Mineral Isochron Ages Research Articles

Timing of lunar Mg-suite magmatism constrained by SIMS U-Pb dating of Apollo norite 78238

The lunar Mg-suite magmatic rocks are commonly thought to represent mafic intrusions into the anorthositic flotation crust of the lunar magma ocean (LMO). Their geochronology is, therefore, important for constraining evolution models of the LMO. Petrogenetic models of the Mg-suite hold that their parent magmas were derived from primary LMO sources (Mg-cumulates, An-rich plagioclase, and melts enriched in KREEP—potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus). Previous radiogenic isotopic age interpretations of Mg-suite and putatively older, related ferroan anorthosites (FANs) overlap over a 200-million-year interval. The Apollo 78238 norite is an exemplary Mg-suite rock, with a relict coarse igneous texture modified by shock metamorphism. In-situ secondary ion mass spectrometry U-Pb analyses of zircon and baddeleyite in 78238 yield discordant arrays, attributed to recent impact metamorphism, with upper intercepts that constrain its crystallization age. The four oldest baddeleyite analyses give a weighted mean 207Pb/206Pb age of 4332 ± 18 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 0.06, P = 0.98), which is interpreted as the crystallization age of the norite. The overlap of the baddeleyite age with previously reported Sm-Nd and Pb-Pb mineral isochron ages for 78238 (Edmunson et al., 2009) supports a moderately fast cooling of the norite. Moreover, it is distinguishably younger than the most precisely dated sample of FAN (Apollo 60025), measured at 4360 ± 3 Ma by Sm-Nd and Pb-Pb mineral isochrons (Borg et al., 2011). Together with the baddeleyite 207Pb/206Pb age of Apollo Mg-suite troctolite 76535 at 4328 ± 8 Ma (White et al., 2020), the chronological record of the 78238 norite indicates a significant Mg-suite magmatic event at 4.33 Ga and a lower age limit on LMO differentiation.

Age disequilibrium between zircon and their granitoid hosts caused by intracrustal reworking: Nd-Hf-Ar isotope evidence of Archaean Granitoids from Barberton Mountain Land (Kaapvaal craton, South Africa)

The degree of early Archaean terrestrial differentiation into mantle and crust is long debated. A number of studies rely on bulk rock Hf and Nd isotope data to gain further insight. Here we present Hf-Nd data from two igneous basements suites of Barberton Mountain Land, namely a tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) and granodiorite-granite-monzogranite (GGM) suite to further decipher crust formation and its timing in the Archaean. TTG show high initial ε(Hf) and ε(Nd) if corrected using their respective U/Pb zircon ages that can be interpreted in two ways: (i) early differentiation of bulk silicate Earth or (ii) overcorrection of these data caused by decoupling of zircon from the ‘zircon-free’ bulk rock due to metamorphic overprint. Indeed, regional metamorphism affected the early TTG ca. 250 Ma after their emplacement and disturbed their bulk rock Hf and Nd systematics. Correction of bulk rock Hf and Nd data to the age of metamorphism yields values between +0.9 and − 6.2 and from −1.3 to −4.3, respectively, thus indicating open-system behaviour. Lu-Hf and Sm-Nd mineral isochron ages of two TTG plutons are significantly younger than their corresponding U/Pb zircon age, but agree within uncertainty perfectly with external age constraints for the age of the metamorphic overprint. The same accounts for the 40Ar-39Ar systematics of the investigated plutons. Amphibole samples consist of a mixture of heterochemical generations that yield ages that are both older and younger than the metamorphic overprint at 3.2 Ga. The metamorphic minerals in each plutons provide a highly divergent age information from the coexisting zircon. Hence, the positive ε(Nd) and ε(Hf)-values that resulted from age-correction to the respective U/Pb zircon age are most probably over-corrected. Finally, if all data is age-corrected to the metamorphic overprint all samples agree with models for the Nd-Hf isotopic evolution in the mantle that do not require a large-scale early differentiation of Earth into enriched and depleted reservoirs. Mantle extraction ages (TDM) of TTG are interpreted as minimum ages for the generation of felsic Archaean crust whereas TDM of GGM are interpreted as maximum ages for the last major crust growth episode in the Barberton Mountain Land.

The formation and evolution of the Moon’s crust inferred from the Sm-Nd isotopic systematics of highlands rocks

Ages determined for magnesian and ferroan anorthosite crustal rock suites overlap, suggesting they formed contemporaneously about 4.3–4.5 Ga. A notable exception is the Sm-Nd age previously determined on Mg-suite gabbronorite 67667 which is at least 100 Ma younger than the youngest ferroan anorthosite. New chronologic measurements of 67667 presented here yield concordant Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr mineral isochron ages of 4349 ± 31 Ma and 4368 ± 67 Ma, suggesting the sample is older than previous estimates. Furthermore, a whole rock Sm-Nd isochron of Mg-suite rocks from the Apollo 14, 15, 16, and 17 landing sites yields an age of 4348 ± 25 Ma, indicating that Mg-suite magmatism was widespread and roughly contemporaneous on the lunar nearside. Analysis of Sm-Nd internal isochron ages confirms that Mg-suite magmatism was restricted to a period between about 4.33 and 4.35 Ga at the Apollo 14, 15, 16, and 17 landing sites and was synchronous with magmatism at the Apollo 16 site associated with the ferroan anorthosite suite between 4.35 and 4.37 Ga. Magnesian- and ferroan anorthosite suite rocks with ages younger than ∼4.33 Ga appear to have experienced slow cooling in the deep lunar interior, so that the ages record when the samples cooled below the closure temperature of the Sm-Nd isotopic system and not the time they crystallized.The ages determined for Mg-suite and ferroan anorthosite suite rocks are concordant with the age determined for the formation of urKREEP of 4350 ± 34 Ma using the Sm-Nd isotopic systematics of 67667 and measurements completed on norite 78238, troctolite 76535, KREEP basalt 15386, and gabbronorite NWA 773. Crystallization ages of Mg-suite and FAS are also concordant with the average of 146Sm-142Nd ages previously determined for the formation of the mare basalt source region of 4333 ± 30 Ma. The similarity of ages for Mg-suite magmatism, ferroan anorthosite suite magmatism, urKREEP formation, and formation of the mare basalt source regions implies the processes that produced these rocks were petrogenetically linked. It also implies that both early-stage and late-stage lunar magma ocean cumulates formed over a relatively short duration of <40 Ma. Late and somewhat rapid solidification of a lunar magma ocean can account for the concordance of ferroan anorthosite suite rocks, urKREEP, and the mare basalt source regions. However, the major and trace element compositions of Mg-suite magmas preclude them from being a primary differentiation product of the lunar magma ocean. Instead, the Mg-suite could be produced as a result of mixing of magma ocean solidification products during density driven overturn occurring immediately after, or perhaps during, solidification of the lunar magma ocean. This scenario not only accounts for the chronology of the various rock suites, but is consistent with the petrogenesis of the Mg-suite that involves the interaction between pre-existing Mg-rich, plagioclase-rich, and urKREEP-rich cumulates of the magma ocean.

Geochemistry and Sm‐Nd chronology of a Stannern‐group eucrite, Northwest Africa 7188

AbstractWe report the results of a detailed study of the basaltic eucrite Northwest Africa (NWA) 7188, including its mineralogical and bulk geochemical characteristics, oxygen isotopic composition, and147,146Sm‐143,142Nd mineral isochron ages. The texture and chemical composition of pyroxene and plagioclase demonstrate thatNWA7188 is a monomict eucrite with a metamorphic grade of type 4. The oxygen isotopic composition and the Fe/Mn ratios of pyroxene confirmed thatNWA7188 belongs to the howardite–eucrite–diogenite meteorite suite, generally considered to originate from asteroid 4 Vesta. Whole‐rock TiO2, La, and Hf concentrations and aCIchondrite‐normalized rare earth element pattern are in good agreement with those of representative Stannern‐group eucrites. The147,146Sm‐143,142Nd isochrons forNWA7188 yielded ages of 4582 ± 190 and 4554 +17/−19 Ma, respectively. The closure temperature of the Sm‐Nd system for different fractions ofNWA7188 was estimated to be &gt;865 °C, suggesting that the Sm‐Nd decay system has either been resistant to reheating at ~800 °C during the global metamorphism or only partially reset. Therefore, the146Sm‐142Nd age ofNWA7188 corresponds to the period of initial crystallization of basaltic magmas and/or global metamorphism on the parent body, and is unlikely to reflect Sm‐Nd disturbance by late reheating and impact events. In either case,NWA7188 is a rare Stannern‐group eucrite that preserves the chronological information regarding the initial crustal evolution of Vesta.

Geological, geochemical and Rb–Sr isotopic studies on tungsten mineralised Sewariya–Govindgarh granites of Delhi Fold Belt, Rajasthan, NW India

Neoproterozoic granites are widespread in the Delhi Fold Belt of the Aravalli craton, some of which are associated with tungsten mineralisation. In one such instance, the volcano-sedimentary sequence of Barotiya Group in the South Delhi Fold Belt is intruded by a pluton of biotite granite gneiss known as Sewariya Granite (SG) and later by stocks and dyke swarm of tourmaline leucogranite known as Govindgarh Granite (GG). GG magmatism was associated with wolframite mineralisation in hydrothermal quartz veins occurring along the sheared contact between SG pluton and Barotiya mica schist. SG pluton shows the evidence of ductile and brittle deformations, whereas GG is by and large undeformed. Apart from quartz and feldspars, SG contains biotite and muscovite, and GG contains muscovite, tourmaline and garnet. Although both SG and GG are peraluminous, SG has a wide range of \(\hbox {SiO}_{2}\) and narrow range of alkalis, and GG has a narrow range of \(\hbox {SiO}_{2}\) and a wide range of alkalis. REE (rare Earth elements) modelling shows that the parent magma of SG and GG was derived from partial melting at different crustal levels. Rb–Sr isotope data of GG yield a mineral isochron age of \(860\pm 7.4\,\hbox {Ma}\) which represent the time of igneous crystallisation and cooling of the granite to less than 400\({^{\circ }}\)C.

U-Pb, Rb-Sr and Ar-Ar systematics of the ungrouped achondrites Northwest Africa 6704 and Northwest Africa 6693

We report U-Pb, 87Rb-87Sr, 40Ar-39Ar, and 238U/235U isotopic data for paired ungrouped achondrites NWA 6704 and NWA 6693 that were derived from a highly oxidised parent body with broadly chondritic composition (Warren et al., 2013; Hibiya et al., 2019). Pb-isotopic ages derived from isochrons for multiple acid-leached pyroxene fractions are 4562.76 + 0.22/−0.30 Ma for NWA 6704 and 4562.63 + 0.29/−0.21 Ma for NWA 6693, calculated using 238U/235U ratio of 137.7784 ± 0.0097 measured in NWA 6704. The Rb-Sr mineral isochron age of 4543 ± 46 Ma (initial 87Sr/86Sr = 0.699013 ± 0.000055) is consistent with the Pb-isotopic age. Together with 187Re-187Os isochron age of 4576 ± 250 Ma for NWA 6704 (Hibiya et al., 2019), and 26Al-26Mg and 53Mn-53Cr ages calculated using the rapidly crystallized angrite D’Orbigny as a time anchor are also consistent with the Pb-isotopic age (Sanborn et al., 2019), these data indicate that the parent rocks of NWA 6693 and NWA 6704 remained closed to migration of both lithophile and siderophile elements since crystallisation and initial cooling. The whole rock 40Ar-39Ar age of 4199 ± 32 Ma suggests a complete resetting of the K-Ar system approximately 360 Ma after crystallisation. A later event at ≤2.12 Ga partially reset the K-Ar system as shown by the low temperature heating steps. Both meteorites have high 87Rb/86Sr ratios (up to 7.0 in NWA 6693 pyroxene) and very radiogenic 87Sr/86Sr up to 1.15. Together with the absence of secondary disturbance in the Rb-Sr and U-Pb systems, this makes them suitable for cross-calibration of the isotopic chronometers. These meteorites are also promising candidates to serve as age reference samples for the early Solar System chronology, as an alternative or complement to angrites of the early generation (D’Orbigny, Sahara 99555) that are currently used for this purpose. Plagioclase in NWA 6704 has a sufficiently low Rb/Sr ratio to define precise initial 87Sr/86Sr of 0.698997 ± 0.000027, which corresponds to the time of separation of the parent body precursor material from the solar nebula of 1.5 ± 2.1 Ma. This value suggests that the parent asteroid accreted within 3.6 Ma after CAI formation, or before 4563.7 Ma using the CAI age of 4567.3 Ma (Connelly et al., 2012).

Gently sloping shear zones in the Belomorian Mobile Belt: Geology, structure, and P–T parameters

The Belomorian Mobile Belt (BMB) in northern Karelia mostly consists of gently sloping shear zones, whose gneisses and migmatized amphibolites and blastomylonites are typically thinly banded, with their banding consistently dipping north- and northeastward. These gently sloping shear zones were not affected by folding after they were produced and are not cut by Paleoproterozoic metabasite dikes. Intrusive metabasites in the gently sloping shear zones make up relatively small (usually <5 m) equant or elongate bodies and occur as fragments of larger bodies. These fragments are often concentrated in stripes. Metabasites in the gently sloping shear zone are sometimes also found as lenses and tabular bodies of relatively small thickness, which are conformable with the foliation of the host rocks. The gently sloping shear zones cut across older domains of more complicated structure, which suggests that these zones are gently sloping ductile shear zones. Along these zones, the nappes were thrust south- and southwestward, and this process was the last in the origin of major structural features of BMB when the Paleoproterozoic Lapland–Kola orogen was formed. Practically identical age values were obtained for the gently sloping shear zone in the two widely separated Engonozero and Chupa segments of BMB: 1879 ± 21 Ma (40Ar/39Ar amphibole age of amphibolite whose protolith was mafic rock) and 1857 ± 13 Ma (Sm–Nd mineral isochron age of garnet amphibolites after gabbronorite). The P–T metamorphic parameters in these gently sloping shear zones are remarkably different from the metamorphic parameters outside these zones: the pressure is 3–4 kbar lower and the temperature is 60–100°C lower. Thrusting-related decompression triggered the transition from the older high-pressure episode of Paleoproterozoic metamorphism to a younger syn-thrusting higher temperature metamorphic episode. The peak metamorphic parameters corresponding to the boundary between the amphibolite and granulite facies were reached only in the central portions of the shear zones: T= 680–760°C, P = 8.0–11.9 kbar. In areas of the most intense migmatization, temperature estimates in the central portions of the shear are as high as 810–830°C. The marginal portions of the shear zones were formed at lower temperatures of 610–630°C. The temperature heterogeneous and rock heating in the gently sloping shear zones may have resulted from flows of high-temperature metamorphic fluid that were focused to the central portions of the zones.

147Sm‐143Nd and 176Lu‐176Hf systematics of eucrite and angrite meteorites

AbstractComparative planetary geochemistry provides insight into the origin and evolutionary paths of planetary bodies in the inner solar system. The eucrite and angrite achondrite groups are particularly interesting because they show evidence of early planetary differentiation. We present 147Sm‐143Nd and 176Lu‐176Hf analyses of eight noncumulate (basaltic) eucrites, two cumulate eucrites, and three angrites, which together place new constraints on the evolution and differentiation histories of the crusts of the eucrite and angrite parent bodies and their mantle mineralogies. The chemical compositions of both eucrites and angrites indicate similar evolutionary paths and petrogenetic models with formation and isolation of differentiated crustal reservoirs associated with segregation of ilmenite. We report a 147Sm‐143Nd mineral isochron age for the Moama cumulate eucrite of 4519 ± 34 Ma (MSWD = 1.3). This age indicates protracted magmatism within deep crustal layers of the eucrite parent body lasting up to about 50 Ma after the formation of the solar system. We further demonstrate that the isotopic compositions of constituent minerals are compromised by secondary processes hindering precise determination of mineral isochron ages of basaltic eucrites and angrites. We interpret the changes in geochemistry and, consequently, the erroneous 147Sm‐143Nd and 176Lu‐176Hf internal mineral isochron ages of basaltic eucrites and angrites as the result of metamorphic events such as impacts (effects from pressure, temperature, and peak shock duration) on the surfaces of the eucrite and angrite parent bodies.

Decoupling of the Lu–Hf, Sm–Nd, and Rb–Sr isotope systems in eclogites and a garnetite from the Sulu ultra-high pressure metamorphic terrane: Causes and implications

The whole-rock Hf, Sr and Nd isotope data of five high-Fe–Ti eclogites, nine high-Al eclogites, and a garnetite from the Sulu ultrahigh pressure (UHP) metamorphic terrane at eastern China were analyzed to resolve the causes for the decoupling of the Lu–Hf, Sm–Nd, and Rb–Sr isotope systems in these UHP rocks and to infer their protolith characteristics. Seven of the nine high-Al eclogites define an 87Rb/86Sr–87Sr/86Sr errorchron age of 192±43Ma (MSWD=2.8), which is within the time span of retrograde metamorphism despite the large uncertainty. The high-Fe–Ti eclogites and garnetite, however, have low 87Rb/86Sr ratios of <0.031 with scattered 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.7042–0.7058. Accordingly, it is inferred that the Rb–Sr isotope system in the samples reflects the effects of processes postdating the UHP metamorphism. Despite having different constituent mineral assemblages and whole rock geochemistry, the samples, however, define a 147Sm/144Nd–143Nd/144Nd errorchron age of 232±36Ma (MSWD=4.6). Although the uncertainty of ±36Ma implies incomplete Nd isotope equilibrium among the samples, the large overlap between this errorchron age span and the mineral isochron ages of 245–210Ma for the UHP metamorphism indicates the control of peak metamorphism on the Sm–Nd isotope system. The incomplete Nd isotope re-equilibration was accompanied by metamorphic modification on the Sm/Nd ratios as indicated by the U-shaped LREE patterns. The initial εNd(780) values of the protolith rocks calculated from the Sm/Nd ratios of the samples deviate from the igneous initial εNd(t)–εHf(t) trend to significantly lower values, consistent with the metamorphic increase in the Sm/Nd ratios. In contrast, the Lu/Hf ratios are generally within the range for basalts and do not vary systematically with the 176Hf/177Hf ratios. The protolith εHf(780) values calculated from the Lu/Hf ratios of the samples are nearly identical to the initial εHf(t) values of the ~780Ma magmatic zircon cores from the Yangtze craton, suggesting the dominance of protolith characteristics on the Lu–Hf isotope system. Being controlled by different processes, the Rb–Sr, Sm–Nd, and Lu–Hf isotope systems of the investigated samples are therefore decoupled. The εNd(220)–εHf(220) compositions of the samples deviate from the εNd(t)–εHf(t) trend of intraplate lavas to high εHf(220) at a given εNd(220) and are within the arc lava field. The protolith εNd(780)–εHf(780) compositions calculated from metamorphic initials using igneous Sm/Nd and Lu/Hf ratios show a similar distribution pattern, strengthening the arc affinity of the eclogites. These arc signatures together with the felsic–mafic bimodal geochemical features of the UHP rocks from the Sulu terrane are explained as the characteristics of protoliths generated by backarc rifting.

Excess hafnium‐176 in meteorites and the early Earth zircon record

The long‐lived176Lu‐to‐176Hf decay system is a powerful tool to understand ancient chemical fractionation events associated with planetary differentiation. Detrital Hadean zircons (&gt;3.8 Gyr) from the Jack Hills metasedimentary belt of Western Australia record extremely enriched Hf‐isotope signals suggesting early extraction of a continental crust (&gt;4.5 Gyr) but fail to identify a prevalent complementary depleted mantle reservoir, suggesting that crust formation processes in the early Earth were fundamentally distinct from today. However, this conclusion assumes that the Hf‐isotope composition of bulk chondrite meteorites can be used to estimate the composition of Earth prior to its differentiation into major silicate reservoirs, namely the bulk silicate Earth (BSE). We report a176Lu‐176Hf internal mineral isochron age of 4869 ± 34 Myr for the pristine SAH99555 angrite meteorite. This age is ∼300 Myr older than the age of the Solar System, confirming the existence of an energetic process yielding excess 176Hf in affected early formed Solar System objects through the production of the 176Lu isomer (t1/2 ∼3.9 hours). Thus, chondrite meteorites contain excess 176Hf and their present‐day composition cannot be used to infer the Lu‐Hf parameters of BSE. Using a revised BSE estimate based on the SAH99555 isochron, we show that Earth's oldest zircons preserve a record of coexisting enriched and depleted hafnium reservoirs as early as ∼4.3 Gyr in Earth's history, with little evidence for the existence of continental crust prior to ∼4.4 Gyr. This new view suggests continuous juvenile crustal growth and recycling throughout the Hadean and Archean eras, perhaps analogous to modern plate tectonics.

The Early−Middle Palaeozoic Oceanic Events Along the Southern European Margin: The Deli Jovan Ophiolite Massif (NE Serbia) and Palaeo-oceanic Zones of the Great Caucasus

The paper deals with the Middle Palaeozoic oceanic events on the northern margin of the Eastern Mediterranean Hercynides. The Balkan-Carpathian Ophiolite Belt (BCO) and palaeo-oceanic zones of the Great Caucasus, all framing the East European Platform from the south, are correlated. The BCO palaeo-oceanic complex was widely thought to be a Late Precambrian-earliest Cambrian oceanic thrust sheet (563±5 Ma), a part of the South European Palaeo-oceanic Suture. The geochronological studies carried out on gabbroic series of the Deli Jovan Massif (BCO, NE Serbia), showed, however, that they are of much younger (Early Devonian) age: (a) Sm-Nd mineral isochron age of 406±24 Ma, \epsilonNdT= 8.32±0.39; ^8^7Sr/^8^6Sr_i_n_i_t= 0.702592±0.000160; and (b) U-Pb SHRIMP zircon age, 405.0±2.6 Ma. All the studied gabbroic rocks represent high-alumina (19-24.5% Al_2O_3) gabbro-troctolites, originating from shallow level ( Keywords: Eastern Mediterranean Hercynides, Palaeozoic oceanic events, northern Balkanides, Great Caucasus, Devonian ophiolite

Rb-Sr whole-rock and mineral isochron ages of the Soeda Granodiorite, eastern part of northern Kyusyu

Rb-Sr whole-rock and mineral isochron ages of the Soeda Granodiorite, eastern part of northern Kyusyu

Rb‐Sr and Sm‐Nd isotopic systematics of the lherzolitic shergottite GRV 99027

Abstract– Rb‐Sr and Sm‐Nd isotopic analyses of the lherzolitic shergottite Grove Mountains (GRV) 99027 are reported. GRV 99027 yields a Rb‐Sr mineral isochron age of 177 ± 5 (2σ) Ma and an initial 87Sr/86Sr ratio (ISr) of 0.710364 ± 11 (2σ). Due to larger uncertainties of the Sm‐Nd isotopic data, no Sm‐Nd isochron age was obtained for GRV 99027. The ε143Nd value is estimated approximately +12.2, assuming an age of 177 Ma. The ISr of GRV 99027 is distinguishable from other lherzolitic shergottites, confirming our previous conclusion that it is not paired with them (Lin et al. 2005). The new data of GRV 99027 support the same age of approximately 180 Ma for most lherzolitic shergottites, and fill the small gap of ISr between Allan Hills A77005 and Lewis Cliff 88516 (Borg et al. 2002). All available data are consistent with a single igneous source for the intermediate subgroup of lherzolitic shergottites.

Eclogites and Garnet Pyroxenites: Problems Resolving Provenance Using Lu-Hf, Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr Isotope Systems

Cratonic eclogites and garnet pyroxenites from the Kaapvaal craton have heterogeneous Hf^Nd^Sr^(O) isotope ratios that define a positive Hf^Nd isotope array and a negative Nd^Sr isotope array. Isotopic variability encompasses depleted (mid-ocean ridge basalt and ocean-island basalt) to enriched mantle compositions (Group I and II kimberlites) and overlaps with that of the Kaapvaal craton garnet peridotite xenoliths. Isotopic heterogeneity at Roberts Victor is less extreme than previously reported and ranges from eclogites with a highly depleted MORB-like signature to enriched eclogites similar to Group II and transitional kimberlites and Group II megacrysts (eHf1⁄4 ^32·8). Much of this similarity may well be due to partial or complete resetting during entrainment. For the majority of eclogites and garnet pyroxenites the Lu^Hf system records ‘older’ mantle events than the Sm^Nd system, but neither necessarily records the protolith age. Both the Lu^Hf and the Sm^Nd systems are prone to being reset by entrainment in high-temperature kimberlite and/or basaltic magmas (e.g. Kaapvaal) and emplacement in orogenic belts (e.g. Beni Bousera). In the case of one eclogite from Roberts Victor the Sm^Nd cpx^gt mineral isochron age (963·1 42·3Ma) differs from the Lu^Hf cpx^gt mineral isochron age (1953 13Ma) by 1Ga and the Rb^Sr clinopyroxene model age (3·15 Ga) is 1Ga older than the Lu^Hf age and the reconstructed whole-rock isochron age. Ironically, it may be that, in this instance, the Rb^Sr system gives a better indication of protolith age than Sm^Nd or Lu^Hf. Overall variable resetting of isotope systems between protolith formation in the Archaean (42·5 Ga) and kimberlite and/or basalt entrainment ( 0·2 Ga) masks our understanding of the exact protolith age of eclogites.

Temporal Evolution of the Lithospheric Mantle beneath the Eastern North China Craton

It is now well established that lithospheric thinning of the eastern North China Craton (NCC) occurred during the Phanerozoic.The cause and extent of the thinning, however, remains highly debated. In this study, mantle xenoliths from the Paleozoic Mengyin kimberlites, along with xenoliths from the Cenozoic Penglai and Shanwang basalts in Shandong Province, are investigated via traditional petrographic and elemental, Sr^Nd^Hf^Os isotopic and platinum-group element (PGE) analyses. Late Archean Os model ages of c. 2 5 Ga for the Mengyin peridotites provide confirmation that refractory, Archean lithospheric mantle existed beneath the easternmost portion of the NCC during the Paleozoic. Some Paleoproterozoic lithospheric mantle fragments may also be present in the Mengyin xenolith suite. In contrast, the spatially associated Penglai and Shanwang peridotite xenoliths are more fertile, and have Sr^Nd isotopic compositions similar to the depleted mantle. They differ dramatically from the Archean peridotites sampled by the Mengyin kimberlites. Osmium model ages for single samples range from mid-Proterozoic to modern, similar to variations observed in Phanerozoic convecting upper mantle as sampled by modern abyssal peridotites. This suggests that the present lithospheric mantle beneath the eastern NCC formed in the Phanerozoic, despite the fact that Os model ages extend back to the Proterozoic. Some samples from the Penglai suite yield Proterozoic Lu^Hf clinopyroxene mineral isochron ages that are consistent with the Os model ages, suggesting that Hf isotopes in modern convective upper mantle can preserve evidence for ancient melt depletion, similar to Os isotopes. Our results are consistent with thinning of the eastern NCC as a result of foundering of the deep crust and lithospheric mantle, but are inconsistent with stretching or refertilization models, as remnants of Archean mantle are expected to be present in these scenarios.The match between Os/Os in convective upper mantle and the eastern China lithopspheric mantle also precludes models that seek to explain the present lithosphere as being due to lateral translation of Proterozoic lithosphere.

From emplacement to unroofing: thermal history of the Jiazishan gabbro, Sulu UHP terrane, China

On the eastern extremity of the Jiaodong penin- sula, China, shoshonitic magmas have been injected into the supracrustal rocks of the Sulu ultra-high pressure (UHP) terrane during the crustal exhumation phase. These gran- itoids (collectively termed the Shidao igneous complex or Jiazishan alkaline complex) show geochemical and isotopic signatures of an enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle and intruded soon after the subducted Yangtze crust had reached peak metamorphic pressure conditions (240- 220 Ma). We have applied various geochronometers to an alkali-gabbro sample from the Jiazishan pluton and the results allow reconstruction of the Triassic-to-present thermal history. Initial rapid cooling of the gabbro at crustal depths is indicated by the close agreement between the Sm- Nd mineral isochron age (228±36 Ma) and the Rb-Sr

The Plutón Diorítico Moat: Mildly alkaline monzonitic magmatism in the Fuegian Andes of Argentina

The Pluton Dioritico Moat (Moat Dioritic Pluton, PDM) is the largest of several isolated Cretaceous plutons exposed in the Fuegian Andes of Argentina. It is made of a large variety of rock types ranging from ultramafic bodies (pyroxenites and hornblendites) to syenites. The petrological diversity is thought to have been originated by fractional crystallization of a mantle-derived magma combined with minor assimilation of continental crust (AFC). Its geochemical characteristics indicate a mildly-alkaline monzonitic affinity, contrasting with the typical calc-alkaline plutons of the Southern Patagonian Batholith (PB) to the south, in the Chilean archipelago. The PDM original magma is arc-related and its crystallization, as indicated by the Rb–Sr mineral isochron age of 115 ± 3 Ma, is coeval with some plutons of the PB. Therefore a similar tectonic regime is assumed for the emplacement of these plutonic bodies, both south and north of the Beagle channel. Differences in magma sources and degree of partial melting are inferred to account for the contrasting lithological and geochemical characteristics of the PB and PDM. The data suggest that the original magmas of the PDM were generated at greater depths in the mantle, by a smaller degree of partial melting, compared with the PB. The Barros Arana basalts, exposed to the north in Chile, forming a back-arc volcanic complex, display the same mildly-alkaline shoshonitic affinity, and are considered in this study as the volcanic equivalents of the PDM. All the plutons in the Argentinean Fuegian Andes display similar lithological and geochemical characteristics and are, therefore, grouped in this work under the name of Magmatismo Potasico Fueguino (Fuegian Potassic Magmatism).

The Sandvik peridotite, Gurskøy, Norway: Three billion years of mantle evolution in the Baltica lithosphere

The Sandvik ultramafic body, Island of Gurskøy, Western Gneiss Region, Norway, is a mantle fragment that contains polymetamorphic mineral assemblages and affords a unique view into the response of subcontinental lithospheric mantle to repeated orogenic/magmatic events. The Sandvik peridotite body and nearby outcrops record four paragenetic stages: 1) pre-exsolution porphyroclasts of ol + grt + opx (high-Ca ) + cpx (low-Ca), which equilibrated at 1100–1200 °C and 6.5–7.0 GPa; 2) kelyphite containing ol + grt + spl +opx (low-Ca) + am (high-Al), as well as exsolved pyroxene containing opx + cpx + spl in equilibrium with matrix olivine, at 725 °C and 1.5 GPa; 3) granoblastic matrix of ol + spl + opx (low-Ca) + am (high-Al), at 700 °C and 1.0 GPa. A nearby outcrop contains a fourth assemblage consisting of ol + chl + opx + am. Lu–Hf and Re–Os model ages of garnet peridotite indicate melt depletion at 3.3 Ga [Beyer, E.E., Brueckner, H.K., Griffin, W.L., O'Reilly, S.Y., Graham, S., 2004. Archean mantle fragments in Proterozoic crust, Western Gneiss Region, Norway. Geology 32, 609–612.; Lapen, T.J., Medaris, L.G. Jr., Johnson, C.M., and Beard, B.L., 2005. Archean to Middle Proterozoic evolution of Baltica subcontinental lithosphere: evidence from combined Sm–Nd and Lu–Hf isotope analyses of the Sandvik ultramafic body, Norway. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 150, 131–145.], marking the time of separation from the convecting mantle. Lu–Hf whole rock and mineral isochron ages of constituent garnet peridotite and garnet pyroxenite layers in the Sandvik body reflect cooling and emplacement at ~ 1.25 Ga and ~ 1.18 Ga, respectively, whereas Sm–Nd whole rock and mineral ages of the garnet pyroxenite layers and the garnet peridotite are consistent with metasomatic alteration at ~ 1.15 Ga [Lapen, T.J., Medaris, L.G. Jr., Johnson, C.M., and Beard, B.L., 2005. Archean to Middle Proterozoic evolution of Baltica subcontinental lithosphere: evidence from combined Sm–Nd and Lu–Hf isotope analyses of the Sandvik ultramafic body, Norway. Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 150, 131–145.]. The isochron ages likely record lithospheric modification associated with the 1.25–1.00 Ga Sveconorwegian orogeny and represent the youngest age of the Stage 1 mineral assemblage equilibration. A 606 ± 39 Ma Sm–Nd isochron age of the Stage 2 kelyphite assemblage is consistent with partial re-equilibration of the porphyroclastic assemblage during continental rifting associated with opening of the Iapetus Ocean between Baltica and Laurentia at ~ 600 Ma, or extension between Baltica and Siberia that may have been associated with opening of the Ægir Sea. The age of kelyphite, therefore, places the Sandvik peridotite in the uppermost mantle prior to Silurian shortening between the Baltic and Laurentian continents.

He–Ar and Nd–Sr isotopic compositions of late Pleistocene felsic plutonic back arc basin rocks from Ulleungdo volcanic island, South Korea: Implications for the genesis of young plutonic rocks in a back arc basin

We report analyses of noble gases and Nd–Sr isotopes in mineral separates and whole rocks of late Pleistocene (< 0.2 Ma) monzonites from Ulleungdo, South Korea, a volcanic island within the back arc basin of the Japan island arc. A Rb–Sr mineral isochron age for the monzonites is 0.12 ± 0.01 Ma. K–Ar biotite ages from the same samples gave relatively concordant ages of 0.19 ± 0.01and 0.22 ± 0.01 Ma. 40Ar/ 39Ar yields a similar age of 0.29 ± 0.09 Ma. Geochemical characteristics of the felsic plutonic rocks, which are silica oversaturated alkali felsic rocks (av., 12.5 wt% in K 2O + Na 2O), are similar to those of 30 alkali volcanics from Ulleungdo in terms of concentrations of major, trace and REE elements. The initial Nd–Sr isotopic ratios of the monzonites ( 87Sr/ 86Sr = 0.70454–0.71264, 143Nd/ 144Nd = 0.512528–0.512577) are comparable with those of the alkali volcanics ( 87Sr/ 86Sr = 0.70466–0.70892, 143Nd/ 144Nd = 0.512521–0.512615) erupted in Stage 3 of Ulleungdo volcanism (0.24–0.47 Ma). The high initial 87Sr/ 86Sr values of the monzonites imply that seawater and crustally contaminated pre-existing trachytes may have been melted or assimilated during differentiation of the alkali basaltic magma. A mantle helium component ( 3He/ 4He ratio of up to 6.5 RA) associated with excess argon was found in the monzonites. Feldspar and biotite have preferentially lost helium during slow cooling at depth and/or during their transportation to the surface in a hot host magma. The source magma noble gas isotopic features are well preserved in fluid inclusions in hornblende, and indicate that the magma may be directly derived from subcontinental lithospheric mantle metasomatized by an ancient subduction process, or may have formed as a mixture of MORB-like mantle and crustal components. The radiometric ages, geochemical and Nd–Sr isotopic signatures of the Ulleungdo monzonites as well as the presence of mantle-derived helium and argon, suggests that these felsic plutonic rocks evolved from alkali basaltic magma that formed by partial melting of subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the back arc basin located along the active continental margin of the southeastern part of the Eurasian plate.

Geochronology of high‐pressure mafic granulite dykes in SW Sweden: tracking the P–T–t path of metamorphism using Hf isotopes in zircon and baddeleyite

AbstractAlthough the U–Pb zircon chronometer has been widely used for dating metamorphism in moderate‐ to high‐grade rocks, it is generally difficult to link the U–Pb age of zircon to specific metamorphic reactions. In this study, the initial Hf isotopic composition of secondary zircon is compared with the evolution of Hf isotopic composition of the bulk sample, back‐projected from the measured value through time. This approach may enhance the interpretation of radiometric ages performed on metamorphic mineral assemblages. Here, U–Pb, Sm–Nd and Lu–Hf geochronology and thermobarometry have been integrated and applied to two metamorphosed diabase dykes in the Sveconorwegian orogen, SW Sweden. The dykes are located ∼5 km east of the NNE‐trending Göta Älv deformation zone in the Idefjorden terrane, and trend parallel to this zone. The Lunden dyke is recrystallized into a coronitic, granulite facies assemblage. U–Pb isotopic analyses of baddeleyite in this dyke indicate an emplacement age of c. 1300 Ma. Thermobarometric techniques applied to garnet and omphacitic clinopyroxene coronas indicate high‐pressure metamorphism at ∼15 kbar and ∼740 °C. The growth of polycrystalline zircon at the expense of baddeleyite occurred at 1046 ± 6 Ma. The identical Hf isotopic composition of polycrystalline zircon and baddeleyite shows that the baddeleyite‐to‐zircon transition took place before Hf equilibration among the other metamorphic minerals and, hence the c. 1046 Ma age of polycrystalline zircon sets an upper age limit of metamorphism of this sample. The Haregården dyke is recrystallized into a granoblastic transitional upper amphibolite to granulite facies assemblage. The estimated P–T conditions are ∼10 kbar and ∼700 °C. Analyses of small (∼30 μm), clear and round zircon in this sample yield a Concordia U–Pb age of 1026 ± 4 Ma, which is indistinguishable from the Lu‐Hf and Sm‐Nd mineral isochron ages of 1027 ± 9 and 1022 ± 34 Ma, respectively. This type of secondary zircon plots at the lower end of the Lu‐Hf isochron and indicates simultaneous growth with garnet at c. 1026 Ma, a time when Hf isotopic equilibrium among minerals must have been reached.