrital zircon component is also identified from one concordant analysis, and from radiogenic Pb-loss modeling. These results have important implications for the crustal architecture of the western margin of the West Australian craton and for correlating domains of the Mesoproterozoic Pinjarra Orogen in reconstructions of Gondwana. Our data suggest that the basement below the Perth Basin is more segmented than previously assumed. Evidence for a common Indian-Australian tectonometamorphic event in the Late Neoproterozoic to Early Cambrian is not limited to the Leeuwin Complex in the southwest corner of present-day Western Australia but also now identified in basement rocks in the Northampton area. These results confirm the in situ formation of Pinjarra Orogen basement complexes in the Mesoproterozoic with a metamorphic reactivation in the Neoproterozoic–Cambrian during the collision with present-day India.

A preserved early Ediacaran magmatic arc at the northernmost portion of the Transversal Zone central subprovince of the Borborema Province, Northeastern South America

ABSTRACT: Magmatic arcs are an essential part of crust-forming events in planet Earth evolution. The aim of this work was to describe an early Ediacaran magmatic arc (ca. 635-580 Ma) exposed in the northernmost portion of the Transversal Zone, central subprovince of Borborema Province, northeast Brazil. Our research took advantage of several syntheses by different authors, including theses and dissertations, carried out on magmatic rocks of the study area for the last 30 years. The ca. 750 km long and up to 140 km wide arc, trending ENE-WSW, is preserved to the south of the Patos Lineament, between 35º15' and 42º30'W and 7º15' and 8ºS. About 90 different stocks and batholiths of I-type granitic rocks were mapped along this orogenic zone, preferentially intruding low-grade schists of the Cryogenian-Ediacaran Piancó-Alto Brígida (SPAB) belt. Three igneous supersuites are recognized: a) epidote-bearing granodiorites and tonalites ("Conceição" type); b) high-K calc-alkaline granites ("Itaporanga" type); c) biotite granodiorites of trondhjemite affinity ("Serrita" type). A fourth group of peralkalic and shoshonitic rocks occurs to the south of the previous ones, reflecting special tectonic conditions. NNE-SSW trending Paleoproterozoic fold belts, surrounding Archean nuclei, characterize the continental part of the northern lower plate. The oceanic fraction of this lower plate was recycled by subduction and scarce remnants of which may be seen either within the enclosing low-grade schists or as xenoliths within the arc intrusions. The upper continental plate presents WSW-ENE structural trends and is composed of Neoproterozoic fold belts and Paleoproterozoic reworked basement inliers. Available data bear clear evidence of an Ediacaran magmatic arc built at the northern portion of the Transversal Zone in the Borborema Province, northeast Brazil.