Zircon Age Determinations Research Articles

Geology and Zircon U-Pb Geochronology of the Las Cruces Intrusive Suite, B.C.S., México

The Las Cruces intrusive suite is located at the southern extent of the Baja California Peninsula in northwestern Mexico. The suite constitutes the northern part of the Los Cabos Batholitic Complex. It is correlated with extensive Cretaceous magmatic activity extending across California and the Baja Peninsula, known as the Peninsular Ranges Batholith. Despite its significance for understanding the regional tectonic and magmatic evolution, detailed information to fully support this correlation remains limited. This work provides new cartographic and structural data of the units comprising the intrusive suite and the temporal relationships between lithological units, supported by U-Pb zircon geochronology. The suite consists of granite in its central part, tonalite displaying magmatic foliation at its NW and SE margins, and two gabbro apophyses along the western edge. The host rocks consist of intercalations of hornblende and biotite schists, forming screens and roof pendants. Late magmatic felsic dikes, derived from the granite, intrude into the suite units. Five new U-Pb zircon age determinations indicate that the suite has a normal crystallization history with ages from 103.5 ± 1.2 to 97.6 ± 0.8 Ma for the tonalite and from 93.6 ± 0.7 to 95.0 ± 0.9 Ma for the granite. The gabbro is the oldest intrusive unit, with previous U-Pb zircon ages reported near 109 ± 2.3 and 102.3 ± 2.9 Ma. Structural analysis indicates that the gabbro and tonalite were emplaced during an E–W synmagmatic compressional event, evidenced by N–S oriented magmatic foliation, aligning subparallel to the granite and metasedimentary screens contacts. Later, the granite was emplaced during a compressional stress relaxation phase, causing the tonalite dissection and forming the current suite margins. The calculated U-Pb ages for the Las Cruces intrusive suite and reported geochemical and geophysical data from the northern Baja California Peninsula support its correlation with the Peninsular Ranges batholith.

1.88 Ga granitoids at Sorsakoski, Central Finland: A-type magmatism within the Raahe-Ladoga suture zone

Four quartz monzonite – granite intrusions forming the Sorsakoski granite lithodeme, are found within the Raahe-Ladoga suture zone in Central Finland. The prevailing potassium feldspar megacrystic quartz monzonites and granites form a bimodal association with diorites and gabbros. The granitoids are mainly calc-alkaline, ferroan, per- to metaluminous, and have high Zr and REE contents. Dominant mafic minerals are biotite and hornblende, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene are locally present. The mafic units display effects of fractionation of clinopyroxene. In our interpretation, these intrusions were emplaced during regional late stages of deformation and post-crystallisation deformation partitioned into major shear zones leaving bulk of the intrusions relatively undeformed. Based on one new (1876 ± 6 Ma) and one pre-existing (1882 ± 5 Ma) U-Pb zircon age determination, the crystallisation age of the granitoids can be assumed at ca. 1880 Ma. Based on mineralogy, petrography, geochemistry, bimodal nature of magmatism and age, we correlate these intrusions to the A-type rocks of the previously described Saarijärvi suite. This shows that the syn-orogenic A-type magmatism extended eastwards beyond the Central Finland Granitoid Complex.

U-Pb detrital zircon age determination and provenance of the lower Karoo succession from the Karoo Research Initiative (KARIN) borehole KWV-1, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Abstract In recent years, the maximum age of sedimentation and possible sources of detritus to the sedimentary successions of the Karoo Supergroup has received a lot of interest, with various authors presenting age data from across the main Karoo Basin (MKB). Our paper aims to contribute to this ever-growing geochronological database as we report weighted mean ages for the youngest zircons as well as detrital zircon age distributions for the lower Karoo Supergroup succession sampled from the Centre of Excellence for Integrated Mineral and Energy Resource Analysis (CIMERA)-Karoo Research Initiative (KARIN) drill core KWV-1. A total of 880 near concordant zircon ages were determined using Laser Ablation Quadrupole Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-Q-ICP-MS) from fifteen samples representing the Dwyka Group, the Collingham-, Ripon-, Fort Brown- and Waterford formations of the Ecca Group and the Koonap Formation of the Beaufort Group as intersected by this ~2 352 m deep research borehole drilled in the southeastern sector of the basin. The weighted mean ages for the youngest zircons calculated for the formations of the Ecca- and Beaufort groups compares with findings reported by other authors and with the ages reported for tuffaceous layers associated with these units. The weighted mean ages for the youngest zircons of the Dwyka Group reflect the age of the youngest source area and do not aid in constraining the maximum age of deposition. A significant change in detrital zircon age distribution was noted between the Dwyka Group and the overlying formations of the Ecca and Beaufort groups, which we interpret as a change in provenance. The major Meso-to Neoproterozoic detrital zircon age fractions present in the Dwyka Group are attributed to source areas located towards the north and northeast of the MKB, in line with regional ice flow directions. A significant late Carboniferous to Permian detrital zircon age fraction is however observed throughout the formations of the Ecca- and Beaufort groups, with a lesser fraction of older zircon ages. The prevailing youngest age fraction reflects ages associated with magmatic source areas in the Gondwanide Orogeny located towards the south of the MKB at the time of deposition, while the recycling of deformed sedimentary strata of the Cape Supergroup contained in the Cape Fold Belt is considered the source of older detritus. The source of detritus to the MKB remained unchanged during the deposition of the respective formations of the Ecca- and Beaufort groups, despite changes in the depositional environment brough on by regional tectonics.

The Paleoarchean Buffalo River komatiites: Progressive melting of a single large mantle plume beneath the growing Kaapvaal craton

Several Archean granitoid-greenstone terranes are exposed on the southeastern Kaapvaal craton in South Africa, but they received little scientific attention compared to the archetypal greenstone belt successions of the Barberton Mountain Land at the eastern craton margin. This study reports on a detailed field and geochemical survey of the Buffalo River Greenstone Belt at the southern Kaapvaal craton margin in KwaZulu-Natal, with focus on hitherto unstudied komatiites and basaltic rocks from this volcanic succession. Cross-cutting relationships and new U-Pb zircon age determinations for several granitoid units establish a minimum age of 3.26 Ga for komatiitic volcanism, possibly as old as ca. 3.5 Ga if a 3.47 Ga granodiorite sheet is interpreted as ‘intrusive’ into the greenstone succession.Geochemical data reveal three types of Paleoarchean komatiites at Buffalo River. Spinifex textured lava flows represent Al-depleted komatiites, with subchondritic Al2O3/TiO2 ratios and enrichment of LREE over HREE. The second type comprises Al-undepleted komatiites that have chondritic Al2O3/TiO2 and flat REE patterns. The third type identified comprises Al-enriched komatiites that display suprachondritic Al2O3/TiO2 ratios, with significant LREE depletion. The Al-depleted and Al-undepleted komatiites from Buffalo River are geochemically similar to komatiites from the 3.48 Ga Komati and 3.26 Ga Weltevreden formations of the Barberton Supergroup respectively, whereas the Al-enriched komatiites resemble the 3.33 Ga Commondale komatiites on the southeastern Kaapvaal craton.To explain the co-occurrence of three discrete komatiite types within a single volcanic succession at Buffalo River, we suggest that each major komatiite magmatic pulse originated from the same upwelling mantle source, from which melt was extracted at different pressure but similarly hot temperature conditions. 187Os/188Os data for the Al-depleted komatiites suggest an ultimate magma origin from a primitive mantle reservoir. The contrasting γOs values for Kaapvaal craton komatiites (zero to positive) and peridotitic mantle xenoliths (zero to negative) support a complementary nature of these lithologies as high-degree melts and depleted residues linked by vigorous mantle plume activity at around 3.5 Ga. Such a relationship can explain the contrasting Re/Os systematics of komatiites and lithospheric mantle peridotites, which creates the contrasting γOs over time.The highly siderophile element patterns of the Al-depleted komatiites from Buffalo River are similar to those of Barberton-type komatiites, for which an origin from the deepest upper mantle with high melt retention in an upwelling plume source was suggested. We confirm that this ca. 3.5 Ga mantle source had only 60–80 % of the platinum-group element budget of the modern ambient mantle, which points indirectly to a location at great depth in the aftermath of the meteoritic late accretion. Progressive melting of such an upwelling mantle source, to the point of majoritic garnet exhaustion, may explain the Al-undepleted and Al-enriched komatiites at Buffalo River. The presence of all three major komatiite types within a single volcanic succession may be linked to deep critical melting of a large mantle plume associated with growth of the Kaapvaal ‘continent’ at 3.5 Ga.

Geochemical reconnaissance of the Guéra and Ouaddaï Massifs in Chad: evolution of Proterozoic crust in the Central Sahara Shield

Abstract In 1964, W.Q. Kennedy suggested that the crust of Saharan Africa is different from the rest of Africa. To date, the geologic evolution of this region remains obscure because the age and composition of crystalline basement are unknown across large sectors of the Sahara. Most of Africa comprises Archaean cratons surrounded by Palaeo- to Mesoproterozoic orogenic belts, which together constitute Africa’s three major shields (the Southern, Central and West African Shields), finally assembled along belts of Pan-African rocks. By contrast, central Saharan Africa (5.3x106 km2), an area just over half the size of Europe, is considered either as a Neoproterozoic region constructed of relatively juvenile crust (0.5 to 1.0 Ga), or as an older (North African) shield that was reactivated and re-stabilized during that time, a period commonly referred to as “Pan African”. Here, using U-Pb zircon age determinations and Nd isotopic data, we show that remote areas in Chad, part of the undated Darfur Plateau stretching across ¾ million km2 of the central Sahara, comprise an extensive Neoproterozoic crystalline basement of pre-tectonic gabbro-tonalite-granodiorite and predominantly post-tectonic alkali feldspar granites and syenites that intruded between ca. 550 to 1050 Ma. This basement is flanked along its western margin by a Neoproterozoic continental calc-alkaline magmatic arc coupled to a cryptic suture zone that can be traced for ~2400 km from Tibesti through western Darfur into Cameroon. We refer to this as the Central Saharan Belt. This, in a Gondwana framework, is part of a greater arc structure, which we here term the Great Central Gondwana Arc (GCGA). Inherited zircons and Nd isotopic ratios indicate the Neoproterozoic magmas in the central Sahara were predominantly derived from Mesoproterozoic continental lithosphere. Regional deformation between 613 to 623 Ma marks the onset of late alkaline granite magmatism that was widespread across a much larger area of North Africa until about 550 Ma. During this magmatism, the region was exhumed and eroded, leaving a regional peneplain on which early Palaeozoic (Lower-Middle Cambrian) siliciclastic sediments were subsequently deposited, as part of a thick and widespread cover that stretched across much of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Detrital zircons in these cover sequences provide evidence that a substantial volume of detritus was derived from the central Sahara region, because these sequences include ‘Kibaran-age’ zircons (ca. 1000 Ma) for which a source terrain has hitherto been lacking. We propose that, in preference to calling the central Sahara a “ghost” or “meta” craton, it should be called the Central Sahara Shield.

KV01 zircon—A potential New Archean reference material for microbeam U-Pb age and Hf-O isotope determinations

To meet the rapid development of zircon U-Pb geochronology and Hf-O isotope geochemistry, it is imperative to develop well-characterized zircon reference materials for microbeam analysis. Here, zircon KV01 separated from the Kaap Valley pluton, South Africa is introduced as a potential Archean reference material for microbeam U-Pb age and Hf-O isotope determination. SIMS and LA-ICP-MS U-Pb isotopic measurements gave grand mean 207Pb/206Pb ages of 3233±16 Ma (2s, n=90) and 3230±26 Ma (2s, n=52), which are consistent with reported CA-ID-TIMS results. Slight heterogeneity of oxygen isotopes is revealed by SIMS analyses that yielded a relatively large δ18O range of 4.61–6.51‰. Among them, the zircon grains with clear oscillatory zones give a grand mean δ18O value of 6.17±0.33‰ (2s), which is suggested to record the primary O isotopic compositions. The homogeneity in the Hf isotopic compositions of KV01 zircon was checked by the laser ablation and solution MC-ICP-MS methods. They yielded consistent results with a recommended 176Hf/177Hf ratio of 0.280810±0.000013 (2s). The results reported here demonstrate that KV01 zircon could be a reliable reference material for microbeam 207Pb/206Pb age and Hf isotope determinations of ancient zircons, and be suitable as a quality monitor for SIMS oxygen isotopic analysis.

The sources of zircons in clastic rocks of the Riphean deposits of the Urals

New age determinations of detrital zircons of sandstones augmented the possibilities of interpretation of their provenance. This interpretation is often restricted by a formal comparison of age-and-composition characteristics of detrital crystals with any very distant model objects. A different situation arises when the role of a source of a detritus is claimed by local objects. The analysis of SHRIMP and TIMS - datеs of zircons and U and Th concentrations in them, and also a comparison of histograms of primary zircons from Riphean volcanics and rocks of the Taratash complex on one hand and the detrital zircons from the sandstones of Vendian (Asha series) and Lower Riphean (Ai Formation) on the other, have shown that the age variations of sources and clastics are comparable in many aspects. It means that the age characteristics of primary zircons from the Riphean volcanics and rocks of the Taratash complex as sources of zircon clastics for the Riphean and Vendian sandstones in the Southern Urals are regulated by processes of resedimentation, though the influence of distant sources is not excluded.

Tectono-stratigraphic terranes in Archaean gneiss complexes as evidence for plate tectonics: The Nuuk region, southern West Greenland

Prior to 1970 grey gneiss complexes were interpreted as partially-melted sedimentary sequences. Once it was recognised from the Nuuk region that they comprised calc-alkaline igneous complexes, it was understood that such complexes world-wide were dominated by TTG (trondhjemite-tonalite-granodiorite) initially found to have juvenile Sr, Nd and, subsequently, Hf isotopic signatures. Between 1970 and 1985 the Nuuk region gneiss complex was interpreted by the non-uniformitarian ‘super-event’ model of crust formation which proposed occasional but extensive crust formation, with craton-wide correlation of granulite facies metamorphism and deformational phases. The igneous rocks formed in a late- Meso- to early Neoarchaean super-event engulfed crust formed in an Eoarchaean super-event. Mapping and reinterpretation at Færingehavn showed there are three TTG gneiss domains, each with different early accretionary, metamorphic and tectonic histories, separated by folded meta-mylonites. This established the key feature of the tectono-stratigraphic terrane model; that each terrane has an early intra-terrane history of crust formation, deformation and metamorphism, upon which is superimposed a later deformation and metamorphic history common to several terranes after they were juxtaposed. Remapping and >250 U-Pb zircon age determinations have refined the geological evolution of the entire Nuuk region, and has confirmed at least four main crust formation events and two collisional orogenies with associated transient high pressure metamorphism within clockwise P-T-t loops. Via independent corroborative studies the tectono-stratigraphic terrane model has been accepted for the Nuuk region and, through the discovery of similar relations across other gneiss complexes, its mode of evolution is found to be applicable to Archaean high-grade gneiss complexes worldwide. The TTG and mafic components that dominate each terrane have geochemistry interpreted to indicate subduction-related magmatism at convergent plate boundaries. Each terrane is thus dominated by juvenile additions to the crust. Intra-terrane sedimentary rocks show near unimodal age distributions in contrast to those near the boundaries which are more diverse and complex. The combined geochronological, metamorphic and structural evidence of convergence of these terranes leading to collisional orogeny, this indicates that plate tectonic processes operated throughout the Archaean.

Extensional tectonics during Late Cretaceous evolution of the Southern Central Andes: Evidence from the Chilean main range at ~35°S

The study of Late Cretaceous-earliest Paleogene series in the Chilean Andes at ~35°S provides new constraints on the coeval evolution of the area and the Southern Central Andes. These correspond to the continental series of BRCU and the overlying Plan de los Yeuques Formation (PYF). Zircon age determinations reveal that these represent an almost continuous record of deposition, respectively from the Cenomanian-early Campanian to the Campanian-Danian. According to paleogeographic reconstructions, the BRCU series corresponds to the coeval foreland basin deposits, in a near arc position, which was westerly bounded by the earliest Late Cretaceous orogen. Detrital zircon age spectra for this reveal only a Cretaceous component, thus indicating a depocenter disconnected to that represented by coeval synorogenic deposits in Argentina. The volcanic rocks of the PYF record an eastern migration of the magmatic loci into the area at least since ~80 Ma. Its outcrops display a series of syn-sedimentary normal faults indicating extensional conditions throughout its deposition. Its volcanic rocks conform an apparent bimodal suite characterized by arc-like affinities, low pressure conditions for the corresponding magmas, and juvenile isotopic signatures for all the compositional spectra. Comparison and modeling of such compositional characteristics indicate a derivation from parental magmas similar to those currently sourcing the southern segment of the Andean Southern Volcanic Zone (~37–42°S). Altogether these characteristics suggest an extensional intra-arc basin setting for the deposition of this unit probably framed by a normal to thin crust of ~30–35 km. The extensional conditions observed for this unit are also recorded in numerous Late Cretaceous arc deposits along the Andean margin, thus indicating that this corresponds to a regional scale feature. This evidence records a change from Late Cretaceous from compressional to extensional conditions in the arc area which agrees well with major plate tectonic configuration proposed for this time span in the Andean margin.

The Liaohe Group: An insight into the Paleoproterozoic tectonic evolution of the Jiao–Liao–Ji Belt, North China Craton

The Jiao–Liao–Ji Belt represents one of the largest exposed regions of Paleoproterozoic rocks along the eastern margin of the North China Craton. Paleoproterozoic basement material in this area is dominated by deformed and metamorphosed volcano-sedimentary successions with minor amounts of granitic and mafic intrusions. This study presents the results of a systematic zircon U–Pb geochronological, whole-rock geochemical and Sm–Nd isotopic analysis of the volcano-sedimentary successions within the Liaohe Group of the Jiao–Liao–Ji Belt. These data provide insights into the multiple Paleoproterozoic tectonothermal events that have affected the belt as well as the petrogenesis of the Paleoproterozoic meta-volcanics and metasedimentary rocks on the Liaodong Peninsula. Accurate U–Pb age and trace element determinations of zircons from the meta-volcanics in this region using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry indicate that these units formed at ca. 2.2 Ga and were metamorphosed at ca. 1.9 Ga, respectively. These data indicate that the Paleoproterozoic geochronological framework of this region is dominated by 2.2–2.0 Ga magmatic, 1.98–1.90 Ga sedimentary, ca. 1.90 Ga metamorphic, and 1.87–1.82 Ga post-tectonic magmatic events. The meta-volcanics can be split into basalt, basaltic andesite, andesite, dacite, and rhyolite units that define a continuous calc-alkaline-dominated magmatic sequence that is similar to the sequences commonly found within Phanerozoic magmatic arcs. The meta-basalts are enriched in the light rare earth elements, Cr, Co, and Ni, and are depleted in the heavy rare earth elements and the high field strength elements (e.g., Nb, Ta, and Ti), indicating that they formed from magmas generated by the partial melting of lithospheric mantle material that was previously metasomatized by subduction zone-derived fluids/melts. The large geochemical and isotopic variations within the metamorphosed andesite, dacite, and rhyolite units all provide evidence of magma mixing between felsic melts generated by the partial melting of Paleoarchean–Neoarchean basement material and the mafic melts that may also formed the meta-basalts within the Liaohe Group or evolve via fractional crystallization prior to mixing. The geochemistry of the metasedimentary rocks indicate that the pre-metamorphism sedimentary units ranged from being compositionally mature to being immature and poorly sorted, and were weakly to moderately weathered. These sediments were derived primarily from metamorphosed felsic volcanics within the Liaohe Group as well as the Paleoproterozoic Liaoji granites. They also contain Archean continental crustal material that is derived mainly from ancient intermediate–mafic basement units. The combined geochronological, geochemical, and geological data indicate that a Paleoproterozoic arc–continent collision model can well explain the nature and formation of the Jiao–Liao–Ji Belt.

Laboratorio de Geocronología en el Servicio Geológico Colombiano: avances sobre datación U-Pb en circones mediante la técnica LA-ICP-MS

This paper presents the first results of the implementation of the U-Pb dating laboratory at the Servicio Geologico Colombiano (Colombian Geological Survey) using the LA-ICP-MS analytical technique for U-Pb dating. This geochronological method is based on the radioactive decay of the isotopes of Uranium (238U/206Pb and 235U/207Pb) in order to be used in the zircon age determinations. As part of the implementation process, we evaluated reference materials with different age ranges using analytical parameters similar to those used by other laboratories worldwide with the aim of obtaining results with optimal precision and accuracy for this analytical technique. In general, the results obtained show that for the majority of the reference materials, the precision as the coefficient of variation and the veracity as the difference between the expected age and the obtained age are less than 2 %. In addition, we evaluated the concordance of the U-Pb system using concordance diagrams and we found that the mean square weighted deviation (MSWD) in most standards were less than 2, implying that the results were obtained within the established statistical parameters.

Coeval interaction between magmas of contrasting composition (Late Carboniferous-Early Permian Santa Eulália-Monforte massif, Ossa-Morena Zone): field relationships and geochronological constraints

The Santa Eulalia-Monforte massif is a post-kinematic Late Carboniferous-Early Permian calc-alkaline composite massif (LC-EP) located in the Ossa-Morena Zone (OMZ, Portugal). This paper examines the field relationships between pinkish granites and mafic-intermediate rocks from the external ring of this massif and presents new U-Pb zircon age determinations. The estimated 206 Pb/ 238 U ages, 297±4Ma for the pinkish granite and 303±3Ma for a gabbro-diorite point to a short time interval between the crystallization of both magmas. At outcrop scale, contacts of the mafic-intermediate rocks with the host pinkish granite are sharp and corroborate this age relationship, but do not justify why the host-enclave contacts often has curved and irregular shapes, indicating liquid-liquid interaction. A full analysis of the distribution of U-Pb zircon ages and respective Th/U ratios suggests that the compositionally distinct magmas were roughly contemporaneous. The obtained ages also fit the LC-EP Iberian calc-alkaline suite that was formed contemporaneously to the development of the Iberian-Armorican Arc and when the Paleotethyan oceanic Plate subducted under the Eurasian active margin. Taking this geodynamic setting as a reference, the LC-EP Iberian calc-alkaline magmatism can be interpreted as most probably related to the Cimmerian cycle instead of the traditionally accepted model that ascribe a closer connection of this magmatism with the Variscan cycle. The Santa Eulalia-Monforte massif is a post-kinematic Late Carboniferous-Early Permian calc-alkaline composite massif (LC-EP) located in the Ossa-Morena Zone (OMZ, Portugal). This paper examines the field relationships between pinkish granites and mafic-intermediate rocks from the external ring of this massif and presents new U-Pb zircon age determinations. The estimated 206 Pb/ 238 U ages, 297±4Ma for the pinkish granite and 303±3Ma for a gabbro-diorite point to a short time interval between the crystallization of both magmas. At outcrop scale, contacts of the mafic-intermediate rocks with the host pinkish granite are sharp and corroborate this age relationship, but do not justify why the host-enclave contacts often has curved and irregular shapes, indicating liquid-liquid interaction. A full analysis of the distribution of U-Pb zircon ages and respective Th/U ratios suggests that the compositionally distinct magmas were roughly contemporaneous. The obtained ages also fit the LC-EP Iberian calc-alkaline suite that was formed contemporaneously to the development of the Iberian-Armorican Arc and when the Paleotethyan oceanic Plate subducted under the Eurasian active margin. Taking this geodynamic setting as a reference, the LC-EP Iberian calc-alkaline magmatism can be interpreted as most probably related to the Cimmerian cycle instead of the traditionally accepted model that ascribe a closer connection of this magmatism with the Variscan cycle.

Continental crust formation: Numerical modelling of chemical evolution and geological implications

Oceanic plateaus develop by decompression melting of mantle plumes and have contributed to the growth of the continental crust throughout Earth's evolution. Occasional large-scale partial melting events of parts of the asthenosphere during the Archean produced large domains of precursor crustal material. The fractionation of arc-related crust during the Proterozoic and Phanerozoic contributed to the growth of continental crust. However, it remains unclear whether the continents or their precursors formed during episodic events or whether the gaps in zircon age records are a function of varying preservation potential. This study demonstrates that the formation of the continental crust was intrinsically tied to the thermoconvective evolution of the Earth's mantle. Our numerical solutions for the full set of physical balance equations of convection in a spherical shell mantle, combined with simplified equations of chemical continent–mantle differentiation, demonstrate that the actual rate of continental growth is not uniform through time. The kinetic energy of solid-state mantle creep (Ekin) slowly decreases with superposed episodic but not periodic maxima. In addition, laterally averaged surface heat flow (qob) behaves similarly but shows peaks that lag by 15–30Ma compared with the Ekin peaks. Peak values of continental growth are delayed by 75–100Ma relative to the qob maxima. The calculated present-day qob and total continental mass values agree well with observed values. Each episode of continental growth is separated from the next by an interval of quiescence that is not the result of variations in mantle creep velocity but instead reflects the fact that the peridotite solidus is not only a function of pressure but also of local water abundance. A period of differentiation results in a reduction in regional water concentrations, thereby increasing the temperature of the peridotite solidus and the regional viscosity of the mantle. By plausibly varying the parameters in our model, we were able to reproduce the intervals of the observed frequency peaks of zircon age determinations without essentially changing any of the other results. The results yield a calculated integrated continental growth curve that resembles the curves of GLAM, Begg et al. (2009), Belousova et al. (2010), and Dhuime et al. (2012), although our curve is less smooth and contains distinct variations that are not evident in these other curves.

Cretaceous partial melting, deformation, and exhumation of the Potters Pond migmatite domain, west-central Idaho

The Potters Pond migmatite domain (PPMD) is a heterogeneous zone of migmatites located ∼10 km southwest of Cascade, Idaho, within the western Idaho shear zone (WISZ). The PPMD is the only known exposure of migmatites within the WISZ over its ∼300 km length, occurring where the shear zone orientation changes from 024° south to 005° north of the migmatite domain. Structural mapping within the PPMD has identified multiple generations of migmatite with varied structural fabrics. Leucosome layers were sampled from distinct migmatite localities and morphologies (e.g., metatexite and diatexite) to determine the timing and duration of partial melting in the PPMD. U-Pb age determinations of zircon by means of laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) document two periods of protracted migmatite crystallization during the Early and Late Cretaceous. Early Cretaceous (ca. 145–128 Ma) migmatite crystallization ages are coeval with the collision and suturing of oceanic terranes of the Blue Mountains province with North America and the formation of the Salmon River suture zone (SRSZ). Migmatite crystallization ages from ca. 104–90 Ma are associated with Late Cretaceous dextral transpression in the WISZ. Field observations and geochronology of crosscutting leucosome relationships are interpreted to record deep crustal deformation and anatexis associated with formation of the SRSZ, subsequently overprinted by solid-state deformation and renewed anatexis during the evolution of the WISZ. These data are the first direct evidence of the synmetamorphic fabric related to the SRSZ east of the initial Sr 0.706 isopleth and indicate that the WISZ is a temporally distinct overprinting structure.

Restoration of Late Neoarchean–Early Cambrian tectonics in the Rengali orogen and its environs (eastern India): The Antarctic connection

Geological mapping and P–T path reconstructions are combined with monazite chemical age and Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometric (SIMS) U–Pb zircon age determinations to identify crustal domains with distinctive evolutionary histories in the Rengali orogen sandwiched between two Grenvillian-age metamorphic belts, i.e. the Eastern Ghats Granulite Belt (EGGB) in the south, and the amphibolite facies Gangpur Schist Belt (GSB) in the north, which in turn forms a collar along the NW/W margins of the Paleo/Mesoarchean Singhbhum Craton (SC) north of the Rengali orogen. Anatectic gneisses in the orogen core exhibit multi-phase Neoarchean/Paleoproterozoic deformation, metamorphic P–T histories and juvenile magma emplacement events. The high-grade belt is inferred to be a septum of the Bastar Craton (BC). The flanking supracrustal belt in the orogen — dominated by quartz-muscovite schists (±staurolite, kyanite, garnet pyrophyllite), inter-bedded with poorly-sorted and polymict meta-conglomerate, and meta-ultramafic/amphibolite bands — evolved along P–T paths characterized by sub-greenschist to amphibolite facies peak P–T conditions in closely-spaced samples. The supracrustal rocks and the anatectic gneisses of contrasting metamorphic P–T histories experienced D1, D2 and D3 fabric-forming events, but the high-angle obliquity between the steeply-plunging D3 folds in the anatectic gneisses and the gently-plunging D3 folds in the supracrustal unit suggests the two lithodemic units were tectonically accreted post-S2. The supracrustal belt is inferred to be a tectonic mélange formed in an accretionary wedge at the tri-junction of the Bastar Craton, the Eastern Ghats Granulite Belt and the Singhbhum Craton; the basin closure synchronous with the assembly of EGGB and the Singhbhum Craton–Gangpur Schist belt composite occurred between 510 and 610Ma. Based on the available evidence across the facing coastlines of the Greater India landmass and the Australo–Antarctic blocks at ~500Ma, it is suggested that the EGGB welded with the Greater India landmass during the Pan African along an accretion zone, of which the Rengali orogen is a part, synchronous with the final assembly of the Gondwanaland.

Geochemistry of the apulian allochthonous karst bauxite, Southern Italy: Distribution of critical elements and constraints on Late Cretaceous Peri-Tethyan palaeogeography

A comprehensive study of pebbles from the 'Salento-type' allochthnous bauxite deposit (Otranto, southern Italy), originally derived from a pristine Campanian bauxite, has been performed for evaluating: 1) the chemical fractionation and inter-elemental relationships, especially for critical elements, 2) the climatic conditions that promoted bauxite formation, and 3) the provenance of the protolith(s) using zircon age data and conservative elemental proxies. The study confirms the capability of bauxite to concentrate many elements defined as critical by the European Union report on critical raw materials. Sc, Co, Ga, and especially Cr, are enriched when compared with the UCC composition and assuming Nb is immobile. Other critical elements such as the REEs, with the exception of La, are moderately depleted. R-mode factor analysis suggests that most of the variance in our chemical dataset is explained by a factor with significant weightings for TiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3, Sc, V, Nb, REEs, Pb and Th. This arises from climate effects affecting the distribution of the more abundant oxides and some trace elements, including the critical metals Nb and REEs. The texture of the pebbles is typical for Apulian karst bauxites and consists of sub-spheroidal ooids composed of boehmite and dispersed in a fine-grained matrix. The growth of the ooids, which formed under dry climate, was described in terms of fractal geometry. The average fractal dimension value of the ooids in the pebbles is close to that of the diffusion-limited aggregation models suggesting the ooid growth can be modelled using a molecular diffusion pattern, based on Fick's first law. The calculated time required for growth of the boehmite concretions is ~45÷310ka. This finding is consistent with an intra-Campanian emersion event (74–76Ma) that occurred during a dry and warm climatic stage. Since most of the karst bauxites worldwide have an ooidic texture, evaluation of the composition of concretions and the time required for their growth represents a powerful tool in reconstructing the palaeoenvironment. The zircon grains collected from the pebbles of the Salento-type karst bauxite define several concordant age populations. The youngest cluster, Early Cretaceous in age (99÷127.5Ma), suggests that windborne particles from Cretaceous volcanics, possibly originating in the Carpatho-Balkan orogenic belts, provided material for further bauxitisation. The largest cluster (623÷689Ma) is of Neoproterozoic age, predominately from the Late Ediacaran and Cryogenian p.p.. The 900–540Ma Pan-African orogenic cycle was followed by continental-scale uplift and erosion, leading to the deposition of thick Cambrian–Ordovician siliciclastic sequences that represent the most widespread detrital sequence ever deposited on continental crust and that now cover large parts of North Africa. These Cambrian–Ordovician sandstones contain a large population of Neoproterozoic zircons of Cryogenian age. Neoproterozoic zircons also occur in the youngest (Silurian–Mesozoic) sandstones of the Saharan Metacraton. These sandstones also contain 1.0Ga detrital zircons, suggesting as the oldest zircons found in the Salento-type bauxite pebbles (866Ma and 941Ma in age) are younger representatives of the zircon cluster present in this sandstone unit.These zircon age determinations suggest that the source material for the Salento-type bauxite pebbles was a combination of magmatic material from a distant source and clastic material derived from a continental margin (North Africa). This result concurs with the Eu/Eu* vs. Sm/Nd binary diagram, on which bauxite pebbles fall close to a mixing curve with andesite and cratonic sandstone end-members. As our results indicate that material was sourced from the North African continental margin, we suggest that a continental bridge separated oceanic domains in the Late Cretaceous of the Peri-Tethyan domain.

Timing and sources of granite magmatism in the Ribeira Belt, SE Brazil: Insights from zircon in situ U–Pb dating and Hf isotope geochemistry in granites from the São Roque Domain

Eight new in situ U–Pb zircon age determinations by SHRIMP and LA-MC-ICPMS reveal that the main granitic magmatism in the São Roque Domain, which is largely dominated by metaluminous high-K calc-alkaline monzogranites with subordinate peraluminous leucogranites, occurred between 604 ± 3 and 590 ± 4 Ma. This small temporal range is ca. 20–30 Ma younger than previously admitted based on U–Pb TIMS dates from literature, some of which obtained in the same occurrences now dated. The observed discrepancy seems related to the presence of small Paleoproterozoic inherited cores in part of the zircon populations used for TIMS multigrain dating, which could also respond for the unusually high (up to 10 Ma) uncertainty associated with most of these dates. The younger age range now identified for the São Roque granite magmatism has important implications for the evolution of the Ribeira Fold Belt. Whilst previously admitted ages ca. 620–630 Ma substantiated correlations with the widespread and intensely foliated high-K calc-alkaline granitoid rocks of the neighbor Socorro-Guaxupé Nappe (potentially associated with an accretionary continental margin), the ∼600–590 Ma interval seems more consistent with a late deformation tectonic setting. Strongly negative εHf(t) characterize the magmatic zircons from the São Roque Domain granites. An eastward increase from −22 in the São Roque Granite to −11 in the Cantareira Granite and neighboring stocks suggests an across-domain shift in granite sources. Such eastward younging of sources, also indicated by Sm–Nd isotope data from granites and supracrustal sequences in neighboring domains, is suggestive that some of the first-order limits and discontinuities in this belt are not defined by the strike-slip fault systems traditionally taken to separate distinct domains. Although the negative εHf(t) and εNd(t) indicate sources with long crustal residence for all studied granite plutons, the observed range is more radiogenic than the values calculated at 600 Ma for both the Statherian-Calymmian (1.8–1.4 Ga) passive-margin metavolcano-sedimentary sequences of the São Roque Domain and their inferred Archean to Paleoproterozoic continental sources. Therefore, a contribution from sources with less negative εHf(t) and εNd(t) is required to explain the observed range.

Mid-Neoproterozoic Tadong amphibolites at the junction of the East Kunlun and Western Qinling Orogens – a record of continental rifting during the break-up of Rodinia

ABSTRACTMid-Neoproterozoic rift-related Tadong amphibolites (TDA) are situated in the junction of the East Kunlun Orogen (EKO) and the West Qinling Orogen (WQO) in western China, and have important significance in the break-up of the Supercontinent Rodinia. The mineral assemblage of the TDA exhibits amphibolite facies metamorphism, and the protolith is basic volcanic rocks. Here, we present a detailed laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) zircon U–Pb age and geochemical data of TDA. LA-ICP-MS U–Pb zircon age determination indicates that the basic volcanics formed at ca. 743–711 Ma. Geochemically, TDAs are characterized by low SiO2 (46.06–50.18%), K2O (0.66–1.86%), and Mg# (40–45) and high TiO2 (1.9–3.5%), and are attributed to tholeiite basalts. Their chondrite-normalized REE patterns are characterized by moderate enrichments in LREEs (LREE/HREE = 4.98–5.51) with insignificant Eu anomalies (δEu = 0.99–1.12). The primitive mantle-normalized trace element diagrams are characterized by pronounced enrichment of high-field-strength elements (HFSEs, e.g. REE, Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf) with slightly positive anomalies of Ti, which is different from the subduction zone basalts and normal mid-ocean ridge basalts (NMORBs), but similar to the ocean-island basalts (OIBs) and Emeishan continental flood basalts (ECFBs), resembling the features of an OIB-like mantle source. Most samples exhibit high Nb/Ta (16.6–17.4), Nb/La (0.70–0.94), and positive ΔNb (ΔNb = 1.74 + log (Nb/Y) − 1.92*log (Zr/Y)) values. These geochemical features suggest that the Tadong basaltic rocks were most likely derived from an OIB-like mantle source and were the products of a lower degree partial melting of garnet lherzolite. Along with the tectonic discrimination diagrams, it is further inferred that these rocks were formed in a continental rifting setting. These results from our research confirm the existence of continental rifting in the junction of the EKO and the WQO in the mid-late Neoproterozoic, implying that the rifting is a response to the break-up of the Supercontinent Rodinia.

Permian alkaline granites in the Erenhot–Hegenshan belt, northern Inner Mongolia, China: Model of generation, time of emplacement and regional tectonic significance

The Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) is known to be the Earth’s largest Phanerozoic accretionary orogenic belt. Its southern margin, particularly in the southern Mongolia and Inner Mongolia (SMIM), shows an extensive distribution of alkaline granites. Study of these granites could shed light on long-debated hypotheses on the late Paleozoic tectonic evolution of this region. In this work, we performed a detailed zircon age determination and whole rock geochemical analysis on alkaline granites from four granitic plutons in northern Inner Mongolia (Hongol, Saiyinwusu, Baolag, and Baiyinwula). U–Pb zircon dating yielded early Permian ages (ca. 280Ma) for the four plutons. Whole-rock geochemical analyses show chemical characteristics typical of alkaline granites. Coeval alkaline granites from southern Mongolia to northern Inner Mongolia constitute a gigantic (∼900km) Permian (292–275Ma) alkaline granite belt in the southern CAOB. Furthermore, these alkaline granites have whole-rock εNd(t) varying between +3.6 and +6.4 and zircon εHf(t) from +4.9 to +20.3. The geochemical and Nd–Hf isotopic signatures suggest derivation by partial melting of a protolith assemblage dominated by metasomatised mantle, and followed by fractional crystallization in a post-collisional extensional environment.

Implications of high-precision Re-Os molybdenite dating of the Navachab orogenic gold deposit, Namibia

This paper presents and discusses the first Re-Os molybdenite dates from the Navachab orogenic gold deposit, the largest non-Witwatersrand gold resource in southern Africa. At the deposit, a late-kinematic, auriferous, quartz-vein swarm and associated Ca-Mg-Fe-Mn skarn ( sensu lato ) alteration crosscut the Neoproterozoic Damara Sequence, which comprises the upper amphibolite-facies equivalents of continental quartzites, glaciogenic mixtites and pelite – carbonate shelf rocks. Re-Os dating of rare traces of molybdenite in two different types of aplite yielded Cambrian Re-Os ages of 525 ± 2.4 Ma and 523 ± 2.1 Ma (2σ). Molybdenite-bearing, NNE-dipping, extensional auriferous quartz+bismuth+pyrite+pyrrhotite veins with garnet selvage have Re-Os ages of 520 ± 2.1 Ma and 519.4 ± 2.1 Ma (2σ). The 525–520 Ma gold-mineralizing event occurred slightly after the collisional metamorphic peak at 530 Ma, but subsequent gold redistribution and possibly ore mineral melting of the Au-Bi minerals likely occurred at the late-stage thermal peak of the Damaran High-Temperature-Low-Pressure tectonothermal event. This Re-Os dating considerably improves on previous attempts to date the gold-mineralizing event, which comprised U-Pb zircon age determinations on cross-cutting aplite/pegmatite dykes and U-Pb titanite age determinations on a lamprophyre and quartz veins.