Rb-Sr Systematics Research Articles

On the viability of detrital biotite Rb–Sr geochronology

Abstract. Re-examination of International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) sediment samples collected from the Bay of Bengal via laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) Rb–Sr geochronology demonstrates the viability of the biotite Rb–Sr system for use as a detrital chronometer. The age population defined by the Rb–Sr dates essentially reproduces that previously published for detrital 40Ar/39Ar dates. The effect of unknown/assumed initial 87Sr/86Sr on the calculated population can be ameliorated by filtering for higher 87Rb/86Sr ratios. Such filtering, however, could introduce bias toward more radiogenic populations, especially in younger material that has not had time to accumulate radiogenic product (e.g. limiting the effect of initial 87Sr/86Sr to ∼ <5 % requires filtering of 87Rb/86Sr >500 at 250 Ma and 87Rb/86Sr >50 at 2500 Ma). Finally, Ti-in-biotite temperatures calculated based on element concentration data collected during LA-ICP-MS overlap with those calculated for the same material based on electron probe microanalyzer data, demonstrating the potential for in situ biotite petrochronology based on the Rb–Sr system.

Reassessing the timing of high-strain deformation in the Strangways Metamorphic Complex, Central Australia, by in situ mica Rb–Sr and titanite U–Pb geochronology

Dating the timing of deformation within shear zones is critical to quantifying orogenic processes and developing time-resolved regional tectonic frameworks. Such work requires the integration of detailed microstructural analysis with in situ geochronology to quantify when deformation mechanisms were active at the micro-scale. The Proterozoic, granulite-facies Strangways Metamorphic Complex was exhumed during the Devonian to Carboniferous intracontinental Alice Springs Orogeny. New microstructural observations, quartz c -axis orientation analyses, mica chemistry, Ti-in-biotite thermometry, in situ mica Rb–Sr and titanite U–Pb geochronology outline a detailed history of ductile shearing across the complex. Movement along the north boundary shear zone of Strangways Metamorphic Complex appears to have initiated c. 382 Ma, preceding peak metamorphism in the area during the Alice Springs Orogeny. Widespread reverse-sense ductile shearing occurred within the Strangways Metamorphic Complex between c. 365 and 355 Ma, and correlates with rapid cooling of the region. Late-stage ductile deformation is recorded at c. 335 Ma, likely reflecting the terminal exhumation of the Strangways Metamorphic Complex. Finally, the new in situ muscovite and biotite Rb–Sr data collected herein permit comparison with previous two-point mica Rb–Sr isochrons and 40 Ar– 39 Ar dates from the same specimens. In the rocks analysed, the biotite Rb–Sr system returned dates similar to the previous 40 Ar– 39 Ar white mica dates, perhaps indicating a similar effective closure temperature. Supplementary material: Test results and previous geochronology data from the Alice Springs Orogeny are available in tabular form at https://osf.io/yjp24/?view_only=0bf5bec9f5c94a1aa4fb413320ec24e8

The Singhbhum Craton (India) records a billion year of continental crust formation and modification

The petrogenesis of continental crust from its ultimate mantle source can be reconstructed from the element abundances and radiogenic isotope compositions of ideally pristine igneous rocks. The initial isotope compositions of igneous rocks provide geochemical constraints on the age, composition and evolution of their source(s). Determining initial isotope ratios for rock samples can be challenging, especially in rocks with a long and protracted thermal history. The Rb-Sr system is highly sensitive to parent-daughter element fractionation during magma differentiation. This makes the Rb-Sr isotope systematics ideal to trace the precursor composition of Archean felsic crust and constrain the time of element fractionation during the formation and subsequent modification of continental crust. Initial isotope compositions can be obtained directly from minerals that strongly prefer the daughter element and effectively exclude the parent element of the radio-isotope system of interest. Apatite, having a near zero Rb/Sr ratio, is ideal for preserving its initial 87Sr/86Sr and zircon records initial 176Hf/177Hf compositions. Combined modelling of Sr and Hf isotope data from granitoids of the Archean Singhbhum Craton, indicates that the older Paleoarchean granitoids, emplaced between 3.53 Ga and 3.44 Ga, were derived from a mafic precursor (∼52–54 wt% SiO2) sourced from a depleted mantle at ∼3.71 Ga. Initial 87Sr/86Sr isotope signatures of matrix apatite and apatite inclusions in zircon from the younger Paleoarchean granitoids (3.4–3.2 Ga) of the Singhbhum Craton indicate these younger granitoids were produced by mixing of magma generated from an older mafic source and partial melts derived from the older granitoids. The combined Sr-Hf isotope modelling links the timing of mantle extraction of the precursor material for Paleoarchean Singhbhum granitoids with a known mafic crust extraction event at ∼3.71 Ga. In combination, the new Sr isotope data from apatite combined with whole rock and zircon Hf isotope data from the literature reveal a ∼1 Ga protracted crustal growth and differentiation history of the nucleus of the Singhbhum Craton. By combining radio-isotope systems like 87Rb-87Sr and 176Lu-176Hf, the petrogenesis of Archean felsic crust from the extraction of mafic material from the mantle to reworking in an orogenic cycle to emplacement can be reconstructed. This approach can be applied to other greenstone-gneiss terranes to quantify the spatio-temporal and compositional evolution of voluminous felsic crust and the formation of cratons in the Archean.

Time-strain evolution of shear zones from petrographically constrained Rb–Sr muscovite analysis

Some isotopic ratios in minerals like monazite, apatite, and mica can record the thermal response to mylonitization, but such systems may fail to track the time of low- to medium temperature fabric realignment (recrystallization). New analytical methods that allow spatially resolved measurement isotopic ratios in distinct microstructures offer the potential to characterize the time-strain evolution of mid-crustal shear zones over a temperature range conducive to capturing the growth timing of those structures. Here we present high spatial resolution electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), mineral chemistry, and in situ Rb–Sr dates from two texturally distinct muscovite populations in a mid- to upper-greenschist facies granitic mylonite from Top Up Rise, Western Australia. Coarse-grained muscovite fish retain a primary magmatic composition, displaying microstructural evidence of mechanical (kink and folds) and crystal-plastic deformation. The muscovite fish yield a Rb–Sr isochron date of 1614±75 Ma that either records the crystallization of the granitic protolith or cooling from high-grade metamorphic overprinting as constrained by in situ garnet Lu–Hf dates in related metapelites (1696±43 Ma and 1670±36 Ma). Conversely, fine-grained muscovite texturally associated with shear bands is chemically distinct, display microstructural evidence of fluid-assisted dynamic recrystallization and yield a distinctly younger isochron date of 609±14 Ma. The Rb–Sr dates from the coarse-grained muscovite fish cannot be unequivocally linked to mylonitization as they are indistinguishable from regional metamorphic processes. Muscovite grains behaved as rigid porphyroclasts during later medium-temperature mylonitization, leading to fish geometries, whilst maintaining intact Rb–Sr systematics. However, recrystallized/neoblastic fine-grained muscovite records the timing of medium-temperature mylonitization, establishing a direct time–strain relationship. These results highlight the potential for significant diachronicity in mineralogical components of mylonitic fabrics, demonstrating the need to establish direct time-strain relationships in order to accurately reconstruct deformation histories.

Evolution of the sources of TTG and associated rocks during the Archean from in-situ 87Sr/86Sr isotope analysis of apatite by LA-MC-ICPMS

Radiogenic isotopes provide an important means towards elucidating Archean crustal evolution. The global Hf and Nd isotope record of Archean crustal fragments has been instrumental to unveiling the history of ancient crustal growth and differentiation. The Rb-Sr system could provide valuable complementary constraints in this regard, as this system is particularly sensitive to magmatic fractionation processes, and the chemical and isotopic evolution of magma sources. Application of this system has so far been complicated, however, by its susceptibility to isotope re-equilibration or alteration of the Rb/Sr parent-daughter ratio. In-situ Sr isotope analysis of primary igneous minerals with very low Rb/Sr, such as apatite, provides a new means to determine the initial 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr i ) values for igneous rocks directly. In this study, we apply in-situ Sr isotope analysis of apatite by LA-MC-ICPMS to tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) rocks and end-member sanukitoids from Archean cratons worldwide. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr i values of sanukitoids are relatively radiogenic, supporting the model in which such rocks are formed by flux melting of a mantle strongly enriched by metasomatism, possibly by slab-derived fluids. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr i values for TTGs formed between 3.72 and 3.45 Ga are generally radiogenic, indicating aged amphibolite sources. The 87 Sr/ 86 Sr i values of younger TTGs are systematically lower and were derived from mafic sources that had an average age of ≤0.2 Gyr. This evolution matches with observations from Hf isotopes for TTGs of similar age and indicates a systematic change in the nature or efficiency of TTG crust formation during the Paleoarchean. In-situ Sr isotope analysis of apatite provides a useful method to uncover the Sr record of the early continental crust, and enables constraints on local source evolution and the general two-step evolutionary process of Archean crust formation. • New Sr isotope record of Archean TTGs from LA-MC-ICPMS analysis of apatite • TTG Sr isotope compositions change from radiogenic to unradiogenic at c. 3.5 Ga. • Neoarchean sanukitoids uniformly provide unradiogenic Sr isotope signatures. • The change represents a systematic shift in the average age of mafic TTG sources. • This shift occurred within a small time window (3.6–3.4 Ga) in different cratons.

Elemental and K-Ar Isotopic Signatures of Glauconite/Celadonite Pellets from a Metallic Deposit of Missouri: Genetic Implications for the Local Deposits

In the course of attempting to date the host rocks of Viburnum metal deposits from the US state of Missouri, the purpose was here a detailed examination and contribution of the constitutive minerals of glauconite-rich pellets to the isotopic dating of these deposits. The glauconite pellets of Cambrian sediments hosting metal concentrates were dated here by the K-Ar method to complement earlier published Rb-Sr data. The study confirmed that the preparation and purification step of such glauconite pellets is especially critical with the need for a specific cleaning step to not only remove the detrital counterparts but also all Sr-rich components occurring as accessory minerals such as the carbonates, sulfates and oxides that apparently “contaminated” the Rb-Sr results. The K-Ar data and the previously released Rb-Sr results obtained on strictly the same glauconite-rich separates outline clear age discrepancies that can be summarized by higher, “older” K-Ar age data at about 440, 415 and 390 Ma, and lower, “younger” Rb-Sr data at about 400 and 370 Ma. The glauconite separates of most samples being apparently not contaminated by various detrital K-rich crystals, the two dating methods should have been affected similarly. The analytical dispersion seems, then, to result from a diagenetic event that affected the Rb-Sr system more than the K-Ar system by a plausible addition/subtraction of one or several Sr-rich and Rb-poor and, therefore, K-poor minerals. In turn, the studied pellets were apparently impregnated after deposition by flowing metal-rich fluids in a low-temperature environment not affected by a significant thermal impact. The Bonneterre Formation acted apparently as a regional drain for metal-rich fluids that percolated throughout the region at a probable burial depth of less than 2000 m.

Advances in in-situ Rb-Sr dating using LA-ICP-MS/MS: applications to igneous rocks of all ages and to the identification of unrecognized metamorphic events

Age determinations of rocks by in-situ Rb-Sr dating of minerals has the advantage of providing spatially resolved analysis without time-consuming preparation, but is hampered by isobaric and polyatomic interferences on Sr isotopes, especially 87Rb. LA-ICP-MS/MS using N2O as a reaction gas allows online chemical separation of 87Rb from 87Sr by measuring SrO+. Here, the method for in-situ Rb-Sr is optimized and applicability demonstrated for geological samples ranging from late Archean to 20 Ma in age.Rb-Sr isotopes of multiple reference materials and geological samples have been analyzed by LA-ICP-MS/MS to evaluate the method for dating rocks throughout the geological record. The quality of Sr isotopic data can be greatly improved by external calibration of mass bias. For internal calibration, better accuracy is obtained with the addition of H2 as a trace molecular gas. The elemental fractionation of Rb and Sr during LA-ICP-MS/MS analysis varies for different reference materials. We find that the matrix of NIST SRM 610 renders it unsuitable for correction of 87Rb/86Sr. The Mica-Mg reference material is preferred for calibration of 87Rb/86Sr of micas despite showing significant Rb-Sr fractionation.In-situ Rb-Sr ages were determined for igneous samples ranging in age from 20 Ma to Mesoproterozoic, confirming accurate application of the method to samples of widely differing ages. The most accurate isochron ages were obtained with 87Rb/86Sr calibrated against Mica-Mg. Application to two metamorphic gneisses with late Archean protoliths from Labrador and Finland reveal thermal events at 1.66–1.70 Ga when they were part of a large Paleoproterozic active margin along the southern edge of Laurentia-Baltica. Data collected for minerals with differing closure temperatures for the Rb-Sr system allow detection of thermal events not recorded by other geochronological systems, indicating a huge potential of this technique not only for accurately dating samples, but also for providing previously inaccessible information on metamorphic histories.

Sr-Nd-Hf Isotopic Disequilibrium During the Partial Melting of Metasediments: Insight From Himalayan Leucosome

Radiogenic isotopes of granitoids are widely applied to fingerprint the source of granitoids and study the magma mingling and assimilation processes, aiming to decipher the planetary differentiation. This weapon is based on the assumption that crustal melts inherit the radiogenic isotopes of protoliths. However, complicated melting processes in the crust would drive the radiogenic isotopes of melt away from the source, thus calling for a clear understanding of the behaviors of radiogenic isotopes during crustal melting. This study investigated the joint behavior of Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, and Lu-Hf isotope systems during the melting of metasediments. Leucosome, schist, and leucogranite samples were collected from the Nyalam, South Tibet, where the leucosome was produced by muscovite dehydration melting of metapelites. Results show that the leucosome has a broad range of Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes (87Sr/86Sri: 0.763,48–0.875321, εNd(t): 14.6–11.6, εHf(t): 15.0–4.4) that deviate from the metasediments. We attributed it to the non-modal or disequilibrium melting of metapelites. The variation of Sr isotopes of leucosome is formed due to preferential entry into the melt of muscovite relative to plagioclase during melting. The changing 87Sr/86Sri and 87Rb/86Sr of leucosome define an errorchron at ∼ 500 Ma indicating an early Paleozoic tectono-thermal event supported by the U-Pb age of zircon cores (∼460 Ma) in the leucosome. The Nd isotopes of leucosome are mainly controlled by the preferential dissolution of apatite relative to monazite. The inadequate dissolution of zircon caused more depleted initial Hf isotopes compositions in the leucosome than the source. However, the leucosome with a higher crystallization temperature has radiogenic isotopic composition closer to the source. It indicates that the melting temperature greatly affects the isotope equilibrium between source and melt.

Constraints from in-situ Rb-Sr dating on the timing of tectono-thermal events in the Umm Farwah shear zone and associated Cu-Au mineralisation in the Southern Arabian Shield, Saudi Arabia

• In-situ Rb-Sr dating constrains tectonic and igneous events in mineralised systems. • Umm Farwah Major Shear Zone was developed between 671 Ma and 631 Ma. • Ablah pegmatite was emplaced following the shear zone between 626 and 611 Ma. • Greisen and Cu-Au deposits in the Mount Ablah were formed due to two separate hydrothermal events. Constraining the tectonic history and timing of major shear zone structures in the Arabian Shield is critical for better understanding of the origin, tectonic history and distribution of ore deposits within this Precambrian crystalline crustal block. Here, we used a novel in-situ Rb-Sr dating of micas and K-feldspar to constrain the age of the Umm Farwah Shear Zone, which represents a regional tectonic feature that extends about 200 km across the southern part of the Arabian Shield. We also constrain the timing of Mount Ablah mineralisations which are exposed within the Umm Farwah Shear Zone and contains two styles of mineralisations including a greisen and Cu-Au mineralisation. These ore deposits are hosted in a pegmatite body that formed during the development of the Umm Farwah Shear Zone. Two main groups of muscovite (i.e., Group I and Group II) and K-feldspar mineral phases were identified based on ages and elemental variations in the mineralised zone and the host rocks. Results of in-situ Rb-Sr dating in the above K-rich minerals show that the Umm Farwah Shear Zone was initiated at ca. 651 Ma, and the emplacement of the Mount Ablah pegmatite occurred between 626 and 611 Ma, followed by the formation of greisen at 601 ± 12 Ma. In-situ Rb–Sr data also highlight a younger ‘alteration’ event occurred at ca. 556 ± 23 Ma, which partially reset the Rb–Sr system in the pegmatite and may thus reflect hydrothermal circulation event or overprint due to formation of Cu-Au mineralisation.

Banded Charnockite: The Result of Crustal Magma Generation, Piecemeal Emplacement, and Fluid-Driven Mineral Replacement in High-Grade Crust (Central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica)

Our study of a banded charnockite complex of the Mühlig-Hofmannfjella in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, illustrates how the combination of high-temperature (re-)crystallization processes, melts, and volatile fluids leads to complex intrusive, metasomatic, and structural relationships. The igneous complex consists of gently dipping sets of charnockite interlayered with dolerite and leucogranite. The banded complex formed primarily by magmatic processes, but with superimposed modifications by metasomatism. The charnockite has a ferroan composition and contains both orthopyroxene (Fs80–84) and olivine (Fa94–96). Zircon U-Pb dates the emplacement of charnockite at 515 Ma, and inherited zircon cores and negative εNd values of −3 to −5 indicate that the age of the source of the magma was about 1100 Ma. Neodymium isotopes were not homogenized during the Cambrian magmatic event, which suggests that the generation and emplacement of the magma took place in separate batches during construction of the banded complex. By contrast, the Rb-Sr system in the charnockite was extensively homogenized, likely because of the superimposed late-magmatic fluid activity, which also produced the bands and networks of leucogranites. These events occurred during the late stages of the assembly of Gondwana, with postcollisional extension and mantle upwelling maintaining a high heat flow.

The genesis and age of the Grunehogna Granite and Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd chemistry of the Annandagstoppane Granite, Ahlmanryggen, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica

Interpretations of Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd data from the Grunehogna Granite demonstrate that anatexis of and mixing with Høgfonna Formation sedimentary rocks, caused by hot basic sills of ~1100 Ma Borgmassivet Suite, are consistent, with the granite εNdεSr100Ma data, partially overlapping Borgmassivet Suite data and are marginally displaced toward published data from the Høgfonna Formation. Upper intercept LA-ICPMS U–Pb data from the Grunehogna Granite and Borgmassivet Suite zircons are within error at 1088 ± 17Ma and 1088 ± 68Ma, and are consistent with with unpublished data for the gabbro of 1107Ma. Interpretations of syn-depositional anatexis of semi-consolidated sediments under, high pH2O, are consistent with deposition at ~1130-1107Ma for the Høgfonna Formation. Sm–Nd data define an age of 3058 ± 116Ma for the Annandagstoppane Granite, consistent with a reported U–Pb zircon age of 3067± 8Ma. Rb–Sr data for the Annandagstoppane Granite define an errorchron of 2252 ± 82Ma. Differences between Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd data suggest that Rb–Sr systematics in many samples from all units have experienced open system behaviour in contrast to Sm–Nd systematics from which no disturbance is apparent. Localised tonalitic partial melts of gabbro yield an upper intercept LA-ICPMS U–Pb age from zircon of 1114 ± 47Ma.

Mineralogical-geochemical features of corundum Miaskite-pegmatite from mine no. 210 (Ilmeny mountains, South Urals): preliminary results

Miaskite-pegmatite of mine no. 210 exhibits an unusual mineral composition for the Ilmeny Mountains. It contains a signifcant amount of sapphire-like corundum (uncommon of nepheline-bearing pegmatites) and various Th-bearing minerals («thoro-aeschinite», pyrochlore, phosphates). Pegmatite has a zonal structure, in which the central nepheline and lateral feldspar zones difer in composition of rock-forming and accessory minerals. Corundum is found in all zones of pegmatite. Accessory minerals of the central, eastern, and western zones include (i) Ti-niobates (columbite, pyrochlore, srilankite), zircon, spinel and thorianite, (ii) columbite, pyrochlore and zircon, and (iii) columbite, «ilmenorutile», toro-aeschinite, monazite-La and Ce, and zircon, respectively. The calculations based on two-feldspar thermometer for diferent pegmatite zones show a decrease in temperature from the periphery toward the center, which is in agreement with the variability of mineral assemblages. Pegmatite is strongly altered, which is expressed in the formation of cancrinite and sodalite, hydration of pyrochlore of the central zone, and signifcant compositional changes of Ti-niobates in the lateral zones of pegmatite. The Rb-Sr age of corundum miaskite-pegmatite is ~275 Ma, but the Rb-Sr system is signifcantly destroyed. The initial 87Sr/86Sr(275) isotopic ratio and ?Nd(275) value of the mineral indicate its crustal formation conditions. The geochemistry of corundum points to its multistage crystallization. The data points on Fe vs. Ga / Mg and FeO – Cr2O3 – MgO – V2O3 vs. FeO + TiO2 + Ga2O3 plots correspond to both «magmatic» and «metasomatic» corundum.

Initial 87Sr/86Sr as a sensitive tracer of Archaean crust-mantle evolution: Constraints from igneous and sedimentary rocks in the western Dharwar Craton, India

Among the rocky planets of the solar system only the Earth has “granitic” continental crust. The timing and processes involved in the formation of Earth’s first extensive crust is still enigmatic. The chemical and isotope compositions of ancient crustal rocks preserve a record of their genesis. The Rb-Sr system proves to be an efficient proxy for the reconstruction of crust-mantle evolution since it can bring together information from seawater as preserved in chemical sedimentary rocks and information from magmatic rocks that can trace the time and extent of crust formation and concomitant mantle depletion during the Archaean eon. The Dharwar Craton in India preserves a suite of metamorphosed igneous and sedimentary rocks that record its early crustal evolution. To overcome the susceptibility for resetting and the difficulty in determining initial 87Sr/86Sr, the minerals barite and apatite are used to obtain precise and accurate 87Sr/86Sr, because these minerals preferentially incorporate Sr and exclude Rb and preserve the initial Sr isotope compositions at the time of their formation. Initial 87Sr/86Sr of apatite were obtained in situ using Laser Ablation Multi-Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. The robustness and only minor dispersion of the isotope ratios demonstrate the capability of matrix apatites in preserving initial Sr ratios. The least radiogenic value is used as the best estimate for the initial 87Sr/86Sr. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios of apatite from igneous rocks that formed from 3.5 Ga to 2.6 Ga constrain the Rb/Sr of the source over the whole time-span. A comparison of the Sr isotopes between seawater-derived barite and initial Sr isotope ratios in apatite from igneous rocks reveals that significant mafic to intermediate crust had formed by 3.2 Ga. Studying the entire Archaean time window, a dominantly mafic crust was the main source for the granitoid rocks in the Dharwar Craton from 3.5 to 3.1 Ga, whereas the rocks from 2.9 to 2.7 Ga were extracted dominantly from the depleted mantle.

Dating agpaitic rocks: A multi-system (U/Pb, Sm/Nd, Rb/Sr and 40Ar/39Ar) isotopic study of layered nepheline syenites from the Ilímaussaq complex, Greenland

The Ilímaussaq complex in southern Greenland is a shallow crustal composite intrusion comprising augite syenite, peralkaline granite and volumetrically dominant agpaitic nepheline syenites. Previous studies indicated a baddeleyite U-Pb age of 1160 ± 5 Ma for the augite syenite, the earliest intrusive unit of the complex. A similar crystallization age, within error, is inferred for the main sequence of agpaitic nepheline syenites. However, direct age determination of these units has been challenging because agpaitic rocks characteristically lack robust phases for in situ U-Pb dating (e.g. zircon/baddeleyite). An additional challenge is the pervasive subsolidus alteration, of which the isotopic effects are poorly constrained. Here we present new U-Pb, Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotopic data from whole rocks and mineral separates and a 40Ar/39Ar amphibole age of three co-genetic agpaitic nepheline syenites (kakortokite) from the lowermost exposed part of the complex. Using a multi-system geochronological approach for mineral separates and whole rocks, we explore the effects of late-stage alteration for each isotopic system. Assuming a closed-system evolution for the hydrothermal fluids (i.e. isotopically similar to the melts) and cooling within a relatively short time-frame (<0.8 Ma), we evaluate whether traditional mineral-whole rock isochron methods can provide useful age constraints for agpaitic rocks. We compare our data with those in the literature, corrected for the most recent decay constants.Single-crystal40Ar/39Ar step-heating experiments yield an amphibole plateau age of 1156.6 ± 1.4 Ma (MSWD = 1.5, external error ± 7.7 Ma), which we put forward as the most precise crystallization age for the agpaitic units to date. Kakortokite whole rock and mineral separates (amphibole, eudialyte, feldspar) yield a 206Pb-207Pb isochron age of 1159 ± 17 Ma (MSWD = 0.96) and a 235U-207Pb isochron age of 1168.5 ± 8.8 Ma (MSWD = 0.82). These are within error of the baddeleyite and zircon U-Pb ages from the augite syenite and alkali granite, as well as the new plateau age, if we take into account the external error of 7.7 Ma (i.e. accuracy). The 235U-207Pb age thus far provides the best non-single mineral age estimate for the agpaitic suite. Sm-Nd isotopes for the same whole rock and mineral separates yield an isochron age of 1156 ± 53 Ma (MSWD = 0.23) with εNdi = −0.8 ± 0.8, with significantly less scatter than Nd data for the rest of the complex. Rb-Sr isotopes yield errorchron ages that are either unrealistically young (3-point feldspar errorchron: 1106 ± 9 Ma, suggesting partial 87Sr loss), or old (WR, amphibole and eudialyte: 1237 ± 21 Ma, n = 9). The data demonstrate that the U-Pb and Sm-Nd systems are relatively insensitive to late-magmatic alteration and re-equilibration during cooling. In contrast, the Rb-Sr system records significant disturbance, reflecting the highly mobile nature of Rb and Sr in peralkaline systems. This warrants careful reconsideration of previously published Rb-Sr isochron data, and caution in interpreting Rb-Sr data for other peralkaline complexes. Initial isotopic compositions for the kakortokite support petrogenetic models that describe Ilímaussaq melt evolution towards strongly radiogenic Sr values at relatively constant εNdi, with progressive evolution from the early augite syenite to the most fractionated agpaitic melts. The melts experienced variable but minor degrees of lower crustal assimilation and preferential leaching of radiogenic Sr from the Proterozoic granitic country-rock.

Carbonate Rocks from the Riphean–Vendian Boundary Deposits of the Anabar Uplift: Isotope (87Sr/86Sr, δ13C, δ18O) Systematics and Chemostratigraphic Consequences

New 87Sr/86Sr, δ13C, and δ18О chemostratigraphic data were obtained for carbonate rocks of the Lower Riphean Yusmastakh and the Vendian Starorechenskaya formations. The δ13С values in dolomites of the Yusmastakh Formation varies from–0.6 to–0.1‰ and in dolomites and dolomitic limestones of the Starorechenskaya Formation, from–1.2 to–0.4‰ PDB, and δ18О values, from 24.4 to 26.4‰ and from 25.3 to 27.6‰ SMOW, respectively. The Rb–Sr systematics of carbonate rocks was studied using the refined method of stepwise dissolution of samples in acetic acid, including chemical removal of up to one-third of the ground sample by preliminary acid leaching and subsequent partial dissolution of the rest of the sample. Owing to this procedure, secondary carbonate material is removed, which enables one to improve the quality of the Sr-chemostratigraphic data obtained. The initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios in carbonate rocks of the Yusmastakh (0.70468–0.70519) and Starorechenskaya (0.70832–0.70883) formations evidence the Riphean–Vendian boundary in the Precambrian sequence of the Anabar Uplift.

Evidence for evolved Hadean crust from Sr isotopes in apatite within Eoarchean zircon from the Acasta Gneiss Complex

Current models for the properties of Hadean-Eoarchean crust encompass a full range of possibilities, involving crust that is anywhere from thick and differentiated to thin and mafic. New data are needed to test and refine these models, and, ultimately, to determine how continents were first formed. The Rb-Sr system provides a potentially powerful proxy for crustal evolution and composition. However, this system has thus far been underutilized in studies on early crustal evolution due to its susceptibility to re-equilibration. Overcoming this issue requires new analytical approaches to micro-sample ancient Sr-rich mineral relics that may retain primary Rb-Sr systematics, allowing for the precise and accurate determination of initial 87Sr/86Sr values. In this study, we used a novel application of laser-ablation multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to determine the Sr isotope composition of apatite inclusions in >3.6 Ga zircon grains from Eoarchean granodiorite gneisses of the Acasta Gneiss Complex, Slave Province, Canada. The 87Rb-corrected 87Sr/86Sr values of these inclusions are largely identical and are distinctly different from values obtained from altered matrix apatite. The inclusion data provide the first direct estimate of initial 87Sr/86Sr for these ancient rocks. Combining this result with information on the protolith and source-extraction age yields estimates for the range of Rb/Sr values, and by extension composition, that the source of these rocks may have had. The data indicate that continental crust containing over 60 wt% of SiO2 was present in the ca. 4.2 Ga source of the Acasta Gneiss Complex. Thus vestiges of evolved crust must have existed within the primitive proto-continents that were present on the Hadean Earth.

Geochemistry of О, Н, C, S, and Sr isotopes in the water and sediments of the Aral basin

The paper presents original authors' data on the O, H, C, S, and Sr isotopic composition of water and sediments from the basins into which the Aral Sea split after its catastrophic shoaling: Chernyshev Bay (CB), the basin of the Great Aral in the north, Lake Tshchebas (LT), and Minor Sea (MS). The data indicate that the δ18О, δD, δ13C, and δ34S of the water correlate with the mineralization (S) of the basins (as of 2014): for CB, S = 135.6‰, δ18О = 4.8 ± 0.1‰, δD = 5 ± 2‰, δ13C (dissolved inorganic carbon, DIC) = 3.5 ± 0.1‰, δ34S = 14.5‰; for LT, S = 83.8‰, δ18О = 2.0 ± 0.1‰, δD =–13.5 ± 1.5‰, δ13C = 2.0 ± 0.1‰, δ34S = 14.2‰; and for MS, S = 9.2‰, δ18О =–2.0 ± 0.1‰, δD =–29 ± 1‰, δ13C =–0.5 ± 0.5‰, δ34S = 13.1‰. The oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of the groundwaters are similar to those in MS and principally different from the artesian waters fed by atmospheric precipitation. The mineralization, δ13С, and δ34S of the groundwaters broadly vary, reflecting interaction with the host rocks. The average δ13С values of the shell and detrital carbonates sampled at the modern dried off zones of the basins are similar: 0.8 ± 0.8‰ for CB, 0.8 ± 1.4‰ for LT, and –0.4 ± 0.3‰ for MS. The oxygen isotopic composition of the carbonates varies much more broadly, and the average values are as follows: 34.2 ± 0.2‰ for CB, 32.0 ± 2.2‰ for LT, and 28.2 ± 0.9‰ for MS. These values correlate with the δ18O of the water of the corresponding basins. The carbonate cement of the Late Eocene sandstone of the Chengan Formation, which makes up the wave-cut terrace at CB, has anomalously low δ13С up to –38.5‰, suggesting origin near a submarine methane seep. The δ34S of the mirabilite and gypsum (11.0 to 16.6‰) from the bottom sediments and young dried off zone also decrease from CB to MS in response to increasing content of sulfates brought by the Syr-Darya River (δ34S = 9.1 to 9.9‰) and weakening sulfate reduction. The 87Sr/86Sr ratio in the water and carbonates of the Aral basins do not differ, within the analytical error, and is 0.70914 ± 0.00003 on average. This value indicate that the dominant Sr source of the Aral Sea is Mesozoic–Cenozoic carbonate rocks. The Rb–Sr systems of the silicate component of the bottom silt (which is likely dominated by eolian sediments) of MS and LT plot on the Т = 160 ± 5 Ma, I0 = 0.7091 ± 0.0001, pseudochron. The Rb–Sr systems of CB are less ordered, and the silt is likely a mixture of eolian and alluvial sediments.

Timing and metal sources for carbonate-hosted Zn-Pb mineralization in the Franklinian Basin (North Greenland): Constraints from Rb-Sr and Pb isotopes

Carbonate-hosted Zn-Pb (± barite, fluorite) occurrences in the Franklinian Basin of North Greenland were studied using the Rb-Sr method, applied to sphalerite, and combined Sr and Pb isotope analysis of ore and gangue minerals, to place constraints on their age and genesis. The occurrences are located in the easternmost part of the basin in Peary Land and Kronprins Christian Land, and are hosted by Upper Ordovician to lowermost Silurian dolostones of the Turesø Formation.Sphalerite samples from the Zn-Pb occurrence at Børglum, in Peary Land, reflect undisturbed Rb-Sr systems and return an isochron age of 388±4Ma (MSWD=1.6, 87Sr/86Sri=0.70930±1). Sphalerites and their fluid inclusion fractions from an adjacent Zn-Pb occurrence, at Tvilum, exhibit various degrees of isotopic disturbance caused by secondary fluid overprint. They yield no age, however, reconstructive modelling of their Rb-Sr and Pb-Pb signatures indicates original isotope systematics consistent with the Børglum data. Likewise, due to a lack of suitable samples, no Rb-Sr age could be determined for a third occurrence in southeastern Peary Land at Løgum, however, the time-integrated Pb isotopic evolution of fluorite and calcite from this mineralization over c. 390Ma is compatible with modelled initial signatures for Tvilum and Børglum ores. Consequently, a contemporaneous formation at c. 390Ma can be assumed for all studied locations in Peary Land. For the Zn-Pb occurrence in Kronprins Christian Land farther east, a Rb-Sr sphalerite age of c. 360–365Ma has been obtained through a combined isochron and paleomixing line approach.The absolute ages obtained at the studied occurrences, corresponding to Middle to Upper Devonian ages, are in no conflict with the age of the host dolostones of the Turesø Formation, which placed a maximum age limit for the mineralization. Actually, the fact that mineralization was emplaced at least 50Ma after deposition of the host rocks, which would have been completely lithified by then, warrants the classification of the studied occurrences as epigenetic Mississippi Valley-Type, rather than diagenetic Irish-type. Furthermore, the obtained ages are contemporaneous to the Middle or Upper Devonian to the Lower Carboniferous Ellesmerian Orogeny, indicating that the mineralization likely formed from basinal brines expelled by tectonism and/or hydraulic head caused by Ellesmerian orogenic uplift, as previously suggested for the Polaris carbonate-hosted Zn-Pb deposit (Cornwallis Island, Canada).Pb isotope systematics of base metal mineralization in the Franklinian Basin point to principal metal sources located in the crystalline basement and in basement-derived clastic sediments. These two reservoirs define radiogenic and unradiogenic end components from which lead was mobilized and mixed in different proportions during discrete periods of hydrothermal activity. Distinct thorogenic Pb isotope signatures indicate that specific local sources (lower crustal basement, carbonate rocks and possibly organic-rich shales) were also involved in mineralization.

New age constraints on metamorphism, metasomatism and gold mineralisation at Plutonic Gold Mine, Marymia Inlier, Western Australia

ABSTRACTThe Plutonic Well Greenstone Belt (PWGB) is located in the Marymia Inlier between the Yilgarn and Pilbara cratons in Western Australia, and hosts a series of major Au deposits. The main episode of Au mineralisation in the PWGB was previously interpreted to have either accompanied, or shortly followed, peak metamorphism in the late Archean at ca 2650 Ma with a later, minor, event associated with the Capricorn Orogeny. Here we present new Pb isotope model ages for sulfides and Rb–Sr ages for mica, as well as a new 207Pb–206Pb age for titanite for samples from the Plutonic Gold Mine (Plutonic) at the southern end of the PWGB. The majority of the sulfides record Proterozoic Pb isotope model ages (2300–2100 Ma), constraining a significant Au mineralising event at Plutonic that occurred >300 Myr later than previously thought. A Rb–Sr age of 2296 ± 99 Ma from muscovite in an Au-bearing sample records resetting or closure of the Rb–Sr system in muscovite at about the same time. A younger Rb–Sr age of 1779 ± 46 Ma from biotite from the same sample may record further cooling, or resetting during a late-stage episode of metasomatism in the PWGB. This could have been associated with the 1820–1770 Ma Capricorn Orogeny, or a late-stage hydrothermal event potentially constrained by a new 207Pb–206Pb age of 1725 ± 26 Ma for titanite in a chlorite–carbonate vein. This titanite age correlates with a pre-existing age for a metasomatic event dated at 1719 ± 14 Ma by U–Pb ages of zircon overgrowths in a sample from the Marymia Deposit. Based on the Pb-isotope data presented here, Au mineralising events in the PWGB are inferred to have occurred at ca 2630, 2300–2100 Ma, during the Glenburgh and Capricorn orogenies, and 1730–1660 Ma. The 2300–2100 Ma event, which appears to have been significant based on the amount of sulfide of this age, correlates with the inferred age for rifting of the Marymia Inlier from the northern margin of the Yilgarn Craton. The texturally-later visible Au may have been deposited during the Glenburgh and Capricorn orogenies.

Pb-Sr-O-C isotope compositions of metacarbonate rocks of the Derbina Formation (East Sayan): Chemostratigraphic and geochronological significance

The Pb-Sr-O-C isotope compositions of calcite marbles of the Derbina Formation, exposed in the northwestern part of the Derbina block of the East Sayan, were studied. Rocks of the Derbina Formation were metamorphosed under high-temperature amphibolite facies conditions. The carbonate constituent of marbles contains (ppm) 15–130 Mn, 130–160 Fe, 0.008–0.039 Rb, 645–2190 Sr, 0.565–0.894 U, and 0.288–1.42 Pb. These concentrations are similar to those in modern carbonate sediments. The values of δ13C in marbles of the Derbina Formation range from–0.6 to +1.4‰ PDB; the values of δ18O range from 21.5 to 28.6‰ SMOW. The 87Sr/86Sr ratio values in the two least altered rocks, which meet geochemical criteria of the Rb-Sr system preservation in high-grade carbonate rocks, are 0.70804 and 0.70829. The protolith ages of marbles determined using Sr and C chemostratigraphy lie within the interval of 560–530 Ma, which is regarded as the period of carbonate sedimentation. The slope of the straight line on the 206Pb/204Pb–207Pb/204Pb diagram (n = 9, MSWD = 19) constructed on the basis of the data points of bulk carbonate constituents of all samples studied and those representing leachate steps of one of them in 0.5N HBr yields Late Vendian age (556 ± 31 (2σ) Ma. Taking into account the data on Sr and C isotope systematics of Derbina marbles, this age is regarded as the age of early diagenesis of carbonate sediments close to the age of sedimentation. Thus, metacarbonate rocks of the Derbina Formation preserved the pre-metamorphic chemostratigraphic and isotope-geochronological information. The age obtained testifies that formation of the carbonate cover of the Derbina block occurred in the Late Vendian. At the end of the Cambrian, carbonate deposits were metamorphosed during the Early Caledonian tectonic event in the southeastern part of the Central Asian Fold Belt.