Sensitive High-resolution Ion Microprobe Research Articles

Petrogenesis of adamellites from eastern Shandong Province: geochronological, geochemical, and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic evidence

Geochronology, geochemistry, and whole-rock Sr–Nd–Pb isotopes were studied on a suite of Mesozoic adamellites from eastern China to characterize their ages and petrogenesis. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe U–Pb zircon analyses were done, yielding consistent ages of 123.2 ± 1.8 to 122.1 ± 2.1 Ma for the samples. These rocks belong to the alkaline magma series in terms of K2O + Na2O contents (8.45–9.58 wt.%) and to the shoshonitic series based on their high K2O contents (5.23–5.79 wt.%). The adamellites are further characterized by high light rare earth element contents [(La/Yb)N = 14.96–45.99]; negative Eu anomalies (δEu = 0.46–0.75); positive anomalies in Rb, Th, Pb, and U; and negative anomalies in Sr, Ba, and high field-strength elements (i.e. Nb, Ta, P, and Ti). In addition, all of the adamellites in this study display relatively low radiogenic Sr [(87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7081–0.7089] and negative ϵNd(t) values from –16.70 to –17.80. These results suggest that the adamellites were derived from low-degree partial melting of an enriched lithospheric mantle below the North China Craton (NCC). The parent magmas likely experienced fractional crystallization of potassium feldspar, plagioclase and Fe–Ti oxides (e.g. rutile, ilmenite, and titanite), apatite, and zircon during the ascent of alkaline rocks without crustal contamination.

Interaction between deformation and magma extraction in migmatites: Examples from Kangaroo Island, South Australia

Migmatite terranes are structurally complex because of strong rheological contrast between layers with different melt contents and because of magma migration leading to irregular volume changes. Migmatite deformation is intimately linked with magma extraction and the origin of granitoids. We investigate here the relationships between evolving deformation and magma extraction in migmatites formed during the ca. 500 Ma Delamerian orogeny, exposed on Kangaroo Island, South Australia. Here, several phases of deformation occurred in the presence of melt. During an early upright, noncylindrical folding event, magma was channeled toward the hinge zones of antiforms. Funnel-shaped networks of leucosomes formed a root zone that linked up toward a central axial planar channel, forming the main magma extraction paths during folding. Extraction was associated with fold limb collapse, and antiformal hinge disruption by magma accumulation and transfer. During a later deformation phase, melt-rich diatexites were deformed, and schollen, blocks or rafts of source rock, were disaggregated into smaller blocks and schlieren, and these were deformed into asymmetric, sigmoidal shapes indicative of dextral shearing flow. During flow, magma accumulated preferentially along shear planes, indicating a dilatational component during shearing (transtension) and in strain shadows of schollen. At the waning stages of deformation, magma extraction from these diatexites gave rise to N-trending, steeply dipping, funnel-shaped channels not associated with any externally imposed deformational feature. The funnel shape of these structures indicates the direction of magma flow. Structures developed during this phase are comparable with those formed during dewatering of soft sediments. Despite a high degree of complexity, magma migration and extraction features record distinct responses to the evolving deformation that can be used to understand deformation, and the nature and direction of magma extraction. The oldest and youngest magmatic rocks from migmatites were dated by U-Pb SHRIMP (sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe) dating techniques. Both reveal a continuous age spread between ca. 495 and 465 Ma. The age range is interpreted to indicate the duration of anatexis (order of 30 m.y.), with the older ages marking onset of monazite growth as the system approached peak metamorphism and younger ages representing final growth close to the solidus during cooling.

EUROPIUM s -PROCESS SIGNATURE AT CLOSE-TO-SOLAR METALLICITY IN STARDUST SiC GRAINS FROM ASYMPTOTIC GIANT BRANCH STARS

Individual mainstream stardust silicon carbide (SiC) grains and a SiC-enriched bulk sample from the Murchison carbonaceous meteorite have been analyzed by the Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe - Reverse Geometry (SHRIMP-RG) for Eu isotopes. The mainstream grains are believed to have condensed in the outflows of 1.5 to 3 Msun carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars with close-to-solar metallicity. The 151Eu fractions [fr(151Eu) = 151Eu/(151Eu+153Eu)] derived from our measurements are compared with previous astronomical observations of carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars enriched in elements made by slow neutron captures (the s-process). Despite the difference in metallicity between the parent stars of the grains and the metal-poor stars, the fr(151Eu) values derived from our measurements agree well with fr(151Eu) values derived from astronomical observations. We have also compared the SiC data with theoretical predictions of the evolution of Eu isotopic ratios in the envelope of AGB stars. Because of the low Eu abundances in the SiC grains, the fr(151Eu) values derived from our measurements show large uncertainties, being in most cases larger than the difference between solar and predicted fr(151Eu) values. The SiC aggregate yields a fr(151Eu) value within the range observed in the single grains and provides a more precise result (fr(151Eu) = 0.54 +/- 0.03, 95 percent conf.), but is approximately 12 percent higher than current s-process predictions. The AGB models can match the SiC data if we use an improved formalism to evaluate the contribution of excited nuclear states in the calculation of the 151Sm(n,g) stellar reaction rate.

Ba isotopic compositions in stardust SiC grains from the Murchison meteorite: Insights into the stellar origins of large SiC grains

We report barium isotopic measurements in 12 large (7–58μm) stardust silicon carbide grains recovered from the Murchison carbonaceous chondrite. The C-, N-, and Si-isotopic compositions indicate that all 12 grains belong to the mainstream population and, as such, are interpreted to have condensed in the outflows of low-mass carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars with close-to-solar metallicity. Barium isotopic analyses were carried out on the Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe – Reverse Geometry (SHRIMP-RG) with combined high mass resolution and energy filtering to eliminate isobaric interferences from molecular ions. Contrary to previous measurements in small (<5μm) mainstream grains, the analyzed large SiC grains do not show the classical s-process enrichment, having near solar Ba isotopic compositions. While contamination with solar material is a common explanation for the lack of large isotopic anomalies in stardust SiC grains, particularly for these large grains which have low trace element abundances, our results are consistent with previous observations that Ba isotopic ratios are dependent on grain size. We have compared the SiC data with theoretical predictions of the evolution of Ba isotopic ratios in the envelopes of low-mass AGB stars with a range of stellar masses and metallicities. The Ba isotopic measurements obtained for large SiC grains from the LS+LU fractions are consistent with grain condensation in the envelope of very low-mass AGB stars (1.25M⊙) with close-to-solar metallicity, which suggests that conditions for growth of large SiC might be more favorable in very low-mass AGB stars during the early C-rich stages of AGB evolution or in stable structures around AGB stars whose evolution was cut short due to binary interaction, before the AGB envelope had already been largely enriched with the products of s-process nucleosynthesis.

Timing of deposition and deformation of the Moodies Group (Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa): Very-high-resolution of Archaean surface processes

Thin and largely discontinuous volcanic tuff beds in the alluvial, fluvial, and marginal-marine siliciclastic strata of the Middle Archaean Moodies Group, Barberton Greenstone Belt (BGB), contain rare to abundant zircon. Dating of magmatic zircon grains from five tuff beds and one cross-cutting dike yield ages which span the entire spectrum of BGB history from ca. 3550Ma to 3215Ma and show variable degrees of post-depositional alteration until ca. 2500Ma. The youngest pristine zircon grains in all tuff samples analyzed by CA-ID-TIMS (Chemical-Abrasion Ion-Dissolution Thermal Ion Mass Spectrometry) yield upper intercept and Concordia ages between 3227.6±0.3 and 3216±0.3Ma, and those grains analyzed by LA-SF-ICP-MS (Laser Ablation-Sector Field-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry) and SHRIMP (Sensitive High-Resolution Ion Microprobe) yield ages between 3228±9 and 3214±9Ma. Most of these ages are either identical (within error) or significantly older than a CA-ID-TIMS age of 3223.4±0.3Ma, obtained from zircon grains of a tuff horizon of the Schoongezicht Formation at the top of the underlying Fig Tree Group. We interpret this age to mark the time of volcanic eruption, whereas the significantly older and overlapping ages of the stratigraphically higher Moodies tuff zircon grains point either to a high degree of magmatic inheritance and/or a detrital contribution from surrounding sedimentary rocks during or after ash-tuff deposition. The minimum age for deposition of Moodies Group sediments and deformation is provided by a LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb age of 3219±9Ma obtained from an undeformed felsic dike which crosscuts folded Moodies strata. This age overlaps with a precise CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon age of 3216.0±0.3Ma obtained from a tuff horizon of the upper Moodies Group. Overall, the new age data collectively imply that the up to 3.7km-thick, sandstone-dominated Moodies Group was deposited and deformed within <1–14Ma, and that Moodies strata thus hold the potential to offer a temporal resolution comparable to active- and passive-margin Quaternary strata (∼0.1–1mm/a).

Early Carboniferous collision of the Kalamaili orogenic belt, North Xinjiang, and its implications: Evidence from molasse deposits

Research Article| May 01, 2013 Early Carboniferous collision of the Kalamaili orogenic belt, North Xinjiang, and its implications: Evidence from molasse deposits Yuanyuan Zhang; Yuanyuan Zhang 1Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Georgia Pe-Piper; Georgia Pe-Piper 2Department of Geology, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 3C3, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David J.W. Piper; David J.W. Piper 3Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic), Bedford Institute of Oceanography, P.O. Box 1006, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, B2Y 4A2, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Zhaojie Guo Zhaojie Guo † 1Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China †Corresponding author: zjguo@pku.edu.cn Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (2013) 125 (5-6): 932–944. https://doi.org/10.1130/B30779.1 Article history received: 20 Aug 2012 rev-recd: 13 Dec 2012 accepted: 14 Dec 2012 first online: 08 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Yuanyuan Zhang, Georgia Pe-Piper, David J.W. Piper, Zhaojie Guo; Early Carboniferous collision of the Kalamaili orogenic belt, North Xinjiang, and its implications: Evidence from molasse deposits. GSA Bulletin 2013;; 125 (5-6): 932–944. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B30779.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract The age of the Kalamaili orogenic belt, marking the final amalgamation in East Junggar, North Xinjiang, is significant for the reconstruction of Paleozoic evolution of the southern Central Asian orogenic belt. The Tamugang and Songkarsu Formations of terrestrial molasse in the southeastern part of the Kalamaili belt, shed from the rising Kalamaili orogen, record the orogenic history. The strata consist of proximal conglomerate thinning to distal fine-grained sandstone and mudstone. Poorly sorted conglomerate is composed of dominant pyroclastic rocks with lesser andesitic, granitic, and ophiolitic clasts. Imbricated clasts indicate that the paleocurrents were directed to the present-day southwest to west-southwest. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) detrital zircon U-Pb dating of sandstones from both formations confirms that the Yemaquan arc northeast of the Kalamaili orogenic belt was the main source. Two granitic cobbles with zircon sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb ages of 432.2 ± 7.8 Ma and 428.1 ± 6.8 Ma indicate the presence of Silurian magmatism in the Yemaquan arc.The SHRIMP U-Pb age of volcanic rocks from the Batamayineishan Formation, which overlies the molasse on both sides of the Kalamaili belt, is 349.5 ± 6.0 Ma. The depositional age of molasse is confined to between 343.5 Ma and 345 Ma, based on the 2σ range of possible ages for the youngest detrital zircons and the overlying volcanic rocks. Combined with the previously dated plagiogranite and biostratigraphic ages on chert in the Kalamaili ophiolite as the lower age limit, the Kalamaili collision is restricted to 373.8–343.5 Ma, taking into account 2σ error, suggesting that the termination of Kalamaili paleo-ocean subduction and the final amalgamation in East Junggar occurred before the Visean. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Integrated pressure–temperature–time constraints for the Tso Morari dome (Northwest India): implications for the burial and exhumation path of UHP units in the western Himalaya

AbstractNorthward subduction of the leading edge of the Indian continental margin to depths greater than 100 km during the early Eocene resulted in high‐pressure (HP) quartz‐eclogite to ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) coesite–eclogite metamorphism at Tso Morari, Ladakh Himalaya, India. Integrated pressure–temperature–time determinations within petrographically well‐constrained settings for zircon‐ and/or monazite‐bearing assemblages in mafic eclogite boudins and host aluminous gneisses at Tso Morari uniquely document segments of both the prograde burial and retrograde exhumation path for HP/UHP units in this portion of the western Himalaya. Poikiloblastic cores and inclusion‐poor rims of compositionally zoned garnet in mafic eclogite were utilized with entrapped inclusions and matrix minerals for thermobarometric calculations and isochemical phase diagram construction, the latter thermodynamic modelling performed with and without the consideration of cation fractionation into garnet during prograde metamorphism. Analysis of the garnet cores document (M1) conditions of 21.5 ± 1.5 kbar and 535 ± 15 °C during early garnet growth and re‐equilibration. Sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U–Pb analysis of zircon inclusions in garnet cores yields a maximum age determination of 58.0 ± 2.2 Ma for M1. Peak HP/UHP (M2) conditions are constrained at 25.5–27.5 kbar and 630–645 °C using the assemblage garnet rim–omphacite–rutile–phengite–lawsonite–talc–quartz (coesite), with mineral compositional data and regional considerations consistent with the upper P–T bracket. A SHRIMP U–Pb age determination of 50.8 ± 1.4 Ma for HP/UHP metamorphism is given by M2 zircons analysed in the eclogitic matrix and that are encased in the garnet rim. Two garnet‐bearing assemblages from the Puga gneiss (host to the mafic eclogites) were utilized to constrain the subsequent decompression path. A non‐fractionated isochemical phase diagram for the assemblage phengite–garnet–biotite–plagioclase–quartz–melt documents a restricted (M3) P–T stability field centred on 12.5 ± 0.5 kbar and 690 ± 25 °C. A second non‐fractionated isochemical phase diagram calculated for the lower pressure assemblage garnet–cordierite–sillimanite–biotite–plagioclase–quartz–melt (M4) documents a narrow P–T stability field ranging between 7–8.4 kbar and 705–755 °C, which is consistent with independent multiequilibria P–T determinations. Th–Pb SHRIMP dating of monazite cores surrounded by allanite rims is interpreted to constrain the timing of the M4 equilibration to 45.3 ± 1.1 Ma. Coherently linking metamorphic conditions with petrographically constrained ages at Tso Morari provides an integrated context within which previously published petrological or geochronological results can be evaluated. The new composite path is similar to those published for the Kaghan UHP locality in northern Pakistan, although the calculated 12‐mm a−1 rate of post‐pressure peak decompression at Tso Morari would appear less extreme.

Orogen‐parallel ductile extension and extrusion of the Greater Himalaya in the late Oligocene and Miocene

AbstractPredominant stretching structures in the Greater Himalayan Crystalline Complex (GHC) trend perpendicular to the belt and are linked to the southward exhumation or emplacement of the GHC between the South Tibet Detachment (STD) and the Main Central Thrust. However, our field investigations in southern Tibet reveal the widespread presence of gently dipping shear zones with a penetrative orogen‐parallel stretching lineation, which separates the Tethyan Himalayan Sequence and the underlying GHC. The shear zones are well preserved in the upper part of the GHC, south to and structurally lower than the STD. Field criteria, microstructures, and quartz fabrics indicate top‐to‐the‐east shearing in the Yadong shear zone (eastern GHC), coexistence of top‐to‐the‐east and top‐to‐the‐west shearing in the Nyalam shear zone (central GHC), but top‐to‐the‐west shearing in the Pulan shear zone (western GHC). Characteristic microstructures and slip systems of quartz in the high‐grade GHC rocks resulted from the lateral flow under upper amphibolite (up to 650–700 °C) to greenschist facies conditions. U‐Pb ages of metamorphic zircon rims by sensitive high‐resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) and laser ablation multi‐collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA‐MC‐ICP‐MS) analyses yield 28–26 Ma for the initiation of the Yadong and Nyalam shear zones and 22–15 Ma for the activation of the Pulan shear zone. In addition, 40Ar/39Ar cooling ages of biotite and muscovite suggest cessation of ductile sharing at 13–11 Ma on the Yadong shear zone, which is coeval with the activation of the STD. Combined with previous studies, we propose that initiation of orogen‐parallel extension marks the transition from burial/crustal thickening to exhumation of the GHC. Due to lateral crustal thickness gradients in a thickened crust, orogen‐parallel gravitational collapse occurred within the convergent Himalayan orogen in the late Oligocene‐Miocene. This tectonic denudation triggered and enhanced partial melting and ductile extrusion of the GHC in the Miocene.

New U–Pb SHRIMP ages from the Lubango region, SW Angola: insights into the Palaeoproterozoic evolution of the Angolan Shield, southern Congo Craton, Africa

In an attempt to better understand the tectonic evolution of the continental crust forming SW Angola, zircon grains from the principal Precambrian rock types exposed in the Lubango area have been analysed using the sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe method. U–Pb ages of 2038 ± 28 Ma and 1954 ± 6 Ma were obtained on weakly deformed granite samples from the basement below the Humpata Plateau. The Chela Group on the Humpata Plateau is a relatively undeformed Palaeoproterozoic supracrustal sequence with an eruptive age of 1798 ± 11 Ma on ignimbrite of the Humpata Formation. The age of the northern part of the Kunene Complex is constrained by zircon data from a xenolith of basement gneiss and a mangerite dyke cutting anorthosite, which give an emplacement age of 1385 ± 7 Ma. The c . 2.0 Ga granites below the Chela Group are part of a Palaeoproterozoic granitoid terrane that extends from north of Lubango in Angola into NW Namibia. This terrane is referred to as the Angolan Shield. Regionally, the Angolan Shield is interpreted to be part of a Palaeoproterozoic magmatic arc that extends NE from Angola and Namibia under Phanerozoic cover into NW Zambia. The resultant crustal terrane defined the southern margin of the developing Congo Craton at c . 2.0 ± 0.04 Ga. Supplementary materials: Tables summarizing the zircon U–Pb data are available at www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18577 .

The Carboniferous ophiolite in the middle of the Qiangtang terrane, Northern Tibet: SHRIMP U–Pb dating, geochemical and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic characteristics

Ophiolite plays a key role in identifying paleo-ocean and paleo-plate and rebuilding the evolutionary history of ancient orogen. Mafic–ultramafic rocks are distributed in a broadly E–W direction in the middle of the Qiangtang terrane, northern Tibetan plateau. However, interpretation of these rocks as ophiolite and subsequent tectonic implications have been much disputed, and they were regarded by some to have an origin in a continental rift setting. A detailed zircon dating and geochemical and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic study of this suite of rocks has been undertaken in order to clarify this important issue. The mafic–ultramafic suite was collected from the Gangma Co and Guoganjianian localities and is composed of cumulate and isotropic gabbro, basalt, actinolitite and plagiogranite. All basaltic rocks are tholeiitic and have low rare earth element (REE) abundances with variable REE patterns and slight negative Nb and Ti anomalies. These features are comparable with those of normal mid-ocean ridge basalts (N-MORB) and/or enriched mid-ocean ridge basalts (E-MORB). The positive whole-rock εNd(t) and zircon εHf(t) values indicate that these rocks were derived from a long-term depleted mantle source. Zircon U–Pb dating using a sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) on two cumulate gabbros and two plagiogranites samples yielded Carboniferous ages of 357±2.5Ma, 356.1±3.0Ma, 354.7±4.7Ma and 345.4±4.6Ma. The ophiolite marks a Paleo-Tethys Ocean basin in middle of the Qiangtang terrane, and it is interpreted as the western extension of the Changning–Menglian Paleo-Tethys ophiolite in the eastern margin of the Tibetan plateau.

Pre- to synglacial rift-related volcanism in the Neoproterozoic (Cryogenian) Pocatello Formation, SE Idaho: New SHRIMP and CA-ID-TIMS constraints

Volcanic and diamictite-bearing strata of the Neoproterozoic Pocatello Formation record middle Cryogenian glaciation and alkaline to subalkaline within-plate magmatism during Rodinia rifting. New mapping along the Oxford Ridge segment of the southern Bannock Range in SE Idaho has resolved stratigraphic relationships between the Scout Mountain and underlying Bannock volcanic members of the Pocatello Formation. Bannock Volcanic Member metabasalt has an upper gradational contact with over 250 m of Scout Mountain Member that includes extrabasinal and volcaniclastic diamictite, in turn overlain by a volcaniclastic unit (the Oxford Mountain tuffite). Previous attempts to date the tuffite include three sets of analyses of the original sample (06PL00) and one resample (04JK09) that yielded sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb zircon concordia ages of ca. 709, 702, and 686 Ma and one isotope dilution–thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) age of 687.4 ± 1.3 Ma. Several new samples of plagioclase-phyric volcanic sandstone and the tuffite, dated via high-precision (∼0.1%) chemical abrasion (CA) ID-TIMS, have multimodal zircon populations with single-crystal ages ranging from as old as 709 Ma to as young as 685 Ma, confirming the epiclastic nature of the deposit. The majority of grains in one sample yielded a 206Pb/238U weighted mean age of 685.5 ± 0.4 Ma, which provides a robust maximum age of deposition.

Early Carboniferous (Viséan) emplacement of the collisional Kłodzko–Złoty Stok granitoids (Sudetes, SW Poland): constraints from geochemical data and zircon U–Pb ages

Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe zircon U–Pb dating and geochemical data of igneous rocks from the composite Klodzko–Zloty Stok (KZS) Granite Pluton, Sudetic Block, indicate that the granitoids represent an Early Carboniferous Visean phase of Variscan metaluminous, high-K, I-type, syn-collisional granite magmatism within the Saxothuringian Zone of the Central European Variscides. Igneous zircon records hypabyssal magmatism that produced various granitoids and lamprophyre (spessartite) emplaced from ca. 340 to 331 Ma. The KZS granitoids have compositions ranging from granodiorite to monzonite, low A/CNK ratios (<1), and are associated with abundant mafic members. Most of them are alkaline, highly potassic, and moderately evolved. The major and trace element contents of the KZS granitoids suggest geochemical heterogeneity, and the hybrid nature of magmas derived from a range of sources in the middle crust, with a strong input of material from the upper mantle. Mixing of magmas of mantle origin with high-K material from partly melted continental crust was probably a more important factor than fractional crystallization, in controlling the evolution of the magmas. The mean Pb–U ages of the main population of igneous zircon from a quartz monzodiorite (Żelazno) and hornblende monzonite (Droszkow) are 340.2 ± 2.5 Ma and 339.5 ± 3.1 Ma, respectively. A slightly younger biotite-hornblende granodiorite from Chwalislaw, 336.7 ± 2.5 Ma, was cut by a spessartite dyke at 333.1 ± 3.1 Ma. This indicates that mafic magmas were immediately intruded into fractured, probably incompletely solidified, granodiorites. The lamprophyric dyke also contains igneous zircon of Neoproterozoic age, 566.3 ± 6.4 Ma, typical of the crust in the Saxothuringian Zone. Tonalite from Ptasznik Hill near Droszkow is of similar age to the spessartite, 331.5 ± 2.6 Ma. High REE contents in the tonalite and its igneous zircon indicate advanced differentiation of granitic magma, producing a more leucocratic melt associated with post-magmatic activity including abundant late crosscutting pegmatites and quartz veins, and contact metasomatic mineralization. The KZS granitoids have rather similar petrographic and geochemical characteristics to granitoids from other parts of the Central European Variscides, where a thickened orogenic root caused a substantial rise in crustal temperatures, producing granitoid magmas closely correlated with regional tectonic activity between the Saxothuringian and Brunovistulia Terranes at the NE margin of the Bohemian Massif.

Multiple generations of mafic–ultramafic rocks from the Hongseong suture zone, western South Korea: Implications for the geodynamic evolution of NE Asia

Dismembered mafic and serpentinized ultramafic bodies within the Hongseong suture zone of the Gyeonggi massif, southwestern Korean Peninsula are tectonically correlated with those from the Chinese Qinling–Dabie–Sulu collisional belt. We report sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U–Pb zircon ages, detailed mineral compositions and whole rock geochemical data from the mafic rocks including eclogite and garnetite from the Hongseong suture zone. The zircon U–Pb data show multiple protolith ages corresponding to Neoproterozoic (ca. 815–770Ma), Paleozoic (ca. 310Ma) and Middle Triassic (ca. 240Ma). The peak high-pressure and retrograde regional intermediate-pressure metamorphic events of Middle Triassic (ca. 240–230Ma) are also recorded in zircons from the mafic rocks in the Hongseong suture zone. The ages and P–T estimates presented in this study match well with those of the peak ultra-high-pressure metamorphism in the Sulu area of China. Our results from the Hongseong suture zone provide important insights into the geodynamic history of the NE Asian region, with evidence for both Neoproterozoic subduction and a Paleozoic to Triassic subduction/accretion event.

Lower-Crustal Xenoliths from Jurassic Kimberlite Diatremes, Upper Michigan (USA): Evidence for Proterozoic Orogenesis and Plume Magmatism in the Lower Crust of the Southern Superior Province

Jurassic kimberlites in the southern Superior Province in northern Michigan contain a variety of possible lower-crustal xenoliths, including mafic garnet granulites, rare garnet-free granulites, amphibolites and eclogites. Whole-rock major-element data for the granulites suggest affinities with tholeiitic basalts. P–T estimates for granulites indicate peak temperatures of 690–730°C and pressures of 9–12 kbar, consistent with seismic estimates of crustal thickness in the region. The granulites can be divided into two groups based on trace-element characteristics. Group 1 granulites have trace-element signatures similar to average Archean lower crust; they are light rare earth element (LREE)-enriched, with high La/Nb ratios and positive Pb anomalies. Most plot to the left of the geochron on a 206Pb/204Pb vs 207Pb/204Pb diagram, and there was probably widespread incorporation of Proterozoic to Archean components into the magmatic protoliths of these rocks. Although the age of the Group 1 granulites is not well constrained, their protoliths appear to be have been emplaced during the Mesoproterozoic and to be older than those for Group 2 granulites. Group 2 granulites are also LREE-enriched, but have strong positive Nb and Ta anomalies and low La/Nb ratios, suggesting intraplate magmatic affinities. They have trace-element characteristics similar to those of some Mid-Continent Rift (Keweenawan) basalts. They yield a Sm–Nd whole-rock errorchron age of 1046 ± 140 Ma, similar to that of Mid-Continent Rift plume magmatism. These granulites have unusually radiogenic Pb isotope compositions that plot above the 207Pb/204Pb vs 206Pb/204Pb growth curve and to the right of the 4·55 Ga geochron, and closely resemble the Pb isotope array defined by Mid-Continent Rift basalts. These Pb isotope data indicate that ancient continental lower crust is not uniformly depleted in U (and Th) relative to Pb. One granulite xenolith, S69-5, contains quartz, and has a unique peraluminous composition. It has the lowest eNd and eHf values of the suite. Its isotopic compositions indicate that it is significantly older than the other granulites. Broken zircon cores encased by younger overgrowths suggest that this granulite includes a large component of pre-existing sedimentary rocks. Two distinct populations of zircons from S69-5 were dated by sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe. Abundant rounded zircons yield ages of 1104 ± 42 (2σ) Ma, which coincide with the Mid-Continent Rift flood basalt eruptions. Their morphology is similar to those found in lower-crustal rocks that have undergone granulite-facies metamorphism and thus they are considered to represent the age of Group 2 granulites. Also present are less abundant elongate zircon grains that yield a mean age of 1387 ± 32 (2σ) Ma. Their elongate shapes indicate growth from a melt or fluid, possibly associated with 1·3–1·5 Ga anorogenic granite magmatism exposed in the shallow crust to the south in Wisconsin, or related to an initial encroachment of the Keweenawan plume upon the lower crust. Older ages recognized in zircon cores are less well constrained but may be related to tectono-magmatic events in the southern Superior craton. Within the studied suite only S69-5 was recognized as a remnant of the Late Archean lower crust into which the Group 1 and 2 mafic granulite precursor basalts were intruded. Collectively, the data show that the lower crust beneath northern Michigan formed in Archean times and underwent a variety of tectono-magmatic processes throughout the Proterozoic, including orogenesis, partial melting and mafic magmatic underplating in response to upwelling mantle plumes.

Reevaluation of the Piermont-Frontenac allochthon in the Upper Connecticut Valley: Restoration of a coherent Boundary Mountains-Bronson Hill stratigraphic sequence

The regional extent and mode and time of emplacement of the Piermont-Frontenac allochthon in the Boundary Mountains–Bronson Hill anticlinorium of the Upper Connecticut Valley, New Hampshire–Vermont, are controversial. Moench and coworkers beginning in the 1980s proposed that much of the autochthonous pre–Middle Ordovician section of the anticlinorium was a large allochthon of Silurian to Early Devonian rocks correlated to those near Rangeley, Maine. This ∼200-km-long allochthon was postulated to have been transported westward in the latest Silurian to Early Devonian as a soft-sediment gravity slide on a hypothesized Foster Hill fault. New mapping and U-Pb geochronology do not support this interpretation. The undisputed Rangeley sequence in the Bean Brook slice is different from the disputed sequence in the proposed larger Piermont-Frontenac allochthon, and field evidence for the Foster Hill fault is lacking. At the type locality on Foster Hill, the postulated “fault” is a stratigraphic contact within the Ordovician Ammonoosuc Volcanics. The proposed Foster Hill fault would place the Piermont-Frontenac allochthon over the inverted limb of the Cornish(?) nappe, which includes the Emsian Littleton Formation, thus limiting the alleged submarine slide to post-Emsian time. Mafic dikes of the 419 Ma Comerford Intrusive Complex intrude previously folded strata attributed to the larger Piermont-Frontenac allochthon as well as the autochthonous Albee Formation and Ammonoosuc Volcanics. The Lost Nation pluton intruded and produced hornfels in previously deformed Albee strata. Zircons from an apophysis of the pluton in the hornfels have a thermal ionization mass spectrometry 207 Pb/ 206 Pb age of 444.1 ± 2.1 Ma. Tonalite near Bath, New Hampshire, has a zircon sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe 206 Pb/ 238 U age of 492.5 ± 7.8 Ma. The tonalite intrudes the Albee Formation, formerly interpreted as the Silurian Perry Mountain Formation of the proposed allochthon. Collectively, these features indicate that the large Piermont-Frontenac allochthon gravity slide of Silurian-Devonian strata, as previously proposed, cannot exist. Allochthonous rocks are restricted to a 25 km 2 klippe, the Bean Brook slice, emplaced by hard-rock thrusting in the post-Emsian Devonian. The Albee Formation, the oldest unit in the study area, is older than the Late Cambrian tonalite at Bath. The correlation and apparent continuity along strike to the northeast of the Albee Formation with the Dead River Formation suggest that the Albee Formation, like the Dead River Formation, is of Ganderian affinity and that the Bronson Hill magmatic arc in the Upper Connecticut Valley was built on Ganderian crust. The Dead River Formation is unconformably overlain by Middle and Upper Ordovician volcanic units; the unconformity is attributed to the pre-Arenig Penobscottian orogeny. Some of the pre-Silurian deformation in the Upper Connecticut Valley may be Penobscottian rather than Taconian. New stratigraphic units defined herein include the pelitic Scarritt Member of the Albee Formation, the Ordovician Washburn Brook Formation consisting of synsedimentary breccia and coticule, chert, and ironstone, and the Devonian–Silurian Sawyer Mountain Formation, probably correlative with the Frontenac Formation. The Partridge Formation is partially coeval with the Ammonoosuc Volcanics.

Origin and Tectonic Implication of Ophiolite and Eclogite in the Song Ma Suture Zone between the South China and Indochina Blocks

AbstractSoutheast Asia consists of several microcontinents that detached from the northeastern margin of Gondwanaland. The Song Ma belt in northern Vietnam consists of ophiolite, metabasite, metasedimentary rocks and eclogite, and it is thought to be a suture zone between the Indochina and South China blocks. However, the nature and boundaries of the Song Ma belt and the collision age of the two blocks have long been debated. In this article, petrological and geochemical studies on the Song Ma ophiolite and eclogite and first sensitive high‐resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) age dating of eclogite provide new light to resolve such debate. Eclogite consisting of garnet, omphacite, phengite, quartz, barroisite and rutile is closely associated with garnet–phengite–quartz schist in the ‘Nam Co antiform’, a northern subunit of the Song Ma belt. The eclogite experienced a three‐stage metamorphic evolution: (I) pre‐eclogite stage (amphibolite facies) defined by inclusions of taramite, barroisite, quartz, zoisite/epidote, mica, rutile &amp; rare chlorite in garnet, (II) eclogite stage and (III) retrograde stage of amphibolite to greenschist facies. The P–T conditions of the three stages are of 14–16 kbar and 520–550 °C (I), 24–27 kbar and 650–750 °C (II), and 3–7 kbar and 430–510 °C (III), and show a clockwise P–T path based on their mineral assemblages and stability fields in the P–T pseudosection. Thermobarometric results yield similar peak pressure and temperature (26–28 kbar and 650–710 °C). These data suggest that the Song Ma eclogite underwent high‐pressure metamorphism in subduction zone with a low thermal gradient ∼8 °C km−1. The Song Ma ophiolite is composed of serpentinized peridotite, gabbro, basalt, mafic dyke and chert, and experienced ocean‐floor metamorphism. Metabasalt and gabbro of ophiolite suite and eclogite all have MORB‐type geochemical affinities. Zircon separates from eclogite have very low Th/U ratios of 0.01–0.05, indicating a metamorphic origin. SHRIMP U–Pb isotopic analyses of this zircon yield a 206Pb/238U weighted mean age of 230.5 ± 8.2 Ma. This age is interpreted as the closure age of the Paleotethys Ocean that separated the South China and Indochina blocks, and the subsequent collision of the two blocks that took place at the Middle Triassic corresponding to the major episode of the Indosinian Orogeny.

U-Pb zircon dating using Nd-YAG (213 nm) Laser ablation-ICP-MS, and evaluating the consistency with SHRIMP dating

Laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is a powerful tool for rapid and precise U-Pb zircon age dating. Here, we report U-Pb ages for detrital zircons determined using 213 nm Nd-YAG LA-ICP-MS analysis, and compare these results with those determined using a sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) to evaluate approaches for detrital zircon age dating during provenance analysis. Consistency of the system was assessed by measuring four well-characterized standard zircon samples (Plešovice, SL13, AS3, QGNG), with weighted mean measured 206Pb/238U and 207Pb/206Pb ages of the samples only slightly offset from the reference ages and with acceptable MSWD values, barring the 207Pb/206Pb age of the Plešovice zircon, which had a low 207Pb signal intensity. Detrital zircon grains were re-measured by LA-ICP-MS to assess consistency between the LA and SHRIMP systems, with 207Pb/206Pb ages for zircons older than 1000 Ma in excellent agreement with SHRIMP ages; typical offsets were between −3.9% and 0.3%. In addition, zircons younger than 1000 Ma had more accurate 206Pb/238U than 207Pb/206Pb ages. Both LA-ICP-MS and SHRIMP techniques produce results that are in excellent agreement, barring a few analyses that were affected by zircon heterogeneity or zoning.

SHRIMP zircon U–Pb geochronology, geochemistry and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic compositions of a mafic dyke swarm in the Qiangtang terrane, northern Tibet and geodynamic implications

Regional mafic dyke swarms are commonly emplaced in extensional tectonic settings and are typically considered to be linked with continental break-up. A large number of mafic dykes (areal extent of ~40,000km2) have recently been documented in the middle of the Qiangtang terrane, northern Tibet. Zircon U–Pb isotope analyses using a sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) indicate that the dykes were emplaced in the Early Permian (279±2Ma, 283±1Ma, 285±1Ma and 285±3Ma). Whole-rock geochemical data show that the Qiangtang mafic dykes are tholeiitic in composition and exhibit relative enrichment in light rare earth element (LREE) and depletion in Nb, Ta and Ti, resembling continental intra-plate basalts. Whole-rock Sr–Nd and zircon Hf isotopic data suggest that mafic dyke magma was derived from a depleted mantle source (εNd(T)=+5.1 to+7.6 and εHf(T)=+4.9 to+14.8). The chemical and isotopic characteristics make the mafic dykes similar to the Panjal Traps and Permian basalts in the Tethyan Himalayas. The contemporaneous and widespread emplacement of ca. 283Ma continental intra-plate basaltic rocks in the Qiangtang terrane and in the Himalayas is suggestive of a Large Igneous Province (LIP). This LIP is linked to the initial rifting and opening of the Meso-Tethys Ocean during the Permian.

First U–Pb SHRIMP zircon and 40Ar/39Ar ages of metarhyolites from the Afyon–Bolkardag Zone, SW Turkey: Implications for the rifting and closure of the Neo-Tethys

The Afyon–Bolkardag Zone (ABZ) is one of the most important metamorphic zones in Turkey. This zone consists of metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks, which have undergone regional greenschist facies metamorphism. The metavolcanic rocks are dominated by rhyolite, dacite, and trachyandesite. In the Ilgin (Konya) area, the low grade metavolcanics were originally rhyolitic lavas and tuffs. We present new precise Sensitive High-Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP) 206Pb–238U age analyses of zircons and 40Ar/39Ar age data of phengite from metarhyolites that enable a more precise reconstruction of the ABZ. SHRIMP analyses of euhedral or sub-euhedral magmatic zircons from two metarhyolite samples yield weighted means 230±2Ma and 229±2Ma. These ages are interpreted as formation age of rhyolitic volcanics, implying they were formed in the Late Triassic time (Carnian). We suggest that these Upper Triassic magmatic rocks were formed in an extensional tectonic setting on the northern active margin of Gondwana, which led to the development of the northern branch of the Neo-Tethys. 40Ar/39Ar dating of two phengite samples from metarhyolites gave plateau ages of between 63.7±0.1Ma and 62.6±0.1Ma. These dates are interpreted as the metamorphic age of these volcanic rocks, and as the age of metamorphism that affected the ABZ. Consequently, these earliest Tertiary ages also constrain the timing of the closure of the Neo-Tethys.

Characteristics of the Early Cretaceous Igneous Activity in the Korean Peninsula and Tectonic Implications

AbstractThis study presents sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb zircon ages, K-Ar ages, and whole-rock chemical and isotopic (Sr-Nd) compositions of the Early Cretaceous igneous activity in western South Korea. The volcanics and plutons yield zircon U-Pb ages of ca. 110 Ma, in the Albian of the late Early Cretaceous. K-Ar biotite and plagioclase ages are slightly younger, ca. 103 Ma. The geochemical signatures of the rocks are characterized by negative Nb, Ta, and Ti anomalies, relatively low ϵNd(T) values (between −15.91 and −9.36), and enrichment in light rare earth elements, suggesting the effects of subduction-related magmatism. Together with the Sr and Nd isotopic compositions of the intermediate to acid volcanics, geochemical characteristics reflect a lower-crustal magma source. This Albian event over the Korean Peninsula is related to Early Jurassic subduction and subsequent lithospheric delamination and/or slab rollback after the Early Cretaceous amalgamation between the North C...