Sensitive High-resolution Ion Microprobe Zircon Research Articles

Timing and geometry of the Chemehuevi Formation reveal a late Pleistocene sediment pulse into the Lower Colorado River

The Chemehuevi Formation is a distinctive 50−150-m-thick wedge-shaped Pleistocene sedimentary unit deposited by the Colorado River. It lines the perimeters of the river’s floodplains and bedrock canyons for more than 600 km between the mouth of the Grand Canyon and the delta region in the Gulf of California. The formation is composed of a basal tan to light-yellowish-brown and pale-orange mud-dominated facies overlain and interbedded by a light-yellow-brown sand-dominated facies. The unit is one of two extensively exposed aggradational packages in the Lower Colorado River corridor, in addition to a series of other smaller alluvial terrace deposits. The Chemehuevi Formation appears to represent the response of a fully integrated Colorado River system to a significant perturbation, in contrast to the Bullhead Alluvium, which is likely a unique result of Pliocene river integration. The aggradation of the Chemehuevi Formation in the Lower Colorado River corridor may be similarly due to a unique event in the Colorado River system, or it may instead be a well-preserved sedimentary sequence recording typical behavior of the Colorado River below the Grand Canyon in the late Pleistocene. As such, multiple causal mechanisms have been proposed, but no study to date has conclusively explained the Chemehuevi Formation. To help resolve its timing, duration, and origin, we applied post-infrared infrared stimulated luminescence, carbonate U-Th series, and zircon sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe U-Th series geochronology to determine the ages of key exposures of the unit over a wide spatial area. These new data demonstrate that the Chemehuevi Formation was deposited ca. 110−90 ka. The depositional ages collectively overlap, suggesting that deposition occurred rapidly relative to the resolution of the geochronometers. The new depositional timing coincides with a shift from glacial to interglacial conditions after the marine isotope stage 5-6 transition. This observation is consistent with a climate-induced sediment pulse as a causal mechanism, yet correlations with similar deposits in the Colorado River headwaters or in neighboring catchments appear elusive. Potentially, climate transitions between glacial and interglacial periods induced a sediment pulse from hillslopes of the Colorado River system that resulted in the Chemehuevi Formation. An alternative or additional explanation is that the Chemehuevi Formation represents release of lava dam−impounded sediment in the Grand Canyon. The surface geometry of the Chemehuevi Formation projects upstream to the approximate location of lava dams, and the largest possible lava dam impoundment (the Upper Prospect dam) is comparable in volume to the formation. The lava dam hypothesis appears to be a possible explanation for the Chemehuevi Formation. However, tying deposition to a specific lava dam or series of lava dams remains challenging due to discrepancies in timing and volume. The combined effects of a series of lava dams may have led to the Chemehuevi Formation, as the last Pleistocene lava dam eruption coincides with the onset of deposition. Alternatively, the formation may result from the combined effects of both regional climate transitions and the lava dams that created a transient reservoir to compound a climate transition−driven sediment pulse. The geochronologic data presented here do not allow us to distinguish between the lava dam or climate transition hypotheses but will need to be reconciled with any future proposed depositional model.

UHP metamorphism, decompression anatexis and retrogression of garnet-bearing metagranite and granitic gneiss from the Dabie orogen during continental collision

Metamorphosed granitic rocks are commonly volumetrically dominant in continental collisional terranes, which are crucial targets for resolving the metamorphic evolution of deeply subducted continental crust. However, their metamorphic processes in ultrahigh pressure (UHP) belts are often poorly understood, because they are commonly intensely retrogressed and presently dominated by amphibolite-facies minerals with very rare petrological evidences of UHP metamorphism. It is known that, in these lithologies, zircon can potentially preserve evidence of the UHP history; therefore, the P-T-t path of metafelsic rocks may be estimated using a multidisciplinary approach which combines zircon microanalysis with phase equilibria modelling. In the central Dabie UHP metamorphic zone (CDZ) (China), two types of metamorphosed garnet-bearing granitic rocks, i.e. metagranite and granitic gneiss, whose massive vs. gneissic structure reflects a different degree of deformation, are closely associated with eclogites. Opposite to the eclogites, their detailed metamorphic evolution is poorly understood. In this study, a three-stage metamorphic evolution is reconstructed for these lithologies, based on field observation, bulk-rock elemental geochemistry, sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe zircon UPb dating, Raman micro-spectroscopy analysis of zircon inclusion, mineral chemistry, conventional thermobarometry and phase equilibria modelling. The first UHP stage is represented by the assemblage coesite-rutile-garnet-phengite preserved in the metamorphic domains of zircon and by garnet core in the matrix, revealing minimum peak pressures of 44 kbar and 30 kbar for granitic gneiss and metagranite, respectively, at 231 ± 4 Ma. The second stage is represented by anatexis at 18–20 kbar, 725–870 °C and 222 ± 3 Ma, evidenced by leucosomes at the outcrop scale and by quartzofeldspathic films with low dihedral angles, melt inclusions preserved in peritectic garnet and quartz/K-feldspar/plagioclase- garnet intergrowth at the micro-scale. The third stage is represented by amphibolite-facies overprint at 590–700 °C, 9–14 kbar, at 214–219 Ma, recorded by biotite-plagioclase-quartz symplectites developed at the expenses of phengite, re-equilibration of the peritectic garnet rim, and amphibole-quartz (biotite-titanite) inclusions in zircon overgrowth rims. The resulting P-T-t path overlaps with previous results estimated from other CDZ UHP rocks. Besides, the protoliths of both metagranite and granitic gneiss were emplaced during the mid-Neoproterozoic (683–786 Ma) period, as already documented throughout the Dabie orogen. Compared with previously published data for meta-granitic rocks in the CDZ, the weakly deformed metagranite does not appear to represent low-grade metamorphic rocks. Instead, this study (i) suggests that the two groups of lithologies experienced a coeval metamorphic evolution; (ii) reconstructs a multistage P-T-t history based on zircon microanalysis and pseudosections; (iii) reveals that anatexis, retrogression and deformation facilitate the elimination of (U)HP mineralogical records of metagranitoids. Overall, these results provide new constraints on the metamorphic evolution and exhumation processes of deeply subducted granitic rocks during continental collision.

Sr-Nd-Ca isotopic variations of Cenozoic calc-alkaline and alkaline volcanic rocks above a slab tear in Western Anatolia, Turkey

The tectonic mechanisms that may trigger a transition from calc-alkaline to alkaline volcanic activity above a subduction zone are enigmatic. We report major/trace elemental and Sr-Nd-Ca isotopic compositions of a suite of magmatic samples from the Miocene Gördes calc-alkaline dacites and the Quaternary Kula alkaline basalts from Western Anatolia, Turkey. Zircon sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe dating shows that the Gördes dacites formed at ca. 18 Ma. They are characterized by high-K calc-alkaline affinities, enrichment of light rare earth elements and large-ion lithophile elements (Rb, Th, U), positive Pb anomalies and negative Eu and high field strength element (HFSE) (Nb, Ta, and Ti) anomalies with high 87Sr/86Sri (0.70977−0.71010) and low εNd(t) (−7.3 to −7.0). They have small δ44/40Ca (0.59‰−0.69‰) values lower than that of mid-ocean ridge basalt (0.83% ± 0.11%). The Kula basalts exhibit alkaline affinities and are more enriched in incompatible elements (e.g., Rb, Ba, Th, Nb, Ta, Pb, and Sr) than those of typical oceanic island basalts. Their low 87Sr/86Sri (0.70307−0.70343) and high εNd(t) (+4.2 to +6.5) are consistent with an asthenospheric mantle source. Their δ44/40Ca values, ranging from 0.67‰ to 0.81‰, are higher than those of the dacites and lower than that of the bulk silicate earth (0.94‰ ± 0.10‰). Geochemical modeling suggests that variable degrees of partial melting of an asthenospheric mantle involving recycled oceanic crust may have resulted in low δ44/40Ca values of the Kula basalts. Combined with reported mantle tomographic images, we interpret that sub-slab asthenospheric mantle upwelling through a slab tear during subduction roll-back may have played a key role in the Sr-Nd-Ca isotopic variability from Miocene calc-alkaline dacites to Quaternary alkaline basalts in Western Anatolia.

Mantle magmatism, metamorphism and anatexis: evidence from geochemistry and zircon U–Pb-Hf isotopes of Paleoproterozoic S-type granites, Khondalite Belt of the North China Craton

ABSTRACT S-type granites constitute an important component of the Paleoproterozoic Khondalite Belt in the North China Craton. Here we present results from petrography, geochemistry and isotope geochronology on the porphyritic garnet-bearing syenogranite and garnet-bearing monzogranite samples in the Jining-Liangcheng area. The geochemical characteristics of these samples indicate formation through partial anatexis of the khondalites, with heat and material input from mantle-derived magma. Geochemical similarities between the porphyritic garnet-bearing syenogranite, garnet-bearing monzogranite, and metapelitic gneiss suggest their broad affinity. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe zircon U–Pb dating revealed that the S-type granites formed at ca. 1.92–1.90 Ga and were subsequently metamorphosed at ca. 1.85 Ga. The ca. 1.92–1.91 Ga porphyritic garnet-bearing syenogranite shows zircon εHf(t) values of −1.94–+3.38 with two-stage Hf crustal model ages (TDM2) ages of ca. 2.42–2.59 Ga. The 1.91–1.90-Ga garnet-bearing monzogranites show zircon εHf(t) values ranging from −4.36 to +0.38, with TDM2 ranging from ca. 2.57 to ca. 2.82 Ga. The geochemical isotopic compositions suggest that the porphyritic garnet-bearing syenogranite and garnet-bearing monzogranite originated from the partial melting of pre-existing crust of heterogeneous compositions with the addition of mantle-derived material. On the basis of our results, combined with geological data on the Paleoproterozoic structural evolution of the Khondalite Belt, we assume that the timing of the metamorphism and anatexis in the Jining–Liangcheng area is correlated with a regional metamorphism and mantle-derived magmatism.

Miocene tearing of Himalayan lithospheric mantle: Evidence from mantle-derived silicocarbonatites from the Cona rift

The extensive production of Miocene high- to ultrahigh-K basaltic rocks and high-Sr/Y granites across southern Tibet might be related to mantle geodynamics, but there is a lack of direct petrological evidence for the exact mechanism involved in this igneous activity. This study reports a study of silicocarbonatite dikes that intrude sedimentary rocks of the Tethyan Himalayan Sequence, with the aim of elucidating the geodynamic mechanism that led to this magmatism. These dikes are composed mainly of ferro- and magnesio-dolomite (55–65 vol%) and quartz (25–30 vol%), with accessory minerals of anatase, titanite, chrome spinel, apatite, monazite, pyrite, and zircon. The carbon (δ13C = −6.3‰ to −6.0‰) and initial Nd [εNd(18.4 Ma) = +0.2 to +0.4] isotopic compositions, as well as the relatively high whole-rock contents of Cr (218–956 ppm), Ni (84.1–974 ppm), and Co (28.1–96.3 ppm), indicate that these carbonatitic magmas were sourced from a mantle region. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe zircon UPb analysis results showed that these carbonatitic igneous rocks have inherited single-grain 206Pb/238U ages of 2394.2–28.5 Ma and a weighted mean 206Pb /238U age for the ten youngest zircon grains of 18.4 ± 0.2 Ma, which represents the age of magmatic crystallization. Low-viscosity carbonatitic magma is inferred to have ascended rapidly, mixing with high-viscosity silicate melts at middle–lower crustal levels, ultimately forming silicocarbonatitic (SiO2 = 30.17–37.67 wt%) dikes that intruded shales and sandstones of the Tethyan Himalayan Sequence. Tearing of subducted Indian lithosphere might have occurred beneath the eastern Tibet–Himalayan Orogen, allowing magma to upwell and generate linearly distributed Miocene igneous rocks along the N–S-trending Cona rift.

Isotopic Age of the Xiong’er Group Volcanic Rocks and Its Geological Significance in Western Henan, China

The Xiong’er Group is mainly distributed in western Henan, southern Shanxi, and southeastern Shaanxi. As a set of low-grade metamorphic and low-deformation volcanic rocks formed in the transition period during the tectonic evolution of the North China Craton in the Precambrian, the tectonic and magmatic evolution information of this period are well recorded. The accurate isotopic dating of the Xiong’er Group has great significance to the study of the stratigraphic division and formation of volcanic rocks in the Xiong’er Group and the improved cognition of regional tectonic magmatism. In this study, through the SHRIMP (sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe) zircon uranium-lead (U-Pb) isotope dating of the volcanic rocks of the Xiong’er Group in the Xiong’er Mountain, the research results showed that the age data were separated into two intervals, the magmatic zircon ages from 1836 to 1711 Ma and the inherited zircon ages from 2415 ± 19 to 2193 ± 34 Ma . The isotopic age of magmatic zircon was considered to represent the formation age of the Jidanping Formation in the Xiong’er Mountain, and the isotopic ages of the inherited zircons were consistent with the formation ages of the Taihua Group supracrustal rocks in the lower Xiong’er Group. Combined with previous studies on isotope and rock geochemistry of volcanic rocks in the Xiong’er Group, it was believed that the formation ages of the volcanic rocks of the Xiong’er Group are between 1874 and 1618 Ma, among the ages of the Xushan Formation, Jidanping Formation, and Majiahe Formation, which were concentrated between 1874 and 1800 Ma, 1836 and 1711 Ma, and 1780 and 1618 Ma, respectively. The age of inherited zircon in the volcanic rocks of the Xiong’er Group indicated that the formation of the volcanic rocks of the Xiong’er Group had the addition of stratigraphic materials from the Taihua Group.

Variscan intracrustal recycling by melting of Carboniferous arc-like igneous protoliths (Évora Massif, Iberian Variscan belt)

Abstract Bulk rock geochemistry and sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe zircon geochronology of igneous and metaigneous rocks of the Évora gneiss dome, located to the north of the reworked Rheic Ocean suture zone in the southwest Iberian Variscan belt, reveal a succession of magmatic and melting events lasting ~30 m.y. between ca. 341–314 Ma. The study of detailed field relationships of orthomigmatites (i.e., migmatites from igneous protoliths) and host granitic rocks proved to be crucial to reconstruct the complex sequence of tectono-thermal events of the Évora gneiss dome. The older igneous protoliths, with marked geochemical arc-like signatures, are represented by 338 ± 3 Ma tonalites and 336 ± 3 Ma diorites. These tonalites and diorites appear as mesosomes of igneous orthomigmatites containing new melts (leucosomes) of monzogranite composition and silica-poor trondhjemites formed in a melting episode at 329 ± 4/6 to 327 ± 3 Ma. The absence of peritectic phases (e.g., pyroxene), together with shearing associated with migmatization, imply the existence of water-rich fluids during melting of the older igneous rocks of the Évora gneiss dome. This melting event is coeval with the second magmatic event of the Évora gneiss dome represented by the neighboring Pavia pluton. A porphyritic monzogranite dated at 314 ± 4 Ma defines a later magmatic event. The porphyritic monzogranite encloses large blocks of the orthomigmatites and contains magmatic mafic enclaves (autoliths) dated at 337 ± 4 Ma that are ~23 m.y. older than the host rock. All studied rocks of the Évora gneiss dome show arc-like, calc-alkaline geochemical signatures. Our results support recycling of intermediate-mafic plutonic rocks, representing the root of an early magmatic arc that formed at the time of Gondwana-Laurussia convergence (after the closure of the Rheic Ocean) and coeval subduction of the Paleotethys. A geodynamic model involving ridge subduction is proposed to explain the Early Carboniferous intra-orogenic crustal extension, dome formation, exhumation of high-grade rocks, compositional variations of magmatism and formation of new granitic magmatism in which, arc-like signatures were inherited from the crustal source.

Geology and geochronology of the Archean plutonic rocks in the northeast Democratic Republic of Congo

Here we report the first regional-scale study of Archean plutonic rocks from 50,000 km2 of the northeast Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We include 50 new U-Pb zircon Sensitive High-Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP) ages supported by petrographic and whole rock geochemical data from a further ~400 samples, and 39 additional U-Pb zircon ages reported by Kabete et al. (submitted) and Bird (2016).Felsic-intermediate magmatism across the northeast DRC occurred from ~ 3200 to 2530 Ma. Plutonism before ~ 2670 Ma is restricted to the West Nile Gneiss in eastern and northern-most DRC, whereas plutonism across the remainder of the northeast DRC initiated between 2670 and 2640 Ma. Two Neoproterozoic granite plutons ~ 1000–950 Ma are also present within the West Nile Gneiss. Magmatism between ~ 2670 and 2530 Ma marks the principal period of crustal growth in the northeast DRC. Felsic-intermediate plutonism between ~ 2670 and 2600 Ma included two suites of magnesian, calc-alkaline rocks, (1) a sodic-calcic suite with high Sr/Y ratios (>40) comparable with tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) suites in other Archean terranes, and (2) a calc-alkaline to high-K suite of granitoids with low Sr/Y ratios (<40) and lower Na and Al contents, comparable with “low-Ca” granites in the Yilgarn Craton. In contrast, most granitoids emplaced between ~ 2600 and 2530 Ma have ferroan, high-K calc-alkaline compositions, and are enriched in high field strength (HFSE) and rare Earth elements (REE). Although the HFSE-elevated granitoids are comparable with Closepet-type, and “mafic granites” in other Neoarchean terranes, their volume within the northeast DRC appears unprecedented.Before ~ 2600 Ma partial melting of hydrous metabasalts at depths > 40 km is inferred to have produced the high Sr/Y magnesian granitoids, whereas the low Sr/Y magnesian granitoids were derived from melting-assimilation-storage-hybridization (MASH) processes in the overlying low-mid crust during the same period. Trans-lithospheric extension after ~ 2600 Ma, enabled asthenospheric mantle to interact with the base of the crust, resulting in high-temperature melting that produced the HFSE-elevated granitoids. Inherited Meso- and Paleoarchean zircons are almost completely restricted to the area within 30–40 km of the West Nile Gneiss, implying most of the northeast DRC is underlain by juvenile Neoarchean crust.

Petrogenesis of coeval shoshonitic and high-K calc-alkaline igneous suites in the Eopyeong granitoids, Taebaeksan Basin, South Korea: Lithospheric thinning-related Early Cretaceous magmatism in the Korean Peninsula

The Early Cretaceous was the initial period of prolonged Cretaceous-Tertiary magmatic episode in the Korean Peninsula, during which a tectonic transition from compression to extension occurred. The Early Cretaceous Eopyeong granitoids in the Taebaeksan Basin consist of two distinct series of magmas: shoshonitic and high-K calc-alkaline series. We investigated the petrology, whole-rock major and trace element geochemistry, and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope compositions of the Eopyeong granitoids to understand their magma evolution processes and source characteristics. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe zircon U-Pb analysis was performed on the Eopyeong granitoids to constrain their intrusion ages. Zircon U-Pb ages of the shoshonitic and high-K calc-alkaline series are 110.63 ± 0.52 and 110.65 ± 0.66 Ma, respectively, indicating that the two series formed during the same magmatic event. The mafic mineral assemblages of the shoshonitic series change from two-pyroxene+biotite to clinopyroxene+amphibole+biotite through magma evolution, whereas those of the high-K calc-alkaline series consist of more hydrous assemblages of amphibole+biotite. The shoshonitic series is also distinguished from the high-K calc-alkaline series by its higher La/Yb ratio and negative anomalies of Rb, Ba, and Eu. Mineral geothermobarometry and hygrometry data and geochemical mass balance modeling results show that the two series evolved mainly by fractional crystallization from two distinct parental magmas containing different water contents. Primitive rocks from each series have high compatible element contents such as MgO, Cr, and Ni with high Mg# compared to crustal melts in a similar range of SiO2, suggesting their mantle origin. They also have abundant incompatible elements and ‘crust-like’ isotopic compositions [(87Sr/86Sr)i = 0.7093–0.7098; εNd(t) = −7.1 to −8.8; (206Pb/204Pb)i = 18.133–18.327; (207Pb/204Pb)i = 15.621–15.665; (208Pb/204Pb)i = 38.691–38.862] with negative Nb-Ta anomalies in the primitive mantle-normalized patterns. The enrichment in both compatible and incompatible elements can be best explained by partial melting of phlogopite-bearing lithospheric mantle metasomatized by isotopically enriched upper crustal sediment-derived melt or fluid. The two magma series may have been generated by different degrees of partial melting of the mantle sources with varying water contents. Changes in subduction angle and direction of the paleo-Pacific plate during the Early Cretaceous may have led to lithospheric thinning and upwelling of asthenospheric mantle, which triggered the partial melting of fusible domains of metasomatized lithospheric mantle. The small igneous bodies of the Early Cretaceous shoshonitic to alkaline mafic rocks occur sporadically throughout the southern part of the Korean Peninsula in close spatial association with the Cretaceous basins. They also show crust-like geochemistry and isotopic compositions, similar to the Eopyeong granitoids, implying that the lithospheric thinning-related melting of the metasomatized lithospheric mantle may have been widespread in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula.

Zircon U-Pb Dating of Magmatism and Mineralizing Hydrothermal Activity in the Variscan Karkonosze Massif and Its Eastern Metamorphic Cover (SW Poland)

SHRIMP (Sensitive high resolution ion microprobe) zircon U-Pb dating of the two main igneous rocks types in the Karkonosze Pluton, porphyritic and equigranular monzogranite, yield 206Pb/238U ages between 312.0 ± 2.9 and 306.9 ± 3.0 Ma. These coincide, within uncertainty, with the majority of previous dates from the pluton, which indicate development of the main magmatic processes between ca. 315 and 303 Ma. They also coincide with molybdenite and sulfide Re-Os ages from ore deposits developed during magmatic and pneumatolitic-hydrothermal (e.g., Szklarska Poręba Huta and Michałowice) or/and metasomatic and hydrothermal (e.g., Kowary, Czarnów and Miedzianka) processes forming Mo-W-Sn-Fe-Cu-As-REE-Y-Nb-Th-U mineralization. The 206Pb/238U zircon age of 300.7 ± 2.4 Ma from a rhyolite porphyry dyke (with disseminated base metal sulfide mineralization) in the Miedzianka Cu-(U) deposit coincides with the development of regional tectonic processes along the Intra-Sudetic Fault. Moreover, at the end-Carboniferous, transition from a collisional to within-plate tectonic setting in the central part of the European Variscides introduced volcanism in the Intra-Sudetic Basin. Together, these processes produced brecciation of older ore mineralization, as well as metal remobilization and deposition of younger medium- and low-temperature hydrothermal mineralization (mainly Cu-Fe-Zn-Pb-Ag-Au-Bi-Se, and Th-U), which became superimposed on earlier high-temperature Mo-W-Sn- Fe-As-Cu-REE mineralization. A few 206Pb/238U ages &gt; 320 Ma remain to be reconciled, but might be due to the high U and Th contents of the zircon and the strong influence of overprinting pneumatolitic-hydrothermal processes.

SHRIMP U-Pb zircon ages for the synkinematic magmatism in the Dorsal de Canguçu Transcurrent Shear Zone, Dom Feliciano Belt (Brazil): Tectonic implications

The Dorsal de Canguçu Transcurrent Shear Zone (DCTSZ) is the main Neoproterozoic structure of the Dom Feliciano Belt in the Rio Grande do Sul sector (Brazil), developed during the late stages of the Brasilano/Pan-African orogenic cycle. This structure, together with its northern – Major Gercino Transcurrent Shear Zone (Santa Catarina sector, Brazil) – and southern extension – Sierra Ballena Transcurrent Shear Zone (Uruguay), constitute a 1000 km long discontinuous lineament. Synkinematic granitoids are widespread along the DCTSZ. The main units are represented by the porphyritic, calc-alkaline high-K Quitéria granite, and the peraluminous Arroio Francisquinho and Cordilheira granites (Cordilheira Suite). In order to better constrain the time frame of the synkinematic magmatism associated with the DCTSZ, we present in this paper new zircon SHRIMP (Sensitive High Resolution Ion Micro Probe) U-Pb ages for this magmatism. The Quitéria granite yielded a concordia U-Pb age of 618.9 ± 4 Ma, interpreted as the magmatic crystallization age. The Arroio Francisquinho and Cordilheira granites yielded concordia U-Pb ages of, respectively, 615.2 ± 13 Ma and 607.3 ± 12 Ma, interpreted as the magmatic crystallization ages. The latter ages constrain the main phase of synkinematic magmatism in the DCTSZ. Zircon rims of the studied samples yielded U-Pb ages between 585 and 540 Ma might represent the influence of post-magmatic fluids and deformation caused by the transcurrent activity of the shear zone. Zircon crystals interpreted as inherited yielded U-Pb ages ranging from 1800 to 650 Ma for the three studied rocks. These inherited ages are similar to those found in detrital zircon from the regional gneissic basement. The new ages for the earliest synkinematic magmatism in the DCTSZ match those of the Major Gercino and Sierra Ballena Shear Zone, strengthen previous correlation between the shear zones.

Zircon geochronology of basement granitoid gneisses and sedimentary rocks of the Tsodilo Hills Group in the Pan-African Damara Belt, western Botswana: age constraints, provenance, and tectonic significance

New U–Pb sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) dating of zircon from granitoid gneisses and siliciclastic metasedimentary rocks of the Tsodilo Hills Group in the Pan-African Damara Belt in western Botswana were examined to determine the emplacement ages of the granitoids and to identify the provenance of the sediments and the source area. The sedimentary rocks nonconformably overlie granitoid gneisses. The U–Pb crystallisation ages of the cores in zircon grains in four samples from these gneisses are 2654.5 ± 5.3 to 2536.4 ± 5.8 Ma and 2199 ± 48 to 2049.6 ± 7 Ma, whereas the granitoids were emplaced between 2036 ± 3.8 and 1978 ± 23 Ma. The U–Pb SHRIMP zircon analysis of 247 detrital zircon grains from four samples of quartzite yielded 224 concordant to near-concordant zircon analyses defining five age groups of 3420.5 ± 7.9 to 3003.3 ± 7.7 Ma (n = 7), 2961 ± 13 to 2506 ± 11 Ma (n = 40), 2484 ± 15 to 2106 ± 7.7 Ma (n = 24), 2099 ± 11 to 2062 ± 26 Ma (n = 18), and 2057 ± 16 Ma to 1736 ± 200 Ma (n = 134). The results of petrography indicate that these are mature siliciclastic rocks. The presence of Palaeoarchean to Mesoarchean and Siderian to Orosirian detrital zircon grains in the sedimentary rocks, for which no likely source rocks occur in the region, suggests that the source rocks are unknown and were likely derived outside the immediate Archean Basement Complexes of South Central Africa. The complete absence of Mesoproterozoic (Calymmian) and younger detrital zircon grains in the Tsodilo Hills Group rocks, which could originate from the widespread nearby Calymmian to Tonian igneous complexes, suggests that the Tsodilo Hills Group metasedimentary rocks are older than the Damara Sequence of Botswana and Namibia. The Tsodilo Hills Group metasedimentary rocks are comparable in age to the Palaeoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks in eastern Zambia, southern Zambia, the Angola–Kasai Shield of southern Angola, the Eastern Domain of the Karagwe–Ankole Belt in the Congo–Tanzania Craton, and the Siderian to Orosirian sedimentary sequences in the São Francisco Craton of South America.

Geochronological systematics of the Huayna Potosí, Zongo and Taquesi plutons, Cordillera Real of Bolivia, by the K/Ar, Rb/Sr and U/Pb methods

The Huayna Potosi, Zongo and Taquesi are Triassic plutons located at the core of the Real Cordillera of Bolivia. In this paper, several Rb-Sr and K-Ar ages obtained in the past at the Sao Paulo Geochronology Laboratory, yet unpublished, will be presented, along with newer U-Pb Sensitive High-Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP) determinations made in the same laboratory, allowing us to redefine the geologic history of this part of the Central Andes. Rb/Sr analyses of some low grade metapelitic country rocks of the early Paleozoic (Amutara and Cancaniri Formations) yielded a Rb-Sr isochron age of 344 ± 38 Ma, indicating the action of an early Gondwanide regional event. A five-point Rb-Sr isochron from a granite outcrop of the Huayna Potosi pluton yielded an age of 224 ± 28 Ma. In addition, an important Ar loss in micas was detected in the Zongo granitoids and their country rocks, recording a thermal event that opened this isotopic system in the Oligocene. Newer U-Pb SHRIMP zircon ages of ca. 221 Ma were obtained in two other granitic outcrops of the Huayna Potosi granite. They confirmed its Triassic crystallization age, and a similar U-Pb SHRIMP age of 221.9 ± 1.5 Ma was obtained for one sample of the Taquesi pluton. For the Zongo pluton, many of the zircon grains obtained from one sample of its Kuticucho facies yielded extremely high uranium content, which produced reverse discordant apparent ages. However, due to the fair alignment of the analytical points in the Concordia diagram, possibly corresponding to a linear correlation, we made a regression calculation and the interception of the Concordia curve resulted in a rather imprecise age of 220 ± 20 Ma. Our conclusion was that the final magmatic crystallization and the intrusion of plutons in the central part of the Cordillera Real of Bolivia have occurred close to 221.5 ± 2.0 Ma, in late Triassic times. Finally, the U-Pb SHRIMP ages obtained in inherited zircon xenocrysts from the four available granitic rocks yielded very different ages, and many of them are related to previous magmatic episodes of the Andean Tectonic System. A few other age measurements indicated sources related to much older Proterozoic magmatic events associated with rocks from the Andean basement.

Petrogenesis and Metallogenic Implications of Neoproterozoic Granodiorite in the Super-Large Shimensi Tungsten-Copper Deposit in Northern Jiangxi, South China

The newly discovered Shimensi deposit is a super-large tungsten-copper (W–Cu) deposit with a metal reserve of 742.55 thousand tonnes (kt) W and 403.6 kt Cu. The orebodies are hosted in Mesozoic granites, which intruded the poorly documented Shimensi granodiorite belonging to the Jiuling batholith, the largest intrusion (outcrop &gt; 2500 km2) in South China. Our new SHRIMP (Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe) zircon dating revealed that the granodiorite at Shimensi (ca. 830–827 Ma) was formed coeval (within analytical uncertainty) or slightly earlier than those in many other places (ca. 819–807 Ma) of the Jiuling batholith. The Neoproterozoic Shimensi granodiorite is peraluminous and high-K calc-alkaline, and contains low P content with no S-type trend (positive P2O5 vs. SiO2 correlation) displayed, thus best classified as peraluminous I-type. The I-type classification is also supported by the zircon REE patterns, largely (93%) positive εHf(t) (−0.87 to 6.60) and relatively low δ18O (5.8–7.7‰). The Neoproterozoic Shimensi granodiorite was formed after the continental arc magmatism (ca. 845–835 Ma), but before the post-collisional S-type granite emplacement (ca. 825–815 Ma) in the Jiangnan Orogen. Therefore, we propose that the Shimensi granodiorite was formed in a collisional/early post-collisional setting. The δ18O increase from the Shimensi granodiorite to many younger (ca. 819–807 Ma) granodiorites (6.0–8.5‰) in the Jiuling batholith probably reflects an increase of supracrustal rock-derived melts with the progress of collision. The Shimensi granodiorite contains low zircon Ce4+/Ce3+ and Eu/Eu*, suggesting a relatively reducing magma that does not favor porphyry Cu–Au mineralization. This left a high background Cu concentration (avg. 196 ppm) in the Neoproterozoic granodiorite, which may have contributed to the Mesozoic W–Cu mineralization, when the granodiorite is intruded and assimilated by the Mesozoic granites.

Mineralisation associated with the fractionated Cretaceous Baoshan Monzogranite: Tectonic implications for South China

Jurassic and Late Cretaceous granites are spatially and temporally associated with mineralisation in the Paleozoic Dayaoshan Terrane in South China (also known as South China Block). The porphyritic Baoshan Monzogranite of Late Cretaceous is an example that is petrographically studied in this contribution. Sensitive High-Resolution Ion-Microprobe (SHRIMP) zircon U-Pb ages, in-situ zircon O-Hf isotopic analyses, and whole-rock geochemistry are here used to better constrain the genesis of the monzogranite, which is porphyritic, and located in the Baoshan Cu mining area. SHRIMP zircon dating yields a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 89 ± 1 Ma, interpreted to be the crystallisation age of the porphyritic monzogranite. Its geochemical data indicates it is derived from partial melting of the lower to crust, followed by fractionation, and emplacement in secondary faults related to the major Bobai-Cenxi Fault. The monzogranite has a Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic source in the crust, which was metasomatised during Neoproterozoic subduction. The rotation of Izanagi Plate’s subduction from NW to NE resulted into the reactivation of NW and NE-trending thrust faults as transpressional or extensional ones. It was during this period that Late Cretaceous intrusions such as the Baoshan porphyritic monzogranite were emplaced in the terrane near the NW-trending faults and other intrusions at the edges of basins such as Yangchun, Luoding and Bobai basins near NE-trending faults.

The Shimian ophiolite in the western Yangtze Block, SW China: Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb ages, geochemical and Hf-O isotopic characteristics, and tectonic implications

The Shimian mafic-ultramafic rocks in the western Yangtze Block is a structurally dismembered complex which is intruded by the Neoproterozoic granite and faulted against the Neoproterozoic Suxiong Group. In this study, we divide the Shimian mafic-ultramafic rocks into two suites including the Late Mesoproterozoic Shimian ophiolite and Early Neoproterozoic gabbros, based on differences in the field occurrence, age, and geochemical characteristics. The Late Mesoproterozoic Shimian ophiolite mainly consist of serpentinites, gabbros, basalts, and rodingites. Zircon U–Pb dating using a sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) on a gabbro sample yielded an age of 1066±11Ma, representing the formation age of the Shimian ophiolite. All basalt and gabbro samples are tholeiitic and have normal mid-ocean ridge basalt (N-MORB)-like immobile element patterns with negative Nb and Ti anomalies. The low zircon δ18O (4.6–5.6 ‰) and high positive zircon εHf(t) (+10.8 to +18.3) values indicate that these rocks were derived from a depleted mantle source. These features are comparable with those of the basaltic rocks in SSZ-type ophiolite. The Early Neoproterozoic gabbros intruded into the Shimian ophiolite at ca. 937Ma. The geochemical and isotopic characteristics of these gabbros are similar to those of the island arc basalts. Integrating previous studies with the data presented in this contribution, we suggest that the northwestern Yangtze Block has probably witnessed the Late Mesoproterozoic–Early Neoproterozoic diachronous subduction.

Neoproterozoic backarc basin on the southeastern margin of the Yangtze block during Rodinia assembly: New evidence from provenance of detrital zircons and geochemistry of mafic rocks

Several tectonic models have been proposed for the Neoproterozoic amalgamation of the South China block during the assembly of Rodinia. However, the timing of the end of arc magmatism between the two subblocks in the South China block (i.e., the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks) remains controversial because it is unclear whether the 860−820 Ma magmatic rocks and coeval sedimentary basins in this area are related to subduction or plume activity. Here, we present new detrital zircon U-Pb and Hf isotopic data for the sediments directly overlying early Neoproterozoic arc volcanic rocks in this region. These data reveal a rhythmic change in source coincident with a progressive increase in the amount of juvenile and old crustal detritus within these sediments. This result, combined with the presence of a fining-upward grain-size trend and horizontal bedding within these sediments, provides evidence of bidirectional sources that are consistent with a backarc setting. The juvenile crustal material within these sediments was sourced from adjacent arc terranes to the east, whereas the old crustal detritus was derived from the Yangtze block to the west. In addition, sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe zircon U-Pb dating of mafic rocks within equivalent sedimentary sequences yielded ages of ca. 860−840 Ma, and these mafic rocks have arc- or mid-ocean-ridge basalt−like geochemical features that indicate the initiation of backarc spreading associated with Neoproterozoic NW-directed subduction. The data from the sediments and mafic rocks suggest the presence of a backarc basin system at ca. 860−820 Ma within the southeastern margin of the Yangtze block. This in turn indicates that Rodinia assembly was not completed until ca. 820 Ma, with the South China block possibly acting as a connection between a Neoproterozoic Andean-type active continental margin and Grenvillian belts on the paleo−western margin of the Rodinia supercontinent.

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb ages and tectonic implications of igneous events in the Ereendavaa metamorphic terrane in NE Mongolia

The Ereendavaa metamorphic terrane in NE Mongolia has long been considered as a Pre-Altaid block or a Precambrian cratonic terrane with a Paleoproterozoic basement overlain by Neoproterozoic-Cambrian rocks, but the idea has not been supported by any isotopic dating. Sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) zircon U-Pb dating on gneisses, amphibolite and schists (mylonites) of the Ereendavaa terrane suggests that the terrane mainly formed during Early Paleozoic (495–464Ma) and Late Paleozoic-Early Mesozoic (295–172Ma). A minor amount of Precambrian rocks might have been involved in the formation of the protoliths of these rocks, as shown by Precambrian inherited zircons (1796–794Ma). The new age data also suggest that the Ereendavaa terrane experienced at least two periods of magmatism: (1) Early Paleozoic (495–464Ma) and (2) Late Paleozoic-Early Mesozoic (295–172Ma), which are probably produced by the subduction of the Paleo Asian Ocean in the south and the subduction of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean in the north, respectively. The mylonitized granite (172Ma) and undeformed pegmatite (163Ma) are interpreted to be syn- and post-kinematic products. The new age data constrain the closure of the Mongol-Okhotsk Ocean at mid-Jurassic.

Petrogenesis and metallogenic potential of the Jurassic porphyries in the northwest Zhejiang Province, South China: insights from SHRIMP zircon geochronology, geochemistry, and Sr–Nd–Hf isotopes of the Huangbaikeng ore-bearing porphyries

ABSTRACTThe northwest Zhejiang Province is a key domain for providing deep insight into the crust–mantle interaction and tectonic evolution of the South China block. In this paper, we collect geochemical, geochronological, and isotopic data of the Jurassic porphyries in this region, and investigated the Huangbaikeng ore-bearing porphyry in the Tongcun Mo–Cu deposit, using it as an example to uncover the porphyry petrogenesis and evaluate their metallogenic potential. Two varieties of the Huangbaikeng porphyry were distinguished: the medium- to coarse-grained type and medium- to fine-grained type. Zircon Sensitive High-Resolution Ion Microprobe U–Pb dating indicates that they were emplaced at 161.8 ± 2.8 and 162.7 ± 3.5 Ma, respectively, which are consistent with the molybdenite Re–Os ages of 163.9–161.8 Ma. The inherited zircons age spectrum significantly recorded a series of geological events, for example, assembly and breakup of the Columbia and Rodinia supercontinent, and the Triassic collision of Yangtze and North China blocks. Whole rock Sr–Nd and Jurassic zircon Hf isotopic data yield mostly negative εHf(t) values (0.5 to −8.4) and εNd(t) values (−0.79 to −4.82). Besides the Huangbaikeng porphyry, all the Jurassic porphyries in the northwest Zhejiang Province have a wide range of SiO2 contents (76.78–60.91 wt.%). They do not contain typical aluminous minerals (e.g. cordierite and garnet), and are mainly metaluminous to weakly peraluminous with high Na2O, low FeOT/MgO, and Zr + Nb + Ce + Y concentrations in composition. They thus fit the I-type granite definition. Some major and trace elements show strong correlations with SiO2, possibly indicating extensive fractional crystallization during their magma evolution. Tectonic discriminations imply that these plutons were likely formed in a volcanic arc regime possibly related to subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific plate. Sr–Nd–Hf isotopic data suggest a mixed source of the Mesoproterozoic crust and 30–50% mantle components. Compared with the adjacent Dexing Cu-bearing porphyies, which have more positive εHf(t) and εNd(t) values with more significant mantle components (55–70%), the Jurassic porphyries in the northwest Zhejiang Province probably lack metallogenic potential to form a giant porphyry copper deposit as Dexing.

Re–Os pyrite and U–Pb zircon geochronology from the Taldybulak Levoberezhny gold deposit: Insight for Cambrian metallogeny of the Kyrgyz northern Tien Shan

The Taldybulak Levoberezhny gold deposit, located in the eastern part of the Kyrgyz Northern Tien Shan, is hosted in highly deformed Precambrian schist and gneisses that have undergone intense quartz, carbonate, fuchsite and tourmaline alterations. Gold mineralization is ultimately subdivided into two stages based on the observation of alteration assemblages, orebody geometries, and the occurrences of Au-bearing minerals. Negative thermal ionization mass spectrometry Re–Os isotopic analyses of five Au-rich pyrite samples from the early stage yielded an isochron age of 511±18Ma. Zircon sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe U–Pb dating of a diorite dike sample postdating the late stage mineralization yielded a wide range of ages from 3055 to 291Ma, while a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 414.6±6.8Ma is believed to represent the age of dike intrusion and the upper limit on the timing of the late stage quartz–tourmaline–gold formation. The pyrite 187Os/188Os(initial) ratio of 0.132±0.011, together with γOs values varying from 0 to +14, indicate a major mantle component for the source of Os and by inference ore metals, which may be linked to the ophiolite suite of the Kopurelisai Complex in the Taldybulak Levoberezhny area. Considering the geodynamic setting of the Kyrgyz Northern Tien Shan during the early Paleozoic, we suggest that Cambrian mineralization of the Taldybulak Levoberezhny deposit can be attributed to a subduction-related setting, probably associated with the earliest accretion of the Northern Tien Shan.