Sample records for u-pb zircon shrimp

  1. Mass-spectrometric mining of Hadean zircons by automated SHRIMP multi-collector and single-collector U/Pb zircon age dating: The first 100,000 grains

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Holden, Peter; Lanc, Peter; Ireland, Trevor R.; Harrison, T. Mark; Foster, John J.; Bruce, Zane

    2009-09-01

    The identification and retrieval of a large population of ancient zircons (>4 Ga; Hadean) is of utmost priority if models of the early evolution of Earth are to be rigorously tested. We have developed a rapid and accurate U-Pb zircon age determination protocol utilizing a fully automated multi-collector ion microprobe, the ANU SHRIMP II, to screen and date these zircons. Unattended data acquisition relies on the calibration of a digitized sample map to the Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP) sample-stage co-ordinate system. High precision positioning of individual grains can be produced through optical image processing of a specified mount location. The focal position of the mount can be optimized through a correlation between secondary-ion steering and the spot position on the target. For the Hadean zircon project, sample mounts are photographed and sample locations (normally grain centers) are determined off-line. The sample is loaded, reference points calibrated, and the target positions are then visited sequentially. In SHRIMP II multiple-collector mode, zircons are initially screened (ca. 5 s data acquisition) through their 204Pb corrected 207Pb/206Pb ratio; suitable candidates are then analyzed in a longer routine to obtain better measurement statistics, U/Pb, and concentration data. In SHRIMP I and SHRIMP RG, we have incorporated the automated analysis protocol to single-collector measurements. These routines have been used to analyze over 100,000 zircons from the Jack Hills quartzite. Of these, ca. 7%, have an age greater than 3.8 Ga, the oldest grain being 4372 +/- 6 Ma (2[sigma]), and this age is part of a group of analyses around 4350 Ma which we interpret as the age when continental crust first began to coalesce in this region. In multi-collector mode, the analytical time taken for a single mount with 400 zircons is approximately 6 h; whereas in single-collector mode, the analytical time is ca. 17 h. With this productivity, we can produce

  2. U-Pb SHRIMP geochronology and trace-element geochemistry of coesite-bearing zircons, North-East Greenland Caledonides

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    McClelland, W.C.; Power, S.E.; Gilotti, J.A.; Mazdab, F.K.; Wopenka, B.

    2006-01-01

    Obtaining reliable estimates for the timing of eclogite-facies metamorphism is critical to establishing models for the formation and exhumation of high-pressure and ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic terranes in collisional orogens. The presence of pressure-dependent phases, such as coesite, included in metamorphic zircon is generally regarded as evidence that zircon growth occurred at UHP conditions and, ifdated, should provide the necessary timing information. We report U-Pb sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) ages and trace-element SHRIMP data from coesite-bearing zircon suites formed during UHP metamorphism in the North- East Greenland Caledonides. Kyanite eclogite and quartzofeldspathic host gneiss samples from an island in J??kelbugt (78??00'N, 18??04'W) contained subspherical zircons with well-defined domains in cathodoluminescence (CL) images. The presence of coesite is confirmed by Raman spectroscopy in six zircons from four samples. Additional components of the eclogite-facies inclusion suite include kyanite, omphacite, garnet, and rutile. The trace-element signatures in core domains reflect modification of igneous protolith zircon. Rim signatures show flat heavy rare earth element (HREE) patterns that are characteristic of eclogite-facies zircon. The kyanite eclogites generally lack a Eu anomaly, whereas a negative Eu anomaly persists in all domains of the host gneiss. The 207Pb- corrected 206Pb/238U ages range from 330 to 390 Ma for the host gneiss and 330-370 Ma for the kyanite eclogite. Weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages for coesite-bearing domains vary from 364 ?? 8 Ma for the host gneiss to 350 ?? 4 Ma for kyanite eclogite. The combined U-Pb and REE data interpreted in conjunction with observed CL domains and inclusion suites suggest that (1) Caledonian metamorphic zircon formed by both new zircon growth and recrystallization, (2) UHP metamorphism occurred near the end of the Caledonian collision, and (3) the 30-50m.y. span of ages

  3. SHRIMP-RG U-Pb isotopic systematics of zircon from the Angel Lake orthogneiss, East Humboldt Range, Nevada: Is this really archean crust?

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Premo, Wayne R.; Castineiras, Pedro; Wooden, Joseph L.

    2008-01-01

    New SHRIMP-RG (sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe-reverse geometry) data confirm the existence of Archean components within zircon grains of a sample from the orthogneiss of Angel Lake, Nevada, United States, previously interpreted as a nappe of Archean crust. However, the combined evidence strongly suggests that this orthogneiss is a highly deformed, Late Cretaceous monzogranite derived from melting of a sedimentary source dominated by Archean detritus. Zircon grains from the same sample used previously for isotope dilution-thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) isotopic work were analyzed using the SHRIMP-RG to better define the age and origin of the orthogneiss. Prior to analysis, imaging revealed a morphological variability and intragrain, polyphase nature of the zircon population. The SHRIMP-RG yielded 207Pb/206Pb ages between ca. 2430 and 2580 Ma (a best-fit mean 207Pb/206Pb age of 2531 ± 19 Ma; 95% confidence) from mostly rounded to subrounded zircons and zircon components (cores). In addition, several analyses from rounded to subrounded cores or grains yielded discordant 207Pb/206Pb ages between ca. 1460 and ca. 2170 Ma, consistent with known regional magmatic events. All cores of Proterozoic to latest Archean age were encased within clear, typically low Th/U (206Pb/238U ages between 72 and 91 Ma, consistent with magmatic ages from Lamoille Canyon to the south. An age of ca. 90 Ma is suggested, the younger 206Pb/238U ages resulting from Pb loss. The Cretaceous and Precambrian zircon components also have distinct trace element characteristics, indicating that these age groups are not related to the same igneous source. These results support recent geophysical interpretations and negate the contention that the Archean-Proterozoic boundary extends into the central Great Basin area. They further suggest that the world-class gold deposits along the Carlin Trend are not underlain by Archean cratonal crust, but rather by the Proterozoic Mojave

  4. Conventional U-Pb dating versus SHRIMP of the Santa Barbara Granite Massif, Rondonia, Brazil

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sparrenberger, I.; Bettencourt, Jorge S.; Tosdal, R.M.; Wooden, J.L.

    2002-01-01

    The Santa Ba??rbara Granite Massif is part of the Younger Granites of Rondo??nia (998 - 974 Ma) and is included in the Rondo??nia Tin Province (SW Amazonian Craton). It comprises three highly fractionated metaluminous to peraluminous within-plate A-type granite units emplaced in older medium-grade metamorphic rocks. Sn-mineralization is closely associated with the late-stage unit. U-Pb monazite conventional dating of the early-stage Serra do Cicero facies and late-stage Serra Azul facies yielded ages of 993 ?? 5 Ma and 989 ?? 13 Ma, respectively. Conventional multigrain U-Pb isotope analyses of zircon demonstrate isotopic disturbance (discordance) and the preservation of inherited older zircons of several different ages and thus yield little about the ages of Sn-granite magmatism. SHRIMP U-Pb ages for the Santa Ba??rbara facies association yielded a 207Pb/206Pb weighted-mean age of 978 ?? 13 Ma. The textural complexity of the zircon crystals of the Santa Ba??rbara facies association, the variable concentrations of U, Th and Pb, as well as the mixed inheritance of zircon populations are major obstacles to using conventional multigrain U-Pb isotopic analyses. Sm-Nd model ages and ??Nd (T) values reveal anomalous isotopic data, attesting to the complex isotopic behaviour within these highly fractionated granites. Thus, SHRIMP U-Pb zircon and conventional U-Pb monazite dating methods are the most appropriate to constrain the crystallization age of the Sn-bearing granite systems in the Rondo??nia Tin Province.

  5. U-Pb geochronology of zircon and polygenetic titanite from the Glastonbury Complex, Connecticut, USA: An integrated SEM, EMPA, TIMS, and SHRIMP study

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Aleinikoff, J.N.; Wintsch, R.P.; Fanning, C.M.; Dorais, M.J.

    2002-01-01

    U-Pb ages for zircon and titanite from a granodioritic gneiss in the Glastonbury Complex, Connecticut, have been determined using both isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) and the sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP). Zircons occur in three morphologic populations: (1) equant to stubby, multifaceted, colorless, (2) prismatic, dark brown, with numerous cracks, and (3) elongate, prismatic, light tan to colorless. Cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging of the three populations shows simple concentric oscillatory zoning. The zircon TIMS age [weighted average of 207Pb/206Pb ages from Group 3 grains-450.5 ?? 1.6 Ma (MSWD=1.11)] and SHRIMP age [composite of 206Pb/238 U age data from all three groups-448.2 ?? 2.7 Ma (MSWD = 1.3)], are interpreted to suggest a relatively simple crystallization history. Titanite from the granodioritic gneiss occurs as both brown and colorless varieties. Scanning electron microscope backscatter (BSE) images of brown grains show multiple cross-cutting oscillatory zones of variable brightness and dark overgrowths. Colorless grains are unzoned or contain subtle wispy or very faint oscillatory zoning. Electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) clearly distinguishes the two populations. Brown grains contain relatively high concentrations of Fe2O3, Ce2O3 (up to ~ 1.5 wt.%), Nb2O5, and Zr. Cerium concentration is positively correlated with total REE + Y concentration, which together can exceed 3.5 wt.%. Oscillatory zoning in brown titanite is correlated with variations in REE concentrations. In contrast, colorless titanite (both as discrete grains and overgrowths on brown titanite) contains lower concentrations of Y, REE, Fe2O3, and Zr, but somewhat higher Al2O3 and Nb2O5. Uranium concentrations and Th/U discriminate between brown grains (typically 200-400 ppm U; all analyses but one have Th/U between about 0.8 and 2) and colorless grains (10-60 ppm U; Th/U of 0-0.17). In contrast to the zircon U-Pb age results, SHRIMP U-Pb

  6. Evidence for prolonged mid-Paleozoic plutonism and ages of crustal sources in east-central Alaska from SHRIMP U-Pb dating of syn-magmatic, inherited, and detrital zircon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Dusel-Bacon, C.; Williams, I.S.

    2009-01-01

    Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb analyses of igneous zircons from the Lake George assemblage in the eastern Yukon-Tanana Upland (Tanacross quadrangle) indicate both Late Devonian (???370 Ma) and Early Mississippian (???350 Ma) magmatic pulses. The zircons occur in four textural variants of granitic orthogneiss from a large area of muscovite-biotite augen gneiss. Granitic orthogneiss from the nearby Fiftymile batholith, which straddles the Alaska-Yukon border, yielded a similar range in zircon U-Pb ages, suggesting that both the Fiftymile batholith and the Tanacross orthogneiss body consist of multiple intrusions. We interpret the overall tectonic setting for the Late Devonian and Early Mississippian magmatism as an extending continental margin (broad back-arc region) inboard of a northeast-dipping (present coordinates) subduction zone. New SHRIMP U-Pb ages of inherited zircon cores in the Tanacross orthogneisses and of detrital zircons from quartzite from the Jarvis belt in the Alaska Range (Mount Hayes quadrangle) include major 2.0-1.7 Ga clusters and lesser 2.7-2.3 Ga clusters, with subordinate 3.2, 1.4, and 1.1 Ga clusters in some orthogneiss samples. For the most part, these inherited and core U-Pb ages match those of basement provinces of the western Canadian Shield and indicate widespread potential sources within western Laurentia for most grain populations; these ages also match the detrital zircon reference for the northern North American miogeocline and support a correlation between the two areas.

  7. Chemical abrasion-SIMS (CA-SIMS) U-Pb dating of zircon from the late Eocene Caetano caldera, Nevada

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Watts, Kathryn E.; Coble, Matthew A.; Vazquez, Jorge A.; Henry, Christopher D.; Colgan, Joseph P.; John, David A.

    2016-01-01

    Zircon geochronology is a critical tool for establishing geologic ages and time scales of processes in the Earth's crust. However, for zircons compromised by open system behavior, achieving robust dates can be difficult. Chemical abrasion (CA) is a routine step prior to thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) dating of zircon to remove radiation-damaged parts of grains that may have experienced open system behavior and loss of radiogenic Pb. While this technique has been shown to improve the accuracy and precision of TIMS dating, its application to high-spatial resolution dating methods, such as secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), is relatively uncommon. In our efforts to U-Pb date zircons from the late Eocene Caetano caldera by SIMS (SHRIMP-RG: sensitive high resolution ion microprobe, reverse geometry), some grains yielded anomalously young U-Pb ages that implicated Pb-loss and motivated us to investigate with a comparative CA and non-CA dating study. We present CA and non-CA 206Pb/238U ages and trace elements determined by SHRIMP-RG for zircons from three Caetano samples (Caetano Tuff, Redrock Canyon porphyry, and a silicic ring-fracture intrusion) and for R33 and TEMORA-2 reference zircons. We find that non-CA Caetano zircons have weighted mean or bimodal U-Pb ages that are 2–4% younger than CA zircons for the same samples. CA Caetano zircons have mean U-Pb ages that are 0.4–0.6 Myr older than the 40Ar/39Ar sanidine eruption age (34.00 ± 0.03 Ma; error-weighted mean, 2σ), whereas non-CA zircons have ages that are 0.7–1.3 Myr younger. U-Pb ages do not correlate with U (~ 100–800 ppm), Th (~ 50–300 ppm) or any other measured zircon trace elements (Y, Hf, REE), and CA and non-CA Caetano zircons define identical trace element ranges. No statistically significant difference in U-Pb age is observed for CA versus non-CA R33 or TEMORA-2 zircons. Optical profiler measurements of ion microprobe pits demonstrate consistent depths of ~ 1.6

  8. TEMORA 1: A new zircon standard for Phanerozoic U-Pb geochronology

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Black, L.P.; Kamo, S.L.; Allen, C.M.; Aleinikoff, J.N.; Davis, D.W.; Korsch, R.J.; Foudoulis, C.

    2003-01-01

    The role of the standard is critical to the derivation of reliable U-Pb zircon ages by micro-beam analysis. For maximum reliability, it is critically important that the utilised standard be homogeneous at all scales of analysis. It is equally important that the standard has been precisely and accurately dated by an independent technique. This study reports the emergence of a new zircon standard that meets those criteria, as demonstrated by Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP), isotope dilution thermal ionisation mass-spectrometry (IDTIMS) and excimer laser ablation- inductively coupled plasma-mass-spectrometry (ELA-ICP-MS) documentation. The TEMORA 1 zircon standard derives from the Middledale Gabbroic Diorite, a high-level mafic stock within the Palaeozoic Lachlan Orogen of eastern Australia. Its 206Pb/238U IDTIMS age has been determined to be 416.75??0.24 Ma (95% confidence limits), based on measurement errors alone. Spike-calibration uncertainty limits the accuracy to 416.8??1.1 Ma for U-Pb intercomparisons between different laboratories that do not use a common spike. ?? 2003 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. The 3.5 Ga granulites of the Bug polymetamorphic complex, Ukraine (U-Pb SHRIMP-II zircon data)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lobach-Zhuchenko, Svetlana; Kaulina, Tatiana; Baltybaev, Shauket; Yurchenko, Anastasija; Balagansky, Victor; Skublov, Sergei; Sukach, Vitaliji

    2014-05-01

    and Cpx). Zircon U-Pb isotopic analysis was carried out using SHRIMP II ion microprobe technique at the Isotopic Centre of VSEGEI, St.-Petersburg. Six transparent grains of the (1) group form a discordia line with Concordia intercepts at 3499+/-33 Ma (and 2638+/-240 Ma (MSWD=2.3). According to internal textures and chemical composition of zircons their formation is associated with granulite metamorphism. The 207 Pb/ 206 Pb data for 11 grains from (3) group are highly variable in age from 3330+/-5 to 2356+/-7 Ma indicating isotopic disturbance. They do not form an isochrone, thus reliable determination of their age is not yet possible. Thus, the oldest granulitic event at 3499 ± 33 Ma has been identified and justified for rocks of the Bug polymetamorphic granulite complex. Recognition of this oldest granulite metamorphism proved possible due to preserved isotopic and geochemical features of zircon. The work was financially supported by program ONZ - 6.

  10. U-Pb dating of large zircons in low-temperature jadeitite from the Osayama serpentinite melange, southwest Japan: insights into the timing of serpentinization

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Tsujimori, T.; Liou, J.G.; Wooden, J.; Miyamoto, T.

    2005-01-01

    Crystals of zircon up to 3 mm in length occur in jadeitite veins in the Osayama serpentinite mélange, Southwest Japan. The zircon porphyroblasts show pronounced zoning, and are characterized by both low Th/U ratios (0.2-0.8) and low Th and U abundances (Th = 1-81 ppm; U = 6-149 ppm). They contain inclusions of high-pressure minerals, including jadeite and rutile; such an occurrence indicates that the zircon crystallized during subduction-zone metamorphism. Phase equilibria and the existing fluid-inclusion data constrain P-T conditions to P > 1.2 GPa at T > 350°C for formation of the jadeitite. Most U/Pb ages obtained by SHRIMP-RG are concordant, with a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 472 ± 8.5 Ma (MSWD = 2.7, n = 25). Because zircon porphyroblasts contain inclusions of high-pressure minerals, the SHRIMP U-Pb age represents the timing of jadeitite formation, i.e., the timing of interaction between alkaline fluid and ultramafic rocks in a subduction zone. Although this dating does not provide a direct time constraint for serpentinization, U-Pb ages of zircon in jadeitite associated with serpentinite result in new insights into the timing of fluid-rock interaction of ultramafic rocks at a subduction zone and the minimum age for serpentinization.

  11. Oxygen isotopic composition and U-Pb discordance in zircon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Booth, A.L.; Kolodny, Y.; Chamberlain, C.P.; McWilliams, M.; Schmitt, A.K.; Wooden, J.

    2005-01-01

    We have investigated U-Pb discordance and oxygen isotopic composition of zircon using high-spatial resolution ??18O measurement by ion microprobe. ??18O in both concordant and discordant zircon grains provides an indication of the relationship between fluid interaction and discordance. Our results suggest that three characteristics of zircon are interrelated: (1) U-Pb systematics and concomitant age discordance, (2) ??18O and the water-rock interactions implied therein, and (3) zircon texture, as revealed by cathodoluminescence and BSE imaging. A key observation is that U-Pb-disturbed zircons are often also variably depleted in 18O, but the relationship between discordance and ??18O is not systematic. ??18O values of discordant zircons are generally lighter but irregular in their distribution. Textural differences between zircon grains can be correlated with both U-Pb discordance and ??18O. Discordant grains exhibit either a recrystallized, fractured, or strongly zoned CL texture, and are characteristic of 18O depletion. We interpret this to be a result of metamictization, leading to destruction of the zircon lattice and an increased susceptibility to lead loss. Conversely, grains that are concordant have less-expressed zoning and a smoother CL texture and are enriched in 18O. From this it is apparent that various stages of water-rock interaction, as evidenced by systematic variations in ??18O, leave their imprint on both the texture and U-Pb systematics of zircon. Copyright ?? 2005 Elsevier Ltd.

  12. Late Permian volcanic dykes in the crystalline basement of the Považský Inovec Mts. (Western Carpathians): U-Th-Pb zircon SHRIMP and monazite chemical dating

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pelech, Ondrej; Vozárová, Anna; Uher, Pavel; Petrík, Igor; Plašienka, Dušan; Šarinová, Katarína; Rodionov, Nikolay

    2017-08-01

    This paper presents geochronological data for the volcanic dykes located in the northern Považský Inovec Mts. The dykes are up to 5 m thick and tens to hundreds of metres long. They comprise variously inclined and oriented lenses, composed of strongly altered grey-green alkali basalts. Their age was variously interpreted and discussed in the past. Dykes were emplaced into the Tatricum metamorphic rocks, mostly consisting of mica schists and gneisses of the Variscan (early Carboniferous) age. Two different methods, zircon SHRIMP and monazite chemical dating, were applied to determine the age of these dykes. U-Pb SHRIMP dating of magmatic zircons yielded the concordia age of 260.2 ± 1.4 Ma. The Th-U-Pb monazite dating of the same dyke gave the CHIME age of 259 ± 3Ma. Both ages confirm the magmatic crystallization at the boundary of the latest Middle Permian to the Late Permian. Dyke emplacement was coeval with development of the Late Paleozoic sedimentary basin known in the northern Považský Inovec Mts. and could be correlated with other pre-Mesozoic Tethyan regions especially in the Southern Alps.

  13. Unravelling the pre-Variscan evolution of the Habach terrane (Tauern Window, Austria) by U-Pb SHRIMP zircon data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eichhorn, Roland; Loth, Georg; Kennedy, Allen

    2001-08-01

    The U-Pb SHRIMP age determinations of zircons from the Habach terrane (Tauern Window, Austria) reveal a complex evolution of this basement unit, which is exposed in the Penninic domain of the Alpine orogen. The oldest components are found in zircons of a metamorphosed granitoid clast, of a migmatitic leucosome, and of a meta-rhyolitic (Variscan) tuff which bear cores of Archean age. The U-Pb ages of discordant zircon cores of the same rocks range between 540 and 520 Ma. It is assumed that the latter zircons were originally also of Archean origin and suffered severe lead loss, whilst being incorporated into Early-Cambrian volcanic arc magmas. The provenance region of the Archean (2.64-2.06 Ga) zircons is assumed to be a terrane of Gondwana affinity: i.e., the West African craton (Hoggar Shield, Reguibat Shield). The Caledonian metamorphism left a pervasive structural imprint in amphibolite facies on rocks of the Habach terrane; it is postdated by discordant zircons of a migmatitic leucosome at <440 Ma (presumably ca. 420 Ma). Alpine and Variscan upper greenschist- to amphibolite-facies conditions caused partial lead loss in zircons of a muscovite gneiss ('white schist') only, where extensive fluid flow and brittle deformation due to its position near a nappe-sole thrust enhanced the grains' susceptibility to isotopic disturbance. The Habach terrane - an active continental margin with ensialic back-arc development - showed subduction-induced magmatic activity approx. between 550 and 507 Ma. Back-arc diorites and arc basalts were intruded by ultramafic sills and subsequently by small patches of mantle-dominated unaltered and (in the vicinity of a major tungsten deposit) altered granitoids. Fore-arc (shales) and back-arc (greywackes, cherts) basin sediments as well as arc and back-arc magmatites were not only nappe-stacked by the Caledonian compressional regime closing the presumably narrow oceanic back-arc basin and squeezing mafic to ultramafic cumulates out of high

  14. SHRIMP-RG U-Pb ages of provenance and metamorphism from detrital zircon populations and Pb-Sr-Nd signatures of prebatholithic metasedimentary rocks at Searl Ridge, northern Peninsular Ranges batholith, southern California: Implications for their age, origin, and tectonic setting

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Premo, Wayne R.; Morton, Douglas M.

    2014-01-01

    Twenty-four samples were collected from prebatholithic metasedimentary rocks along Searl Ridge, the north rim of the Diamond Valley Reservoir, Domenigoni Valley, centrally located in the northern Peninsular Ranges of southern California. These rocks exhibit progressive metamorphism from west to east across fundamental structural discontinuities now referred to as a “transition zone.” Documented structural and mineralogical changes occur across this metamorphic gradient. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe–reverse geometry (SHRIMP-RG) U-Pb ages were obtained from detrital zircons from metasedimentary rocks through the transition zone. To the west, metapelitic and minor metasandstone units yielded numerous concordant 206Pb/238U ages between 210 and 240 Ma, and concordant 207Pb/206Pb ages at 1075–1125 Ma, 1375–1430 Ma, and 1615–1735 Ma, although distinct differences in provenance were noted between units. A few older 207Pb/206Pb ages obtained were ca. 2250 Ma and ca. 2800 Ma. Rocks of the eastern part of the transition zone include high-grade paragneisses that yielded numerous concordant 206Pb/238U ages between 103 and 123 Ma and between 200 and 255 Ma, and concordant 207Pb/206Pb ages at 1060–1150 Ma, 1375–1435 Ma, and 1595–1710 Ma. Some zircon results from these high-grade gneisses are marked by distinct Pb-loss discordia with lower-intercept ages of ca. 215 Ma and Paleoproterozoic upper-intercept ages. Younger ages between 100 and 105 Ma are mainly obtained from rims of some zircon grains that are characterized by low Th/U values (<0.1) and high U contents (>1000 ppm), indicating the likelihood of metamorphic zircon growth at that time. The similarity of zircon age populations between western and eastern units through the transition zone indicates that this fundamental structure probably dissects sediments of the same basin. This supposition is further supported by initial whole-rock Pb-Sr-Nd isotopic data that show similar average

  15. U-Pb SHRIMP dating of uraniferous opals

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nemchin, A.A.; Neymark, L.A.; Simons, S.L.

    2006-01-01

    U-Pb and U-series analyses of four U-rich opal samples using sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) demonstrate the potential of this technique for the dating of opals with ages ranging from several tens of thousand years to millions of years. The major advantages of the technique, compared to the conventional thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS), are the high spatial resolution (???20 ??m), the ability to analyse in situ all isotopes required to determine both U-Pb and U-series ages, and a relatively short analysis time which allows obtaining a growth rate of opal as a result of a single SHRIMP session. There are two major limitations to this method, determined by both current level of development of ion probes and understanding of ion sputtering processes. First, sufficient secondary ion beam intensities can only be obtained for opal samples with U concentrations in excess of ???20 ??g/g. However, this restriction still permits dating of a large variety of opals. Second, U-Pb ratios in all analyses drifted with time and were only weakly correlated with changes in other ratios (such as U/UO). This drift, which is difficult to correct for, remains the main factor currently limiting the precision and accuracy of the U-Pb SHRIMP opal ages. Nevertheless, an assumption of similar behaviour of standard and unknown opals under similar analytical conditions allowed successful determination of ages with precisions of ???10% for the samples investigated in this study. SHRIMP-based U-series and U-Pb ages are consistent with TIMS dating results of the same materials and known geological timeframes. ?? 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. In-Situ U-Pb Dating of Apatite by Hiroshima-SHRIMP: Contributions to Earth and Planetary Science.

    PubMed

    Terada, Kentaro; Sano, Yuji

    2012-01-01

    The Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP) is the first ion microprobe dedicated to geological isotopic analyses, especially in-situ analyses related to the geochronology of zircon. Such a sophisticated ion probe, which can attain a high sensitivity at a high mass resolution, based on a double focusing high mass-resolution spectrometer, designed by Matsuda (1974), was constructed at the Australian National University. In 1996, such an instrument was installed at Hiroshima University and was the first SHRIMP to be installed in Japan. Since its installation, our focus has been on the in-situ U-Pb dating of the mineral apatite, as well as zircon, which is a more common U-bearing mineral. This provides the possibility for extending the use of in-situ U-Pb dating from determining the age of formation of volcanic, granitic, sedimentary and metamorphic minerals to the direct determination of the diagenetic age of fossils and/or the crystallization age of various meteorites, which can provide new insights into the thermal history on the Earth and/or the Solar System. In this paper, we review the methodology associated with in-situ apatite dating and our contribution to Earth and Planetary Science over the past 16 years.

  17. Cenomanian-? early Turonian minimum age of the Chubut Group, Argentina: SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suárez, Manuel; Márquez, Marcelo; De La Cruz, Rita; Navarrete, César; Fanning, Mark

    2014-03-01

    Four new SHRIMP U-Pb zircon ages older than 93 Ma from samples of the two uppermost formations accumulated in two different depocenters (Golfo de San Jorge and Cañadón Asfalto basins) of the Chubut Group in central Argentinean Patagonia, establish a pre-late Cenomanian-? early Turonian age for the group. It also confirms a coeval and comparable evolution of the two depocenters, where distal pyroclastic material was deposited together with fluvial and lacustrine facies.

  18. SHRIMP U-Pb zircon geochronology and thermal modeling of multilayer granitoid intrusions. Implications for the building and thermal evolution of the Central System batholith, Iberian Massif, Spain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Díaz Alvarado, Juan; Fernández, Carlos; Castro, Antonio; Moreno-Ventas, Ignacio

    2013-08-01

    This work shows the results of a U-Pb SHRIMP zircon geochronological study of the central part of the Gredos massif (Spanish Central System batholith). The studied batholith is composed of several granodiorite and monzogranite tabular bodies, around 1 km thick each, intruded into partially molten pelitic metasediments. Granodiorites and monzogranites, belonging to three distinct intrusive bodies, and samples of anatectic leucogranites have been selected for SHRIMP U-Pb zircon geochronology. Distinct age groups, separated by up to 20 Ma, have been distinguished in each sample. Important age differences have also been determined among the most representative age groups of the three analyzed granitoid bodies: 312.6 ± 2.8 Ma for the Circo de Gredos Bt-granodiorites (floor intrusive layer), 306.9 ± 1.5 Ma for the Barbellido-Plataforma granitoids (top intrusive layer) and 303.5 ± 2.8 Ma for Las Pozas Crd-monzogranites (middle intrusive layer). These age differences are interpreted in terms of sequential emplacement of the three intrusive bodies, contemporary with the Late Paleozoic D3 deformation phase. The anatectic leucogranites are coeval to slightly younger than the adjacent intrusive granodiorites and monzogranites (305.4 ± 1.6 Ma for Refugio del Rey leucogranites and 303 ± 2 Ma for migmatitic hornfelses). It is suggested that these anatectic magmas were generated in response to the thermal effects of granodiorite intrusions. Thermal modeling with COMSOL Multiphysics® reveals that sequential emplacement was able to keep the thermal conditions of the batholith around the temperature of zircon crystallization in granitic melts (around 750 °C) for several million of years, favoring the partial melting of host rocks and the existence of large magma chambers composed of crystal mush prone to be rejuvenated after new intrusions.

  19. Interpreting U-Pb data from primary and secondary features in lunar zircon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grange, M. L.; Pidgeon, R. T.; Nemchin, A. A.; Timms, N. E.; Meyer, C.

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, we describe primary and secondary microstructures and textural characteristics found in lunar zircon and discuss the relationships between these features and the zircon U-Pb isotopic systems and the significance of these features for understanding lunar processes. Lunar zircons can be classified according to: (i) textural relationships between zircon and surrounding minerals in the host breccias, (ii) the internal microstructures of the zircon grains as identified by optical microscopy, cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) mapping and (iii) results of in situ ion microprobe analyses of the Th-U-Pb isotopic systems. Primary zircon can occur as part of a cogenetic mineral assemblage (lithic clast) or as an individual mineral clast and is unzoned, or has sector and/or oscillatory zoning. The age of primary zircon is obtained when multiple ion microprobe analyses across the polished surface of the grain give reproducible and essentially concordant data. A secondary set of microstructures, superimposed on primary zircon, include localised recrystallised domains, localised amorphous domains, crystal-plastic deformation, planar deformation features and fractures, and are associated with impact processes. The first two secondary microstructures often yield internally consistent and close to concordant U-Pb ages that we interpret as dating impact events. Others secondary microstructures such as planar deformation features, crystal-plastic deformation and micro-fractures can provide channels for Pb diffusion and result in partial resetting of the U-Pb isotopic systems.

  20. Comparative use of TIMS and SHRIMP for U Pb zircon dating of A-type granites and mafic tholeiitic layered complexes and dykes from the Corsican Batholith (France)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cocherie, A.; Rossi, Ph.; Fanning, C. M.; Guerrot, C.

    2005-05-01

    The Corsica-Sardinia batholith in the southern realm of the Hercynian belt of Europe shows evidence for gravitational collapse of this part of the mountain belt, causing major felsic and mafic magmatism. The latest intrusions are composed of leucomonzogranite and late metaluminous and alkaline granite, associated with tholeiitic layered complexes and dykes. Three dating methods on zircon (Pb-evaporation, ID-TIMS and SHRIMP) were used to unravel the chronology of these felsic and mafic rocks. Dating of zircons by the conventional U-Pb method, using TIMS after zircon dissolution, achieved an analytical uncertainty of 1 Ma for favourable cases. The TIMS Pb-evaporation technique resulted in ages with an uncertainty range of 4 to 8 Ma. After 15 to 20 analyses with the SHRIMP method, a precision ranging from 2 to 5 Ma was obtained (all at 2 σ). The three methods applied to the same zircon population extracted from four A-type granites, show that the uncertainty ranges within 2-5 Ma according to the sample. This error seems to correspond to the real geochronological uncertainty that can be achieved. The results obtained show that all six tested alkaline granites were emplaced during a very short interval of about 3-5 Ma at about 288 Ma, almost contemporaneous with the leucomonzogranite emplacement (291-287 Ma) that ended the batholith formation. In addition, there is no significant gap with the age of emplacement of the mafic tholeiitic magmatism (around 286 Ma) crosscutting the "A-type" granites. The late alkaline granites definitely do not show up here as precursors of the Tethyan rifting that began at about 170 Ma, i.e. some 100 Ma after their emplacement. It is thus necessary to examine if alternative hypotheses to the anorogenic model of the A-type Younger Granite province better fit the new geochronological data. A model involving depleted continental-crust derived magma should be compatible with the timing and geodynamical constraints as far as isotopic data are

  1. U-Pb Dating of Zircons and Phosphates in Lunar Meteorites, Acapulcoites and Angrites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zhou, Q.; Zeigler, R. A.; Yin, Q. Z.; Korotev, R. L.; Joliff, B. L.; Amelin, Y.; Marti, K.; Wu, F. Y.; Li, X. H.; Li, Q. L.; hide

    2012-01-01

    Zircon U-Pb geochronology has made a great contribution to the timing of magmatism in the early Solar System [1-3]. Ca phosphates are another group of common accessory minerals in meteorites with great potential for U-Pb geochronology. Compared to zircons, the lower closure temperatures of the U-Pb system for apatite and merrillite (the most common phosphates in achondrites) makes them susceptible to resetting during thermal metamorphism. The different closure temperatures of the U-Pb system for zircon and apatite provide us an opportunity to discover the evolutionary history of meteoritic parent bodies, such as the crystallization ages of magmatism, as well as later impact events and thermal metamorphism. We have developed techniques using the Cameca IMS-1280 ion microprobe to date both zircon and phosphate grains in meteorites. Here we report U-Pb dating results for zircons and phosphates from lunar meteorites Dhofar 1442 and SaU 169. To test and verify the reliability of the newly developed phosphate dating technique, two additional meteorites, Acapulco, obtained from Acapulco consortium, and angrite NWA 4590 were also selected for this study as both have precisely known phosphate U-Pb ages by TIMS [4,5]. Both meteorites are from very fast cooled parent bodies with no sign of resetting [4,5], satisfying a necessity for precise dating.

  2. Tithonian age of dinosaur fossils in central Patagonian, Chile: U-Pb SHRIMP geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suárez, Manuel; De La Cruz, Rita; Fanning, Mark; Novas, Fernando; Salgado, Leonardo

    2016-11-01

    Three Tithonian concordant U-Pb SHRIMP zircon ages of 148.7 ± 1.4, 147.9 ± 1.5 and 147.0 ± 1.0 from tuffs intercalated in a clastic sedimentary succession with exceptional dinosaur bones including the new taxon Chilesaurus diegosuarezi gen. et sp. nov. exposed in central Chilean Patagonia (ca. 46°30'S) are reported herein. The fossiliferous beds accumulated in a synvolcanic fan delta reaching a shallow marine basin as indicated by glauconite present in some of the beds, and coeval with the beginning of the transgression of the Aysén Basin.

  3. Phanerozoic polyphase orogenies recorded in the northeastern Okcheon Belt, Korea from SHRIMP U-Pb detrital zircon and K-Ar illite geochronologies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jang, Yirang; Kwon, Sanghoon; Song, Yungoo; Kim, Sung Won; Kwon, Yi Kyun; Yi, Keewook

    2018-05-01

    We present the SHRIMP U-Pb detrital zircon and K-Ar illite 1Md/1M and 2M1 ages, suggesting new insight into the Phanerozoic polyphase orogenies preserved in the northeastern Okcheon Belt, Korea since the initial basin formation during Neoproterozoic rifting through several successive contractional orogens. The U-Pb detrital zircon ages from the Early Paleozoic strata of the Taebaeksan Zone suggest a Cambrian maximum deposition age, and are supported by trilobite and conodont biostratigraphy. Although the age spectra from two sedimentary groups, the Yeongwol and Taebaek Groups, show similar continuous distributions from the Late Paleoproterozoic to Early Paleozoic ages, a Grenville-age hiatus (1.3-0.9 Ga) in the continuous stratigraphic sequence from the Taebaek Group suggests the existence of different peripheral clastic sources along rifted continental margin(s). In addition, we present the K-Ar illite 1Md/1M ages of the fault gouges, which confirm fault formation/reactivation during the Late Cretaceous to Early Paleogene (ca. 82-62 Ma) and the Early Miocene (ca. 20-18 Ma). The 2M1 illite ages, at least those younger than the host rock ages, provide episodes of deformation, metamorphism and hydrothermal effects related to the tectonic events during the Devonian (ca.410 Ma) and Permo-Triassic (ca. 285-240 Ma). These results indicate that the northeastern Okcheon Belt experienced polyphase orogenic events, namely the Okcheon (Middle Paleozoic), Songrim (Late Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic), Daebo (Middle Mesozoic) and Bulguksa (Late Mesozoic to Early Cenozoic) Orogenies, reflecting the Phanerozoic tectonic evolution of the Korean Peninsula along the East Asian continental margin.

  4. Finding the "true" age: ways to read high-precision U-Pb zircon dates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schaltegger, U.; Schoene, B.; Ovtcharova, M.; Sell, B. K.; Broderick, C. A.; Wotzlaw, J.

    2011-12-01

    Refined U-Pb dating techniques, applying an empirical chemical abrasion treatment prior to analysis [1], and using a precisely calibrated double isotope Pb, U EARTHTIME tracer solution, have led to an unprecedented <0.1% precision and accuracy of obtained 206Pb/238U dates of single zircon crystals or fragments. Results very often range over 10e4 to 10e6 years and cannot be treated as statistically singular age populations. The interpretation of precise zircon U-Pb ages is biased by two problems: (A) Post-crystallization Pb loss from decay damaged areas is considered to be mitigated by applying chemical abrasion techniques. The success of such treatment can, however, not be assumed a priori. The following examples demonstrate that youngest zircons are not biased by lead loss but represent close-to-youngest zircon growth: (i) coincidence of youngest zircon dates with co-magmatic titanite in tonalite; (ii) coincidence with statistically equivalent clusters of 206Pb/238U dates from zircon in residual melts of cogenetic mafic magmas; (iii) youngest zircons in ash beds of sedimentary sequences do not violate the stratigraphic superposition, whereas conventional statistical interpretation (mean or median values) does; (iv) results of published inter-laboratory cross-calibration tests using chemical abrasion on natural zircon crystals of the same sample arrive at the same 206Pb/238U result within <0.1% (e.g., [2]); (v) Youngest crystals coincide in age with the astronomical age of hosting cyclic sediments. Residual lead loss may, however, still be identified in the case of single, significantly younger dates (>3 sigma), and are common in many pre-Triassic and hydrothermally altered rocks. (B) Pre-eruptive/pre-intrusive growth is found to be the main reason for scattered zircon ages in igneous rocks. Zircons crystallizing from the final magma batch are called autocrystic [3]. Autocrystic growth will happen in a moving or stagnant magma shortly before or after the

  5. Significance of zircon U-Pb ages from the Pescadero felsite, west-central California coast ranges

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    McLaughlin, Robert J.; Moore, Diane E.; ,; Martens, UWE C.; Clark, J.C.

    2011-01-01

    Weathered felsite is associated with the late Campanian–Maastrichtian Pigeon Point Formation near Pescadero, California. Poorly exposed, its age and correlation are uncertain. Is it part of the Pigeon Point section west of the San Gregorio–Hosgri fault? Does it rest on Nacimiento block basement? Is it dextrally offset from the Oligocene Cambria Felsite, ∼185 km to the southeast? Why is a calc-alkaline hypabyssal igneous rock intrusive into the outboard accretionary prism? To address these questions, we analyzed 43 oscillatory-zoned zircon crystals from three incipiently recrystallized pumpellyite ± prehnite ± laumontite-bearing Pescadero felsite samples by sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe–reverse geometry (SHRIMP-RG) and laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) techniques. Thirty-three zircons gave late Mesozoic U-Pb ages, with single-grain values ranging from 81 to 167 Ma; ten have pre-Mesozoic, chiefly Proterozoic ages. A group of the four youngest Pescadero zircons yielded an apparent maximum igneous age of ca. 86–90 Ma. Reflecting broad age scatter and presence of partly digested sandstone inclusions, we interpret the rest of the zircons (perhaps all) as xenocrysts. Twenty-three zircons were separated and analyzed from two samples of the similar Cambria Felsite, yielding a unimodal 27 Ma U-Pb age. Clearly, the origin of the Upper Oligocene Cambria Felsite is different from that of the Upper Cretaceous Pescadero felsite; these rocks are not correlated, and do not constrain displacement along the San Gregorio–Hosgri fault. Peak ages differ slightly, but relative probability curves for Mesozoic and pre-Mesozoic Pescadero zircons compare well, for example, with abundant U-Pb age data for detrital zircons from Franciscan metaclastic strata ∼100 km to the east in the Diablo Range–San Francisco Bay area, San Joaquin Great Valley Group turbidites, Upper Cretaceous Nacimiento block Franciscan strata, and Upper

  6. GHR1 - A new Eocene natural reference material for U-Pb and Hf isotopic measurements in zircon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ibanez-Mejia, M.; Eddy, M. P.

    2017-12-01

    We present chemical abrasion-isotope dilution-thermal ionization (CA-ID-TIMS) U-Pb zircon geochronology and solution multicollector-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) Hf isotopic data from a proposed natural zircon reference material for use during in situ analyses of U-Pb and Hf isotopic ratios. The sample, GHR1, was collected from the rapakivi intrusive phase of the Eocene Golden Horn batholith in Washington, USA. Zircons separated from this sample range up to 250-300 μm in length and have moderate aspect ratios. A weighted mean of 15 Th-corrected 206Pb/238U zircon dates from GHR1 produced at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is 48.132 ± 0.023 Ma (2σ analytical and tracer uncertainties only, MSWD=1.70) confirming that there is little or no inter-crystal age heterogeneity at the scale of a few 10 kyr. Solution MC-ICP-MS measurements of chemically purified aliquots give a 176Hf/177Hf weighted mean of 0.283050 ± 17 (2σ, n=10), corresponding to a ɛHf0 of ca. +9.3. The 2σ variability of these measurements is comparable to our reproducibility of the JMC-475 Hf isotopic standard 0.282160 ± 14 (n= 13), suggesting that GHR1 zircons are homogenous with respect to 176Hf/177Hf. In situ 206Pb/238U dates from collaborating secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP), and laser ablation ICP-MS (LA-ICP-MS) laboratories are in excellent agreement with the CA-ID-TIMS date and illustrate the reproducibility and potential value of this reference zircon. The mean values of 176Hf/177Hf measurements from two LA-ICP-MS laboratories are in agreement with the solution MC-ICP-MS value, but show slightly greater dispersion and higher (Lu+Yb)/Hf values. We attribute this discrepancy to apatite inclusions that are high in REE and may lead to greater isobaric interferences on 176Hf. These inclusions and potential isobaric interferences from REE were removed during the chemical abrasion step prior to bulk

  7. U-Pb SHRIMP II age and origin of zircon from lhertzolite of the bug Paleoarchean complex, Ukrainian Shield

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lobach-Zhuchenko, S. B.; Baltybaev, Sh. K.; Glebovitsky, V. A.; Sergeev, S. A.; Lokhov, K. O.; Egorova, Yu. S.; Balagansky, V. V.; Skublov, S. G.; Galankina, O. L.; Stepanyuk, L. M.

    2017-12-01

    Complex study of the U-Pb and Lu-Hf systems of zircon from a lhertzolite lens of Archean gneiss enderbites of the Bug complex, Ukrainian Shield, showed that ultramafic magma was contaminated by the material of the country gneiss enderbites. The age of the zircons of 2.81 ± 0.05 Ga corresponds to the period of ultramafic magmatism within the Bug complex. Previously, this peak of endogenic activity was considered the stage of manifestation of metamorphism and magmatism of mafic composition.

  8. Implications of Bishop Tuff zircon U-Pb ages for rates of zircon growth and magma accumulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reid, M. R.; Schmitt, A. K.

    2012-12-01

    Rates of geologic processes obtained from natural studies rely on accurate geochronologic information. An important benchmark in geochronology as well as a valuable source of insights into the evolution of voluminous explosive eruptions is the >600 km3 Bishop Tuff (BT). A recently determined weighted mean 206Pb/238U date of 767.1±0.9 ka for a BT zircon population [1] is indistinguishable from the recalibrated 40Ar/39Ar sanidine date of 767.4±2.2 ka [2], potentially providing a key intercalibration point between astronomical and radio-isotopic dating approaches. Consequences of these results are linear zircon growth rates of >1×10-14 cm/sec and magma accumulation rates of >200 km3/ka. In contrast, spatially selective SIMS U-Pb dating of BT zircons yielded mean pre-eruption ages of 850 ka [3], a difference that raises questions about the validity of intercalibration between U-Pb and K-Ar dating methods and the history of magma accumulation. We obtained new SIMS analyses of the BT zircons using more spatially and analytically sensitive methods and verifying our accuracy against the TIMS dated Quaternary zircon 61.308A (2.488±0.002 Ma). Analyses were performed on zircon rims and on oriented cross-sections exposed during optical interferometry-calibrated serial sectioning removing the outermost ~31 μm. Sputtering by a 100 nA ion beam versus the normally employed 10-12 nA beam resulted in enhanced radiogenic Pb yields and analytical uncertainties for Quaternary zircon approaching the U-Pb age reproducibility of the primary zircon standard (~1-2 % for AS3). Ages obtained at ~31 μm depth (representing <5% of crystal growth in most cases) average 892±26ka (MSWD=0.29), corroborating previous evidence for residence times of several tens of ka. Rim ages average 781±22 ka (MSWD=0.61), overlapping Ar/Ar determinations of eruption age and corroborating the importance of near-eruption aged zircon growth. Our results confirm the presence of BT zircon domains that predate

  9. New insights into the history and origin of the southern Maya block, SE Mexico: U-Pb-SHRIMP zircon geochronology from metamorphic rocks of the Chiapas massif

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Weber, Bodo; Iriondo, Alexander; Premo, Wayne R.; Hecht, Lutz; Schaaf, Peter

    2007-01-01

    The histories of the pre-Mesozoic landmasses in southern México and their connections with Laurentia, Gondwana, and among themselves are crucial for the understanding of the Late Paleozoic assembly of Pangea. The Permian igneous and metamorphic rocks from the Chiapas massif as part of the southern Maya block, México, were dated by U–Pb zircon geochronology employing the SHRIMP (sensitive high resolution ion microprobe) facility at Stanford University. The Chiapas massif is composed of deformed granitoids and orthogneisses with inliers of metasedimentary rocks. SHRIMP data from an anatectic orthogneiss demonstrate that the Chiapas massif was part of a Permian (∼ 272 Ma) active continental margin established on the Pacific margin of Gondwana after the Ouachita orogeny. Latest Permian (252–254 Ma) medium- to high-grade metamorphism and deformation affected the entire Chiapas massif, resulting in anatexis and intrusion of syntectonic granitoids. This unique orogenic event is interpreted as the result of compression due to flat subduction and accretionary tectonics. SHRIMP data of zircon cores from a metapelite from the NE Chiapas massif yielded a single Grenvillian source for sediments. The majority of the zircon cores from a para-amphibolite from the SE part of the massif yielded either 1.0–1.2 or 1.4–1.5 Ga sources, indicating provenance from South American Sunsás and Rondonian-San Ignacio provinces.

  10. New zircon (U-Th)/He and U/Pb eruption age for the Rockland tephra, western USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Coble, Matthew A.; Burgess, Seth; Klemetti, Erik W.

    2017-01-01

    Eruption ages of a number of prominent Quaternary volcanic deposits remain inaccurately and/or imprecisely constrained, despite their importance as regional stratigraphic markers in paleo-environment reconstruction and as evidence of climate-altering eruptions. Accurately dating volcanic deposits presents challenging analytical considerations, including poor radiogenic yield, scarcity of datable minerals, and contamination of crystal populations by magma, eruption, and transport processes. One prominent example is the Rockland tephra, which erupted from the Lassen Volcanic Center in the southern Cascade arc. Despite a range in published eruption ages from 0.40 to 0.63 Ma, the Rockland tephra is extensively used as a marker bed across the western United States. To more accurately and precisely constrain the age of the Rockland tephra-producing eruption, we report U/Pb crystallization dates from the outermost ∼2 μm of zircon crystal faces (surfaces) using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Our new weighted mean 238U/206Pb age for Rockland tephra zircon surfaces is 0.598 ± 0.013 Ma (2σ) and MSWD = 1.11 (mean square weighted deviation). As an independent test of the accuracy of this age, we obtained new (U-Th)/He dates from individual zircon grains from the Rockland tephra, which yielded a weighted mean age of 0.599 ± 0.012 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 5.13). We also obtained a (U-Th)/He age of 0.628 ± 0.014 Ma (MSWD = 1.19) for the Lava Creek Tuff member B, which was analyzed as a secondary standard to test the accuracy of the (U-Th)/He technique for Quaternary tephras, and to evaluate assumptions made in the model-age calculation. Concordance of new U/Pb and (U-Th)/He zircon ages reinforces the accuracy of our preferred Rockland tephra eruption age, and confirms that zircon surface dates sample zircon growth up to the time of eruption. We demonstrate the broad applicability of coupled U/Pb zircon-surface and single-grain zircon (U-Th)/He geochronology to

  11. New zircon (U-Th)/He and U/Pb eruption age for the Rockland tephra, western USA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Coble, Matthew A.; Burgess, Seth D.; Klemetti, Erik W.

    2017-09-01

    Eruption ages of a number of prominent Quaternary volcanic deposits remain inaccurately and/or imprecisely constrained, despite their importance as regional stratigraphic markers in paleo-environment reconstruction and as evidence of climate-altering eruptions. Accurately dating volcanic deposits presents challenging analytical considerations, including poor radiogenic yield, scarcity of datable minerals, and contamination of crystal populations by magma, eruption, and transport processes. One prominent example is the Rockland tephra, which erupted from the Lassen Volcanic Center in the southern Cascade arc. Despite a range in published eruption ages from 0.40 to 0.63 Ma, the Rockland tephra is extensively used as a marker bed across the western United States. To more accurately and precisely constrain the age of the Rockland tephra-producing eruption, we report U/Pb crystallization dates from the outermost ∼2 μm of zircon crystal faces (surfaces) using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Our new weighted mean 238U/206Pb age for Rockland tephra zircon surfaces is 0.598 ± 0.013 Ma (2σ) and MSWD = 1.11 (mean square weighted deviation). As an independent test of the accuracy of this age, we obtained new (U-Th)/He dates from individual zircon grains from the Rockland tephra, which yielded a weighted mean age of 0.599 ± 0.012 Ma (2σ, MSWD = 5.13). We also obtained a (U-Th)/He age of 0.628 ± 0.014 Ma (MSWD = 1.19) for the Lava Creek Tuff member B, which was analyzed as a secondary standard to test the accuracy of the (U-Th)/He technique for Quaternary tephras, and to evaluate assumptions made in the model-age calculation. Concordance of new U/Pb and (U-Th)/He zircon ages reinforces the accuracy of our preferred Rockland tephra eruption age, and confirms that zircon surface dates sample zircon growth up to the time of eruption. We demonstrate the broad applicability of coupled U/Pb zircon-surface and single-grain zircon (U-Th)/He geochronology to accurate

  12. U-Pb SHRIMP geochronology of zircon in garnet peridotite from the Sulu UHP terrane, China: Implications for mantle metasomatism and subduction-zone UHP metamorphism

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Zhang, R.Y.; Yang, J.S.; Wooden, J.L.; Liou, J.G.; Li, T.F.

    2005-01-01

    We studied the Zhimafang ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic (UHP) peridotite from pre-pilot drill hole PP-1 of Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling project in the Sulu UHP terrane, eastern China. The peridotite occurs as lens within quartofeldspathic gneiss, and has an assemblage of Ol + Opx + Cpx + Phl + Ti-clinohumite (Ti-Chu) + Grt (or chromite) ?? magnesite (Mgs). Zircons were separated from cores at depths of 152 m (C24, garnet lhezolite), 160 m (C27, strongly retrograded phlogopite-rich peridotite) and 225 m (C50, banded peridotite), and were dated by SHRIMP mass spectrometer. Isometric zircons without inherited cores contain inclusions of olivine (Fo91-92), enstatite (En91-92), Ti-clinohumite, diopside, phlogopite and apatite. The enstatite inclusions have low Al2O3 contents of only 0.04-0.13 wt.%, indicating a UHP metamorphic origin. The weighted mean 206Pb/238U zircon age for garnet lherzolite (C24) is 221 ?? 3 Ma, and a discordia lower intercept age for peridotite (C50) is 220 ?? 2 Ma. These ages are within error and represent the time of subduction-zone UHP metamorphism. A younger lower intercept age of 212 ?? 3 Ma for a foliated wehrlite (C27) was probably caused by Pb loss during retrograde metamorphism. The source of zirconium may be partially attributed to melt/fluid metasomatism within the mantle wedge. Geochronological and geochemical data confirm that the mantle-derived Zhimafang garnet peridotites (probably the most representative type of Sulu garnet peridotites) were tectonically inserted into a subducting crustal slab and subjected to in situ Triassic subduction-zone UHP metamorphism. ?? 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Resolution, the key to unlocking granite petrogenesis using zircon U-Pb - Lu-Hf studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tapster, Simon; Horstwood, Matthew; Roberts, Nick M. W.; Deady, Eimear; Shail, Robin

    2017-04-01

    Coarse-scale understanding of crustal evolution and source contributions to igneous systems has been drastically enhanced by coupled zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf data sets. These are now common place and potentially offer advantages over whole-rock analyses by resolving heterogeneous source components in the complex crystal cargos of single hand-samples. However, the application of coupled zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf studies to address detailed petrogenetic questions faces a crisis of resolution - On the one hand, micro-beam analytical techniques have high spatial resolution, capable of interrogating crystals with complex growth histories. Yet, the >1-2% temporal resolution of these techniques places a fundamental limitation on their utility for developing petrogenetic models. This limitation in data interpretation arises from timescales of crystal recycling or changes in source evolution that are often shorter than the U-Pb analytical precision. Conversely, high-precision CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb analysis of single whole zircons and solution MC-ICP-MS Lu-Hf isotopes of column washes (Hf masses equating to ca. 10-50 ng) have much greater temporal resolution (<0.1%), yet lack the spatial resolution to deal with complex crystal growth. Analyses homogenize any heterogeneity within the zircon and convolute the petrogenetic model. A balance must be struck between spatial and temporal resolution to address petrogenetic issues. Here, we demonstrate that micro-sampling of complex xenocryst-rich zircon crystals (e.g. <40 µm zircon tips) from the granitic post-Variscan Cornubian Batholith (SW England), in tandem with low-common Pb blank CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb chemistry, permits the analysis of zircon volumes that approach those of LA-ICPMS analyses, whilst simultaneously retaining the majority of the temporal resolution associated with the CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb technique. The low volume of zircon within these analyses may only provide <5 ng Hf, and therefore gaining useful precision from Lu-Hf isotopes is

  14. Devonian to Carboniferous collision in the Greenland Caledonides: U-Pb zircon and Sm-Nd ages of high-pressure and ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gilotti, Jane A.; Nutman, Allen P.; Brueckner, Hannes K.

    2004-10-01

    A variety of eclogites from an east-west transect across the North-East Greenland eclogite province have been studied to establish the timing of high pressure (HP) and ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphism in this northern segment of the Laurentian margin. Garnet + omphacite ± amphibole + whole rock Sm-Nd isochrons from a quartz eclogite, a garnet + omphacite + rutile eclogite and a partially melted zoisite eclogite in the western HP belt are 401±2, 402±9 and 414±18 Ma, respectively. Corresponding sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) 206Pb/238U ages of metamorphic zircon in the same samples are 401±7, 414±13, and 393 ±10 Ma. Metamorphic zircon domains were identified using morphology, cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging, U, Th, Th/U and trace element contents. Zircon from the quartz eclogite and the garnet + omphacite + rutile eclogite are typical of eclogite facies zircon with rounded to subhedral shapes, patchy to homogenous CL domains, low U, and very low Th and Th/U. The partially melted eclogite contains euhedral zircons with dark, sector-zoned, higher U, Th and Th/U inherited cores. Three cores give a Paleoproterozoic 207Pb/206Pb age of 1,962±27 Ma, interpreted as the age of the leucogabbroic protolith. CL images of the bright overgrowths show faint oscillatory zoning next to homogenous areas that indicate zircon growth in the presence of a HP melt and later recrystallization. Additional evidence that zircon grew during eclogite facies conditions is the lack of a Eu anomaly in the trace element data for all the samples. These results, combined with additional less precise Sm-Nd ages and our earlier work, point to a Devonian age of HP metamorphism in the western and central portions of the eclogite province. An UHP kyanite eclogite from the eastern part of the transect contains equant metamorphic zircon with homogeneous to patchy zoning in CL and HP inclusions of garnet, omphacite and kyanite. These zircons have slightly higher U, Th and Th/U

  15. Signatures of mountain building: Detrital zircon U/Pb ages from northeast Tibet

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lease, Richard O.; Burbank, Douglas W.; Gehrels, George E.; Wang, Zhicai; Yuan, Daoyang

    2007-01-01

    Although detrital zircon has proven to be a powerful tool for determining provenance, past work has focused primarily on delimiting regional source terranes. Here we explore the limits of spatial resolution and stratigraphic sensitivity of detrital zircon in ascertaining provenance, and we demonstrate its ability to detect source changes for terranes separated by only a few tens of kilometers. For such an analysis to succeed for a given mountain, discrete intrarange source terranes must have unique U/Pb zircon age signatures and sediments eroded from the range must have well-defined depositional ages. Here we use ∼1400 single-grain U/Pb zircon ages from northeastern Tibet to identify and analyze an area that satisfies these conditions. This analysis shows that the edges of intermontane basins are stratigraphically sensitive to discrete, punctuated changes in local source terranes. By tracking eroding rock units chronologically through the stratigraphic record, this sensitivity permits the detection of the differential rock uplift and progressive erosion that began ca. 8 Ma in the Laji Shan, a 10-25-km-wide range in northeastern Tibet with a unique U/Pb age signature.

  16. Air abrasion experiments in U-Pb dating of zircon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Goldich, S.S.; Fischer, L.B.

    1986-01-01

    Air abrasion of zircon grains can remove metamict material that has lost radiogenic Pb and zircon overgrowths that were added during younger events and thereby improve the precision of the age measurements and permit closer estimates of the original age. Age discordance that resulted from a single disturbance of the U-Pb isotopic decay systems, as had been demonstrated by T.E. Krogh, can be considerably reduced, and, under favorable conditions, the ages brought into concordancy. Two or more events complicate the U-Pb systematics, but a series of abrasion experiments can be helpful in deciphering the geologic history and in arriving at a useful interpretation of the probable times of origin and disturbances. In east-central Minnesota, U.S.A., Penokean tonalite gneiss is dated at 1869 ?? 5 Ma, and sheared granite gneiss is shown to have been a high-level granite intrusion at 1982 ?? 5 Ma in the McGrath Gneiss precursor. Tonalite gneiss and a mafic granodiorite in the Rainy Lake area, Ontario, Canada, are dated at 2736 ?? 16 and 2682 ?? 4 Ma, respectively. The tonalitic phase of the Morton Gneiss, southwestern Minnesota, is dated at 3662 ?? 42 Ma. ?? 1986.

  17. U-Pb ID-TIMS zircon ages of TTG gneisses of the Aravalli Craton of India

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chauhan, Hiredya; Saikia, Ashima; Kaulina, Tatiana; Bayanova, Tamara; Ahmad, Talat

    2015-04-01

    The crystalline basement of the Aravalli Craton is a heterogeneous assemblage dominated by granitic gneisses and granites with sporadic occurrences of amphibolites and dismembered sedimentary enclaves (Upadhyaya et al., 1992). This assemblage is known to have experienced multiple deformation and metamorphic events followed by emplacement of voluminous granites and basaltic dykes. Based on Sm-Nd whole rock data on the basement Mewar orthogneisses of Jhamarkotra region (Gopalan et al., 1990) and Pb/Pb ages of zircon from Gingla Granites which intrudes the basement (Wiedenbeck et al., 1996), it has been inferred that the whole magmatic episode leading to the formation of the basement spanned from 3300 to 2400 Ma and that the Aravalli cratonic block had broadly stabilized by 2500 Ma on which the younger Aravalli and Delhi Supergroup unconformably deposited. However, no comprehensive age data on the basement gneisses from the study area spanning the entire magmatic episode is available. This work attempts to provide a time frame work for evolution of the basement gneisses of the Aravalli Craton. We present here U-Pb zircon ages from the Precambrian basement TTG gneisses of the Aravalli Craton of north western India. Pb and U were measured on multicollector Finnigan-MAT 262 mass spectrometer. The temperatures of measurements were 1300°C for Pb and 1500°C for U. Pb isotope ratios were corrected for mass fractionation with a factor of 0.10% per amu, based on repeat analyses of the standard NBS SRM 982. The U analyses were corrected for mass fractionation with a factor of 0.003% per amu, based on repeat analyses of the NBS U 500 standard. Reproducibility of the U-Pb ratios was determined from the repeated analysis of standard zircon IGFM-87 (Ukraine) and taken as 0.5% for 207Pb/235U and 206Pb/238U ratios, respectively, at 95% confidence level. All calculations were done using the programs PBDAT and ISOPLOT (Ludwig 1991, 2008). Four zircon fractions corresponding to four

  18. Zircon U-Pb dating of eclogite from the Qiangtang terrane, north-central Tibet: a case of metamorphic zircon with magmatic geochemical features

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhai, Qing-guo; Jahn, Bor-ming; Li, Xian-hua; Zhang, Ru-yuan; Li, Qiu-li; Yang, Ya-nan; Wang, Jun; Liu, Tong; Hu, Pei-yuan; Tang, Suo-han

    2017-06-01

    Zircon is probably the most important mineral used in the dating formation of high-pressure (HP) and ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphic rocks. The origin of zircon, i.e., magmatic or metamorphic, is commonly assessed by its external morphology, internal structure, mineral inclusions, Th/U ratios and trace element composition. In this study, we present an unusual case of metamorphic zircon from the Qiangtang eclogite, north-central Tibet. The zircon grains contain numerous eclogite-facies mineral inclusions, including omphacite, phengite, garnet and rutile; hence, they are clearly of metamorphic origin. However, they display features similar to common magmatic zircon, including euhedral crystal habit, high Th/U ratios and enriched heavy rare earth elements pattern. We suggest that these zircon grains formed from a different reservoir from that for garnet where no trace elements was present and trace element equilibrium between zircon and garnet was achieved. U-Pb dating of zircon gave an age of 232-237 Ma for the eclogite, and that of rutile yielded a slightly younger age of ca. 217 Ma. These ages are consistent with the reported Lu-Hf mineral isochron and phengite Ar-Ar ages. The zircon U-Pb and mineral Lu-Hf isochron ages are interpreted as the time of the peak eclogite-facies metamorphism, whereas the rutile U-Pb and phengite Ar-Ar ages represent the time of exhumation to the middle crust. Thus, the distinction between metamorphic and magmatic zircons cannot be made using only Th/U ratios and heavy REE compositions for HP-UHP metamorphic rocks of oceanic derivation.

  19. Petrogenesis, detrital zircon SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology, and tectonic implications of the Upper Paleoproterozoic Seosan iron formation, western Gyeonggi Massif, Korea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Chang Seong; Jang, Yirang; Samuel, Vinod O.; Kwon, Sanghoon; Park, Jung-Woo; Yi, Keewook; Choi, Seon-Gyu

    2018-05-01

    This study involves investigations on the Upper Paleoproterozoic iron formation (viz., Seosan iron formation) from the Seosan Group, Gyeonggi Massif of the southwestern Korean Peninsula. It occurs as thin banded layers within meta-arkosic sandstone, formed by alternating processes of chemical (hydrothermal) and detrital depositions under a shallow marine environment. It mainly consists of alternating layers of iron oxides, mostly hematite, and quartz. Minor amounts of magnetite surrounded by muscovite, clinopyroxene and amphibole indicate hydrothermal alteration since its formation. Meta-arkosic sandstone is composed of recrystallized or porphyroclastic quartz and microcline, with small amounts of hematite and pyrite clusters. The Seosan iron formation has high contents of total Fe2O3 and SiO2 with positive Eu anomalies similar to those of other Precambrian banded iron formations, and its formation is clearly related to hydrothermal alteration since its deposition. Detrital zircon SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology data from a meta-arkosic sandstone (SN-1) and an iron formation (SN-2) show mainly two age groups of ca. 2.5 Ga and ca. 1.9-1.75 Ga. This together with intrusion age of the granite gneiss (ca. 1.70-1.65 Ga) clearly indicate that the iron formations were deposited during the Upper Paleoproterozoic. The dominant Paleoproterozoic detrital zircon bimodal age peaks preserved in the Seosan iron formation compare well with those from the South China Craton sedimentary basins, reflecting global tectonic events related to the Columbia supercontinent in East Asia.

  20. Complex Histories of Two Lunar Zircons as Evidenced by their Internal Structures and U-Pb Ages

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pidgeon, R. T.; Nemchin, A. A.; Meyer, Charles

    2006-01-01

    The U-Pb dating of lunar zircon by ion-microprobe provides a robust technique for investigating the timing of lunar events [1,2]. However, we have now identified two cases where the U-Pb systems in a single zircon show more than one age. These complex zircons provide new opportunities for extending our knowledge on the timing of events in the early history of the Moon.

  1. Pan-Africa/Pan-Brazilian detrital zircons in Lower Palaeozoic schists of SW Norway - enigmatic detrital zircon U-Pb ages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zimmermann, Udo; Bjørheim, Maren; Clark, Chris

    2013-04-01

    We present Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb zircon age data from metasedimentary rocks (schists and quartzites) located in the town of Stavanger (SW Norway). The metasedimentary sequence is composed of schists, medium grained quartz-rich metawackes and quartzites. Quartzites and meta-quartz-wackes exhibit a mylonitic fabric with newly grown fine-grained muscovite defining the fabric. Accessory minerals are zircon, allanite, detrital apatite, monazite, ilmenite, rutile and zircon. The schists are dark and dominated by quartz and feldspar in a fine chloritic and silica-rich matrix and represent the dominant lithology of the region. While quartzites and metawackes show typical geochemical characteristics for strongly reworked rocks, the schists have very low Zr/Sc and Th/Sc ratios below 0.9 and point together with other trace element ratios (La/Sc, Ti/Zr) to the strong influence of less fractionated, mafic, sources in the detritus, possibly arc derived. U-Pb ages of detrital zircon from quartzites range between 740 to 1800 Ma. There is a defined population at 1135 and 1010 Ma tentatively correlated with the Sveconorwegian orogeny. A second population at ~1450 Ma that can be related to a tectono-magmatic event during the Earliest Mesoproterozoic, also recorded in Oslo, southern Sweden and Bornholm, mapped along the proposed southern margin of Baltica. Other detrital zircons record ages between 1586 - 1664 Ma that are not related to the latter event. The oldest U-Pb detrital zircon grain age was 1796 Ma and is potentially associated with the terminal phase of the Svecofennian orogeny. Detrital zircons from the associated schists do show a similar abundance of main age clusters but the oldest found zircons dates to 2013 Ma while the maximum depositional age could be determined by grains of Cambrian to even Ordovician ages with a large 1 sigma error, as such that we rather propose a Cambrian maximum depositional age. It is possible to speculate that

  2. SHRIMP U-Pb dating, trace elements and the Lu-Hf isotope system of coesite-bearing zircon from amphibolite in the SW Sulu UHP terrane, eastern China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Fulai; Gerdes, Axel; Zeng, Lingsen; Xue, Huaimin

    2008-06-01

    In this study, we link mineral inclusion data, trace element analyses, U-Pb age and Hf isotope composition obtained from distinct zircon domains of complex zircon to unravel the origin and multi-stage metamorphic evolution of amphibolites from the Sulu ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terrane, eastern China. Zircon grains separated from amphibolites from the CCSD-MH drill hole (G12) and Niushan outcrop (G13) were subdivided into two main types based on cathodoluminescence (CL) and Laser Raman spectroscopy: big dusty zircons with inherited cores and UHP metamorphic rims and small clear zircons. Weakly zoned, grey-white luminescent inherited cores preserve mineral inclusions of Cpx + Pl + Ap ± Qtz indicative of a mafic igneous protolith. Dark grey luminescent overgrowth rims contain the coesite eclogite-facies mineral inclusion assemblage Coe + Grt + Omp + Phe + Ap, and formed at T = 732-839 °C and P = 3.0-4.0 GPa. In contrast, white luminescent small clear zircons preserve mineral inclusions formed during retrograde HP quartz eclogite to LP amphibolite-facies metamorphism (T = 612-698 °C and P = 0.70-1.05 GPa). Inherited zircons from both samples yield SHRIMP 206Pb/238U ages of 695-520 Ma with an upper intercept age of 800 ± 31 Ma. The UHP rims yield consistent Triassic ages around 236-225 and 239-225 Ma for G12 and G13 with weighted means of 229 ± 3 and 231 ± 3 Ma, respectively. Small clear zircons from both samples give 206Pb/238U ages around 219-210 Ma with a weighted mean of 214 ± 3 Ma, interpreted as the age of retrograde quartz eclogite-facies metamorphism. Matrix amphibole from both samples indicate Ar-Ar ages of 209 ± 0.7 and 207 ± 0.7 Ma, respectively, probably dating late amphibolite-facies retrogression. The data suggest subduction of Neoproterozoic mafic igneous rocks to UHP conditions in Middle Triassic (∼230 Ma) times and subsequent exhumation to an early HP (∼214 Ma) and a late LP stage (∼208 Ma) over a period of ∼16 and 6 Myr, respectively

  3. U-Pb systematics in coexisting zircon, rutile and titanite from granophyres in the Archean Stillwater Complex: metamictization and the fate of radiogenic Pb

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Friedman, R. M.; Wall, C. J.; Scoates, J. S.; Meurer, W. P.

    2009-12-01

    Self-irradiation of zircon causes structural damage (metamictization) that can result in the loss of radiogenic Pb during interaction with aqueous solutions. To evaluate this behavior in metamict zircon, and in other U-bearing accessory phases like titanite and rutile, we are examining the U-Pb systematics of granophyric rocks from the ca. 2.7 Ga Stillwater layered intrusion, Montana. Four samples were studied in detail, including a pegmatitic ksp-qtz core to a gabbroic pegmatoid in the Lower Banded Series (N1), an alaskite and an amphibole-rich reaction zone between the alaskite and anorthosite (AN1) in the Middle Banded Series, and an amphibole-bearing granophyre from the Upper Banded Series (GN3). Except in the pegmatite, zircon is variably metamict with amorphous zones characterized by distinctive Ca-enrichment. Single zircon grains were analyzed by ID-TIMS following annealing and chemical abrasion, and multi-grain (n=4-5) fractions of titanite and rutile were analyzed by conventional ID-TIMS; the UBC 233-235U-205Pb isotopic tracer is calibrated against mixed U-Pb gravimetric reference solutions made available through the EarthTime initiative. The U-Pb systematics are coherent only for the pegmatite yielding both a Concordia age of 2709.60 ± 0.80 Ma (2σ, including tracer calibration, decay-constant errors not included) for low-U zircon (76-237 ppm) and concordant titanite results with 207Pb/206Pb ages from 2701-2710 Ma. The results for high-U zircon (up to 1438 ppm) for the other three samples are strongly discordant (9-43%, 85-89%, 28-71%, respectively) with a wide range of 207Pb/206Pb ages (2583-2647 Ma, 2210-2357 Ma, 2345-2499 Ma). Given the extreme incompatibility of Pb2+ in zircon and the highly metamict state of zircon in these granophyres, we are investigating the extent to which radiogenic lead is selectively removed during the chemical abrasion and annealing process from step-wise leaching experiments and image analysis (CL, SEM). In contrast

  4. Coordinated U-Pb geochronology, trace element, Ti-in-zircon thermometry and microstructural analysis of Apollo zircons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crow, Carolyn A.; McKeegan, Kevin D.; Moser, Desmond E.

    2017-04-01

    We present the results of a coordinated SIMS U-Pb, trace element, Ti-in-zircon thermometry, and microstructural study of 155 lunar zircons separated from Apollo 14, 15, and 17 breccia and soil samples that help resolve discrepancies between the zircon data, the lunar whole rock history and lunar magma ocean crystallization models. The majority of lunar grains are detrital fragments, some nearly 1 mm in length, of large parent crystals suggesting that they crystallized in highly enriched KREEP magmas. The zircon age distributions for all three landing sites exhibit an abundance of ages at ∼4.33 Ga, however they differ in that only Apollo 14 samples have a population of zircons with ages between 4.1 and 3.9 Ga. These younger grains comprise only 10% of all dated lunar zircons and are usually small and highly shocked making them more susceptible to Pb-loss. These observations suggest that the majority of zircons crystallized before 4.1 Ga and that KREEP magmatism had predominantly ceased by this time. We also observed that trace element analyses are easily affected by contributions from inclusions (typically injected impact melt) within SIMS analyses spots. After filtering for these effects, rare-earth element (REE) abundances of pristine zircon are consistent with one pattern characterized by a negative Eu anomaly and no positive Ce anomaly, implying that the zircons formed in a reducing environment. This inference is consistent with crystallization temperatures based on measured Ti concentrations and new estimates of oxide activities which imply temperatures ranging between 958 ± 57 and 1321 ± 100 °C, suggesting that zircon parent magmas were anhydrous. Together, the lunar zircon ages and trace elements are consistent with a ⩽300 My duration of KREEP magmatism under anhydrous, reducing conditions. We also report two granular texture zircons that contain baddeleyite cores, which both yield 207Pb-206Pb ages of 4.33 Ga. These grains are our best constraints on

  5. Thermomagmatic evolution of Mesoproterozoic crust in the Blue Ridge of SW Virginia and NW North Carolina: Evidence from U-Pb geochronology and zircon geothermometry

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Tollo, Richard P.; Aleinikoff, John N.; Wooden, Joseph L.; Mazdab, Frank K.; Southworth, Scott; Fanning, Mark C.

    2010-01-01

    New geologic mapping, petrology, and U-Pb geochronology indicate that Mesoproterozoic crust near Mount Rogers consists of felsic to mafic meta-igneous rocks emplaced over 260 m.y. The oldest rocks are compositionally diverse and migmatitic, whereas younger granitoids are porphyritic to porphyroclastic. Cathodoluminescence imaging indicates that zircon from four representative units preserves textural evidence of multiple episodes of growth, including domains of igneous, metamorphic, and inherited origin. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) trace-element analyses indicate that metamorphic zircon is characterized by lower Th/U, higher Yb/Gd, and lower overall rare earth element (REE) concentrations than igneous zircon. SHRIMP U-Pb isotopic analyses of zircon define three episodes of magmatism: 1327 ± 7 Ma, 1180–1155 Ma, and 1061 ± 5 Ma. Crustal recycling is recorded by inherited igneous cores of 1.33–1.29 Ga age in 1161 ± 7 Ma meta-monzogranite. Overlapping ages of igneous and metamorphic crystallization indicate that plutons of ca. 1170 and 1060 Ma age were emplaced during episodes of regional heating. Local development of hornblende + plagioclase + quartz ± clinopyroxene indicates that prograde metamorphism at 1170–1145 Ma and 1060–1020 Ma reached upper-amphibolite-facies conditions, with temperatures estimated using Ti-in-zircon geothermometry at ~740 ± 40 °C during both episodes. The chemical composition of 1327 ± 7 Ma orthogranofels from migmatite preserves the first evidence of arc-generated rocks in the Blue Ridge, indicating a subduction-related environment that may have been comparable to similar-age systems in inliers of the Northern Appalachians and the Composite Arc belt of Canada. Granitic magmatism at 1180–1155 Ma and ca. 1060 Ma near Mount Rogers was contemporaneous with anorthosite-mangerite-charnockite-granite (AMCG) plutonism in the Northern Appalachian inliers and Canadian Grenville Province. Metamorphism at ca. 1160

  6. High-precision ID-TIMS zircon U-Pb geochronology using new 1013 Ohm resistors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Von Quadt, A.; Buret, Y.; Large, S.; Peytcheva, I.; Trinquier, A.; Wotzlaw, J. F.

    2015-12-01

    Faraday cups equipped with high gain amplifiers provide a means to measure small ion beams in static mode without the limited linear range of ion counting systems. We tested the application of newly available 1013 Ohm resistors to ID-TIMS zircon U-Pb geochronology using a range of natural and synthetic reference materials. The TritonPlus-RPQ at the Institute of Geochemistry and Petrology, ETH Zurich, is equipped with five new 1013 Ohm resistors and one MasCom secondary electron multiplier, allowing to measure the 202-204-205-206-207-208Pb masses in static mode. U is measured subsequently as U-oxide (265-267-270UO2) during a second step, also in static Faraday mode. The gain calibration of the 1013 Ohm resistors was performed using the procedure of Trinquier (2014), with 144Nd-146Nd being measured using 1011 Ohm resistor and 142-143-145-148-150Nd being measured using 1013 Ohm resitors (Trinquier, 2014; Koornneef et al., 2014). Standard deviations of the noise in all five new 1013 Ohm resistors are lower than 5.0 x 10-6 over a 6 month period, with no shift occurring over this time interval. This new detector set-up was tested by analyzing natural zircon standard materials and synthetic U/Pb solutions (www.earthime.org), ranging in age from ~2 Ma to ~600 Ma. All natural zircon standards were chemically abraded (Mattinson, 2005) and all samples were spiked with the ET2535 tracer solution. U-Pb dates obtained using the static measurement routine are compared to measurements employing dynamic peak jumping routines on the MasCom multiplier. This study illustrates the benefits and current limitations of using high gain amplifiers to measure small ion beams for zircon U-Pb geochronology compared to conventional dynamic ion counting techniques. Mattinson, J.M. (2005) Chemical Geology 220:47-66; Trinquier, A. (2014) Application Note 30281; Koornneef, J. et al (2014) Analytica Chimica Acta 819:49-55.

  7. Precise U-Pb Zircon Constraints on the Earliest Magmatic History of the Carolina Terrane.

    PubMed

    Wortman; Samson; Hibbard

    2000-05-01

    The early magmatic and tectonic history of the Carolina terrane and its possible affinities with other Neoproterozoic circum-Atlantic arc terranes have been poorly understood, in large part because of a lack of reliable geochronological data. Precise U-Pb zircon dates for the Virgilina sequence, the oldest exposed part, constrain the timing of the earliest known stage of magmatism in the terrane and of the Virgilina orogeny. A flow-banded rhyolite sampled from a metavolcanic sequence near Chapel Hill, North Carolina, yielded a U-Pb zircon date of 632.9 +2.6/-1.9 Ma. A granitic unit of the Chapel Hill pluton, which intrudes the metavolcanic sequence, yielded a nearly identical U-Pb zircon date of 633 +2/-1.5 Ma, interpreted as its crystallization age. A felsic gneiss and a dacitic tuff from the Hyco Formation yielded U-Pb zircon dates of 619.9 +4.5/-3 Ma and 615.7 +3.7/-1.9 Ma, respectively. Diorite and granite of the Flat River complex have indistinguishable U-Pb upper-intercept dates of 613.9 +1.6/-1.5 Ma and 613.4 +2.8/-2 Ma. The Osmond biotite-granite gneiss, which intruded the Hyco Formation before the Virgilina orogeny, crystallized at 612.4 +5.2/-1.7 Ma. Granite of the Roxboro pluton, an intrusion that postdated the Virgilina orogeny, yielded a U-Pb upper intercept date of 546.5 +3.0/-2.4 Ma, interpreted as the time of its crystallization. These new dates both provide the first reliable estimates of the age of the Virgilina sequence and document that the earliest known stage of magmatism in the Carolina terrane had begun by 633 +2/-1.5 Ma and continued at least until 612.4 +5.2/-1.7 Ma, an interval of approximately 25 m.yr. Timing of the Virgilina orogeny is bracketed between 612.4 +5.2/-1.7 Ma and 586+/-10 Ma (reported age of the upper Uwharrie Formation). The U-Pb systematics of all units studied in the Virgilina sequence are simple and lack any evidence of an older xenocrystic zircon component, which would indicate the presence of a continental

  8. Cretaceous crust beneath SW Borneo: U-Pb dating of zircons from metamorphic and granitic rocks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Davies, L.; Hall, R.; Armstrong, R.

    2012-12-01

    Metamorphic basement rocks from SW Borneo are undated but have been suggested to be Palaeozoic. This study shows they record low pressure 'Buchan-type' metamorphism and U-Pb SHRIMP dating of zircons indicates a mid-Cretaceous (volcaniclastic) protolith. SW Borneo is the southeast promontory of Sundaland, the continental core of SE Asia. It has no sedimentary cover and the exposed basement has been widely assumed to be a crustal fragment from the Indochina-China margin. Metamorphic rocks of the Pinoh Group in Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) are intruded by granitoid rocks of Jurassic-Cretaceous age, based on K-Ar dating, suggesting emplacement mainly between 130 and 80 Ma. The Pinoh metamorphic rocks have been described as a suite of pelitic schists, slates, phyllites, and hornfelses, and have not been dated, although they have been correlated with rocks elsewhere in Borneo of supposed Palaeozoic age. Pelitic schists contain biotite, chlorite, cordierite, andalusite, quartz, plagioclase and in some cases high-Mn almandine-rich garnet. Many have a shear fabric associated with biotite and fibrolite intergrowth. Contact metamorphism due to intrusion of the granitoid rocks produced hornfelses with abundant andalusite and cordierite porphyroblasts. Granitoids range from alkali-granite to tonalite and contain abundant hornblende and biotite, with rare white mica. Zircons from granitoid rocks exhibit sector- and concentric- zoning; some have xenocrystic cores mantled by magmatic zircon. There are four important age populations at c. 112, 98, 84 and 84 Ma broadly confirming earlier dating studies. There is a single granite body with a Jurassic age (186 ± 2.3 Ma). Zircons from pelitic metamorphic rocks are typically euhedral, with no evidence of rounding or resorbing of grains; a few preserve volcanic textures. They record older ages than those from igneous rocks; U-Pb ages are Cretaceous with a major population between 134 and 110 Ma. A single sample contains Proterozoic

  9. SHRIMP U-Pb in zircon geochronology of granitoids from Myanmar: temporal constraints on the tectonic evolution of Southeast Asia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barley, M. E.; Zaw, Khin

    2009-04-01

    The Mesozoic to Tertiary tectonic evolution of Southeast Asia is the result of the convergence and collision of fragments of Gondwanaland with Eurasia culminating in the collision of India. A rapidly growing geochronological database is placing tight constraints on the timing and duration of magmatic episodes, metallogenic and tectonic events in the Himalayas, Tibet and eastern Indochina. However, there is little comparable geochronology for Myanmar. This SHRIMP U-Pb in zircon geochronology focuses on granitoids from the Mogok Metamorphic Belt (MMB, a belt of high grade metamorphic rocks at the edge of the Shan-Thai Terrane), the Myeik Archipelago (Shan-Thai Terrane) and the west Myanmar Terrane. Strongly deformed granitic orthogneisses in the MMB near Mandalay contain Jurassic (~170 Ma) zircons that have partly recrystallised during ~43 Ma high-grade metamorphism. A hornblende syenite from Mandalay also contains Jurassic zircons with evidence of Eocene metamorphism rimmed by thin zones of 30.9 ±0.7 Ma magmatic zircon. The relative abundance of Jurassic zircons in these rocks is consistent with suggestions that southern Eurasia had an Andean-type margin at that time. Mid-Cretaceous to earliest Eocene (120 to 50 Ma). I-type granitoids in the MMB, Myeik Archipelago and west Myanmar confirm that prior to the collision of India, an up to 200km wide magmatic belt extended along the Eurasian margin. The primitive I-type Khanza Chaung granodiorite in the Wuntho batholith in the west Myanmar terrane hosts porphyry-style mineralisation and has a magmatic age of 94  1 Ma. Triassic (~240 Ma), Jurassic (~170 Ma) and Early Cretaceous xenocryst zircons in this granitoid correspond with peaks of granitoid magmatism in the Shan-Thai terrane and establish that west Myanmar was part of the margin of Eurasia during the Mesozoic. A suite of highly fractionated metaluminous to peraluminous I-type granitoids with associated Sn-W-Ta mineralisation emplaced in the Myeik Archipelago of

  10. Constraints on the timing of Co-Cu ± Au mineralization in the Blackbird district, Idaho, using SHRIMP U-Pb ages of monazite and xenotime plus zircon ages of related Mesoproterozoic orthogneisses and metasedimentary rocks

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Aleinikoff, John N.; Slack, John F.; Lund, Karen; Evans, Karl V.; Fanning, C. Mark; Mazdab, Frank K.; Wooden, Joseph L.; Pillers, Renee M.

    2012-01-01

    The Blackbird district, east-central Idaho, contains the largest known Co reserves in the United States. The origin of strata-hosted Co-Cu ± Au mineralization at Blackbird has been a matter of controversy for decades. In order to differentiate among possible genetic models for the deposits, including various combinations of volcanic, sedimentary, magmatic, and metamorphic processes, we used U-Pb geochronology of xenotime, monazite, and zircon to establish time constraints for ore formation. New age data reported here were obtained using sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) microanalysis of (1) detrital zircons from a sample of Mesoproterozoic siliciclastic metasedimentary country rock in the Blackbird district, (2) igneous zircons from Mesoproterozoic intrusions, and (3) xenotime and monazite from the Merle and Sunshine prospects at Blackbird. Detrital zircon from metasandstone of the biotite phyllite-schist unit has ages mostly in the range of 1900 to 1600 Ma, plus a few Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic grains. Age data for the six youngest grains form a coherent group at 1409 ± 10 Ma, regarded as the maximum age of deposition of metasedimentary country rocks of the central structural domain. Igneous zircons from nine samples of megacrystic granite, granite augen gneiss, and granodiorite augen gneiss that crop out north and east of the Blackbird district yield ages between 1383 ± 4 and 1359 ± 7 Ma. Emplacement of the Big Deer Creek megacrystic granite (1377 ± 4 Ma), structurally juxtaposed with host rocks in the Late Cretaceous ca. 5 km north of Blackbird, may have been involved in initial deposition of rare earth elements (REE) minerals and, possibly, sulfides. In situ SHRIMP ages of xenotime and monazite in Co-rich samples from the Merle and Sunshine prospects, plus backscattered electron imagery and SHRIMP analyses of trace elements, indicate a complex sequence of Mesoproterozoic and Cretaceous events. On the basis of textural relationships

  11. Improved 206Pb/238U microprobe geochronology by the monitoring of a trace-element-related matrix effect; SHRIMP, ID-TIMS, ELA-ICP-MS and oxygen isotope documentation for a series of zircon standards

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Black, L.P.; Kamo, S.L.; Allen, C.M.; Davis, D.W.; Aleinikoff, J.N.; Valley, J.W.; Mundil, R.; Campbell, I.H.; Korsch, R.J.; Williams, I.S.; Foudoulis, C.

    2004-01-01

    Precise isotope dilution-thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) documentation is given for two new Palaeozoic zircon standards (TEMORA 2 and R33). These data, in combination with results for previously documented standards (AS3, SL13, QGNG and TEMORA 1), provide the basis for a detailed investigation of inconsistencies in 206Pb/238U ages measured by microprobe. Although these ages are normally consistent between any two standards, their relative age offsets are often different from those established by ID-TIMS. This is true for both sensitive high-resolution ion-microprobe (SHRIMP) and excimer laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ELA-ICP-MS) dating, although the age offsets are in the opposite sense for the two techniques. Various factors have been investigated for possible correlations with age bias, in an attempt to resolve why the accuracy of the method is worse than the indicated precision. Crystallographic orientation, position on the grain-mount and oxygen isotopic composition are unrelated to the bias. There are, however, striking correlations between the 206Pb/238U age offsets and P, Sm and, most particularly, Nd abundances in the zircons. Although these are not believed to be the primary cause of this apparent matrix effect, they indicate that ionisation of 206Pb/238U is influenced, at least in part, by a combination of trace elements. Nd is sufficiently representative of the controlling trace elements that it provides a quantitative means of correcting for the microprobe age bias. This approach has the potential to reduce age biases associated with different techniques, different instrumentation and different standards within and between laboratories. Crown Copyright ?? 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Provenance of north Gondwana Cambrian-Ordovician sandstone: U-Pb SHRIMP dating of detrital zircons from Israel and Jordan

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kolodner, K.; Avigad, D.; McWilliams, M.; Wooden, J.L.; Weissbrod, T.; Feinstein, S.

    2006-01-01

    A vast sequence of quartz-rich sandstone was deposited over North Africa and Arabia during Early Palaeozoic times, in the aftermath of Neoproterozoic Pan-African orogeny and the amalgamation of Gondwana. This rock sequence forms a relatively thin sheet (1-3 km thick) that was transported over a very gentle slope and deposited over a huge area. The sense of transport indicates unroofing of Gondwana terranes but the exact provenance of the siliciclastic deposit remains unclear. Detrital zircons from Cambrian arkoses that immediately overlie the Neoproterozoic Arabian-Nubian Shield in Israel and Jordan yielded Neoproterozoic U-Pb ages (900-530 Ma), suggesting derivation from a proximal source such as the Arabian-Nubian Shield. A minor fraction of earliest Neoproterozoic and older age zircons was also detected. Upward in the section, the proportion of old zircons increases and reaches a maximum (40%) in the Ordovician strata of Jordan. The major earliest Neoproterozoic and older age groups detected are 0.95-1.1, 1.8-1.9 and 2.65-2.7 Ga, among which the 0.95-1.1 Ga group is ubiquitous and makes up as much as 27% in the Ordovician of Jordan, indicating it is a prominent component of the detrital zircon age spectra of northeast Gondwana. The pattern of zircon ages obtained in the present work reflects progressive blanketing of the northern Arabian-Nubian Shield by Cambrian-Ordovician sediments and an increasing contribution from a more distal source, possibly south of the Arabian-Nubian Shield. The significant changes in the zircon age signal reflect many hundreds of kilometres of southward migration of the provenance. ?? 2006 Cambridge University Press.

  13. U Pb zircon age, geochemical and Sr Nd Pb Hf isotopic constraints on age and origin of alkaline intrusions and associated mafic dikes from Sulu orogenic belt, Eastern China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Shen; Hu, Ruizhong; Gao, Shan; Feng, Caixia; Qi, Youqiang; Wang, Tao; Feng, Guangying; Coulson, Ian M.

    2008-12-01

    Post-orogenic alkaline intrusions and associated mafic dikes from the Sulu orogenic belt of eastern China consist of quartz monzonites, A-type granites and associated mafic dikes. We report here U-Pb zircon ages, geochemical data and Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic data for these rocks. The SHRIMP U-Pb zircon analyses yield consistent ages ranging from 120.3 ± 2.1 Ma to 126.9 ± 1.9 Ma for five samples from the felsic rocks, and two crystallization ages of 119.0 ± 1.7 Ma and 120.2 ± 1.9 Ma for the mafic dikes. The felsic rocks and mafic dikes are characterized by high ( 87Sr/ 86Sr) i ranging from 0.7079 to 0.7089, low ɛNd( t) values from - 15.3 to - 19.2, 206Pb/ 204Pb = 16.54-17.25, 207Pb/ 204Pb = 15.38-15.63, 208Pb/ 204Pb = 37.15-38.45, and relatively uniform ɛHf( t) values of between - 21.6 ± 0.6 and - 23.7 ± 1.0, for the magmatic zircons. The results suggest that they were derived from a common enriched lithospheric mantle source that was metasomatized by foundered lower crustal eclogitic materials before magma generation. Geochemical and isotopic characteristics imply that the primary magma to these rocks originated through partial melting of ancient lithospheric mantle that was variably hybridized by melts derived from foundered lower crustal eclogite. The mafic dikes may have been generated by subsequent fractionation of clinopyroxene, whereas the felsic rocks resulted from fractionation of potassium feldspar, plagioclase and ilmenite or rutile. Both were not affected by crustal contamination. Combined with previous studies, these findings provide new evidence that the intense lithospheric thinning beneath the Sulu belt of eastern China occurred between 119 and 127 Ma, and that this was caused by the removal of the lower lithosphere (mantle and lower crust).

  14. Origin of northern Gondwana Cambrian sandstone revealed by detrital zircon SHRIMP dating

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Avigad, D.; Kolodner, K.; McWilliams, M.; Persing, H.; Weissbrod, T.

    2003-01-01

    Voluminous Paleozoic sandstone sequences were deposited in northern Africa and Arabia following an extended Neoproterozoic orogenic cycle that culminated in the assembly of Gondwana. We measured sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb ages of detrital zircons separated from several Cambrian units in the Elat area of southern Israel in order to unravel their provenance. This sandstone forms the base of the widespread siliciclastic section now exposed on the periphery of the Arabian-Nubian shield in northeastern Africa and Arabia. Most of the detrital zircons we analyzed yielded Neoproterozoic concordant ages with a marked concentration at 0.55–0.65 Ga. The most likely provenance of the Neoproterozoic detritus is the Arabian-Nubian shield; 0.55–0.65 Ga was a time of posttectonic igneous activity, rift-related volcanism, and strike-slip faulting there. Of the zircons, 30% yielded pre-Neoproterozoic ages grouped at 0.9–1.1 Ga (Kibaran), 1.65–1.85 Ga, and 2.45–2.7 Ga. The majority of the pre-Neoproterozoic zircons underwent Pb loss, possibly as a consequence of the Pan-African orogeny resetting their provenance. Rocks of the Saharan metacraton and the southern Afif terrane in Saudi Arabia (∼1000 km south of Elat) are plausible sources of these zircons. Kibaran basement rocks are currently exposed more than 3000 km south of Elat (flanking the Mozambique belt), but the shape of the detrital zircons of that age and the presence of feldspar in the host sandstone are not fully consistent with such a long-distance transport. Reworking of Neoproteorozoic glacial detritus may explain the presence of Kibaran detrital zircons in the Cambrian of Elat, but the possibility that the Arabian-Nubian shield contains Kibaran rocks (hitherto not recognized) should also be explored.

  15. Deciphering igneous and metamorphic events in high-grade rocks of the Wilmington complex, Delaware: Morphology, cathodoluminescence and backscattered electron zoning, and SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology of zircon and monazite

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Aleinikoff, J.N.; Schenck, W.S.; Plank, M.O.; Srogi, L.A.; Fanning, C.M.; Kamo, S.L.; Bosbyshell, H.

    2006-01-01

    High-grade rocks of the Wilmington Complex, northern Delaware and adjacent Maryland and Pennsylvania, contain morphologically complex zircons that formed through both igneous and metamorphic processes during the development of an island-arc complex and suturing of the arc to Laurentia. The arc complex has been divided into several members, the protoliths of which include both intrusive and extrusive rocks. Metasedimentary rocks are interlayered with the complex and are believed to be the infrastructure upon which the arc was built. In the Wilmingto n Complex rocks, both igneous and metamorphic zircons occur as elongate and equant forms. Chemical zoning, shown by cathodoluminescence (CL), includes both concentric, oscillatory patterns, indicative of igneous origin, and patchwork and sector patterns, suggestive of metamorphic growth. Metamorphic monazites are chemically homogeneous, or show oscillatory or spotted chemical zoning in backscattered electron images. U-Pb geochronology by sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) was used to date complexly zoned zircon and monazite. All but one member of the Wilmington Complex crystallized in the Ordovician between ca. 475 and 485 Ma; these rocks were intruded by a suite of gabbro-to-granite plutonic rocks at 434 ?? Ma. Detrital zircons in metavolcanic and metasedimentary units were derived predominantly from 0.9 to 1.4 Ga (Grenvillian) basement, presumably of Laurentian origin. Amphibolite to granulite facies metamorphism of the Wilmington Complex, recorded by ages of metamorphic zircon (428 ?? 4 and 432 ?? 6 Ma) and monazite (429 ?? 2 and 426 ?? 3 Ma), occurred contemporaneously with emplacement of the younger plutonic rocks. On the basis of varying CL zoning patterns and external morphologies, metamorphic zircons formed by different processes (presumably controlled by rock chemistry) at slightly different times and temperatures during prograde metamorphism. In addition, at least three other thermal episodes are

  16. Textural and U-Pb systematics (CA-TIMS) of stepwise leaching in zircon from granophyres in the Archean Stillwater Complex

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wall, C. J.; Scoates, J. S.; Friedman, R. M.; Meurer, W. P.

    2011-12-01

    The chemical abrasion-TIMS method or CA-TIMS uses a high-temperature annealing treatment to remove the effects of Pb-loss from radiation damaged parts of the zircon lattice and allows for highly precise and accurate U-Pb dating [1]. Zircon with high U-Th concentrations can be strongly metamict and it is not yet clear how effective the chemical abrasion treatment is when applied to these types of grains. In this study, we evaluate the link between the textural response and U-Pb systematics of zircon during chemical leaching for a granophyric rock from the Archean Stillwater Complex in Montana. The sample was selected based on the high abundance of zircon and the high degree of metamictization of the grains. Untreated and leached zircon grains were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS). In thin section, zircon grains are euhedral in morphology and tend to be associated with amphibole-rich zones. Under the SEM, zircon grains typically have two distinct zones, a Ca-rich amorphous zone in the core and a more intact outer shell. Five acid-leaching steps were carried out on grains with each step increasing in temperature and acid strength until the zircon residue completely dissolved (starting at a 50% strength HF/HNO3 mixture at 100°C for 4 hours and finishing at full strength acid at 170°C for 4 hours). SEM imaging was conducted on grains after each step with a noticeable change in the morphology of the grains. As the leaching progressed, the acid leach created large pathways through the crystal lattice until only grain fragments remained, in some cases even boring large holes into the centre of the zircon grain. The acid preferentially dissolved the more soluble Ca-rich zones leaving behind fragile zircon "shells". U-Pb results of untreated grains are highly discordant (37-80%) and yield a chord with an upper intercept age of 1981 ± 140 Ma, whereas leached grains are slightly less

  17. Refined Proterozoic evolution of the Gawler Craton, South Australia, through U-Pb zircon geochronology

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Fanning, C.M.; Flint, R.B.; Parker, A.J.; Ludwig, K. R.; Blissett, A.H.

    1988-01-01

    Through the application of both conventional U-Pb zircon analyses and small-sample U-Pb isotopic analyses, the nature and timing of tectonic events leading to the formation of the Gawler Craton have been defined more precisely. Constraints on deposition of Early Proterozoic iron formation-bearing sediments have been narrowed down to the period 1960-1847 Ma. Deformed acid volcanics, including the economically important Moonta Porphyry, have zircon ages of ??? 1790 and 1740 Ma. The voluminous acid Gawler Range Volcanics and correlatives to the east were erupted over a short interval at 1592 ?? 2 Ma, and were intruded by anorogenic granites at ??? 1575 Ma. Small-sample zircon analyses proved to be an extremely valuable adjunct to conventional analyses, generally yielding more-concordant data which forced a curved discordia through an upper intercept slightly younger than from a conventional straight-line discordia. ?? 1988.

  18. New Hf isotope data from the Jack Hills zircons: constraints on the Hadean crustal evolution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Amelin, Y.; Davis, D.; Lee, D.

    2004-05-01

    Here we present a follow-up of our study of the "older" population of detrital zircons from the Jack Hills metaconglomerate W-74 [1]. We report Lu-Hf data for zircon grains, which have been previously analyzed with a number of techniques: BSE and CL imaging, detailed U-Pb SHRIMP geochronology, trace element concentrations, and oxygen isotopic compositions. After completion of non-destructive SIMS analyses and imaging, the zircons were extracted from the mounts, dissolved and analyzed for U-Pb and Lu-Hf using isotope dilution. Twenty five grains were air abraded before digestion, and eight grains were digested without abrasion. Four grains were cut, and the fragments were analyzed for U-Pb and Lu-Hf separately. The 207Pb/206Pb ages determined by isotope dilution vary between 3788-4186 Ma; the maximum SHRIMP spot 207Pb/206Pb ages of the same grains are between 3871-4276 Ma. The spot 207Pb/206Pb ages averaged over each grain are close to the whole grain isotope dilution values. The U-Pb discordance depends mainly on whether the grains were abraded: the median discordance of 27 abraded grains and fragments is 2.7 (the range is -0.4 to 20.2), whereas the median discordance of 11 unabraded grains and fragments is 66.5 (the range is 20.5 to 83.5). The epsilon176Hf values, calculated using the whole grain TIMS 207Pb/206Pb ages and the 176Lu decay constant of 1.865*10-11, are between -1.4 and -10.6. Using maximum SHRIMP spot 207Pb/206Pb ages and the same decay constant yields the range of epsilon176Hf of 0.1 to -8.6. If the decay constant of 1.983*10-11 is used instead, then the range of epsilon176Hf becomes 4.7 to -5.0 using the whole grain ages, or 6.3 to -3.0 using the maximum SHRIMP spot ages. Grain fragment analyses show internal variations of initial 176Hf/177Hf in three grains out of five. This observation is consistent with multi-episodic zircon growth rather than with ancient Pb loss. In the presentation we shall discuss the prospect of reliable interpretation of

  19. Zircon U-Th and U-Pb Ages From Quaternary Silicic Volcanic and Plutonic Rocks, and Their Bearing on Granitoid Batholiths

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bacon, C. R.

    2007-12-01

    In the ten years since publication of M. Reid et al.'s seminal paper on zircon ages from rhyolites (EPSL 150:2-39, 1997) >20 papers have appeared on SIMS 238U-230Th and 238U-206Pb geochronology of zircon from silicic volcanic rocks, plutonic xenoliths, and young intrusions. In some cases, as well as for U-Pb studies of Tertiary granitoids, plutonic samples are interpreted in the context of related volcanism. These geochronologic data have advanced conceptual models of silicic magma genesis and pluton construction. Of fundamental importance are discoveries that zircons in volcanic rocks typically pre-date eruption by 10's to 100's of kyr and that multiple zircon populations are common; these crystals are "antecrysts" recycled from intrusive rocks or crystal mush of the system that vented. Resolving such age differences is possible with U-Th at <300 ka but is challenging with U-Pb, where SIMS precision limits resolution of differences on the order of 100 kyr for Pleistocene-Miocene zircons. Cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging of polished crystals guides beam placement but leads to sampling bias that favors high-U regions. Thus, although model-age histograms and relative probability plots identify zircon age populations, they are unlikely to accurately define relative abundances of age groups. Microbeam analysis collects data for the entire volume sampled but only SIMS depth-profiling into crystal faces can spatially resolve fine zones. ID-TIMS analysis of CL-imaged zircon fragments can improve U-Pb precision. SIMS complements geochronology with trace element fingerprints of zircon growth environments and enables Ti-in-zircon thermometry. Literature examples illustrate recent findings: (1) rhyodacite lava at Crater Lake contains zircons derived from late Pleistocene granodiorite represented by blocks ejected in the caldera-forming eruption; (2) zircons in Mount St. Helens dacites grew at sub-eruption temperatures and pre-date eruptions by up to 250 kyr; (3) Miocene

  20. U-Pb systematics of zircon and titanite from the Gardnos impact structure, Norway: Evidence for impact at 546 Ma?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kalleson, E.; Corfu, F.; Dypvik, H.

    2009-05-01

    Zircon and titanite were investigated in impactites of the Gardnos structure, a crater formed in Sveconorwegian (ca. 1 Ga) crust, which was then overridden in the Devonian by Caledonian nappes. Observed deformation features in zircons are granular texture, planar microstructures, and likely the incorporation of organic carbon during impact causing black staining of the zircon grains. The grains were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and cathode luminescence (CL) and dated by U-Pb isotope dilution - thermo-ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS). Zircon grains without impact related features have U-Pb data showing moderate discordance (5-13%) and indicating formation ages mostly in the range of 1600-1000 Ma, except detrital zircon ages as old as >2481 Ma, reflecting the diversity of target rocks in the area. Titanite with concordant ages of 995-999 Ma dates metamorphism during final juxtaposition of the Telemarkia on the Idefjorden terrane to the east. Zircon grains with demonstrated or presumed shock features yield highly discordant (14-40%) U-Pb data, with a majority of them plotting along an array with a lower intercept of about 340 Ma reflecting the influence of the Caledonian orogeny and recent Pb-loss. One zircon grain was totally reset at 379 Ma during late Caledonian metamorphism, which also caused local growth of new titanite. A specific group of zircon grains yields data with relatively high discordance for moderate U contents, and five of these analyses, including that of a grain with proven granular or aggregate texture, fit a discordia line with an upper intercept of 546 ± 5 Ma. These features are interpreted as indicating zircon break-down to an amorphous state during impact, with subsequent recrystallization into microcrystalline aggregates causing extensive to complete Pb loss. We further suggest that their crystallinity prevented Pb loss during the Caledonian orogeny, while the small subgrain size and increasing metamictisation allowed

  1. Using U-Pb Detrital Zircon Geochronology to Study Ice Streams in the Weddell Sea Embayment, Antarctica

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Agrios, L.; Licht, K.; Hemming, S. R.; Williams, T.

    2016-12-01

    Till from major ice streams of the Weddell Sea Embayment contain detrital zircons with distinct U-Pb age populations that can be used as a provenance tool to better understand ice stream dynamics. The ice streams in this study include the Foundation Ice Stream, and Academy, Slessor, and Recovery glaciers, all of which drain ice from the continent's interior into the Weddell Sea. Characterizing the U-Pb detrital zircon ages in till and rocks will (1) provide the zircon provenance signatures of the material carried by the ice stream - when these signatures are found in LGM and older deposits downstream they can enable interpretation of past ice flow history; and (2) constrain ice-covered upstream bedrock geology that supplies the till carried by ice streams and glaciers. U-Pb ages of detrital zircons were measured in 21 samples of onshore till, erratics, and bedrock of potential source rocks. Grains were analyzed by LA-ICPMS at the University of Arizona (n=300). Relative probability U-Pb age density plots of till in moraines along the Foundation Ice Stream and Academy Glacier show prominent peaks at 500-530 and 615-650 Ma, which overlap with the timing of the Ross and Pan-African orogenies. Zircon ages of 1000-1095 Ma are also present. Local bedrock in the Patuxent Range has the most prominent peak at 510 Ma, suggesting the till is predominantly derived from local Patuxent Formation. However, local bedrock also has fewer grains at 1030 Ma which suggests that this age population is carried in the till as well. Prominent peaks in U-Pb ages from till transported by the Recovery Glacier are 530, 635, 1610 and 1770 Ma. Bedrock of this area contains similar age peaks, with the exception of the 635 Ma peak, suggesting that this ice stream is carrying a signature from an unexposed source of this age completely buried by ice. The Slessor Glacier carries zircons with prominent populations at 1710 and 2260-2420 Ma, which overlap with a high-grade metamorphic event in the

  2. Reply to Comment on "Zircon U-Th-Pb dating using LA-ICP-MS: Simultaneous U-Pb and U-Th dating on the 0.1 Ma Toya Tephra, Japan"

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ito, Hisatoshi

    2015-04-01

    Guillong et al. (2015) mentioned that corrections for abundance sensitivity for 232Th and molecular zirconium sesquioxide ions (Zr2O3+) are critical for reliable determination of 230Th abundances in zircon for LA-ICP-MS analyses. There is no denying that more rigorous treatments are necessary to obtain more reliable ages than those in Ito (2014). However, as shown in Fig. 2 in Guillong et al. (2015), the uncorrected (230Th)/(238U) for reference zircons except for Mud Tank are only 5-20% higher than unity. Since U abundance of Toya Tephra zircons that have U-Pb ages < 1 Ma is in-between that of FCT and Plesovice, the overestimation of 230Th by both abundance sensitivity and molecular interferences is expected to be 5-20% for the Toya Tephra. Moreover Ito (2014) obtained U-Th ages of the Toya Tephra by comparison with Fish Canyon Tuff (FCT) data. Because both the FCT and the Toya Tephra have similar trends of overestimation of 230Th, the effect of overestimation of 230Th to cause overestimation of U-Th age should be cancelled out or negligible. Therefore the pivotal conclusion in Ito (2014) that simultaneous U-Pb and U-Th dating using LA-ICP-MS is possible and useful for Quaternary zircons holds true.

  3. Enhanced provenance interpretation using combined U-Pb and (U-Th)/He double dating of detrital zircon grains from lower Miocene strata, proximal Gulf of Mexico Basin, North America

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Jie; Stockli, Daniel F.; Snedden, John W.

    2017-10-01

    Detrital zircon U-Pb analysis is an effective approach for investigating sediment provenance by relating crystallization age to potential crystalline source terranes. Studies of large passive margin basins, such as the Gulf of Mexico Basin, that have received sediment from multiple terranes with non-unique crystallization ages or sedimentary strata, benefit from additional constraints to better elucidate provenance interpretation. In this study, U-Pb and (U-Th)/He double dating analyses on single zircons from the lower Miocene sandstones in the northern Gulf of Mexico Basin reveal a detailed history of sediment source evolution. U-Pb age data indicate that most zircon originated from five major crystalline provinces, including the Western Cordillera Arc (<250 Ma), the Appalachian-Ouachita orogen (500-260 Ma), the Grenville (1300-950 Ma) orogen, the Mid-Continent Granite-Rhyolite (1500-1300 Ma), and the Yavapai-Mazatzal (1800-1600 Ma) terranes as well as sparse Pan-African (700-500 Ma) and Canadian Shield (>1800 Ma) terranes. Zircon (U-Th)/He ages record tectonic cooling and exhumation in the U.S. since the Mesoproterozoic related to the Grenville to Laramide Orogenies. The combined crystallization and cooling information from single zircon double dating can differentiate volcanic and plutonic zircons. Importantly, the U-Pb-He double dating approach allows for the differentiation between multiple possible crystallization-age sources on the basis of their subsequent tectonic evolution. In particular, for Grenville zircons that are present in all of lower Miocene samples, four distinct zircon U-Pb-He age combinations are recognizable that can be traced back to four different possible sources. The integrated U-Pb and (U-Th)/He data eliminate some ambiguities and improves the provenance interpretation for the lower Miocene strata in the northern Gulf of Mexico Basin and illustrate the applicability of this approach for other large-scale basins to reconstruct sediment

  4. Sedimentary provenance of Trinity Peninsula Group, Antarctic Peninsula: petrography, geochemistry and SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age constraints.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Castillo, P.; Lacassie, J. P.; Hervé, F.; Fanning, C. M.

    2009-04-01

    The Trinity Peninsula Group (TPG) crops out in northern Graham Land and consists of a mostly non-fossiliferous metasedimentary succession of Permo-Triassic(?) age, which was accreted prior to the initiation of the Gondwana breakup. This succession has been sub-divided, from north to south, into five formations, namely: Hope Bay (HBF), View Point (VPF), Legoupil (LgF), Charlotte Bay (ChBF) and Paradise Harbour (PHF) formations. However, there are still large areas with unknown stratigraphic allocation, age and extension. Twenty TPG samples (12 sandstones and 8 mudstones) were collected from four localities in the Antarctic Peninsula, including Hope Bay; Paradise Harbour, Cape Legoupil and Charlotte Bay. Twelve sandstones were selected for modal analysis and 15 samples (7 sandstones and 8 mudstones) for whole rock chemical analysis. The geochemical data of the TPG samples was compared with the geochemical data of other sedimentary successions of different provenance and tectonic setting, by using unsupervised artificial neural networks. The modal composition of the sandstones is dominated by quartz and, in similar but smaller proportions by feldspar, and according to the discrimination scheme of Dickinson et al. (1983) is consistent with the product of erosion of the plutonic roots of a magmatic arc. The chemical data suggest a relatively evolved source, with a composition similar to a typical granodioritic continental magmatic arc. The deposition of the detritus is most likely to have occurred within an active continental margin. Three sandstone samples from the HBF, LgF and PHF were selected for U-Pb dating of detrital zircons by SHRIMP. For the HBF and PHF samples, the major age component is Permian (270-280 Ma). Only the sample from LgF has two important peaks at ~270 and ~470 Ma. In all cases, the youngest dated zircon is Permian (~257 Ma). These results show that there are strong chemical and chronological similarities between the TPG, the Duque de York Complex

  5. Zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic compositions indicate multiple sources for Grenvillian detrital zircon deposited in western Laurentia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howard, Amanda L.; Farmer, G. Lang; Amato, Jeffrey M.; Fedo, Christopher M.

    2015-12-01

    Combined U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic data from 1.0 Ga to 1.3 Ga (Grenvillian) detrital zircon in Neoproterozoic and Cambrian siliciclastic sedimentary rocks in southwest North America, and from igneous zircon in potential Mesoproterozoic source rocks, are used to better assess the provenance of detrital zircon potentially transported across Laurentia in major river systems originating in the Grenville orogenic highlands. High-precision hafnium isotopic analyses of individual ∼1.1 Ga detrital zircon from Neoproterozoic siliciclastic sedimentary rocks in Sonora, northern Mexico, reveal that these zircons have low εHf (0) (-22 to -26) and were most likely derived from ∼1.1 Ga granitic rocks embedded in local Mojave Province Paleoproterozoic crust. In contrast, Grenvillian detrital zircons in Cambrian sedimentary rocks in Sonora, the Great Basin, and the Mojave Desert, have generally higher εHf (0) (-15 to -21) as demonstrated both by high precision solution-based, and by lower precision laser ablation, ICPMS data and were likely derived from more distal sources further to the east/southeast in Laurentia. Comparison to new and existing zircon U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotopic data from Grenvillian crystalline rocks from the Appalachian Mountains, central and west Texas, and from Paleoproterozoic terranes throughout southwest North America reveals that zircon in Cambrian sandstones need not entirely represent detritus transported across the continent from Grenville province rocks in the vicinity of the present-day southern Appalachian Mountains. Instead, these zircons could have been derived from more proximal, high εHf (0), ∼1.1 Ga, crystalline rocks such as those exposed today in the Llano Uplift in central Texas and in the Franklin Mountains of west Texas. Regardless of the exact source(s) of the Grenvillian detrital zircon, new and existing whole-rock Nd isotopic data from Neoproterozoic to Cambrian siliciclastic sedimentary rocks in the Mojave Desert

  6. Magmatic Longevity Constrained by ID-TIMS U-Pb Dating of Zircon and Titanite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Szymanowski, D.; Wotzlaw, J. F.; Ellis, B. S.; Bachmann, O.; Von Quadt, A.

    2016-12-01

    Clues about the timescales and thermal conditions associated with the growth and evacuation of large silicic magma reservoirs are frequently drawn from radiometric dating, diffusion modelling, or thermomechanical modelling. A growing amount of petrological and geochronological evidence, supported by thermal modelling, suggests that many silicic magma reservoirs may exist for some 104-106 years in the form of high-crystallinity mushes at relatively low temperatures ( 700-750°C; [1-3]). Geochronological studies addressing this issue typically utilise the U-Pb system in zircon capable of recording extended periods of crystallisation, particularly in evolved calc-alkaline systems that spend most of their lifetime zircon-saturated. In this study, we integrate U-Pb dating of zircon and titanite to investigate the longevity of the magma reservoir that produced the Kneeling Nun Tuff, a 35 Ma, >900 km3 crystal-rich rhyolitic super-eruption from the Mogollon-Datil volcanic field in New Mexico (USA). High-precision ID-TIMS U-Pb dates of single crystals of both zircon and titanite independently record a continuous crystallisation history over >400,000 years. We combine the dating of both accessory phases with textural, major, trace element and isotopic studies of single crystals, placing tight constraints on the thermal conditions of magma accumulation and storage while recording differentiation and rejuvenation processes within the magma reservoir. The results suggest a protracted `cool' upper-crustal storage of magma prior to the Kneeling Nun Tuff eruption followed by a melting event which reduced the magma crystallinity and conditioned it for eruption. [1] Bachmann & Bergantz (2004), J. Petrol. 45, 1565-1582. [2] Gelman et al. (2013), Geology 41, 759-762. [3] Cooper & Kent (2014), Nature 506, 480-483.

  7. The effect of weathering on U-Th-Pb and oxygen isotope systems of ancient zircons from the Jack Hills, Western Australia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pidgeon, R. T.; Nemchin, A. A.; Whitehouse, M. J.

    2017-01-01

    We report the result of a SIMS U-Th-Pb and O-OH study of 44 ancient zircons from the Jack Hills in Western Australia with ages ranging from 4.3 Ga to 3.3 Ga. We have investigated the behaviour of oxygen isotopes and water in the grains by determining δ18O and OH values at a number of locations on the polished surfaces of each grain. We have divided the zircons into five groups on the basis of their U-Th-Pb and OH-oxygen isotopic behaviour. The first group has concordant U-Th-Pb ages, minimal common Pb, δ18O values consistent with zircons derived from mantle source rocks and no detectable OH content. U-Th-Pb systems in zircons from Groups 2, 3 and 4 vary from concordant to extremely discordant where influenced by cracks. Discordia intercepts with concordia at approximately zero Ma age are interpreted as disturbance of the zircon U-Th-Pb systems by weathering solutions during the extensive, deep weathering that has affected the Archean Yilgarn Craton of Western Australia since at least the Permian. Weathering solutions entering cracks have resulted in an influx of Th and U. δ18O values of Group 2 grains fall approximately within the "mantle" range and OH is within background levels or slightly elevated. δ18O values of Group 3 grains are characterised by an initial trend of decreasing δ18O with increasing OH content. With further increase in OH this trend reverses and δ18O becomes heavier with increasing OH. Group 4 grains have a distinct trend of increasing δ18O with increasing OH. These trends are explained in terms of the reaction of percolating water with the metamict zircon structure and appear to be independent of analytical overlap with cracks. Group five zircons are characterised by U-Pb systems that appear to consist of more than one age but show only minor U-Pb discordance. Nevertheless trends in δ18O versus OH in this group of grains resemble trends seen in the other groups. The observed trends of δ18O with OH in the Jack Hills zircons are similar

  8. Link between SSZ ophiolite formation, emplacement and arc inception, Northland, New Zealand: U Pb SHRIMP constraints; Cenozoic SW Pacific tectonic implications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whattam, Scott A.; Malpas, John; Smith, Ian E. M.; Ali, Jason R.

    2006-10-01

    New U-Pb age-data from zircons separated from a Northland ophiolite gabbro yield a mean 206Pb/ 238U age of 31.6 ± 0.2 Ma, providing support for a recently determined 28.3 ± 0.2 Ma SHRIMP age of an associated plagiogranite and ˜ 29-26 Ma 40Ar/ 39Ar ages ( n = 9) of basalts of the ophiolite. Elsewhere, Miocene arc-related calc-alkaline andesite dikes which intrude the ophiolitic rocks contain zircons which yield mean 206Pb/ 238U ages of 20.1 ± 0.2 and 19.8 ± 0.2 Ma. The ophiolite gabbro and the andesites both contain rare inherited zircons ranging from 122-104 Ma. The Early Cretaceous zircons in the arc andesites are interpreted as xenocrysts from the Mt. Camel basement terrane through which magmas of the Northland Miocene arc lavas erupted. The inherited zircons in the ophiolite gabbros suggest that a small fraction of this basement was introduced into the suboceanic mantle by subduction and mixed with mantle melts during ophiolite formation. We postulate that the tholeiitic suite of the ophiolite represents the crustal segment of SSZ lithosphere (SSZL) generated in the southern South Fiji Basin (SFB) at a northeast-dipping subduction zone that was initiated at about 35 Ma. The subduction zone nucleated along a pre-existing transform boundary separating circa 45-20 Ma oceanic lithosphere to the north and west of the Northland Peninsula from nascent back arc basin lithosphere of the SFB. Construction of the SSZL propagated southward along the transform boundary as the SFB continued to unzip to the southeast. After subduction of a large portion of oceanic lithosphere by about 26 Ma and collision of the SSZL with New Zealand, compression between the Australian Plate and the Pacific Plate was taken up along a new southwest-dipping subduction zone behind the SSZL. Renewed volcanism began in the oceanic forearc at 25 Ma producing boninitic-like, SSZ and within-plate alkalic and calc-alkaline rocks. Rocks of these types temporally overlap ophiolite emplacement and

  9. Small Volume Isotopic Analysis of Zircon Using LA-MC-ICP-MS U-Pb and Lu-Hf and Sub-ng Amounts of Hf in Solution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bauer, A.; Horstwood, M. S.

    2016-12-01

    Crust-mantle evolution studies are greatly informed by zircon U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotopic datasets and the ease with which these data can now be acquired has seen their application become commonplace. In order to deconvolute geochemical change and interpret geologic variation in complexly zoned zircons, this information is most ideally obtained on the smallest volume of zircon by successive SIMS U-Pb and LA-MC-ICP-MS Lu-Hf isotopic analyses. However, due to variations in zircon growth zone geometry at depth, the Lu-Hf analysis may not relate to the lower volume U-Pb analysis, potentially causing inaccuracy of the resultant age-corrected Hf isotope signature. Laser ablation split-stream methods are applied to be certain that U-Pb and Lu-Hf data represent the same volume of zircon, however, the sampling volume remains relatively large at 40x30µm1. Coupled ID-TIMS U-Pb and solution MC-ICP-MS Lu-Hf work traditionally utilize whole-zircon dissolution ( 10-50ng Hf), which has the potential to homogenize different zones of geologic significance within an analysis. Conversely, modern ID-TIMS U-Pb methods utilize microsampling of zircon grains, often providing < 5ng Hf, thereby challenging conventional Lu-Hf acquisition protocols to achieve the required precision. In order to obtain usable precision on minimal zircon volumes, we developed laser ablation methods using successive 25um spot U-Pb and Lu-Hf ablation pits with a combined depth of 18um, and low-volume solution introduction methods without Hf-REE separation utilizing Hf amounts as low as 0.4ng, while retaining an uncertainty level of ca. 1 ɛHf for both methods. We investigated methods of Yb interference correction and the potential for matrix effects, with a particular focus on the accurate quantification of 176Lu/177Hf. These improvements reduce the minimum amount of material required for U-Pb and Hf isotopic analysis of zircon by about an order of magnitude. 1Ibanez-Mejia et al (2015). PreRes, 267, 285-310.

  10. Laser Ablation in situ (U-Th-Sm)/He and U-Pb Double-Dating of Apatite and Zircon: Techniques and Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McInnes, B.; Danišík, M.; Evans, N.; McDonald, B.; Becker, T.; Vermeesch, P.

    2015-12-01

    We present a new laser-based technique for rapid, quantitative and automated in situ microanalysis of U, Th, Sm, Pb and He for applications in geochronology, thermochronometry and geochemistry (Evans et al., 2015). This novel capability permits a detailed interrogation of the time-temperature history of rocks containing apatite, zircon and other accessory phases by providing both (U-Th-Sm)/He and U-Pb ages (+trace element analysis) on single crystals. In situ laser microanalysis offers several advantages over conventional bulk crystal methods in terms of safety, cost, productivity and spatial resolution. We developed and integrated a suite of analytical instruments including a 193 nm ArF excimer laser system (RESOlution M-50A-LR), a quadrupole ICP-MS (Agilent 7700s), an Alphachron helium mass spectrometry system and swappable flow-through and ultra-high vacuum analytical chambers. The analytical protocols include the following steps: mounting/polishing in PFA Teflon using methods similar to those adopted for fission track etching; laser He extraction and analysis using a 2 s ablation at 5 Hz and 2-3 J/cm2fluence; He pit volume measurement using atomic force microscopy, and U-Th-Sm-Pb (plus optional trace element) analysis using traditional laser ablation methods. The major analytical challenges for apatite include the low U, Th and He contents relative to zircon and the elevated common Pb content. On the other hand, apatite typically has less extreme and less complex zoning of parent isotopes (primarily U and Th). A freeware application has been developed for determining (U-Th-Sm)/He ages from the raw analytical data and Iolite software was used for U-Pb age and trace element determination. In situ double-dating has successfully replicated conventional U-Pb and (U-Th)/He age variations in xenocrystic zircon from the diamondiferous Ellendale lamproite pipe, Western Australia and increased zircon analytical throughput by a factor of 50 over conventional methods

  11. Tectono-magmatic evolution of the Chihuahua-Sinaloa border region in northern Mexico: Insights from zircon-apatite U-Pb geochronology, zircon Hf isotope composition and geochemistry of granodiorite intrusions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahar, Munazzam Ali; Goodell, Philip C.; Feinstein, Michael Nicholas

    2016-11-01

    We present the whole-rock geochemistry, LA-ICP-MS zircon-apatite U-Pb ages and zircon Hf isotope composition of the granodioritic plutons at the southwestern boundary of Chihuahua with the states of Sinaloa and Sonora. These granodiorites are exposed in the north and south of the Rio El Fuerte in southwest Chihuahua and northern Sinaloa. The magmatism spans over a time period of 37 Ma from 90 to 53 Ma. Zircons are exclusively magmatic with strong oscillatory zoning. No inheritance of any age has been observed. Our new U-Pb dating ( 250 analyses) does not support the involvement of older basement lithologies in the generation of the granitic magmas. The U-Pb apatite ages from granodiorites in southwest Chihuahua vary from 52 to 70 Ma. These apatite ages are 1 to 20 Ma younger than the corresponding zircon U-Pb crystallization ages, suggesting variable cooling rates from very fast to 15 °C/Ma ( 800 °C to 500 °C) and shallow to moderate emplacement depths. In contrast, U-Pb apatite ages from the Sinaloa batholith are restricted from 64 to 61 Ma and are indistinguishable from the zircon U-Pb ages range from 67 to 60 Ma within the error, indicating rapid cooling and very shallow emplacement. However, one sample from El Realito showed a larger difference of 20 Ma in zircon-apatite age pair: zircon 80 ± 0.8 Ma and apatite 60.6 ± 4 Ma, suggesting a slower cooling rate of 15 °C/Ma. The weighted mean initial εHf (t) isotope composition (2σ) of granodiorites varies from + 1.8 to + 5.2. The radiogenic Hf isotope composition coupled with previous Sr-Nd isotope data demonstrates a significant shift from multiple crustal sources in the Sonoran batholithic belt to the predominant contribution of the mantle-derived magmas in the southwest Chihuahua and northern Sinaloa. Based on U-Pb ages, the absence of inheritance, typical high Th/U ratio and radiogenic Hf isotope composition, we suggest that the Late Cretaceous-Paleogene magmatic rocks in this region are not derived from

  12. Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and whole-rock Nd-isotope constraints on sediment provenance in the Neoproterozoic Sergipano orogen, Brazil: From early passive margins to late foreland basins

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oliveira, E. P.; McNaughton, N. J.; Windley, B. F.; Carvalho, M. J.; Nascimento, R. S.

    2015-11-01

    SHRIMP U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology and depleted-mantle Nd-model ages of clastic rocks were combined to understand the sediment provenance in the Neoproterozoic Sergipano Belt. The Sergipano is the main orogenic belt between the Borborema province and the São Francisco Craton, eastern South America; it is divisible into several lithostratigraphic domains from North to South: Canindé, Poço Redondo-Marancó, Macururé, Vaza Barris, and Estância. Nd model ages (TDM) and detrital zircon U-Pb SHRIMP geochronology indicate that the protoliths of clastic metasedimentary rocks from the Marancó and Macururé domains were mostly derived from eroded late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic rocks (1000-900 Ma), whereas detritus of similar rocks from the Canindé domain came from a younger source (ca. 700 Ma and 1000 Ma). Samples from the Vaza Barris domain show the greatest scatter of both TDM and zircon ages amongst all domains, but with important contributions from Proterozoic sources (690-1050 Ma and ca. 2100 Ma) and less from Archaean sources. The Estância domain samples have zircon population peaks at 570 Ma, 600 Ma, and 920-980 Ma, with a few older grains; one diamictite contains only ca. 2150 Ma zircon grains. Our preliminary results support a model in which sediments of the Marancó and Macururé domains were deposited on a continental margin of the ancient Borborema plate before its collision with the São Francisco Craton; the Canindé domain is likely to be an aborted Neoproterozoic rift assemblage within the southern part of the Borborema plate (Pernambuco-Alagoas massif). The basal units of the Vaza Barris and Estância domains have clast sources from the São Francisco Craton and are best interpreted as passive margin sediments. However, the uppermost units of the Estância and Vaza Barris domains come from foreland basins formed during collision of Borborema plate with the São Francisco Craton.

  13. U-Pb zircon constraints on the tectonic evolution of southeastern Tibet, Namche Barwa area

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Booth, A.L.; Zeitler, P.K.; Kidd, W.S.F.; Wooden, J.; Liu, Yajing; Idleman, B.; Hren, M.; Chamberlain, C.P.

    2004-01-01

    The eastern syntaxis of the Himalayas is expressed in the crust as a pronounced southward bend in the orogen. The change in strike of geologic features coincides with the high topography of the Namche Barwa region, the exposure of granulite-grade metamorphic rocks, and a 180-degree bend in the Yalu Tsangpo. We have conducted a geochronologic and geochemical investigation of several suites of granitoids collected from the Namche Barwa massif and subjacent terranes of southeastern Tibet, ranging from cm-scale dikes and sills to larger, outcrop-scale intrusions. U-Pb SHRIMP-RG zircon ages establish at least five magmatic episodes: ???400 to 500 Ma, ???120 Ma, 40 to 70 Ma, 18 to 25 Ma, and 3 to 10 Ma. These episodes broadly correlate to spatial patterns in sample localities, as follows: 400 to 500 Ma ages occur in zircon cores collected from within the massif proper; ???120 Ma granites, related to early Gangdese arc plutonism, are primarily located northeast of Namche Barwa; later (40-70 Ma) Gangdese activity is expressed in granites west of Namche Barwa. 18 to 25 Ma granites occur both along the suture zone west of Gyala Peri, and directly north of Namche Barwa along the area of the Jiali fault zone, and are attributed both to shearing within the Jiali fault zone and to an early Miocene Gangdese Thrust event. Exceptionally young (<10 Ma) zircon ages are clustered near the core of the massif, along the Yalu Tsangpo gorge. Trace-element geochemical data indicates the presence of both fluid-present and fluid absent melts, with a fluid-absent (decompression) melting regime dominating near the core of Namche Barwa.

  14. Provenance of the exotic Northern Sierra terrane (North American Cordillera) based on U-Pb detrital zircon data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Powerman, V.; Girty, G.; Hanson, R. E.; Grove, M.; Miller, E. L.; Hourigan, J. K.

    2017-12-01

    Ages of detrital zircons from the Northern Sierra terrane (NST) suggest an exotic provenance with respect to NW Laurentia. We have acquired U-Pb LA-ICPMS dz ages from 16 samples collected from the uppermost NST allochthon, the Sierra City mélange, and 1 sample from the lower Culbertson Lake allochthon. Age distributions can be divided into 3 partly intersecting groups: (a) 6 mélange samples and the 1 Culbertson Lake allochthon sample are dominated by >1 Ga grains; (b)5 samples are characterized by the additional presence of Early Paleozoic and Neoproterozoic grains (520-640;680-800;840-1000Ma); (c) 9 samples, 8 feldspathic, 1—qtz-rich, can be also characterized by the presence of 360-520Ma grains. These results strengthen the non Laurentian nature of detrital sources:(1)most of the detrital age distributions possess ages in the 1.49-1.61Ga interval, the "N.American magmatic gap";(2) Ediacaran zircons cannot be linked to any igneous event within West Laurentia. Most samples possess detrital age distributions that include the 1.0-2.0 Ga peak, characteristic of Baltica rather than Laurentia. These data, supplemented by SHRIMP-RG data (353-368Ma) from stitching igneous units suggest the following model: parts of NST were located at the NE margin of Baltica in the early Paleozoic, receiving "Baltica" (1.0-2.0 Ga) and "Timanide"(Late Vendian — Early Cambrian) zircons. This crustal block was later rifted away from Baltica and by mid-Paleozoic was juxtaposed with allochthons of presumably NW Laurentia provenance. The assembled terrane was involved in a subduction zone, resulting in the emplacement of 353-368Ma igneous rocks. The U-Pb detrital zircon age distributions presented here are similar to signatures of strata in along strike exotic terranes of the North American Cordillera (such as the Yreka terrane of the Klamath Mts., the Alexander terrane of S.Alaska and the Arctic Chukotka-Alaska terrane) by having Timanian, Baltica, and Caledonian signatures. Hence, it

  15. U-Pb SHRIMP-RG zircon ages and Nd signature of lower Paleozoic rifting-related magmatism in the Variscan basement of the Eastern Pyrenees

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Martinez, F.J.; Iriondo, A.; Dietsch, C.; Aleinikoff, J.N.; Peucat, J.J.; Cires, J.; Reche, J.; Capdevila, R.

    2011-01-01

    The ages of orthogneisses exposed in massifs of the Variscan chain can determine whether they are part of a pre-Neoproterozoic basement, a Neoproterozoic, Panafrican arc, or are, in fact, lower Paleozoic, and their isotopic compositions can be used to probe the nature of their source rocks, adding to the understanding of the types, distribution, and tectonic evolution of peri-Gondwanan crystalline basement. Using SHRIMP U-Pb zircon geochronology and Nd isotopic analysis, pre-Variscan metaigneous rocks from the N??ria massif in the Eastern Pyrenean axial zone and the Guilleries massif, 70km to the south, have been dated and their Nd signatures characterized. All dated orthogneisses from the N??ria massif have the same age within error, ~457Ma, including the Ribes granophyre, interpreted as a subvolcanic unit within Caradocian sediments contemporaneous with granitic magmas intruded into Cambro-Ordovician sediments at deeper levels. Orthogneisses in the Guilleries massif record essentially continuous magmatic activity during the Ordovician, beginning at the Cambro-Ordovician boundary (488??3Ma) and reaching a peak in the volume of magma in the early Late Ordovician (~460Ma). Metavolcanic rocks in the Guilleries massif were extruded at 452??4Ma and appear to have their intrusive equivalent in thin, deformed veins of granitic gneiss (451??7Ma) within metasedimentary rocks. In orthogneisses from both massifs, the cores of some zircons yield Neoproterozoic ages between ~520 and 900Ma. The age of deposition of a pre-Late Ordovician metapelite in the Guilleries massif is bracketed by the weighted average age of the youngest detrital zircon population, 582??11Ma, and the age of cross-cutting granitic veins, 451??7Ma. Older detrital zircons populations in this metapelite include Neoproterozoic (749-610Ma; n=10), Neo- to Mesoproterozoic (1.04-0.86Ga; n=7), Paleoproterozoic (2.02-1.59Ga; n=5), and Neoarchean (2.74-2.58Ga; n=3). Nd isotopic analyses of the N??ria and Guilleries

  16. Tectonic Recycling in the Paleozoic Ouachita Assemblage from U-Pb Detrital Zircon Studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gleason, J. D.; Gehrels, G. E.; Finney, S. C.

    2001-05-01

    The Paleozoic Ouachita deep-marine clastic sedimentary assemblage records a complex provenance over the course of its 200 m.y. history, with evidence for mixed sources and multiple dispersal paths. Combined neodymium and U-Pb detrital zircon work has established that most of the assemblage in Arkansas and Oklahoma is derived from Laurentian sources, meaning that regardless of the multiple pathways by which sediment was delivered to Ouachita seafloor, the material had its ultimate origin on the North American continent. More detailed work is in progress to elucidate specific dispersal paths, in particular for the middle to late Ordovician when a major change in provenance is recorded, and during the Carboniferous when voluminous turbidites entered the basin. We sampled three formations for U-Pb detrital zircon studies: the lower Middle Ordovician Blakely Sandstone, the Upper Ordovician/Lower Silurian Blaylock Sandstone, and the Pennsylvanian Jackfork Group. Individual zircon ages from these units document a major change in provenance between deposition of the Blakely Sandstone and Blaylock Sandstone, which is also reflected in the neodymium isotopic signature. Both units have a large population of Grenvillian-age zircons (1.0-1.2 Ga), and a less abundant population of 1.3-1.4 Ga zircons likely derived from sources in the mid-continent region. The Blakely Sandstone also contains abundant Archean zircons (2.5-2.7 Ga, likely derived from the Superior Province), and one grain apparently derived from the Penokean orogen (1.9 Ga). Zircon morphology (highly rounded, spherical), combined with the pure quartz sandstone lithology of the Blakely Sandstone, indicates very mature sedimentary sources. We conclude that zircons from this source were recycled ultimately from source terranes in the North American craton. This is reinforced by neodymium isotopes (eNd = -15), paleocurrents (from the north) and olistoliths (1.3 Ga granites), the latter indicating that Blakely turbidites

  17. Detrital Record of Phanerozoic Tectonics in Iran: Evidence From U-Pb Zircon Geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Horton, B. K.; Gillis, R. J.; Stockli, D. F.; Hassanzadeh, J.; Axen, G. J.; Grove, M.

    2004-12-01

    Ion-microprobe U-Pb ages of 91 detrital zircon grains supplement ongoing investigations of the tectonic history of Iran, a critical region bridging the gap between the Alpine and Himalayan orogenic belts. These data improve understanding of the distribution of continental blocks during a complex history of Late Proterozoic (Pan-African) crustal growth, Paleozoic passive-margin sedimentation, early Mesozoic collision with Eurasia, and Cenozoic collision with Arabia. U-Pb analyses of detrital zircon grains from four sandstone samples (two Lower Cambrian, one uppermost Triassic-Lower Jurassic, one Neogene) collected from the Alborz mountains of northern Iran reveal a spectrum of ages ranging from 50 to 2900 Ma. Most analyses yield concordant to moderately discordant ages. The Lower Cambrian Lalun and Barut sandstones yield age distribution peaks at approximately 550-650, 1000, and 2500 Ma, consistent with a Gondwanan source area presently to the south and west in parts of Iran and the Arabian-Nubian shield (Saudi Arabia and northwestern Africa). The uppermost Triassic-Lower Jurassic Shemshak Formation exhibits a broad range of U-Pb ages, including peaks of approximately 200-260, 330, 430, 600, and 1900 Ma, requiring a Eurasian source area presently to the north and east in the Turan plate (Turkmenistan and southwestern Asia). Neogene strata display both the youngest and oldest ages (approximately 50 and 2900 Ma) of any samples, a result of substantial sedimentary recycling of older Phanerozoic cover rocks. Because the youngest zircon ages for three of the four samples are indistinguishable from their stratigraphic (depositional) ages, these data suggest rapid exhumation and help constrain the termination age of Late Proterozoic-Early Cambrian (Pan-African) orogenesis and the timing of the Iran-Eurasia collision.

  18. Origin of zircon-bearing mantle eclogites entrained in the V. Grib kimberlite (Arkhangelsk region, NW Russia): Evidence from mineral geochemistry and the U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotope compositions of zircon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shchukina, Elena V.; Agashev, Alexey M.; Zedgenizov, Dmitry A.

    2018-05-01

    The concentrations of major and trace elements in minerals, reconstructed whole-rock compositions of zircon-bearing equigranular eclogites from the V. Grib kimberlite pipe located within the Arkhangelsk Diamondiferous Province (North-Western Russia), and results of the U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotope analyses of zircon grains from eclogites and granulite xenoliths are reported. These data suggest that the equigranular eclogites could represent the fragments of mid-ocean-ridge basalt that were metamorphosed during Paleoproterozoic subduction at 1.7-1.9 Ga. The Hf isotope compositions of the eclogitic zircon display uniformity and indicate corresponding Hf-depleted mantle model ages of 2.2-2.3 Ga. The formation of zircon in eclogites could have resulted from interactions with metasomatic/subduction-related fluids just prior to, but associated with, Paleoproterozoic eclogite formation. A link between eclogitic zircon formation and continental lower-crustal rocks can be excluded based on differences in the Hf isotope compositions of eclogitic and granulitic zircon grains. The U-Pb upper intercept age of granulitic zircon of 2716 ± 61 Ma provides a new minimum age constraint for zircon crystallisation and granulite formation. The U-Pb ages obtained from granulitic zircon show two stages of Pb loss at 2.2-2.6 Ga and 1.7-2.0 Ga. The late Paleoproterozoic stage of Pb loss recorded in granulitic zircon is due to the intensive reworking of basement crustal rocks, which was caused by a tectonic process/subduction event associated with equigranular eclogite formation. Our data, along with evidence previously obtained from the V. Grib pipe coarse-granular eclogites, show at least two main subduction events in the lithospheric mantle of the Arkhangelsk region: the Archean (2.8 Ga) and Paleoproterozoic (1.7-1.9 Ga) subductions, which correspond to major magmatic and metamorphic events in the Baltic Shield.

  19. Jurassic cooling ages in Paleozoic to early Mesozoic granitoids of northeastern Patagonia: 40Ar/39Ar, 40K-40Ar mica and U-Pb zircon evidence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martínez Dopico, Carmen I.; Tohver, Eric; López de Luchi, Mónica G.; Wemmer, Klaus; Rapalini, Augusto E.; Cawood, Peter A.

    2017-10-01

    U-Pb SHRIMP zircon crystallization ages and Ar-Ar and K-Ar mica cooling ages for basement rocks of the Yaminué and Nahuel Niyeu areas in northeastern Patagonia are presented. Granitoids that cover the time span from Ordovician to Early Triassic constitute the main outcrops of the western sector of the Yaminué block. The southern Yaminué Metaigneous Complex comprises highly deformed Ordovician and Permian granitoids crosscut by undeformed leucogranite dikes (U-Pb SHRIMP zircon age of 254 ± 2 Ma). Mica separates from highly deformed granitoids from the southern sector yielded an Ar-Ar muscovite age of 182 ± 3 Ma and a K-Ar biotite age of 186 ± 2 Ma. Moderately to highly deformed Permian to Early Triassic granitoids made up the northern Yaminué Complex. The Late Permian to Early Triassic (U-Pb SHRIMP zircon age of 252 ± 6 Ma) Cabeza de Vaca Granite of the Yaminué block yielded Jurassic mica K-Ar cooling ages (198 ± 2, 191 ± 1, and 190 ± 2 Ma). At the boundary between the Yaminué and Nahuel Niyeu blocks, K-Ar muscovite ages of 188 ± 3 and 193 ± 5 Ma were calculated for the Flores Granite, whereas the Early Permian Navarrete granodiorite, located in the Nahuel Niyeu block, yielded a K-Ar biotite age of 274 ± 4 Ma. The Jurassic thermal history is not regionally uniform. In the supracrustal exposures of the Nahuel Niyeu block, the Early Permian granitoids of its western sector as well as other Permian plutons and Ordovician leucogranites located further east show no evidence of cooling age reset since mica ages suggest cooling in the wake of crystallization of these intrusive rocks. In contrast, deeper crustal levels are inferred for Permian-Early Triassic granitoids in the Yaminué block since cooling ages for these rocks are of Jurassic age (198-182 Ma). Jurassic resetting is contemporaneous with the massive Lower Jurassic Flores Granite, and the Marifil and Chon Aike volcanic provinces. This intraplate deformational pulse that affected northeastern

  20. Mineral inclusions and SHRIMP U-Pb dating of zircons from the Alamas nephrite and granodiorite: Implications for the genesis of a magnesian skarn deposit

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Yan; Zhang, Rongqing; Zhang, Zhiyu; Shi, Guanghai; Zhang, Qichao; Abuduwayiti, Maituohuti; Liu, Jianhui

    2015-01-01

    Extending approximately 1300 km and located in the Western Kunlun Mountains, the Hetian nephrite belt is the largest nephrite belt in the world and contains approximately 11 major deposits and more than 20 orebodies including the Alamas deposit. Hetian nephrite deposits can be classified as Mg-skarn deposits with Precambrian dolomitic marble host rock and green, green-white and white nephrite zones are distributed gradually in the zone of a granodiorite pluton. The green nephrite is mainly predominately composed of tremolite with generally minor to trace constituents of diopside, grossularitic garnet, actinolite and other minerals. Also green nephrite has higher content of TFe2O3, than green-white and white nephrites have. We subdivided the zircons from the green nephrites into four types, depending on their internal textures, mineral inclusions, and SHRIMP U-Pb ages. Type I zircons are round instead of idiomorphic in shape and lack obvious zoning. Type II and IV zircons have broad, clear oscillatory zoning and are hypidiomorphic or idiomorphic in shape; they contain inclusions of diopside, tremolite, chlorite and calcite. Most Type III zircons are narrow rims (< 10 μm) surrounding Type II and Type I zircons with highly luminous brightness and no zoning. Both Type I and Type II zircons have individual ages of 411 to 445 Ma and Type IV zircons have younger ages (388 to 406 Ma). Among the concordant ages, 425.7 ± 5.8 Ma and 420.0 ± 9.9 Ma for the QYZr1 and QYZr2 are consistent within error, with the 418.5 ± 2.8 Ma of the Alamas granodiorite formation age and the maximum age of the Alamas nephrite deposit. The partially recrystallization of zircons during skarn formation possibly lead to some younger individual ages (406.5 to 308 Ma). In the Western Kunlun Mountain, both Buya granite and Alamas grandiorite are high Ba-Sr granites and crystallized in Western Kunlun Orogen. The Buya granite formed at about 430 Ma in a post-orogenic tectonic environment. Considering

  1. LA-ICP-MS and SIMS U-Pb and U-Th zircon geochronological data of Late Pleistocene lava domes of the Ciomadul Volcanic Dome Complex (Eastern Carpathians).

    PubMed

    Lukács, Réka; Guillong, Marcel; Schmitt, Axel K; Molnár, Kata; Bachmann, Olivier; Harangi, Szabolcs

    2018-06-01

    This article provides laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and secondary ionization mass spectrometry (SIMS) U-Pb and U-Th zircon dates for crystals separated from Late Pleistocene dacitic lava dome rocks of the Ciomadul Volcanic Dome Complex (Eastern Carpathians, Romania). The analyses were performed on unpolished zircon prism faces (termed rim analyses) and on crystal interiors exposed through mechanical grinding an polishing (interior analyses). 206 Pb/ 238 U ages are corrected for Th-disequilibrium based on published and calculated distribution coefficients for U and Th using average whole-rock and individually analyzed zircon compositions. The data presented in this article were used for the Th-disequilibrium correction of (U-Th)/He zircon geochronology data in the research article entitled "The onset of the volcanism in the Ciomadul Volcanic Dome Complex (Eastern Carpathians): eruption chronology and magma type variation" (Molnár et al., 2018) [1].

  2. LA-ICP-MS Pb-U Dating of Young Zircons from the Kos-Nisyros Volcanic Centre, SE Aegean Arc (Greece)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guillong, M.; Von Quadt, A.; Peytcheva, I.; Bachmann, O.

    2014-12-01

    Zircon Pb-U dating has become a key technique for answering many important questions in geosciences. This paper describes a new LA-ICP-MS approach. We show, using previously dated samples of a large quaternary rhyolitic eruption in the Kos-Nisyros volcanic centre (the 161 ka Kos Plateau Tuff), that the precision of our LA-ICP-MS method is as good as via SHRIMP, while ID-TIMS measurements confirm the accuracy. Gradational age distribution over >140 ka of the Kos zircons and the near-absence of inherited cores indicate near-continuous crystallisation in a growing magma reservoir with little input from wall rocks. Previously undated silicic eruptions from Nisyros volcano (Lower Pumice, Nikia Flow, Upper Pumice), which are stratigraphically constrained to have happened after the Kos Plateau Tuff, are dated to be younger than respectively 124 ± 35 ka, 111 ± 42 ka and 70 ± 24 ka. Samples younger than 1 Ma were corrected for initial thorium disequilibrium using a new formula that also accounts for disequilibrium in 230Th decay. Guillong, M. et al., 2014, JAAS, 29, p. 963-967; doi: 10.1039/c4ja00009a.

  3. Timing of mafic magmatism in the Tapajós Province (Brazil) and implications for the evolution of the Amazon Craton: evidence from baddeleyite and zircon U Pb SHRIMP geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santos, João Orestes Schneider; Hartmann, Léo Afraneo; McNaughton, Neal Jesse; Fletcher, Ian Robert

    2002-09-01

    The precise timing and possible sources of the mafic rocks in the Amazon craton are critical for reconstruction of the Atlantica supercontinent and correlation of mafic magmatism worldwide. New SHRIMP U-Pb baddeleyite and zircon ages and the reinterpretation of 207 existing dates indicate one orogenic (Ingarana) and four postorogenic (Crepori, Cachoeira Seca, Piranhas, and Periquito) basaltic events in the Tapajós Province, south central Amazon craton. Orogenic gabbro dikes that host gold mineralization are 1893 Ma and interpreted as associated with the Ingarana gabbro intrusions of the bimodal calk-alkalic Parauari intrusive suite. The age of 1893 Ma can be used as a guide to discriminate older and mineralized orogenic dikes from younger and nonmineralized Crepori- and Cachoeira Seca-related mafic dikes. The baddeleyite U-Pb age of the postorogenic Crepori dolerite (gabbro-dolerite sills and dikes) is 1780±9 Ma, ˜150 my older than the ages provided by K-Ar. This value correlates well with the Avanavero tholeiitic intrusions in the Roraima group, in the northern part of the craton in Guyana, Venezuela, and Roraima in Brazil. Early Statherian tholeiitic magmatism was widespread not only in the Amazon craton, but also in the La Plata craton of southern South America, where it is known as the giant Piedra Alta swarm of Uruguay and the post-Trans-Amazonian dikes of Tandil in Argentina. The Cachoeira Seca troctolite represents laccoliths, Feixes, and São Domingos, whose baddeleyite U-Pb age is 1186±12 Ma, 120-150 my older than the known K-Ar ages. This age is comparable to other Stenian gabbroic rocks with alkalic affinity in the craton, such as the Seringa Formation in NE Amazonas and the basaltic flows of the Nova Floresta formation in Rondônia. Dolerite from the giant Piranhas dike swarm in the western Tapajós Province has a Middle Cambrian age (507±4 Ma, baddeleyite) and inherited zircons in the 2238-1229 Ma range. The Piranhas dikes fill extensional NNE and

  4. Correlating rates of magmatic arc unroofing and sedimentation using detrital zircon U/Pb and (U-Th)/He thermochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fosdick, J. C.

    2017-12-01

    Double and triple dating of minerals using multiple geo-thermochronometers has revolutionized efforts to evaluate complex thermotectonic histories of orogens, isolate unique sedimentary sources, and quantify basin burial reheating. A persisting challenge is to distinguish volcanic sources from rapidly exhumed sources, with the simplistic premise that coincident cooling dates among high- to low-temperature thermochronometers are diagnostic of volcanic sources. Coupled zircon U/Pb and (U-Th)/He geo-thermochronometry from the Miocene Bermejo foreland basin in the southern Central Andes reveals a high temporal resolution of unroofing signatures of the Choiyoi Group, a Permian-Triassic silicic volcanic and plutonic complex, and the Pennsylvanian-Permian Colangüil batholith. Both units are important sediment sources within the High Andes for the Cenozoic east-flowing sediment routing systems. Results show fluvial sourcing of Colangüil detrital zircons with progressively greater partial loss of He (<8% to 12-23% fractional loss from 9.5 Ma to 6 Ma), as indicated by upsection younging of zircon He dates for a given U/Pb age cluster. These findings suggest erosion of increasingly deeper levels of the Colangüil arc during late Miocene development of the High Andes. This progression of higher He loss and thus younger He dates during sedimentation for a given U/Pb age cluster is analogous to the magmatic arc unroofing trend revealed by undissected to dissected arc provenance fields in sandstone petrography. Multi-method thermochronometry of detrital minerals may reveal an added level of information regarding rates of cooling, unroofing, and thermal evolution of magmatic systems as preserved in the detrital record.

  5. In-Situ U–Pb Dating of Apatite by Hiroshima-SHRIMP: Contributions to Earth and Planetary Science

    PubMed Central

    Terada, Kentaro; Sano, Yuji

    2012-01-01

    The Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP) is the first ion microprobe dedicated to geological isotopic analyses, especially in-situ analyses related to the geochronology of zircon. Such a sophisticated ion probe, which can attain a high sensitivity at a high mass resolution, based on a double focusing high mass-resolution spectrometer, designed by Matsuda (1974), was constructed at the Australian National University. In 1996, such an instrument was installed at Hiroshima University and was the first SHRIMP to be installed in Japan. Since its installation, our focus has been on the in-situ U–Pb dating of the mineral apatite, as well as zircon, which is a more common U-bearing mineral. This provides the possibility for extending the use of in-situ U–Pb dating from determining the age of formation of volcanic, granitic, sedimentary and metamorphic minerals to the direct determination of the diagenetic age of fossils and/or the crystallization age of various meteorites, which can provide new insights into the thermal history on the Earth and/or the Solar System. In this paper, we review the methodology associated with in-situ apatite dating and our contribution to Earth and Planetary Science over the past 16 years. PMID:24349912

  6. Zircon Trace Element Contents and Refined U-Pb Crystallization Ages for the Tatoosh Pluton, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington Cascades

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bacon, C. R.; Du Bray, E. A.; John, D. A.; Mazdab, F. K.; Wooden, J. L.

    2008-12-01

    The 7x12 km Tatoosh pluton south of Mount Rainier consists of 4 petrographic/compositional phases, here termed Nisqually, Reflection, Pyramid, and Stevens, that intrude Tertiary volcanic and sedimentary wall and roof rocks; contacts between the 4 intrusive units are rarely exposed. We used the USGS-Stanford SHRIMP- RG to analyze, in a continuous session, zircons from each of 6 quartz monzodiorite (qmd), quartz monzonite (qm), or granodiorite (grd) samples for 206Pb/238U ages and, concurrently, U, Th, Hf, and REE concentrations. A round-robin procedure yielded statistically robust geochronological results. Ages that we reported previously (FM07) were compromised by instrument instability and by calibration differences between analytical sessions. Between 11 and 31 new analyses of zircons from each sample were evaluated using the TuffZirc and Umix Ages routines of Isoplot 3.41 (Ludwig, 2003). TuffZirc solidification ages for the intrusions are: Nisqually grd (Paradise Valley; 65.4% SiO2) 17.29 +0.37/-0.24 Ma, Nisqually grd (Christine Falls; 66.4%) 17.70 +0.30/-0.16 Ma, Reflection qm (Pinnacle Peak trail; 66.6%) 18.38 +0.45/-0.28 Ma, Pyramid qmd (58.5%) 18.58 +0.20/-0.15 Ma, Stevens grd (Stevens Canyon; 67.8%) 19.15 +0.15/-0.12 Ma, and Stevens grd (south of Louise Lake; 69.3%) 19.20 +0.31/-0.26 Ma (U-Th initial-disequilibrium corrected, ±2σ). Precision of the U-Pb data limits rigorous identification of antecrysts to those with ages ~1 Myr > solidification ages. Antecryst ages that produce subsidiary modes in relative probability diagrams for the two Stevens samples give weighted mean values of 20.18 ±0.26 Ma and 20.07 ±0.18 Ma. Wide ranges in trace element concentrations and ratios indicate that many analyzed zircons grew in highly fractionated residual liquids in high-crystallinity environments. Concentrations of Th and U in Tatoosh zircons vary by two orders of magnitude, cores tend to have higher Th, U, and Th/U than rims, and overgrowths that fill reentrants

  7. Proterozoic tectonostratigraphy and paleogeography of central Madagascar derived from detrital zircon U-Pb age populations

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Cox, R.; Coleman, D.S.; Chokel, C.B.; DeOreo, S.B.; Wooden, Joseph L.; Collins, A.S.; De Waele, B.; Kroner, A.

    2004-01-01

    Detrital zircon U‐Pb ages determined by SHRIMP distinguish two clastic sequences among Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks from central Madagascar. The Itremo Group is older: zircon data, stromatolite characteristics, and carbon isotope data all point to a depositional age around 1500–1700 Ma. The Molo Group is younger, deposited between ∼620 Ma (the age of the youngest zircon) and ∼560 Ma (the age of metamorphic overgrowths on detrital cores). Geochronologic provenance analysis of the Itremo Group points to sources in East Africa as well as local sources in central and southern Madagascar but provides no evidence for a detrital contribution from northern and eastern Madagascar nor from southern India. Detrital zircon and sedimentologic similarities between rocks of the Itremo Group and the Zambian Muva Supergroup suggest a lithostratigraphic correlation between the two. The Molo Group has a strong 1000–1100 Ma detrital signature that also indicates an east African provenance and suggests a Neoproterozoic geographic connection with Sri Lanka but shows no indication of input from the Dharwar craton and eastern Madagascar. Central Madagascar was probably juxtaposed with the Tanzanian craton in the Paleo‐ and Mesoproterozoic, whereas northern and eastern Madagascar were connected to India. Internal assembly of Madagascar postdates Neoproterozoic Molo Group sedimentation and is likely to have occurred at about 560 Ma.

  8. Zircon U-Pb age and Hf-O isotopes of felsic rocks from the Atlantis Bank, Southwest Indian Ridge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, C. Z.; Zhang, W. Q.

    2017-12-01

    Hole U1473A was drilled to 790 meters below seafloor on the Atlantis Bank, an oceanic core complex in the Southwest Indian Ridge, where the upper crust has been removed by detachment faulting. The recovered core consists dominantly of olivine gabbro, with subordinate gabbro, gabbro with varying Fe-Ti oxide concentrations. Felsic veins intermittently occur throughout the whole core section. Zircons separated from twenty-four felsic samples have been conducted for U-Pb dating and O isotope analyses on the Cameca 1280 and Lu-Hf isotopes by laser ablation coupled with a MC-ICPMS. The zircons have highly variable contents of U (12-2078 ppm) and Th (5-801 ppm), yielding Th/U ratios of 0.33-0.81. They are typical oceanic zircons as defined by the trace element discrimination plots of Grimes et al. (2015). The weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages of the analyzed zircons vary from 11.29 to 12.57 Ma. Age differences between felsic veins throughout the whole core are not resolved within analytical uncertainty of the SIMS measurements. All felsic samples have similar zircon Hf isotope compositions, with initial 176Hf/177Hf ratios of 0.283126-0.283197 and ɛHf values of 12.76-15.27. Zircons from all felsic samples but one have mantle-like δ18O values of 5.14-5.50‰. Zircons from one sample show partial resorption or total recrystallization; in comparison, they have lower δ18O values of 4.81±0.21‰. Such characteristics provide clear evidence for hydrothermal alteration after magmatic intrusion.

  9. Internal morphology, habit and U-Th-Pb microanalysis of amphibolite-to-granulite facies zircons: geochronology of the Ivrea Zone (Southern Alps)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vavra, Gerhard; Schmid, Rolf; Gebauer, Dieter

    Several types of growth morphologies and alteration mechanisms of zircon crystals in the high-grade metamorphic Ivrea Zone (IZ) are distinguished and attributed to magmatic, metamorphic and fluid-related events. Anatexis of pelitic metasediments in the IZ produced prograde zircon overgrowths on detrital cores in the restites and new crystallization of magmatic zircons in the associated leucosomes. The primary morphology and Th-U chemistry of the zircon overgrowth in the restites show a systematic variation apparently corresponding to the metamorphic grade: prismatic (prism-blocked) low-Th/U types in the upper amphibolite facies, stubby (fir-tree zoned) medium-Th/U types in the transitional facies and isometric (roundly zoned) high-Th/U types in the granulite facies. The primary crystallization ages of prograde zircons in the restites and magmatic zircons in the leucosomes cannot be resolved from each other, indicating that anatexis in large parts of the IZ was a single and short lived event at 299+/-5Ma (95% c. l.). Identical U/Pb ages of magmatic zircons from a metagabbro (293+/-6Ma) and a metaperidotite (300+/-6Ma) from the Mafic Formation confirm the genetic context of magmatic underplating and granulite facies anatexis in the IZ. The U-Pb age of 299+/-5Ma from prograde zircon overgrowths in the metasediments also shows that high-grade metamorphic (anatectic) conditions in the IZ did not start earlier than 20Ma after the Variscan amphibolite facies metamorphism in the adjacent Strona-Ceneri Zone (SCZ). This makes it clear that the SCZ cannot represent the middle to upper crustal continuation of the IZ. Most parts of zircon crystals that have grown during the granulite facies metamorphism became affected by alteration and Pb-loss. Two types of alteration and Pb-loss mechanisms can be distinguished by cathodoluminescence imaging: zoning-controlled alteration (ZCA) and surface-controlled alteration (SCA). The ZCA is attributed to thermal and/or decompression pulses

  10. 2.9, 2.36, and 1.96 Ga zircons in orthogneiss south of the Red River shear zone in Viet Nam: evidence from SHRIMP U-Pb dating and tectonothermal implications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nam, Tran Ngoc; Toriumi, Mitsuhiro; Sano, Yuji; Terada, Kentaro; Thang, Ta Trong

    2003-05-01

    Orthogneissic rocks coexisting with migmatites and containing small amphibolite lenses are exposed in the center of the metamorphic belt which runs parallel to the Day Nui Con Voi-Red River shear zone in northern Viet Nam. The orthogneiss complex has given some radiogenic dates of Early Proterozoic and Late Archean, which are the oldest ages ever registered for the Southeast Asian continent. Zircon grains separated from three samples of the orthogneiss complex have been dated to establish the protolith age and the timing of high-grade tectonothermal events in the complex. Sixty-five SHRIMP U-Th-Pb analyses of these zircons define three age groups of 2.84-2.91, 2.36, and 1.96 Ga. The age groups correspond to three periods of zircon generation. The oldest ˜2.9 Ga cores indicate a minimum age for the protolith of the orthogneiss complex. Two younger generations (including ˜2.36 Ga outer-cores and ˜1.96 Ga rims) probably grew during later high-grade tectono-metamorphic events, which were previously suggested by K-Ar and 40Ar/ 39Ar cooling ages of ˜2.0 Ga for synkinematic hornblendes. An early thermal history of the orthogneiss complex has been constrained, including a primary magma-crystallization stage starting at ˜2.9 Ga, followed by two Early Proterozoic (˜2.36 and ˜1.96 Ga) high-grade tectonothermal events. The ca. 2.9 Ga protolith age of the orthogneiss complex documented in this study provides new convincing evidence for the presence of Archean rocks in Indochina, and clearly indicates that the crustal evolution of northern Viet Nam started as early as Late Archean time.

  11. Investigating sources of ignimbrites in the Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex using U-Pb dating of zircons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kern, J. M.; de Silva, S. L.; Schmitt, A. K.

    2011-12-01

    Large silicic volcanic fields (LSVFs) are thought to represent the surface expression of upper crustal batholith emplacement, with the spatiotemporal distribution of the vents and eruptions representing the development of the system. The Altiplano-Puna Volcanic Complex (APVC) in the Central Andes is a LSVF active from 11-1 Ma that erupted over 13,000 km3 of magma from large, multicyclic caldera centers and smaller ignimbrite shields during 3 distinct pulses of volcanism at 8.4, 5.5, and 4.0 Ma. Links to the magmatic system beneath are being pursued through U-Pb zircon dating of APVC ignimbrites. Initial results comprise 61 238U/206Pb zircon ages of mostly marginal crystal domains from five APVC ignimbrites-the 0.98 ± 0.03 Ma Purico, 3.96 ± 0.08 Ma Atana, 4.0 ± 0.9 Ma Toconao, 4.09 ± 0.02 Ma Puripicar, and 8.33 ± 0.06 Ma Sifon ignimbrites-dated by high-resolution secondary ionization mass spectrometry (SIMS). Each zircon analyzed was less than 350 μm in length and cathodoluminescence images reveal zonations within individual zircons, though significant core-rim age differences are rare. The ~1 Ma Purico ignimbrite displays multiple zircon age populations significantly predating the 40Ar/39Ar eruption age, but younger than ages from the nearby large-volume Atana ignimbrite erupted from La Pacana caldera. Some peaks do, however, coincide with later resurgent activity within La Pacana as expressed by the 2.7 Ma Cerro Bola dome. Zircon ages in the Atana ignimbrite are indistinguishable from its eruption, while those from the 4.0 Ma Toconao ignimbrite-the volatile-rich cap of the Atana magma chamber-contains three populations of xenocrystic zircons from the Proterozoic-Ordivician, ~13 Ma, and ~9 Ma. The ~9 Ma zircons correlate with K-Ar ages from an underlying ignimbrite, whereas the 13 Ma xenocrysts likely have a plutonic source. The Purico ignimbrite thus provides direct evidence of zircon inheritance from previous eruption cycles, while the Toconao records a

  12. A Modern Analog to the Depositional Age Problem: Zircon and Apatite Fission Track and U-Pb Age Distributions by LA-ICP-MS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Donelick, H. M.; Donelick, M. B.; Donelick, R. A.

    2012-12-01

    Sand from three river systems in North Idaho (Snake River near Lewiston, Clearwater River near Lewiston and the Salmon River near White Bird) and two regional ash fall events (Mt. Mazama and Mt. St. Helens) were collected for zircon U-Pb detrital age analysis. Up to 120 grains of zircon per sample were ablated using a Resonetics M-50 193 nm ArF Excimer laser ablation (LA) system and the Pb, Th, and U isotopic signals were quantified using an Agilent 7700x quadrupole inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Isotopic signals for major, minor, and trace elements, including all REEs, were also monitored. The youngest zircon U-Pb ages from the river samples were approximately 44 Ma; Cenozoic Idaho Batholith and Precambrian Belt Supergroup ages were well represented. Significant common Pb contamination of the Clearwater River sample (e.g., placer native Cu was observed in the sample) precluded detailed analysis of the zircon U-Pb ages but no interpretable ages <44 Ma were observed. Interestingly, not one of the river samples yielded zircon U-Pb ages near 0 Ma, despite all three catchment areas having received significant ash from Mt. St. Helens in 1980, and Mount Mazama 7,700 years ago, and no doubt other events during the Quaternary. Work currently in progress seeks to address bias against near 0 Ma ages in the catchment areas due to: a) small, local ash fall grain sizes and b) overwhelming number of older grains relative to the ash fall grains. Data from Mt. St. Helens ash from several localities near the mountain (Toutle River and Maple Flats, WA) and several far from the mountain (Spokane, WA; Princeton, ID; Kalispell, MT) and Mt. Mazama ash fall deposits near Lewiston, ID and Spokane, WA will be presented to address these possibilities. Additionally, fission track and U-Pb ages from apatites collected from these river and ash fall samples will also be shown to help constrain the problem.

  13. Zircon U-Pb Ages Chronicle 3 Myr of Episodic Crystallization in the Composite Miocene Tatoosh Pluton, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington Cascades

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bacon, C. R.; Du Bray, E. A.; Wooden, J. L.; Mazdab, F. K.

    2007-12-01

    Zircon geochronology of upper crustal plutons can constrain longevities of intermediate to silicic magmatic systems. As part of a larger study of the geochemistry and metallogeny of Tertiary Cascades magmatic arc rocks, we used the USGS-Stanford SHRIMP RG to determine 20 to 28 238U-206Pb ages for zircons from each of 6 quartz monzodiorite (qmd), quartz monzonite (qm), or granodiorite (grd) samples representative of the Tatoosh pluton, and one grd from the nearby Carbon River stock. The 7x12 km composite Tatoosh pluton, discontinuously exposed on the south flank of Mount Rainier, consists of at least 4 petrographic/compositional phases, here termed Pyramid Peak, Nisqually, Reflection Lake, and Tatoosh. These collectively intrude gently folded and weakly metamorphosed basaltic andesite flows and volcaniclastic rocks of the Eocene Ohanapecosh Formation, silicic ignimbrites and sedimentary rocks of the Oligocene Stevens Ridge Formation, and basaltic to intermediate volcanic rocks of the Miocene Fifes Peak Formation. Histograms and relative probability plots of U- Pb ages indicate 2 to 4 age populations within each sample. The weighted mean age of each of the youngest populations (all ±2σ) is interpreted as the time of final solidification: Pyramid Peak qmd (58.5% SiO2) 17.4±0.2 Ma, Nisqually grd (in Paradise Valley; 65.4% SiO2) 16.7±0.2 Ma, Nisqually grd (at Christine Falls; 66.4% SiO2) 17.3±0.2 Ma, Reflection Lake qm (along Pinnacle Peak trail; 66.6% SiO2) 17.1±0.2 Ma, Tatoosh grd (in Stevens Canyon; 67.8% SiO2) 18.2±0.2 Ma, Tatoosh grd (south of Louise Lake; 69.3% SiO2) 19.3±0.1 Ma, and Carbon River grd (68.0% SiO2) 17.4±0.3 Ma. The older Nisqually grd age is indistinguishable from a TIMS zircon age of 17.5±0.1 Ma reported by Mattinson (GSA Bulletin 88:1509-1514, 1977) for grd from a nearby locality. None of the 164 SHRIMP-RG U-Pb ages, including cores, is older than 21 Ma. The relatively small, high-level pluton likely was emplaced and solidified in pulses

  14. Silicic melt evolution in the early Izu-Bonin arc recorded in detrital zircons: Zircon U-Pb geochronology and trace element geochemistry for Site U1438, Amami Sankaku Basin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barth, A. P.; Tani, K.; Meffre, S.; Wooden, J. L.; Coble, M. A.

    2016-12-01

    Understanding the petrologic evolution of oceanic arc magmas through time is important because these arcs reveal the processes of formation and the early evolution of juvenile continental crust. The Izu-Bonin (IB) arc system has been targeted because it is one of several western Pacific intraoceanic arcs initiated at 50 Ma and because of its prominent spatial asymmetry, with widespread development of relatively enriched rear arc lavas. We examined Pb/U and trace element compositions in zircons recovered at IODP Site 351-U1438 and compared them to regional and global zircon suites. These new arc zircon data indicate that detrital zircons will yield new insights into the generation of IB silicic melts and form a set of useful geochemical proxies for interpreting ancient arc detrital zircon provenance. Project IBM drilling target IBM1 was explored by Expedition 351 at Site U1438, located in the proximal back-arc of the northern Kyushu-Palau Ridge (KPR) at 27.3°N. A 1.2 km thick section of Paleogene volcaniclastic rocks, increasingly lithified and hydrothermally altered with depth, constitutes a proximal rear arc sedimentary record of IB arc initiation and early arc evolution. The ages and compositions of U1438 zircons are compatible with provenance in one or more edifices of the northern KPR and are incompatible with drilling contamination. Melt zircon saturation temperatures and Ti-in-zircon thermometry suggest a provenance in relatively cool and silicic KPR melts. The abundances of selected trace elements with high native concentrations provide insight into the petrogenesis of U1438 detrital zircon host melts, and may be useful indicators of both short and long-term variations in melt compositions in arc settings. The U1438 zircons are slightly enriched in U and LREE and are depleted in Nb compared to zircons from mid-ocean ridges and the Parece-Vela Basin, as predicted for melts in a primitive oceanic arc setting with magmas derived from a highly depleted mantle

  15. Cooling rates and the depth of detachment faulting at oceanic core complexes: Evidence from zircon Pb/U and (U-Th)/He ages

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Grimes, Craig B.; Cheadle, Michael J.; John, Barbara E.; Reiners, P.W.; Wooden, J.L.

    2011-01-01

    Oceanic detachment faulting represents a distinct mode of seafloor spreading at slow spreading mid-ocean ridges, but many questions persist about the thermal evolution and depth of faulting. We present new Pb/U and (U-Th)/He zircon ages and combine them with magnetic anomaly ages to define the cooling histories of gabbroic crust exposed by oceanic detachment faults at three sites along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) holes 1270D and 1275D near the 15??20???N Transform, and Atlantis Massif at 30??N). Closure temperatures for the Pb/U (???800??C-850??C) and (U-Th)/He (???210??C) isotopic systems in zircon bracket acquisition of magnetic remanence, collectively providing a temperature-time history during faulting. Results indicate cooling to ???200??C in 0.3-0.5 Myr after zircon crystallization, recording time-averaged cooling rates of ???1000??C- 2000??C/Myr. Assuming the footwalls were denuded along single continuous faults, differences in Pb/U and (U-Th)/He zircon ages together with independently determined slip rates allow the distance between the ???850??C and ???200??C isotherms along the fault plane to be estimated. Calculated distances are 8.4 ?? 4.2 km and 5.0 2.1 km from holes 1275D and 1270D and 8.4 ?? 1.4 km at Atlantis Massif. Estimating an initial subsurface fault dip of 50 and a depth of 1.5 km to the 200??C isotherm leads to the prediction that the ???850??C isotherm lies ???5-7 km below seafloor at the time of faulting. These depth estimates for active fault systems are consistent with depths of microseismicity observed beneath the hypothesized detachment fault at the TAG hydrothermal field and high-temperature fault rocks recovered from many oceanic detachment faults. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.

  16. SHRIMP U-Pb detrital zircon dating to check subdivisions in metamorphic complexes: a case of study in the Nevado-Filábride complex (Betic Cordillera, Spain)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santamaría-López, Ángel; Sanz de Galdeano, Carlos

    2018-04-01

    U-Pb dating on inherited detrital zircons has been applied to obtain the probable maximum age of deposition of the detrital protolith of the Nevado-Filábride complex (Betic Cordillera, Spain). Five of eight samples correspond to the lower part of the lithologic sequence of this complex, where radiometric dating of metasediments has not been presented till the present. The youngest age populations in the majority of samples are Carboniferous. The estimation of the maximum age of deposition in the lower and upper units is 349.1 ± 1.6 and 334.6 ± 2.9 Ma, respectively. In addition, samples show common age populations at ca. 490-630 and ca. 910-1010 Ma. Observations agree with the Carboniferous to early Permian U-Pb ages previously obtained in orthogneisses levels which are situated in the upper part of the complex. Combination of the minimum age of deposition deducible from the orthogneisses studies and the maximum ages of deposition obtained from the detrital zircons of this work, allow establishing the deposition of de studied lithological succession comprised between ca. 282 and 349 Ma or a shorter period.

  17. Micrometer-scale U-Pb age domains in eucrite zircons, impact re-setting, and the thermal history of the HED parent body

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hopkins, M. D.; Mojzsis, S. J.; Bottke, W. F.; Abramov, O.

    2015-01-01

    Meteoritic zircons are rare, but some are documented to occur in asteroidal meteorites, including those of the howardite-eucrite-diogenite (HED) achondrite clan (Rubin, A. [1997]. Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 32, 231-247). The HEDs are widely considered to originate from the Asteroid 4 Vesta. Vesta and the other large main belt asteroids record an early bombardment history. To explore this record, we describe sub-micrometer distributions of trace elements (U, Th) and 235,238U-207,206Pb ages from four zircons (>7-40 μm ∅) separated from bulk samples of the brecciated eucrite Millbillillie. Ultra-high resolution (∼100 nm) ion microprobe depth profiles reveal different zircon age domains correlative to mineral chemistry and to possible impact scenarios. Our new U-Pb zircon geochronology shows that Vesta's crust solidified within a few million years of Solar System formation (4561 ± 13 Ma), in good agreement with previous work (e.g. Carlson, R.W., Lugmair, G.W. [2000]. Timescales of planetesimal formation and differentiation based on extinct and extant radioisotopes. In: Canup, R., Righter, K. (Eds.), Origin of the Earth and Moon. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, pp. 25-44). Younger zircon age domains (ca. 4530 Ma) also record crustal processes, but these are interpreted to be exogenous because they are well after the effective extinction of 26Al (t1/2 = 0.72 Myr). An origin via impact-resetting was evaluated with a suite of analytical impact models. Output shows that if a single impactor was responsible for the ca. 4530 Ma zircon ages, it had to have been ⩾10 km in diameter and at high enough velocity (>5 km s-1) to account for the thermal field required to re-set U-Pb ages. Such an impact would have penetrated at least 10 km into Vesta's crust. Later events at ca. 4200 Ma are documented in HED apatite 235,238U-207,206Pb ages (Zhou, Q. et al. [2011]. Early basaltic volcanism and Late Heavy Bombardment on Vesta: U-Pb ages of small zircons and phosphates in

  18. Zircon U-Pb Ages from an Ultra-High Temperature Metapelite, Rauer Group, East Antarctica: Implications for Overprints by Grenvillian and Pan-African Events

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wang, Yanbin; Tong, Laixi; Liu, Dunyi

    2007-01-01

    SHRIMP U-Pb dating of zircon from an ultra-high temperature (UHT, ~1000 °C) granulite-facies metapelite from the Rauer Group, Mather Peninsula, east Antarctica, has yielded evidence for two episodes of metamorphic zircon growth, at ~1.00 Ga and ~530 Ma, and two episodes of magmatism in the source region for the protolith sediment, at ~2.53 and ~2.65 Ga, were identified from the zircon cores. Successive zircon growth at ~1.00 Ga and ~530 Ma records a sequence of distinct, widely spaced high-temperature metamorphic and/or anatectic events related to Grenvillian and Pan-African orogenesis. This study presents the first robust geochronological evidence for the timing of UHT metamorphism of the Rauer Group, supporting arguments that the peak UHT metamorphic event occurred at ~1.00 Ga and was overprinted by a separate high-grade event at ~530 Ma. The new age data indicate that the UHT granulites of the Rauer Group experienced a complex, multi-stage tectonothermal history, which cannot simply be explained via a single Pan-African (~500 Ma) high-grade tectonic event. This is critical in understanding the role of the eastern Prydz Bay region during the assembly of the east Gondwana supercontinent, and the newly recognized inherited Archaean ages (~2.53 and ~2.65 Ga) suggest a close tectonic relationship between the Rauer Group and the adjacent Archaean of the Vestfold Hills

  19. U-Th-Pb zircon ages of some Keweenawan Supergroup rocks from the south shore of Lake Superior

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Zartman, R.E.; Nicholson, S.W.; Cannon, W.F.; Morey, G.B.

    1997-01-01

    New single-crystal zircon U-Th-Pb ages for plutonic and rhyolitic Keweenawan Supergroup rocks from the south shore of Lake Superior provide geochronological constraints on magmatic evolution associated with the 1.1 Ga Midcontinent rift. Analyses of a granophyric phase of the Mineral Lake intrusion and the Meilen granite, both parts of the Meilen Intrusive Complex, and a laterally extensive rhyolite from the top of the Kallander Creek Volcanics have weighted average 207Pb/206Pb ages of 1102.0 ?? 2.8 Ma (N = 2), 1100.9 ?? 1.4 Ma (N = 5), and 1098.8 ?? 1.9 Ma (N = 4), respectively. Analyses of a pyroclastic rhyolite flow at the top of the Porcupine Volcanics result in variable 207Pb/206Pb ages that range from 1080 to 1137 Ma. This rhyolite exhibits a continuum between morphologically complex and simpler prismatic zircon crystals, the latter yielding concordant analyses having a weighted average 207Pb/206Pb age of 1093.6 ?? 1.8 Ma (N = 2). Four prismatic zircons from an aphyric rhyolite of the Chengwatana Volcanics in the Ashland syncline form a linear array intersecting concordia at 1094.6 ?? 2.1 Ma (MSWD = 1.3). Another presumed Chengwatana rhyolite recovered from drill core intersecting the Hudson-Afton horst in southeast Minnesota yielded only ???20 morphologically indistinguishable zircons. Six analyses give 207Pb/206Pb ages ranging from 1112 to 1136 Ma, including one analysis with a virtually concordant age of 1130 Ma. This age, however, is considerably older than that obtained for the Chengwatana Volcanics in the Ashland syncline or any other precisely dated rock from the Midcontinent rift.

  20. U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology from the basement of the Central Qilian Terrane: implications for tectonic evolution of northeastern Tibetan Plateau

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Changfeng; Wu, Chen; Zhou, Zhiguang; Yan, Zhu; Jiang, Tian; Song, Zhijie; Liu, Wencan; Yang, Xin; Zhang, Hongyuan

    2018-03-01

    The Tuolai Group dominates the Central Qilian Terrane, and there are different opinions on the age and tectonic attribute of the Tuolai Group. Based on large-scale geologic mapping and zircon dating, the Tuolai Group is divided into four parts: metamorphic supracrustal rocks, Neoproterozoic acid intrusive rocks, early-middle Ordovician acid intrusive rocks and middle Ordovician basic intrusive rocks. The metamorphic supracrustal rocks are the redefined Tuolai complex-group and include gneiss and schist assemblage by faulting contact. Zircon U-Pb LA-MC-ICP-MS dating was conducted on these samples of gneiss and migmatite from the gneiss assemblage, quartzite, two-mica schist and slate from the schist assemblage. The five detrital samples possess similar age spectra; have detrital zircon U-Pb main peak ages of 1.7 Ga with youngest U-Pb ages of 1150 Ma. They are intruded by Neoproterozoic acid intrusive rocks. Therefore, the Tuolai Group belonging to late Mesoproterozoic and early Neoproterozoic. With this caveat in mind, we believe that U-Pb detrital zircon dating, together with the geologic constraints obtained from this study and early work in the neighboring regions. We suggest that the formation age of the entire crystalline basement rocks of metasedimentary sequence from the Central Qilian Terrane should be constrained between the Late Mesoproterozoic and the Late Neoproterozoic, but not the previous Paleoproterozoic. The basement of the Central Qilian Terrane contains the typical Grenville ages, which indicates the Centre Qilian Terrane have been experienced the Grenville orogeny event.

  1. In situ U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotopic studies of zircons from the Sancheong-Hadong AMCG suite, Yeongnam Massif, Korea: Implications for the petrogenesis of ∼1.86 Ga massif-type anorthosite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Yuyoung; Cho, Moonsup; Yi, Keewook

    2017-05-01

    Isotopic and geochemical characteristics of Proterozoic anorthosite-mangerite-charnockite-granite (AMCG) suite have long been used for tracing the mantle-crustal source and magmatic evolution. We analyzed Lu-Hf isotopic compositions of zircon from the Sancheong-Hadong AMCG complex, Yeongnam Massif, Korea, in order to understand tectonomagmatic evolution of the Paleoproterozoic AMCG suite occurring at the southeastern margin of the North China Craton (NCC). The anorthositic rocks in this complex, associated with charnockitic and granitic gneisses, were recrystallized to eradicate magmatic features. In situ SHRIMP (sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe) U-Pb analyses of zircon from a leuconorite and an oxide-bearing gabbroic dyke yielded weighted mean 207Pb/206Pb ages of 1870 ± 2 Ma and 1861 ± 6 Ma, respectively. Charnockitic, granitic, and porphyroblastic gneisses yielded weighted mean 207Pb/206Pb zircon ages of 1861 ± 6 Ma, 1872 ± 6 Ma, and 1873 ± 4 Ma, respectively. These crystallization ages, together with our previous geochronological data for anorthosites (1862 ± 2 Ma), are indicative of episodic AMCG magmatism over an ∼10 Ma interval. Initial εHf(t) values of zircon analyzed from five anorthositic rocks and four felsic gneisses range from +2.1 to -6.1 and -0.3 to -5.4, respectively. Zircon Hf isotopic data in combination with available whole rock Sr-Nd isotopic data suggest that anorthositic parental magma was most likely derived from a mantle source and variably affected by crustal contamination. This crustal component is also reflected in charnockitic-granitic magmas produced primarily by the melting of lower crust. Taken together, the AMCG magmatism at 1.87-1.86 Ga in the Yeongnam Massif is most likely a late orogenic product of Paleoproterozoic NCC amalgamation tectonically linked to assembly of the Columbia supercontinent.

  2. In situ location and U-Pb dating of small zircon grains in igneous rocks using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-quadrupole mass spectrometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sack, Patrick J.; Berry, Ron F.; Meffre, Sebastien; Falloon, Trevor J.; Gemmell, J. Bruce; Friedman, Richard M.

    2011-05-01

    A new U-Pb zircon dating protocol for small (10-50 μm) zircons has been developed using an automated searching method to locate zircon grains in a polished rock mount. The scanning electron microscope-energy-dispersive X ray spectrum-based automated searching method can routinely find in situ zircon grains larger than 5 μm across. A selection of these grains was ablated using a 10 μm laser spot and analyzed in an inductively coupled plasma-quadrupole mass spectrometer (ICP-QMS). The technique has lower precision (˜6% uncertainty at 95% confidence on individual spot analyses) than typical laser ablation ICP-MS (˜2%), secondary ion mass spectrometry (<1%), and isotope dilution-thermal ionization mass spectrometry (˜0.4%) methods. However, it is accurate and has been used successfully on fine-grained lithologies, including mafic rocks from island arcs, ocean basins, and ophiolites, which have traditionally been considered devoid of dateable zircons. This technique is particularly well suited for medium- to fine-grained mafic volcanic rocks where zircon separation is challenging and can also be used to date rocks where only small amounts of sample are available (clasts, xenoliths, dredge rocks). The most significant problem with dating small in situ zircon grains is Pb loss. In our study, many of the small zircons analyzed have high U contents, and the isotopic compositions of these grains are consistent with Pb loss resulting from internal α radiation damage. This problem is not significant in very young rocks and can be minimized in older rocks by avoiding high-U zircon grains.

  3. New U-Pb zircon ages and the duration and division of Devonian time

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Tucker, R.D.; Bradley, D.C.; Ver Straeten, C.A.; Harris, A.G.; Ebert, J.R.; McCutcheon, S.R.

    1998-01-01

    Newly determined U-Pb zircon ages of volcanic ashes closely tied to biostratigraphic zones are used to revise the Devonian time-scale. They are: 1) 417.6 ?? 1.0 Ma for an ash within the conodont zone of Icriodus woschmidti/I. w. hesperius Lochkovian); 2) 408.3 ?? 1.9 Ma for an ash of early Emsian age correlated with the conodont zones of Po. dehiscens--Lower Po. inversus; 3) 391.4 ?? 1.8 Ma for an ash within the Po. c. costatus Zone and probably within the upper half of the zone (Eifelian); and 4) 381.1 ?? 1.3 Ma for an ash within the range of the Frasnian conodont Palmatolepis punctata (Pa. punctata Zone to Upper Pa. hassi Zone). U-Pb zircon ages for two rhyolites bracketing a palyniferous bed of the pusillites-lepidophyta spore zone, are dated at 363.8 ?? 2.2 Ma and 363 ?? 2.2 Ma and 363.4 ?? 1.8 Ma, respectively, suggesting an age of ~363 Ma for a level within the late Famennian Pa. g. expansa Zone. These data, together with other published zircon ages, suggest that the base and top of the Devonian lie close to 418 Ma and 362 Ma, respectively, thus lengthening the period of ~20% over current estimates. We suggest that the duration of the Middle Devonian (Eifelian and Givitian) is rather brief, perhaps no longer than 11.5 Myr (394 Ma-382.5 Ma), and that the Emsian and Famennian are the longest stages in the period with estimated durations of ~15.5 Myr and 14.5 Myr, respectively.

  4. U-Pb Ages of Lunar Apatites

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vaughan, J.; Nemchin, A. A.; Pidgeon, R. T.; Meyer, Charles

    2006-01-01

    Apatite is one of the minerals that is rarely utilized in U-Pb geochronology, compared to some other U-rich accessory phases. Relatively low U concentration, commonly high proportion of common Pb and low closure temperature of U-Pb system of apatite inhibit its application as geochronological tool when other minerals such as zircon are widely available. However, zircon appear to be restricted to certain type of lunar rocks, carrying so called KREEP signature, whereas apatite (and whitlockite) is a common accessory mineral in the lunar samples. Therefore, utilizing apatite for lunar chronology may increase the pool of rocks that are available for U-Pb dating. The low stability of U-Pb systematics of apatite may also result in the resetting of the system during meteoritic bombardment, in which case apatite may provide an additional tool for the study of the impact history of the Moon. In order to investigate these possibilities, we have analysed apatites and zircons from two breccia samples collected during the Apollo 14 mission. Both samples were collected within the Fra Mauro formation, which is interpreted as a material ejected during the impact that formed the Imbrium Basin.

  5. Pre-Variscan evolution of the Western Tatra Mountains: new insights from U-Pb zircon dating.

    PubMed

    Burda, Jolanta; Klötzli, Urs

    In situ LA-MC-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon geochronology combined with cathodoluminescence imaging were carried out to determine protolith and metamorphic ages of orthogneisses from the Western Tatra Mountains (Central Western Carpathians). The metamorphic complex is subdivided into two units (the Lower Unit and the Upper Unit). Orthogneisses of the Lower Unit are mostly banded, fine- to medium-grained rocks while in the Upper Unit varieties with augen structures predominate. Orthogneisses show a dynamically recrystallised mineral assemblage of Qz + Pl + Bt ± Grt with accessory zircon and apatite. They are peraluminous (ASI = 1.20-1.27) and interpreted to belong to a high-K calc-alkaline suite of a VAG-type tectonic setting. LA-MC-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon data from samples from both units, from crystals with oscillatory zoning and Th/U > 0.1, yield similar concordia ages of ca. 534 Ma. This is interpreted to reflect the magmatic crystallization age of igneous precursors. These oldest meta-magmatics so far dated in the Western Tatra Mountains could be linked to the fragmentation of the northern margin of Gondwana. In zircons from a gneiss from the Upper Unit, cores with well-developed oscillatory zoning are surrounded by weakly luminescent, low contrast rims (Th/U < 0.1). These yield a concordia age of ca. 387 Ma corresponding to a subsequent, Eo-Variscan, high-grade metamorphic event, connected with the formation of crustal-scale nappe structures and collision-related magmatism.

  6. From opening to subduction of an oceanic domain constrained by LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating (Variscan belt, Southern Armorican Massif, France)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paquette, J.-L.; Ballèvre, M.; Peucat, J.-J.; Cornen, G.

    2017-12-01

    In the Variscan belt of Western Europe, the lifetime and evolution of the oceanic domain is poorly constrained by sparse, outdated and unreliable multigrain ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon dating. In this article, we present a complete in situ LA-ICP-MS dataset of about 300 U-Pb zircon analyses obtained on most of the ophiolitic and eclogitic outcrops of Southern Brittany, comprising new dating of previously published zircon populations and newly discovered rock samples. In situ dating and cathodo-luminescence imaging of each zircon grain yields new absolute time-constraints on the evolution of the Galicia-Moldanubian Ocean. The new results confirm that the opening of this oceanic domain is well defined at about 490 Ma. In contrast, the generally-quoted 400-410 Ma-age for the high-pressure event related to the subduction of the oceanic crust is definitely not recorded in the zircons of the eclogites. In light of these new data, we propose that the obduction of oceanic rocks occurred at about 370-380 Ma while the high-pressure event is recorded at 355 Ma in only a few zircon grains of some eclogite samples. Additionally, this large scale dating project demonstrates that the zircons from eclogites do not systematically recrystallise during the high pressure event and consequently their U-Pb systems do not record that metamorphism systematically. These zircons rather preserve the isotopic memory of the magmatic crystallization of their igneous protolith. Another example of an eclogite sample from the French Massif Central illustrates the frequent mistake in the interpretation of the ages of the early hydrothermal alteration of zircons in the oceanic crust versus partial or complete recrystallization during eclogite facies metamorphism.

  7. Apollo 12 breccia 12013: Impact-induced partial Pb loss in zircon and its implications for lunar geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thiessen, F.; Nemchin, A. A.; Snape, J. F.; Bellucci, J. J.; Whitehouse, M. J.

    2018-06-01

    Apollo 12 breccia 12013 is composed of two portions, one grey in colour, the other black. The grey portion of the breccia consists mainly of felsite thought to have formed during a single crystallisation event, while the black part is characterized by presence of lithic fragments of noritic rocks and individual plagioclase crystals. In this study, U-Pb analyses of Ca-phosphate and zircon grains were conducted in both portions of the breccia. The zircon grains within the grey portion yielded a large range of ages (4154 ± 7 to 4308 ± 6 Ma, 2σ) and show decreasing U and Th concentrations within the younger grains. Moreover, some grains exhibit recrystallisation features and potentially formation of neoblasts. The latter process requires high temperatures above 1600-1700 °C leading to the decomposition of the primary zircon grain and subsequent formation of new zircon occurring as neoblasts. As a result of the high temperatures, the U-Pb system of the remaining original zircon grains was most likely open for Pb diffusion causing partial resetting and the observed range of 207Pb/206Pb ages. The event that led to the Pb loss in zircon could potentially be dated by the U-Pb system in Ca-phosphates, which have a weighted average 207Pb/206Pb age across both lithologies of 3924 ± 3 Ma (95% conf.). This age is identical within error to the combined average 207Pb/206Pb age of 3926 ± 2 Ma that was previously obtained from Ca-phosphates within Apollo 14 breccias, zircon grains in Apollo 12 impact melt breccias, and the lunar meteorite SaU 169. This age was interpreted to date the Imbrium impact. The zircon grains located within the black portion of the breccia yielded a similar range of ages (4123 ± 13 to 4328 ± 14 Ma, 2σ) to those in the grey portion. Given the brecciated nature of this part of the sample, the interpretation of these ages as representing igneous crystallisation or resetting by impact events remains ambiguous since there is no direct link to their

  8. Precise U/Pb zircons dates of bentonites in Upper Ordovician and Lower Silurian reference sections in North America and Britain.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suarez, S. E.; Brookfield, M. E.; Catlos, E. J.; Stockli, D. F.; Batchelor, R. A.

    2016-12-01

    The end of the Ordovician marks one of the greatest of the Earth's mass extinctions. One hypothesis explains this mass extinction as the result of a short-lived, major glaciation preceded by episodes of increased volcanism brought on by the Taconic orogeny. K-bentonites, weathered volcanic ash, provide evidence for increased volcanism. However, there is a lack of modern precise U-Pb dating of these ashes and some confusion in the biostratigraphy. The aim of this study is to obtain more precise U-Pb zircon ages from biostratigraphically constrained bentonites which will lead to better correlation of the Upper Ordovician and Lower Silurian relative time scales, as well as time the pulses of eruption. Zircon grains were extracted from the samples by heavy mineral separation and U-Pb dated using the Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometer at the University of Texas-Austin. We report here 3 precise U-Pb zircon ages from the Trenton Group, Ontario, Canada, and Dob's Linn, Scotland. The youngest age from the top of the Kirkfield Formation in Ontario is 448.0 +/- 18 Ma, which fits with existing late Ordovician stratigraphic ages. At Dob's Linn, Scotland, the site of the Ordovician/Silurian Global Boundary Stratigraphic Section and Point (GSSP), the youngest age for DL7, a bentonite 5 meters below the GSSP is 402.0 +/- 12.0 Ma, and for DL24L, a bentonite 8 meters above the GSSP is 358.2 +/- 7.9 Ma. These are Devonian ages in current timescales - the current age for the GSSP is 443.8 +/- 1.8 Ma, based on an U/Pb dates from a bentonite 1.6 meters above the GSSP at Dob's Linn. We are confident that our techniques rule out contamination and the most likely explanation is that the small zircons we analyzed either suffered Pb loss, or grew overgrowths during low grade hydrothermal metamorphism of the sediments during the intrusion of the Southern Upland Devonian granites during the Caledonian orogeny. These Devonian ages suggest that the 443.8 +/- 1.8 Ma age

  9. Residence, resorption and recycling of zircons in Devils Kitchen rhyolite, Coso Volcanic Field, California

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Miller, J.S.; Wooden, J.L.

    2004-01-01

    Zircons from the Devils Kitchen rhyolite in the Pleistocene Coso Volcanic field, California have been analyzed by in situ Pb/U ion microprobe (SHRIMP-RG) and by detailed cathodoluminescence imaging. The zircons yield common-Pb-corrected and disequilibrium-corrected 206Pb/238U ages that predate a previously reported K-Ar sanidine age by up to 200 kyr, and the range of ages exhibited by the zircons is also approximately 200 kyr. Cathodoluminescence imaging indicates that zircons formed in contrasting environments. Most zircons are euhedral, and a majority of the zircons are weakly zoned, but many also have anhedral, embayed cores, with euhedral overgrowths and multiple internal surfaces that are truncated by later crystal zones. Concentrations of U and Th vary by two orders of magnitude within the zircon population, and by 10-20 times between zones within some zircon crystals, indicating that zircons were transferred between contrasting chemical environments. A zircon saturation temperature of ???750??C overlaps within error a previously reported phenocryst equilibration temperature of 740 ?? 25??C. Textures in zircons indicative of repeated dissolution and subsequent regrowth are probably caused by punctuated heating by mafic magma input into rhyolite. The overall span of ages and large variation in U and Th concentrations, combined with calculated zircon saturation temperatures and resorption times, are most compatible with crystallization in magma bodies that were emplaced piecemeal in the crust at Coso over 200 kyr prior to eruption, and that were periodically rejuvenated or melted by subsequent basaltic injections. ?? Oxford University Press 2004; all rights reserved.

  10. Mineral chemistry and shrimp U-Pb Geochronology of mesoproterozoic polycrase-titanite veins in the sullivan Pb-Zn-Ag Deposit, British Columbia

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Slack, J.F.; Aleinikoff, J.N.; Belkin, H.E.; Fanning, C.M.; Ransom, P.W.

    2008-01-01

    Small polycrase-titanite veins 0.1-2 mm thick cut the tourmalinite feeder zone in the deep footwall of the Sullivan Pb-Zn-Ag deposit, southeastern British Columbia. Unaltered, euhedral crystals of polycrase and titanite 50-100 ??m in diameter are variably replaced by a finer-grained alteration-induced assemblage composed of anhedral polycrase and titanite with local calcite, albite, epidote, allanite, and thorite or uranothorite (or both). Average compositions of the unaltered and altered polycrase, as determined by electron-microprobe analysis, are (Y0.38 REE0.49 Th0.10 Ca0.04 Pb0.03 Fe0.01U0.01) (Ti1.48 Nb0.54 W0.04 Ta0.02)O6 and (Y0.42 REE0.32 Th0.15 U0.06 Ca0.04 Pb0.01 Fe0.01) (Ti1.57 Nb0.44 W0.04 Ta0.02)O6, respectively. The unaltered titanite has, in some areas, appreciable F (to 0.15 apfu), Y (to 0.40 apfu), and Nb (to 0.13 apfu). SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology of eight grains of unaltered polycrase yields a weighted 207Pb/206Pb age of 1413 ?? 4 Ma (2??) that is interpreted to be the age of vein formation. This age is 50-60 m.y. younger than the ca. 1470 Ma age of synsedimentary Pb-Zn-Ag mineralization in the Sullivan deposit, which is based on combined geological and geochronological data. SHRIMP ages for altered polycrase and titanite suggest later growth of minerals during the ???1370-1320 Ma East Kootenay and ???1150-1050 Ma Grenvillian orogenies. The 1413 ?? 4 Ma age for the unaltered polycrase in the veins records a previously unrecognized post-ore (1370 Ma) mineralizing event in the Sullivan deposit and vicinity. The SHRIMP U-Pb age of the polycrase and high concentrations of REE, Y, Ti, Nb, and Th in the veins, together with elevated F in titanite and the absence of associated sulfides, suggest transport of these high-field-strength elements (HFSE) by F-rich and S-poor hydrothermal fluids unrelated to the fluids that formed the older Fe-Pb-Zn-Ag sulfide ores of the Sullivan deposit. Fluids containing abundant REE, HFSE, and F may have been derived from a

  11. Protracted construction of gabbroic crust at a slow spreading ridge: Constraints from 206Pb/238U zircon ages from Atlantis Massif and IODP Hole U1309D (30°N, MAR)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Grimes, Craig B.; John, Barbara E.; Cheadle, Michael J.; Wooden, Joseph L.

    2008-01-01

    Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb zircon ages of 24 samples from oceanic crust recovered in Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Hole U1309D and from the surface of Atlantis Massif, Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) (30°N) document a protracted history of accretion in the footwall to an oceanic detachment fault. Ages for 18 samples of evolved Fe-Ti oxide gabbro and felsic dikes collected 40–1415 m below seafloor in U1309D yield a weighted mean of 1.20 ± 0.03 Ma (mean square of weighted deviates = 7.1). However, the ages range from 1.08 ± 0.07 Ma and 1.28 ± 0.05 Ma indicating crustal construction occurred over a minimum of 100–200 ka. The zircon ages, along with petrologic observations, indicate at least 2 major periods of intrusive activity with age peaks separated by 70 ka. The oldest ages are observed below 600 mbsf, an observation inconsistent with models requiring constant depth melt intrusion beneath a detachment fault. The data are most consistent with a “multiple sill” model whereby sills intrude at random depths below the ridge axis over a length scale greater than 1.4 km. Zircon ages from broadly spaced samples collected along the southern ridge of Atlantis Massif yield a detachment fault slip rate of 28.7 ± 6.7 mm/a and imply significant asymmetric plate spreading (up to 100% on the North American plate) for at least 200 ka during core complex formation.

  12. Zircon U-Pb ages and Hf-O isotopic composition of migmatites from the Zanjan-Takab complex, NW Iran: Constraints on partial melting of metasediments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moghadam, Hadi Shafaii; Li, Xian-Hua; Stern, Robert J.; Ghorbani, Ghasem; Bakhshizad, Farzaneh

    2016-01-01

    We study migmatites and other metamorphic rocks in the Zanjan-Takab region of NW Iran and use these results to report the first evidence of Oligocene core complex formation in Iran. Four samples of migmatites associated with paragneisses, including leucosomes and associated para-amphibolite melanosomes were selected for U-Pb dating and Hf-O isotopic analysis. Zircon cores - interpreted as originally detrital zircons - have variable ages that peak at ca. 100-110 Ma, but their sedimentation age - indicated by the youngest 206Pb/238U ages - is ca. 35-40 Ma. New zircons associated with incipient melting occur as overgrowths around zircon cores and/or as newly grown grains. Morphologies and internal structures suggest that rim growth and formation of new zircons were associated with partial melting. All four samples contain zircons with rims that yield 206Pb/238U ages of 28-25 Ma, indicating that partial melting occurred in Late Oligocene time. δ18O values for zircon rims vary between 8.2 and 12.3‰, significantly higher than expected for mantle inputs (δ18O 6‰) and consistent with equilibrium with surface materials. Zircon rims yield εHf(t) between 2.2 and 12.4 and two-stage Hf model ages of 448-562 Ma, indicating that the region is underlain by Cadomian-Caledonian crust. According to the Hf-O isotopic values, the main mechanism forming zircon rims was dissolution of pre-existing detrital zircons with reprecipitation of new zircon shortly thereafter. Oligocene ages indicate that partial melting accompanied core complex formation in the Zanjan-Takab region. Extension, melting, and core complex formation in south-central Iran are Eocene in age, but younger ages of Oligocene-Miocene in NW Iran and Turkey indicate that extension was distributed throughout the region during Cenozoic time.

  13. Brittle-ductile deformation effects on zircon crystal-chemistry and U-Pb ages: an example from the Finero Mafic Complex (Ivrea-Verbano Zone, western Alps)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Langone, Antonio; José Alberto, Padrón-Navarta; Zanetti, Alberto; Mazzucchelli, Maurizio; Tiepolo, Massimo; Giovanardi, Tommaso; Bonazzi, Mattia

    2016-04-01

    A detailed structural, geochemical and geochronological survey was performed on zircon grains from a leucocratic dioritic dyke discordantly intruded within meta-diorites/gabbros forming the External Gabbro unit of the Finero Mafic Complex. This latter is nowadays exposed as part of a near complete crustal section spanning from mantle rocks to upper crustal metasediments (Val Cannobina, Ivrea-Verbano Zone, Italy). The leucocratic dyke consists mainly of plagioclase (An18-24Ab79-82Or0.3-0.7) with subordinate amounts of biotite, spinel, zircon and corundum. Both the leucocratic dyke and the surrounding meta-diorites show evidence of ductile deformation occurred under amphibolite-facies conditions. Zircon grains (up to 2 mm in length) occur mainly as euhedral grains surrounded by fine grained plagioclase-dominated matrix and pressure shadows, typically filled by oxides. Fractures and cracks within zircon are common and can be associated with grain displacement or they can be filled by secondary minerals (oxides and chlorite). Cathodoluminescence (CL) images show that zircon grains have internal features typical of magmatic growth, but with local disturbances. However EBSD maps on two selected zircon grains revealed a profuse mosaic texture resulting in an internal misorientation of ca. 10o. The majority of the domains of the mosaic texture are related to parting and fractures, but some domains show no clear relation with brittle features. Rotation angles related to the mosaic texture are not crystallographically controlled. In addition, one of the analysed zircons shows clear evidence of plastic deformation at one of its corners due to indentation. Plastic deformation results in gradual misorientations of up to 12o, which are crystallographically controlled. Trace elements and U-Pb analyses were carried out by LA-ICP-MS directly on petrographic thin sections and designed to cover the entire exposed surface of selected grains. Such investigations revealed a strong

  14. Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) Analysis and U-Pb Geochronology of the Oldest Lunar Zircon: Constraining Early Lunar Differentiation and Dating Impact-Related Deformation

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Timms, Nick; Nemchin, Alexander; Grange, Marion; Reddy, Steve; Pidgeon, Bob; Geisler, Thorsten; Meyer, Chuck

    2009-01-01

    The evolution of the early moon was dominated by two processes (i) crystallization of the Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) and differentiation of potassium-rare earth element-phosphorous-rich residual magma reservoir referred to as KREEP, and (ii) an intense meteorite bombardment referred to as lunar cataclysm . The exact timing of these processes is disputed, and resolution relies on collection and interpretation of precise age data. This study examines the microstructure and geochronology of zircon from lunar impact breccias collected during the Apollo 17 mission. A large zircon clast within lunar breccia 72215,195 shows sector zoning in optical microscopy, cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging and Raman mapping, and indicates that it was a relict fragment of a much larger magmatic grain. Sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb analysis of the zircon shows that U and Th concentration correlate with sector zoning, with darkest CL domains corresponding with high-U and Th (approx.150 and approx.100 ppm respectively), and the brightest-CL sectors containing approx.30-50 ppm U and approx.10-20 ppm Th. This indicates that variations in optical CL and Raman properties correspond to differential accumulation of alpha-radiation damage in each sector. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) mapping shows that the quality of electron backscatter patterns (band contrast) varies with sector zoning, with the poorest quality patterns obtained from high-U and Th, dark-CL zones. EBSD mapping also reveals a deformation microstructure that is cryptic in optical, CL and Raman imaging. Two orthogonal sets of straight discrete and gradational low-angle boundaries accommodate approx.12 misorientation across the grain. The deformation bands are parallel to the crystallographic {a}-planes of the zircon, have misorientation axes parallel to the c-axis, and are geometrically consistent with formation by dislocation creep associated with <100>{010} slip. The deformation bands are unlike

  15. Relict zircon U-Pb age and O isotope evidence for reworking of Neoproterozoic crustal rocks in the origin of Triassic S-type granites in South China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gao, Peng; Zheng, Yong-Fei; Chen, Yi-Xiang; Zhao, Zi-Fu; Xia, Xiao-Ping

    2018-02-01

    Granites derived from partial melting of sedimentary rocks are generally characterized by high δ18O values and abundant relict zircons. Such relict zircons are valuable in tracing the source rocks of granites and the history of crustal anatexis. Here we report in-situ U-Pb ages, O isotopes and trace elements in zircons from Triassic granites in the Zhuguangshan and Jiuzhou regions, which are located in the Nanling Range and the Darongshan area, respectively, in South China. Zircon U-Pb dating yields magma crystallization ages of 236 ± 2 Ma for the Zhuguangshan granites and 246 ± 2 Ma to 252 ± 3 Ma for the Jiuzhou granites. The Triassic syn-magmatic zircons are characterized by high δ18O values of 10.1-11.9‰ in Zhuguangshan and 8.5-13.5‰ in Jiuzhou. The relict zircons show a wide range of U-Pb ages from 315 to 2185 Ma in Zhuguangshan and from 304 to 3121 Ma in Jiuzhou. Nevertheless, a dominant age peak of 700-1000 Ma is prominent in both occurrences, demonstrating that their source rocks were dominated by detrital sediments weathered from Neoproterozoic magmatic rocks. Taking previous results for regional granites together, Neoproterozoic relict zircons show δ18O values in a small range from 5 to 8‰ for the Nanling granites but a large range from 5 to 11‰ for the Darongshan granites. In addition, relict zircons of Paleozoic U-Pb age occur in the two granitic plutons. They exhibit consistently high δ18O values similar to the Triassic syn-magmatic zircons in the host granites. These Paleozoic relict zircons are interpreted as the peritectic product during transient melting of the metasedimentary rocks in response to the intracontinental orogenesis in South China. Therefore, the relict zircons of Neoproterozoic age are directly inherited from the source rocks of S-type granites, and those of Paleozoic age record the transient melting of metasedimentary rocks before intensive melting for granitic magmatism in the Triassic.

  16. Chemical-abrasion SIMS dating of zircon from the Eocene Caetano caldera, Nevada

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Colgan, J.; Watts, K. E.; John, D. A.; Henry, C. D.; Coble, M. A.; Vazquez, J. A.

    2012-12-01

    The Eocene Caetano caldera in northern Nevada formed during eruption of ~1100 km3 of crystal-rich rhyolite. Miocene extension cut the caldera into a set of fault blocks that expose minor pre-caldera volcanic rocks, two units of intracaldera Caetano Tuff up to 4 km thick, ash-flow tuff feeder dikes and ring-fracture intrusions, caldera collapse breccias, and post-collapse resurgent intrusions. Single-crystal 40Ar/39Ar sanidine dates on all parts of the caldera system overlap, yielding a 34.01 ± 0.05 Ma (n=17, Fish Canyon sanidine = 28.201 Ma) age for the eruption. 40Ar/39Ar dating also documents several preceding episodes of magmatism: 35.69 ± 0.06 Ma (sanidine, n =13) rhyolite dikes in the nearby Cortez gold district, 35.21 ± 0.18 Ma (plagioclase, n=1) andesite lava underlying Caetano Tuff, and a 38.90 ± 0.11 Ma (biotite, n=1), dacite dike in the northeastern caldera wall. Extensive U-Pb SHRIMP dating of zircon from both the Cortez dikes and all phases of the Caetano system suggests continuous magmatism from 40-34 Ma. However, all samples contain at least some—sometimes many—zircons with U-Pb ages younger than the 34.0 Ma argon age. To determine if anomalously young zircon ages are due to Pb-loss, we analyzed representative samples of the upper Caetano Tuff and the Redrock Canyon resurgent pluton with and without chemical abrasion to mitigate Pb-loss. Bulk zircon separates were annealed at 850°C for 48 hours, then chemically abraded with 10:1 HF/HNO3 vapor in a Parr bomb at 225°C for 8 hours, based on protocols outlined by Mattinson (2005). Both treated and untreated zircons from the same sample were mounted in epoxy and polished to their midsections, then imaged on the SEM using BSE and CL. The SHRIMP-RG at Stanford University was used to determine U-Pb ages and trace element concentrations in single spots for ~25 to 30 individual zircons per sample, using a round-robin procedure and two zircon age standards (R33 and 080) to monitor external precision

  17. High-Resolution Zircon U-Pb CA-TIMS Dating of the Carboniferous—Permian Successions, Paraná Basin, Brazil

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Griffis, N. P.; Mundil, R.; Montanez, I. P.; Isbell, J.; Fedorchuk, N.; Lopes, R.; Vesely, F.; Iannuzzi, R.

    2015-12-01

    The late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) is Earth's only record of a CO2-forced climatic transition from an icehouse to greenhouse state in a vegetated world. Despite a refined framework of Gondwanan ice distribution, questions remain about the timing, volume, and synchronicity of high-latitude continental ice and the subsequent deglaciation. These questions ultimately preclude our understanding of linkages between ice volume, sea level, and high- and low-latitude climate. Poor constraints on the timing and synchronicity of glacial and interglacial transitions reflect a lack of high-resolution radioisotopic dates from high-latitude, ice-proximal Carboniferous-Permian successions. The Rio Bonito Fm in Rio Grande do Sul State of southern Brazil hosts the oldest non-glaciogenic Carboniferous- Permian deposits of the Paraná Basin, thus recording the icehouse-to-greenhouse transition. Despite a widespread effort over the last two decades to constrain these deposits in time by means of U-Pb zircon geochronology, published data sets of the Candiota and Faxinal coals of the Rio Bonito Fm host discrepancies that may reflect post- eruptive open system behavior of zircon and analytical artifacts. These discrepancies have hindered the correlation of the Candiota and Faxinal sediments within the larger Gondwanan framework. Here we present the first U-Pb ages on closed system single zircons using CA-TIMS techniques on Permo-Carboniferous ash deposits of the Paraná Basin. Preliminary results indicate two major and distinct coal-forming periods that are separated by ca 10 Ma. Our results and conclusions are not in agreement with multi- crystal U-Pb TIMS and SIMS ages that suggest coeval deposition of the Candiota and Faxinal coals. CA-TIMS analyses applied to zircons from additional ash deposits are aimed at constructing a robust chronostratigraphic framework for the Carboniferous- Permian succession of the Paraná Basin, which will facilitate a better understanding of the timing and

  18. U-Pb zircon geochronology and evolution of some Adirondack meta-igneous rocks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mclelland, J. M.

    1988-01-01

    An update was presented of the recent U-Pb isotope geochronology and models for evolution of some of the meta-igneous rocks of the Adirondacks, New York. Uranium-lead zircon data from charnockites and mangerites and on baddeleyite from anorthosite suggest that the emplacement of these rocks into a stable crust took place in the range 1160 to 1130 Ma. Granulite facies metamorphism was approximately 1050 Ma as indicated by metamorphic zircon and sphene ages of the anorthosite and by development of magmatitic alaskitic gneiss. The concentric isotherms that are observed in this area are due to later doming. However, an older contact metamorphic aureole associated with anorthosite intrusion is observed where wollastonite develops in metacarbonates. Zenoliths found in the anorthosite indicate a metamorphic event prior to anorthosite emplacement. The most probable mechanism for anorthosite genesis is thought to be ponding of gabbroic magmas at the Moho. The emplacement of the anorogenic anorthosite-mangerite-charnockite suite was apparently bracketed by compressional orogenies.

  19. U-Pb zircon and biostratigraphic data of high-pressure/low-temperature metamorphic rocks of the Talea Ori: tracking the Paleotethys suture in central Crete, Greece

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zulauf, G.; Dörr, W.; Krahl, J.; Lahaye, Y.; Chatzaras, V.; Xypolias, P.

    2016-10-01

    Inherited deformation microfabrics of detrital quartz grains and U-Pb (Laser ablation (LA)-ICPMS and ID TIMS) ages of detrital zircons separated from the Phyllite-Quartzite Unit s.l. of the Talea Ori, central Crete, suggest strikingly different source rocks. Albite gneiss of the lower Rogdia Beds includes Cambrian and Neoproterozoic rounded zircons with main U-Pb age peaks at 628 and 988 Ma. These and minor Paleoproterozoic and Archean peaks, together with the lack of Variscan-aged and Mesoproterozoic zircons, are similar to the age spectra obtained from the Phyllite-Quartzite Unit s.str. of the Peloponnesus and eastern Crete and from the Taurides. All of these zircons should be derived from the northeastern passive margin of Gondwana (Cimmeria). Metatuffites of the uppermost Rogdia Beds and metasandstone of Bali beach, on the other hand, include euhedral detrital zircons displaying a Variscan U-Pb age spectra at ca. 300 Ma with concordia ages at 291 ± 3, 300 ± 1 Ma (Rogdia) and 286 ± 3, 300 ± 3, 313 ± 2 Ma (Bali). Both types of metasediments and their zircons are similar to those of the pre-Alpine basement and overlying Tyros Beds of eastern Crete, revealing a provenance at the southern active margin of Laurasia. Thus, in central Crete the Paleotethys suture should be situated inside the Rogdia Beds. Magmatic zircons separated from a rhyolite boulder of the lower Achlada Beds yielded a concordant U-Pb zircon age at 242 ± 2 Ma placing a maximum age for the deposition of the (meta)conglomerate from which the boulder was collected. This age is compatible with an Olenekian-early Anisian age of the underlying Vasilikon marble suggested by new findings of the foraminifera Meandrospira aff. pusilla. Both the Achlada Beds and the Vasilikon marble can be attributed to the lower Tyros Beds of eastern Crete. The Alpine deformation led to a pervasive mylonitic foliation, which is affecting most of the studied rocks. This foliation results from D2 top

  20. Permian U-Pb (CA-TIMS) zircon ages from Australia and China: Constraining the time scale of environmental and biotic change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Denyszyn, S. W.; Mundil, R.; Metcalfe, I.; He, B.

    2010-12-01

    In eastern Australia, the interconnected Bowen and Sydney Basins are filled with terrestrial sediments of late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic age. These sedimentary units record significant evolutionary events of eastern Gondwana during the time interval between two major mass extinctions (end Middle Permian and Permian-Triassic), and also provide lithological evidence for the Carboniferous-Permian Late Paleozoic Ice Age of southern Pangea, considered to be divisible into up to seven discrete glaciation events in Australia [e.g., 1]. These glaciations are currently assigned ages that indicate that the last of the glaciations predate the end Middle Permian mass extinction at ca. 260 Ma. However, the estimates for the time and durations are largely based on biostratigraphy and lithostratigraphy that, in the absence of robust and precise radioisotopic ages, are unacceptably fragile for providing an accurate high-resolution framework. Interbedded with the sediments are numerous tuff layers that contain zircon, many of which are associated with extensive coal measures in the Sydney and Bowen Basins. Published SHRIMP U-Pb zircon ages [2, 3] have been shown to be less precise and inaccurate when compared to ages applying the CA-TIMS method to the same horizons. Also within the late Middle Permian, the eruption of the Emeishan flood basalts in SW China has been proposed to have caused the end Middle Permian mass extinction [e.g., 4], though a causal link between these events demands a rigorous test that can only be provided by high-resolution geochronology. We present new U-Pb (CA-TIMS) zircon ages on tuff layers from the Sydney and Bowen Basins, with the purpose of generating a timescale for the Upper Permian of Australia to allow correlation with different parts of the world. Initial results, with permil precision, date a tuff layer within the uppermost Bandanna Fm. to ca. 252 Ma, a tuff within the Moranbah Coal Measures to ca. 256 Ma, and a tuff within the Ingelara Fm. to

  1. Zircon U-Pb age of the Pescadero felsite: A late Cretaceous igneous event in the forearc, west-central California Coast Ranges

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ernst, W.G.; Martens, U.C.; McLaughlin, R.J.; Clark, J.C.; Moore, Diane E.

    2011-01-01

    Weathered felsite is associated with the late Campanian-Maastrichtian Pigeon Point Formation near Pescadero, California. Poorly exposed, its age and correlation are uncertain. Is it part of the Pigeon Point section west of the San Gregorio-Hosgri fault? Does it rest on Nacimiento block basement? Is it dextrally offset from the Oligocene Cambria Felsite, ~185 km to the southeast? Why is a calc-alkaline hypabyssal igneous rock intrusive into the outboard accretionary prism? To address these questions, we analyzed 43 oscillatory-zoned zircon crystals from three incipiently recrystallized pumpellyite ?? prehnite ?? laumontite-bearing Pescadero felsite samples by sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe-reverse geometry (SHRIMPRG) and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) techniques. Thirty-three zircons gave late Mesozoic U-Pb ages, with single-grain values ranging from 81 to 167 Ma; ten have pre-Mesozoic, chiefl y Proterozoic ages. A group of the four youngest Pescadero zircons yielded an apparent maximum igneous age of ca. 86-90 Ma. Refl ecting broad age scatter and presence of partly digested sandstone inclusions, we interpret the rest of the zircons (perhaps all) as xenocrysts. Twenty-three zircons were separated and analyzed from two samples of the similar Cambria Felsite, yielding a unimodal 27 Ma U-Pb age. Clearly, the origin of the Upper Oligocene Cambria Felsite is different from that of the Upper Cretaceous Pescadero felsite; these rocks are not correlated, and do not constrain displacement along the San Gregorio-Hosgri fault. Peak ages differ slightly, but relative probability curves for Mesozoic and pre-Mesozoic Pescadero zircons compare well, for example, with abundant U-Pb age data for detrital zircons from Franciscan metaclastic strata ~100 km to the east in the Diablo Range- San Francisco Bay area, San Joaquin Great Valley Group turbidites, Upper Cretaceous Nacimiento block Franciscan strata, and Upper Cretaceous

  2. Zircon morphology and U-Pb geochronology of seven metaluminous and peralkaline post-orogenic granite complexes of the Arabian Shield, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Aleinikoff, John Nicholas; Stoeser, D.B.

    1988-01-01

    The U-Pb zircon method was used to determine the ages of seven metaluminous-to-peralkaline post-orogenic granites located throughout the Late Proterozoic Arabian Shield of Saudi Arabia. Zircons from the metaluminous rocks are prismatic, with length-to-width ratios of about 2-4:1 and small pyramidal terminations. In contrast, zircons from three of the four peralkaline complexes either lack well developed prismatic faces (are pseudo-octahedral) or are anhedral. Some of the zircons from the peralkaline granites contain inherited radiogenic lead. This complicates interpretation of the isotopic data and. in many cases, may make the U-Pb method unsuitable for determining the age of a peralkaline granite. Zircons in the metaluminous granites do not contain inheritance and thus, best-fit chords calculated through the data have upper concordia intercepts that indicate the age of intrusion, and lower intercepts that indicate simple episodic lead loss. The results show that these granites were emplaced during multiple intrusive episodes from 670 to 510 Ma (Late Proterozoic to Cambrian).

  3. SHRIMP U-Pb ages of xenotime and monazite from the Spar Lake red bed-associated Cu-Ag deposit, western Montana: Implications for ore genesis

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Aleinikoff, John N.; Hayes, Timothy S.; Evans, Karl V.; Mazdab, Frank K.; Pillers, Renee M.; Fanning, C. Mark

    2012-01-01

    Xenotime occurs as epitaxial overgrowths on detrital zircons in the Mesoproterozoic Revett Formation (Belt Supergroup) at the Spar Lake red bed-associated Cu-Ag deposit, western Montana. The deposit formed during diagenesis of Revett strata, where oxidizing metal-bearing hydrothermal fluids encountered a reducing zone. Samples for geochronology were collected from several mineral zones. Xenotime overgrowths (1–30 μm wide) were found in polished thin sections from five ore and near-ore zones (chalcocite-chlorite, bornite-calcite, galena-calcite, chalcopyrite-ankerite, and pyrite-calcite), but not in more distant zones across the region. Thirty-two in situ SHRIMP U-Pb analyses on xenotime overgrowths yield a weighted average of 207Pb/206Pb ages of 1409 ± 8 Ma, interpreted as the time of mineralization. This age is about 40 to 60 m.y. after deposition of the Revett Formation. Six other xenotime overgrowths formed during a younger event at 1304 ± 19 Ma. Several isolated grains of xenotime have 207Pb/206Pb ages in the range of 1.67 to 1.51 Ga, and thus are considered detrital in origin. Trace element data can distinguish Spar Lake xenotimes of different origins. Based on in situ SHRIMP analysis, detrital xenotime has heavy rare earth elements-enriched patterns similar to those of igneous xenotime, whereas xenotime overgrowths of inferred hydrothermal origin have hump-shaped (i.e., middle rare earth elements-enriched) patterns. The two ages of hydrothermal xenotime can be distinguished by slightly different rare earth elements patterns. In addition, 1409 Ma xenotime overgrowths have higher Eu and Gd contents than the 1304 Ma overgrowths. Most xenotime overgrowths from the Spar Lake deposit have elevated As concentrations, further suggesting a genetic relationship between the xenotime formation and Cu-Ag mineralization.

  4. Hadean Crustal Processes Revealed from Oxygen Isotopes and U-Th-Pb Depth Profiling of Pre-4.0 Ga Detrital Zircons from Western Australia

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Trail, D.; Mojzsis, S. J.; Harrison, T. M.

    2005-01-01

    Because physical and chemical processes of the past are determined from analysis of a preserved geologic record, little is known about terrestrial crustal processes of the first 500 Ma during the so-called Hadean Eon. What is known from direct measurements has been derived almost exclusively from the study of greater than 4.0 Ga detrital zircons from the Jack Hills, Western Australia. The geochemistry of these zircons has direct application to understanding the origin and evolution of the rocks during the Hadean because: (i) U-Th-Pb age determinations by ion microprobe suggests the presence of crust as early as 4.37 Ga, or shortly after lunar formation; (ii) high-resolution U-Th-Pb zircon depth profiles reported here reveal several episodes of zircon growth in the Hadean previously unrecognized; (iii) core regions of pre-4.0 Ga zircons with igneous compositions are enriched in O-18 and contain metaluminous and peraluminous mineral inclusions, both features indicative of S-type grainitod protoliths. Study of these ancient zircons provides a unique window into the first half billion years that permits assessment of the potential of the Hadean Earth to host an emergent biosphere.

  5. Provenance of Modern Soils and Limestone and Chert Bedrock of Middle Tennessee Assessed Using Detrital Zircon U-Pb Geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ayers, J. C.; Katsiaficas, N. J.; Wang, X.

    2014-12-01

    Relatively thick soils mantle limestone bedrock throughout much of middle TN. Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology was used to test two hypotheses: 1) That soil formed by accumulation of insoluble residue during chemical weathering of "dirty" limestone bedrock. 2) That an exotic component, perhaps wind-blown loess, was deposited and weathered to form soil. Samples of soil and underlying bedrock were collected from flat surfaces at the tops of cliffs. At Site 1 the Mississippian cherty limestone of the Fort Payne Formation was collected along with the B1 and B2 horizons of the overlying ultisol. At Site 2 a composite sample of A and B horizons of an alfisol and a sample of the underlying Ordovician limestone of the Hermitage Formation were collected. Zircon was recovered from soil and limestone samples, imaged using cathodoluminescence, and analyzed for trace elements and U-Pb isotopes using a 193 nm laser and quadrupole ICP-MS. Discordant analyses were discarded and 206Pb/238U ages are reported. Trace element concentrations and ratios in zircon seem to not be useful as provenance indicators. However, comparison of U-Pb age spectra showed that soils at both sites predominantly formed by weathering of limestone, with a small exotic component. The Hermitage has significant age peaks at ~1330, 1043, 955 and 439 Ma, and its overlying soil has age peaks at 1410, 1235, 1036 and 442 Ma. The age spectra are significantly different (Kolmogorov-Smirnov probability P = 0.01 < 0.05 significance). The Fort Payne has age peaks at ~1253, 967 and 417 Ma, while the B1 has age peaks at 1440, 1182, 1012 and 450 Ma (K-S P = 0.051) and the B2 at 1240, 941, 362, 81 and 33 Ma (K-S P = 0.073). The young ages in B2 require an exotic component that may account for ~25% of the measured ages. The source of the exotic material has not yet been identified, but its zircon age spectrum does not match previously published age spectra for the regional Pleistocene Peoria loess. Bedrock age peaks

  6. Isotope U-Pb age on single zircon and REE distribution in rocks and zircon from paleoproterozoic Kandalaksha-Kolvitsa complex Baltic shield

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Steshenko, Ekaterina; Bayanova, Tamara; Drogobuzhskaya, Svetlana; Lyalina, Ludmila; Serov, Pavel; Chashchin, Viktor; Elizarov, Dmitriy

    2017-04-01

    Kandalaksha-Kolvitsa paleoproterozoic complex located in the N-E part of Baltic shield and consists of three zones. Marginal zone (mesocratic metanorite) lies at the base of the massif. Main zone is composed of leucocratic metagabbro. The upper zone is alteration of mataanorthosite and leucocratic metagabbro. All rocks were subjected to granulate and anorthositic metamorphism. Age of magmatic crystallization of the massif was determined for the first time, using the U-Pb isotope method for single zircon grains. Three fractions of single zircons from anorthosite of the Kandalaksha massif gave precise U-Pb age of 2435.5 ± 4.8 Ma. For the first time REE concentration (WR) was determined using a quadrupole mass spectrometer (Agilent 7500 ce ICP-MS) in the main varieties of rocks of the Kandalaksha-Kolvitsa paleoproterozoic complex. Anorthosite and leucocratic metagabbros (main zone) are characterized by a flat spectrum distribution of HREE, which were normalized by [1]. The REE pattern is characterized by significant positive anomalies of Eu ((Eu / Eu *)n = 3.72-3.91) in anorthosite and leucogabbros and 7.26 - in ortoamfibolitah. General content of individual elements that are common for this type of rocks: Cen = 5.82-8.54, Ybn = 1.54-1.58, which indicates that the process of crystallization of the rock occurred with predominant accumulation of plagioclase. According to geochemical and Nd-Sr isotopic data (ISr=0.702 - 0.706, ɛNd(T) = +1 - (-3)) Kandalaksha Kolvitsa complex, appear to have a general plume source with Paleoproterozoic layered intrusions of the Baltic Shield [2] Distribution of REE (ELAN-9000 ICP-MS) in zircon have a typical magmatic species: a positive Ce, negative Eu anomaly and HREE flat spectrum. Titanium content in zircons were measured for the calculation of their crystallization temperature with 8350C. These data are evidence of magmatic origin of zircon [3]. The scientific researches are supported by RFBR (projects № 15-35-20501, № 16

  7. U-Pb zircon geochronology of plutonism in the northern Peninsular Ranges batholith, southern California: Implications for the Late Cretaceous tectonic evolution of southern California

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Premo, Wayne R.; Morton, Douglas M.; Wooden, Joseph L.; Fanning, C. Mark

    2014-01-01

    Utilizing both sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) and conventional isotope dilution–thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) methods, crystallization and/or emplacement ages have been obtained for a suite of Cretaceous intermediate-composition plutonic samples collected along a roughly E-W–trending traverse through the northern Peninsular Ranges batholith. Previously noted petrologic, mineralogic, and textural differences delineated four major zonations from west to east and raised the need for detailed geochemical and isotopic work. U-Pb zircon geochronology establishes that these zonations are essentially temporally separate. Mean 206Pb/238U ages date the three older zones from west to east at 126–107 Ma, 107–98 Ma, and 98–91 Ma. Despite petrologic differences, a relatively smooth progression of magmatism is seen from west to east. A fourth zone is defined by magmatism at ca. 85 Ma, which represents emplacement of deeper-level plutons east of the Eastern Peninsular Ranges mylonite zone in an allochthonous thrust sheet in the northeastern Peninsular Ranges batholith.The age data presented here differ slightly from those presented in earlier work for similar rocks exposed across the middle and southern portions of the Peninsular Ranges batholith in that our data define a relatively smooth progression of magmatism from west to east, and that the transition from western-type to eastern-type plutonism is interpreted to have occurred at ca. 98 Ma and not at ca. 105 Ma.The progressive involvement of older crustal components in the enrichment of eastern Peninsular Ranges batholith–type magma sources is documented by the occurrence of Proterozoic zircon inheritance within samples of the eastern part of the batholith.

  8. The Triassic reworking of the Yunkai massif (South China): EMP monazite and U-Pb zircon geochronologic evidence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Cheng-Hong; Liu, Yung-Hsin; Lee, Chi-Yu; Sano, Yuji; Zhou, Han-Wen; Xiang, Hua; Takahata, Naoto

    2017-01-01

    Geohistory of the Yunkai massif in South China Block is important in understanding the geodynamics for the build-up of this block during the Phanerozoic orogenies. To investigate this massif, we conduct EMP monazite and U-Pb zircon geochronological determinations on mineral inclusions and separate for seventeen samples in four groups, representing metamorphic rocks from core domain, the Gaozhou Complex (amphibolite facies, NE-striking) and the Yunkai Group (greenschist facies, NW-striking) of this massif and adjacent undeformed granites. Some EMP monazite ages are consistent with the NanoSIMS results. Monazite inclusions, mostly with long axis parallel to the cleavage of platy and elongated hosts, give distinguishable age results for NW- and NE-trending deformations at 244-236 Ma and 236-233 Ma, respectively. They also yield ages of 233-230 Ma for core domain gneissic granites and 232-229 Ma for undefomed granites. Combining U-Pb zircon ages of the same group, 245 Ma and 230 Ma are suggested to constrain the time of two phases of deformation. Aside from ubiquity of Triassic ages in studied rocks, ages of detrital monazite in the meta-sandstone match the major U-Pb zircon age clusters of the metamorphic rock that are largely concentrated at Neoproterozoic (1.0-0.9 Ga) and Early Paleozoic (444-431 Ma). Based on these geochronological data, Triassic is interpreted as representing the time for recrystallization of these host minerals on the Early Paleozoic protolith, and the also popular Neoproterozoic age is probably inherited. With this context, Yunkai massif is regarded as a strongly reactivated Triassic metamorphic terrain on an Early Paleozoic basement which had incorporated sediments with Neoproterozoic provenances. Triassic tectonic evolution of the Yunkai massif is suggested to have been controlled by converging geodynamics of the South China and Indochina Blocks as well as mafic magma emplacement related to the Emeishan large igneous province (E-LIP).

  9. The Mesozoic metamorphic-magmatic events in the Medog area, the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis: constraints from zircon U-Pb geochronology, trace elements and Hf isotope compositions in granitoids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dong, Hanwen; Xu, Zhiqin; Li, Yuan; Liu, Zhao; Li, Huaqi

    2015-01-01

    Based on the regional geological mapping, several granitoid intrusions had been discovered in the Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis (EHS). In order to constrain their petrogenesis and discuss their relations with the regional tectonics, we carried out U-Pb dating, trace elements and Hf isotope geochemistry studies on zircons separated from the granitoid rocks, in the area of the EHS. In this contribution, the granitoid rocks are mainly composed of diorites (X20-1-6) and granitic gneissic rocks (X2-15-1). The U-Pb zircon dating of diorites yields a crystallization age of 193.8 ± 2.0 Ma. These zircon have ɛ Hf( t) values ranging from -6.48 to -0.05, indicating an involvement of ancient crustal materials in the generation of these igneous rocks. The zircons from the Medog granitic gneissic rock commonly show zoning structures. The REE patterns and abundances of the inherited cores are different from those of the oscillatory rims. The LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon in situ analyses indicate that: (1) the zircon cores give multi-stage magmatic event ages ranging from 516 to 1,826 Ma, of which six ages are converged on 1,330-911 Ma, it is considered that the migmatitic gneiss has been formed in this time, and (2) while the zircon rims yield 206Pb/238U weighted mean ages of 217.4 ± 3.0 Ma (MSWD = 3.2), which was interpreted to represent the ages of the Triassic anatexis. Their ɛ Hf( t) values range from -18.98 to -8.36 and -14.22 to 8.72, respectively. The timing of the anatexis in the Medog area is coeval with the widespread metamorphism in Lhasa terrane.

  10. Assessment of Alternative [U] and [Th] Zircon Standards for SIMS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Monteleone, B. D.; van Soest, M. C.; Hodges, K.; Moore, G. M.; Boyce, J. W.; Hervig, R. L.

    2009-12-01

    The quality of in situ (U-Th)/He zircon dates is dependent upon the accuracy and precision of spatially distributed [U] and [Th] measurements on often complexly zoned zircon crystals. Natural zircon standards for SIMS traditionally have been used to obtain precise U-Pb ages rather than precise U and Th concentration. [U] and [Th] distributions within even the most homogeneous U-Pb age standards are not sufficient to make good microbeam standards (i.e., yield good precision: 2σ < 5%) for (U-Th)/He dates. In the absence of sufficiently homogeneous natural zircon crystals, we evaluate the use of the NIST 610 glass standard and a synthetic polycrystalline solid “zircon synrock” made by powdering and pressing natural zircon crystals at 2 GPa and 1100°C within a 13 mm piston cylinder for 24 hours. SIMS energy spectra and multiple spot analyses help assess the matrix-dependence of secondary ion emission and [U] and [Th] homogeneity of these materials. Although spot analyses on NIST 610 glass yielded spatially consistent ratios of 238U/30Si and 232Th/30Si (2σ = 2%, n = 14), comparison of energy spectra collected on glass and zircon reveal significant differences in U, UO, Th, and ThO ion intensities over the range of initial kinetic energies commonly used for trace element analyses. Computing [U] and [Th] in zircon using NIST glass yields concentrations that vary by more than 10% for [U] and [Th], depending on the initial kinetic energy and ion mass (elemental, oxide, or sum of elemental and oxide) used for the analysis. The observed effect of chemistry on secondary ion energy spectra suggests that NIST glass cannot be used as a standard for trace [U] and [Th] in zircon without a correction factor (presently unknown). Energy spectra of the zircon synrock are similar to those of natural zircon, suggesting matrix compatibility and therefore potential for accurate standardization. Spot analyses on the zircon powder pellets, however, show that adequate homogeneity of [U

  11. Provenance of sediments from Sumatra, Indonesia - Insights from detrital U-Pb zircon geochronology, heavy mineral analyses and Raman spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liebermann, C.; Hall, R.; Gough, A.

    2017-12-01

    The island of Sumatra is situated at the southwestern margin of the Indonesian archipelago. Although it is the sixth largest island in the world, the geology of the Sumatra sedimentary basins and their underlying basement is relatively poorly understood in terms of their provenance. This work is a multi-proxy provenance study utilizing U-Pb detrital zircon dating by LA-ICP-MS combined with optical and Raman spectroscopy-based heavy mineral analysis. It will help to unravel the stratigraphy of Sumatra, contribute to paleogeographic reconstruction of western SE Asia, and aid a wider understanding of Sumatran petroleum plays. Thin section analyses, heavy mineral assemblages, and >3500 concordant U-Pb zircon ages, from samples acquired during two fieldwork seasons indicate a mixed provenance for Cenozoic sedimentary formations, including both local igneous sources and mature basement rocks. Characteristic Precambrian zircon age spectra are found in all analysed Cenozoic sedimentary strata. These can be correlated with zircon age populations found in Sumatran basement rocks; Neoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic age groups are dominant (c. 500-600 Ma, c. 850-1000 Ma, c. 1050-1200 Ma). Paleoproterozoic to Archaean zircons occur as minor populations. The Phanerozoic age spectra of the Cenozoic formations are characterised by distinct Carboniferous, Permo-Triassic, and Jurassic-Cretaceous zircon populations. Permo-Triassic zircons are interpreted to come from granitoids in the Malay peninsula or Sumatra itself. Eocene to Lower Miocene strata are characterised by ultrastable heavy minerals such as zircon, tourmaline, and rutile, which together with garnet, suggest the principal sources were igneous and metamorphic basement rocks. Cenozoic zircons appear only from the Middle Miocene onwards. This change is interpreted to indicate a new contribution from a local volcanic arc, and is supported by the occurrence of unstable heavy minerals such as apatite and clinopyroxene, and the

  12. Concordant ages for the Lava Creek Tuff from high-spatial-resolution U-Pb dating of zircon rim faces and single-crystal sanidine 40Ar/39Ar dating

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Matthews, N. E.; Vazquez, J. A.; Calvert, A. T.

    2013-12-01

    The last great explosive supereruption from the Yellowstone Plateau formed present-day Yellowstone caldera and ejected the >1000 km3 of rhyolite that composes the Lava Creek Tuff (LCT). The LCT eruption blanketed much of the western United States in ash, and consequently is a key chronostratigraphic marker bed for delimiting Quaternary uplift rates, the age of middle Pleistocene glacial and pluvial deposits, and tephra correlation in North America. Previous 40Ar/39Ar dating of the two mineralogically distinct LCT members (A & B) yield ages ranging from ca. 600 ka (Gansecki et al., 1998) to ca. 640 ka (Lanphere et al., 2002). To resolve the timing of eruption and crystallization timescale for the LCT magma, we dated both LCT members using a dual-method approach as follows: (1) ion microprobe (SHRIMP-RG) U-Pb dating and trace-element characterization of the final few micrometers of zircon crystallization by analysis of unpolished rims on indium-mounted crystals, and dating of the onset of zircon crystallization by traditional analysis of sectioned crystal interiors, and (2) laser-fusion 40Ar/39Ar dating of single sanidine crystals from bulk LCT ignimbrite and pumice. The unpolished rims of zircon from LCT members A & B yield indistinguishable ages, with a mean age of 621.8 × 2.5 ka (1σ) after correction for initial 230Th disequilibrium as constrained by ion-probe analyses of LCT melt inclusions. Single sanidine crystals from LCT-B yield a mean age of 624.9 × 2.6 ka (FCT=28.17 Ma) that is indistinguishable from the zircon rim ages for both members. These results indicate that LCT members A & B erupted over a geologically brief interval, which is supported by the direct and gradational contact of their equivalent fallout in distal lacustrine deposits and a lack of field evidence for a significant time-break between the LCT A & B in proximal deposits (Christiansen, 2001), but contrasts with older Yellowstone ignimbrite (e.g., Huckleberry Ridge) that may have erupted

  13. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb and muscovite K-Ar ages of basement rocks from the south arm of Sulawesi, Indonesia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jaya, Asri; Nishikawa, Osamu; Hayasaka, Yasutaka

    2017-11-01

    The zircon U-Pb and muscovite K-Ar age from the Bantimala, Barru and Biru basement complexes in the South Arm of Sulawesi, Indonesia provide new information regarding the timing of magmatism, metamorphism and sedimentation in this region and have implications for the origin and evolution of the study area. The study area is at the juncture between the southeast margin of Sundaland and Bird's Head-Australia. The age of both the zircon U-Pb of detrital materials in the Bantimala Complex and the muscovite K-Ar of amphibolite in the Biru Complex fall in the Late Early Cretaceous (between 109 and 115 Ma), which is a similar age range to previous data for both the sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. The youngest detrital zircon in the schist samples from the Barru Complex fall into the Triassic in age (between 243 and 247 Ma). These age data indicate that the protolith of all three basement complexes were involved in the subduction system and metamorphosed in the late Early Cretaceous, but there are several differences in their deposition environment under and out of the influence of the late Early Cretaceous magmatism in the Bantimala and Barru Complexes, respectively. Felsic igneous activities are confirmed in the Late Cretaceous and the Eocene by the zircon U-Pb age of igneous rocks intruding or included as detrital fragments in three basement complexes. These dates are similar to those reported from the Meratus Complex of South Kalimantan. The detrital zircon age distributions of the basement rocks in the South Arm of Sulawesi display predominant Mesozoic (Cretaceous and Triassic) and Paleozoic populations with a small population of Proterozoic ages supporting the hypothesis that the West Sulawesi block originated from the region of the circum Bird's Head-Australian, namely the Inner Banda block. The absence of Jurassic zircon age population in the South Arm of Sulawesi suggests the division of the South Arm of Sulawesi from the Inner Banda block in early stage of

  14. A New age Constraint on Sturtian Glaciation: SHRIMP U-Pb zircon geochronology of Neoproterozoic Altungol Formation in Tarim Basin, NW China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, X.; Li, J.; Li, W.; Wang, H.

    2013-12-01

    Neoproterozoic glaciations with a wide distribution, punctuated the largely ice-free Precambrian world within tropical latitudes, interpreted as evidence record the cold paleoclimate intervals which made a Snowball Earth with the frozen ocean. More recently, Quruqtagh of Northeast Tarim Basin, Northwest China, catches the increasing eyes, not only because of its three or four Neoproterzoic glacial periods in China, but also its tectonic significance for breakup of Rodinia supercontinent. There are many Neoproterozoic glaciation strata exposures in Quruqtagh. The Nanhua System is divided into the Bayisi, Zhaobishan (absent in south aera), Altungol and Tereeken formations. Thick tillites were found in Bayisi, Tereeken and Hankalchough formations, while minor was found in Altungol Formation. After the field investigation of the south Yaerdang Mountain in the South aera, it is suggested that the Altungol Formation in the South aera differs from that the North aera. In the North, it is a set of littoral-neritic clastic facies sediment with few volcanic rocks and marine tillites in the bottom. In South Quruqtagh, it consists of 45m-thick gray-green tillites in the bottom with different size and complex components gravels, volcanic interbed near the top of tillites, overlying strata is cap dolomite of 15m thickness, with abundant drop-stones, the upper is black shales and gray to black thin-interbeded siliceous rock. The reported ages without Altungol glaciation age are all focused on the north Quruqtagh and conversely in South Quruqtagh without reported glaciation age. Based on field investigation of Nanhua System (Cryogenian) in NE Tarim Basin, we offer the first set of Sturtian glaciation age 729.4×6.6Ma, in the form of SHRIMP(sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe) U-Pb zircon age dating of volcanic interbedded near the top of Altungol Formation tillites, South Quruqtagh, which provides a new constraint on the Sturtian glaciation from global perspective. It is a

  15. SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating from eclogite lenses in marble, Dabie-Sulu UHP terrane: restriction on the prograde, UHP and retrograde metamorphic ages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, F.; Gerdes, A.; Xue, H.; Liang, F.

    2006-12-01

    Eclogite as lenses in impure marbles from Dabie-Sulu UHP terrane, represent parts of deeply subducted meta- sedimentary rocks. To constrain the age of metamorphism during subduction and exhumation, zircons from 2 eclogite samples in Dabie-Sulu impure marbles have been investigated. Beside Inherited (detrital) grains, 3 different metamorphic zircon domains have been identified based on distribution of mineral inclusion, trace elements and cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging: 1. Dark-luminescent rounded cores with quartz eclogite- facies mineral inclusions suggest formation at high-pressure (HP) metamorphic conditions. 2. White- luminescent zircon, either surrounding domain 1 or as rounded to spindly cores with index coesite eclogite- facies mineral inclusions indicates formation at UHP conditions. 3. Grey-luminescent rims around domain 2 with low-pressure mineral inclusions suggest formation during late regional amphibolite-facies retrogression. The three distinct zircon domains were dated by SHRIMP and yielded three discrete and meaningful age groups: 245±4 Ma for prograde HP metamorphism, 235±3 Ma for UHP metamorphism and 215±6 Ma for late amphibolite-facies retrogression from Dabie-Sulu eclogite. This data suggests that subduction and exhumation took place in about 10-11 Myr and 19-20 Myr, respectively. Continental materials was subducted from surface to the deep mantle depth at rates of 10 km/Myr, and subsequently exhumed from the mantle to the base of the crust at rates of 7 km/Myr. Ultrafast exhumation of the Dabie-Sulu UHP terrane from depth of 160 to 30 km was probably driven by buoyancy forces after UHP slab break-off at deep mantle depths.

  16. Contribution of Columbia and Gondwana Supercontinent assembly- and growth-related magmatism in the evolution of the Meghalaya Plateau and the Mikir Hills, Northeast India: Constraints from U-Pb SHRIMP zircon geochronology and geochemistry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, Santosh; Rino, Vikoleno; Hayasaka, Yasutaka; Kimura, Kosuke; Raju, Shunmugam; Terada, Kentaro; Pathak, Manjari

    2017-04-01

    The Meghalaya Plateau and the Mikir Hills constitute a northeastern extension of the Precambrian Indian Shield. They are dominantly composed of Proterozoic basement granite gneisses, granites, migmatites, granulites, the Shillong Group metasedimentary cover sequence, and Mesozoic-Tertiary igneous and sedimentary rocks. Medium to coarse grained, equigranular to porphyritic Cambrian granite plutons intrude the basement granite gneisses and the Shillong Group. U-Pb SHRIMP zircon geochronology and geochemistry of the granite gneisses and granites have been carried out in order to understand the nature and timing of granite magmatism, supercontinent cycles, and crustal growth of the Meghalaya Plateau and Mikir Hills. Zircons from the Rongjeng granite gneiss record the oldest magmatism at 1778 ± 37 Ma. An inherited zircon core has an age of 2566.4 ± 26.9 Ma, indicating the presence of recycled Neoarchaean crust in the basement granite gneisses. Zircons from the Sonsak granite have two ages: 523.4 ± 7.9 Ma and 1620.8 ± 9.2 Ma, which indicate partial assimilation of an older granite gneiss by a younger granite melt. Zircons from the Longavalli granite gneiss of the Mikir Hills has a crystallization age of 1430.4 ± 9.6 Ma and a metamorphic age of 514 ± 18.6 Ma. An inherited core of a zircon from Longavalli granite gneiss has an age of 1617.1 ± 14.5 Ma. Zircons from younger granite plutons have Cambrian mean ages of 528.7 ± 5.5 Ma (Kaziranga), 516 ± 9.0 Ma (South Khasi), 512.5 ± 8.7 Ma (Kyrdem), and 506.7 ± 7.1 Ma and 535 ± 11 Ma (Nongpoh). These plutons are products of the global Pan-African tectonothermal event, and their formation markedly coincides with the later stages of East Gondwana assembly (570-500 Ma, Kuunga orogen). The older inherited zircon cores (2566.4 ± 26.9 Ma, 1758.1 ± 54.3 Ma, 1617.1 ± 14 Ma) imply a significant role for recycled ancient crust in the generation of Cambrian granites. Thus the Meghalaya Plateau and Mikir Hills experienced

  17. An Integrated Analytical Approach to Obtaining Reliable U-Pb and Hf Isotopic Data from Complex (>3.9 to 3.3 Ga) Zircon from the Acasta Gneiss Complex

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bauer, A.; Bowring, S. A.; Vervoort, J. D.; Fisher, C. M.

    2014-12-01

    The Acasta Gneiss Complex (AGC) of northwestern Canada preserves some of Earth's oldest granitic crust (>4.03 Ga) and thereby contains important insight into crust forming processes on the early Earth. In general, rocks of the AGC have undergone a complex history of metamorphism and deformation (Archean and Paleoproterozoic)1,2, and, as a consequence, the zircons retain a complex history including inheritance, magmatic and metamorphic overgrowths, recrystallization, and multi-stage Pb loss. Previously published Hf isotopic data on zircons show within sample variability in excess of analytical uncertainty2,3,4. In order to assess the meaning and significance of this apparent isotopic variability, we are using two different methods to obtain coupled U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotopic data in zircon from a suite of rocks ranging in age from ca. > 3.9 Ga to 3.3 Ga. To obtain these data from the same volume of zircon, our approach involves: 1) split stream LA-ICPMS for U-Pb and Lu-Hf; 2) mechanical isolation of zircon domains for chemical abrasion and ID-TIMS U-Pb analyses and solution ICPMS for Lu-Hf recovered from U-Pb ion exchange chromatography. The deconvolution of complex histories requires this integrated approach and permits us to take advantage of both high spatial resolution and highest precision measurements to ultimately decipher the age and isotopic composition of discrete domains of multi-phase zircon. We demonstrate our approach with both relatively simple and complex grain populations in an attempt to understand within and between grain heterogeneity. The samples with the simplest zircon systematics have increasingly negative ɛHf from oldest to youngest, consistent with involvement of 4.0 Ga or older crust in later generations; also, none of our samples have been derived solely from strongly depleted sources. The presence of intra-zircon variability within samples from the AGC reflects a complex history of magmatic additions requiring melting/assimilation of older

  18. Arc-continent collision of the Coastal Range in Taiwan: Geochronological constraints from U-Pb ages of zircons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Geng, Wei; Zhang, Xun-Hua; Huang, Long

    2018-04-01

    The oblique arc-continent collision between the Luzon arc and the southeastern margin of the Eurasian continent caused the uplift of Taiwan. The Coastal Range in eastern Taiwan is the northern section of the Luzon arc in the collision zone and thus records important information about the arc-continent collision. In this paper, we determine and analyze the U-Pb ages of magmatic zircons from the volcanic arc and clastic zircons from the fore-arc basin in the Coastal Range. For the volcanic arc in the Coastal Range, the eruption ages range from 16.8-5 Ma. Given that the initial subduction of the South China Sea oceanic crust (17 Ma) occurred before the Luzon arc formed, we conclude that the volcanic activity of the Coastal Range began at 16.8 ± 1.3 Ma; it was most active from 14 to 8 Ma and continued until approximately 5 Ma. The U-Pb chronology also indicates that the initial stage of arc-continent collision of the Coastal Range started at approximately 5 Ma, when the northern section of the Luzon arc moved away from the magmatic chamber because of the kinematics of the Philippine Sea Plate.

  19. A search for thermal excursions from ancient extraterrestrial impacts using Hadean zircon Ti-U-Th-Pb depth profiles.

    PubMed

    Abbott, Sunshine S; Harrison, T Mark; Schmitt, Axel K; Mojzsis, Stephen J

    2012-08-21

    Few terrestrial localities preserve more than a trace lithic record prior to ca. 3.8 Ga greatly limiting our understanding of the first 700 Ma of Earth history, a period inferred to have included a spike in the bolide flux to the inner solar system at ca. 3.85-3.95 Ga (the Late Heavy Bombardment, LHB). An accessible record of this era may be found in Hadean detrital zircons from the Jack Hills, Western Australia, in the form of μm-scale epitaxial overgrowths. By comparing crystallization temperatures of pre-3.8 Ga zircon overgrowths to the archive of zircon temperature spectra, it should, in principle, be possible to identify a distinctive impact signature. We have developed Ti-U-Th-Pb ion microprobe depth profiling to obtain age and temperature information within these zircon overgrowths and undertaken a feasibility study of its possible use in identifying impact events. Of eight grains profiled in this fashion, four have overgrowths of LHB-era age. Age vs. temperature profiles reveal a period between ca. 3.85-3.95 Ga (i.e., LHB era) characterized by significantly higher temperatures (approximately 840-875 °C) than do older or younger zircons or zircon domains (approximately 630-750 °C). However, temperatures approaching 900 °C can result in Pb isotopic exchange rendering interpretation of these profiles nonunique. Coupled age-temperature depth profiling shows promise in this role, and the preliminary data we report could represent the first terrestrial evidence for impact-related heating during the LHB.

  20. Is the Macquarie Arc (Lachlan Orogen) An Exotic Terrane or Formed on the Gondwanan Margin? Reappraisal by SHRIMP U-Pb Dating of Volcano-Sedimentary Rocks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buckman, S.; Zhang, Q.; Nutman, A. P.

    2017-12-01

    A fundamental question concerning the Ordovician Macquarie Arc rocks is did they form within the palaeo-Pacific Ocean and are entirely juvenile, or did they evolve on the periphery of Gondwana? This is a key issue to ongoing debates concerning the growth of the eastern Gondwanan margin throughout the Palaeozoic. This problem is complicated by the arc now occurs as several slices, in post-arc tectonic contact with the eastern Gondwanan Ordovician Adaminaby Group. The dispersal of the arc as tectonic slices means that the temporal correlation of lithologies across the extent of the arc's exposure needs to be verified via U-Pb zircon geochronology. Our zircon U-Pb geochronology reveals that samples with the oldest zircons of Palaeozoic volcanic origin do not contain any Gondwanan-sourced zircons (particularly Cambrian and Neoproteorzoic). These samples, particularly some ascribed to the Weemalla Formation and Mitchell Formation have unimodal zircon populations of 450.5 Ma and 479.8 Ma. On the other hand, some samples with somewhat younger volcanic populations of 415 Ma and 458 Ma contain some Gondwanan-sourced older detrital zircons as well. Some of these latter samples are derived from outcrops that have previously consigned to the Yarrimbah Formation, should be older than, or equivalent to, the samples with the unimodal volcanic zircon populations of 480 Ma. This shows clearly that the consignment of some Macquarie Arc units to particular formations needs to be revised. The geochemical and radiogenic isotopic characteristics of the Macquarie Arc indicate that it is dominated by products of an intra-oceanic island arc that developed contemporaneously but spatially separated from Adaminaby Group passive margin sedimentation along eastern Gondwana. However, because our new U-Pb zircon data reveals that only samples with the youngest volcanic zircons also contain Gondwanan zircons, it shows that before the death of the arc, it was proximal to the Gondwanan margin

  1. U-Xe Degassing Ages of Terrestrial and Lunar Impact Zircons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crow, C. A.; Crowther, S. A.; Gilmour, J. D.; Busemann, H.; Moser, D. E.; McKeegan, K. D.

    2015-07-01

    We present U-Xe degassing ages for individual zircons from Apollo 14 samples and the terrestrial impact structure at Vrederfort, South Africa. Preliminary results suggest the degassing ages are consistent with or younger than their 207Pb-206Pb ages.

  2. New zircon ages on the Cambrian-Ordovician volcanism of the Southern Gemericum basement (Western Carpathians, Slovakia): SHRIMP dating, geochemistry and provenance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vozárová, Anna; Rodionov, Nickolay; Šarinová, Katarína; Presnyakov, Sergey

    2017-09-01

    The Southern Gemericum basement in the Inner Western Carpathians, composed of low-grade volcano-sedimentary rock complexes, constitutes a record of the polyphase Cambrian-Ordovician continental volcanic arc volcanism. These metavolcanic rocks are characterized by the enrichment in K, Rb, Ba, Th and Ce and Sm relative to Ta, Nb, Hf, Zr, Y and Yb that are the characteristic features for volcanic arc magmatites. The new SHRIMP U-Pb zircon data and compilation of previously published and re-evaluated zircon ages, contribute to a new constrain of the timing of the Cambrian-Ordovician volcanism that occurred between 496 and 447 Ma. The following peaks of the volcanic activity of the Southern Gemericum basement have been recognized: (a) mid-late Furongian at 492 Ma; (b) Tremadocian at 481 Ma; (c) Darriwilian at 464 Ma prolonged to 453 Ma within the early Upper Ordovician. The metavolcanic rocks are characterized by a high zircon inheritance, composed of Ediacaran (650-550 Ma), Tonian-Stenian (1.1-0.9 Ma), and, to a lesser extent, Mesoproterozoic (1.3 Ga), Paleoproterozoic (1.9 Ga) and Archaean assemblages (2.6 Ga). Based on the acquired zircon populations, it could be deduced that Cambrian-Ordovician arc crust was generated by a partial melting of Ediacaran basement in the subduction-related setting, into which old crustal fragments were incorporated. The ascertained zircon inheritances with Meso-, Paleoproterozoic and Archaean cores indicate the similarities with the Saharan Metacraton provenance.

  3. Petrography and U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology of metasedimentary strata dredged from the Chukchi Borderland, Amerasia Basin, Arctic Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Brumley, K.; Miller, E. L.; Mayer, L. A.; Andronikov, A.; Wooden, J. L.; Dumitru, T. A.; Elliott, B.; Gehrels, G. E.; Mukasa, S. B.

    2010-12-01

    In 2008-2009, twelve dredges were taken aboard the USCGC Healy from outcrops along the Alpha Ridge, Northern Chukchi Borderland, Northwind Ridge and the Chukchi Plateau in the Arctic Ocean as part of the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Project. To ensure sampling of outcrop, steep bathymetric slopes (>40°) with little mud cover were identified with multibeam sonar and targeted for dredging. The first dredge from Alpha Ridge yielded volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks deposited from a phreatomagmatic eruption in shallow water (<200m). This is inconsistent with tectonic reconstructions suggesting that the Alpha Ridge was created as an oceanic plateau on deep oceanic crust of the Canada Basin. Another dredge, taken from the northern tip of Northwind Ridge, yielded metasedimentary rocks deformed under greenschist facies conditions (chlorite+white mica). These rocks are intruded and/or overlain by mid-Cretaceous alkalic basalts, also taken in this dredge, and dated by 40Ar/39Ar (plagioclase separate) to be 112±1 Ma. The metasedimentary rocks, from this single dredge, range in grain size from mud to coarse sandstone and grit which all contain grains and sub-angular clasts of volcanic, plutonic, metamorphic and fine grained sedimentary rocks as well as monocrystalline quartz, potassium feldspar, and plagioclase. All of these samples display the same bedding to foliation angle and lithology, which further indicates that they were dredged from in situ outcrop and are not random samples of ice rafted debris. Based on grain size variations and graded beds, they are interpreted as Silurian gravity flow deposits fed by proximal syn-orogenic and/or magmatic arc sources. Detrital zircons were separated from four sandstone samples of the Northwind Ridge dredge, and their U-Pb single grain ages determined by LA-MC-ICPMS and SHRIMP, (N= 393). Their detrital zircon populations are dominated by euhedral first-cycle zircon ca. 430 and 980 Ma with lesser older recycled zircons between

  4. U-Pb zircon and CHIME monazite dating of granitoids and high-grade metamorphic rocks from the Eastern and Peninsular Thailand - A new report of Early Paleozoic granite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kawakami, T.; Nakano, N.; Higashino, F.; Hokada, T.; Osanai, Y.; Yuhara, M.; Charusiri, P.; Kamikubo, H.; Yonemura, K.; Hirata, T.

    2014-07-01

    In order to understand the age and tectonic framework of Eastern to Peninsular Thailand from the viewpoint of basement (metamorphic and plutonic) geology, the LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating and the chemical Th-U-total Pb isochron method (CHIME) monazite dating were performed in the Khao Chao, Hub-Kapong to Pran Buri, and Khanom areas in Eastern to Peninsular Thailand. The LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating of the garnet-hornblende gneiss from the Khao Chao area gave 229 ± 3 Ma representing the crystallization age of the gabbro, and that of the garnet-biotite gneisses gave 193 ± 4 Ma representing the timing of an upper amphibolite facies metamorphism. The CHIME monazite dating of pelitic gneiss from the Khao Chao gneiss gave scattered result of 68 ± 22 Ma, due to low PbO content and rejuvenation of older monazite grains during another metamorphism in the Late Cretaceous to Tertiary time. The U-Pb ages of zircon from the Hua Hin gneissic granite in the Hub-Kapong to Pran Buri area scatter from 250 Ma to 170 Ma on the concordia. Granite crystallization was at 219 ± 2 Ma, followed by the sillimanite-grade regional metamorphism at 185 ± 2 Ma. Monazite in the pelitic gneiss from this area also preserves Early to Middle Jurassic metamorphism and rejuvenation by later contact metamorphism by non-foliated granite or by another fluid infiltration event in the Late Cretaceous to Tertiary time. The Khao Dat Fa granite from the Khanom area of Peninsular Thailand gave a U-Pb zircon age of 477 ± 7 Ma. This is the second oldest granite pluton ever reported from Thailand, and is a clear evidence for the Sibumasu block having a crystalline basement that was formed during the Pan-African Orogeny. The Khao Pret granite gives U-Pb zircon concordia age of 67.5 ± 1.3 Ma, which represents the timing of zircon crystallization from the granitic melt and accompanied sillimanite-grade contact metamorphism against surrounding metapelites and gneisses. Metamorphic rocks in the Doi Inthanon area

  5. Geologic implications of new zircon U-Pb ages from the White Mountain Peak Metavolcanic Complex, eastern California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Scherer, Hannah H.; Ernst, W. G.; Brooks Hanson, R.

    2008-04-01

    The NNW-trending White-Inyo Range includes intrusive and volcanic rocks on the eastern flank of the Sierran volcano-plutonic arc. The NE-striking, steeply SE-dipping Barcroft reverse fault separates folded, metamorphosed Mesozoic White Mountain Peak mafic and felsic volcanic flows, volcanogenic sedimentary rocks, and minor hypabyssal plugs on the north from folded, well-bedded Neoproterozoic-Cambrian marble and siliciclastic strata on the south. The 163 ± 2 Ma Barcroft Granodiorite rose along this fault, and thermally recrystallized its wall rocks. However, new SHRIMP-RG ages of magmatic zircons from three White Mountain Peak volcanogenic metasedimentary rocks and a metafelsite document stages of effusion at ˜115-120 Ma as well as at ˜155-170 Ma. The U-Pb data confirm the interpretation by Hanson et al. (1987) that part of the metasedimentary-metavolcanic pile was laid down after Late Jurassic intrusion of the Barcroft pluton. The Lower Cretaceous, largely volcanogenic metasedimentary section lies beneath a low-angle thrust fault, the upper plate of which includes interlayered Late Jurassic mafic and felsic metavolcanic rocks and the roughly coeval Barcroft pluton. Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous volcanism in this sector of the Californian continental margin, combined with earlier petrologic, structural, and geochronologic studies, indicates that there was no gap in igneous activity at this latitude of the North American continental margin.

  6. Scanning ion imaging - a potent tool in SIMS U -Pb zircon geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whitehouse, M. J.; Fedo, C.; Kusiak, M.; Nemchin, A.

    2012-12-01

    The application of high spatial resolution (< 15-20 μm lateral) U-Pb data obtained by sec-ondary ion mass spectrometers (SIMS) coupled with textural information from scanning electron microscope (SEM) based cathodoluminescence (CL) and/or back-scattered elec-tron (BSE) characterisation, has revolutionised geochronology over the past 25 years, re-vealing complexities of crustal evolution from zoned zircons. In addition to ge-ochronology, such studies now commonly form the basis of broader investigations using O- and Hf- isotopes and trace elements obtained from the same growth zone as age, circumventing ambiguities commonly present in bulk-rock isotope studies. The choice of analytical beam diameter is often made to maximise the precision of data obtained from a given area of analysis within an identifiable growth zone. In cases where zircons yield poorly constrained internal structures in SEM, high spatial resolution spot analyses may yield uninterpretable and/or meaningless mixed ages by inadvertent sampling across regions with real age differences. Scanning ion imaging (SII) has the potential to generate accurate and precise geochrono-logical data with a spatial resolution down to ca. 2 μm, much higher than that of a normal spot analysis. SII acquisition utilises a rastered primary beam to image an area of the sample with a spatial resolution dependent on the selected primary beam diameter. On the Cameca ims1270/80 instruments, the primary beam scanning is coupled with the dynamic transfer optical system (DTOS) which deflects the secondary ions back on to the ion optical axis of the instrument regardless of where in the raster illuminated area the ions originated. This feature allows retention of a high field magnification (= high transmission) mode and the ability to operate the mass spectrometer at high mass resolution without any compromise in the quality of the peak shape. Secondary ions may be detected either in a sequential (peak hopping) mono

  7. Zircon U-Pb ages and geochemistry of migmatites and granites in the Foping dome: Evidence for Late Triassic crustal evolution in South Qinling, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, He; Li, Shuang-Qing; Fang, Bo-Wen; He, Jian-Feng; Xue, Ying-Yu; Siebel, Wolfgang; Chen, Fukun

    2018-01-01

    Migmatites provide a record of melt formation and crustal rheology. In this study we present zircon U-Pb ages and geochemical composition of migmatites from the Foping dome and granites from the Wulong pluton. U-Pb results from migmatite zircons indicate two episodes of partial melting. Rim domains from a leucosome in the Longcaoping area yield an age of ca. 209 Ma. Migmatites collected from the Foping dome yield U-Pb zircon ages of 2910 to 190 Ma, suggesting the involvement of meta-sedimentary source components. Rim domains of the zircons with low Th/U ratios (< 0.1) give ages of 225-190 Ma and the youngest age domains (ca. 195 Ma) are characterized by low contents of heavy rare earth elements, which is related to crystallization of garnet. Magmatic rocks from the Wulong pluton can be subdivided into high Sr/Y and low Sr/Y granites. U-Pb zircon ages vary from 219 to 214 Ma for the high Sr/Y granites and from 214 to 192 Ma for the low Sr/Y granites. High Sr/Y granites have higher Na2O and Sr contents than the low Sr/Y granites. They also lack negative Eu anomalies and are depleted in HREE compared to the low Sr/Y granites. Initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios and εNd values of all the samples roughly overlap with those of Neoproterozoic basement rocks exposed in South Qinling. Including previous studies, we propose that the high and low Sr/Y granites formed by melting of thickened and normal crust, respectively. Close temporal-spatial relationship of the high and low Sr/Y granites with the two-stage migmatization events implies variation of crustal thickness and thermal overprints of the orogenic crust in post-collisional collapse. Following the collision of South Qinling and the Yangtze block prior to 219 Ma, partial melting of the deep crust occurred. The melts migrated upwards to form the high Sr/Y granites. This process occurred rapidly and caused collapse of the thickened crust and carried heat upwards, leading to further partial melting within the shallower crust and

  8. Late Proterozoic-Paleozoic evolution of the Arctic Alaska-Chukotka terrane based on U-Pb igneous and detrital zircon ages: Implications for Neoproterozoic paleogeographic reconstructions

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Amato, J.M.; Toro, J.; Miller, E.L.; Gehrels, G.E.; Farmer, G.L.; Gottlieb, E.S.; Till, A.B.

    2009-01-01

    The Seward Peninsula of northwestern Alaska is part of the Arctic Alaska-Chukotka terrane, a crustal fragment exotic to western Laurentia with an uncertain origin and pre-Mesozoic evolution. U-Pb zircon geochronology on deformed igneous rocks reveals a previously unknown intermediate-felsic volcanic event at 870 Ma, coeval with rift-related magmatism associated with early breakup of eastern Rodinia. Orthogneiss bodies on Seward Peninsula yielded numerous 680 Ma U-Pb ages. The Arctic Alaska-Chukotka terrane has pre-Neoproterozoic basement based on Mesoproterozoic Nd model ages from both 870 Ma and 680 Ma igneous rocks, and detrital zircon ages between 2.0 and 1.0 Ga in overlying cover rocks. Small-volume magmatism occurred in Devonian time, based on U-Pb dating of granitic rocks. U-Pb dating of detrital zircons in 12 samples of metamorphosed Paleozoic siliciclastic cover rocks to this basement indicates that the dominant zircon age populations in the 934 zircons analyzed are found in the range 700-540 Ma, with prominent peaks at 720-660 Ma, 620-590 Ma, 560-510 Ma, 485 Ma, and 440-400 Ma. Devonian- and Pennsylvanian-age peaks are present in the samples with the youngest detrital zircons. These data show that the Seward Peninsula is exotic to western Laurentia because of the abundance of Neoproterozoic detrital zircons, which are rare or absent in Lower Paleozoic Cordilleran continental shelf rocks. Maximum depositional ages inferred from the youngest detrital age peaks include latest Proterozoic-Early Cambrian, Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Pennsylvanian. These maximum depositional ages overlap with conodont ages reported from fossiliferous carbonate rocks on Seward Peninsula. The distinctive features of the Arctic Alaska-Chukotka terrane include Neoproterozoic felsic magmatic rocks intruding 2.0-1.1 Ga crust overlain by Paleozoic carbonate rocks and Paleozoic siliciclastic rocks with Neoproterozoic detrital zircons. The Neoproterozoic ages are

  9. A search for thermal excursions from ancient extraterrestrial impacts using Hadean zircon Ti-U-Th-Pb depth profiles

    PubMed Central

    Abbott, Sunshine S.; Harrison, T. Mark; Schmitt, Axel K.; Mojzsis, Stephen J.

    2012-01-01

    Few terrestrial localities preserve more than a trace lithic record prior to ca. 3.8 Ga greatly limiting our understanding of the first 700 Ma of Earth history, a period inferred to have included a spike in the bolide flux to the inner solar system at ca. 3.85–3.95 Ga (the Late Heavy Bombardment, LHB). An accessible record of this era may be found in Hadean detrital zircons from the Jack Hills, Western Australia, in the form of μm-scale epitaxial overgrowths. By comparing crystallization temperatures of pre-3.8 Ga zircon overgrowths to the archive of zircon temperature spectra, it should, in principle, be possible to identify a distinctive impact signature. We have developed Ti-U-Th-Pb ion microprobe depth profiling to obtain age and temperature information within these zircon overgrowths and undertaken a feasibility study of its possible use in identifying impact events. Of eight grains profiled in this fashion, four have overgrowths of LHB-era age. Age vs. temperature profiles reveal a period between ca. 3.85–3.95 Ga (i.e., LHB era) characterized by significantly higher temperatures (approximately 840–875 °C) than do older or younger zircons or zircon domains (approximately 630–750 °C). However, temperatures approaching 900 °C can result in Pb isotopic exchange rendering interpretation of these profiles nonunique. Coupled age-temperature depth profiling shows promise in this role, and the preliminary data we report could represent the first terrestrial evidence for impact-related heating during the LHB. PMID:22869711

  10. Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology, Lu-Hf isotopes and REE geochemistry constrains on the provenance and tectonic setting of Indochina Block in the Paleozoic

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Ce; Liang, Xinquan; Foster, David A.; Fu, Jiangang; Jiang, Ying; Dong, Chaoge; Zhou, Yun; Wen, Shunv; Van Quynh, Phan

    2016-05-01

    In situ U-Pb geochronology, Lu-Hf isotopes and REE geochemical analyses of detrital zircons from Cambrian-Devonian sandstones in the Truong Son Belt, central Vietnam, are used to provide the information of provenance and tectonic evolution of the Indochina Block. The combined detrital zircon age spectra of all of the samples ranges from 3699 Ma to 443 Ma and shows with dominant age peaks at ca. 445 Ma and 964 Ma, along with a number of age populations at 618-532 Ma, 1160-1076 Ma, 1454 Ma, 1728 Ma and 2516 Ma. The zircon age populations are similar to those from time equivalent sedimentary sequences in continental blocks disintegrated from the East Gondwana during the Phanerozoic. The younger zircon grains with age peaks at ca. 445 Ma were apparently derived from middle Ordovician-Silurian igneous and metamorphic rocks in Indochina. Zircons with ages older than about 600 Ma were derived from other Gondwana terrains or recycled from the Precambrian basement of the Indochina Block. Similarities in the detrital zircon U-Pb ages suggest that Paleozoic strata in the Indochina, Yangtze, Cathaysia and Tethyan Himalayas has similar provenance. This is consistent with other geological constrains indicating that the Indochina Block was located close to Tethyan Himalaya, northern margin of the India, and northwestern Australia in Gondwana.

  11. Subduction Initiation Existed Along the Ancient Continent Margins? Evidence of U-Pb ages of zircons from the Bonin Trench, Japan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Y. B.; Pearce, J. A.; Ryan, J. G.; Li, X. H.; Haraguchi, S.; Iizuka, T.; Kon, Y.; Yamamoto, S.; Sawaki, Y.; Ishii, T.; Maruyama, S.

    2017-12-01

    Although it is not cleanly known when and where the subduction initiation began on the Paleo-Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) Trench, Jurassic and Cretaceous plutonic rocks, such as gabbroic, granitic and metamorphic rocks had been sampled from the Amami Plateau-Daito Ridge-Okidaito Ridge (ADO) in the Philippine Sea Plate. Furthermore, Mesozonic to Paleozonic ages zircons were obtained from volcaniclastic sandstones collected from northern Izu-Bonin forarc (Tani et al., 2012). We present U-Pb ages, Hf-O isotopes and trace element compositions of zircon grains separated from sediment, volcanic rock, dolerite and gabbro, collected from Chichijima Island and Bonin forearc seafloor (KH03-3, KT04-28 cruise of the University of Tokyo, IODP Leg 352). In the zircon age histogram, several age groups were identified. The age peaks are 0-3 Ma and 13 Ma (Hahajima Seamount: soft mud and volcanic tuff); 38 Ma (Oomachi Seamount: sandstone); 45 Ma (Chichijima Island: volcanic rock); 40 Ma, 48 Ma and 52 Ma (Hahajima Seamount: dolerite and gabbro); 45 Ma and 164-165 Ma (IODP Leg 352: volcanic rock), respectively. Zircon U-Pb ages ranging 0-52 Ma correspond well to the multi-stages of magmatism in the IBM. However, 164-165 Ma maybe represent the ages of zircon xenocryst including in forearc volcanic rock , which pre-existing in ancient continent crustal materials (SE China Continent Crust?) as the basement of Paleo-IBM. It seems reasonable to suppose that the subduction initiation of IBM existed along the ancient SE China Continent margins. The initiation of subduction zone is a consequence of lateral compositional buoyancy contrast within the lithosphere, that advocated by Niu et al. (2003, 2016).

  12. 3.3 Ga SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age of a felsic metavolcanic rock from the Mundo Novo greenstone belt in the São Francisco craton, Bahia (NE Brazil)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peucat, J. J.; Mascarenhas, J. F.; Barbosa, J. S. F.; de Souza, S. L.; Marinho, M. M.; Fanning, C. M.; Leite, C. M. M.

    2002-07-01

    Felsic metavolcanics associated with supracrustal rocks provide U-Pb zircon and Sm-Nd TDM ages of approximately 3.3 Ga, which establish an Archean age of the Mundo Novo greenstone belt. A granodioritic gneiss from the Mairi complex, located on the eastern boundary of the Mundo Novo greenstone belt, exhibits a zircon evaporation minimum age of 3.04 Ga and a Nd model age of 3.2 Ga. These results constrain the occurrence of at least three major geological units in this area: the Archean Mundo Novo greenstone belt, the Archean Mairi gneisses, and the adjoining Paleoproterozoic (<2.1 Ga) Jacobina sedimentary basin. The Jacobina basin follows the same trend as the Archean structure, extending southward to the Contendas-Mirante belt, in which a similar Archean-Paleoproterozoic association appears. We postulate that during the Paleoproterozoic in the eastern margin of the Gavião block, these Archean greenstone belts constituted a zone of weakness along which a late-stage orogenic sedimentary basin developed.

  13. Lifetime of an ocean island volcano feeder zone: constraints from U-Pb dating on coexisting zircon and baddeleyite, and 40/39Ar age determinations, Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Allibon, James; Ovtcharova, Maria; Bussy, Francois; Cosca, Michael; Schaltegger, Urs; Bussien, Denise; Lewin, Eric

    2011-01-01

    High-precision isotope dilution - thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) U-Pb zircon and baddeleyite ages from the PX1 vertically layered mafic intrusion Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, indicate initiation of magma crystallization at 22.10 ± 0.07 Ma. The magmatic activity lasted a minimum of 0.52 Ma. 40Ar/39Ar amphibole dating yielded ages from 21.9 ± 0.6 to 21.8 ± 0.3, identical within errors to the U-Pb ages, despite the expected 1% theoretical bias between 40Ar/39Ar and U-Pb dates. This overlap could result from (i) rapid cooling of the intrusion (i.e., less than the 0.3 to 0.6 Ma 40Ar/39Ar age uncertainties) from closure temperatures (Tc) of zircon (699-988 °C) to amphibole (500-600 °C); (ii) lead loss affecting the youngest zircons; or (iii) excess argon shifting the plateau ages towards older values. The combination of the 40Ar/39Ar and U/Pb datasets implies that the maximum amount of time PX1 intrusion took to cool below amphibole Tc is 0.8 Ma, suggesting PX1 lifetime of 520,000 to 800,000 Ma. Age disparities among coexisting baddeleyite and zircon (22.10 ± 0.07/0.08/0.15 Ma and 21.58 ± 0.15/0.16/0.31 Ma) in a gabbro sample from the pluton margin suggest complex genetic relationships between phases. Baddeleyite is found preserved in plagioclase cores and crystallized early from low silica activity magma. Zircon crystallized later in a higher silica activity environment and is found in secondary scapolite and is found close to calcite veins, in secondary scapolite that recrystallised from plagioclase. close to calcite veins. Oxygen isotope δ18O values of altered plagioclase are high (+7.7), indicating interaction with fluids derived from host-rock carbonatites. The coexistence of baddeleyite and zircon is ascribed to interaction of the PX1 gabbro with CO2-rich carbonatite-derived fluids released during contact metamorphism.

  14. Cadomian basement and Paleozoic to Triassic siliciclastics of the Taurides (Karacahisar dome, south-central Turkey): Paleogeographic constraints from U-Pb-Hf in zircons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abbo, Avishai; Avigad, Dov; Gerdes, Axel; Güngör, Talip

    2015-06-01

    The Tauride block in Turkey is a peri-Gondwana, Cadomian-type terrane that rifted from the Afro-Arabian margin of Gondwana in the Permo-Triassic and re-accreted to Arabia in the Neogene. In the Karacahisar dome in the southern-central Taurides, Neoproterozoic basement metasediments and intrusive rocks are overlain by Cambro-Ordovician, Carboniferous and Triassic sediments. We studied U-Pb-Hf in zircons from major rock units exposed in Karacahisar in order to constrain the Cadomian crustal evolution of the Taurides, to evaluate the provenance of the Neoproterozoic and overlying sediments, to constrain the paleogeography of the Taurides, and to assess their linkage to Gondwana. The Neoproterozoic metasediments are low-grade metamorphic wacke-type turbidites that evolved in a broad back-arc basin peripheral to Afro-Arabia. Their detrital zircon U-Pb signal comprises a preponderance (40-68%) of Neoproterozoic-aged zircons (peak ages defined at 635 and 830 Ma), indicating that the sedimentary pile was built mainly from the erosion of Pan-African terranes from Afro-Arabia. The εHf values of the younger population (635 Ma) are mostly positive, indicating derivation from a juvenile arc, whereas Cryogenian-Tonian detrital zircons spread vertically (- 25 < εHf < 15), indicating a different provenance where mixing of juvenile magmas with Paleoproterozoic to Neoarchean crust was widespread. An unusually high proportion of pre-Neoproterozoic zircons is found in all Cadomian metasediments, including up to 31% Grenvillian-aged (ca. 1.0 Ga) and up to 35% of ca. 2.5 Ga zircons; about a third of the latter possess positive εHf values. Because only minor exposures of 1.0 and 2.5 Ga crustal vestiges are currently known in North Africa and Arabia, we infer that pre-Neoproterozoic terranes were dispersed within the Cadomian realm itself. The youngest detrital zircons in all Cadomian metasediments concentrate at 0.58 Ga, indicating that the proto-Cadomian back-arc basin was formed

  15. Dating sub-20 micron zircons in granulite-facies mafic dikes from SW Montana: a new approach using automated mineralogy and SIMS U-Pb geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ault, A. K.; Mahan, K. H.; Flowers, R. M.; Chamberlain, K.; Appleby, S. K.; Schmitt, A. K.

    2010-12-01

    Geochronological data is fundamental to all tectonic studies, but a major limitation for many lithologies is a paucity of sizeable zircons suitable for conventional U-Pb techniques. In particular, mafic dike swarms provide important time markers for tectonometamorphic activity in Precambrian terranes, but commonly yield little or no zircon or baddeleyite sufficient for TIMS or standard ion-probe analysis of crystal separates. We apply a new approach involving in-situ automated mineralogy and high spatial resolution Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) geochronology to a mafic dike swarm exposed in the Northern Madison Range of SW Montana. The dikes cross-cut early fabrics but are also variably deformed and metamorphosed to P-T conditions as high as 1.2 GPa and 850 C. The swarm emplacement age is inferred to be ca. 2.1 Ga based on similarities to dated dikes in the adjacent Tobacco Root Mountains. Resolving the timing of dike emplacement and high-grade metamorphism in the study area is important for understanding the extent of post-Archean modification to the northwest margin of the Wyoming craton. Identification and textural characterization of zircons were facilitated by in-situ automated mineralogical analysis, in contrast to a standard elemental X-ray mapping approach. Our technique uses an SEM-based platform coupling calibrated BSE data with X-ray data collected by multiple energy dispersive spectrometers to rapidly identify target accessory phases at high spatial resolution. Whole thin section search maps were generated in ~30 minutes at 4 µm pixel resolution. Our dike thin sections commonly contained >300 zircons in a variety of textural settings, with 80% having a short dimension <10 µm. Zircons were dated in-situ by adjusting the field aperture of the CAMECA ims1270 to preferentially collect secondary ions emitted from within the inner few microns of the ~15 µm diameter analysis pit. This allows us to analyze zircon grains with a minimum dimension as

  16. Zircon U-Pb dating, Hf analysis from the Horoman perdiotite -age constraint for lithospheric process, and tectonic juxtaposition of collision root zone-

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Okamoto, K.; Yi, K.; Wang, K. L.; Chung, S. L.

    2017-12-01

    Hidaka metamorphic belt, Hokkaido, Japan is known as youngest arc-arc collision in the world. It ncludes the youngest granulite and the Horoman peridotite complex in the highest grade zone. Age of these rocks have been determined by various methods (K-Ar, U-Pb, Rb-Sr). However, the age of Horoman peridotite complex has not been determined yet. Only Yoshikawa et al 1993) reported the cooling age of the complex as 23 Ma according to whole rock Rb-Sr isochron. This study has performed U-Pb dating of zircons from the Horoman peridotite, and from the paragneiss surrounding the peridotite complex in order to determine the intrusive age of the Horoman peridotite complex into the lower crustal conditions. Several zircon grains were separated from the peridotite. All zircons are homogeneous exhibiting different age group; 267-278 Ma, 33-40 Ma and 18-20 Ma. Hf isotope analysis indicates that the 267-278 Ma is juvenile age and other two are recycled. As a result of this measurement, rims of the zircons from the gneisses show that 238U-206Pb ages are 20 Ma and detrital cores are ranging from 580-510 Ma, 60-50 Ma, 46-40 Ma and 27 Ma. The rim ages are from the gneiss suffered amphibolite facies and granulite faices, and there is a consistancy with zircon rim ages (19 Ma) from the granulite (Kemp et al 2007, Usuki et al 2006 and so on). That is, granulite faices metamorphism was coeval to regional metamorphism in the lower crust at 20 Ma. The zircon ages from the peridotite was probably related to local hydration related to precipitation of phlogopite at 20 Ma, I type magma infiltration at 40 Ma and lithosphere formation at 270 Ma. It is considered that the Horoman peridotite complex was part of the lithosphere at 270 Ma, and the joined as subarc mantle prior to I type magma activity at 40 Ma, aud suffered local hydration and regional metamorphism at 20 Ma. Ref. Kemp, A.I.S., et al., 2007, Geology, 35, 807-810; Usuki, T. et al, 2006, Island Arc, 14, 503-516.

  17. Evidence From Detrital Zircon U-Pb Analysis for Suturing of Pre-Mississippian Terranes in Arctic Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moore, T. E.; Potter, C. J.; O'Sullivan, P. B.; Aleinikoff, J. N.

    2007-12-01

    Detrital zircon U-Pb ages of pre-Mississippian sandstones were determined using SHRIMP and LA-ICPMS techniques for four key geographic parts of the Arctic Alaska terrane, northern Alaska. In the northeastern Brooks Range, a sample of quartz-rich turbidites from the Proterozoic Neroukpuk Quartzite yielded zircon ages ranging from 980 Ma to 2.9 Ga with clusters at 980-1100 Ma, 1680-1850 Ma and 2220-2660 Ma. Quartz and chert-bearing sandstone in the Tulageak well from Ordovician-Silurian argillite in basement beneath the North Slope yielded a broad spectrum of ages between 1.0 to 2.1 Ga and 2.8 Ga, including peaks at 1.0-1.2 and 1.5-1.7 Ga. Paleozoic zircons cluster at 390 and 440 Ma in this sample, indicating it is Devonian. Lithic sandstone from the Silurian Iviagik Group at Cape Dyer on the Lisburne Peninsula yielded a variety of ages from 450 to 1600 Ma, with a large peak at 475-600 Ma and several grains between 1.9 and 2.5 Ga. In contrast to the broad distributions of the latter two samples, zircons in metamorphosed Proterozoic-Cambrian(?) lithic sandstone from the an unnamed metagraywacke unit near Mt. Snowden on the Dalton Highway in the southern Brooks Range are largely 600-650 Ma with lesser clusters at 1050-1200 Ma and 1600-1900 Ga. Samples of quartz-rich Mississippian sandstone at the base of the unconformably overlying Mississippian to Triassic Ellesmerian sequence near three of the pre-Mississippian sample locations were also analyzed. Mississippian sandstones from the West Dease well (near the Tulageak well) and at Cape Dyer on the Lisburne Peninsula display zircon distributions similar to those found in the underlying pre-Mississippian samples, indicating the Mississippian clastic strata are locally derived and that the observed zircon distributions are representative of a broad area. However, the Mississippian Kekiktuk Conglomerate, which rests on the Neroukpuk Quartzite in the northeastern Brooks Range, also contains a variety of ages between 560 and

  18. The origin of zircon and the significance of U-Pb ages in high-grade metamorphic rocks: a case study from the Variscan orogenic root (Vosges Mountains, NE France)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Skrzypek, E.; Štípská, P.; Cocherie, A.

    2012-12-01

    U-Pb zircon dating is combined with petrology, Zr-in-rutile thermometry and mineral equilibria modelling to discuss zircon petrogenesis and the age of metamorphism in three units of the Variscan Vosges Mountains (NE France). The monotonous gneiss unit shows results at 700-500 Ma, but no Variscan ages. The varied gneiss unit preserves ages between 600 and 460 Ma and a Variscan group at 340-335 Ma. Zircon analyses from the felsic granulite unit define a continuous array of ages between 500 and 340 Ma. In varied gneiss samples, zoned garnet includes kyanite and rutile and is surrounded by matrix sillimanite and cordierite. In a pseudosection, it points to peak conditions of ~16 kbar/850 °C followed by isothermal decompression to 8-10 kbar/820-860 °C. In felsic granulite samples, the assemblage K-feldspar-garnet-kyanite-Zr-rich rutile is replaced by sillimanite and Zr-poor rutile. Modelling these assemblages supports minimum conditions of ~13 kbar/925 °C, and a subsequent P-T decrease to 6.5-8.5 kbar/800-820 °C. The internal structure and chemistry of zircons, and modelling of zircon dissolution/growth along the inferred P-T paths are used to discuss the significance of the U-Pb ages. In the monotonous unit, inherited zircon ages of 700-500 Ma point to sedimentation during the Late Cambrian, while medium-grade metamorphism did not allow the formation of Variscan zircon domains. In both the varied gneiss and felsic granulite units, zircons with a blurred oscillatory-zoned pattern could reflect solid-state recrystallization of older grains during HT metamorphism, whereas zircons with a dark cathodoluminescence pattern are thought to derive from crystallization of an anatectic melt during cooling at middle pressure conditions. The present work proposes that U-Pb zircon ages of ca. 340 Ma probably reflect the end of a widespread HT metamorphic event at middle crustal level.

  19. Zircons as a Probe of Early Luanr History

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crow, C. A.; McKeegan, K. D.; Gilmour, J. D.; Crowther, S. A.; Talor, D. J.

    2013-09-01

    Zircons are ideal for investigating the early lunar bombardment because we can measure both U-Pb crystallization ages and fissiongenic Xe degassing ages for the same crystal. We report U-Pb, Pb-Pb and U-Xe ages for three lunar zircons.

  20. U-Pb zircon geochronology and Zr-in-rutile thermometry of eclogites from the Dulan area, North Qaidam ultra-high pressure (UHP) terrane, western China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hernández Uribe, D.; Stubbs, K.; Lehman, M. R.; Gilmore, V.; Kylander-Clark, A. R.; Mattinson, C. G.

    2016-12-01

    The Dulan area, in the North Qaidam terrane, exposes UHP eclogites and gneisses that experienced a 20 Myr UHP event at P-T conditions of 30 kbar and 700 °C. Two eclogites were analyzed using Zr-in-rutile thermometry and zircon U-Pb + trace element analysis to constrain the metamorphic evolution of the area. A kyanite-phengite eclogite presents a mineral assemblage of grt + omp + ph + ky + rt + zo + qz. Rutile analyses show a Zr concentration of 173-250 ppm with a mean of 207 ± 19 ppm. The calculated temperatures yielded 685-716 °C with an average of 700 ± 7°C. Zircon U-Pb analyses gave an upper intercept age of 880 ± 89 Ma. These analyses from cathodoluminiscence (CL)-dark core zircons show a negative Eu anomaly and a steep HREE slope suggesting a magmatic origin for the protolith. Analyses from CL-bright rims gave a weighted mean age of 427 ± 2 Ma. These zircons show an eclogite facies trace elements pattern suggesting that the age represent the HP-UHP event. Titanium concentration in zircons gave a weighted mean of 4.41 ± 0.25 ppm. This Ti concentration yielded a calculated temperature of 674 °C A phengite eclogite shows a mineral assemblage of grt + omp + ph + rt + zo + qz. Rutile in matrix analyses show a Zr concentration of 123-161 ppm with a mean of 139 ± 9 ppm. Calculated temperatures for these rutiles ranges from 659-680 °C with a mean temperature of 668 ± 5 °C. U-Pb analyses from CL-dark zircon cores gave a weighted mean age of 844 ± 7 Ma. These zircons show a negative Eu anomaly and a steep HREE slope suggesting a magmatic origin for the protolith. Analyses from CL-grey rims gave a weighted mean age of 433 ± 4 Ma. These zircons show an eclogite facies trace elements pattern, representing the timing of the HP-UHP event. Titanium concentration in zircons gave a weighted mean of 3.13 ± 0.34 ppm. This concentration yielded calculated temperature 647 °C. The obtained ages are in the same range as the ones obtained for the northern and southern

  1. Fingerprinting the K/T impact site and determining the time of impact by U-Pb dating of single shocked zircons from distal ejecta

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krogh, T. E.; Kamo, S. L.; Bohor, B. F.

    1993-01-01

    U-Pb isotopic dating of single 1 - 3 micrograms zircons from K/T distal ejecta from a site in the Raton Basin, Colorado provides a powerful new tool with which to determine both the time of the impact event and the age of the basement at the impact site. Data for the least shocked zircons are slightly displaced from the 544 +/- 5 Ma primary age for a component of the target site, while those for highly shocked and granular grains are strongly displaced towards the time of impact at 65.5 +/- 3.0 Ma. Such shocked and granular zircons have never been reported from any source, including explosive volcanic rocks. Zircon is refractory and has one of the highest thermal blocking temperatures; hence, it can record both shock features and primary and secondary ages without modification by post-crystallization processes. Unlike shocked quartz, which can come from almost anywhere on the Earth's crust, shocked zircons can be shown to come from a specific site because basement ages vary on the scale of meters to kilometers. With U-Pb zircon dating, it is now possible to correlate ejecta layers derived from the same target site, test the single versus multiple impact hypothesis, and identify the target source of impact ejecta. The ages obtained in this study indicate that the Manson impact site, Iowa, which has basement rocks that are mid-Proterozoic in age, cannot be the source of K/T distal ejecta. The K/T distal ejecta probably originated from a single impact site because most grains have the same primary age.

  2. Detrital zircon U-Pb Geochronology of the Boleo Formation of Santa RosalÍa Basin, Baja California Sur, México

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Henry, M.; Alvarez Ortega, K. G.; Banes, A.; Holm-Denoma, C.; Busby, C.; Niemi, T.

    2017-12-01

    The Santa Rosalía Basin (SRB) is a rift basin related to the opening of the Gulf of California. The Boleo Formation is the oldest and dominant sedimentary fill of the SRB, with a poorly constrained age. We carried out a U-Pb detrital zircon (DZ) study of the Boleo Formation to constrain its maximum depositional age. The Boleo Formation has a basal limestone-gypsum section, overlain by an up to 250 m thick clastic sequence, with coarsening upward cycles of mudstone, sandstone, and conglomerate. Cu-Zn-Co-Mn stratiform ore deposits ("mantos") cap the conglomerate in each cycle, numbered 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 (from top to bottom of section1). Sandstone samples were collected for U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology from four stratigraphic levels beneath a manto, including one each below mantos 1, 3 and 4, as well as two localities beneath manto 2. Additionally, one sample was collected above the gypsum. The sandstones are lithic feldspathic wackes derived from erosion of andesitic arc volcanic rocks, which generally lack zircon, so large DZ samples were collected. A field Wilfley table was constructed from local materials as a first step to concentrate heavy minerals, from 88 kg/sample to 16 kg/sample. The field-processed samples were further concentrated in the lab using standard zircon separation methods. Yields were excellent, 1,000 zircons per sample. We analyzed 315 zircons per sample by LA-ICPMS, using the Arizona LaserChron Center. DZ ages from the Boleo Formation range dominantly from Late Miocene through Early Cretaceous, with minor Paleozoic and Precambrian ages. However, the maximum depositional age of the formation is constrained by 40 Ar/39 Ar age of 9.42 +/- 0.29 Ma on underlying volcanic rocks2. Only 5 to 22 zircons per sample are less than 10 Ma, and of those, all stratigraphic levels are dominated mostly by 9 Ma zircons, except for the stratigraphically highest sample. Zircons from this form a coherent group of 3 with a TuffZirc age of 6.04 +/- 0.02 (75

  3. Determinations of rare earth element abundance and U-Pb age of zircons using multispot laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

    PubMed

    Yokoyama, Takaomi D; Suzuki, Toshihiro; Kon, Yoshiaki; Hirata, Takafumi

    2011-12-01

    We have developed a new calibration technique for multielement determination and U-Pb dating of zircon samples using laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) coupled with galvanometric optics. With the galvanometric optics, laser ablation of two or more sample materials could be achieved in very short time intervals (~10 ms). The resulting sample aerosols released from different ablation pits or different solid samples were mixed and homogenized within the sample cell and then transported into the ICP ion source. Multiple spot laser ablation enables spiking of analytes or internal standard elements directly into the solid samples, and therefore the standard addition calibration method can be applied for the determination of trace elements in solid samples. In this study, we have measured the rare earth element (REE) abundances of two zircon samples (Nancy 91500 and Prešovice) based on the standard addition technique, using a direct spiking of analytes through a multispot laser ablation of the glass standard material (NIST SRM612). The resulting REE abundance data show good agreement with previously reported values within analytical uncertainties achieved in this study (10% for most elements). Our experiments demonstrated that nonspectroscopic interferences on 14 REEs could be significantly reduced by the standard addition technique employed here. Another advantage of galvanometric devices is the accumulation of sample aerosol released from multiple spots. In this study we have measured the U-Pb age of a zircon sample (LMR) using an accumulation of sample aerosols released from 10 separate ablation pits of low diameters (~8 μm). The resulting (238)U-(206)Pb age data for the LMR zircons was 369 ± 64 Ma, which is in good agreement with previously reported age data (367.6 ± 1.5 Ma). (1) The data obtained here clearly demonstrate that the multiple spot laser ablation-ICPMS technique can become a powerful approach for elemental and isotopic

  4. Post-caldera volcanism: In situ measurement of U-Pb age and oxygen isotope ratio in Pleistocene zircons from Yellowstone caldera

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bindeman, I.N.; Valley, J.W.; Wooden, J.L.; Persing, H.M.

    2001-01-01

    The Yellowstone Plateau volcanic field, the site of some of the largest known silicic volcanic eruptions, is the present location of NE-migrating hotspot volcanic activity. Most volcanic rocks in the Yellowstone caldera (0.6 Ma), which formed in response to the climactic eruption of 1000 km3 of Lava Creek Tuff (LCT), have unusually low oxygen isotope ratios. Ion microprobe analysis of both U-Pb age and ??18O in zircons from these low-??18O lavas reveals evidence of complex inheritance and remelting. A majority of analyzed zircons from low-??18O lavas erupted inside the Yellowstone caldera have cores that range in age from 2.4 to 0.7 Ma, significantly older than their eruption ages (0.5-0.4 Ma). These ages and the high-??18O cores indicate that these lavas are largely derived from nearly total remelting of normal-??18O Huckleberry Ridge Tuff (HRT) and other pre-LCT volcanic rocks. A post-HRT low-??18O lava shows similar inheritance of HRT-age zircons. The recycling of volcanic rocks by shallow remelting can change the water content and eruptive potential of magma. This newly proposed mechanism of intracaldera volcanism is best studied by combining in situ analysis of oxygen and U-Pb isotope ratios of individual crystals. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Provenance from zircon U-Pb age distributions in crustally contaminated granitoids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bahlburg, Heinrich; Berndt, Jasper

    2016-05-01

    The basement of sedimentary basins is often entirely covered by a potentially multi-stage basin fill and therefore removed from direct observation and sampling. Melts intruding through the basin stratigraphy at a subsequent stage in the geological evolution of a region may assimilate significant volumes of country rocks. This component may be preserved in the intrusive body either as xenoliths or it may be reflected only by the age spectrum of incorporated zircons. Here we present the case of an Ordovician calc-alkaline intrusive belt in NW Argentina named the "Faja Eruptiva de la Puna Oriental" (Faja Eruptiva), which in the course of intrusion sampled the unexposed and unknown basement of the Ordovician basin in this region, and parts of the basin stratigraphy. We present new LA-ICP-MS U-Pb ages on zircons from 9 granodiorites and granites of the Faja Eruptiva. The main part of the Faja Eruptiva intruded c. 445 Ma in the Late Ordovician. The zircon ages obtained from the intrusive rocks have a large spread between 2683.5 ± 21.6 and 440.0 ± 4.9 Ma and reflect the underlying crust and may be interpreted in several ways. The inherited zircons may have been derived from the oldest known unit in the region, the thick siliciclastic turbidite successions of the upper Neoproterozoic-lower Cambrian Puncoviscana Formation, which is inferred to represent the basement of the NW Argentina. The basement to the Puncoviscana Formation is not known. Alternatively, the inherited zircons may reflect the geochronological structure of the entire unexposed Early Paleozoic crust underlying this region of which the Puncoviscana Formation was only one component. This crust likely contained rocks pertaining to and detritus derived from earlier orogenic cycles of the southwestern Amazonia craton, including sources of Early Meso- and Paleoproterozoic age. Detritus derived, in turn, from the Faja Eruptiva intrusive belt reflects the origin of the granitoids as well as the inherited

  6. Age of the Lava Creek supereruption and magma chamber assembly at Yellowstone based on 40Ar/39Ar and U-Pb dating of sanidine and zircon crystals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vazquez, J. A.; Matthews, N. E.; Calvert, A. T.

    2015-12-01

    The last supereruption from the Yellowstone Plateau formed Yellowstone caldera and ejected the >1000 km3 of rhyolite that composes the Lava Creek Tuff (LCT). Tephra from the eruption blanketed much of the western United States, and is a key Quaternary chronostratigraphic marker, in particular for dating deposition of mid-Pleistocene glacial and pluvial deposits in western North America. We performed 40Ar/39Ar dating of single sanidines to delimit eruption age, and ion microprobe U-Pb and trace-element analyses of crystal faces on single zircons to characterize magmatic evolution and date near-eruption crystallization, as well as analyses of crystal interiors to date the interval of zircon crystallization. Sanidines from the two LCT members A and B yield an 40Ar/39Ar isochron date of 631 ± 4 ka (2σ). Crystal faces on zircons from both members yield a weighted mean 206Pb/238U date of 627 ± 6 ka (2σ) and have trace element concentrations that vary with eruptive stratigraphy. Zircon interiors yield a weighted mean 206Pb/238U date of 660 ± 6 ka, and reveal reverse and/or oscillatory zoning of trace element concentrations, with many crystals containing high-U concentrations and dark cathodoluminescence (CL) cores. These crystals with high-U cores are possibly sourced from 'defrosting' of melt-impregnated margins of the growing subvolcanic reservoir. LCT sanidines mirror the variation of zircon composition within the eruptive stratigraphy, with crystals from upper LCT-A and basal LCT-B having bright-CL rims with high Ba concentrations, suggesting late crystallization after addition of less evolved silicic magma. The occurrence of distal LCT in stratigraphic sequences marking the Marine Isotope Stage 16-15 transition supports the apparent eruption age of ca. 631 ka. These results reveal that Lava Creek zircons record episodic heating, renewed crystallization, and an overall up-temperature evolution for Yellowstone's subvolcanic reservoir in the 103-104 year interval

  7. Capability of U-Pb dating of zircons from Quaternary tephra: Jemez Mountains, NM, and La Sal Mountains, UT, USA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krautz, Jana; Hofmann, Mandy; Gärtner, Andreas; Linnemann, Ulf; Kleber, Arno

    2018-01-01

    Two Quaternary tephras derived from the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico - the Guaje and Tsankawi tephras - are difficult to distinguish due to their similar glass-shard chemical composition. Differences in bulk chemical composition are small as well. Here we examine the feasibility to assign an age to a distal tephra layer in the La Sal Mountains, Utah, by U-Pb dating of zircons and to correlate it with one of the two Jemez eruptions. We also dated original Jemez tephras for comparison. Even though the tephras are very young, we obtained reasonable age determinations using the youngest cluster of zircon grains overlapping in age at 2σ. Thereafter, the Guaje tephra is 1.513 ± 0.021 Myr old. The La Sal Mountains tephra is correlated with the Tsankawi tephra. Three samples yielded a common age range of 1.31-1.40 Myr. All ages are in slight disagreement with published age determinations obtained by 40Ar / 39Ar dating. These findings indicate that distal Jemez tephras can be distinguished by U-Pb dating. Furthermore, we encourage giving this method a try for age assignments even of Quaternary volcanic material.

  8. Zircon U-Pb geochronology and Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic constraints on the timing and origin of Mesozoic granitoids hosting the Mo deposits in northern Xilamulun district, NE China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shu, Qihai; Lai, Yong; Zhou, Yitao; Xu, Jiajia; Wu, Huaying

    2015-12-01

    Located in the east section of the Central Asian orogen in northeastern China, the Xilamulun district comprises several newly discovered molybdenum deposits, primarily of porphyry type and Mesozoic ages. This district is divided by the Xilamulun fault into the southern and the northern parts. In this paper, we present new zircon U-Pb dating, trace elements and Hf isotope, and/or whole rock Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic results for the host granitoids from three Mo deposits (Yangchang, Haisugou and Shabutai) in northern Xilamulun. Our aim is to constrain the age and petrogenesis of these intrusions and their implications for Mo mineralization. Zircon U-Pb LA-ICP-MS dating shows that the monzogranites from the Shabutai and Yangchang deposits formed at 138.4 ± 1.5 and 137.4 ± 2.1 Ma, respectively, which is identical to the molybdenite Re-Os ages and coeval well with the other Mo deposits in this region, thereby indicating an Early Cretaceous magmatism and Mo mineralization event. Zircon Ce/Nd ratios from the mineralized intrusions are significantly higher than the barren granites, implying that the mineralization-related magmas are characterized by higher oxygen fugacity. These mineralized intrusions share similar zircon in-situ Hf and whole rock Sr-Nd isotopic compositions, with slightly negative to positive εHf(t) ranging from - 0.8 to + 10.0, restricted εNd(t) values from - 3.7 to + 1.6 but a little variable (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios between 0.7021 and 0.7074, indicative of formation from primary magmas generated from a dominantly juvenile lower crust source derived from depleted mantle, despite diverse consequent processes (e.g., magma mixing, fractional crystallization and crustal contamination) during their evolution. The Pb isotopes (whole rock) also show a narrow range of initial compositions, with (206Pb/204Pb)i = 18.03-18.88, (207Pb/204Pb)i = 15.48-15.58 and (208Pb/204Pb)i = 37.72-38.28, in agreement with Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes reflecting the dominance of a mantle component

  9. U-Pb Detrital Zircon Geochronologic Constraints on Depositional Age and Sediment Source Terrains of the Late Paleozoic Tepuel-Genoa Basin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Griffis, N. P.; Montanez, I. P.; Isbell, J.; Gulbranson, E. L.; Wimpenny, J.; Yin, Q. Z.; Cúneo, N. R.; Pagani, M. A.; Taboada, A. C.

    2014-12-01

    The late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) is the longest-lived icehouse of the Phanerozoic and the only time a metazoan dominated and vegetated world transitioned from an icehouse climate into a greenhouse. Despite several decades of research, the timing, extent of glaciation and the location of ice centers remain unresolved, which prohibits reconstruction of ice volume. The Permo-Carboniferous sediments in the Tepuel-Genoa Basin, Patagonia contains a near complete record of sedimentation from the lower Carboniferous through lower Permian. Outsized clasts, thin pebble-rich diamictites and slumps represent the last of the late Paleozoic glacially influenced deep-water marine sediments in the Mojón de Hierro Fm. and the Paleozoic of Patagonia. U-Pb analysis of detrital zircons separated from slope sediments reveal groupings (20 myr bins, n≥5 zircons) with peak depositional ages of 420, 540 to 660 and 1040 Ma. Zircon age populations recovered from the Mojón de Hierro Fm. compare well with bedrock ages of the Deseado Massif of SE Patagonia, suggesting this may be a potential source of sediments. The maximum depositional age of the sediments is 306.05 ± 3.7 Ma (2σ) as determined by the median age of the two youngest concordant zircons that overlap in error. The youngest zircon from the analysis yields a 238U/206Pb age of 301.3 ± 4.5 Ma (2σ; MSWD = 2.3). Younger zircons from the analysis compare well with the age of granite bedrock exposed along the basin margin to the E-NE suggesting they may reflect a more proximal source. These data, which indicate a maximum age of late Carboniferous for the Mojón de Hierro Fm, provide the first geochemical constraints for the timing of final deposition of glaciomarine sediments in the Tepuel-Genoa Basin, and contributes to the biostratigraphic correlation of the late Paleozoic succession in Patagonia with other key LPIA basins that has thus far been hindered by faunal provincialism.

  10. Paleoproterozoic mojaveprovince in northwestern Mexico? Isotopic and U-Pb zircon geochronologic studies of precambrian and Cambrian crystalline and sedimentary rocks, Caborca, Sonora

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lang, Farmer G.; Bowring, S.A.; Matzel, J.; Maldonado, G.E.; Fedo, C.; Wooden, J.

    2005-01-01

    Whole-rock Nd isotopic data and U-Pb zircon geochronology from Precambrian crystalline rocks in the Caborca area, northern Sonora, reveal that these rocks are most likely a segment of the Paleoproterozoic Mojave province. Supporting this conclusion are the observations that paragneiss from the ??? 1.75 Ga Bamori Complex has a 2.4 Ga Nd model age and contains detrital zircons ranging in age from Paleo- proterozoic (1.75 Ga) to Archean (3.2 Ga). Paragneisses with similar age and isotopic characteristics occur in the Mojave province in southern California. In addition, "A-type" granite exposed at the southern end of Cerro Rajon has ca 2.0 Ga Nd model age and a U-Pb zircon age of 1.71 Ga, which are similar to those of Paleoproterozoic granites in the Mojave province. Unlike the U.S. Mojave province, the Caborcan crust contains ca. 1.1 Ga granite (Aibo Granite), which our new Nd isotopic data suggest is largely the product of anatexis of the local Precambrian basement. Detrital zircons from Neoproterozoic to early Cambrian miogeoclinal arenites at Caborca show dominant populations ca. 1.7 Ga, ca. 1.4 Ga, and ca. 1.1 Ga, with subordinate Early Cambrian and Archean zircons. These zircons were likely derived predominately from North American crust to the east and northeast, and not from the underlying Caborcan basement. The general age and isotopic similarities between Mojave province basement and overlying miogeoclinal sedimentary rocks in Sonora and southern California is necessary, but not sufficient, proof of the hypothesis that Sonoran crust is allochthonous and was transported to its current position during the Mesozoic along the proposed Mojave-Sonora megashear. One viable alternative model is that the Caborcan Precambrian crust is an isolated, autochthonous segment of Mojave province crust that shares a similar, but not identical, Proterozoic geological history with Mojave province crust found in the southwest United States ?? 2005 Geological Society of America.

  11. Zircons as a Probe of Early Lunar Impact History

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crow, C. A.; McKeegan, K. D.; Gilmour, J. D.; Crowther, S. A.; Taylor, D. J.

    2013-08-01

    Zircons are ideal for investigating the early lunar bombardment because we can measure both U-Pb crystallization ages and fissiongenic Xe degassing ages for the same crystal. We report U-Pb, Pb-Pb and U-Xe ages for two lunar zircons.

  12. Correlated microanalysis of zircon: Trace element, δ 18O, and U-Th-Pb isotopic constraints on the igneous origin of complex >3900 Ma detrital grains

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cavosie, Aaron J.; Valley, John W.; Wilde, Simon A.; E. I. M. F.

    2006-11-01

    The origins of >3900 Ma detrital zircons from Western Australia are controversial, in part due to their complexity and long geologic histories. Conflicting interpretations for the genesis of these zircons propose magmatic, hydrothermal, or metamorphic origins. To test the hypothesis that these zircons preserve magmatic compositions, trace elements [rare earth elements (REE), Y, P, Th, U] were analyzed by ion microprobe from a suite of >3900 Ma zircons from Jack Hills, Western Australia, and include some of the oldest detrital zircons known (4400-4300 Ma). The same ˜20 μm domains previously characterized for U/Pb age, oxygen isotope composition (δ 18O), and cathodoluminescence (CL) zoning were specifically targeted for analysis. The zircons are classified into two types based on the light-REE (LREE) composition of the domain analyzed. Zircons with Type 1 domains form the largest group (37 of 42), consisting of grains that preserve evolved REE compositions typical of igneous zircon from crustal rocks. Grains with Type 1 domains display a wide range of CL zoning patterns, yield nearly concordant U/Pb ages from 4400 to 3900 Ma, and preserve a narrow range of δ 18O values from 4.7‰ to 7.3‰ that overlap or are slightly elevated relative to mantle oxygen isotope composition. Type 1 domains are interpreted to preserve magmatic compositions. Type 2 domains occur in six zircons that contain spots with enriched light-REE (LREE) compositions, here defined as having chondrite normalized values of La N > 1 and Pr N > 10. A subset of analyses in Type 2 domains appear to result from incorporation of sub-surface mineral inclusions in the analysis volume, as evidenced by positively correlated secondary ion beam intensities for LREE, P, and Y, which are anti-correlated to Si, although not all Type 2 analyses show these features. The LREE enrichment also occurs in areas with discordant U/Pb ages and/or high Th/U ratios, and is apparently associated with past or present

  13. Age of the Lava Creek supereruption and magma chamber assembly at Yellowstone based on 40Ar/39Ar and U-Pb dating of sanidine and zircon crystals

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Matthews, Naomi E.; Vazquez, Jorge A.; Calvert, Andrew T.

    2015-01-01

    The last supereruption from the Yellowstone Plateau formed Yellowstone caldera and ejected the >1000 km3 of rhyolite that composes the Lava Creek Tuff. Tephra from the Lava Creek eruption is a key Quaternary chronostratigraphic marker, in particular for dating the deposition of mid Pleistocene glacial and pluvial deposits in western North America. To resolve the timing of eruption and crystallization history for the Lava Creek magma, we performed (1) 40Ar/39Ar dating of single sanidine crystals to delimit eruption age and (2) ion microprobe U-Pb and trace-element analyses of the crystal faces and interiors of single zircons to date the interval of zircon crystallization and characterize magmatic evolution. Sanidines from the two informal members composing Lava Creek Tuff yield a preferred 40Ar/39Ar isochron date of 631.3 ± 4.3 ka. Crystal faces on zircons from both members yield a weighted mean 206Pb/238U date of 626.5 ± 5.8 ka, and have trace element concentrations that vary with the eruptive stratigraphy. Zircon interiors yield a mean 206Pb/238U date of 659.8 ± 5.5 ka, and reveal reverse and/or oscillatory zoning of trace element concentrations, with many crystals containing high U concentration cores that likely grew from highly evolved melt. The occurrence of distal Lava Creek tephra in stratigraphic sequences marking the Marine Isotope Stage 16–15 transition supports the apparent eruption age of ∼631 ka. The combined results reveal that Lava Creek zircons record episodic heating, renewed crystallization, and an overall up-temperature evolution for Yellowstone's subvolcanic reservoir in the 103−104 year interval before eruption.

  14. U-Pb ages and Hf isotope compositions of zircons in plutonic rocks from the central Famatinian arc, Argentina

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Otamendi, Juan E.; Ducea, Mihai N.; Cristofolini, Eber A.; Tibaldi, Alina M.; Camilletti, Giuliano C.; Bergantz, George W.

    2017-07-01

    The Famatinian arc formed around the South Iapetus rim during the Ordovician, when oceanic lithosphere subducted beneath the West Gondwana margin. We present combined in situ U-Th-Pb and Lu-Hf isotope analyses for zircon to gain insights into the origin and evolution of Famatinian magmatism. Zircon crystals sampled from four intermediate and silicic plutonic rocks confirm previous observations showing that voluminous magmatism took place during a relatively short pulse between the Early and Middle Ordovician (472-465 Ma). The entire zircon population for the four plutonic rocks yields coherent εHf negative values and spreads over several ranges of initial εHf(t) units (-0.3 to -8.0). The range of εHf units in detrital zircons of Famatinian metasedimentary rocks reflects a prolonged history of the cratonic sources during the Proterozoic to the earliest Phanerozoic. Typical tonalites and granodiorites that contain zircons with evolved Hf isotopic compositions formed upon incorporating (meta)sedimentary materials into calc-alkaline metaluminous magmas. The evolved Hf isotope ratios of zircons in the subduction related plutonic rocks strongly reflect the Hf isotopic character of the metasedimentary contaminant, even though the linked differentiation and growth of the Famatinian arc crust was driven by ascending and evolving mantle magmas. Geochronology and Hf isotope systematics in plutonic zircons allow us understanding the petrogenesis of igneous series and the provenance of magma sources. However, these data could be inadequate for computing model ages and supporting models of crustal evolution.

  15. The Grand St Bernard-Briançonnais Nappe System and the Paleozoic Inheritance of the Western Alps Unraveled by Zircon U-Pb Dating

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bergomi, M. A.; Dal Piaz, G. V.; Malusà, M. G.; Monopoli, B.; Tunesi, A.

    2017-12-01

    The continental crust involved in the Alpine orogeny was largely shaped by Paleozoic tectono-metamorphic and igneous events during oblique collision between Gondwana and Laurussia. In order to shed light on the pre-Alpine basement puzzle disrupted and reamalgamated during the Tethyan rifting and the Alpine orogeny, we provide sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe U-Pb zircon and geochemical whole rock data from selected basement units of the Grand St Bernard-Briançonnais nappe system in the Western Alps and from the Penninic and Lower Austroalpine units in the Central Alps. Zircon U-Pb ages, ranging from 459.0 ± 2.3 Ma to 279.1 ± 1.1 Ma, provide evidence of a complex evolution along the northern margin of Gondwana including Ordovician transtension, Devonian subduction, and Carboniferous-to-Permian tectonic reorganization. Original zircon U-Pb ages of 371 ± 0.9 Ma and 369.3 ± 1.5 Ma, from calc-alkaline granitoids of the Grand Nomenon and Gneiss del Monte Canale units, provide the first compelling evidence of Late Devonian orogenic magmatism in the Alps. We propose that rocks belonging to these units were originally part of the Moldanubian domain and were displaced toward the SW by Late Carboniferous strike-slip faulting. The resulting assemblage of basement units was disrupted by Permian tectonics and by Mesozoic opening of the Alpine Tethys. Remnants of the Moldanubian domain became either part of the European paleomargin (Grand Nomenon unit) or part of the Adriatic paleomargin (Gneiss del Monte Canale unit), to be finally accreted into the Alpine orogenic wedge during the Cenozoic.

  16. Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronological and sedimentological study of the Simao Basin, Yunnan: Implications for the Early Cenozoic evolution of the Red River

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Yi; Yan, Maodu; Fang, Xiaomin; Song, Chunhui; Zhang, Weilin; Zan, Jinbo; Zhang, Zhiguo; Li, Bingshuai; Yang, Yongpeng; Zhang, Dawen

    2017-10-01

    The paleo-Red River is suggested to have been a continental-scale drainage system connecting the Tibetan Plateau to the South China Sea. However, the evolution of the paleo-Red River is still under debate. This study presents new results from sedimentological analyses and detrital zircon U-Pb geochronologic data from fluvial sedimentary rocks of Paleocene to Oligocene age of the Simao Basin to constrain the nature of the paleo-drainage system of the Red River. The detrital zircon U-Pb results reveal multiple age groups at 190-240 Ma, 260-280 Ma, 450-540 Ma, 1700-1900 Ma and 2400-2600 Ma for the Paleocene to late Eocene Denghei Formation (Fm.), but only one conspicuous peak at 220-240 Ma for the late Eocene-Oligocene Mengla Fm. Provenance analyses illustrate that the former likely had source areas that included the Hoh-Xil, Songpan-Ganzi, northern Qiangtang, Yidun and western Yangtze Terranes, which are consistent with the catchments of the Upper and Lower Jinshajiang Segments, whereas the latter mainly transported material from a limited number of sources, such as the Lincang granitic intrusions west of the Simao Basin. Integrated with available detrital zircon U-Pb geochronologic and paleogeographic data, our study suggests the existence of a paleo-Red River during the Paleocene to late Eocene that was truncated and lost its northern sources after approximately 35 Ma, due to left-lateral strike-slip faulting of the Ailao Shan-Red River and clockwise rotation of the Lanping-Simao Terrane.

  17. SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology of volcanic rocks, Belt Supergroup, western Montana: Evidence for rapid deposition of sedimentary strata

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Evans, K.V.; Aleinikoff, J.N.; Obradovich, J.D.; Fanning, C.M.

    2000-01-01

    New sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb zircon analyses from two tuffs and a felsic flow in the middle and upper Belt Supergroup of northwestern Montana significantly refine the age of sedimentation for this very thick (15-20 km) Middle Proterozoic stratigraphic sequence. In ascending stratigraphic order, the results are (1) 1454 ?? 9 Ma for a tuff in the upper part of the Helena Formation at Logan Pass, Glacier National Park; (2) 1443 ?? 7 Ma for a regionally restricted porphyritic rhyolite to quartz latite flow of the Purcell Lava in the Yaak River region; and (3) 1401 ?? 6 Ma for a tuff in the very thin transition zone between the Bonner Quartzite and Libby Formation, west of the town of Libby. Combining these ages with those previously published by other workers for ca. 1470-Ma sills in the lower Belt in Montana and Canada indicates that all but the uppermost Belt strata (about 1700 m) were deposited over a period of about 70 million years, considerably reducing the time span from longstanding estimates ranging from 250 to 600 million years. Calculated sediment accumulation rates between dated samples indicates rapid, but not unreasonable, values for early Belt strata, with decreasing rates through time. These ages also suggest the inadequacy of previously published paleomagnetic data to resolve Belt Supergroup chronology at an appropriate level of accuracy.

  18. Detrital Zircon U-Pb and Hf-isotope Constrains on Basement Ages, Granitic Magmatism, and Sediment Provenance in the Malay Peninsula

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sevastjanova, Inga; Clements, Benjamin; Hall, Robert; Belousova, Elena; Pearson, Norman; Griffin, William

    2010-05-01

    The Malay Peninsula forms the western part of central Sundaland in SE Asia. Sundaland comprises Indochina, the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and the shallow shelf between these landmasses. It is a composite region of continental crustal fragments that are separated by sutures that represent remnant ocean basins and volcanic arcs. The Malay Peninsula includes two of these fragments - East Malaya and Sibumasu - separated by the Bentong-Raub Suture Zone. The latter is a Palaeo-Tethyan ocean remnant. Granitoids of the Malay Peninsula are the major sources of detrital zircon in Sundaland. East Malaya is intruded by Permian-Triassic Eastern Province granitoids interpreted as products of Palaeozoic subduction of oceanic crust beneath the East Malaya Volcanic Arc. Sibumasu is intruded by Triassic Main Range Province granitoids interpreted as syn- to post-collisional magmatism following suturing to East Malaya. Locally, there are minor Late Cretaceous plutons. Basements of Sibumasu and East Malaya are not exposed and their ages are poorly constrained. The exact timing of the collision between these fragments is also contentious. In order to resolve these uncertainties, 752 U-Pb analyses from 9 samples were carried out on detrital zircons from modern rivers draining the Malay Peninsula and, of these, 243 grains from 6 samples were selected for Hf-isotope analyses. U-Pb zircon ages show that small numbers of Neoarchean-Proterozoic grains are consistently present in all samples, but do not form prominent populations. Permian-Triassic populations are dominant. Only one sample contains a small Jurassic population probably sourced from the area of Thailand and most likely recycled from fluvial-alluvial Mesozoic 'red-beds'. Late Cretaceous populations are locally abundant. Hf-isotope crustal model ages suggest that basement beneath the Malay Peninsula is heterogeneous. Some basement may be Neoarchean but there is no evidence for basement older than 2.8 Ga beneath

  19. Igneous and tectonic evolution of the Batchawana Greenstone Belt, Superior Province: a U-Pb zircon and titanite study

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Corfu, F.; Grunsky, E.C.

    1987-01-01

    U-Pb isotopic dating of zircon and titanite from all the major litho-tectonic units of the Batchawana belt, an Archean greenstone belt of the Abitibi Subprovince of the Superior Province in Canada, shows that the belt evolved during a period of about 60 Ma between about 2730 and 2670 Ma ago. Subsequent deformation of the supracrustal sequences produced isoclinal folding and culminated in metamorphism ranging from lower greenschist to amphibolite facies and anatexis related to the intrusion of syn- to late-tectonic plutons, four phases of which have ages of 2678 +4/-2 Ma, 2677 +/- 2 Ma, 2677 +/- 3 Ma, andmore » 2676 +/- 2 Ma. Two post-tectonic granitoid plutons in the center of the belt were intruded 2674 +/- 3 Ma and 2673 +/- 5 Ma ago and were followed by the emplacement of a composite mafic to felsic intrusion; a monzonite and a hornblendite from this intrusion yield identical ages of 2668 +/- 2 Ma. Titanite ages are identical or younger than the ages of coexisting zircons and reflect regional metamorphism and post-tectonic plutonism, but in a few cases they are younger and may record increased fluid activity along faults and the intrusion of mafic dikes. U-Pb zircon systematics, together with age and lithological relationships, suggests that the greenstone belt formed in an oceanic environment from material derived initially mainly from the mantle. Subsequent melting at the base of the thickening volcanic succession produced intermediate to felsic volcanic rocks, tonalites, and later granodioritic to granitic plutons leading to the final consolidation of the granite-greenstone terrain. 47 references.« less

  20. Geology and U-Pb Zircon ages of the Kavacik Leucogranite in the Bornova Flysch Zone (Western Anatolia, Turkey)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Güngör, Talip; Hasözbek, Altuǧ; Akal, Cüneyt; Mertz-Kraus, Regina; Peştemalci Üregel, Reyhan

    2016-04-01

    The Bornova Flysch Zone comprises an olistostrome-melange situated NE-SW direction between the Izmir Ankara Suture Zone and the Menderes Massif. The Bornova Flysch Zone is mainly composed of slightly deformed Late Cretaceous to Paleocene sandstone and shale with Mesozoic limestone and oceanic crustal associations. These large-scale blocks in the matrix of the Bornova Flysch Zone are mostly defined as limestone, basalt, serpentinite and radiolarian cherts. In this study, granitic bodies, situated in the Bornova Flysch Zone, named as Kavacik leucogranite is examined for the first time, in terms its geological features and its U-Pb zircon crystallization ages. Kavacik leucogranite displays a typical granitic texture and its composition indicates ranging between granitic to granodioritic in composition with lack of mafic minerals. The geochemical features of the granite indicate the I-type and subalkaline nature of the granitic body. The geochemical signatures of the Kavacik granite points out Volcanic Arc Granitoids as similarly seen in Karaburun granite. U-Pb zircon LA ages were also obtained from the Kavacik granite ranging between 224.5 ± 2.0 Ma and 230.0 ± 2.8 Ma. Early Triassic zircon ages are also previously observed in the Karaburun Peninsula (Karaburun Granite) and the Menderes Massif (Odemis-Kiraz Submassif). The initial geological boundary relation of the Kavacik Leucogranite is not clear in the field and likely displays tectonic boundary features in the matrix of the Bornova Flysch Zone. Overall, the geochemical features of the Kavacik leucogranite and similar leucomagmatic bodies in the Western Anatolia points out the subduction-related tectonic setting is favorable during the Triassic time.

  1. First U-Pb geochronology on detrital zircons from Early-Middle Cambrian strata of the Torgau-Doberlug Syncline (eastern Germany) and palaeogeographic implications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abubaker, Atnisha; Hofmann, Mandy; Gärtner, Andreas; Linnemann, Ulf; Elicki, Olaf

    2017-10-01

    LA-ICP-MS U-Pb data from detrital zircons of the Ediacaran to Cambrian siliciclastic sequence of the Torgau-Doberlug Syncline (TDS, Saxo-Thuringia, Germany) are reported for the first time. The majority of 203 analysed zircon grains is Proterozoic with minor amount of Archean and Palaeozoic grains. The U-Pb ages fall into three groups: 2.8-2.4 Ga (3%), Neoarchean to earliest Palaeoproterozoic; 2.3-1.6 Ga (46%), early to late Palaeoproterozoic; 1.0-0.5 Ga (47%), Neoproterozoic to Cambrian. This age distribution is typical for the West African Craton as the source area and for Cadomian orogenic events in northwestern Gondwana. The samples show an age gap between 1.6 and 1.0 Ga, which is characteristic for West African provenance and diagnostic in distinguishing this unit from East Avalonia and Baltica. The dataset shows clusters of Palaeoproterozoic ages at 2.2-1.7 Ga, that is typical for western Gondwana, which was affected by abundant magmatic intrusions (ca. 2.2-1.8 Ga) during the Eburnean orogeny (West African craton). Neoarchean zircon ages (3%) point to recycling of magmatic rocks formed during the Liberian and Leonian orogenies. Ediacaran to earliest Cambrian rocks of the TDS originated in an active margin regime of the Gondwanan shelf. The following early Palaeozoic overstep sequence was deposited within rift settings that reflects instability of the West-Gondwanan shelf and the separation of terranes from Ordovician onward. The results of this study demonstrate distinct northwestern African provenance of the Cambrian siliciclastics of the TDS. Due to Th-U ratios from concordant zircon analysis, igneous origin from felsic melts is concluded as the source of these grains.

  2. The pre-orogenic detrital zircon record of the Variscan orogeny: Preliminary results

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stephan, Tobias; Kroner, Uwe

    2017-04-01

    To test plate-tectonic constellations in consideration of the long-term development of sedimentary transport paths, temporally and spatially highly resolved records of provenance analysis are mandatory. The interpretation of existing studies focus on small-scale areas within an orogen thereby neglecting the differing distribution of provenance data in the entire orogenic system. This study reviews a large data set of compiled geochronological data to document the development of pre-orogenic tectonic units on the example of the Variscan orogeny. Constrained by tectonic and geological models, the temporal distribution of U-Pb detrital zircon ages, used as a proxy for sedimentary provenance, shows that some minima and maxima of zircon abundance are nearly synchronous for thousands of kilometres along the orogeny. Age spectra of Precambrian to Lower Palaeozoic samples were constructed on the basis of 38729 U-Pb ages from 685 samples that were compiled from 102 publications. The age compilation combines thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS), laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS), sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP), and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analyses. The data was re-processed using a common age calculation and concordance filter to ensure comparability. The concordance of each zircon grain was calculated from 206Pb/238U and 207Pb/235U ages to guarantee that only concordant grains, i.e., with <10% normal and <5% reverse discordance, were included in the age compilation. In order to ignore a metamorphic overprint and hence a blur of the younger age spectra, the compilation is constrained to age data older than 400 Ma only. If a precise sample age is not documented by the author, the weighted-mean age of the youngest zircon population (n > 3) is used for the maximum age of deposition. In addition to the location of >600 samples, the precise depositional ages result in a spatially and temporally high

  3. LA-SF-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb geochronology of granitic rocks from the central Bundelkhand greenstone complex, Bundelkhand craton, India

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Verma, Sanjeet K.; Verma, Surendra P.; Oliveira, Elson P.; Singh, Vinod K.; Moreno, Juan A.

    2016-03-01

    The central Bundelkhand greenstone complex in Bundelkhand craton, northern India is one of the well exposed Archaean supracrustal amphibolite, banded iron formation (BIF) and felsic volcanic rocks (FV) and associated with grey and pink porphyritic granite, tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG). Here we present high precision zircon U-Pb geochronological data for the pinkish porphyritic granites and TTG. The zircons from the grey-pinkish porphyritic granite show three different concordia ages of 2531 ± 21 Ma, 2516 ± 38 Ma, and 2514 ± 13 Ma, which are interpreted as the best estimate of the magmatic crystallization age for the studied granites. We also report the concordia age of 2669 ± 7.4 Ma for a trondhjemite gneiss sample, which is so far the youngest U-Pb geochronological data for a TTG rock suite in the Bundelkhand craton. This TTG formation at 2669 Ma is also more similar to Precambrian basement TTG gneisses of the Aravalli Craton of north western India and suggests that crust formation in the Bundelkhand Craton occurred in a similar time-frame to that recorded from the Aravalli craton of the North-western India.

  4. Age and origin of the Merrimack terrane, southeastern New England: A detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sorota, Kristin

    Metasedimentary rocks of the Merrimack terrane (MT) originated as a thick cover sequence on Ganderia consisting of sandstones, calcareous sandstones, pelitic rocks and turbidites. In order to investigate the age, provenance and stratigraphic order of these rocks and correlations with adjoining terranes, detrital zircon suites from 7 formations across the MT along a NNE-trending transect from east-central Massachusetts to SE New Hampshire were analyzed by U-Pb LA-ICP-MS methods on 90-140 grains per sample. The youngest detrital zircons in the western units, the Worcester, Oakdale and Paxton Formations, are ca. 438 Ma while those in the Kittery, Eliot and Berwick Formations in the northeast are ca. 426 Ma. The Tower Hill Formation previously interpreted to form the easternmost unit of the MT in MA, has a distinctly different zircon distribution with its youngest zircon population in the Cambrian. All samples except for the Tower Hill Formation have detrital zircon age distributions with significant peaks in the mid-to late Ordovician, similar abundances of early Paleozoic and late Neoproterozoic zircons, significant input from ˜1.0 to ˜1.8 Ga sources and limited Archean grains. The similarities in zircon provenance suggest that all units across the terrane, except for the Tower Hill Formation, belong to a single sequence of rocks, with similar sources and with the units in the NE possibly being somewhat younger than those in east-central Massachusetts. The continuous zircon age distributions observed throughout the Mesoproterozoic and late Paleoproterozoic are consistent with an Amazonian source. All samples, except the Tower Hill Formation, show sedimentary input from both Ganderian and Laurentian sources and suggest that Laurentian input increases as the maximum depositional age decreases.

  5. Zircon U-Pb and Hf-O isotopes trace the architecture of polymetallic deposits: A case study of the Jurassic ore-forming porphyries in the Qin-Hang metallogenic belt, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Panlao; Yuan, Shunda; Mao, Jingwen; Santosh, M.; Zhang, Dongliang

    2017-11-01

    The Qin-Hang intra-continental porphyry-skarn Cu polymetallic belt (QHMB) is among the economically important metallogenic belts in South China. The significant differences in the size and metal assemblage of the Jurassic magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits in this belt remain as an enigma. Here we employ zircon U-Pb and Hf-O isotopes of the Tongshanling and Baoshan Cu-Pb-Zn deposits in the central part of the QHMB to investigate the contrasting metallogenic architecture. Our SIMS zircon U-Pb data indicate that the Tongshanling and Baoshan granodiorite formed at 160 Ma. These rocks show high Mg# values, and negative zircon εHf(t) and high δ18O values suggesting that the magmas of the granodiorite porphyries were mainly generated through the anatexis of older crustal components triggered by the input of mantle-derived magma. The minor content of amphibole phenocrysts, low Sr/Y ratios, negative Eu anomaly, and low zircon Ce4 +/Ce3 + ratios indicate that the porphyries are relatively less oxidized with less water content compared with the ore-bearing porphyries in the Dexing and Yuanzhuding porphyry Cu deposits in the northern and southern part of the QHMB, suggesting that high magmatic water content and oxidation state are important prerequisites for the formation of large size porphyry-skarn copper deposits in the QHMB. The positive correlation between zircon εHf(t) values with the Cu reserves, as well as zircon δ18O values with the Cu/(Cu + Pb + Zn) ratios of the deposits indicate that the magmatic sources exerted a first-order control on the volume and metal assemblage of deposits in the QHMB. The Hf and Nd isotope contour maps indicate that the central part of the QHMB has high potential for Pb-Zn-dominated magmatic-hydrothermal deposits, whereas the northern and southern part of the QHMB are prospective for large Cu deposits. Our results have important implications in formulating regional exploration strategies for Jurassic porphyry-skarn Cu-Pb-Zn deposits in

  6. Timing of metasomatism in a subcontinental mantle: evidence from zircon at Finero (Italy)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Badanina, I. Yu.; Malitch, K. N.

    2012-04-01

    The Finero phlogopite-peridotite represents a metasomatized residual mantle harzburgite, exposed at the base of the lower-crust section in the Ivrea Zone, Western Alps (Hartmann and Wedepohl 1993). It forms the core of a concentrically zoned sequence of internal layered gabbro, amphibole-rich peridotite and external gabbro. The phlogopite peridotite contains small-size chromitite bodies, with a suite of accessory minerals such as phlogopite, apatite, Ca-Mg carbonates, zirconolite, zircon, thorianite and uraninite, proposed to form during alkaline-carbonatitic metasomatism process within the mantle (Zaccarini et al. 2004). In this study, the combined application of a non-destructive technique to separate zircon from their host rocks (see details at http://www.natires.com) and in-situ analytical technique for compositional and isotopic analysis (SHRIMP-II at Russian Geological Research Institute, St. Petersburg) has provided new more detailed age constraints on the formation of chromitite and related metasomatic events within a mantle tectonite at Finero. Chromitite samples derived from the dump in the prospecting trenches of Rio Creves. In thin sections, zircon occurs as relatively large (up to 200 μm) grains characterized by subhedral to euhedral shapes. Separated grains of zircon form two distinct populations. Dominant zircon population is pale pink and characterized by different shapes (subhedral, subrounded or elongated). In cathodoluminescense, the main set of population is represented by complex grains, which show development of core-rim relationship (most likely recrystallized rim on a preserved core). Subordinate zircon grains are colourless. They are characterized by a smoky cathodoluminescense, with almost no internal pattern. Three main U-Pb age clusters have been recognized. The youngest age cluster, typical for subordinate colourless zircon population and rims in complex grains of dominant pale pink population, show two concordant 206Pb/238U ages (e

  7. Zircon-pyrochlore ores of Proterozoic Gremyakha-Vyrmes polyphase massif, Kola Peninsula: source and evolution

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sorokhtina, Natalia; Belyatsky, Boris; Antonov, Anton; Kononkova, Natalia; Lepekhina, Elena; Kogarko, Lia

    2017-04-01

    zircon has polygenetic nature: some relics inherited from foidolite crystallized at about 800°C, whereas the newly formed - at 600°C [Watson et al., 2006]. The time interval of the magmatic massif formation may be estimated as long as 80-100 Ma only. The basic-ultrabasic rocks and foidolites were intruded consistently at 1982 ± 6 Ma and 1894±12 according to SHRIMP-II U-Pb zircon dating, but the whole-rock Sm-Nd isotope dating has resulted in 1879±99 Ma and reflects the impact of alkaline granite intrusion (1871±9 Ma). The late differentiates from alkaline magma crystallization were the main source of rare metals for zircon-pyrochlore ores of alkaline metasomatites. The metasomatic rocks (aegirinites, albitites) and carbonatites were formed as late as 1910 ± 15 Ma (SHRIMP-II U-Pb zircon, titanite, pyrochlore). While some pyrochlore grains from metasomatites are showed that U-Pb age of ore formation is 1766 ± 24 and 1764 ± 19 respectively. That can be attributed to additional source of rare metals connected with fluids formed during regional metamorphism 1750 m.y. ago [Glebovitskii et al., 2014]. The last probable source of rare-metal material and ore-deposit evolution stage (recrystallization) is established by individual pyrochlore grain Sm-Nd and U-Pb systems and evidences tectono-thermal activity at the Paleozoic plume magmatism, which was followed by structural and chemical mineral changes. The research was done within the framework of the scientific program of Russian Academy of Sciences and state contract K41.2014.014 with Sevzapnedra. References: Watson E. B., Wark D. A., Thomas J. B. Crystallization thermometers for zircon and rutile // Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 2006. 151, 413-433. Glebovitskii V.A., Bushmin S.A., Belyatsky B.V., Bogomolov E.S., Borozdin A.P., Savva E.V., Lebedeva Y.M. Rb-Sr age of metasomatism and ore formation in the low-temperature shear zones of the Fenno-Karelian craton, Baltic Shield // Petrology. 2014. 22(2). 184-204. Sorokhtina N

  8. U-Th-Pb zircon dating of the 13.8-Ma dacite volcanic dome at Cerro Rico de Potosi, Bolivia

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Zartman, R.E.; Cunningham, C.G.

    1995-01-01

    The temporal relationship between the extrusion of the Miocene dacite volcanic dome at Cerro Rico de Potasi, Bolivia, and the associated Ag-Sn mineralization has an important bearing on the heat and metal sources for this world class mineral deposit. The present study uses U-Th-Pb dating of sparse zircon contained in the dacite to demonstrate that, at most, only several hundred thousand years separate dome emplacement from main stage mineralization. -from Authors

  9. U-Pb geochronology of zircon and monazite from Mesoproterozoic granitic gneisses of the northern Blue Ridge, Virginia and Maryland, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Aleinikoff, J.N.; Burton, W.C.; Lyttle, P.T.; Nelson, A.E.; Southworth, C.S.

    2000-01-01

    Mesoproterozoic granitic gneisses comprise most of the basement of the northern Blue Ridge geologic province in Virginia and Maryland. Lithology, structure, and U-Pb geochronology have been used to subdivide the gneisses into three groups. The oldest rocks, Group 1, are layered granitic gneiss (1153 ?? 6 Ma), hornblende monzonite gneiss (1149 ?? 19 Ma), porphyroblastic granite gneiss (1144 ?? 2 Ma), coarse-grained metagranite (about 1140 Ma), and charnockite (>1145 Ma?). These gneisses contain three Proterozoic deformational fabrics. Because of complex U-Pb systematics due to extensive overgrowths on magmatic cores, zircons from hornblende monzonite gneiss were dated using the sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP), whereas all other ages are based on conventional U-Pb geochronology. Group 2 rocks are leucocratic and biotic varieties of Marshall Metagranite, dated at 1112??3 Ma and 1111 ?? 2 Ma respectively. Group 3 rocks are subdivided into two age groups: (1) garnetiferous metagranite (1077 ?? 4 Ma) and quartz-plagioclase gneiss (1077 ?? 4 Ma); (2) white leucocratic metagranite (1060 ?? 2 Ma), pink leucocratic metagranite (1059 ?? 2), biotite granite gneiss (1055 ?? 4 Ma), and megacrystic metagranite (1055 ?? 2 Ma). Groups 2 and 3 gneisses contain only the two younger Proterozoic deformational fabrics. Ages of monazite, seprated from seven samples, indicate growth during both igneous and metamorphic (thermal) events. However, ages obtained from individual grains may be mixtures of different age components, as suggested by backscatter electron (BSE) imaging of complexly zoned grains. Analyses of unzoned monazite (imaged by BSE and thought to contain only one age component) from porphyroblastic granite gneiss yield ages of 1070, 1060, and 1050 Ma. The range of ages of monazite (not reset to a uniform date) indicates that the Grenville granulite event at about 1035 Ma did not exceed about 750??C. Lack of evidence for 1110 Ma growth of monazite in

  10. The multistage crystallization of zircon in calc-alkaline granitoids: U-Pb age constraints on the timing of Variscan tectonic activity in SW Iberia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pereira, M. F.; Chichorro, M.; Moita, P.; Santos, J. F.; Solá, A. M. R.; Williams, I. S.; Silva, J. B.; Armstrong, R. A.

    2015-07-01

    CL imaging and U-Th-Pb data for a population of zircons from two of the Évora Massif granitoids (Ossa-Morena Zone, SW Iberia) show that both calc-alkaline granitoids have zircon populations dominated by grains with cores and rims either showing or not showing differences in Th/U ratio, and having ages in the range ca. 350-335 Ma (Early Carboniferous). Multistage crystallization of zircon is revealed in two main growth stages (ca. 344-342 Ma and ca. 336-335 Ma), well represented by morphologically complex zircons with cores and rims with different ages and different Th/U ratios that can be explained by: (1) crystallization from melts with different compositions (felsic peraluminous to felsic-intermediate metaluminous; 0.001 < Th/U ratio < 0.5) and (2) transient temperature fluctuations in a system where anatectic felsic melts periodically underwent injection of more mafic magmas at higher temperatures. The two studied calc-alkaline granitoids do not include inherited zircons (pre-Carboniferous), probably because they were formed at the highest grade of metamorphism ( T > 837 °C; granulite facies) and/or because they were derived from inheritance-poor felsic and mafic rocks from a previous cycle, as suggested by the internal structures of zircon cores. These Variscan magmatic rocks with crystallization ages estimated at ca. 336-335 Ma are spatially and temporally related to high-temperature metamorphism, anatexis, processes of interaction between crustal- and mantle-derived magmas and intra-orogenic extension that acted in SW Iberia during the Early Carboniferous.

  11. Zircon and monazite response to prograde metamorphism in the Reynolds Range, central Australia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rubatto, Daniela; Williams, Ian S.; Buick, Ian S.

    2001-01-01

    We report an extensive field-based study of zircon and monazite in the metamorphic sequence of the Reynolds Range (central Australia), where greenschist- to granulite-facies metamorphism is recorded over a continuous crustal section. Detailed cathodoluminescence and back-scattered electron imaging, supported by SHRIMP U-Pb dating, has revealed the different behaviours of zircon and monazite during metamorphism. Monazite first recorded regional metamorphic ages (1576 ± 5 Ma), at amphibolite-facies grade, at ˜600 °C. Abundant monazite yielding similar ages (1557 ± 2 to 1585 ± 3 Ma) is found at granulite-facies conditions in both partial melt segregations and restites. New zircon growth occurred between 1562 ± 4 and 1587 ± 4 Ma, but, in contrast to monazite, is only recorded in granulite-facies rocks where melt was present (≥700 °C). New zircon appears to form at the expense of pre-existing detrital and inherited cores, which are partly resorbed. The amount of metamorphic growth in both accessory minerals increases with temperature and metamorphic grade. However, new zircon growth is influenced by rock composition and driven by partial melting, factors that appear to have little effect on the formation of metamorphic monazite. The growth of these accessory phases in response to metamorphism extends over the 30 Ma period of melt crystallisation (1557-1587 Ma) in a stable high geothermal regime. Rare earth element patterns of zircon overgrowths in leucosome and restite indicate that, during the protracted metamorphism, melt-restite equilibrium was reached. Even in the extreme conditions of long-lasting high temperature (750-800 °C) metamorphism, Pb inheritance is widely preserved in the detrital zircon cores. A trace of inheritance is found in monazite, indicating that the closure temperature of the U-Pb system in relatively large monazite crystals can exceed 750-800 °C.

  12. Integrated Laser Ablation U/Pb and (U-Th)/He Dating of Detrital Accessory Minerals from the Naryani River, Central Nepal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Horne, A.; Hodges, K. V.; Van Soest, M. C.

    2015-12-01

    The newly developed 'laser ablation double dating' (LADD) technique, an integrated laser microprobe U/Pb and (U-Th)/He dating method, could be an exceptionally valuable tool in detrital thermochronology for identifying sedimentary provenance and evaluating the exhumation history of a source region. A recent proof-of-concept study has used LADD to successfully date both zircon and titanite crystals from the well-characterized Fish Canyon tuff, but we also believe that another accessory mineral, rutile, could be amenable to dating via the LADD technique. To continue the development of the method, we present an application of LADD to detrital zircon, titanite, and rutile from a sample collected on the lower Naryani River of central Nepal. Preliminary analyses of the sample have yielded zircon U/Pb dates ranging from 31.4 to 2405 Ma; zircon (U-Th)/He from 1.8 to 15.4 Ma; titanite U/Pb between 18 and 110 Ma; titanite (U-Th)/He between 1 and 16 Ma; rutile U/Pb from 6 to 45 Ma; and rutile (U-Th)/He from 2 to 25 Ma. In addition to the initial data, we can use Ti-in-zircon, Zr-in-titanite, and Zr-in-rutile thermometers to determine the range of possible long-term cooling rates from grains with U/Pb ages younger than collision. Thus far our results from zircon analyses imply a cooling rate of approximately 15°C/Myr; titanite analyses imply between 10 and 67°C/Myr; and rutile between 9 and 267°C/Myr. This spread in potential cooling rates, especially in the order of magnitude differences of cooling rates calculated from the rutile grains, suggests that the hinterland source regions of the Naryani river experienced dramatically different exhumation histories during Himalayan orogenisis. Ongoing analyses will expand the dataset such that we can more adequately characterize the range of possibilities represented in the sample.

  13. North Qinling Terrain as a provenance of Kuanping Group: LA-ICP-MS U-Pb Geochronology of detrital zircons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hu, B.; Li, S.; Zhai, M.; Wu, J.; Jia, X.

    2017-12-01

    Though some Neoproterozoic S-type granites in the North Qinling Terrain (NQT), China indicate the collision between the NQT and an unknown block, there are still controversial. The LA-ICP-MS U-Pb ages of detrital zircons of meta-sandstones from the Kuanping Group in Luonan area, NQT, provide sedimentology evidence to prove that the NQT and an unknown block from Rodinia supercontinent have been collided during Meso-Neoproterozoic. The U-Pb ages of detrital zircons from the Kuanping Group show that the main age peaks are at 2.58 Ga, 2.46 Ga, 2.0 Ga, 1.78 Ga, 1.6 Ga, 1.45 Ga and 1.27 Ga. The youngest age of 880 Ma indicates that the sedimentary age of the Kuanping Group is less than 880 Ma. The provenances, which provide 1.45 - 0.88 Ga sediments may come from NQT, which magmatic and metamorphic rocks during this period outcropped. Whereas provenances providing 2.6- 1.6 Ga sediments may come from an unknown block. This indicates that the Kuangping Group received both NQT and the unknown block materials. Therefore, the NQT and the unknown block may have collided before 880 Ma. 889 - 848 Ma A-type granites distributing the NQT was considered forming under a post-collisional tectonics. According the youngest detrital zircon ages of 880 Ma, it is inferred that the Kuanping Basin may also form in the same tectonic environments. Neoproterozoic Kuanping basin and 889 - 848 Ma A-type granites may be a result which NQT broken off a block of Rodinia supercontinent. Acknowledgments: This research is supported by National Key Research and Development Plan of China (2016YFC0601002), Special Fund for Basic Scientific Research of Central Colleges, Chang'an University (310827172201, 0009-2014G1271067) and National Nature Science Foundation of China (41402042).

  14. The role of trace element partitioning between garnet, zircon and orthopyroxene on the interpretation of zircon U-Pb ages: an example from high-grade basement in Calabria (Southern Italy)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fornelli, A.; Langone, A.; Micheletti, F.; Pascazio, A.; Piccarreta, G.

    2014-03-01

    The recognition of the coeval growth of zircon, orthopyroxene and garnet domains formed during the same metamorphic cycle has been attempted with detailed microanalyses coupled with textural analyses. A coronitic garnet-bearing granulite from the lower crust of Calabria has been considered. U-Pb zircon data and zircon, garnet and orthopyroxene chemistries, at different textural sites, on a thin section of the considered granulite have been used to test possible equilibrium and better constrain the geological significance of the U-Pb ages related to zircon separates from other rocks of the same structural level. The garnet is very rich in REE and is characterised by a decrease in HREE from core to outer core and an increase in the margin. Zircons show core-overgrowth structures showing different chemistries, likely reflecting episodic metamorphic new growth. Zircon grains in matrix, corona around garnet and within the inner rim of garnet, are decidedly poorer in HREE up to Ho than garnet interior. Orthopyroxene in matrix and corona is homogeneously poor in REE. Thus, the outer core of garnet and the analysed zircon grains grew or equilibrated in a REE depleted system due to the former growth of garnet core. Zircon ages ranging from 357 to 333 Ma have been determined in the matrix, whereas ages 327-320 Ma and around 300 Ma have been determined, respectively, on cores and overgrowths of zircons from matrix, corona and inner rim of garnet. The calculated DREEzrn/grt and DREEopx/grt are largely different from the equilibrium values of literature due to strong depletion up to Ho in zircon and orthopyroxene with respect to garnet. On the other hand, the literature data show large variability. In the case study, (1) the D zrn/grt values define positive and linear trends from Gd to Lu as many examples from literature do and the values from Er to Lu approach the experimental results at about 900 °C in the combination zircon dated from 339 to 305 Ma with garnet outer core

  15. U-Pb Detrital Zircon Ages from Sarawak: Changes in Provenance Reflecting the Tectonic Evolution of Southeast Asia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Breitfeld, H. T.; Galin, T.; Hall, R.

    2014-12-01

    Sarawak is located on the northern edge of Sundaland in NW Borneo. Five sedimentary basins are distinguished with ages from Triassic to Cenozoic. New light mineral, heavy mineral and U-Pb detrital zircon ages show differences in provenance reflecting the tectonic evolution of the region. The oldest clastic sediments are Triassic of the Sadong-Kuching Basin and were sourced by a Carnian to Norian volcanic arc and erosion of Cathaysian rocks containing zircons of Paleoproterozoic age. Sandstones of the Upper Jurassic to Cretaceous Bau-Pedawan Basin have distinctive zircon populations indicating a major change of tectonic setting, including initiation of subduction below present-day West Sarawak in the Late Jurassic. A wide range of inherited zircon ages indicates various Cathaysian fragments as major source areas and the arrival of the SW Borneo Block following subduction beneath the Schwaner Mountains in the early Late Cretaceous. After collision of the SW Borneo Block and the microcontinental fragments with Sundaland in the early Late Cretaceous, deep marine sedimentation (Pedawan Formation) ceased, and there was uplift forming the regional Pedawan-Kayan unconformity. Two episodes of extension were responsible for basin development on land from the latest Cretaceous onwards, probably in a strike-slip setting. The first episode formed the Kayan Basin in the Latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) to Early Paleocene, and the second formed the Ketungau Basin and the Penrissen Sandstone in the Middle to Late Eocene. Zircons indicate nearby volcanic activity throughout the Early Cenozoic in NW Borneo. Inherited zircon ages indicate an alternation between Borneo and Tin Belt source rocks. A large deep marine basin, the Rajang Basin, formed north of the Lupar Line fault. Zircons from sediments of the Rajang Basin indicate they are of similar age and provenance as the contemporaneous terrestrial sediments to the south suggesting a narrow steep continental Sundaland margin at the

  16. Zircon U-Pb chronology, geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions of the Volcanic Rocks in the Elashan area, NW China: petrogenesis and tectonic implications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, H.; Wei, J.; Shi, W.; Li, P.; Chen, M.; Zhao, X.

    2017-12-01

    Elashan area is located in the intersection of the East Kunlun Orogenic Belt (EKOB) and the West Qinling Orogenic (WQOB). We present petrology, zircon U-Pb ages, whole-rock geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic compositions from the andesite and felsic volcanic rocks (rhyolite and rhyolitic tuffs) in Elashan group volcanic rock. The LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb age data indicate that the volcanic rocks are emplaced at 250 247 Ma. The volcanic rocks have high -K and aluminum - peraluminous characteristics, A/CNK = 1.07 1.82, δ ranges from 1.56 2.95, the main body is calc-alkaline rock. They are enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs) and light rare earth elements (LREEs) and depleted in some high field strength elements (HFSEs, e.g., Nb, Ta, P and Ti), while having a flat heavy REE (HREEs) pattern. The ∑REE values of 178.68 to 298.11 ppm, average 230.50 ppm. The LREE/HREE values of 4.39 to 11.78 ppm, average 6.77 ppm. REE fractionation is obvious, REE distribution curve was right smooth, and have slightly negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu*=0.44-0.80, average 0.60), which as similar to the island arc volcanic rocks. The volcanic rocks have initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.71028-0.71232, ɛNd(t) values of -6.7 to -7.6, with T2DM-Nd ranging from 1561 to 1640 Ma. Pb isotopic composition (206 Pb / 204 Pb)t = 18.055 18.330, (207 Pb / 204 Pb)t = 15.586 15.618, (208 Pb / 204 Pb)t = 37.677 38.332. Geochemical and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes indicates that Elashan group volcanic magma derived mainly from the lower crust. Elashan group volcanic rocks is the productive East Kunlun block and West Qinling block collision, which makes the thicken crust caused partial melting in the study area. The source rocks is probably from metamorphic sandstone of Bayankala. But with Y-Nb and Rb-(Y+Nb), R1-R2 and Rb/10-Hf-Ta*3 diagrams showing that intermediate-acid rocks mainly formed in volcanic arc-collision environment, probably the collision event is short , therefore rocks retain the original island

  17. The history of a continent from U-Pb ages of zircons from Orinoco River sand and Sm-Nd isotopes in Orinoco basin river sediments

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Goldstein, S.L.; Arndt, N.T.; Stallard, R.F.

    1997-01-01

    We report SHRIMP U-Pb ages of 49 zircons from a sand sample from the lower Orinoco River, Venezuela, and Nd model ages of the fine sediment load from the main river and tributaries. The U-Pb ages reflect individual magmatic or metamorphic events, the Sm-Nd model ages reflect average crustal-residence ages of the sediment sources. Together they allow delineation of the crust-formation history of the basement precursors of the sediments. The U-Pb ages range from 2.83 to 0.15 Ga, and most are concordant or nearly so. Discrete age groupings occur at ??? 2.8, ??? 2.1, and ??? 1.1 Ga. The oldest group contains only three samples but is isolated from its closest neighbors by a ??? 600 Ma age gap. Larger age groupings at ??? 2.1 and ??? 1.1 Ga make up about a third and a quarter of the total number of analyses, respectively. The remaining analyses scatter along concordia, and most are younger than 1.6 Ga. The ??? 2.8 and ??? 2.1 Ga ages correspond to periods of crust formation of the Imataca and Trans-Amazonian provinces of the Guyana Shield, respectively, and record intervals of short but intensive continental growth. These ages coincide with ??? 2.9 and ??? 2.1 Ga Nd model ages of sediments from tributaries draining the Archean and Proterozoic provinces of the Guyana Shield, respectively, indicating that the U-Pb ages record the geological history of the crystalline basement of the Orinoco basin. Zircons with ages corresponding to the major orogenies of the North Atlantic continents (the Superior at ??? 2.7 Ga and Hudsonian at 1.7-1.9 Ga) were not found in the Orinoco sample. The age distribution may indicate that South and North America were separated throughout their history. Nd model ages of sediments from the lower Orinoco River and Andean tributaries are ??? 1.9 Ga, broadly within the range displayed by major rivers and dusts. This age does not coincide with known thermal events in the region and reflects mixing of sources with different crust-formation ages. The

  18. Southernmost Andes and South Georgia Island, North Scotia Ridge: Zircon U-Pb and muscovite {40Ar }/{39Ar } age constraints on tectonic evolution of Southwestern Gondwanaland

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mukasa, Samuel B.; Dalziel, Ian W. D.

    1996-11-01

    Zircon U-Pb and muscovite {40Ar }/{39Ar } isotopic ages have been determined on rocks from the southernmost Andes and South Georgia Island, North Scotia Ridge, to provide absolute time constraints on the kinematic evolution of southwestern Gondwanaland, until now known mainly from stratigraphic relations. The U-Pb systematics of four zircon fractions from one sample show that proto-marginal basin magmatism in the northern Scotia arc, creating the peraluminous Darwin granite suite and submarine rhyolite sequences of the Tobifera Formation, had begun by the Middle Jurassic (164.1 ± 1.7 Ma). Seven zircon fractions from two other Darwin granites are discordant with non-linear patterns, suggesting a complex history of inheritances and Pb loss. Reference lines drawn through these points on concordia diagrams give upper intercept ages of ca. 1500 Ma, interpreted as a minimum age for the inherited zircon component. This component is believed to have been derived from sedimentary rocks in the Gondwanaland margin accretionary wedge that forms the basement of the region, or else directly from the cratonic "back stop" of that wedge. Ophiolitic remnants of the Rocas Verdes marginal basin preserved in the Larsen Harbour complex on South Georgia yield the first clear evidence that Gondwanaland fragmentation had resulted in the formation of oceanic crust in the Weddell Sea region by the Late Jurassic (150 ± 1 Ma). The geographic pattern in the observed age range of 8 to 13 million years in these ophiolitic materials, while not definitive, is in keeping with propagation of the marginal basin floor northwestward from South Georgia Island to the Sarmiento Complex in southern Chile. Rocks of the Beagle granite suite, emplaced post-tectonically within the uplifted marginal basin floor, have complex zircon U-Pb systematics with gross discordances dominated by inheritances in some samples and Pb loss in others. Of eleven samples processed, only two had sufficient amounts of zircon for

  19. Comment on "Zircon U-Th-Pb dating using LA-ICP-MS: Simultaneous U-Pb and U-Th dating on 0.1 Ma Toya Tephra, Japan" by Hisatoshi Ito

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guillong, M.; Schmitt, A. K.; Bachmann, O.

    2015-04-01

    Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) of eight zircon reference materials and synthetic zircon-hafnon end-members indicate that corrections for abundance sensitivity and molecular zirconium sesquioxide ions (Zr2O3+) are critical for reliable determination of 230Th abundances in zircon. Other polyatomic interferences in the mass range 223-233 amu are insignificant. When corrected for abundance sensitivity and interferences, activity ratios of (230Th)/(238U) for the zircon reference materials we used average 1.001 ± 0.010 (1σ error; mean square of weighted deviates MSWD = 1.45; n = 8). This includes the 91500 and Plešovice zircons, which were deemed unsuitable for calibration of (230Th)/(238U) by Ito (2014). Uranium series zircon ages generated by LA-ICP-MS without mitigating (e.g., by high mass resolution) or correcting for abundance sensitivity and molecular interferences on 230Th such as those presented by Ito (2014) are potentially unreliable.

  20. Using zircon (U-Th)/He damage-diffusivity patterns to quantify detachment-related basement exhumation in the Mecca Hills, CA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moser, A. C.; Ault, A. K.; Evans, J. P.; Reiners, P. W.; Stearns, M.; Guenthner, W.

    2017-12-01

    Exposures of gneiss and Orocopia Schist (OS) in the Mecca Hills, California, adjacent to the southernmost San Andreas Fault system, preserve the exhumation history of Oligocene detachment faulting. We investigate the duration, magnitude, and mechanisms of exhumation of these units at regional and local scales using in situ U-Pb zircon dating (n = 248), (U-Th)/He (He) thermochronometry (n = 39), and He date-effective U (eU) patterns. Zircons with variable preserved visual metamictization were targeted for He analyses to purposefully build a dataset with a range in eU concentration and zircon He closure temperatures, as well as induce a He date-eU correlation. Analyzed zircon crystals range from clear and transparent to purple-brown and translucent in each sample. Zircon cathodoluminescence images reveal oscillatory and sector chemical zoning. Each sample contains a population of largely Proterozoic U-Pb dates implying some grains accumulated radiation damage since 1.9-1.1 Ga. Zircon (U-Th)/He dates from seven samples of OS and gneiss yield a mean date of 24 ± 3.5 Ma (n = 32) and uniform dates over an 90-2950 ppm eU range. One gneiss sample yields a mean date of 65 ± 5.6 Ma (n = 7) over a limited eU spread ( 500-950 ppm). Mean zircon He dates from these two units overlap, but dates are broadly younger in northeastern exposures dominated by OS. Preliminary thermal history simulations integrating zircon U-Pb data, He date-eU patterns, and independent geologic constraints require at least 200 °C of cooling through the zircon He partial retention zone 30-21 Ma and show that the pre-70 Ma thermal history does not affect the predicted date-eU correlation. This shared rapid cooling history documented in the OS and gneiss imply these units were juxtaposed prior to 30 Ma and exhumed as a coherent structural block within the footwall of the Orocopia Mountains Detachment Fault in the Mecca Hills. Spatio-temporal variation in mean zircon He dates may delineate time

  1. Controls on Cenozoic exhumation of the Tethyan Himalaya from fission-track thermochronology and detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology in the Gyirong basin area, southern Tibet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shen, Tianyi; Wang, Guocan; Leloup, Philippe Hervé; van der Beek, Peter; Bernet, Matthias; Cao, Kai; Wang, An; Liu, Chao; Zhang, Kexin

    2016-07-01

    The Gyirong basin, southern Tibet, contains the record of Miocene-Pliocene exhumation, drainage development, and sedimentation along the northern flank of the Himalaya. The tectonic controls on basin formation and their potential link to the South Tibetan Detachment System (STDS) are not well understood. We use detrital zircon (ZFT) and apatite (AFT) fission-track analysis, together with detrital zircon U-Pb dating to decipher the provenance of Gyirong basin sediments and the exhumation history of the source areas. Results are presented for nine detrital samples of Gyirong basin sediments (AFT, ZFT, and U-Pb), two modern river-sediment samples (ZFT and AFT), and six bedrock samples (ZFT) from transect across the Gyirong fault bounding the basin to the east. The combination of detrital zircon U-Pb and fission-track data demonstrates that the Gyirong basin sediments were sourced locally from the Tethyan Sedimentary Sequence. This provenance pattern indicates that deposition was controlled by the Gyirong fault, active since 10 Ma, whose vertical throw was probably < 5000 m, rather than being controlled by normal faults associated with the STDS. The detrital thermochronology data contain two prominent age groups at 37-41 and 15-18 Ma, suggesting rapid exhumation at these times. A 15-18 Ma phase of rapid exhumation has been recorded widely in both southern Tibet and the Himalaya. A possible interpretation for such a major regional exhumation event might be detachment of the subducting Indian plate slab during the middle Miocene, inducing dynamic uplift of the Indian plate overriding its own slab.

  2. Zircon U-Pb ages, Hf isotope data, and tectonic implications of Early-Middle Triassic granitoids in the Ailaoshan high-grade metamorphic belt of Southeast Tibet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Wenbin; Liu, Junlai; Chen, Xiaoyu; Zhang, Lisheng

    2017-04-01

    The Ailaoshan tectonic belt, where the effects of the Paleo-Tethyan ocean evolution and Indian-Eurasian plate collision are superimposed, is one of the most significant geological discontinuities in western Yunnan province of southeast Tibet. An Ailaoshan micro-block within the belt is bounded by the Ailaoshan suture zone to the west and the Red River Fault to the east, and consists of low- and high-grade metamorphic belts. Late Permian-Middle Triassic granitoids that are widely distributed to the west of the Ailaoshan suture zone and within the Ailaoshan micro-block may yield significant information on the Tethyan tectonic evolution of the Ailaoshan tectonic belt. This study reports new LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotope data of four granitoids from the Ailaoshan high-grade metamorphic belt. Zircon grains from the Yinjie granitoid do not have inherited cores and yield a weighted mean U-Pb age of 247.1 ± 2.0 Ma. The zircon ɛ Hf( t) values range from 7.8 to 12.1, and Hf model ages from 775 to 546 Ma, indicating that the granitoid was derived from juvenile crust. The rims of zircons from the Majie and Yuanjiang granitoids yield weighted mean U-Pb ages of 239.5 ± 1.8 and 237.9 ± 2.6 Ma, respectively, whereas the cores yield ages of 1608-352 Ma. The ɛ Hf( t) values of zircon rims range from -20.4 to -5.3, yielding Hf model ages from 2557 to 1606 Ma and suggesting that the source magma of the Majie and Yuanjiang granitoids was derived from ancient crust. An additional granitoid located near the Majie Village yields a zircon U-Pb age of 241.2 ± 1.0 Ma. Based on our geochronological and geochemical data, combined with geological observations, we propose that the Ailaoshan micro-block was derived from the western margin of the Yangtze block, and is comparable to the Zhongzan and Nam Co micro-blocks. The presence of late Permian mafic rocks with rift-related geochemical characteristics within the Ailaoshan micro-block, together with granitoids derived

  3. Exploring the U-Pb systematics of titanite from the Archean Stillwater Complex

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Friedman, R. M.; Wall, C. J.; Scoates, J. S.; Weis, D. A.; Meurer, W. P.

    2011-12-01

    The Stillwater Complex is a large mafic-ultramafic layered intrusion in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana (USA) and host to the world-class J-M Reef platinum group element deposit. The size and geologic/economic importance of this igneous complex make it an important target for high-precision U-Pb dating. As a part of a comprehensive U-Pb study of the Stillwater Complex, we present ID-TIMS U-Pb titanite data, including new single grain results produced using the EARTHTIME ET535 spike, for very low-volume, relatively felsic granophyric and pegmatitic rocks associated with Stillwater layered rocks. Four samples studied include a pegmatitic ksp-qtz core to a gabbroic pegmatoid in the Lower Banded Series (N1), an alaskite (quartz diorite) and an amphibole-rich reaction zone between the alaskite and anorthosite (AN1) in the Middle Banded Series, and an amphibole-bearing granophyre from the Upper Banded Series (GN3). CA-TIMS U-Pb dating of zircon from these samples yielded concordant results only for the pegmatitic rock (weighted 207Pb/206Pb: 2709.65 ± 0.80 Ma, n = 5), which agrees with new zircon ages from Stillwater layered rocks. Results for high-U (up to 1438 ppm) metamict zircon that occurs in the other three rocks were highly discordant and did not yield precise ages. Titanite U-Pb results for the pegmatite are about -1% to +1% discordant with two groupings of 207Pb/206Pb dates: one with a weighted average of 2708.1 ± 2.0 Ma (n = 2), which overlaps in age with zircon from the same sample and the crystallization age of the Stillwater Complex, and a second, younger grouping of 2701.1 ± 1.3 Ma (n = 5). Younger dates record an early Pb-loss event, possibly related to intrusion of cross-cutting quartz monzonites. The alaskite data also shows two groupings of 207Pb/206Pb dates, although more subtle: a weighted average of 2709.3 ± 1.8 Ma (n = 3) and a single result of 2706.5 ± 1.7 Ma. Titanite from the other two samples has undergone significant Pb-loss. Results for

  4. Zircon Zoning, Trace Elements and U-Pb Dates Reveal Crustal Foundering Beneath the Pamir

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hacker, B. R.; Shaffer, M. E. F.; Ratschbacher, L.; Kylander-Clark, A. R.

    2017-12-01

    Xenoliths that erupted in the SE Pamir of Tajikistan at 11.2 Ma from 1000-1050°C and 90 km depth illuminate what happens when crust founders into the mantle. The xenoliths are a broad range of crustal rock types and contain abundant xenoliths whose U-Pb isotopic ratios and trace-element contents were examined by laser-ablation split stream inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Cathodoluminescence imaging of the grains shows igneous cores with oscillatory zoning overprinted by substantial recrystallization. The bulk of the U-Pb dates are concordant and range from 160 Ma to 11 Ma. The range of dates suggest that the xenoliths were likely derived from the Jurassic-Cretaceous Andean-style magmatic arc and its Proterozoic-Mesozoic host rocks along the southern margin of Asia. The zircons show distinct changes in Eu anomaly, Lu/Gd ratio, and Ti concentrations that are interpreted to indicate garnet growth and minimal heating at 22-20 Ma, and then 200-300°C of heating, 25 km of burial, and alkali-carbonate melt injection at 14-11 Ma. These changes are interpreted to coincide with: i) heat input due to Indian slab breakoff at 22‒20 Ma; ii) rapid thickening and foundering of the Pamir lithosphere at 14‒11 Ma, prior to and synchronous with collision between deep Indian and Asian lithospheres beneath the Pamir.

  5. Precambrian-Cambrian provenance of Matinde Formation, Karoo Supergroup, northwestern Mozambique, constrained from detrital zircon U-Pb age and Lu-Hf isotope data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bicca, Marcos Müller; Jelinek, Andrea Ritter; Philipp, Ruy Paulo; de Carvalho Lana, Cristiano; Alkmim, Ana Ramalho

    2018-02-01

    The Permian-Triassic time interval was a period of high sedimentation rates in the intracontinental Karoo rift basin of northwestern Mozambique, reflecting high exhumation rates in the surrounding high ground Precambrian-Cambrian basement and juxtaposed nappes. U-Pb LA-MC-ICPMS dating and Lu-Hf isotopic analysis of detrital zircons from the Late Permian-Early Triassic Matinde Formation of the Karoo Supergroup is used as a reliable proxy to map denudation patterns of source regions. Data allow discrimination of U-Pb age populations of ca. 1250-900 Ma, a secondary population between ca. 900-700 and a major contribution of ages around ca. 700-490 Ma. Zircon grains of the Mesoproterozoic age population present Mesoproterozoic (1000-1500 Ma) to Paleoproterozoic (1800-2300 Ma) Hf TDM ages, with positive (0 to +11) and negative εHf values (-3 to -15), respectively. The younger U-Pb age population also presents two different groups of zircon grains according to Lu-Hf isotopes. The first group comprise Paleoproterozoic (1800-2300 Ma) ages, with highly negative εHf values, between -10 and -22, and the second group exhibits Mesoproterozoic ages (1200-1500 Ma), with increased juvenile εHf values (ca. 0 to -5). These Hf isotopes reinforce the presence of unexposed ancient crust in this region. The oldest U-Pb age population resembles the late stages of Grenville Orogeny and the Rodinia Supercontinent geotectonic activity mostly represented by magmatic rocks, which are widely present in the basement of northern Mozambique. The juvenile Hf-isotope signature with an older age component is associated to rocks generated from subduction processes with crust assimilation by continental arcs, which we correlate to rocks of the Nampula Complex, south and east of the Moatize-Minjova Basin. The U-Pb ages between 900 and 700 Ma were correlated to the calc-alkaline magmatism registered in the Guro Suite, related to the breakup phase of Rodinia, and mark the western limit of the Moatize

  6. Genesis of the Bangbule Pb-Zn-Cu polymetallic deposit in Tibet, western China: Evidence from zircon U-Pb geochronology and S-Pb isotopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kan, Tian; Zheng, Youye; Gao, Shunbao

    2016-04-01

    The Banbule Pb-Zn-Cu skarn deposit is located in the Longger-Gongbujiangda volcanic magma arc in the Gangdese-Nyainqentanglha Plate. It is the only lead-zinc polymetallic deposit discovered in the westernmost Nyainqentanglha metallogenic belt. The measured and indicated resources include 0.9 Mt of Pb+Zn (4.77% Pb and 4.74% Zn, respectively), 6499 t of Cu, and 178 t of Ag (18.75g/t Ag). The orebodies mainly occur as lenses, veins and irregular shapes in the contact zone between the quartz-porphyry and limestone of the Upper Permian Xiala Formation, or in the boundaries between limestone and sandstone. Pb-Zn-Cu mineralization in the Banbule deposit is closely associated with skarns. The ore minerals are dominated by galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, bornite, and magnetite, with subordinate pyrite, malachite, and azurite. The gangue minerals are mainly garnet, actinolite, diopside, quartz, and calcite. The ore-related quartz-porphyry displays LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb age of 77.31±0.74 Ma. The δ34S values of sulfides define a narrow range of -0.8 to 4.7‰ indicating a magmatic source for the ore-forming materials. Lead isotopic systematics yield 206Pb/204Pb of 18.698 to 18.752, 207Pb/204Pb of 15.696 to 15.760, and 208Pb/204Pb of 39.097 to 39.320. The data points are constrained around the growth curves of upper crust and orogenic belt according to the tectonic discrimination diagrams. The calculated Δβ - Δγ values plot within the magmatic field according to the discrimination diagram of Zhu et al. (1995). The S-Pb isotopic data suggest that Bangbule is a typical skarn deposit, and the Pb-Zn-Cu mineralization is genetically related to the quartz-porphyry in the mining district. The discovery of the Bangbule deposit indicates that there is metallogenic potential in the westernmost Nyainqentanglha belt, which is of great importance for the exploration work in this area.

  7. Coordinated U–Pb geochronology, trace element, Ti-in-zircon thermometry and microstructural analysis of Apollo zircons

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Crow, Carolyn A.; McKeegan, Kevin D.; Moser, Desmond E.

    Here, we present the results of a coordinated SIMS U–Pb, trace element, Ti-in-zircon thermometry, and microstructural study of 155 lunar zircons separated from Apollo 14, 15, and 17 breccia and soil samples that help resolve discrepancies between the zircon data, the lunar whole rock history and lunar magma ocean crystallization models. The majority of lunar grains are detrital fragments, some nearly 1 mm in length, of large parent crystals suggesting that they crystallized in highly enriched KREEP magmas. The zircon age distributions for all three landing sites exhibit an abundance of ages at ~4.33 Ga, however they differ in thatmore » only Apollo 14 samples have a population of zircons with ages between 4.1 and 3.9 Ga. These younger grains comprise only 10% of all dated lunar zircons and are usually small and highly shocked making them more susceptible to Pb-loss. These observations suggest that the majority of zircons crystallized before 4.1 Ga and that KREEP magmatism had predominantly ceased by this time. We also observed that trace element analyses are easily affected by contributions from inclusions (typically injected impact melt) within SIMS analyses spots. After filtering for these effects, rare-earth element (REE) abundances of pristine zircon are consistent with one pattern characterized by a negative Eu anomaly and no positive Ce anomaly, implying that the zircons formed in a reducing environment. This inference is consistent with crystallization temperatures based on measured Ti concentrations and new estimates of oxide activities which imply temperatures ranging between 958 ± 57 and 1321 ± 100 °C, suggesting that zircon parent magmas were anhydrous. Together, the lunar zircon ages and trace elements are consistent with a ≤300 My duration of KREEP magmatism under anhydrous, reducing conditions. We also report two granular texture zircons that contain baddeleyite cores, which both yield 207Pb– 206Pb ages of 4.33 Ga. These grains are our best

  8. Coordinated U–Pb geochronology, trace element, Ti-in-zircon thermometry and microstructural analysis of Apollo zircons

    DOE PAGES

    Crow, Carolyn A.; McKeegan, Kevin D.; Moser, Desmond E.

    2016-12-28

    Here, we present the results of a coordinated SIMS U–Pb, trace element, Ti-in-zircon thermometry, and microstructural study of 155 lunar zircons separated from Apollo 14, 15, and 17 breccia and soil samples that help resolve discrepancies between the zircon data, the lunar whole rock history and lunar magma ocean crystallization models. The majority of lunar grains are detrital fragments, some nearly 1 mm in length, of large parent crystals suggesting that they crystallized in highly enriched KREEP magmas. The zircon age distributions for all three landing sites exhibit an abundance of ages at ~4.33 Ga, however they differ in thatmore » only Apollo 14 samples have a population of zircons with ages between 4.1 and 3.9 Ga. These younger grains comprise only 10% of all dated lunar zircons and are usually small and highly shocked making them more susceptible to Pb-loss. These observations suggest that the majority of zircons crystallized before 4.1 Ga and that KREEP magmatism had predominantly ceased by this time. We also observed that trace element analyses are easily affected by contributions from inclusions (typically injected impact melt) within SIMS analyses spots. After filtering for these effects, rare-earth element (REE) abundances of pristine zircon are consistent with one pattern characterized by a negative Eu anomaly and no positive Ce anomaly, implying that the zircons formed in a reducing environment. This inference is consistent with crystallization temperatures based on measured Ti concentrations and new estimates of oxide activities which imply temperatures ranging between 958 ± 57 and 1321 ± 100 °C, suggesting that zircon parent magmas were anhydrous. Together, the lunar zircon ages and trace elements are consistent with a ≤300 My duration of KREEP magmatism under anhydrous, reducing conditions. We also report two granular texture zircons that contain baddeleyite cores, which both yield 207Pb– 206Pb ages of 4.33 Ga. These grains are our best

  9. Time scales of intra-oceanic arc magmatism from combined U-Th and (U-Th)/He zircon geochronology of Dominica, Lesser Antilles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howe, T. M.; Schmitt, A. K.; Lindsay, J. M.; Shane, P.; Stockli, D. F.

    2015-02-01

    The island of Dominica, located in the intra-oceanic Lesser Antilles arc, has produced a series of intermediate (mostly andesitic) lava domes and ignimbrites since the early Pleistocene. (U-Th)/He eruption ages from centers across the island range from ˜3 to ˜770 ka, with at least 10 eruptions occurring in the last 80 ka. Three eruptions occurred near the southern tip of Dominica (Plat Pays Volcanic Complex) in the past 15 ka alone. Zircon U-Th ages from individual centers range from near-eruption to secular equilibrium implicating protracted storage and recycling of zircons within the crust. Overlapping zircon crystallization peaks within deposits from geographically separated vents (up to 40 km apart) indicate that magma associated with separate volcanic edifices crystallized zircon contemporaneously. Two lava domes from the southern sector of the island display exclusively young zircon rim ages (<50 ka) with narrow crystallization peaks consistent with the construction of a new magma reservoir. The younging of eruption and crystallization ages implies that the magmatic foci leading to the construction of this reservoir have migrated southward, arc-parallel over time. Overall, our data support geochemical models for the ongoing construction of a silicic intrusive complex, consisting of varying amounts of crystal mush, beneath the island. U-Pb zircon ages <1-2 Ma indicate that accumulation of this complex is entirely Quaternary in age. Together zircon U-Th and U-Pb ages for Dominica suggest that the magmatic processes and time scales operating in intra-oceanic arcs are similar to those documented for continental arcs. This article was corrected on 18 MAR 2015. See the end of the full text for details.

  10. Magmatic tempo of Earth's youngest exposed plutons as revealed by detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology.

    PubMed

    Ito, Hisatoshi; Spencer, Christopher J; Danišík, Martin; Hoiland, Carl W

    2017-09-29

    Plutons are formed by protracted crystallization of magma bodies several kilometers deep within the crust. The temporal frequency (i.e. episodicity or 'tempo') of pluton formation is often poorly constrained as timescales of pluton formation are largely variable and may be difficult to resolve by traditional dating methods. The Hida Mountain Range of central Japan hosts the youngest exposed plutons on Earth and provides a unique opportunity to assess the temporal and spatial characteristics of pluton emplacement at high temporal resolution. Here we apply U-Pb geochronology to zircon from the Quaternary Kurobegawa Granite and Takidani Granodiorite in the Hida Mountain Range, and from modern river sediments whose fluvial catchments include these plutons in order to reconstruct their formation. The U-Pb data demonstrate that the Kurobegawa pluton experienced two magmatic pulses at ~2.3 Ma and ~0.9 Ma; whereas, to the south, the Takidani pluton experienced only one magmatic pulse at ~1.6 Ma. These data imply that each of these magmatic systems were both spatially and temporally distinct. The apparent ~0.7 Myr age gap between each of the three magmatic pulses potentially constrains the recharge duration of a single pluton within a larger arc plutonic complex.

  11. U Pb and Lu Hf isotope record of detrital zircon grains from the Limpopo Belt Evidence for crustal recycling at the Hadean to early-Archean transition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zeh, Armin; Gerdes, Axel; Klemd, Reiner; Barton, J. M., Jr.

    2008-11-01

    Detrital zircon grains from Beit Bridge Group quartzite from the Central Zone of the Limpopo Belt near Musina yield mostly ages of 3.35-3.15 Ga, minor 3.15-2.51 Ga components, and numerous older grains grouped at approximately 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6 Ga. Two grains yielded concordant Late Hadean U-Pb ages of 3881 ± 11 Ma and 3909 ± 26 Ma, which are the oldest zircon grains so far found in Africa. The combined U-Pb and Lu-Hf datasets and field relationships provide evidence that the sedimentary protolith of the Beit Bridge Group quartzite was deposited after the emplacement of the Sand River Gneisses (3.35-3.15 Ga), but prior to the Neoarchean magmatic-metamorphic events at 2.65-2.60 Ga. The finding of abundant magmatic zircon detritus with concordant U-Pb ages of 3.35-3.15 Ga, and 176Hf/ 177Hf of 0.28066 ± 0.00004 indicate that the Sand River Gneiss-type rocks were a predominant source. In contrast, detrital zircon grains older than approximately 3.35 Ga were derived from the hinterland of the Limpopo Belt; either from a so far unknown crustal source in southern Africa, possibly from the Zimbabwe Craton and/or a source, which was similar but not necessarily identical to the one that supplied the Hadean zircons to Jack Hills, Western Australia. The Beit Bridge Group zircon population at >3.35 Ga shows a general ɛHf t increase with decreasing age from ɛHf 3.9Ga = -6.3 to ɛHf 3.3-3.1Ga = -0.2, indicating that Hadean crust older than 4.0 Ga ( TDM = 4.45-4.36 Ga) was rejuvenated during magmatic events between >3.9 and 3.1 Ga, due to a successive mixing of crustal rocks with mantle derived magmas. The existence of a depleted mantle reservoir in the Limpopo's hinterland is reflected by the ˜3.6 Ga zircon population, which shows ɛHf 3.6Ga between -4.6 and +3.2. In a global context, our data suggest that a long-lived, mafic Hadean protocrust with some tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite constituents was destroyed and partly recycled at the Hadean/Archean transition, perhaps

  12. Single grain U/Pb geochronology of detrital zircons from Midcontinent rift arkoses, NE Kansas: Implications for depositional history

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Martin, M.W.; Van Schmus, W.R.; Berendsen, P.

    1993-03-01

    The Midcontinent rift system in the subsurface south of the Lake Superior region has been well imaged by magnetic, gravity and seismic surveys, however only a few wells have penetrated and recovered core from rift-basin fill in this region. Texaco's exploratory Noel Poersch well [number sign]1 in northeastern Kansas, penetrated [approximately] 2,600 m of rift-related volcanic, igneous, and arkosic sedimentary rocks from which a total of 35 m of core was taken from fourteen different horizons in the rift-related section. To determine provenance ages and to constrain better the depositional patterns of clastic sedimentary rocks within the Mid-continent rift basin,more » the authors have undertaken U/Pb geochronology of detrital zircon from arkosic horizons along the depth of recovered core from the Texaco Poersch [number sign]1 well. Preliminary analyses indicate that the stratigraphically lowest arkoses recovered in core have provenance ages that range in age from 1.7--1.8 Ga, 1.4--1.5 Ga and 1.1--1.2 Ga. These data suggest the following conclusions: (1) The arkosic sediments were primarily derived proximally from the adjacent rift margin, which is known to consist of 1.75--1.80 Ga gneissic and granitic basement intruded by 1.35--1.45 Ga granitic plutons in Nebraska and northernmost Kansas plus 1.63--1.68 Ga granitic basement intruded by 1.35--1.45 granitic plutons in most of Kansas; 1.63--1.70 detrital zircons were absent, suggesting that most of the detritus was derived from northerly directions. (2) No Archean or 1.85 to 1.90 Ga Early proterozoic detrital zircons were found, suggesting very little to no transport of detritus along the rift axis from farther north, e.g., from Penokean, Trans-Hudson, or Superior Province regions. (3) One nearly concordant zircon with a Pb-Pb age of 1.18 Ga was found, suggesting that some of the detritus was derived either from older phases of igneous rift fill or from ca. 1.2 Ga intrusions that pre-date rifting.« less

  13. Zircon U-Pb and molybdenite Re-Os geochronology and Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic constraints on the genesis of the Xuejiping porphyry copper deposit in Zhongdian, Northwest Yunnan, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leng, Cheng-Biao; Zhang, Xing-Chun; Hu, Rui-Zhong; Wang, Shou-Xu; Zhong, Hong; Wang, Wai-Quan; Bi, Xian-Wu

    2012-10-01

    The Xuejiping porphyry copper deposit is located in northwestern Yunnan Province, China. Tectonically, it lies in the southern part of the Triassic Yidun island arc. The copper mineralization is mainly hosted in quartz-dioritic and quartz-monzonitic porphyries which intruded into clastic-volcanic rocks of the Late Triassic Tumugou Formation. There are several alteration zones including potassic, strong silicific and phyllic, argillic, and propylitic alteration zones from inner to outer of the mineralized porphyry bodies. The ages of ore-bearing quartz-monzonitic porphyry and its host andesite are obtained by using the zircon SIMS U-Pb dating method, with results of 218.3 ± 1.6 Ma (MSWD = 0.31, N = 15) and 218.5 ± 1.6 Ma (MSWD = 0.91, N = 16), respectively. Meanwhile, the molybdenite Re-Os dating yields a Re-Os isochronal age of 221.4 ± 2.3 Ma (MSWD = 0.54, N = 5) and a weighted mean age of 219.9 ± 0.7 Ma (MSWD = 0.88). They are quite in accordance with the zircon U-Pb ages within errors. Furthermore, all of them are contemporary with the timing of the Garzê-Litang oceanic crust subduction in the Yidun arc. Therefore, the Xuejiping deposit could be formed in a continental margin setting. There are negative ɛNd(t) values ranging from -3.8 to -2.1 and relatively high initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios from 0.7051 to 0.7059 for the Xuejiping porphyries and host andesites. The (206Pb/204Pb)t, (207Pb/204Pb)t and (208Pb/204Pb)t values of the Xuejiping porphyries and host andesites vary from 17.899 to 18.654, from 15.529 to 15.626, and from 37.864 to 38.52, respectively, indicative of high radiogenic Pb isotopic features. In situ Hf isotopic analyses on zircons by using LA-MC-ICP-MS exhibit that there are quite uniform and slightly positive ɛHf(t) values ranging from -0.2 to +3.2 (mostly between 0 and +2), corresponding to relatively young single-stage Hf model ages from 735 Ma to 871 Ma. These isotopic features suggest that the primary magmas of the Xuejiping porphyries and

  14. Late Proterozoic charnockites in Orissa, India: A U-Pb and Rb-Sr isotopic study

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Aftalion, M.; Bowes, D.R.; Dash, B.

    1988-11-01

    Charnockite formation in the Angul district of Orissa took place between 1088 + 26/ -17 Ma, the U-Pb zircon upper intercept crystallization age of a leptynite neosome, and 957 +8/ -4-956 {plus minus} 4 Ma, the U-Pb zircon-monazite upper intercept and U-Pb monazite crystallization ages of a granite. Confirmation of the Proterozoic age of the charnockites is given by (1) a U-Pb zircon upper intercept 1159 + 59/ -30 Ma age and a Rb-Sr whole-rock 1080 {plus minus} 65 Ma age for an augen gneiss which pre-dates the leptynite, and (2) U-Pb monazite ages of 973 {plus minus} 5,964 {plusmore » minus} 4, and 953 {plus minus} 4 Ma for a gray quartzofeldspathic gneiss, the augen gneiss, and the leptynite, respectively: these late Proterozoic dates are interpreted as representing ages recorded during charnockitization. The ca. 950-980 Ma charnockite- and granite-forming events are related to the evolution of mantle-derived, CO{sub 2}-bearing basic magma emplaced into the deeper levels of an extensional tectonic-transcurrent fault regime. The ca. 1100-1150 Ma tectonothermal and igneous events represent compressional tectonism in reactivated crystalline basement in the late mid-Proterozoic Eastern Ghats orogenic belt.« less

  15. Zircon U-Pb geochronology and geochemistry of granites in the Zhuguangshan complex, South China: Implications for uranium mineralization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Long; Chen, Zhenyu; Li, Xiaofeng; Li, Shengrong; Santosh, M.; Huang, Guolong

    2018-05-01

    The Zhuguangshan complex, composed of Caledonian, Indosinian, and Yanshanian granites, and Cretaceous mafic dykes, is one of the most important granite-hosted uranium producers in South China. Here we present LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb and hornblende 40Ar/39Ar geochronology and whole-rock and biotite geochemistry for the granites in this complex to evaluate the magmatism and its constraints on uranium mineralization. Samples collected from the Fuxi, Youdong, Longhuashan, Chikeng, Qiling, and Sanjiangkou intrusions yield zircon weighted 206Pb/238U ages of 426.7 ± 5.4 Ma, 226.4 ± 3.5 Ma, 225.0 ± 2.7 Ma, 152.2 ± 3.0 Ma, 153.9 ± 2.1 Ma, and 155.2 ± 2.1 Ma, respectively. A new Ar-Ar dating of the hornblende of the diabase from the Changjiang uranium ore field yields a plateau age of 145.1 ± 1.5 Ma. These results coupled with published geochronological data indicate that six major magmatic events occurred in the study area at 420-435 Ma, 225-240 Ma, 150-165 Ma, 140 Ma, 105 Ma, and 90 Ma. Both U-bearing and barren granites occur in this complex, and they display differences in whole-rock and biotite geochemistry. The barren granites show higher Al2O3, CaO, TFMM, Rb, Zr, Ba, SI, Mg#, (La/Yb)N, and Eu/Eu*, but lower SiO2, ALK, Rb, DI, Rb/Sr, and TiO2/MgO than those of the U-bearing granites. Biotites in the U-bearing granites are close to the Fe-rich siderophyllite-annite end member with Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratios higher than 0.66, whereas those in the barren granites are relatively close to the Mg-rich eastonite-phlogopite end member with Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratios <0.66. The U-bearing granites were mainly derived from the partial melting of pelitic sedimentary source, whereas the psammitic source generated the barren granites. In addition, the barren granites show higher TFMM, Ba, and Eu/Eu* but lower SiO2, Rb/Sr and Al2O3/TiO2 ratios with higher zircon saturation temperatures relative to the U-bearing granites. These results indicate that the geochemical compositions of the U

  16. Geochemical and Geochronologic Investigations of Zircon-hosted Melt Inclusions in Rhyolites from the Mesoproterozoic Pea Ridge IOA-REE Deposit, St. Francois Mountains, Missouri

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Watts, K. E.; Mercer, C. N.; Vazquez, J. A.

    2015-12-01

    Silicic volcanic and plutonic rocks of an eroded Mesoproterozoic caldera complex were intruded and replaced by iron ore, and cross-cut by REE-enriched breccia pipes (~12% total REO) to form the Pea Ridge iron-oxide-apatite-REE (IOA-REE) deposit. Igneous activity, iron ore formation, and REE mineralization overlapped in space and time, however the source of REEs and other metals (Fe, Cu, Au) integral to these economically important deposits remains unclear. Melt inclusions (MI) hosted in refractory zircon phenocrysts are used to constrain magmatic components and processes in the formation of the Pea Ridge deposit. Homogenized (1.4 kbar, 1000°C, 1 hr) MI in zircons from rhyolites ~600 ft (PR-91) and ~1200 ft (PR-12) laterally from the ore body were analyzed for major elements by EPMA and volatiles and trace elements (H2O, S, F, Cl, REEs, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, U, Th) by SHRIMP-RG. Metals (including Cu, Au) will be measured in an upcoming SHRIMP-RG session. U-Pb ages, Ti and REE were determined by SHRIMP-RG for a subset of zircon spots adjacent to MI (1458 ± 18 Ma (PR-12); 1480 ± 45 Ma (PR-91)). MI glasses range from fresh and homogeneous dacite-rhyolite (65-75 wt% SiO2) to heterogeneous, patchy mixtures of K-spar and quartz (PR-12, 91), and more rarely mica, albite and/or anorthoclase (PR-91). MI are commonly attached to monazite and xenotime, particularly along re-entrants and zircon rims (PR-91). Fresh dacite-rhyolite glasses (PR-12) have moderate H2O (~2-2.5 wt%), Rb/Sr ratios (~8) and U (~5-7 ppm), and negative (chondrite-normalized) Eu anomalies (Eu ~0.4-0.7 ppm) (typical of rhyolites), whereas HREEs (Tb, Ho, Tm) are elevated (~2-3 ppm). Patchy K-spar and quartz inclusions (PR-12, 91) have flat LREE patterns, and positive anomalies in Tb, Ho, and Tm. One K-spar inclusion (PR-91) has a ~5-50 fold increase in HREEs (Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm) and U (35 ppm) relative to other MI. U-Pb and REE analyses of its zircon host are not unusual (1484 ± 21 Ma); its irregular shape

  17. Mid-Neoproterozoic intraplate magmatism in the northern margin of the Southern Granulite Terrane, India: Constraints from geochemistry, zircon U-Pb geochronology and Lu-Hf isotopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deeju, T. R.; Santosh, M.; Yang, Qiong-Yan; Pradeepkumar, A. P.; Shaji, E.

    2016-11-01

    The northern margin of the Southern Granulite Terrane in India hosts a number of mafic, felsic and alkaline magmatic suites proximal to major shear/paleo-suture zones and mostly represents magmatism in rift-settings. Here we investigate a suite of gabbros and granite together with intermediate (dioritic) units generated through mixing and mingling of a bimodal magmatic suite. The massive gabbro exposures represent the cumulate fraction of a basic magma whereas the granitoids represent the product of crystallization in felsic magma chambers generated through crustal melting. Diorites and dioritic gabbros mostly occur as enclaves and lenses within host granitoids resembling mafic magmatic enclaves. Geochemistry of the felsic units shows volcanic arc granite and syn-collisional granite affinity. The gabbro samples show mixed E-MORB signature and the magma might have been generated in a rift setting. The trace and REE features of the rocks show variable features of subduction zone enrichment, crustal contamination and within plate enrichment, typical of intraplate magmatism involving the melting of source components derived from both depleted mantle sources and crustal components derived from older subduction events. The zircons in all the rock types show magmatic crystallization features and high Th/U values. Their U-Pb data are concordant with no major Pb loss. The gabbroic suite yields 206Pb/238U weighted mean ages in the range of 715 ± 4-832.5 ± 5 Ma marking a major phase of mid Neoproterozoic magmatism. The diorites crystallized during 206Pb/238U weighted mean age of 724 ± 6-830 ± 2 Ma. Zircons in the granite yield 206Pb/238U weighted mean age of 823 ± 4 Ma. The age data show broadly similar age ranges for the mafic, intermediate and felsic rocks and indicate a major phase of bi-modal magmatism during mid Neoproterozoic. The zircons studied show both positive and negative εHf(t) values for the gabbros (-6.4 to 12.4), and negative values for the diorites (-7

  18. The 230Th correction is the 1st priority for accurate dates of young zircons: U/Th partitioning experiments and measurements

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krawczynski, M.; McLean, N.

    2017-12-01

    One of the most accurate and useful ways of determining the age of rocks that formed more than about 500,000 years ago is uranium-lead (U-Pb) geochronology. Earth scientists use U-Pb geochronology to put together the geologic history of entire regions and of specific events, like the mass extinction of all non-avian dinosaurs about 66 million years ago or the catastrophic eruptions of supervolcanoes like the one currently centered at Yellowstone. The mineral zircon is often utilized because it is abundant, durable, and readily incorporates uranium into its crystal structure. But it excludes thorium, whose isotope 230Th is part of the naturally occurring isotopic decay chain from 238U to 206Pb. Calculating a date from the relative abundances of 206Pb and 238U therefore requires a correction for the missing 230Th. Existing experimental and observational constraints on the way U and Th behave when zircon crystallizes from a melt are not known precisely enough, and thus currently the uncertainty in dates introduced by they `Th correction' is one of the largest sources of systematic error in determining dates. Here we present preliminary results on our study of actinide partitioning between zircon and melt. Experiments have been conducted to grow zircon from melts doped with U and Th that mimic natural magmas at a range of temperatures, and compositions. Synthetic zircons are separated from their coexisting glass and using high precision and high-spatial-resolution techniques, the abundance and distribution of U and Th in each phase is determined. These preliminary experiments are the beginning of a study that will result in precise determination of the zircon/melt uranium and thorium partition coefficients under a wide variety of naturally occurring conditions. This data will be fit to a multidimensional surface using maximum likelihood regression techniques, so that the ratio of partition coefficients can be calculated for any set of known parameters. The results of

  19. U-Pb ages and geochemistry of zircon from Proterozoic plutons of the Sawatch and Mosquito ranges, Colorado, U.S.A.: Implications for crustal growth of the central Colorado province

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Moscati, Richard J.; Premo, Wayne R.; Dewitt, Ed; Wooden, Joseph L.

    2017-01-01

    A broad study of zircons from plutonic rocks of the Sawatch and Mosquito ranges of west-central Colorado (U.S.A.) was undertaken to significantly refine the magmatic chronology and chemistry of this under-studied region of the Colorado province. This region was chosen because it lies just to the north of the suspected arc-related Gunnison-Salida volcano-plutonic terrane, which has been the subject of many recent investigations—and whose origin is still debated. Our new results provide important insights into the processes active during Proterozoic crustal evolution in this region, and they have important ramifications for broader-scope crustal evolution models for southwestern North America.Twenty-four new U-Pb ages and sequentially acquired rare-earth element (REE), U, Th, and Hf contents of zircon have been determined using the sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe-reverse geometry (SHRIMP-RG). These zircon geochemistry data, in conjunction with whole-rock major- and trace-element data, provide important insights into zircon crystallization and melt fractionation, and they help to further constrain the tectonic environment of magma generation.Our detailed zircon and whole-rock data support the following three interpretations:(1) The Roosevelt Granite in the southern Sawatch Range was the oldest rock dated at 1,766 ± 7 Ma, and it intruded various metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks. Geochemistry of both whole-rock and zircon supports the contention that this granite was produced in a magmatic arc environment and, therefore, is likely an extension of the older Dubois Greenstone Belt of the Gunnison Igneous Complex (GIC) and the Needle Mountains (1,770–1,755 Ma). Rocks of the younger Cochetopa succession of the GIC, the Salida Greenstone Belt, and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains (1,740–1,725 Ma) were not found in the Sawatch and Mosquito ranges. This observation strongly suggests that the northern edge of the Gunnison-Salida arc terrane underlies the

  20. Zircon U-Pb geochronology links the end-Triassic extinction with the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province.

    PubMed

    Blackburn, Terrence J; Olsen, Paul E; Bowring, Samuel A; McLean, Noah M; Kent, Dennis V; Puffer, John; McHone, Greg; Rasbury, E Troy; Et-Touhami, Mohammed

    2013-05-24

    The end-Triassic extinction is characterized by major losses in both terrestrial and marine diversity, setting the stage for dinosaurs to dominate Earth for the next 136 million years. Despite the approximate coincidence between this extinction and flood basalt volcanism, existing geochronologic dates have insufficient resolution to confirm eruptive rates required to induce major climate perturbations. Here, we present new zircon uranium-lead (U-Pb) geochronologic constraints on the age and duration of flood basalt volcanism within the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province. This chronology demonstrates synchroneity between the earliest volcanism and extinction, tests and corroborates the existing astrochronologic time scale, and shows that the release of magma and associated atmospheric flux occurred in four pulses over about 600,000 years, indicating expansive volcanism even as the biologic recovery was under way.

  1. Origin of an unusual monazite-xenotime gneiss, Hudson Highlands, New York: SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology and trace element geochemistry

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Aleinikoff, John N.; Grauch, Richard I.; Mazdab, Frank K.; Kwak, Loretta; Fanning, C. Mark; Kamo, Sandra L.

    2012-01-01

    A pod of monazite-xenotime gneiss (MXG) occurs within Mesoproterozoic paragneiss, Hudson Highlands, New York. This outcrop also contains granite of the Crystal Lake pluton, which migmatized the paragneiss. Previously, monazite, xenotime, and zircon from MXG, plus detrital zircon from the paragneiss, and igneous zircon from the granite, were dated using multi-grain thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS). New SEM imagery of dated samples reveals that all minerals contain cores and rims. Thus TIMS analyses comprise mixtures of age components and are geologically meaningless. New spot analyses by sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) of small homogeneous areas on individual grains allows deconvolution of ages within complexly zoned grains. Xenotime cores from MXG formed during two episodes (1034 ± 10 and 1014 ± 3 Ma), whereas three episodes of rim formation are recorded (999 ± 7, 961 ± 11, and 874 ± 11 Ma). Monazite cores from MXG mostly formed at 1004 ± 4 Ma; rims formed at 994 ± 4, 913 ± 7, and 890 ± 7 Ma. Zircon from MXG is composed of oscillatory-zoned detrital cores (2000-1170 Ma), plus metamorphic rims (1008 ± 7, 985 ± 5, and ∼950 Ma). In addition, MXG contains an unusual zircon population composed of irregularly-zoned elongate cores dated at 1036 ± 5 Ma, considered to be the time of formation of MXG. The time of granite emplacement is dated by oscillatory-zoned igneous cores at 1058 ± 4 Ma, which provides a minimum age constraint for the time of deposition of the paragneiss. Selected trace elements, including all REE plus U and Th, provide geochemical evidence for the origin of MXG. MREE-enriched xenotime from MXG are dissimilar from typical HREE-enriched patterns of igneous xenotime. The presence of large negative Eu anomalies and high U and Th in monazite and xenotime are uncharacteristic of typical ore-forming hydrothermal processes. We conclude that MXG is the result of unusual metasomatic processes during high grade

  2. Origin of an unusual monazite-xenotime gneiss, Hudson Highlands, New York: SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology and trace element geochemistry

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Aleinikoff, John N.; Grauch, Richard I.; Mazdab, Frank K.; Kwak, Loretta; Fanning, C. Mark; Kamo, Sandra L.

    2012-01-01

    A pod of monazite-xenotime gneiss (MXG) occurs within Mesoproterozoic paragneiss, Hudson Highlands, New York. This outcrop also contains granite of the Crystal Lake pluton, which migmatized the paragneiss. Previously, monazite, xenotime, and zircon from MXG, plus detrital zircon from the paragneiss, and igneous zircon from the granite, were dated using multi-grain thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS). New SEM imagery of dated samples reveals that all minerals contain cores and rims. Thus TIMS analyses comprise mixtures of age components and are geologically meaningless. New spot analyses by sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) of small homogeneous areas on individual grains allows deconvolution of ages within complexly zoned grains.Xenotime cores from MXG formed during two episodes (1034 ± 10 and 1014 ± 3 Ma), whereas three episodes of rim formation are recorded (999 ± 7, 961 ± 11, and 874 ± 11 Ma). Monazite cores from MXG mostly formed at 1004 ± 4 Ma; rims formed at 994 ± 4, 913 ± 7, and 890 ± 7 Ma. Zircon from MXG is composed of oscillatory-zoned detrital cores (2000-1170 Ma), plus metamorphic rims (1008 ± 7, 985 ± 5, and ∼950 Ma). In addition, MXG contains an unusual zircon population composed of irregularly-zoned elongate cores dated at 1036 ± 5 Ma, considered to be the time of formation of MXG. The time of granite emplacement is dated by oscillatory-zoned igneous cores at 1058 ± 4 Ma, which provides a minimum age constraint for the time of deposition of the paragneiss.Selected trace elements, including all REE plus U and Th, provide geochemical evidence for the origin of MXG. MREE-enriched xenotime from MXG are dissimilar from typical HREE-enriched patterns of igneous xenotime. The presence of large negative Eu anomalies and high U and Th in monazite and xenotime are uncharacteristic of typical ore-forming hydrothermal processes. We conclude that MXG is the result of unusual metasomatic processes during high grade

  3. U-Pb Geochronology of Grandite Skarn Garnet: Case Studies From Jurassic Skarns of California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gevedon, M. L.; Seman, S.; Barnes, J.; Stockli, D. F.; Lackey, J. S.

    2016-12-01

    We present 3 case studies using a new method for U-Pb dating grossular-andradite (grandite) skarn garnet via LA-ICP-MS (Seman et al., in prep). Grandite is commonly rich in U, with high Fe3+ contents generally correlating with higher U concentrations. Micron-scale non-radiogenic Pb heterogeneities allow for regression of age data using Tera-Wasserberg concordia. Although others have dated accessory skarn minerals, garnet U-Pb ages are powerful because garnet grows early and is nearly ubiquitous in skarns, resists alteration, and provides a formation age independent of that of the causative pluton. The Darwin stock (Argus range, eastern CA) was likely a short-lived, single pulse of magmatism, genetically related to the Darwin skarn. A robust skarn garnet U-Pb age of 176.8 ± 1.3 Ma agrees well with the pluton U-Pb zircon age of 175 Ma (Chen and Moore, 1982). Furthermore, zircon separated from, and in textural equilibrium with, exoskarn garnetite yields a U-Pb age of 176.8 ± 1 Ma. Such agreement between plutonic and skarn zircon ages with a skarn garnet age in a geologically simple field area is the ideal scenario for establishing grandite U-Pb as a viable tool for directly dating skarns. The Black Rock skarn (BRS; eastern CA) is more complex: multiple plutons and ambiguous field relations complicate determination of a causative pluton. A skarn garnet U-Pb age of 172.0 ± 3 Ma confirms a middle Jurassic BRS formation age. Investigation of 4 local plutons yield zircon U-Pb ages of 222 ± 3 Ma, 213 ± 4 Ma, 207 ± 4 Ma and 176.2 ± 2 Ma. Comparison of the skarn garnet U-Pb and pluton ages suggest the BRS is genetically related to the youngest pluton, providing basis for further field and geochemical investigation. The Whitehorse skarn (WS; Mojave Desert, CA) lies in an important region for studying the changing tectono-magmatic regime of the Jurassic North American Cordillera; basin fill suggests a tectonically-controlled oscillating regional shoreline (Busby, 2012

  4. Elemental Analysis of Zircon by High Mass Resolution USGS-Stanford SHRIMP-RG: Measuring and Evaluating Ti-in-zircon Temperatures and Compositional Characteristics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wooden, J. L.; Mazdab, F. K.; Claiborne, L. L.; Miller, C. F.; Barth, A. P.

    2006-12-01

    High mass resolution of SHRIMP-RG permits measurement of a large set of trace elements for zircon, including 48Ti, Sc, and Nb (requiring better than 9,000 MR) and Be, B, F, P, 49Ti, V, Y, all the REE, Hf, Th, and U (Mazdab and Wooden 2006). A 15-20 micron spot allows analysis of numerous discrete CL zones from single zircons with minimal contributions from unknown material below the exposed surface. Data from suites of zircons from more than 20 individual granitoid samples suggest several general observations: (1) Temperatures calculated by Ti-in-zircon (Watson et al 2006) are entirely compatible with petrologic constraints; uncertainty in a(TiO2) introduces uncertainty in calculated T, but for reasonable values between 0.5 and 0.8 T's consistently fall between 650 and 900 C, mostly in the lower half of the range; (2) T can vary by 150-200 C within suites of zircons from individual samples and even in single zircons, where zonation may be normal (high to low, core to rim), reverse (low to high) or fluctuating; (3) Hf concentrations increase with decreasing T because of Zr/Hf fractionation between zircon and melt (Claiborne et al in press); (4) Many elements and element ratios show a co-variation with T and Hf concentration e.g., Th/U and MREE/HREE decrease with increasing Hf and decreasing T. Hf concentrations can continue to increase after a minimum T is reached, indicating continuing zircon growth from remaining (near eutectic?) melt. Yb/Gd (steepness of the HREE pattern) is an excellent monitor of fractionation, particularly at lower T (below 750 C) where the ratio increases rapidly. This trend may result from co-fractionation of accessory minerals and/or be driven by the thermodynamics of crystal growth, and/or may involve other factors and processes as yet poorly understood. Magmatic zircons commonly have a negative Eu anomaly of about 0.5 or lower which may change little or become more pronounced with falling T; anomalies probably reflect feldspar

  5. Nanogeochronology of discordant zircon measured by atom probe microscopy of Pb-enriched dislocation loops

    PubMed Central

    Peterman, Emily M.; Reddy, Steven M.; Saxey, David W.; Snoeyenbos, David R.; Rickard, William D. A.; Fougerouse, Denis; Kylander-Clark, Andrew R. C.

    2016-01-01

    Isotopic discordance is a common feature in zircon that can lead to an erroneous age determination, and it is attributed to the mobilization and escape of radiogenic Pb during its post-crystallization geological evolution. The degree of isotopic discordance measured at analytical scales of ~10 μm often differs among adjacent analysis locations, indicating heterogeneous distributions of Pb at shorter length scales. We use atom probe microscopy to establish the nature of these sites and the mechanisms by which they form. We show that the nanoscale distribution of Pb in a ~2.1 billion year old discordant zircon that was metamorphosed c. 150 million years ago is defined by two distinct Pb reservoirs. Despite overall Pb loss during peak metamorphic conditions, the atom probe data indicate that a component of radiogenic Pb was trapped in 10-nm dislocation loops that formed during the annealing of radiation damage associated with the metamorphic event. A second Pb component, found outside the dislocation loops, represents homogeneous accumulation of radiogenic Pb in the zircon matrix after metamorphism. The 207Pb/206Pb ratios measured from eight dislocation loops are equivalent within uncertainty and yield an age consistent with the original crystallization age of the zircon, as determined by laser ablation spot analysis. Our results provide a specific mechanism for the trapping and retention of radiogenic Pb during metamorphism and confirm that isotopic discordance in this zircon is characterized by discrete nanoscale reservoirs of Pb that record different isotopic compositions and yield age data consistent with distinct geological events. These data may provide a framework for interpreting discordance in zircon as the heterogeneous distribution of discrete radiogenic Pb populations, each yielding geologically meaningful ages. PMID:27617295

  6. Contemporaneous alkaline and tholeiitic magmatism in the Ponta Grossa Arch, Paraná-Etendeka Magmatic Province: Constraints from U-Pb zircon/baddeleyite and 40Ar/39Ar phlogopite dating of the José Fernandes Gabbro and mafic dykes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Almeida, Vidyã V.; Janasi, Valdecir A.; Heaman, Larry M.; Shaulis, Barry J.; Hollanda, Maria Helena B. M.; Renne, Paul R.

    2018-04-01

    We report the first high-precision ID-TIMS U-Pb baddeleyite/zircon and 40Ar/39Ar step-heating phlogopite age data for diabase and lamprophyre dykes and a mafic intrusion (José Fernandes Gabbro) located within the Ponta Grossa Arch, Brazil, in order to constrain the temporal evolution between Early Cretaceous tholeiitic and alkaline magmatism of the Paraná-Etendeka Magmatic Province. U-Pb dates from chemically abraded zircon data yielded the best estimate for the emplacement ages of a high Ti-P-Sr basaltic dyke (133.9 ± 0.2 Ma), a dyke with basaltic andesite composition (133.4 ± 0.2 Ma) and the José Fernandes Gabbro (134.5 ± 0.1 Ma). A 40Ar/39Ar phlogopite step-heating age of 133.7 ± 0.1 Ma from a lamprophyre dyke is identical within error to the U-Pb age of the diabase dykes, indicating that tholeiitic and alkaline magmatism were coeval in the Ponta Grossa Arch. Although nearly all analysed fractions are concordant and show low analytical uncertainties (± 0.3-0.9 Ma for baddeleyite; 0.1-0.4 Ma for zircon; 2σ), Pb loss is observed in all baddeleyite fractions and in some initial zircon fractions not submitted to the most extreme chemical abrasion treatment. The resulting age spread may reflect intense and continued magmatic activity in the Ponta Grossa Arch.

  7. Detrital Zircon U-Pb Analysis of the Liuqu Conglomerate Along the Yarlung-Zangbo Suture Zone, and Implications for the Mode and Timing of Collision Tectonics in Southern Tibet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xie, Y.; Dilek, Y.

    2016-12-01

    The Liuqu Conglomerate (LQC) along the Yarlung-Zangbo suture zone (YZSZ) in Southern Tibet is a terrestrial deposit that provides significant spatial and temporal constraints for the timing and nature of collisional events in the tectonic evolution of the Tibetan-Himalayan orogenic belt. The 10-km-wide (N-S) LQC is exposed discontinuously for more than 1000 km in an E-W direction, and is tectonically overlain to the north by the Cretaceous Neotethyan oceanic lithosphere along a S-vergent thrust fault system and to the south by Triassic-Jurassic metamorphosed sedimentary-volcanic rocks of the Tethyan Himalaya along N-vergent reverse-thrust faults. The major facies of the LQC are the matrix-supported to clast-supported conglomerates. The matrix is poorly to moderate sorted red quartz sandstone, mudstone and sub-rounded pebble to cobble-sized clasts. The clast lithology present in central and southern parts includes dark red sandstone, siltstone and mudstone greyish-green shale, grey phyllite and slate with their provenance in the Triassic Tethyan Himalaya to the south. The clastic material making up its stratigraphy in the northern part of the LQC includes quartz sandstone, radiolarian chert, minor dolerite, gabbro and peridotite derived from the Cretaceous ophiolite. Here we report in-situ detrital zircon U-Pb age analysis of sandstone from the LQC near Liuqu area. 163 concordant U-Pb ages obtained from sample 22-LQ-15, 27-LQ-15 and 35-LQ-15 show the youngest age is 307±13 Ma with discordance of -17.02%, and the oldest zircon grain is 3362 ±51 Ma with discordance of 2.63%. Statistically, the age spectrum of these zircons from the three sandstone samples display a prominent peak centred in 935 Ma, a large peak around 516 Ma, and two small clusters around 2429 Ma and 2772 Ma. The zircon U-Pb results provide evidence of age clusters of the sandstone in LQC are consistent with the detrital U-Pb age signature of the sandstone in Tethyan Himalaya. Thus, the sediments in

  8. Mixture modeling of multi-component data sets with application to ion-probe zircon ages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sambridge, M. S.; Compston, W.

    1994-12-01

    A method is presented for detecting multiple components in a population of analytical observations for zircon and other ages. The procedure uses an approach known as mixture modeling, in order to estimate the most likely ages, proportions and number of distinct components in a given data set. Particular attention is paid to estimating errors in the estimated ages and proportions. At each stage of the procedure several alternative numerical approaches are suggested, each having their own advantages in terms of efficency and accuracy. The methodology is tested on synthetic data sets simulating two or more mixed populations of zircon ages. In this case true ages and proportions of each population are known and compare well with the results of the new procedure. Two examples are presented of its use with sets of SHRIMP U-238 - Pb-206 zircon ages from Palaeozoic rocks. A published data set for altered zircons from bentonite at Meishucun, South China, previously treated as a single-component population after screening for gross alteration effects, can be resolved into two components by the new procedure and their ages, proportions and standard errors estimated. The older component, at 530 +/- 5 Ma (2 sigma), is our best current estimate for the age of the bentonite. Mixture modeling of a data set for unaltered zircons from a tonalite elsewhere defines the magmatic U-238 - Pb-206 age at high precision (2 sigma +/- 1.5 Ma), but one-quarter of the 41 analyses detect hidden and significantly older cores.

  9. Duration of a large Mafic intrusion and heat transfer in the lower crust: A SHRIMP U-Pb zircon Study in the Ivrea-Verbano Zone (Western Alps, Italy)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Peressini, G.; Quick, J.E.; Sinigoi, S.; Hofmann, A.W.; Fanning, M.

    2007-01-01

    The Ivrea-Verbano Zone in the western Italian Alps contains one of the world's classic examples of ponding of mantle-derived, mafic magma in the deep crust. Within it, a voluminous, composite mafic pluton, the Mafic Complex, intruded lower-crustal, high-grade paragneiss of the Kinzigite Formation during Permian-Carboniferous time, and is now exposed in cross-section as a result of Alpine uplift. The age of the intrusion is still debated because the results of geochronological studies in the last three decades on different rock types and with various dating techniques range from 250 to about 300 Ma. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb zircon age determinations on 12 samples from several locations within the Mafic Complex were performed to better constrain the age of the igneous event. The results indicate a long history of magma emplacement and cooling, which reconciles the spread in previously published ages. The main intrusive phase took place at 288 ?? 4 Ma, causing a perturbation of the deep-crustal geotherm, which relaxed to the Sm-Nd closure temperature in garnet-free mafic rocks after about 15-20 Myr of sub-solidus cooling at c. 270 Ma. These results suggest that large, deep crustal plutons, such as those identified geophysically at depths of 10-20 km within extended continental crust (e.g. Yellowstone, Rio Grande Rift, Basin and Range) may have formed rapidly but induced a prolonged thermal perturbation. In addition, the data indicate that a significant thermal event affected the country rock of the Mafic Complex at about 310 Ma. The occurrence of an upper amphibolite- to granulite-facies thermal event in the Kinzigite Formation prior to the main intrusive phase of the Mafic Complex has been postulated by several workers, and is corroborated by other geochronological investigations. However, it remains uncertain whether this event (1) was part of a prolonged perturbation of the deep-crustal geotherm, which started long before the onset of

  10. Ti-in-Zircon Thermometer: Preliminary Results

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fu, B.; Cavosie, A. J.; Clechenko, C. C.; Fournelle, J.; Kita, N. T.; Lackey, J.; Page, F.; Wilde, S. A.; Valley, J. W.

    2005-12-01

    The titanium in zircon thermometer has been applied to 167 zircons from diverse rock types. These rocks include metamorphosed anorthosite and gabbro (1.15 Ga, intrusion age), and unmetamorphosed granitic pegmatite (0.9 Ga) from the Adirondack Highlands; metaluminous and peraluminous granites (114-90 Ma) of the Sierra Nevada Batholith; megacrysts from kimberlite pipes in southern Africa, Brazil, and Siberia; and detrital zircons (4.4-3.9 Ga) of metaconglomerate from Jack Hills, Western Australia. Titanium concentration in zircon was analysed using a CAMECA IMS-1280 ion microprobe (see Page et al., this volume). Spot analyses were correlated to U-Pb SHRIMP pits especially for Adirondack and Jack Hills zircons. The majority of zircons have Ti-content less than 10 ppm. Variability, in excess of analytical precision, within individual zircons is observed in about one-third of crystals. In general, there is no systematic change in Ti from core to rim (identified by cathodoluminescence) of zircons, or with regard to age, U content, Th/U ratio, or U-Pb age concordance for these non-metamict grains. The average temperatures for zircon crystallization in different rock suites using the experimental/empirical calibration of Watson and Harrison (W&H, 2005, Science 308:841), assuming the presence of rutile and quartz, are estimated to be: anorthosite 735±41°C (1SD, n=24; Ti = 10±5 ppm); metagabbro 714±31°C (n=19; Ti = 8±4 ppm); Adirondack pegmatite 500±16°C (n=5; Ti = 0.3±0.1 ppm); metaluminous and peraluminous granites from Sierra Nevada 681±67°C (n=53; Ti = 6±5 ppm) and 613±75°C (n=68; Ti = 3±3 ppm); kimberlite megacrysts 740±64°C (n=169; Ti = 14±13 ppm) (Page et al., this volume); and detrital zircons from Jack Hills metaconglomerate 718±63°C (n=64; Ti = 10±9 ppm). Most of the host rocks contain ilmenite or titanite suggesting that α(TiO2)>0.5, but rutile activity is unknown for megacrysts and detrital zircons. Pegmatite contains no Ti-rich minerals

  11. Zircon U-Pb Geochronology, Hf Isotopic Composition and Geological Implications of the Neoproterozoic Huashan Group in the Jingshan Area, Northern Yangtze Block, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Z.; Yang, K.

    2015-12-01

    In the northern Yangtze Block, a clear angular unconformity between the Mesoproterozoic sequences (e.g. Dagushi Group) and the overlying Neoproterozoic strata (e.g. Huashan Group) marks the the Jinning orogeny. A combined study of Lu-Hf isotopes and U-Pb ages for detrital zircons from Huashan Group can provide information on the crustal evolution of sedimentary provenances and the timing of the Jinning orogeny. Detrital zircons from Huashan Group have two major U-Pb age populations of about 2.0Ga, 2.65Ga, and three subordinate age groups of about 0.82Ga, 2.5Ga, 2.9Ga with minor >3.0Ga ages. The youngest five analyses yield a weighted average age of 816±9Ma, which is consistent with that of interlayered basalt (824±9Ma, Deng et al., 2013) and roughly defines the minimum depositional age of Huashan Group. Detrital zircons of Huashan Group mostly have two stage Hf isotope model ages (TDM2) between 3.0 to 3.3Ga, indicating that the northern Yangtze Block experienced significant continental crustal growth during the Paleo- to Meso-archean. Similar U-Pb ages of detrital zircons have been obtained from Precambrian sedimentary rocks in the northern Yangtze Block from previous studies (Liu et al., 2008; Guo et al., 2014 and references therein). Recently, ca. 2.65Ga A-type granites had been reported from the Kongling and Huji area, which likely record the thermally stable lithosphere (Chen et al., 2013; Zhou et al., 2015). In combination with this study, it documents the widespread 2.6-2.7Ga magmatic rocks in the northern Yangtze Block. Zhao et al. (2013) demonstrated both the ca. 850Ma tonalite and trondhjemite of the Huangling igneous complex were formed in a continental arc setting. This suggests the Miaowan-Huashan oceanic basin proposed by Bader et al. (2013) has not been closed at ca. 850Ma. This evidence, together with the depositional age of the Huashan Group, indicates the Jinning orogeny took place at 850-820 Ma. [1] Bader et al., 2013 Tectonics [2] Deng et al

  12. High spatial resolution U-Pb geochronology and Pb isotope geochemistry of magnetite-apatite ore from the Pea Ridge iron oxide-apatite deposit, St. Francois Mountains, southeast Missouri, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Neymark, Leonid; Holm-Denoma, Christopher S.; Pietruszka, Aaron; Aleinikoff, John N.; Fanning, C. Mark; Pillers, Renee M.; Moscati, Richard J.

    2016-01-01

    The Pea Ridge iron oxide-apatite (IOA) deposit is one of the major rhyolite-hosted magnetite deposits of the St. Francois Mountains terrane, which is located within the Mesoproterozoic (1.5–1.3 Ga) Granite-Rhyolite province in the U.S. Midcontinent. Precise and accurate determination of the timing and duration of oreforming processes in this deposit is crucial for understanding its origin and placing it within a deposit-scale and regional geologic context. Apatite and monazite, well-established U-Pb mineral geochronometers, are abundant in the Pea Ridge orebody. However, the potential presence of multiple generations of dateable minerals, processes of dissolution-reprecipitation, and occurrence of micrometer-sized intergrowths and inclusions complicate measurements and interpretations of the geochronological results. Here, we employ a combination of several techniques, including ID-TIMS and high spatial resolution geochronology of apatite and monazite using LA-SC-ICPMS and SHRIMP, and Pb isotope geochemistry of pyrite and magnetite to obtain the first direct age constraints on the formation and alteration history of the Pea Ridge IOA deposit. The oldest apatite TIMS 207Pb*/206Pb* dates are 1471 ± 1 and 1468 ± 1 Ma, slightly younger than (but within error of) the ~1474 to ~1473 Ma U-Pb zircon ages of the host rhyolites. Dating of apatite and monazite inclusions within apatite provides evidence for at least one younger metasomatic event at ~1.44 Ga, and possibly multiple superimposed metasomatic events between 1.47 and 1.44 Ga. Lead isotop analyses of pyrite show extremely radiogenic 206Pb/204Pb ratios up to ~80 unsupported by in situ U decay. This excess radiogenic Pb in pyrite may have been derived from the spatially associated apatite as apatite recrystallized several tens of million years after its formation. The low initial 206Pb/204Pb ratio of ~16.5 and 207Pb/204Pb ratio of ~15.4 for individual magnetite grains indicate closed U-Pb system behavior in

  13. 40Ar/39Ar dating and zircon chronochemistry for the Izu-Bonin rear arc, IODP site U1437

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmitt, A. K.; Konrad, K.; Andrews, G. D.; Horie, K.; Brown, S. R.; Koppers, A. A. P.; Busby, C.; Tamura, Y.

    2016-12-01

    The scientific objective of IODP Expedition 350 drilling at Site U1437 (31°47.390'N, 139°01.580'E) was to reveal the "missing half of the subduction factory": the rear arc of a long-lived intraoceanic subduction zone. Site U1437 lies in a 50 km long and 20 km wide volcano-bounded basin, 90 km west of the Izu arc front, and is the only IODP site drilled in the rear arc. The Izu rear arc is dominated by Miocene basaltic to dacitic seamount chains, which strike at a high angle to the arc front. Radiometric dating targeted a single igneous unit (1390 mbsf), and fine to coarse volcaniclastic units for which we present zircon and 40Ar/39Ar (hornblende, plagioclase, and groundmass) age determinations. All zircons analyzed as grain separates were screened for contamination from drill-mud (Andrews et al., 2016) by analyzing trace elements and, where material was available, O and Hf isotope compositions. Igneous Unit 1 is a rhyolite sheet and yielded concordant in-situ and crystal separate U-Pb zircon ages (13.7±0.3 Ma; MSWD = 1.3; n = 40 spots), whereas the 40Ar/39Ar hornblende plateau age (12.9±0.3; MSWD = 1.1; n = 9 steps) is slightly younger, possibly reflecting pre-eruptive zircon crystallization, or alteration of hornblende. U-Pb zircon and 40Ar/39Ar plateau ages from samples above igneous Unit 1 are concordant with biostratigraphic and paleomagnetic ages (available to 1300 mbsf), but plagioclase and groundmass samples below 1300 m become younger with depth, hinting at post-depositional alteration. A single zircon from 1600 mbsf yielded a U-Pb age of 15.4±1.8 Ma; its trace element composition resembles other igneous zircons from U1437, and is tentatively interpreted as a Middle Miocene age for the lowermost lithostratigraphic unit VII. Oxygen and Hf isotopic values of igneous zircon indicate mantle origins, with some influence of assimilation of hydrothermally altered oceanic crust evident in sub-mantle oxygen isotopic compositions. Lessons from site U1437 are

  14. A hidden Late Cretaceous arc and subsequent magmatic events in the Caucasus-Iran-Anatolia (CIA) orogenic belt: Detrital zircon U-Pb and Hf isotopic constraints

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tien, C. Y.; Lin, Y. C.; Chu, M. F.; Chung, S. L.; Bi˙ngöl, A. F.

    2017-12-01

    The Caucasus-Iran-Anatolia (CIA) orogenic belt formed by "Turkic-type orogeny" consists mainly of subduction-accretion complexes following the collision between Eurasia and Arabia and the closure of Neotethy. This study reports U-Pb and Hf isotopic data of detrital zircon separates from five Eocene to mid-Miocene sandstone samples from Divrigi and Duranlar in the west to the Mus basin in the east, all locating in the northern part of the Bitlis-Zagros suture zone. The U-Pb age data suggest four main magmatic episodes: (1) 100-70 Ma, (2) 60-40 Ma, (3) 30 Ma, and (4) 15 Ma. The Late Cretaceous zircons recovered mainly from the Mus basin are marked by a significant Hf isotopic variation over time, with ɛHf(T) values dropping from +15 to -10. Zircons from the second and third episodes show spatial variations in isotopic compositions, with positive ɛHf(T) values (+10 to +5) in the Mus basin and heterogeneous ɛHf(T) values (+10 to -10) in the west. The fourth and youngest episode of zircons, mainly from Duranlar area, shows uniform ɛHf(T) values around +5. We attribute the Late Cretaceous episode of zircons to the broadly coeval Elazig arc magmatism that, according to our counterpart study, occurred as a short-lived, intra-oceanic arc system by subduction initiation after the formation of Neotethyan ophiolites in the region. Moreover, we argue that this Late Cretaceous arc system may have existed more widely within the southern branch of Neothethys than that suggested by present-day outcrops. The dramatic change in Hf isotopic composition from 100 to 70 Ma, also observed in the rock record by our counterpart study, may be interpreted as a result of subduction to accretion processes. The remaining three episodes of zircons are related to younger stages of magmatism within or around the suture zone that remains poorly studied. Our results indicate that detrital zircon is a useful tool to uncover "hidden" magmatic records in the CIA and other "Turkic-type" orogenic

  15. Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology and provenance of the Carboniferous-Permian glaciomarine pebbly slates in the Tibetan Plateau

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Q.; Zhu, D.; Zhao, Z.; Chung, S.; Li, C.; Sui, Q.; Fu, X.; Mo, X.

    2011-12-01

    Glaciomarine diamictites (including pebbly slate, pebbly siltstone, and pebbly sandstone) in the Tibetan Plateau are widely interpreted to have been associated with the deglaciation of the Indian continent. Guiding by zircon cathodoluminescence images, we determined U-Pb ages for detrital zircons from five typical Carboniferous-Permian pebbly slate samples from the Qiangtang, Lhasa, and Tethyan Himalaya of the Tibetan Plateau. The age distributions of detrital zircons from two samples (180 analyses) from Qiwu and Gangma Tso of the Qiangtang Terrane are similar, with two main age peaks ca. 579 and ca. 816 Ma and one minor age peak ca. 2490 Ma. Two samples (177 analyses) from Jiangrang and Damxung of the Lhasa Terrane define similar age distributions with two main age peaks ca. 539 and ca. 1175 Ma. Ages of detrital zircons from one sample (110 analyses) from Kangmar of the Tethyan Himalaya display main age peaks ca. 535, ca. 949, and ca. 2490 Ma. The ca. 816-Ma detrital zircons from the Qiangtang Terrane were most likely derived from the Lesser Himalaya, and the ca. 950-Ma detrital zircons from the Tethyan Himalaya might have been sourced from the High Himalaya, Eastern Ghats Province of the Indian plate and the Rayner Province of East Antarctica. The distinctive ca. 1175-Ma age population characteristic of zircons in the pebbly slates from the Lhasa Terrane is identical to the detrital zircons from the late Paleozoic sandstones (Zhu et al., 2011a) and the inherited zircons from the Mesozoic peraluminous granites (Zhu et al., 2011b) in this terrane, but significantly absent in the pebbly slates from both the Qiangtang and the Tethyan Himalayan terranes. The ca. 1175-Ma detrital zircons in the Lhasa Terrane were most likely sourced from the Albany-Fraser-Wilkes in southwestern Australia and East Antarctica. These new data obtained in this study reveal a distinct difference of detrital zircon provenance for the coeval Carboniferous-Permian glaciomarine pebbly slates

  16. Tectonic Evolution of the Izmir Ankara Suture Zone in Northwest Turkey Using Zircon U-Pb Geochronology and Zircon Lu-Hf Isotopic Tracers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Campbell, C.; Taylor, M. H.; Licht, A.; Mueller, M.; Ocakglu, F.; Moeller, A.; Metais, G.; Beard, K. C.

    2017-12-01

    Detrital zircons from a Cretaceous forearc basin and Tertiary foreland basin located along the Sakarya Zone of the Western Pontides were analyzed to better understand the closure history of the Tethyan oceans. The Variscan Orogeny is characterized by abundant 350-300 Ma U-Pb ages and vertical ɛHf arrays, consistent with a mature magmatic arc that emplaced plutons through a southward growing accretionary margin. An ɛHf pull-up is observed from 300-250 Ma interpreted as rifting of the Intra-Pontide Ocean. The Cimmerian Orogeny is characterized by a 250-230 Ma ɛHf pull-down, followed by a 230-200 Ma magmatic gap consistent with underthrusting of the Karakaya Complex. From 200-120 Ma another magmatic lull is observed. The Alpine Orogeny is characterized by an ɛHf pull-down from 120-85 Ma within Cretaceous forearc sediments and a 100 Ma deviant ɛHf vertical array within Tertiary foreland basin sediments. Minor zircon U-Pb age peaks and contrasting inter-basinal ɛHf evolution are interpreted to represent onset of Andean-style subduction along the southern margin of the Sakarya Zone at 120 Ma followed by crustal thickening until 85 Ma. The deviant 100 Ma ɛHf vertical array within foreland basin detritus is interpreted as initiation of intra-oceanic subduction within the Izmir-Ankara Ocean. An 85-75 Ma ɛHf pull-up from forearc basin sediments is interpreted as slab roll-back along the southern margin of the Sakarya Zone, responsible for final rifting of the Western Black Sea. At 80 Ma, a vertical ɛHf array from Tertiary foreland basin deposits is interpreted to represent synchronous melting of the Tavsanli Zone and intra-oceanic slab break-off. A single 66 Myr pre-collisional grain defines a sharp ɛHf pull-down immediately prior to total arc shut-off, interpreted to represent incipient collision between the Sakarya and Tavsanli zones. A 52 Ma syn-collisional tuff yields minimally intermediate ɛHf values followed by a slight 48 Ma ɛHf pull-down, interpreted as a

  17. Extreme isotopologue disequilibrium in molecular SIMS species during SHRIMP geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Magee, Charles W., Jr.; Danišík, Martin; Mernagh, Terry

    2017-12-01

    The current limitation in the accuracy and precision of inter-element analysis in secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) is the ability to find measurable quantities that allow relative differences in ionization and transmission efficiency of secondary ions to be normalized. In uranium-thorium-lead geochronology, the ability to make these corrections, or "calibrate" the data, results in an accuracy limit of approximately 1 %. This study looks at the ionization of uranium and thorium oxide species, which are traditionally used in U-Pb calibration, to explore the conditions under which isotopologues, or molecular species whose composition differs only in the isotopic composition of one or more atoms in the molecule, remain in or deviate from equilibrium. Isotopologue deficits of up to 0.2 (200 ‰) below ideal mixing are observed in UO2+ species during SIMS gechronological analyses using the SHRIMP IIe SIMS instrument. These are identified by bombarding natural U-bearing minerals with an 18O2- primary beam. The large anomalies are associated with repeat analyses down a single SIMS sputtering crater (Compston et al., 1984), analysis of high-uranium, radiation-damaged zircon, and analysis of baddeleyite. Analysis of zircon under routine conditions yield UO2+ isotopologue anomalies generally within a few percent of equilibrium. The conditions under which the isotopologue anomalies are observed are also conditions in which the UOx-based corrections, or calibration, for relative U vs. Pb ionization efficiencies fail. The existence of these isotopologue anomalies suggest that failure of the various UOx species to equilibrate with each other is the reason that none of them will successfully correct the U  / Pb ratio. No simple isotopologue-based correction is apparent. However, isotopologue disequilibrium appears to be a more sensitive tool for detecting high-U calibration breakdowns than Raman spectroscopy, which showed sharper peaks for ˜ 37 Ma high

  18. Zircon Messengers Reveal the Age and History of Great Basin Crust, Kern Mountains, Nevada

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gottlieb, E. S.; Miller, E. L.; Wooden, J. L.

    2011-12-01

    Results of SHRIMP-RG analyses of complexly zoned zircons from muscovite-bearing granitic rocks exposed in the Kerns Mountains of East-Central Nevada constrain the timing, duration, and loci of zircon growth within the interior of the U.S. Cordillera during Late Cretaceous through Eocene time. The Kern Mountains are an exhumed block of greenschist to amphibolite facies metamorphosed miogeoclinal rocks that were pervasively intruded by the Late Cretaceous Tungstonia granite pluton and the Eocene Skinner Canyon and Uvada plutons (Best et al., 1974). Euhedral zircons separated from a coarse-grained (2-3 cm) muscovite-bearing phase of the Tungstonia pluton exhibit complex cathodeluminescence (CL) zonation. Sub-angular to sub-rounded cores with highly variable CL are overgrown by oscillatory-zoned zircon which in turn is rimmed by dark CL zircon (U>5000 ppm). A weighted mean Pb/U age of 70.2±0.9 Ma (n=20, MSWD=2.5) obtained from the oscillatory-zoned zircon coincides with the end of Cretaceous peak metamorphism at shallow crustal levels. Pb/U ages from core zones (n=18) predominantly are 0.9-1.4 Ga (n=11; 7 of which <15% discordant) or 2.4-2.7 Ga (n=5; 1 of which <15% discordant), consistent with ages of detrital zircons within the Late Proterozoic McCoy Creek Group exposed in adjacent ranges. A previously undated muscovite-bearing dike in Skinner Canyon yielded a texturally complex population of subhedral zircon grains. CL imaging of these grains reveals fragmental, ghost-like cores surrounded by irregularly shaped overgrowth zones with diffuse boundaries which are rimmed by oscillatory-zoned zircon. Both oscillatory zoned and gradational rim areas (n=32) yielded Late Cretaceous to Eocene ages. Twelve spots define the age of intrusion at 41.7±0.3 Ma (MSWD=1.8), consistent with the local onset of Eocene magmatism. An older period of zircon growth from ~75-45 Ma, coincident with the proposed duration of the Laramide shallow slab, is defined by zircon with flat to

  19. Is Myanmar jadeitite of Jurassic age? A result from incompletely recrystallized inherited zircon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yui, Tzen-Fu; Fukoyama, Mayuko; Iizuka, Yoshiyuki; Wu, Chao-Ming; Wu, Tsai-Way; Liou, J. G.; Grove, Marty

    2013-02-01

    Zircons from two Myanmar jadeitite samples were separated for texture, mineral inclusion, U-Pb dating and trace element composition analyses. Three types of zircons, with respect to U-Pb isotope system, were recognized. Type I zircons are inherited ones, yielding an igneous protolith age of 160 ± 1 Ma; Type II zircons are metasomatic/hydrothermal ones, giving a (minimum) jadeitite formation age of 77 ± 3 Ma; and Type III zircons are incompletely recrystallized ones, with non-coherent and geologically meaningless ages from 153 to 105 Ma. These Myanmar jadeitites would therefore have formed through whole-sale metasomatic replacement processes. Compared with Type I zircons, Type II zircons show typical metasomatic/hydrothermal geochemical signatures, with low Th/U ratio (< 0.1), small Ce anomaly (Ce/Ce* = < 5) and low ΣREE content (40-115 ppm). Type III zircons, however, commonly have the above geochemical signatures straddle in between Type I and Type II zircons. It is shown that the resetting rates of various trace element compositions and U-Pb isotope system of inherited zircons are not coupled "in phase" in response to zircon recrystallization during jadeitite formation. The observed abnormally low Th/U ratio and small Ce anomaly of some Type I zircons, as well as the lack of negative Eu anomaly of all Type I zircons, should be suspected to be of secondary origin. In extreme cases, incompletely recrystallized zircons may show typical metasomatic/hydrothermal geochemical signatures, but leave U-Pb isotope system partially reset or even largely unchanged. Such zircons easily lead to incorrect age interpretation, and hence erroneous geological implication. The Myanmar jadeitites, based on the present study, might have formed during the Late Cretaceous subduction before the beginning of India-Asia continental collision at Paleocene. Previously proposed Late Jurassic ages for Myanmar jadeitites are suggested as results rooted on data retrieved from incompletely

  20. 3. 96 Ga zircons from an Archean quartzite, Beartooth Mountains, Montana

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mueller, P.A.; Wooden, J.L.; Nutman, A.P.

    1992-04-01

    U-Pb isotopic systematics of detrital zircons incorporated in a middle Archean quartzite from the Beartooth Mountains, Montana, were investigated with the SHRIMP ion microprobe. These new data reveal an extended and previously unrecognized record of crustal evolution for the northern Wyoming province. Seventy-eight analyses of 67 grains yielded a range of {sup 207}Pb/{sup 206}Pb ages from 2.69 to 3.96 Ga. Concordant analyses from 43 separate grains defined a maximum age for the deposition of the quartzite of 3.30 Ga; other provenance ages extend to 3.96 Ga. Ages of < 3.30 Ga are generally discordant, and appear to reflect late Archeanmore » disturbance of the U-Pb system, including metamorphism at {approximately}2.8 Ga. The predominance of ages at {approximately}3.3 Ga is interpreted to represent the last major episode of crust formation prior to deposition of the quartzite. The concordant analyses of > 3.30 Ga indicate that older crustal components with ages up to 3.96 Ga, or detritus from them, were also in the provenance of this quartzite. This older age is equivalent to that of the oldest known rock from the Acasta gneisses of the Slave province and is exceeded only by the > 4.0 Ga age of detrital zircons of the Yilgarn block of Western Australia. These data support an increased probability for the survival of sialic crust created before the cessation of the late bombardment at 3.8 to 3.9 Ga.« less

  1. U-Pb isotopic systematics of zircons from prograde and retrograde transition zones in high-grade orthogneisses, Sri Lanka

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Baur, N.; Liew, T.C.; Todt, W.

    1991-07-01

    The authors present U-Pb zircon isotopic data from locally restricted prograde (arrested in situ charnockitization) and retrograde metamorphic transition zones, which are well exposed in Proterozoic orthogneisses tectonically interbanded with granulite facies supracrustal rocks of the Highland Group in Sri Lanka. These granitoid rocks yield apparent ages of 1942 {plus minus} 22 Ma, {approximately} 770 Ma, {approximately} 660 Ma, and {approximately} 560 Ma. All samples show severe Pb-loss some 550-560 Ma ago. The main phase of granulite-formation could not be dated unambiguously but is bracketed between {approximately} 660 Ma and {approximately} 550 Ma. The pervasive Pb-loss event around 550-560 Mamore » reflects the end of this period of high-grade metamorphism and was associated with widespread igneous activity and retrogression. This is constrained by the 550 {plus minus} 3 Ma intrusion age for a post-tectonic granite. They relate this late phase of thermal activity to crustal uplift of the Sri Lankan granulites. This data unambiguously prove the high-grade history of the Sri Lanka gneisses to be a late Precambrian event that may be related to the Pan-African evolution along the eastern part of Africa.« less

  2. Contrasting sources of Late Paleozoic rhyolite magma in the Polish Lowlands: evidence from U-Pb ages and Hf and O isotope composition in zircon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Słodczyk, Elżbieta; Pietranik, Anna; Glynn, Sarah; Wiedenbeck, Michael; Breitkreuz, Christoph; Dhuime, Bruno

    2018-02-01

    The Polish Lowlands, located southwest of the Teisseyre-Tornquist Zone, within Trans-European Suture Zone, were affected by bimodal, but dominantly rhyolitic, magmatism during the Late Paleozoic. Thanks to the inherited zircon they contain, these rhyolitic rocks provide a direct source of information about the pre-Permian rocks underlying the Polish Lowland. This paper presents zircon U-Pb geochronology and Hf and O isotopic results from five drill core samples representing four rhyolites and one granite. Based on the ratio of inherited vs. autocrystic zircon, the rhyolites can be divided into two groups: northern rhyolites, where autocrystic zircon is more abundant and southern rhyolites, where inherited zircon dominates. We suggest that the magma sources and the processes responsible for generating high silica magmas differ between the northern and southern rhyolites. Isotopically distinct sources were available during formation of northern rhyolites, as the Hf and O isotopes in magmatic zircon differ between the two analysed localities of northern rhyolites. A mixing between magmas formed from Baltica-derived mudstone-siltstone sediments and Avalonian basement or mantle can explain the diversity between the zircon compositions from the northern localities Daszewo and Wysoka Kamieńska. Conversely, the southern rhyolites from our two localities contain zircon with similar compositions, and these units can be further correlated with results from the North East German Basin, suggesting uniform source rocks over this larger region. Based on the ages of inherited zircon and the isotopic composition of magmatic ones, we suggest that the dominant source of the southern rhyolites is Variscan foreland sediments mixed with Baltica/Avalonia-derived sediments.

  3. Combined garnet and zircon geochronology of the ultra-high temperature metamorphism: Constraints on the rise of the Orlica-Śnieżnik Dome, NE Bohemian Massif, SW Poland

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walczak, Katarzyna; Anczkiewicz, Robert; Szczepański, Jacek; Rubatto, Daniela; Košler, Jan

    2017-11-01

    Garnet and zircon geochronology combined with trace element partitioning and petrological studies provide tight constraints on evolution of the UHT-(U)HP terrain of the Orlica-Śnieżnik Dome (OSD) in the NE Bohemian massif. Lu-Hf dating of peritectic garnet from two mesocratic granulites constrained the time of its initial growth at 346.9 ± 1.2 and 348.3 ± 2.0 Ma recording peak 2.5 GPa pressure and 950 °C temperature. In situ, U-Pb SHRIMP dating of zircon from the same granulite gave a younger age of 341.9 ± 3.4 Ma. Ti-in-zircon thermometry indicates crystallization at 810-860 °C pointing to zircon formation on the retrograde path. Lu partitioning between garnet rim and zircon suggest equilibrium growth and thus U-Pb zircon age constrain the terminal phase of garnet crystallization which lasted about 6 Ma. All Sm-Nd garnet ages obtained for mesocratic and mafic granulites are identical and consistently younger than the corresponding Lu-Hf dates. They are interpreted as reflecting cooling of granulites through the Sm-Nd closure temperature at about 337 Ma. The estimated PTt path documents the ca. 10 Ma evolution cycle of the OSD characterized by two distinct periods: (1) 347 - > 342 Ma period corresponds to nearly isothermal decompression resulting from crustal scale folding and vertical extrusion of granulites, and (2) at > 342-337 Ma which corresponds to a fast, nearly isobaric cooling.

  4. Geochemistry, zircon U-Pb dating and Hf isotopies composition of Paleozoic granitoids in Jinchuan, NW China: Constraints on their petrogenesis, source characteristics and tectonic implication

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zeng, Renyu; Lai, Jianqing; Mao, Xiancheng; Li, Bin; Ju, Peijiao; Tao, Shilong

    2016-05-01

    Granitoids are widely distributed in Jinchuan at the southwestern margin of the North China plate, which is also an important area of mineral deposits. The research subject of this article are two Paleozoic granitoids, a cataclastic syenogranite and a granodiorite porphyry. This study presents whole rock geochemistry and zircon U-Pb-Hf isotope data for the two granitoids to determine their petrogenesis, source characteristics and tectonic significance. The cataclastic syenogranite is characterized by metaluminous composition with high potassium, and LaN/YbN from 39 to 48. The composition with strong negative Eu anomalies and Zircon saturation temperatures (TZr) from 947 to 1072 °C classify this intrusion as an A-type granite. The granodiorite porphyry is metaluminous with high sodium, sub-alkaline, LaN/YbN ratios from 27 to 32. These I-type intrusions have no Eu anomalies and TZr ranges from 818 to 845 °C. Both the cataclastic syenogranite and granodiorite porphyry show enrichment of LREE and LILE and depletion of HREE and HFSE, except Hf and Zr. Using single zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating, the emplacement age of the cataclastic syenogranite and granodiorite porphyry are determined at 433.4 ± 3.7 Ma and 361.7 ± 4.6 Ma, respectively. Zircons from the cataclastic syenogranits have uniform negative εHf(t) values (-11 ± 0.5 to -9 ± 0.5), implying the involvement of an old Palaeoproterozoic crustal source in magma genesis. The zircons from the granodiorite porphyry have εHf(t) values that range from -8 ± 1.0 to +10 ± 0.6, suggesting heterogeneous source materials involving both juvenile and ancient crust reworked crustal components. Based on the geological significance of granites at the southwestern margin of the North China plate, the closure of the North Qilian Ocean occurred at ∼444 Ma. Geochemical features suggest that the cataclastic syenogranite and granodiorite porphyry formed in an intraplate extensional and compressional setting, respectively. Hence

  5. Molybdenite Re-Os, zircon U-Pb dating and Lu-Hf isotopic analysis of the Xiaerchulu Au deposit, Inner Mongolia Province, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Jia-xin; Nie, Feng-Jun; Zhang, Xue-ni; Jiang, Si-hong

    2016-09-01

    The Xiaerchulu Au deposit, located in the Southern Orogenic Belt (SOB) of Western Inner Mongolia (WIM), is hosted in an Early Permian (271-261 Ma) volcanic-plutonic sequence. Mineralization took place in silicified biotite granites or along the contact zone between the Neoproterozoic Baiyinbaolage Group and the biotite granite. In order to constrain the timing of the Xiaerchulu mineralization and discuss the petrogenesis of the hosting granites, molybdenite Re-Os, and zircon U-Pb and, Lu-Hf, and REE, geochemical, and Sr-Nd isotopic studies were completed in this study. We measured Re-Os isotopes of six molybdenite samples from the main ore body, which yielded a weighted average model age of 261.7 ± 1.5 Ma with a MSWD of 0.55, indicating that the time of mineralization was at ca. 262 Ma. High precision U-Pb dating for the studied granites yields Permian 206Pb/238U ages ranging from 271 to 269 Ma. These age data confirm that both the intrusion and related mineralization were initiated in Early Permian period. These granites are strongly peraluminous with A/CNK = 1.11-1.12, high SiO2-K2O contents, as well as containing biotite and muscovite, indicating a petrogenesis of typical S-type granites, the above consideration is also consistent with the result of discrimination diagrams. The Re contents of molybdenite, εNd(t), and zircon εHf(t), as well as the 176Hf/177Hf values of the granites, fall into the ranges from 1.153 to 2.740 μg/g, - 11.1 to - 9.3, - 8.8 to - 0.9, and 0.282358 to 0.282688, respectively. All of this evidence suggests that the metals were derived from a predominantly crustal source, the granites originated from crust in an extensional setting, and the rejuvenation of the continent may have play an important role during the ore-forming processes of the Early Permian epoch.

  6. The formation and rejuvenation of continental crust in the central North China Craton: Evidence from zircon U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotope

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Qing; Santosh, M.; Li, Sheng-Rong; Guo, Pu

    2014-12-01

    The Trans-North China Orogen (TNCO) along the central part of the North China Craton (NCC) is considered as a Paleoproterozoic suture along which the Eastern and Western Blocks of the NCC were amalgamated. Here we investigate the Precambrian crustal evolution history in the Fuping segment of the TNCO and the subsequent reactivation associated with extensive craton destruction during Mesozoic. We present zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb and Lu-Hf data on TTG (tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite) gneiss, felsic orthogneiss, amphibolite and granite from the Paleoproterozoic suite which show magmatic ages in the range of 2450-1900 Ma suggesting a long-lived convergent margin. The εHf(t) values of these zircons range from -11.9 to 12 and their model ages suggest magma derivation from both juvenile components and reworked Archean crust. The Mesozoic magmatic units in the Fuping area includes granite, diorite and mafic microgranular enclaves, the zircons from which define a tight range of 120-130 Ma ages suggesting a prominent Early Cretaceous magmatic event. However, the εHf(t) values of these zircons show wide a range from -30.3 to 0.2, indicating that the magmatic activity involved extensive rejuvenation of the older continental crust.

  7. Matrix effects for elemental fractionation within ICPMS: applications for U-Th-Pb geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, W.

    2016-12-01

    Recent development in instruments provides significant technical supports for daily, quick, money saving geochemical analyses. Laser ablation ICPMS stands out due to these reasons, especially for the U-Th-Pb isotopic dating. Matrix-matched external standardization is by far the most common approach used in U-Th-Pb dating via LA-ICPMS. However, matrix-effects between standard and sample for in-situ dating have shown to be both significant and insignificant. It remains mysterious whether a well matrix-matched standard is needed for U-Th-Pb dating by LA-ICPMS. This study provides an experimental framework for the understanding of matrix effects induced elemental fractionation for U-Th-Pb associated with ICPMS. A preliminary study on the influence of varied U, Th and Pb amounts on their fractionations has been carried out. Experimental data show that different U, Th and Pb contents result in varied 238U/206Pb and 232Th/208Pb ratios. The fractionations of U/Pb and Th/Pb increase with the increasing contents (1 ppb to 100 ppb) with a strong positive anomaly at 10 ppb. Matrixes representing minerals frequently used in dating have been investigated for the influences on U/Pb and Th/Pb fractionations, which suggest a complicated effect. Little fractionations observed between mineral pairs (e.g., monazite and apatite; zircon and perovskite; rutile and perovskite; xenotime and baddeleyite), whereas large fractionations identified for other minerals (e.g., zircon and baddeleyite; monazite and sphene; rutile and baddeleyite). Single element matrix (i.e., Si, P, Ca, Zr, Ti) has been studied to identify their effects on the fractionations. U/Pb ratio increases with the increasing Si and P contents, whereas it decreases for Zr, Ca and Ti. Th/Pb ratio increases with increasing Si contents, decreases for P and Zr, and increases first then decreases for Ca and Ti. Above all, different matrix and U, Th and Pb amounts show distinct U/Pb and Th/Pb fractionations within ICPMS. The

  8. Peninsular terrane basement ages recorded by Paleozoic and Paleoproterozoic zircon in gabbro xenoliths and andesite from Redoubt volcano, Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bacon, Charles R.; Vazquez, Jorge A.; Wooden, Joseph L.

    2012-01-01

    Historically Sactive Redoubt volcano is an Aleutian arc basalt-to-dacite cone constructed upon the Jurassic–Early Tertiary Alaska–Aleutian Range batholith. The batholith intrudes the Peninsular tectonostratigraphic terrane, which is considered to have developed on oceanic basement and to have accreted to North America, possibly in Late Jurassic time. Xenoliths in Redoubt magmas have been thought to be modern cumulate gabbros and fragments of the batholith. However, new sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb ages for zircon from gabbro xenoliths from a late Pleistocene pyroclastic deposit are dominated by much older, ca. 310 Ma Pennsylvanian and ca. 1865 Ma Paleoproterozoic grains. Zircon age distributions and trace-element concentrations indicate that the ca. 310 Ma zircons date gabbroic intrusive rocks, and the ca. 1865 Ma zircons also are likely from igneous rocks in or beneath Peninsular terrane basement. The trace-element data imply that four of five Cretaceous–Paleocene zircons, and Pennsylvanian low-U, low-Th zircons in one sample, grew from metamorphic or hydrothermal fluids. Textural evidence of xenocrysts and a dominant population of ca. 1865 Ma zircon in juvenile crystal-rich andesite from the same pyroclastic deposit show that this basement has been assimilated by Redoubt magma. Equilibration temperatures and oxygen fugacities indicated by Fe-Ti–oxide minerals in the gabbros and crystal-rich andesite suggest sources near the margins of the Redoubt magmatic system, most likely in the magma accumulation and storage region currently outlined by seismicity and magma petrology at ∼4–10 km below sea level. Additionally, a partially melted gabbro from the 1990 eruption contains zircon with U-Pb ages between ca. 620 Ma and ca. 1705 Ma, as well as one zircon with a U-Th disequilibrium model age of 0 ka. The zircon ages demonstrate that Pennsylvanian, and probably Paleoproterozoic, igneous rocks exist in, or possibly beneath, Peninsular

  9. Ion microprobe U-Pb dating and strontium isotope analysis of biogenic apatite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sano, Y.; Toyoshima, K.; Takahata, N.; Shirai, K.

    2012-12-01

    Conodonts are micro-fossils chemically composed of apatite which occurred in the body of one animal. They are guide fossils to show formation ages of sedimentary sequences with the highest resolution [1] and good samples to verify the dating method. We developed the ion microprobe U-Pb dating of apatite [2] and applied the method to a Carboniferous conodont [3] by using a SHRIMP II installed at Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Hiroshima University. Recently we have developed the NanoSIMS U-Pb dating method and successfully measured the formation ages of monazite [4] and zircon [5] at Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo. In this work we carried out the NanoSIMS U-Pb dating of biogenic apatite such as conodont. Since the spot size of NanoSIMS is smaller than SHRIMP II, it is easier to have multi-spots on the single fragment of biogenic apatite. Based on the isochron method of U-Pb system, we have calculated the formation ages. They are consistent with those in literature. In order to study the chemical evolution of ocean during the past 600 Million years, strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) of fossil marine carbonate such as coral skeletons and foraminifera tests were measured and compiled [6]. However they are not robust when the age is older than 500Ma, partly due to post-depositional histories. Apatite is more stable and more resistant to the alteration than carbonate [7]. Recently we have developed the method of NanoSIMS strontium isotopic analysis of a fish otolith, which composed of aragonite [8]. In this work we carried out the strontium isotopic analysis of biogenic apatite. The advantage of the ion microprobe technique over the TIMS (thermal ionization mass spectrometer) and MC-ICP-MS (multi-collector inductively coupled argon plasma mass spectrometer) method is preservation of the important textural context and to provide an opportunity for other simultaneous analytical work with high spatial resolution. This is the case for

  10. Detrital zircon U-Pb reconnaissance of the Franciscan subduction complex in northwestern California

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Dimitru, Trevor; Ernst, W. Gary; Hourigan, Jeremy K.; McLaughlin, Robert J.

    2015-01-01

    In northwestern California, the Franciscan subduction complex has been subdivided into seven major tectonostratigraphic units. We report U-Pb ages of ≈2400 detrital zircon grains from 26 sandstone samples from 5 of these units. Here, we tabulate each unit's interpreted predominant sediment source areas and depositional age range, ordered from the oldest to the youngest unit. (1) Yolla Bolly terrane: nearby Sierra Nevada batholith (SNB); ca. 118 to 98 Ma. Rare fossils had indicated that this unit was mostly 151-137 Ma, but it is mostly much younger. (2) Central Belt: SND; ca. 103 too 53 Ma (but poorly constrained), again mostly younger than previously thought. (3) Yager terrane: distant Idaho batholith (IB); ca. 52 to 50 Ma. Much of the Yager's detritus was shed during major core complex extension and erosion in Idaho that started 53 Ma. An eocene Princeton River-Princeton submarine canyon system transported this detritus to the Great Valley forearc basin and thence to the Franciscan trench. (4) Coastal terrane: mostly IB, ±SNB, ±nearby Cascade arc, ±Nevada Cenozoic ignimbrite belt; 52 to <32 Ma. (5) King Range terrane: dominated by IB and SNB zircons; parts 16-14 Ma based on microfossils. Overall, some Franciscan units are younger than previously thought, making them more compatible with models for the growth of subduction complexes by positive accretion. From ca. 118 to 70 Ma, Franciscan sediments were sourced mainly from the nearby Sierra Nevada region and were isolated from southwestern US and Mexican sources. From 53 to 49 Ma, the Franciscan was sourced from both Idaho and the Sierra Nevada. By 37-32 Ma, input from Idaho had ceased. The influx from Idaho probably reflects major tectonism in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, plus development of a through-going Princeton River to California, rather than radical changes in the subduction system at the Franciscan trench itself.

  11. U-Pb zircon age data for selected sedimentary, metasedimentary, and igneous rocks from northern and central Alaska

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Moore, Thomas E.

    2014-01-01

    Data from two studies are included in this report. The first study, by Dumoulin and others (2013), reported the detrital zircon U-Pb age analysis of a single sample from the Upper Mississippian Ikalukrok unit of the Kuna Formation (table 1). The second study is that of Moore and others (in press), which focuses on the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous part of the Brookian sequence in the western Brooks Range (17 samples; table 2). For the latter study, samples were analyzed from the following units (1) the Upper Jurassic unit, Jw, of Curtis and others (1984), (2) the Lower Cretaceous Igrarok Hills unit of Moore and others (2002), (3) the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous Okpikruak Formation, (4) the Lower Cretaceous lower Brookian shale of Mull (1995), (5) the Lower Cretaceous Mount Kelly Graywacke Tongue of the Fortress Mountain Formation, (6) and the upper Lower Cretaceous Nanushuk Formation as redefined by Mull and others (2003). The results for each study are reported in separate Excel files, with individual samples in each study being shown as separate sheets within the files. The analyses of individual zircons are listed separately on the sheet according to the filtering schemes of the study and by the type of mass spectrometer used.

  12. U-Pb detrital zircon dates and provenance data from the Beaufort Group (Karoo Supergroup) reflect sedimentary recycling and air-fall tuff deposition in the Permo-Triassic Karoo foreland basin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Viglietti, Pia A.; Frei, Dirk; Rubidge, Bruce S.; Smith, Roger M. H.

    2018-07-01

    Detrital zircon U-Pb age dating was used for provenance determination and maximum age of deposition for the Upper Permian (upper Teekloof and Balfour formations) and Lower Triassic (Katberg Formation) lithostratigraphic subdivisions of the Beaufort Group of South Africa's Karoo Basin. Ten samples were analysed using laser ablation - single collector - magnetic sectorfield - inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (LA-SF-ICP-MS). The results reveal a dominant Late Carboniferous-Late Permian population (250 ± 5 Ma - 339 ± 5 Ma), a secondary Cambrian-Neoproterozoic (489 ± 5 Ma to 878 ± 24 Ma) population, a minor Mesoproterozoic (908 ± 24 Ma to 1308 ± 23) population, and minor occurrences of Devonian, Ordovician, Proterozoic and Archean zircon grains. Multiple lines of evidence (e.g. roundness and fragmentary nature of zircons, palaeo-current directions, and previous work), suggest the older zircon populations are related to sedimentary recycling in the Gondwanide Orogeny. The youngest and dominant population contain elongate euhedral grains interpreted to be directly derived from their protolith. Since zircons form in felsic igneous rocks, and no igneous rocks of Late Permian age occur in the Karoo Basin, these findings suggest significant input of volcanic material by ash falls. These results support sedimentological and palaeontological data for a Lopingian (Late Permian) age for the upper Beaufort Group, but contradict previous workers who retrieved Early Triassic dates from zircons in ashes for the Beaufort and Ecca Groups. Pb-loss not revealed by resolvable discordance on the concordia diagram, and metamictization of natural zircons are not factored into the conclusions of earlier workers.

  13. Evidence of early Archean crust in northwest Gondwana, from U-Pb and Hf isotope analysis of detrital zircon, in Ediacaran surpacrustal rocks of northern Spain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Naidoo, Thanusha; Zimmermann, Udo; Vervoort, Jeff; Tait, Jenny

    2018-03-01

    The Mora Formation (Narcea Group) is one of the oldest Precambrian supracrustal successions in northern Spain. Here, we use U-Pb and in situ Hf isotope analysis on detrital zircon to determine its age and provenance. The youngest U-Pb dates constrain the maximum depositional age of the Mora Formation at 565 ± 11 Ma. Results indicate: (1) a dominant Ediacaran zircon population (33%; 565-633 Ma, Cadomian) within a spectrum of Neoproterozoic ages (40%; 636-996 Ma); and (2) smaller Mesoproterozoic (5%; 1004-1240 Ma), Palaeoproterozoic (11%; 1890-2476 Ma) and Archean (11%; 2519-3550 Ma) populations. Results here do not point to one specific cratonic source area; instead, detritus may have been derived from the West African craton and Amazonia, or even the concealed Iberian basement. The lack of 1.3-1.8 Ga grains suggests exclusion of the Sahara Craton as a major source, but this is not certain. This mixed composition favours a complex source history with reworking of detritus across terrane/craton boundaries. Hafnium isotope compositions indicate a range of crustal and juvenile sources, with initial ɛHf values between -15.8 and 11.1, and Hf model ages from 0.8 to 3.7 Ga. For Neoproterozoic zircons (80%), juvenile components (ɛHf(i) +10) may be related to Rodinia fragmentation and the onset of an active margin setting leading to the Cadomian orogeny. Palaeoproterozoic to Paleoarchean grains (20%) all have negative ɛHf values and Meso- to Eoarchean Hf model ages. This indicates an early (Archean) sialic crustal component for northwestern Gondwana.

  14. Ore genesis and geodynamic setting of the Lianhuashan porphyry tungsten deposit, eastern Guangdong Province, SE China: constraints from muscovite 40Ar-39Ar and zircon U-Pb dating and Hf isotopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Peng; Mao, Jingwen; Pirajno, Franco; Jia, Lihui; Zhang, Feng; Li, Yang

    2017-12-01

    The Lianhuashan deposit has long been regarded as a typical tungsten porphyry deposit, located in the eastern Guangdong Province, in the Southeastern Coastal Metallogenic Belt (SCMB). LA-MC-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating of the quartz porphyry yielded a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 137.3 ± 2.0 Ma, which is interpreted as the emplacement age of the quartz porphyry. Hydrothermal muscovite yielded a plateau 40Ar/39Ar age of 133.2 ± 0.9 Ma, which is consistent with the zircon U-Pb age, suggesting that the tungsten mineralization is genetically related to the quartz porphyry. Combined with previous studies, we suggest that there is a 145-135 Ma episode linking the granitic magmas with W-Sn ore systems in the SCMB. Zircon ɛHf (t) values of the quartz porphyry are in range of - 3.8 to 0.9, and the two-stage Hf model ages (TDM2) are 1.1-1.4 Ga, which is younger than the basement rocks in the Cathaysia Block (1.8-2.2 Ga), signifying that the quartz porphyry was predominantly derived from melting of Mesoproterozoic crust containing variable amounts of mantle components. In combination with the newly recognized coeval alkaline/bimodal magmatism and A-type granites in eastern Guangdong, we suggest that the 145-135 Ma W-Sn metallogenic event of the SCMB is related to a geodynamic setting of large-scale lithospheric extension and thinning, which can be ascribed to melting of the crust caused by mantle upwelling, triggered by the oblique subduction of the Izanagi plate.

  15. Re-evaluation of the origin and evolution of > 4.2 Ga zircons from the Jack Hills metasedimentary rocks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nemchin, A. A.; Pidgeon, R. T.; Whitehouse, M. J.

    2006-04-01

    New data are presented on internal structures, U-Pb systematics and oxygen isotope compositions of eight detrital zircons with ages greater than 4.2 Ga, from the Jack Hills metasedimentary belt, Australia. Cathodoluminescence imaging, ion-microprobe U-Pb and oxygen isotope results show evidence for an extensive period of complex zircon growth, secondary reaction and U-Pb isotopic disturbance from 4.36 to 3.90 Ga. In addition many of the zircons have discordant U-Pb systems and excess common Pb indicating a superimposed, relatively recent, reaction between radiation damaged zircon and low temperature fluids. The significance of oxygen isotope compositions for zircons with complex internal structures and U-Pb systems is complicated by uncertainty in the origin of the grains and the unknown effect of later reactions. However, a minority of grains with sharp oscillatory zoning, uniform and concordant U-Pb systems, igneous Th-U ratios and low common Pb contents, are interpreted as undisturbed primary magmatic zircons. The oldest identified, oscillatory zoned, magmatic grain, with an age 4363 ± 20 Ma, is one of a few reported magmatic grains with this age, which is interpreted as the oldest reliable age for Hadean magmatic zircons. Mantle δ18O values are reported for these zircons. Younger oscillatory zoned zircon, including oscillatory zoned cores in complex grains, have δ18O values lower than 6.5‰, which are within the range of ion microprobe analysed δ18O values for zircons in high temperature equilibrium with the normal mantle rocks of 5.3 ± 0.6‰ (2 standard deviations). These values are also within the range of δ18O values found in lunar zircons. The absence of heavy oxygen in the grains that can be interpreted as primary magmatic zircons and the complex history over the period from 4.36 to 3.9 Ga, seen in all other Jack Hills zircons and reflected in the internal structures and U-Pb isotopic systems, questions the model for the early Earth involving long

  16. U-Pb zircon geochronology of the Paleoproterozoic Tagragra de Tata inlier and its Neoproterozoic cover, western Anti-Atlas, Morocco

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Walsh, G.J.; Aleinikoff, J.N.; Benziane, F.; Yazidi, A.; Armstrong, T.R.

    2002-01-01

    New U-Pb zircon data obtained by sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) from the Tagragra de Tata inlier in the western Anti-Atlas, Morocco establish Paleoproterozoic ages for the basement schists, granites, and metadolerites, and a Neoproterozoic age for an ignimbrite of the Ouarzazate Series in the cover sequence. The age of interbedded felsic metatuff in the metasedimentary and metavolcanic sequence of the basement schists is 2072 ?? 8 Ma. This date represents: (1) the first reliable age from the metasedimentary and metavolcanic sequence; (2) the oldest reliable age for the basement of the Anti-Atlas; (3) the first date on the timing of deposition of the sediments on the northern edge of the Paleoproterozoic West African craton; (4) a lower age limit on deformation during the Eburnean orogeny; and (5) the first date obtained from the non-granitic Paleoproterozoic basement of Morocco. Ages of 2046 ?? 7 Ma (Targant granite) and 2041 ?? 6 Ma (Oudad granite) support earlier interpretations of a Paleoproterozoic Eburnean igneous event in the Anti-Atlas. The granites post-date the Eburnean D1 deformation event in the Paleoproterozoic schist sequence, and place a ???2046 Ma limit on short-lived Eburnean deformation in the area. Cross-cutting metadolerite is 2040 ?? 6 Ma; this is the first date from a metadolerite in the western Anti-Atlas. All of the dolerites in the area post-date emplacement of the two granites and the new age constrains the onset of late- or post-Eburnean extension. Ignimbrite of the Ouarzazate Series, immediately above the Paleoproterozoic basement is 565 ?? 7 Ma. This Neoproterozoic age agrees with ages of similar volcanic rocks elsewhere from the Ouarzazate Series. The date also agrees with the ages of associated hypabyssal intrusions, and marks the second and final stage of Pan-African orogenic activity in the western Anti-Atlas. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Alteration and chemical U-Th-total Pb dating of heterogeneous high-uranium zircon from a pegmatite from the Aduiskii massif, middle Urals, Russia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zamyatin, Dmitry A.; Shchapova, Yuliya V.; Votyakov, Sergey L.; Nasdala, Lutz; Lenz, Christoph

    2017-09-01

    The U-Th-Pb isotope system in the accessory mineral zircon may be disturbed, as for instance by the secondary loss of radiogenic lead. The recognition of such alteration is crucial for the sound interpretation of geochronology results, in particular for chemical dating by means of an electron probe micro-analyser (EPMA). Here we present the example of high-U zircon samples from a granite pegmatite from the Aduiskii Massif, Middle Urals, Russia. The structural and chemical heterogeneity of samples was characterised by EPMA, including joint probability distribution (JPD) analysis of back-scattered electrons (BSE), cathodoluminescence (CL) and U M β images, and by Raman and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. We found a high-U interior region (U up to 11.4 wt%) without any obvious indication of alteration. This domain has stoichiometric composition, and its Raman spectrum is similar to that of amorphous ZrSiO4. In addition, altered lower-U regions are present that are non-stoichiometric and contain non-formula elements such as Ca, Al, Fe, and water up to several wt%. Their Raman spectra yielded a band near 760-810 cm-1 which is not related to any ZrSiO4 vibration; we assign it tentatively to the symmetric stretching of (UO2)2+ groups. This assignment is supported by the observation of a fairly intense PL phenomenon whose spectral position and vibrational-coupling structure strongly indicates a uranyl-related emission. Altered zones were formed by both fluid-driven diffusion reaction and coupled dissolution-reprecipitation processes. The variation of BSE and CL intensities in amorphous high-U zircon is controlled by its chemical composition and the presence of water and uranyl groups. We have determined a weighted mean EPMA age of 246 ± 2 Ma, which agrees reasonably well with previous dating results for the Aduiskii Massif.

  18. Exotic island arc Paleozoic terranes on the eastern margin of Gondwana: Geochemical whole rock and zircon U-Pb-Hf isotope evidence from Barry Station, New South Wales, Australia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manton, Ryan J.; Buckman, Solomon; Nutman, Allen P.; Bennett, Vickie C.

    2017-08-01

    Early Paleozoic intra-oceanic terranes crop out along the Peel-Manning Fault System, in the southern New England Orogen, NSW Australia. These are the Cambrian ophiolitic Weraerai terrane and the Siluro-Devonian island arc Gamilaroi terrane. There has been debate whether these terranes formed at the Gondwana margin or if they are intra-oceanic, and were accreted to Gondwana later in the Paleozoic. Major-trace-REE elemental data indicate Weraerai terrane formed in a supra-subduction environment. Rare zircons extracted from Weraerai terrane gabbro-plagiogranite suites at Barry Station yield a U-Pb zircon date of 504.9 ± 3.5 Ma with initial εHf values of + 11.1 indicating a juvenile source. Amphibole-bearing felsic dykes and net-vein complexes are also found within the gabbro with a U-Pb zircon date of 503.2 ± 5.7 Ma and initial εHf values of + 11.6. These are coeval in age with their host rocks and we propose they represent partial melts of the mafic crust during the circulation of seawater. The Gamilaroi trondhjemites of prehnite-pumpellyite-greenschist metamorphic grade terrane yielded very few zircons with an age of 413 ± 8.7 Ma. Zircon initial εHf values range from + 5.0 to + 2.9, indicating an input from an evolved crustal source, unlike the purely oceanic Weraerai terrane. Gamilaroi terrane trondhjemites are enriched in LREE have low K2O and K2O/Na2O ratios and strong negative Nb anomalies consistent with supra-subduction zone environments. Multiple subduction zones may well have existed within the Panthalassa Ocean during the early-mid Paleozoic with the Weraerai-Gamilaroi being accreted onto the Gondwanan margin during the latest Devonian.

  19. A new insight into Pan-African tectonics in the East-West Gondwana collision zone by U-Pb zircon dating of granites from central Madagascar

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nédélec, A.; Paquette, J.-L.

    1998-02-01

    The assembly of Gondwana was the result of a major collision orogen, the East African Orogen, between East and West Gondwana during Neoproterozoic times. Madagascar, which represents a fragment of East Gondwana, is located in a key area of this Pan-African orogen. Granites of unambiguous tectonic setting have been dated using the U-Pb zircon method in order to constrain the timing of orogenic events. The central part of Madagascar is characterized by syntectonic alkaline granitic sheets, referred to as ``stratoid'' granites. These are of both mantle and crustal derivation. Their U-Pb zircon ages are well defined between 627 and 633 Ma for both plutonic suites, regardless of either mainly mantle or crustally origin. It is not surprising that the crustally-derived suite contains inherited zircons in the 2.2-2.4 Ga range attesting to the existence of Lower Proterozoic crust in northern central Madagascar. The generation of huge amounts of granitic magma is regarded as the result of post-collision extension under a high heat flow regime. Therefore, an age between 700 and 650 Ma is inferred for the beginning of Gondwana assembly along the collision zone between central Madagascar and Kenya, i.e., in the central part of the East African Orogen. Following this, brittle fracturing of the stratoid granite series permitted the emplacement of the Ambatomiranty granitic dyke swarm at a minimum age of 560 Ma, in possible connection with a nearby shear belt. The strike-slip tectonic regime at ~570-560 Ma is well known in southern Madagascar and in its Gondwana connections. This stage corresponds to intracontinental reworking and the final suturing of Gondwana.

  20. A new insight into Pan-African tectonics in the East-West Gondwana collision zone by U-Pb zircon dating of granites from central Madagascar

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Paquette, Jean-Louis; Nédélec, Anne

    1998-02-01

    The assembly of Gondwana was the result of a major collision orogen, the East African Orogen, between East and West Gondwana during Neoproterozoic times. Madagascar, which represents a fragment of East Gondwana, is located in a key area of this Pan-African orogen. Granites of unambiguous tectonic setting have been dated using the U-Pb zircon method in order to constrain the timing of orogenic events. The central part of Madagascar is characterized by syntectonic alkaline granitic sheets, referred to as "stratoid" granites. These are of both mantle and crustal derivation. Their U-Pb zircon ages are well defined between 627 and 633 Ma for both plutonic suites, regardless of either mainly mantle or crustally origin. It is not surprising that the crustally-derived suite contains inherited zircons in the 2.2-2.4 Ga range attesting to the existence of Lower Proterozoic crust in northern central Madagascar. The generation of huge amounts of granitic magma is regarded as the result of post-collision extension under a high heat flow regime. Therefore, an age between 700 and 650 Ma is inferred for the beginning of Gondwana assembly along the collision zone between central Madagascar and Kenya, i.e., in the central part of the East African Orogen. Following this, brittle fracturing of the stratoid granite series permitted the emplacement of the Ambatomiranty granitic dyke swarm at a minimum age of 560 Ma, in possible connection with a nearby shear belt. The strike-slip tectonic regime at ˜570-560 Ma is well known in southern Madagascar and in its Gondwana connections. This stage corresponds to intracontinental reworking and the final suturing of Gondwana.

  1. Petrogenesis of granodiorite in the Balong region, eastern Kunlun Orogen, China: Constraints from zircon U-Pb geochronology, geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, X.; Li, H.; Wang, Y.; Liu, Y.

    2017-12-01

    Numerous granitoid intrusions that close to the Balong region have great scientific significance to reveal tectonic evolution and geodynamic background of eastern Kunlun Orogen (EKO). Balong granodiorite (BLG) is located at the northern of the EKO. It generally emplaced into the Proterozoic to Lower Palaeozoic rocks and contains abundant mafic microgranular enclaves. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating of the BLG gives a 206Pb/238U age of 230.7±1.9 Ma, indicating that it was emplaced in the Late Triassic. The BLG is high-K calc-alkaline series and metaluminous, with SiO2 of 59.86 61.83%, K2O+Na2O of 5.98 6.40%, CaO of 4.95 5.77% and P2O5 of 0.14% 0.18%. The granodioritic rocks are enriched in LILE (Ba, Rb, Sr), but depleted in HFSE (Nb, Ta, P, Ti), with weak negative Eu anomalies (δEu=0.70 0.82). Mineralogy and geochemistry of the rocks show an affinity to I-type granite. The BLG, having (87Sr/86Sr)i ratios of 0.70819 to 0.70832, ɛNd(t) values of -5.27 to -5.75, and zircon ɛHf(t) values ranging from -3.86 to -1.34. The whole-rock Nd isotopic model ages (1432 1471 Ma) and zircon Hf isotopic model ages (1205 1357 Ma) indicate that the BLG is generated by partial melting of lower crust (Precambrian metabasaltic basement rocks) with different degree of involvement of mantle material. Combined with regional geological data, the granodiorite was derived from dehydration melting of mafic lower crustal rocks during the subduction of the Anyemaqen ocean lithosphere at Late Permian-Triassic in a subduction setting. Basaltic magma underplating and crust-mantle mixing are main mechanisms for the origin of large-scale I-type granitoid in Balong.

  2. Tectonic evolution of the NE section of the Pamir Plateau: New evidence from field observations and zircon U-Pb geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Chuan-Lin; Zou, Hai-Bo; Ye, Xian-Tao; Chen, Xiang-Yan

    2018-01-01

    The Pamir Plateau at the western end of the India-Asia collision zone underwent long-term terrane drifting, accretion and collision between early Paleozoic and Mesozoic. However, the detailed evolution of this plateau, in particular, the timing of the Proto- and Palaeo-Tethys ocean subduction and closure, remains enigmatic. Here we report new field observations and zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic compositions of the representative rocks from the so-called Precambrian basement in the northeastern Pamir, i.e., the Bulunkuole Group. The rock associations of the Bulunkuole Group indicate volcano-sedimentary sequences with arc affinities. Geochronological data demonstrate that the deposition age of the Bulunkuole Group in the NE section of the Pamir was Middle to Late Cambrian (530-508 Ma) rather than Paleoproterozoic. The deposition age became progressively younger from south to north. The amphibolite- to granulite facies metamorphism of the Bulunkuole Group took place at ca. 200-180 Ma. Unlike the scenario in the Southern Kunlun terrane (SKT) in the eastern section of the West Kunlun Orogenic Belt (WKOB), early Paleozoic metamorphism (ca. 440 Ma) was absent in this area. Two phases of magmatic intrusions, composed of granites and minor gabbros with arc geochemical signatures, emplaced at 510-480 Ma and 240-200 Ma. The amphibolite (meta mafic sheet? 519 Ma) and the meta-rhyolite (508 Ma) have zircon εHf(t) values of 1.6 to 5.9 and - 1.5 to 1.4, respectively. The 511 Ma gneissic granite sheet and the 486 Ma gabbro have zircon εHf(t) values of - 0.1 to 2.4 and 1.3 to 3.6, respectively. Zircon εHf(t) of the 245 Ma augen gneissic granite sheet varies from - 2.2 to 2.0 whereas the metamorphic zircons from the amphibolite (193 Ma) and high-pressure mafic granulite sample (187 Ma) have negative εHf(t) values of - 5.3 to - 2 and - 15 to - 12, respectively. In line with rock association and the deposition age of the Bulunkuole Group and the Saitula Group in the eastern

  3. A Late Silurian U-Pb zircon age for Linville metadiabase, Grandfather Mountain window, North Carolina

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Fetter, A.H.; Goldberg, S.A.

    1993-03-01

    Linville metadiabase intrudes both Precambrian basement within the Grandfather Mountain window and nonconformably overlying Grandfather Mountain Formation. It occurs as sill-like and dike-like bodies, and is apparently not recognized outside of the window. Major element data classify the composition of the rock as tholeiitic basalt. Zircon was separated from a metadiabase body intruding metasiltstone of the Grandfather Mountain Formation west of Cranberry Knob. Zircon are clear, euhedral, with a l/w ratio of 3:1. Two abraded fractions (75-150 and < 75 [mu]m, both NM-2[degree]) yield concordant ages, which the authors report as 415 [plus minus] 3 Ma (2[sigma]), a weighted meanmore » of the two [sup 207]Pb/[sup 206]Pb ages. This Late Silurian (Ludlow) age is interpreted as the time of crystallization. Previously, similarities in mode of occurrence and major element composition have been used to correlate Linville metadiabase with late Precambrian mafic rocks within and outside of the window, as field relations do not constrain its age. Linville metadiabase thus is an unlikely candidate for feeders to the Montezuma metabasalt, which occurs as a flow immediately above metarhyolite dated as 742 [plus minus] 2 Ma (2[sigma]). Linville metadiabase may be one component of a magmatic pulse spanning 10-20 m.y. associated with the Acadian orogeny. The new zircon age places constraints on the timing of metamorphism and deformation, as Linville metadiabase is foliated, containing metamorphic assemblages from the biotite zone of the greenschist facies. The age and fabric relations are permissive evidence of post-Taconic, Acadian or Alleghanian orogeny.« less

  4. Detrital zircon age patterns and provenance of the metamorphic complexes of southern Chile

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hervé, F.; Fanning, C. M.; Pankhurst, R. J.

    2003-05-01

    Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb age patterns are reported for 13 metasedimentary rocks from the low grade metamorphic complexes of the Patagonian Andes. Combined with four recently published patterns, these provide the first detailed survey of the provenance of these complexes. The youngest dated zircons, corresponding to maximum sedimentation ages, are Devonian-Late Triassic in the eastern Andes metamorphic complex, Carboniferous in the main range metamorphic complex, Permian in the Duque de York complex, and Late Triassic in the Chonos metamorphic complex. In the last two cases, these ages are in agreement with their respective fossil ages. Older components in the eastern Andes metamorphic complex include a large proportion of Proterozoic (predominantly 1000-1200 Ma) zircons, which may indicate distribution, probably by rivers, of detrital material from regions currently in northern South America, Africa, or east Antarctica. The abundance of Proterozoic zircons is very much less in the Duque de York complex, possibly because of the rise of an inferred Permian magmatic arc related to the Gondwanan orogeny and consequent westward migration of the watershed. A Late Triassic magmatic episode is registered in the Chonos metamorphic complex, where reappearance of significant Proterozoic zircons indicates exhumation of the cratonic areas or of recycled sedimentary material.

  5. Progress integrating ID-TIMS U-Pb geochronology with accessory mineral geochemistry: towards better accuracy and higher precision time

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schoene, B.; Samperton, K. M.; Crowley, J. L.; Cottle, J. M.

    2012-12-01

    It is increasingly common that hand samples of plutonic and volcanic rocks contain zircon with dates that span between zero and >100 ka. This recognition comes from the increased application of U-series geochronology on young volcanic rocks and the increased precision to better than 0.1% on single zircons by the U-Pb ID-TIMS method. It has thus become more difficult to interpret such complicated datasets in terms of ashbed eruption or magma emplacement, which are critical constraints for geochronologic applications ranging from biotic evolution and the stratigraphic record to magmatic and metamorphic processes in orogenic belts. It is important, therefore, to develop methods that aid in interpreting which minerals, if any, date the targeted process. One promising tactic is to better integrate accessory mineral geochemistry with high-precision ID-TIMS U-Pb geochronology. These dual constraints can 1) identify cogenetic populations of minerals, and 2) record magmatic or metamorphic fluid evolution through time. Goal (1) has been widely sought with in situ geochronology and geochemical analysis but is limited by low-precision dates. Recent work has attempted to bridge this gap by retrieving the typically discarded elution from ion exchange chemistry that precedes ID-TIMS U-Pb geochronology and analyzing it by ICP-MS (U-Pb TIMS-TEA). The result integrates geochemistry and high-precision geochronology from the exact same volume of material. The limitation of this method is the relatively coarse spatial resolution compared to in situ techniques, and thus averages potentially complicated trace element profiles through single minerals or mineral fragments. In continued work, we test the effect of this on zircon by beginning with CL imaging to reveal internal zonation and growth histories. This is followed by in situ LA-ICPMS trace element transects of imaged grains to reveal internal geochemical zonation. The same grains are then removed from grain-mount, fragmented, and

  6. New zircon U-Pb LA-ICP-MS ages and Hf isotope data from the Central Pontides (Turkey): Geological and geodynamic constraints

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Çimen, Okay; Göncüoğlu, M. Cemal; Simonetti, Antonio; Sayit, Kaan

    2018-05-01

    The Central Pontides in northern Anatolia is located on the accretionary complex formed by the closure of Neotethyan Intra-Pontide Ocean between the southern Eurasian margin (Istanbul-Zonguldak Terrane) and the Cimmerian Sakarya Composite Terrane. Among other components of the oceanic lithosphere, it comprises not yet well-dated felsic igneous rocks formed in arc-basin as well as continent margin settings. In-situ U-Pb age results for zircons from the arc-basin system (öangaldağ Metamorphic Complex) and the continental arc (Devrekani Metadiorite and Granitoid) yield ages of 176 ± 6 Ma, 163 ± 9 Ma and 165 ± 3 Ma, respectively. Corresponding in-situ average (initial) 176Hf/177Hf initial ratios are 0.28261 ± 0.00003, 0.28267 ± 0.00002 and 0.28290 ± 0.00004 for these units and indicative of a subduction-modified mantle source. The new U-Pb ages and Hf isotope data from these oceanic and continental arc units together with regional geological constraints support the presence of a multiple subduction system within the Intra-Pontide Ocean during the Middle Jurassic.

  7. Petrography and zircon U-Pb isotopic study of the Bayanwulashan Complex: Constrains on the Paleoproterozoic evolution of the Alxa Block, westernmost North China Craton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Sujuan; Hu, Jianmin; Ren, Minghua; Gong, Wangbin; Liu, Yang; Yan, Jiyuan

    2014-11-01

    The Bayanwulashan Metamorphic Complex (BMC) exposes along the eastern margin of the Alxa Block, the westernmost part of the North China Craton (NCC). BMC is principally composed of metamorphic rocks with amphibole plagiogneiss, biotite plagioclase gneiss and granitic gneiss. Our research has been focused on the petrography and zircon U-Pb geochronology of the BMC to better understand the evolution of the Alxa Block and its relationship with the NCC. Evidences from field geology, petrography, and mineral chemistry indicate that two distinct metamorphic assemblages, the amphibolite and greenschist facies, had overprinted the preexisting granitic gneiss and suggest that the BMC experienced retrograde metamorphic episodes. The LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb ages reveal that the primary magmatic activities of BMC were at ca. 2.30-2.24 Ga and the two metamorphic events were at ca. 1.95-1.91 Ga and ca. 1.88-1.85 Ga respectively. These ages indicate that BMC initially intruded during Paleoproterozoic, not as previously suggested at Archean period. The Early Paleoproterozoic metamorphic records and the magmatic thermochronological data in BMC exhibit different evolution paths between the Alxa Block and the NCC. The Alxa Block was most likely an independent Early Paleoproterozoic terrain. Following different amalgamation processes, The Alxa Block combined with Western Block at ca. 1.95 Ga and then united with NCC at ca. 1.85 Ga.

  8. U-Pb zircon geochronologycal investigation on the Morro dos Seis Lagos Carbonatite Complex and associated Nb deposit (Amazonas, Brazil)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rossoni, Marco B.; Bastos Neto, Artur C.; Souza, Valmir S.; Marques, Juliana C.; Dantas, Elton; Botelho, Nilson F.; Giovannini, Arthur L.; Pereira, Vitor P.

    2017-12-01

    We present results of U-Pb dating (by MC-ICP-MS) of zircons from samples that cover all of the known lithotypes in the Seis Lagos Carbonatite Complex and associated lateritic mineralization (the Morro dos Seis Lagos Nb deposit). The host rock (gneiss) yielded an age of 1828 ± 09 Ma interpreted as the crystallization time of this unit. The altered feldspar vein in the same gneiss yielded an age of 1839 ± 29 Ma. Carbonatite samples provided 3 groups of ages. The first group comprises inherited zircons with ages compatible with the gneissic host rock: 1819 ± 10 Ma (superior intercept), 1826 ± 5 Ma (concordant age), and 1812 ± 27 Ma (superior intercept), all from the Orosirian. The second and the third group of ages are from the same carbonatite sample: the superior intercept age of 1525 ± 21 Ma (MSWD = 0.77) and the superior intercept age of 1328 ± 58 Ma (MSWD = 1.4). The mineralogical study indicates that the ∼1.3 Ga zircons have affinity with carbonatite. It is, however, a tendence rather than a well-defined result. The data allow state that the age of 1328 ± 58 Ma represents the maximum age of the carbonatite. Without the same certainty, we consider that the data suggest that this age may be the carbonatite age, whose emplacement would have been related to the evolution of the K'Mudku belt. The best age obtained in laterite samples (a superior intercept age of 1828 ± 12 Ma) is considered the age of the main source for the inherited zircons related to the gneissic host rock.

  9. Cryptic sub-ice geology revealed by a U-Pb zircon study of glacial till in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jacobs, Joachim; Opås, Birgitte; Elburg, Marlina; Läufer, Andreas; Estrada, Solveig; Ksienzyk, Anna K.; Damaske, Detlef; Hofmann, Mandy

    2017-04-01

    We have targeted the southern side of the Dronning Maud Land (DML) Mountains, East Antarctica, in search of moraine material that might reveal the presence and nature of any cryptic terranes in the ice-covered region of the East Antarctic polar plateau. Nine samples of unconsolidated glacial till, carried by the northward flowing East Antarctic Ice Sheet to the southern side of the DML escarpment, were collected and processed for U-Pb zircon analyses. The samples resulted in ca. 1100 new U-Pb zircon ages between ca. 2000 and 500 Ma. The oldest Palaeoproterozoic zircons come from the easternmost localities with a probable source region in the western part of the Ruker Craton. Major Stenian and Tonian age peaks are recognised. Tonian rocks are well known from the SW terrane in the Sør Rondane Mountains and characterise a major Tonian Oceanic Arc Super Terrane. Stenian ages of ca. 1080 Ma on the other hand are far less common in the outcropping region. Although Late Mesoproterozoic ages are common in both the Maud Province of western-central DML as well as in the Rayner Complex, the Stenian rocks in this study differ with respect to composition and/or isotope geochemistry; they are juvenile, subduction-related and resemble an early phase of oceanic arcs that was so far unknown in this region. In the W, the oldest age peak is ca. 800-720 Ma with possible counterparts in the Schirmacher Oasis. All samples show a protracted Late Neoproterozoic/Early Palaeozoic overprint, accompanied by igneous addition, most likely related to the East African-Antarctic Orogen. This overprint appears most intense in the westernmost locality, in the vicinity of the Forster Magnetic Anomaly and lasted for ca. 150 Ma; an E-ward younging of metamorphic ages is observed. The new moraine samples together with previous outcrop studies reveal that this region has undergone two major phases of oceanic arc/terrane accretion; the first one from ca. 1100-900 Ma is probably related to accretion

  10. Extended history of a 3.5 Ga trondhjemitic gneiss, Wyoming Province, USA: Evidence from U-Pb systematics in zircon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mueller, P.A.; Wooden, J.L.; Mogk, D.W.; Nutman, A.P.; Williams, I.S.

    1996-01-01

    The Beartooth-Bighorn magmatic zone (BBMZ) and the Montana metasedimentary province (MMP) are two major subprovinces of the Archean Wyoming province. In the northwestern Beartooth Mountains, these subprovinces are separated by a structurally, lithologically and metamorphically complex assemblage of lithotectonic units that include: (1) a strongly deformed complex of trondhjemitic gneiss and interlayered amphibolites; and (2) an amphibolite facies mafic unit that occurs in a nappe that structurally overlies the gneiss complex. Zircons from a trondhjemitic blastomylonite in the gneiss complex yield concordant U-Pb ages of 3.5 Ga, establishing it as the oldest rock yet documented in the Wyoming province. Two younger events are also recorded by zircons in this rock: (1) an apparently protracted period of high-grade metamorphism and/or intrusion of additional magmas at ??? 3.25 Ga; and (2) growth of hydrothermal zircon at ??? 2.55 Ga, apparently associated with ductile deformation that immediately preceded structural emplacement of the gneiss. Although this latter event appears confined to areas along the BBMZ-MMP boundary, evidence of ??? 3.25 Ga igneous activity is found in the overlying amphibolite (3.24 Ga) and throughout the MMP. These data suggest that this boundary first developed as a major intracratonic zone of displacement at or before 3.25 Ga. The limited occurrences of 2.8 Ga magmatic activity in the MMP suggest that it had a controlling influence on late Archean magmatism as well.

  11. Implications for late Grenvillian (Rigolet phase) construction of Rodinia using new U-Pb data from the Mars Hill terrane, Tennessee and North Carolina, United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Aleinikoff, John N.; Southworth, Scott; Merschat, Arthur J.

    2013-01-01

    New data for zircon (external morphology, cathodoluminescence zoning, and sensitive high resolution ion microprobe [SHRIMP] U-Pb ages) from the Carvers Gap granulite gneiss of the Mars Hill terrane (Tennessee and North Carolina, United States) require reevaluation of interpretations of the age and origin of this rock. The new results indicate that the zircon is detrital and that the sedimentary protolith of this gneiss (and related Cloudland gneiss) was deposited no earlier than ca. 1.02 Ga and was metamorphosed at ca. 0.98 Ga. Tectonic models that included the gneiss as a piece of 1.8 Ga Amazonian crust (perhaps as part of the hypothetical Columbia supercontinent) are now untenable. The remarkably fast cycle of exhumation, erosion, deposition, and deep burial also is characteristic of other late Grenvillian (post-Ottawan) Mesoproterozoic paragneisses that occur throughout the Appalachians. These rocks provide new evidence for the duration of the formation of the Rodinia supercontinent lasting until at least 0.98 Ma.

  12. U–Pb, Rb–Sr, and U-series isotope geochemistry of rocks and fracture minerals from the Chalk River Laboratories site, Grenville Province, Ontario, Canada

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Neymark, Leonid; Peterman, Zell E.; Moscati, Richard J.; Thivierge, R. H.

    2013-01-01

    As part of the Geologic Waste Management Facility feasibility study, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) is evaluating the suitability of the Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) site in Ontario, situated in crystalline rock of the southwestern Grenville Province, for the possible development of an underground repository for low- and intermediate-level nuclear waste. This paper presents petrographic and trace element analyses, U–Pb zircon dating results, and Rb–Sr, U–Pb and U-series isotopic analyses of gneissic drill core samples from the deep CRG-series characterization boreholes at the CRL site. The main rock types intersected in the boreholes include hornblende–biotite (±pyroxene) gneisses of granitic to granodioritic composition, leucocratic granitic gneisses with sparse mafic minerals, and garnet-bearing gneisses with variable amounts of biotite and/or hornblende. The trace element data for whole-rock samples plot in the fields of within-plate, syn-collision, and volcanic arc-type granites in discrimination diagrams used for the tectonic interpretation of granitic rocks.Zircons separated from biotite gneiss and metagranite samples yielded SHRIMP-RG U–Pb ages of 1472 ± 14 (2σ) and 1045 ± 6 Ma, respectively, in very good agreement with widespread Early Mesoproterozoic plutonic ages and Ottawan orogeny ages in the Central Gneiss Belt. The Rb–Sr, U–Pb, and Pb–Pb whole-rock errorchron apparent ages of most of the CRL gneiss samples are consistent with zircon U–Pb age and do not indicate substantial large-scale preferential element mobility during superimposed metamorphic and water/rock interaction processes. This may confirm the integrity of the rock mass, which is a positive attribute for a potential nuclear waste repository. Most 234U/238U activity ratios (AR) in whole rock samples are within errors of the secular equilibrium value of one, indicating that the rocks have not experienced any appreciable U loss or gain within the past 1

  13. Coupling of Uranium and Thorium Series Isotope Systematics for Age Determination of Late Pleistocene Zircons using LA-ICP-MS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sakata, S.; Hirakawa, S.; Iwano, H.; Danhara, T.; Hirata, T.

    2014-12-01

    Zircon U-Th-Pb dating method is one of the most important tools for estimating the duration of magmatism by means of coupling of uranium, actinium and thorium decay series. Using U-Pb dating method, its reliability is principally guaranteed by the concordance between 238U-206Pb and 235U-207Pb ages. In case of dating Quaternary zircons, however, the initial disequilibrium effect on 230Th and 231Pa should be considered. On the other hands, 232Th-208Pb dating method can be a simple but powerful approach for investigating the age of crystallization because of negligible influence from initial disequilibrium effect. We have developed a new correction model for accurate U-Pb dating of the young zircon samples by taking into consideration of initial disequilibrium and a U-Pb vs Th-Pb concordia diagram for reliable age calibration was successfully established. Hence, the U-Th-Pb dating method can be applied to various zircons ranging from Hadean (4,600 Ma) to Quaternary (~50 ka) ages, and this suggests that further detailed information concerning the thermal history of the geological sequences can be made by the coupling of U-Th-Pb, fission track and Ar-Ar ages. In this presentation, we will show an example of U-Th-Pb dating for zircon samples from Sambe Volcano (3 to 100 ka), southwest Japan and the present dating technique using LA-ICP-MS.

  14. Constraints on the timing of multiple thermal events and re-equilibration recorded by high-U zircon and xenotime: Case study of pegmatite from Piława Górna (Góry Sowie Block, SW Poland)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Budzyń, Bartosz; Sláma, Jiří; Kozub-Budzyń, Gabriela A.; Konečný, Patrik; Holický, Ivan; Rzepa, Grzegorz; Jastrzębski, Mirosław

    2018-06-01

    The application of zircon and xenotime geochronometers requires knowledge of their potential and limitations related to possible disturbance of the age record. The alteration of the intergrown zircon and xenotime in pegmatite from the Góry Sowie Block (SW Poland) was studied using the electron microprobe analysis, X-ray WDS compositional mapping, micro-Raman analysis, and LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of zircon and xenotime, as well as the U-Th-total Pb dating of uraninite. These microanalytical techniques were applied to understand the formation mechanisms of the secondary textures related to post-magmatic processes in the zircon and xenotime intergrowth, and to constrain their timing. Textural and compositional features combined with U-Pb data indicate that the pegmatite-related crystallization of the zircon and xenotime intergrowth occurred ca. 2.09 Ga (2086 ± 35 Ma for zircon and 2093 ± 52 Ma for xenotime), followed by the re-equilibration of zircon and xenotime ca. 370 Ma (373 ± 18 Ma and 368 ± 6 Ma, respectively) during the formation of the younger pegmatite. The zircon and xenotime were most likely derived from Precambrian basement rocks and emplaced in the pegmatite as a restite. The zircon preserved textures related to diffusion-reaction processes that affected its high-U core (up to ca. 9.6 wt% UO2), which underwent further metamictization and amorphization due to self-radiation damage. The zircon rim and xenotime were affected by coupled dissolution-reprecipitation processes that resulted in patchy zoning, age disturbance and sponge-like textures. Xenotime was also partially replaced by fluorapatite or hingganite-(Y) and Y-enriched allanite-(Ce). The termination of the low-temperature alteration was constrained by the U-Th-total Pb age of the uraninite inclusions that crystallized in zircon at 281 ± 2 Ma, which is consistent with the age of 278 ± 15 Ma obtained from the youngest cluster of U-Pb ages in the re-equilibrated high-U zircon domains. This study

  15. Time-scale calibration by U-Pb geochronology: Examples from the Triassic Period

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mundil, R.

    2009-05-01

    U-Pb zircon geochronology, pioneered by Tom Krogh, is a cornerstone for the calibration of the time scale. Before Krogh's innovations, U-Pb geochronology was essentially limited by laboratory blank Pb (typically hundreds of nanograms) inherent in the then existing zircon dissolution and purification methods. The introduction of high pressure HF dissolution combined with miniature ion exchange columns (1) reduced the blank by orders of magnitude and allowed mass-spectrometric analyses of minute amounts of material (picograms of Pb and U). Krogh also recognized the need for minimizing the effects of Pb loss, and the introduction of the air-abrasion technique was the method of choice for two decades (2), until the development of the combined annealing and chemical abrasion technique resulted in essentially closed system zircons (3). These are the prerequisite for obtaining precise (permil-level) and accurate radio-isotopic ages of individual zircons contained in primary volcanic ash deposits, which are primary targets for the calibration of the time scale if they occur within fossil bearing sediments. A prime example is the calibration of the Triassic time scale which improved significantly using these techniques. The ages for the base and the top of the Triassic are constrained by U-Pb ages to 252.3 (4) and 201.5 Ma (5), respectively. These dates also constrain the ages of major extinction events at the Permian-Triassic and Triassic-Jurassic boundaries, and are statistically indistinguishable from ages obtained for the Siberian Traps and volcanic products from the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province, respectively, suggesting a causal link. Ages for these continental volcanics, however, are mostly from the K-Ar (40Ar/39Ar) system which requires accounting and correcting for a systematic bias of ca 1 % between U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar isotopic ages (the 40Ar/39Ar ages being younger) (6). Robust U-Pb age constraints also exist for the Induan- Olenekian boundary (251.2 Ma, (7

  16. Chemical evolution of Himalayan leucogranites based on an O, U-Pb and Hf study of zircon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hopkinson, Thomas N.; Warren, Clare J.; Harris, Nigel B. W.; Hammond, Samantha J.; Parrish, Randall R.

    2015-04-01

    Crustal melting is a characteristic process at convergent plate margins, where crustal rocks are heated and deformed. Miocene leucogranite sheets and plutons are found intruded into the high-grade metasedimentary core (the Greater Himalayan Sequence, GHS) across the Himalayan orogen. Previously-published Himalayan whole-rock data suggest that these leucogranites formed from a purely meta-sedimentary source, isotopically similar to those into which they now intrude. Bulk rock analyses carry inherent uncertainties, however: they may hide contributions from different contributing sources, and post-crystallization processes such as fluid interaction may significantly alter the original chemistry. In contrast, zircon is more able to retain precise information of the contributing sources of the melt from which it crystallises whilst its resistant nature is impervious to post-magmatic processes. This multi-isotope study of Oligocene-Miocene leucogranite zircons from the Bhutan Himalaya, seeks to differentiate between various geochemical processes that contribute to granite formation. Hf and O isotopes are used to detect discrete changes in melt source while U-Pb isotopes provide the timing of zircon crystallisation. Our data show that zircon rims of Himalayan age yield Hf-O signatures that lie within the previously reported whole-rock GHS field, confirming the absence of a discernible mantle contribution to the leucogranite source. Importantly, we document a decrease in the minimum ɛHf values during Himalayan orogenesis through time, correlating to a change in Hf model age from 1.4 Ga to 2.4 Ga. Nd model ages for the older Lesser Himalayan metasediments (LHS) that underthrust the GHS are significantly older than those for the GHS (2.4-2.9 Ga compared with 1.4-2.2 Ga), and as such even minor contributions of LHS material incorporated into a melt would significantly increase the resulting Hf model age. Hence our leucogranite data suggest either a change of source within

  17. Detrital zircon study along the Tsangpo River, SE Tibet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liang, Y.; Chung, S.; Liu, D.; O'Reilly, S. Y.; Chu, M.; Ji, J.; Song, B.; Pearson, N. J.

    2004-12-01

    The interactions among tectonic uplift, river erosion and alluvial deposition are fundamental processes that shape the landscape of the Himalayan-Tibetan orogen since its creation from early Cenozoic time. To better understand these processes around the eastern Himalayan Syntaxis, we conducted a study by systematic sampling riverbank sediments along the Tsangpo River, SE Tibet. Detrital zircons separated from the sediments were subjected to U-Pb dating by the SHRIMP II at the Beijing SHRIMP Center and then in-situ measurements of Hf isotope ratios using LA-MC-ICPMS at GEMOC. These results, together with U-Pb ages and Hf isotope data that we recently obtained for the Transhimalayan plutonic and surrounding basement rocks, allow a more quantitative examination of the provenance or protosource areas for the river sediments. Consequently, the percentage inputs from these source areas can be estimated. Our study indicates that, before the Tsangpo River flows into the Namche Barwa Syntaxis of the eastern Himalayas where the River forms a 180° Big Bend gorge and crosscuts the Himalayan sequences, the Gangdese batholith that crops out just north of the River appear to be an overwhelming source accounting for ˜50 % of the bank sediments. The Tethyan Himalayan sequences south of the River are the second important source, with an input of ˜25 %. The proportion of sediment supply changes after the River enters the Big Bend gorge and turns to south: ˜25 % of detrital zircons are derived from the Greater Himalayas so that the input from the Tethyan Himalayas decreases (< 10 %) despite those from the Gangdese batholith remains high ( ˜40 %). Comparing with the sediment budget of the Brahmaputra River in the downstream based on literature Sr, Nd and Os isotope information, which suggests dominant ( ˜90-60 %) but subordinate ( ˜10-40 %) contributions by the (Greater and Lesser) Himalayan and Tibetan (including Tethyan Himalayan) rocks, respectively, the change is interpreted

  18. Extinct Plutonium Geochemistry of Ancient Hadean Zircons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Turner, G.; Gilmour, J.; Crowther, S.; Busfield, A.; Mojzsis, S.; Harrison, M.

    2005-12-01

    The abundance of 244Pu in the early solar system has important implications for r-process nucleosynthesis and models of noble gas transport within the Earth's mantle. Our recent discovery(1) of xenon isotopes from the in-situ decay of 244Pu in ancient Jack Hills zircons promises to provide a new time-sensitive window on the first 500 Ma of Earth history. We have extended this initial work by the use of resonance ioniisation mass spectrometry to analyse xenon released by stepped heating from 17 individual zircons with Pb-Pb ages in the range 3.95 to 4.18 Ga. Our immediate objectives are to determine the causes of variations in the inferred Pu/U ratios and in the longer term to determine the initial Pu/U ratio of the Earth. The Pu/U ratios calculated for individual zircons may be expected to vary as a result of igneous fractionation and also from differential loss of Pu and U fission xenon in the last 4 Ga. We have studied the effects of xenon loss by irradiating the zircons with thermal neutrons to generate xenon from 235U neutron fission in order to determine U/Xe ratios and apparent ages. 131Xe/134Xe and 132Xe/134Xe ratios can be used to calculate the relative contributions from 244Pu and 238U spontaneous fission and 235U neutron fission. The measured Pu/U ratios (back calculated to 4.56 Ga on the basis of the individual Pb-Pb ages) range from zero to 0.012. The highest ratio in our initial study was 0.008 (note that the published ratio has been revised upwards on the basis of improved decay parameters for 238U spontaneous fission). Comparison of Pb-Pb and U-Xe ages indicate varying amounts of xenon loss, over 50% in some cases. While this accounts for some of the variability in the inferred Pu/U, igneous fractionation may also play a part, and we are currently attempting to investigate this by a comparison with REE abundances. Reference: (1) Turner et al. (2004) Science, 306, 89-91.

  19. Integrated in situ U-Pb Age and Hf-O Analyses of Zircon from the Northern Yangtze Block: New Insights into the Neoproterozoic Low-δ18O Magmas in the South China Block

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Y. N.; Wang, X. C.; Li, Q. L.; Li, X. H.

    2015-12-01

    The oxygen isotopic composition of Neoproterozoic magmas from the northern Yangtze Block holds a key for the origin of large-scale 18O depletion in the HP and UHP metamorphic rocks in the Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt, northern margin of the South China Block. We report here the integrated in situ U-Pb dating and O-Hf isotope analyses of zircon grains from sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the late Neoproterozoic Suixian Group (SG) from the northern Yangtze Block. Detrital zircon grains display age peaks of 0.73-0.74 Ga, 0.79 Ga, and 2.0 Ga. Zircon U-Pb ages together with Hf-O isotopic composition indicate provenance of SG dominantly from proximal Neoproterozoic igneous rock and likely hidden Paleoproterozoic basement along the northern margin of the Yangtze Block. The zircon δ18O values from SG range from 10.5‰ to 1.3‰. Zircon grains with negative δ18O value, typical result of magma-ice interaction, were not identified in this study. The major phase of low-δ18O (< 4‰) magmas initiated at ca. 780 Ma, long before the first glaciation event (< 715 Ma) in the South China Block. Thus caution should be taken when using low-δ18O zircon grains to infer cold climate. Low-δ18O zircon grains have large ranges of ɛHf(t) values, varying from -15.5 to 10.7, concentrating on negative ɛHf(t). This strongly argues against the possibility that the low-δ18O magma was produced by partial melting of high-temperature hydrothermally altered oceanic crust because this model predicted MORB-like Hf isotopes for the resultant low-δ18O magmas. This study emphasizes that high-T water-rock interaction and continental rifting tectonic setting are essential to generate abundant low-δ18O magmas. The important application of our study is to confirm that most of negative-δ18O zircons identified in HP and UHP metamorphic rocks may not have been inherited from their Neoproterozoic protoliths.

  20. Zircon U-Pb, O, and Hf isotopic constraints on Mesozoic magmatism in the Cyclades, Aegean Sea, Greece

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fu, Bin; Bröcker, Michael; Ireland, Trevor; Holden, Peter; Kinsley, Leslie P. J.

    2015-01-01

    Compared to the well-documented Cenozoic magmatic and metamorphic rocks of the Cyclades, Aegean Sea, Greece, the geodynamic context of older meta-igneous rocks occurring in the marble-schist sequences and mélanges of the Cycladic Blueschist Unit is as yet not fully understood. Here, we report O-Hf isotopic compositions of zircons ranging in age from ca. 320 Ma to ca. 80 Ma from metamorphic rocks exposed on the islands of Andros, Ios, Sifnos, and Syros with special emphasis on Triassic source rocks. Ion microprobe (SHRIMP II) single spot oxygen isotope analysis of pre-Cretaceous zircons from various felsic gneisses and meta-gabbros representing both the marble-schist sequences and the mélanges of the study area yielded a large range in δ18O values, varying from 2.7 ‰ to 10.1 ‰ VSMOW, with one outlier at -0.4 %. Initial ɛHf values (-12.5 to +15.7) suggest diverse sources for melts formed between Late Carboniferous to Late Cretaceous time that record derivation from mantle and reworked older continental crust. In particular, variable δ18O and ɛHf( t) values for Triassic igneous zircons suggest that magmatism of this age is more likely rift- than subduction-related. The significant crustal component in 160 Ma meta-gabbros from Andros implies that some Jurassic gabbroic rocks of the Hellenides are not part of SSZ-type (supra-subduction zone) ophiolites that are common elsewhere along the margin of the Pelagonian zone.

  1. Assessing the isotopic evolution of S-type granites of the Carlos Chagas Batholith, SE Brazil: Clues from U-Pb, Hf isotopes, Ti geothermometry and trace element composition of zircon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Melo, Marilane G.; Lana, Cristiano; Stevens, Gary; Pedrosa-Soares, Antônio C.; Gerdes, Axel; Alkmin, Leonardo A.; Nalini, Hermínio A.; Alkmim, Fernando F.

    2017-07-01

    The Carlos Chagas batholith (CCB) is a very large ( 14,000 km2) S-type granitic body formed during the syn-collisional stage of the Araçuaí orogen (southeastern Brazil). Zircons extracted from the CCB record a wide range of U-Pb ages (from 825 to 490 Ma), indicating a complex history of inheritance, magmatic crystallization and partial melting during the evolution of the orogeny. Magmatic zircons (ca. 578-588 Ma) are marked by similar Hf isotope compositions and REE patterns to those of inherited cores (ca. 825-600 Ma), indicating that these aspects of the chemical signature of the magmatic zircons have likely been inherited from the source. The U-Pb ages and initial 176Hf/177Hf ratios from anatectic and metamorphic zircon domains are consistent with a two-stage metamorphic evolution marked by contrasting mechanisms of zircon growth and recrystallization during the orogeny. Ti-in-zircon thermometry is consistent with the findings of previous metamorphic work and indicates that the two metamorphic events in the batholith reached granulite facies conditions (> 800 °C) producing two generations of garnet via fluid-absent partial melting reactions. The oldest metamorphic episode (ca. 570-550 Ma) is recorded by development of thin anatectic overgrowths on older cores and by growth of new anatectic zircon crystals. Both domains have higher initial 176Hf/177Hf values compared to relict cores and display REE patterns typical of zircon that grew contemporaneously with peritectic garnet through biotite-absent fluid partial melting reactions. Hf isotopic and chemical evidences indicate that a second anatectic episode (ca. 535-500 Ma) is only recorded in parts from the CCB. In these rocks, the growth of new anatectic zircon and/or overgrowths is marked by high initial 176Hf/177Hf values and also by formation of second generation of garnet, as indicated by petrographic observations and REE patterns. In addition, some rocks contain zircon crystals formed by solid

  2. Temporal and spatial distribution of Paleozoic metamorphism in the southern Appalachian Blue Ridge and Inner Piedmont delimited by ion microprobe U-Pb ages of metamorphic zircon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Merschat, Arthur J.; Bream, Brendan R.; Huebner, Matthew T.; Hatcher, Robert D.; Miller, Calvin F.

    2017-01-01

    Ion microprobe U-Pb zircon rim ages from 39 samples from across the accreted terranes of the central Blue Ridge, eastward across the Inner Piedmont, delimit the timing and spatial extent of superposed metamorphism in the southern Appalachian orogen. Metamorphic zircon rims are 10–40 µm wide, mostly unzoned, and dark gray to black or bright white in cathodoluminescence, and truncate and/or embay interior oscillatory zoning. Black unzoned and rounded or ovoid-shaped metamorphic zircon morphologies also occur. Th/U values range from 0.01 to 1.4, with the majority of ratios less than 0.1. Results of 206Pb/238U ages, ±2% discordant, range from 481 to 305 Ma. Clustering within these data reveals that the Blue Ridge and Inner Piedmont terranes were affected by three tectonothermal events: (1) 462–448 Ma (Taconic); (2) 395–340 Ma (Acadian and Neoacadian); and (3) 335–322 Ma, related to the early phase of the Alleghanian orogeny. By combining zircon rim ages with metamorphic isograds and other published isotopic ages, we identify the thermal architecture of the southern Appalachian orogen: juxtaposed and superposed metamorphic domains have younger ages to the east related to the marginward addition of terranes, and these domains can serve as a proxy to delimit terrane accretion. Most 462–448 Ma ages occur in the western and central Blue Ridge and define a continuous progression from greenschist to granulite facies that identifies the intact Taconic core. The extent of 462–448 Ma metamorphism indicates that the central Blue Ridge and Tugaloo terranes were accreted to the western Blue Ridge during the Taconic orogeny. Zircon rim ages in the Inner Piedmont span almost 100 m.y., with peaks at 395–385, 376–340, and 335–322 Ma, and delimit the Acadian-Neoacadian and Alleghanian metamorphic core. The timing and distribution of metamorphism in the Inner Piedmont are consistent with the Devonian to Mississippian oblique collision of the Carolina superterrane

  3. Allogenic and Autogenic Signals in the Detrital Zircon U-Pb Record of the Deep-Sea Bengal Fan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blum, M. D.; Rogers, K. G.; Gleason, J. D.; Najman, Y.

    2017-12-01

    The Himalayan-sourced Ganges-Brahmaputra river system and the deep-sea Bengal Fan represent Earth's largest sediment-dispersal system. This presentation summarizes a new detrital zircon U-Pb (DZ) provenance record from the Bengal Fan from cores collected during IODP Expedition 354, with coring sites located 1350 km downdip from the shelf margin. Each of our 15 samples were collected from medium- to fine-grained turbidite sand and, based on shipboard biostratigraphic analyses, our samples are late Miocene to late Pleistocene in age. Each sample was analyzed by LA-ICPMS at the Arizona Laserchron facility, with an average of n=270 concordant U-Pb ages per sample. Our goals are to use these data to evaluate the influence of allogenic controls vs. autogenic processes on signal propagation from source-to-sink. At the first order, large-scale sediment transfer to the Bengal Fan clearly records the strong tectonic and climatic forcing associated with the Himalayas and Ganges-Brahmaputra system: after up to 2500 km of river transport, and 1350 km of transport in turbidity currents, the DZ record faithfully represents Himalayan source terrains. The sand-rich turbidite part of the record is nevertheless biased towards glacial periods when rivers extended across the shelf in response to climate-forced sea-level fall, and discharged directly to slope canyons. However, only part of the Bengal Fan DZ record represents either the Ganges or the Brahmaputra, with most samples representing varying degrees of mixing of sediments from the two systems: this mixing, or the lack thereof, represents the signal of autogenic avulsions on the delta plain that result in the two river systems delivering sediment separately to the shelf margin, or together as they do today. Within the allogenic framework established by tectonic processes, the climatic system, and global climate-forced sea-level change, the DZ U-Pb record of sediment mixing or the lack thereof provides a fingerprint of autogenic

  4. New Zircon U-Pb Age Constrain of the Origin of Devil's River Uplift (SW Texas) and Insights into the Late Proterozoic and Paleozoic Evolution of the Southern Margin of Laurentia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rodriguez, E.; Dickerson, P. W.; Stockli, D. F.

    2017-12-01

    The Devils River Uplift (DRU) in SW Texas records the evolution of the southern Laurentian margin from Grenvillian orogenesis and assembly of Rodinia, to its fragmentation by rifting, and to the amalgamation of Pangaea. It was cored by a well (Shell No. 1 Stewart), penetrating Precambrian gneisses and Cambrian metasediments and sandstones. New zircon LA-ICP-MS data from a total of 10 samples elucidate the crystallization and depositional ages, as well as the detrital provenance, of Precambrian and Cambrian rocks from the DRU. Zircons from five Precambrian crystalline basement samples (6000-9693') yield uniform U-Pb crystallization ages of 1230 Ma that are similar to ages for young gneisses of the Valley Spring Domain (Llano uplift) in central Texas, where they mark the cessation of arc magmatism within the Grenville orogenic belt. The 1230 Ma igneous basement is overlain by L.-M. Cambrian metasedimentary rocks ( 4000-6000') with maximum depositional ages of 533-545 Ma. Detrital zircons from Cambrian strata are dominated by a 1070-1080 Ma population, likely derived from basement units exposed in Texas (Llano uplift, Franklin Mts.), with minor contributions from local 1230 Ma Precambrian basement and the 1380-1500 Ma Granite Rhyolite Province. The L.-M. Cambrian interval is dominated (>80%) by Neoproterozoic detrital magmatic zircons with two major distinct age clusters at 570-700 Ma and 780-820 Ma, supporting a two-stage Rodinia rift model and providing strong evidence for major Cryogenian-Eocambrian intraplate magmatism along the southern margin of Rodinia. Moreover, detrital zircon signatures for L.-M. and U. Cambrian strata strongly correlate with those from the Cuyania terrane of W. Argentina - notably the W. Sierras Pampeanas (Sa. Pie de Palo, Sa. de Maz): 1230 Ma from metasandstones (PdP); 1081-1038 Ma from metasiliciclastics (PdP, SdM); Cryogenian-Eocambrian [774 & 570 Ma] plutons (SdM, PdP). In summary, these new zircon U-Pb data from DRU in SW Texas show

  5. Zircon ion microprobe dating of high-grade rocks in Sri Lanka

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Kroener, A.; Williams, I.S.; Compston, W.

    1987-11-01

    The high-grade gneisses of Sri Lanka display spectacular in-situ granulitization phenomena similar to those observed in southern India and of current interest for evolutionary models of the lower continental crust. The absolute ages of these rocks are poorly constrained and so, using the SHRIMP ion microprobe, the authors have analyzed small spots on zircons from upper amphibolite to granulite grade quartzitic and pelitic metasediments. Detrital grains from a metaquartzite of the Highland Group preserve premetamorphic U-Pb ages of between 3.17 and 2.4 Ga and indicate derivation of the sediment from an unidentified Archean source terrain. The Pb-loss patterns of thesemore » zircons and the other samples suggest severe disturbance at ca 1100 Ma ago, which the authors attribute to high-grade regional metamorphism. Two pelitic gneisses contain detrital zircons with ages up to 2.04 Ga and also record an approx. = 1100 Ma event that is also apparent from metamorphic rims around old cores and new zircon growth. A granite intrusive into the Highland Group granulites records an emplacement age of 1000-1100 Ma as well as metamorphic disturbance some 550 Ma ago but also contains older, crustally derived xenocrysts. Zircons from a metaquartzite xenolith within the granitoid Vijayan Complex are not older than approx. 1100 Ma; therefore the Vijayan is neither Archean in age nor acted as basement to the Highland Group, as previously proposed. The authors suggest that the Vijayan Complex formed significantly later than the Highland Group and that the two units were brought into contact through post-1.1 Ga thrusting. Although the granulitization phenomena in India and Sri Lanka are similar, the granulite event in Sri Lanka is not Archean in age but took place in the late Proterozoic.« less

  6. Zircon U-Pb Age Distributions in Cogenetic Crystal-Rich Dacitic and Crystal-Poor Rhyolitic Members of Zoned Ignimbrites in the Southern Rocky Mountains by Chemical Abrasion Inductively-Coupled-Plasma Mass Spectrometry (CA-LA-ICP-MS).

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sliwinski, J.; Zimmerer, M. J.; Guillong, M.; Bachmann, O.; Lipman, P. W.

    2015-12-01

    The San Juan locus of the Southern Rocky Mountain Volcanic Field (SRMVF) in SW Colorado represents an erosional remnant of a mid-Tertiary (~37-23 Ma) ignimbrite flare up that produced some of the most voluminous ignimbrites on Earth. A key feature of many SRMVF ignimbrites is compositional zonation, with many volcanic units comprising both dacitic and rhyolitic horizons. Geochemical, field and petrographic evidence suggests that dacites and rhyolites are cogenetic. Here, we report U-Pb zircon ages by chemical abrasion inductively-coupled-plasma mass spectrometry (CA-LA-ICPMS) for rhyolitic and dacitic components in four units: the Bonanza, Rat Creek, Carpenter Ridge and Nelson Mountain Tuffs. All units show zircon age spectra that are either within analytical uncertainty of Ar/Ar ages or are appreciably older, indicating prolonged magma residence times (~500 ka) prior to eruption. Anomalously young Pb-loss zones in zircon have been largely removed by chemical abrasion. Older, inherited zircons and zircon cores (60-2000 Ma) are rare in all samples, suggesting limited assimilation of upper crustal Precambrian country rock or complete resorption during recharge events and magma chamber growth.

  7. Geochemical and zircon isotopic evidence for extensive high level crustal contamination in Miocene to mid-Pleistocene intra-plate volcanic rocks from the Tengchong field, western Yunnan, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Linlin; Shi, Yuruo; Williams, Ian S.; Anderson, J. Lawford; Wu, Zhonghai; Wang, Shubing

    2017-08-01

    SHRIMP zircon Pb/U dating of Cenozoic volcanic rocks in the Tengchong area, western Yunnan Province, China, shows that the dacite and andesitic breccia lavas from Qushi village were intruded at 480 ± 10 ka and 800 ± 40 ka, respectively. Moreover, Pb/U dating of trachyandesite from Tuantian village and olivine basalt from Wuhe village give weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages of 2.82 ± 0.08 Ma and 12.28 ± 0.30 Ma. Corrections for initial 230Th disequilibrium of zircon were used for the former two younger ages. The Tengchong volcanic rocks have a large range of SiO2 (48.6-66.9 wt.%) and mostly belong to a high-K calc-alkaline series. The lavas originated from heterogeneous sources and were modified by subsequent fractional crystallization. The REE and other trace element patterns of the Tengchong volcanic rocks resemble magmas having a large component of continental crust. All have similar degrees of LREE and HREE fractionation and are enriched in LILE, La, Ce and Pb, with depletions in Nb, Ta, Ti, Sr and P relative to primitive mantle. Zircon δ18O values of 6.96 ± 0.17 and 7.01 ± 0.24‰ and highly varied negative εHf(t) values of - 1.5 to - 11.0 and - 10.3 to - 13.7, as well as the presence of inherited zircon grains in the studied samples, indicate that the magmas contain crustal material on a large scale. The Tengchong volcanic rocks have HFSE ratios (e.g., Nb/Ta, La/Nb, Zr/Y) similar to continental flood basalts, indicative of an intra-plate extensional tectonic setting. Widespread distributed faults might have facilitated upwelling of mantle-derived melts and eruptions from shallow crustal magma chambers to form the large volcanic field.

  8. U, Th, Pb and REE abundances and Pb 207/Pb 206 ages of individual minerals in returned lunar material by ion microprobe mass analysis.

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Andersen, C. A.; Hinthorne, J. R.

    1972-01-01

    Results of ion microprobe analyses of Apollo 11, 12 and 14 material, showing that U, Th, Pb and REE are concentrated in accessory minerals such as apatite, whitlockite, zircon, baddeleyite, zirkelite, and tranquillityite. Th/U ratios are found to vary by over a factor of 40 in these minerals. K, Ba, Rb and Sr have been localized in a K rich, U and Th poor glass phase that is commonly associated with the U and Th bearing accessory minerals. Li is observed to be fairly evenly distributed between the various accessory phases. The phosphates have been found to have REE abundance patterns (normalized to the chondrite abundances) that are fairly flat, while the Zr bearing minerals have patterns that rise steeply, by factors of ten or more, from La to Gd. All the accessory minerals have large negative Eu anomalies. Radiometric age dates (Pb 207/Pb 206) of the individual U and Th bearing minerals compare favorably with the Pb 207/Pb 206 age of the bulk rocks.

  9. U-Pb (zircon) and geochemical constraints on the age, origin, and evolution of Paleozoic arc magmas in the Oyu Tolgoi porphyry Cu-Au district, southern Mongolia

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wainwright, A.J.; Tosdal, R.M.; Wooden, J.L.; Mazdab, F.K.; Friedman, R.M.

    2011-01-01

    Uranium-Pb (zircon) ages are linked with geochemical data for porphyry intrusions associated with giant porphyry Cu-Au systems at Oyu Tolgoi to place those rocks within the petrochemical framework of Devonian and Carboniferous rocks of southern Mongolia. In this part of the Gurvansayhan terrane within the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, the transition from Devonian tholeiitic marine rocks to unconformably overlying Carboniferous calc-alkaline subaerial to shallow marine volcanic rocks reflects volcanic arc thickening and maturation. Radiogenic Nd and Pb isotopic compositions (??Nd(t) range from +3.1 to +7.5 and 206Pb/204Pb values for feldspars range from 17.97 to 18.72), as well as low high-field strength element (HFSE) contents of most rocks (mafic rocks typically have <1.5% TiO2) are consistent with magma derivation from depleted mantle in an intra-oceanic volcanic arc. The Late Devonian and Carboniferous felsic rocks are dominantly medium- to high-K calc-alkaline and characterized by a decrease in Sr/Y ratios through time, with the Carboniferous rocks being more felsic than those of Devonian age. Porphyry Cu-Au related intrusions were emplaced in the Late Devonian during the transition from tholeiitic to calc-alkaline arc magmatism. Uranium-Pb (zircon) geochronology indicates that the Late Devonian pre- to syn-mineral quartz monzodiorite intrusions associated with the porphyry Cu-Au deposits are ~372Ma, whereas granodiorite intrusions that post-date major shortening and are associated with less well-developed porphyry Cu-Au mineralization are ~366Ma. Trace element geochemistry of zircons in the Late Devonian intrusions associated with the porphyry Cu-Au systems contain distinct Th/U and Yb/Gd ratios, as well as Hf and Y concentrations that reflect mixing of magma of distinct compositions. These characteristics are missing in the unmineralized Carboniferous intrusions. High Sr/Y and evidence for magma mixing in syn- to late-mineral intrusions distinguish the Late

  10. Zircon age-temperature-compositional spectra in plutonic rocks

    DOE PAGES

    Samperton, Kyle M.; Bell, Elizabeth A.; Barboni, Mélanie; ...

    2017-08-23

    We present that geochronology can resolve dispersed zircon dates in plutonic rocks when magma cooling time scales exceed the temporal precision of individual U-Pb analyses; such age heterogeneity may indicate protracted crystallization between the temperatures of zircon saturation (T sat) and rock solidification (T solid). Diffusive growth models predict asymmetric distributions of zircon dates and crystallization temperatures in a cooling magma, with volumetrically abundant old, hot crystallization at T sat decreasing continuously to volumetrically minor young, cold crystallization at T solid. We present integrated geochronological and geochemical data from Bergell Intrusion tonalites (Central Alps, Europe) that document zircon compositional changemore » over hundreds of thousands of years at the hand-sample scale, indicating melt compositional evolution during solidification. Ti-in-zircon thermometry, crystallization simulation using MELTS software, and U-Pb dates produce zircon mass-temperature-time distributions that are in excellent agreement with zircon growth models. In conclusion, these findings provide the first quantitative validation of longstanding expectations from zircon saturation theory by direct geochronological investigation, underscoring zircon’s capacity to quantify supersolidus cooling rates in magmas and resolve dynamic differentiation histories in the plutonic rock record.« less

  11. Zircon age-temperature-compositional spectra in plutonic rocks

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Samperton, Kyle M.; Bell, Elizabeth A.; Barboni, Mélanie

    We present that geochronology can resolve dispersed zircon dates in plutonic rocks when magma cooling time scales exceed the temporal precision of individual U-Pb analyses; such age heterogeneity may indicate protracted crystallization between the temperatures of zircon saturation (T sat) and rock solidification (T solid). Diffusive growth models predict asymmetric distributions of zircon dates and crystallization temperatures in a cooling magma, with volumetrically abundant old, hot crystallization at T sat decreasing continuously to volumetrically minor young, cold crystallization at T solid. We present integrated geochronological and geochemical data from Bergell Intrusion tonalites (Central Alps, Europe) that document zircon compositional changemore » over hundreds of thousands of years at the hand-sample scale, indicating melt compositional evolution during solidification. Ti-in-zircon thermometry, crystallization simulation using MELTS software, and U-Pb dates produce zircon mass-temperature-time distributions that are in excellent agreement with zircon growth models. In conclusion, these findings provide the first quantitative validation of longstanding expectations from zircon saturation theory by direct geochronological investigation, underscoring zircon’s capacity to quantify supersolidus cooling rates in magmas and resolve dynamic differentiation histories in the plutonic rock record.« less

  12. Detrital zircon U-Pb and (U-Th)/He double-dating of Upper Cretaceous-Cenozoic Zagros foreland basin strata in the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barber, D. E.; Stockli, D. F.; Koshnaw, R. I.; Horton, B. K.; Tamar-Agha, M. Y.; Kendall, J. J.

    2014-12-01

    The NW Zagros orogen is the result of the multistage collisional history associated with Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic convergence of the Arabian and Eurasian continents and final closure of Neotethys. Siliciclastic strata preserved within a ~400 km segment of the NW Zagros fold-thrust belt and foreland basin in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR) provide a widespread record of exhumation and sedimentation. As a means of assessing NW Zagros foreland basin evolution and chronostratigraphy, we present coupled detrital zircon (DZ) U-Pb and (U-Th)/He geo-thermochronometric data of Upper Cretaceous to Pliocene siliciclastic strata from the Duhok, Erbil, and Suleimaniyah provinces of IKR. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb age analyses reveal that the foreland basin fill in IKR in general was dominantly derived from Pan-African/Arabian-Nubian, Peri-Gondwandan, Eurasian, and Cretaceous volcanic arc terrenes. However, the provenance of these strata varies systematically along strike and through time, with an overall increase in complexity upsection. DZ age distribution of Paleocene-Eocene strata is dominated by a ~95 Ma grain age population, likely sourced from the Late Cretaceous Hassanbag-Bitlis volcanic arc complex along the northern margin of Arabia. In contrast, DZ U-Pb age distributions of Neogene strata show a major contribution derived from various Eurasian (e.g., Iranian, Tauride, Pontide; ~45, 150, 300 Ma) and Pan-African (~550, 950 Ma) sources. The introduction of Eurasian DZ ages at the Paleogene-Neogene transition likely records the onset of Arabian-Eurasian collision. Along strike to the southeast, the DZ U-Pb spectra of Neogene strata show a decreased percentage of Pan-African, Peri-Gondwandan, Tauride, and Ordovician ages, coupled with a dramatic increase in 40-50 Ma DZ ages that correspond to Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic rocks in Iran. Combined with paleocurrent data, this suggests that Neogene sediments were transported longitudinally southeastward through an unbroken foreland basin

  13. Petrologic and zircon U-Pb geochronological characteristics of the pelitic granulites from the Badu Complex of the Cathaysia Block, South China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Lei; Zhou, Xiwen; Zhai, Mingguo; Liu, Bo; Cui, Xiahong

    2018-06-01

    The recognition of the Indosinian Orogeny in the South China block has been controversial and difficult because of strong weathering and thick cover. High temperature (HT) and high pressure (HP) metamorphic rocks related to this orogeny were considered to be absent from this orogenic belt until the recent discovery of eclogite and granulite facies meta-igneous rocks, occurring as lenses within the meta-sedimentary rocks of the Badu Complex. However, metamorphic state of these meta-sedimentary rocks is still not clear. Besides, there have been no geochronological data of HT pelitic granulites previously reported from the Badu Complex. This paper presents petrographic characteristics and zircon geochronological results on the newly discovered kyanite garnet gneiss, pyroxene garnet gneiss and the HT pelitic granulites (sillimanite garnet gneiss). Mineral assemblages are garnet + sillimanite + ternary feldspar + plagioclase + quartz + biotite for the HT pelitic granulite, kyanite + ternary feldspar + garnet + sillimanite + plagioclase + quartz + biotite for the kyanite garnet gneiss, and garnet + biotite + pyroxene + plagioclase + ternary feldspar + quartz for the pyroxene garnet gneiss, respectively. Decompressional coronas around garnet grains can be observed in all these pelitic rocks. Typical granulite facies mineral assemblages and reaction textures suggest that these rocks experienced HP granulite facies metamorphism and overprinted decompression along a clockwise P-T loop. Results from integrated U-Pb dating and REE analysis indicate the growth of metamorphic zircons from depleted heavy REE sources (100-50 chondrite) compared with detrital zircons derived from granitic sources (typically > 1000 chondrite). Metamorphic zircons in HP granulite exhibit no or subdued negative Eu anomalies, which perhaps indicate zircon overgrowth under eclogite facies conditions. The zircon overgrowth ages range from 250 to 235 Ma, suggesting that HP granulite (eclogite) to

  14. Generation and Evolution of Quaternary Magmas Beneath Tengchong: Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf Isotope and Zircon U-series Age Constraints

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zou, H.; Ma, M.; Fan, Q.; Xu, B.; Li, S. Q.; Zhao, Y.; King, D. T., Jr.

    2017-12-01

    The Tengchong volcanic field on the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau represents rare Quaternary volcanic eruptions on the plateau. The Quaternary Tengchong volcanic field formed high-potassium calc-alkaline volcanic rocks that include trachybasalts, basaltic trachyandesites, trachyandesites, and dacites. Herein, we present comprehensive Nd-Sr-Pb-Hf isotopic and elemental data for trachybasalts, basaltic trachyandesites, and trachyandesites from four young Tengchong volcanoes at Maanshan, Dayingshan, Heikongshan, and Laoguipo, in order to understand their magma genesis and evolution. Nd-Sr-Pb-Hf isotopes for the primitive Tengchong magma (trachybasalts with SiO2 <52.5 wt. % and MgO >5.5% wt. %) reflect a heterogeneous enriched mantle source. High Th/U, Th/Ta, and Rb/Nb ratios and Nd-Sr-Pb-Hf isotope characteristics of the primitive magmas suggest that the enriched mantle beneath Tengchong formed as a result of subduction of clay-rich sediments, which probably came from the Indian continental plate. Partial melting of the enriched mantle was generated by deep continental subduction coupled with recent regional extension in the Tengchong area. With regard to the evolved magmas (basaltic trachyandesites and trachyandesites), good correlations between SiO2 content and the ratios 87Sr/86Sr, 143Nd/144Nd, 206Pb/204Pb, and 177Hf/176Hf strongly suggest that the combined assimilation and fractional crystallization (AFC) was an important process during magma evolution to form these basaltic trachyandesites and trachyandesites. Uranium-series zircon dating on these evolved lavas from Tengchong is used to constrain their magma evolution and residence timescales.

  15. Permian A-type rhyolites of the Muráň Nappe, Inner Western Carpathians, Slovakia: in-situ zircon U-Pb SIMS ages and tectonic setting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ondrejka, Martin; Li, Xian-Hua; Vojtko, Rastislav; Putis, Marian; Uher, Pavel; Sobocký, Tomas

    2018-04-01

    Three representative A-type rhyolitic rock samples from the Muráň Nappe of the inferred Silicic Unit of the Inner Western Carpathians (Slovakia) were dated using the high-precision SIMS U-Pb isotope technique on zircons. The geochronological data presented in this paper is the first in-situ isotopic dating of these volcanic rocks. Oscillatory zoned zircon crystals mostly revealed concordant Permian (Guadalupian) ages: 266.6 ± 2.4 Ma in Tisovec-Rejkovo (TIS-1), 263.3 ± 1.9 Ma in Telgárt-Gregová Hill (TEL-1) and 269.5 ± 1.8 Ma in Veľká Stožka-Dudlavka (SD-2) rhyolites. The results indicate that the formation of A-type rhyolites and their plutonic equivalents are connected to magmatic activity during the Permian extensional tectonics and most likely related to the Pangea supercontinent break-up.

  16. Quantifying the timescales of Archean UHT metamorphism through U-Pb monazite and zircon petrochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guevara, V.; MacLennan, S. A.; Schoene, B.; Dragovic, B.; Caddick, M. J.; Kylander-Clark, A. R.; Couëslan, C. G.

    2016-12-01

    Unraveling the timescales of metamorphism is crucial to understanding the mechanisms behind mass/heat transfer through Earth's crust. Though such mechanisms and their durations are becoming well constrained in modern (Phanerozoic) settings, the drivers of metamorphism in the ancient geologic record remain more enigmatic. The development of accessory phase petrochronology has allowed metamorphic evolution to be closely linked to isotopic dates, ultimately improving quantification of metamorphic durations. While in-situ petrochronological methods preserve textural and spatial context, they often lack the temporal resolution required to accurately quantify metamorphic duration in Archean terranes. Here we combine in-situ U-Pb monazite (mnz) and zircon (zrn) laser ablation split-stream (LASS) and high-precision ID-TIMS-TEA petrochronology of distinct grain domains to resolve the timescales of ultrahigh temperature (UHT) metamorphism in the Archean Pikwitonei granulite domain (PGD). The PGD encompasses >1.5x105 km2 of granulite-facies rocks on the NW edge of the Superior Province. Themodynamic modelling of a pelite from the western part of the PGD suggests peak P-T conditions of >8 kbar, 900-940 °C and UHT decompression to 8 kbar followed by cooling. LASS analysis of zrn inclusions in garnet (grt) yields a date of 2701 Ma, with Ti in zrn thermometry yielding T of 800-900 °C. LASS analysis of mnz yields dates of 2720-2680 Ma for low HREE domains with no to shallow negative Eu anomalies, suggestive of growth during plagioclase (plg) breakdown and grt stability. ID-TIMS analysis of a mnz fragment with a strong negative Eu anomaly, suggestive of growth during plg stability, gives a concordant 207Pb/206Pb date of 2666 Ma, consistent with LASS results of 2660-2640 Ma for chemically similar domains. ID-TIMS analyses of zrn rims yield a range of 207Pb/206Pb dates from 2671 to 2656 Ma (±<1 Ma). Ti in zrn yields 800 °C for these rims, indicating they grew at similar T

  17. Archean crustal evolution of the Narryer Gneiss Terrane, Western Australia, as revealed by the U-Pb age and Hf-isotope compositions of zircon from the granitic gneisses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sylvester, P.; Souders, K.; Crowley, J. L.; Myers, J.

    2011-12-01

    The Narryer Gneiss Terrane of the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia, is an important area for studies of early crustal evolution because of the preservation of (1) detrital zircons of Hadean to Archean age in the Jack Hills and Mt. Narryer metasedimentary belts, and (2) several widespread units of granitic gneisses emplaced between ca. 3.7 and 2.6 Ga. We have analyzed the U-Pb geochronology and Hf-isotope geochemistry of magmatic zircons from 38 samples of the granitic gneisses using laser ablation - (multicollector) - ICPMS. The sample suite is dominated by the Meeberrie gneiss, a banded quartz-microcline-oligoclase-biotite gneiss of monzogranite to granodiorite composition, and the Dugel gneiss, a leucocratic, pegmatite-layered syenogranite gneiss, but gneisses of dioritic to tonalitic composition, as well as less deformed granite sheets, are also represented. Magmatic zircons were identified on the basis of the preservation of oscillatory zoning in BSE and CL images, igneous Th/U ratios (>0.2), and concordant U-Pb isotopic systematics with low common Pb contents. The results indicate many of the gneisses are composed of the products of multiple magmatic events, as has been reported previously for samples of the Meeberrie gneiss (Kinny & Nutman, 1996, Precambrian Res. 78, 165-178). Major ages of magmatism preserved in the gneisses occurred at ca. 3685-3665 Ma, 3620-3565 Ma, 3495-3440 Ma, 3375-3330 Ma, and 3300-3260 Ma. The late granite sheets crystallized at 2710-2645 Ma. Hf-isotope compositions of the zircons trend to less radiogenic values with decreasing age, with ɛHf values of ca. 0 to -5 for 3.7-3.4 Ga gneisses, ca. -1 to -9 for 3.4-3.2 Ga gneisses and ca. -5 to -20 for the late granite sheets. The array of the Hf isotopic compositions with time for the entire sample set are fit well by a regression indicating a source reservoir with a 176Lu/177Hf of 0.022 extracted from the depleted mantle at 3.9 Ga. This suggests that the Narryer gneisses and late granite

  18. Deformation-related microstructures in magmatic zircon and implications for diffusion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reddy, Steven Michael; Timms, Nicholas E.; Hamilton, Patrick Joseph; Smyth, Helen R.

    2009-02-01

    An undeformed glomeroporphyritic andesite from the Sunda Arc of Java, Indonesia, contains zoned plagioclase and amphibole glomerocrysts in a fine-grained groundmass and records a complex history of adcumulate formation and subsequent magmatic disaggregation. A suite of xenocrystic zircon records Proterozoic and Archaean dates whilst a discrete population of zoned, euhedral, igneous zircon yields a SHRIMP U-Pb crystallisation age of 9.3 ± 0.2 Ma. Quantitative microstructural analysis of zircon by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) shows no deformation in the inherited xenocrysts, but intragrain orientation variations of up to 30° in 80% of the young zircon population. These variations are typically accommodated by both progressive crystallographic bending and discrete low angle boundaries that overprint compositional growth zoning. Dispersion of crystallographic orientations are dominantly by rotation about an axis parallel to the zircon c-axis [001], which is coincident with the dominant orientation of misorientation axes of adjacent analysis points in EBSD maps. Less common <100> misorientation axes account for minor components of crystallographic dispersion. These observations are consistent with zircon deformation by dislocation creep and the formation of tilt and twist boundaries associated with the operation of <001>{100} and <100>{010} slip systems. The restriction of deformation microstructures to large glomerocrysts and the young magmatic zircon population, and the absence of deformation within the host igneous rock and inherited zircon grains, indicate that zircon deformation took place within a low-melt fraction (<5% melt), mid-lower crustal cumulate prior to fragmentation during magmatic disaggregation and entrainment of xenocrystic zircons during magmatic decompression. Tectonic stresses within the compressional Sunda Arc at the time of magmatism are considered to be the probable driver for low-strain deformation of the cumulate in the late

  19. Testing the reliability of information extracted from ancient zircon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kielman, Ross; Whitehouse, Martin; Nemchin, Alexander

    2015-04-01

    Studies combining zircon U-Pb chronology, trace element distribution as well as O and Hf isotope systematics are a powerful way to gain understanding of the processes shaping Earth's evolution, especially in detrital populations where constraints from the original host are missing. Such studies of the Hadean detrital zircon population abundant in sedimentary rocks in Western Australia have involved analysis of an unusually large number of individual grains, but also highlighted potential problems with the approach, only apparent when multiple analyses are obtained from individual grains. A common feature of the Hadean as well as many early Archaean zircon populations is their apparent inhomogeneity, which reduces confidence in conclusions based on studies combining chemistry and isotopic characteristics of zircon. In order to test the reliability of information extracted from early Earth zircon, we report results from one of the first in-depth multi-method study of zircon from a relatively simple early Archean magmatic rock, used as an analogue to ancient detrital zircon. The approach involves making multiple SIMS analyses in individual grains in order to be comparable to the most advanced studies of detrital zircon populations. The investigated sample is a relatively undeformed, non-migmatitic ca. 3.8 Ga tonalite collected a few kms south of the Isua Greenstone Belt, southwest Greenland. Extracted zircon grains can be combined into three different groups based on the behavior of their U-Pb systems: (i) grains that show internally consistent and concordant ages and define an average age of 3805±15 Ma, taken to be the age of the rock, (ii) grains that are distributed close to the concordia line, but with significant variability between multiple analyses, suggesting an ancient Pb loss and (iii) grains that have multiple analyses distributed along a discordia pointing towards a zero intercept, indicating geologically recent Pb-loss. This overall behavior has

  20. New U Pb SHRIMP zircon age for the Schurwedraai alkali granite: Implications for pre-impact development of the Vredefort Dome and extent of Bushveld magmatism, South Africa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Graham, I. T.; De Waal, S. A.; Armstrong, R. A.

    2005-12-01

    The Schurwedraai alkali granite is one of a number of prominent ultramafic-mafic and felsic intrusions in the Neoarchaean to Palaeoproterozoic sub-vertical supracrustal collar rocks of the Vredefort Dome, South Africa. The alkali granite intruded the Neoarchaean Witwatersrand Supergroup and has a peralkaline to peraluminous composition. A new zircon SHRIMP crystallization age of 2052 ± 14 Ma for the Schurwedraai alkali granite places it statistically before the Vredefort impact event at 2023 ± 4 Ma and within the accepted emplacement interval of 2050-2060 Ma of the Bushveld magmatic event. The presence of the alkali granite and associated small ultramafic-mafic intrusions in the Vredefort collar rocks extends the southern extremity of Bushveld-related intrusions to some 120 km south of Johannesburg and about 150 km south of the current outcrop area of the Bushveld Complex. The combined effect of these ultramafic-mafic and felsic bodies may have contributed to a pronouncedly steep pre-impact geothermal gradient in the Vredefort area, and to the amphibolite-grade metamorphism observed in the supracrustal collar rocks of the Vredefort Dome.

  1. Two mineralization events in the Baiyinnuoer Zn-Pb deposit in Inner Mongolia, China: Evidence from field observations, S-Pb isotopic compositions and U-Pb zircon ages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Si-Hong; Chen, Chun-Liang; Bagas, Leon; Liu, Yuan; Han, Ning; Kang, Huan; Wang, Ze-Hai

    2017-08-01

    The Xing-Mong Orogenic Belt (XMOB) is located in the eastern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) and has experienced multiple tectonic events. The Baiyinnuoer Pb-Zn deposit may be a rare case that documents two periods of mineralization in the tectonically complex XMOB. There are two types of Pb-Zn mineralization in the deposit: (1) skarn-type ore, hosted by the skarn in the contact zone between marble and granodiorite and within the marble and (2) vein-type ore, hosted by crystal tuff and feldspar porphyry. This study revealed that the host rocks, mineral assemblages, mineralization occurrences, S-Pb isotopes, and ages between the two types of ore are notably different. Zircon U-Pb dating indicates that the granodiorite was emplaced in the Early Triassic (244 ± 1 to 242 ± 1 Ma), the crystal tuff was deposited in the Early Cretaceous (140 ± 1 to 136 ± 1 Ma), and the feldspar porphyry was intruded in the Early Cretaceous (138 ± 2 to 136 ± 2 Ma). The first skarn mineralization occurred at ∼240 Ma and the second vein-type Pb-Zn mineralization took place between 136 and 129 Ma. Thus the Triassic orebodies were overprinted by Early Cretaceous mineralization. The sphalerite and galena from the skarn mineralization have higher δ34S values (-4.7 to +0.3‰) than the sphalerite, galena and aresenopyrite from the vein-type mineralization (-7.5 to -4.2‰), indicating different sulfur sources or ore-forming processes for the two types of mineralization. The Pb isotopic compositions of the two types of ore are very similar, suggesting similar lead sources. Geochemistry and Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic systematics of the igneous rocks in the region show that the Triassic granodiorite was generated from hybridization of mafic and felsic magmas due to strong crust-mantle interaction under the collisional setting that resulted following the closure of the Paleo-Asian Ocean and the collision of North China and Siberian cratons at the end of the Permian; while the

  2. A cathodoluminescence study on zircons with a complex thermal history traces back Permian crustal events in the Ivrea Zone (South Alpine, Northern Italy)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peressini, G.; Poller, U.

    2003-04-01

    In the context of a U-Pb SHRIMP data-set, a cathodoluminescence (CL) study has been performed on zircons from the Ivrea-Verbano Zone; this is a tectonically bounded section of intermediate to deep crust, tilted and obducted in Alpine time, in which a large deep-crustal intrusion of mantle origin, the Mafic Complex (MC), was emplaced in the Early Permian. Zircons from 16 samples from the different units of the MC have been studied using CL. Three samples collected from the Paragneiss Bearing Belt (PBB) yield some partially reset spot-ages, reflecting the field observation that country rock slabs are frequent in that area. On the other side, unlike in zircons from granites, the cores are invisible under CL-imaging, and this makes the U-Pb spot-age results unpredictable, with a continuous range of ages in the same sample, spanning for an interval of over 35 Ma, followed by some much older peaks, up to 600 Ma. A fourth sample, collected 2 km far, but still within the PBB, defines instead a unique, well-defined age at 287±3 Ma, with no older peaks, its zircons showing a CL pattern typical for metamorphic grains. A different case is displayed by a sample collected from the deeper Amphibole Gabbro unit: each single grain records a complex story of magmatic growth with variable diffusivity conditions. All of them show a second major overprint, that lead to both (re)crystallization and resorption, always corresponding to much lower U and Th contents, with no sensible modification of the Th-U ratio. The age of the second event, though, is not distinguishable from that of first crystallization of the grains, and has not been at such a temperature as to obliterate the fine zoning pattern of the primary grain. The CL patterns of each single grain, composed of different domains, allow considerations on the environmental conditions of growth and (re)crystallization. CL is a very powerful tool itself, revealing crystal-chemical processes. The integration of the CL-study with the

  3. Neoproterozoic transpression and granite magmatism in the Gavilgarh-Tan Shear Zone, central India: Tectonic significance of U-Pb zircon and U-Th-total Pb monazite ages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chattopadhyay, Anupam; Chatterjee, Amitava; Das, Kaushik; Sarkar, Arindam

    2017-10-01

    The Gavilgarh-Tan Shear Zone (GTSZ) is a crustal-scale shear/fault zone that dissects the unclassified basement gneisses separating two major supracrustal belts, viz. the Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic (≥1.5 Ga) Betul Belt and the Neoproterozoic (∼1.0 Ga) Sausar Belt, of the Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ). The GTSZ extends for more than 300 km strike length, partly covered by the Deccan Trap flows. Granitoid rocks ranging from syenogranite to granodiorite in composition, sheared at temperatures corresponding to the amphibolite facies metamorphic condition, define the GTSZ in the Kanhan River Valley. Earlier geological studies have suggested that the GTSZ underwent a sinistral-sense partitioned transpression in response to an oblique collision between two continental fragments, possibly related to crustal thickening and high-pressure granulite metamorphism (the Ramakona-Katangi granulite: RKG) in the northern part of the Sausar Belt. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of zircon and EPMA U-Th-total Pb dating of monazite grains from four different types of syn-tectonic granitoids of the GTSZ carried out in the present study show that granitoids intruded the basement gneisses between 1.2 Ga and 0.95 Ga, given the error limit of the calculated ages. The age of transpression and mylonitization is more definitely bracketed between 1.0 Ga and 0.95 Ga, which correlates well with the published ages of deformation and metamorphism in the Sausar Belt. This age data strongly supports the suggested collisional tectonic model involving the GTSZ and the RKG granulites of the Sausar Belt and underlines a Grenvillian-age tectonic history for the southern part of the Central Indian Tectonic Zone (CITZ), which possibly culminated in the crustal assembly of the Neoproterozoic supercontinent Rodinia.

  4. U-Pb zircon, geochemical and Sr-Nd-Hf-O isotopic constraints on age and origin of the ore-bearing intrusions from the Nurkazgan porphyry Cu-Au deposit in Kazakhstan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shen, Ping; Pan, Hongdi; Seitmuratova, Eleonora; Jakupova, Sholpan

    2016-02-01

    Nurkazgan, located in northeastern Kazakhstan, is a super-large porphyry Cu-Au deposit with 3.9 Mt metal copper and 229 tonnage gold. We report in situ zircon U-Pb age and Hf-O isotope data, whole rock geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic data for the ore-bearing intrusions from the Nurkazgan deposit. The ore-bearing intrusions include the granodiorite porphyry, quartz diorite porphyry, quartz diorite, and diorite. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) zircon U-Pb dating indicates that the granodiorite porphyry and quartz diorite porphyry emplaced at 440 ± 3 Ma and 437 ± 3 Ma, respectively. All host rocks have low initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.70338-0.70439), high whole-rock εNd(t) values (+5.9 to +6.3) and very high zircon εHf(t) values (+13.4 to +16.5), young whole-rock Nd and zircon Hf model ages, and consistent and slightly high zircon O values (+5.7 to +6.7), indicating that the ore-bearing magmas derived from the mantle without old continental crust involvement and without marked sediment contamination during magma emplacement. The granodiorite porphyry and quartz diorite porphyry are enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) and light rare earth elements (LREE) and depleted in high-field strength elements (HFSE), Eu, Ba, Nb, Sr, P and Ti. The diorite and quartz diorite have also LILE and LREE enrichment and HFSE, Nb and Ti depletion, but have not negative Eu, Ba, Sr, and P anomalies. These features suggest that the parental magma of the granodiorite porphyry and quartz diorite porphyry originated from melting of a lithospheric mantle and experienced fractional crystallization, whereas the diorite and quartz diorite has a relatively deeper lithospheric mantle source region and has not experienced strong fractional crystallization. Based on these, together with the coeval ophiolites in the area, we propose that a subduction of the Balkhash-Junggar oceanic plate took place during the Early Silurian and the ore-bearing intrusions and associated Nurkazgan

  5. Middle Neoproterozoic (ca. 705-716 Ma) arc to rift transitional magmatism in the northern margin of the Yangtze Block: Constraints from geochemistry, zircon U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Ruirui; Xu, Zhiqin; Santosh, M.; Xu, Xianbing; Deng, Qi; Fu, Xuehai

    2017-09-01

    The South Qinling Belt in Central China is an important window to investigate the Neoproterozoic tectono-magmatic processes along the northern margin of the Yangtze Block. Here we present whole-rock geochemistry, zircon U-Pb geochronology and Lu-Hf isotopes of a suite of Middle Neoproterozoic intrusion from the Wudang Uplift in South Qinling. Zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb ages reveal that these rocks were formed at ca. 705-716 Ma. Geochemical features indicate that the felsic magmatic rocks are I-type granitoids, belong to calcic- to calc-alkaline series, and display marked negative Nb, Ta and Ti anomalies. Moreover, the enrichment of light rare earth elements (LREEs) and large ion lithophile elements (LILEs), combined with depletion of heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) support that these rocks have affinity to typical arc magmatic rocks formed in Andean-type active continental margins. The REE patterns are highly to moderately fractionated, with (La/Yb)N = 5.13-8.10 in meta-granites, and 2.32-2.35 in granodiorite. The granitoids have a wide range of zircon εHf(t) values (-29.91 to 14.76) and zircon Hf two-stage model ages (696-3482 Ma). We suggest that the ca. 705-716 Ma granitoids were sourced from different degrees of magma mixing between partial melting of the overlying mantle wedge triggered by hydrous fluids released from subducted materials and crustal melting. The hybrid magmas were emplaced in the shallow crust accompanied by assimilation and fractional crystallization (AFC). Both isotopic and geochemical data suggest that the ca. 705-716 Ma felsic magmatic rocks were formed along a continental arc. These rocks as well as the contemporary A-type granite may mark a transitional tectonic regime from continental arc to rifting, probably related to slab rollback during the oceanic subduction beneath the northern margin of Yangtze Block.

  6. The Paleogene California River: Evidence of Mojave-Uinta paleodrainage from U-Pb ages of detrital zircons

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Davis, S.J.; Dickinson, W.R.; Gehrels, G.E.; Spencer, J.E.; Lawton, T.F.; Carroll, A.R.

    2010-01-01

    U-Pb age spectra of detrital zircons in samples from the Paleogene Colton Formation in the Uinta Basin of northeastern Utah and the Late Cretaceous McCoy Mountains Formation of southwestern Arizona (United States) are statistically indistinguishable. This finding refutes previous inferences that arkosic detritus of the Colton was derived from cratonic basement exposed by Laramide tectonism, and instead establishes the Cordilleran magmatic arc (which also provided sediment to the McCoy Mountains Formation) as the primary source. Given the existence of a north-south-trending drainage divide in eastern Nevada and the north-northeast direction of Laramide paleoflow throughout Arizona and southern Utah, we infer that a large river system headed in the arc of the Mojave region flowed northeast ~700 km to the Uinta Basin. Named after its source area, this Paleogene California River would have been equal in scale but opposite in direction to the modern Green River-Colorado River system, and the timing and causes of the subsequent drainage reversal are important constraints on the tectonic evolution of the Cordillera and the Colorado Plateau. ?? 2010 Geological Society of America.

  7. Temporal and Spatial Fluctuations in Ancestral Northern Cascade Arc Magmatism from New LA-ICP-MS U-Pb Zircon Dating

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCallum, I. S.; Mullen, E.; Jean-Louis, P.; Tepper, J. H.

    2015-12-01

    Mt. Baker and the adjacent Chilliwack batholith (MBC focus) in NW Washington preserve the longest magmatic record in the Cascade Arc, providing an excellent natural laboratory for examining the spatial, temporal and geochemical evolution of Cascade magmatism and links to tectonic processes. We present new U-Pb zircon LA-ICP-MS ages for 14 samples from MBC and neighboring regions of the north Cascades. The new results are up to 8 Myr different from previous K-Ar ages, illustrating the need for new age determinations in the Cascades. A maximum age of 34.74±0.24 Ma (2σ) (Post Creek stock) is consistent with 35-40 Ma ages for arc inception in the southern Cascades. The most voluminous MBC plutons cluster at 32-29 Ma, consistent with an early flare-up that also coincides with intrusion of the Index batholith farther south (2 samples at 33.26±0.19, 33.53±0.15 Ma). This flare-up is absent in the northernmost Cascades where the oldest pluton (Fall Creek stock) is 6.646±0.046 Ma, 4 Myr younger than previously cited. Earliest Cascade magmatism is progressively younger to the north of MBC, possibly tracing the northerly passage of the slab edge. MBC activity was continuous to 22.75±0.17 Ma (Whatcom Arm), marking the initiation of an 11 Myr hiatus. Magmatism resumed at 11.33±0.08 Ma (Indian Creek) and continued to the modern Mt. Baker cone, defining a pattern of southwesterly migration over ~55 km that may be attributable to slab rollback and arc rotation (e.g. Wells & McCaffrey 2013). Uniformity of the rate and direction of migration implies that rollback and rotation began at least 11 Myr ago. Post-hiatus magmas show distinct geochemical and petrologic characteristics including a major Pb isotopic shift. The 2.430±0.016 Ma Lake Ann stock contains 4.2 Ma zircon antecrysts, recording prolonged activity in that area. The 1.165±0.013 Ma Kulshan caldera ignimbrite contains ~200 Ma inherited zircons that may provide the first direct record of Wrangellian basement beneath

  8. Origin and evolution of multi-stage felsic melts in eastern Gangdese belt: Constraints from U-Pb zircon dating and Hf isotopic composition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guo, Liang; Zhang, Hong-Fei; Harris, Nigel; Pan, Fa-Bin; Xu, Wang-Chun

    2011-11-01

    This integrated study of whole rock geochemistry, zircon U-Pb dating and Hf isotope composition for seven felsic rocks from the Nyingchi Complex in eastern Himalayan syntaxis has revealed a complex magmatic history for the eastern Gangdese belt. This involves multiple melt sources and mechanisms that uniquely identify the tectonic evolution of this part of the Himalayan orogen. Our U-Pb zircon dating reveals five stages of magmatic or anatectic events: 165, 81, 61, 50 and 25 Ma. The Jurassic granitic gneiss (165 Ma) exhibits εHf(t) values of + 1.4 to + 3.5. The late Cretaceous granite (81 Ma) shows variable εHf(t) values from - 0.9 to + 6.2, indicating a binary mixing between juvenile and old crustal materials. The Paleocene granodioritic gneiss (61 Ma) has εHf(t) values of + 5.4 to + 8.0, suggesting that it originated from partial melting of a juvenile crustal material. The Eocene anatexis is recorded in the leucosome, which has Hf isotopic composition similar to that of the Jurassic granite, indicating that the leucosome could be derived from partial melting of the Jurassic granite. The late Oligocene biotite granite (25 Ma) shows adakitic geochemical characteristics, with Sr/Y = 49.3-56.6. The presence of a large number of inherited zircons and negative εHf(t) values suggest that it sourced from anatexis of crustal materials. In contrast to the Gangdese batholiths that are mainly derived from juvenile crustal source in central Tibet, the old crustal materials play an important role for the magma generation of the felsic rocks, suggesting the existence of a crustal basement in the eastern Gangdese belt. These correspond to specific magmatic evolution stages during the convergence between India and Asia. The middle Jurassic granitic gneiss resulted from the northward subduction of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic slab. The late Cretaceous magmatism is probably related to the ocean ridge subduction. The Paleocene-Eocene magmatism, metamorphism and anatexis are

  9. U-Pb-Th geochronology of monazite and zircon in albitite metasomatites of the Rožňava-Nadabula ore field (Western Carpathians, Slovakia): implications for the origin of hydrothermal polymetallic siderite veins

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hurai, V.; Paquette, J.-L.; Lexa, O.; Konečný, P.; Dianiška, I.

    2015-10-01

    Sodic metasomatites (albitites) occur around and within siderite veins in the southern part of the Gemeric tectonic unit of the Western Carpathians. Accessory minerals of the metasomatites represented by monazite, zircon, apatite, rutile, tourmaline and siderite are basically identical with the quartz-tourmaline stage of other siderite and stibnite veins of the tectonic unit. Statistical analysis of chemical Th-U(total)-Pb isochron method (CHIME) of monazite dating yielded Jurassic-Cretaceous ages subdivided into 3-4 modes, spreading over time interval between 78 and 185 Ma. In contrast, LA-ICPMS 206Pb/238U dating carried out on the same monazite grains revealed a narrow crystallization interval, showing ages of Th-poor cores with phengite inclusions identical within the error limit with Th-rich rims with cauliflower-like structure. The determined lower intercept at 139 ± 1 Ma overlapped the Vallanginian-Berriasian boundary, thus corroborating the model of formation of hydrothermal vein structures within an arcuate deformation front built up in the Variscan basement as a response to Early Cretaceous compression, folding and thrusting. In contrast, associated zircons are considerably older than the surrounding Early-Palaeozoic volcano-sedimentary rocks, showing Neoproterozoic ages. The zircon grains in albitite metasomatites are thus interpreted as fragments of Pan-African magmatic detritus incorporated in the vein structures by buoyant hydrothermal fluids.

  10. High-Precision U-Pb Geochronology of Ice River Perovskite: A Possible Interlaboratory and Intertechnique EARTHTIME Standard

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burgess, S. D.; Bowring, S. A.; Heaman, L. M.

    2012-12-01

    Accurate and precise U-Pb geochronology of accessory phases other than zircon are required for dating some LIP basalts or determining the temporal patterns of kimberlite pipes, for example. Advances in precision and accuracy lead directly to an increase in the complexity of questions that can be posed. U-Pb geochronology of perovskite (CaTiO3) has been applied to silica-undersaturated basalts, carbonatites, alkaline igneous rocks, and kimberlites. Most published IDTIMS perovskite dates have 2-sigma precisions at the ~0.2% level for weighted mean 206Pb/238U dates, much less than possible with IDTIMS analyses of zircons, which limits the applicability of perovskite in high-precision applications. Precision on perovskite dates is lower than zircon because of common Pb, which in some cases can be up to 50% of the total Pb and must be corrected for and accurately partitioned between blank and initial. Relatively small changes in the composition of common Pb can result in inaccurate but precise dates. In many cases minerals with significant common Pb are corrected using Stacey and Kramers (1975) two stage Pb evolution model. This can be done without serious consequence to the final date for minerals with high U/Pb ratios. In the more common case where U/Pb ratios are relatively low and the proportion of common Pb is large, applying a model-derived Pb isotopic composition rather than measuring it directly can introduce percent-level inaccuracy to dates calculated with precisely known U/Pb ratios. Direct measurement of the common Pb composition can be done on a U-poor mineral that co-crystallized with perovskite; feldspar and clinopyroxene are commonly used. Clinopyroxene can contain significant in-grown radiogenic Pb and our experiments indicate that it is not eliminated by aggressive step-wise leaching. The U/Pb ratio in clinopyroxene is generally low (20 < mu < 50) but significant. Other workers (e.g. Kamo et al., 2003; Corfu and Dahlgren, 2008), have used two methods

  11. Geochemical contrasts between Late Triassic ore-bearing and barren intrusions in the Weibao Cu-Pb-Zn deposit, East Kunlun Mountains, NW China: constraints from accessory minerals (zircon and apatite)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhong, Shihua; Feng, Chengyou; Seltmann, Reimar; Li, Daxin; Dai, Zhihui

    2017-12-01

    The Weibao copper-lead-zinc skarn deposit is located in the northern East Kunlun terrane, NW China. Igneous intrusions in this deposit consist of barren diorite porphyry (U-Pb zircon age of 232.0 ± 2.0 Ma) and ore-bearing quartz diorite and pyroxene diorite (U-Pb zircon ages of 223.3 ± 1.5 and 224.6 ± 2.9 Ma, respectively). Whole-rock major and trace element and accessory mineral (zircon and apatite) composition from these intrusions are studied to examine the different geochemical characteristics of ore-bearing and barren intrusions. Compared to the barren diorite porphyry, the ore-bearing intrusions have higher Ce4+/Ce3+ ratios of zircon and lower Mn contents of apatite, indicating higher oxidation state. Besides, apatite from the ore-bearing intrusions shows higher Cl contents and lower F/Cl ratios. These characteristics collectively suggest the higher productivity of ore-bearing quartz diorite and pyroxene diorite. When compared with ore-bearing intrusions from global porphyry Cu deposits, those from Cu-Pb-Zn skarn deposits display lower Ce4+/Ce3+ and EuN/EuN* ratios of zircon and lower Cl and higher F/Cl ratios of apatite. We conclude that these differences reflect a general geochemical feature, and that zircon and apatite composition is a sensitive tool to infer economic potential of magmas and the resulting mineralization types in intrusion-related exploration targets.

  12. Exploring the pre-eruptive history of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) and the link with the end Triassic extinction using high precision U-Pb zircon and baddeleyite geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Davies, Joshua; Marzoli, Andrea; Bertrand, Hervé; Youbi, Nasrrddine; Schaltegger, Urs

    2015-04-01

    The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) is a massive outpouring of basaltic lava, dykes and sills that was predominantly emplaced into the Triassic-Jurassic basins of North and South America, Europe and Africa. These basins were, at the time, in the center of the paleo-supercontinent Pangea, and the CAMP flood basalts are associated with Pangea's break-up and the opening of the Atlantic Ocean. The global climatic and environmental impact of the basalt eruption has been temporally linked with the end-Triassic mass extinction, although the extinction horizon, defined by a carbon isotope excursion, is stratigraphically below the first basaltic flows in all of the currently identified basins. Therefore, if the extinction is related to the CAMP, it must be related to a process that occurred before the eruption of the first basalt flow, or is co-incident with a currently unidentified older basalt flow. Here we present high precision TIMS zircon U-Pb geochronology on zircons from the North Mountain basalt (NMB) in the Fundy basin, Canada, and also baddeleyite from the Foum Zuid dyke (FZD) in the Anti-Atlas, Morocco. The NMB zircons have been separated from the lowermost accessible basalt flow of the NMB sequence in a coarse-grained section, rather than from a felsic residual melt pod, which is the usual target for zircon geochronology in basalts. The baddeleyites from the FZD were also separated from a coarse-grained section of the dyke. The zircons and baddeleyites from the NMB and FZD samples contain an antecrystic population with ages more than 1 Ma older than the emplacement of the basalts. The U-Pb ages presented here suggest that there was magmatic activity relating to the CAMP before the eruption of the first basalts. There are a number of possible explanations for the old zircons 1) recycling of zircon from earlier phases of magmatism, which then would have to have been re-molten and entrained into the NMB and FZD magmas. 2) Recycling of crystal mush from

  13. Permian single crystal U-Pb zircon age of the Rožňava Formation volcanites (Southern Gemeric Unit, Western Carpathians, Slovakia)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vozárová, Anna; Šmelko, Miloš; Paderin, Ilya

    2009-12-01

    Zircon populations from the Rožňava Formation volcanic rock complex have been analysed. Euhedral zircons from the 1st volcanogenic horizon with fine oscillatory growth zoning, typical of magmatic origin, gave the average concordia age of 273.3 ± 2.8 Ma, with Th/U ratios in the range of 0.44-0.73. The Permian ages ranging from 266 to 284 Ma were identified in the wider, zoned or unzoned, central zircon parts, as well as in their fine-zoned oscillatory rims. The average concordia age of 275.3 ± 2.9 was obtained from the euhedral zircon population of the 2nd volcanogenic horizon of the Rožňava Formation. The analyses were performed on zoned magmatic zircons in the age interval from 267 to 287 Ma, with Th/U ratios in the range of 0.39-0.75. In the later zircon population two inherited zircon grains were dated giving the age of 842 ± 12 Ma (Neoproterozoic) and 456 ± 7 Ma (Late Ordovician). The magmatic zircon ages document the Kungurian age of Permian volcanic activity and contemporaneous establishment of the south-Gemeric basin. The time span of volcanic activity corresponds to the collapse of the Western Carpathian Variscan foreland which expanded southward.

  14. Micrometer-scale U–Pb age domains in eucrite zircons, impact re-setting, and the thermal history of the HED parent body

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hopkins, M.D.; Mojzsis, S.J.; Bottke, W.F.; Abramov, Oleg

    2015-01-01

    Meteoritic zircons are rare, but some are documented to occur in asteroidal meteorites, including those of the howardite–eucrite–diogenite (HED) achondrite clan (Rubin, A. [1997]. Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 32, 231–247). The HEDs are widely considered to originate from the Asteroid 4 Vesta. Vesta and the other large main belt asteroids record an early bombardment history. To explore this record, we describe sub-micrometer distributions of trace elements (U, Th) and 235,238U–207,206Pb ages from four zircons (>7–40 μm ∅) separated from bulk samples of the brecciated eucrite Millbillillie. Ultra-high resolution (∼100 nm) ion microprobe depth profiles reveal different zircon age domains correlative to mineral chemistry and to possible impact scenarios. Our new U–Pb zircon geochronology shows that Vesta’s crust solidified within a few million years of Solar System formation (4561 ± 13 Ma), in good agreement with previous work (e.g. Carlson, R.W., Lugmair, G.W. [2000]. Timescales of planetesimal formation and differentiation based on extinct and extant radioisotopes. In: Canup, R., Righter, K. (Eds.), Origin of the Earth and Moon. University of Arizona Press, Tucson, pp. 25–44). Younger zircon age domains (ca. 4530 Ma) also record crustal processes, but these are interpreted to be exogenous because they are well after the effective extinction of 26Al (t1/2 = 0.72 Myr). An origin via impact-resetting was evaluated with a suite of analytical impact models. Output shows that if a single impactor was responsible for the ca. 4530 Ma zircon ages, it had to have been ⩾10 km in diameter and at high enough velocity (>5 km s−1) to account for the thermal field required to re-set U–Pb ages. Such an impact would have penetrated at least 10 km into Vesta’s crust. Later events at ca. 4200 Ma are documented in HED apatite 235,238U–207,206Pb ages (Zhou, Q. et al. [2011]. Early basaltic volcanism and Late Heavy Bombardment on Vesta: U–Pb ages of small

  15. Detrital zircon ages from southern Norway - implications for the Proterozoic evolution of the southwestern Baltic Shield

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Knudsen, T.-L.; Andersen, T.; Whitehouse, M. J.; Vestin, J.

    An ion-microprobe (SIMS) U-Pb zircon dating study on four samples of Precambrian metasediments from the high-grade Bamble Sector, southern Norway, gives the first information on the timing of discrete crust-forming events in the SW part of the Baltic Shield. Recent Nd and Pb studies have indicated that the sources of the clastic metasediments in this area have crustal histories extending back to 1.7 to 2.1Ga, although there is no record of rocks older than 1.6Ga in southern Norway. The analysed metasediments are from a sequence of intercalated, centimetre to 10-metre wide units of quartzites, semi-metapelites, metapelites and mafic granulites. The zircons can be grouped in two morphological populations: (1) long prismatic; (2) rounded, often flattened. The BSE images reveal that both populations consist of oscillatory zoned, rounded and corroded cores (detrital grains of magmatic origin), surrounded by homogeneous rims (metamorphic overgrowths). The detrital zircons have 207Pb/206Pb ages between 1367 and 1939Ma, with frequency maxima in the range 1.85 to 1.70Ga and 1.60 to 1.50Ga. There is no correlation between crystal habit and age of the zircon. One resorbed, inner zircon core in a detrital grain is strongly discordant and gives a composite inner core-magmatic outer core 207Pb/206Pb age of 2383 Ma. Two discrete, unzoned zircons have 207Pb/206Pb ages of 1122 and 1133Ma, representing zircon growth during the Sveconorwegian high-grade metamorphism. Also the μm wide overgrowths, embayments in the detrital cores and apparent ``inner cores'' which represent secondary metamorphic zircon growth in deep embayments in detrital grains, are of Sveconorwegian age. The composite-detrital-metamorphic zircon analyses give generally discordant 206Pb/238U versus 207Pb/235U ratios and maximum 207Pb/206Pb ages of 1438Ma. These data demonstrate the existence of a protocrust of 1.7 to 2.0Ga in the southwestern part of the Baltic Shield, implying a break in the overall westward

  16. Evaluating the mush extraction + multiple magma batch model for the Lake City magmatic system (Colorado, USA) using zircon U/Pb TIMS-TEA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pamukcu, A. S.; Schoene, B.; Deering, C. D.

    2016-12-01

    Volcanic eruptions that involve a wide range of magma types highlight questions on genetic and geometric relationships between magmas in the crust prior to eruption. The Lake City magmatic system (Colorado, USA) is one such example: exposed in the caldera are ignimbrites from the 23 Ma Sunshine Peak Tuff, which range in composition and crystallinity with time (crystal-poor rhyolite to crystal-rich trachyte), and resurgent intrusions of porphyritic syenite, monzonite, and dacite (Hon 1987). Field relations and bulk rock geochemistry suggest the Lake City magmatic system was complex, with magmas of these various types existing concurrently as multiple magma batches, though not necessarily always in contact (Kennedy et al. 2015). Geochemical modeling further suggests that the crystal-poor rhyolites were liquids extracted from a syenitic mush and that the crystal-rich trachytes are remobilized portions of this cumulate. To address the genetic and geometric links between these magmas in more detail, we utilize TIMS-TEA to assess U/Pb zircon geochronology and trace element geochemistry in concert. For each eruptive unit/magma type, zircons were roughly separated into size groupings (small, medium, large), imaged by cathodoluminescence (CL), and analyzed individually by CA-ID-TIMS. Preliminary results indicate that zircons crystallized over a period of 177±31 ky, which is within the range suggested by Ar/Ar geochronology (80-300 ky, Bove et al. 2001). Consistent with the current model for the Lake City system, zircons from the rhyolites and trachytes overlap in age, while those of the dacites are younger. There is no clear relationship between age and CL zoning pattern or crystal size (e.g., small crystals are not always the youngest). We can further address relationships between the rhyolite, trachyte, and syenite using TEA to assess trace elements of the dated zircons. Rhyolite-MELTS models suggest that zircons crystallized in a rhyolitic melt derived from the trachyte

  17. Mineral equilibria and zircon, garnet and titanite U-Pb ages constraining the PTt path of granite-related hydrothermal systems at the Big Bell gold deposit, Western Australia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mueller, Andreas G.; McNaughton, Neal J.

    2018-01-01

    The Big Bell deposit (75 t gold) is located in a narrow spur of the Meekatharra greenstone belt, Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia. Two ore bodies are located in a calcic-potassic contact alteration zone overprinting lineated granodiorite dykes and amphibolite: almandine-cummingtonite-hornblende skarn (1-3 g/t Au, 1700 g/t As, 330 g/t W) and the muscovite-microcline gneiss (3-5 g/t Au, 580 g/t Sb, 620 g/t W) of the Main Lode. Genetic models vary from pre- to post-metamorphic replacement. Hornblende-plagioclase pairs in amphibolite constrain peak metamorphic temperature to 670 ± 50 °C. In contrast, garnet-biotite thermometry provides estimates of 578 ± 50 and 608 ± 50 °C for garnet-cordierite-biotite schist bordering the skarn and enveloping the Main Lode. Garnet-cordierite and garnet-hornblende pairs extend the range of fluid temperature to 540 ± 65 °C, well below peak metamorphic temperature. At 540-600 °C, the alteration assemblage andalusite + sillimanite constrains pressure to 300-400 MPa corresponding to 11-14 km crustal depth. Published U-Pb ages indicate that metamorphism took place in the aureole of the southeast granodiorite-tonalite batholith (2740-2700 Ma), followed by gold mineralization at 2662 ± 5 Ma and by the emplacement of biotite granite and Sn-Ta-Nb granite-pegmatite dykes at 2625-2610 Ma. Amphibolite xenoliths in granite northwest of the deposit record the lowest temperature (628 ± 50 °C), suggesting it lacks a metamorphic aureole. The rare metal dykes are spatially associated with epidote-albite and andradite-diopside skarns (≤1.5 g/t Au), mined where enriched in the weathered zone. We analysed hydrothermal zircon intergrown with andradite. Concordant U-Pb ages of 2612 ± 7 and 2609 ± 10 Ma confirm the presence of a second granite-related system. The zircons display oscillatory zoning and have low Th/U ratios (0.05-0.08). Low-Th titanite from an albite granite dyke has a concordant but reset U-Pb age of 2577 ± 7 Ma.

  18. What can zircon ages from the Jack Hills detrital zircon suite really tell us about Hadean geodynamics?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whitehouse, Martin; Nemchin, Alexander

    2015-04-01

    As the only direct sample of the Hadean Earth, detrital zircon grains from the Jack Hills, Western Australia, have been the subject of intense investigation over the almost three decades since their discovery. A wide variety of geochemical and isotopic analyses of these grains, as well as their mineral inclusions, have been used variously to support two fundamentally different models for Hadean geodynamics: (i) Some form of (not necessarily modern-style) plate recycling generating felsic (continental-type?) crust at the boundaries [1, 2], or conversely (ii) the persistence of a long-lived, stagnant basaltic lid within which magmatism occurred as a result of internal temperature perturbations and/or impacts [3, 4], a model also generally consistent with a wide range of observations from post-Hadean geochemical reservoirs. Despite the considerable time and resources expended, the majority of these studies uncritically accept the individual U-Pb zircon ages, even though their veracity is key to many of the interpretations [5, 6]. We report here the results of an in-depth evaluation of all published (and new) U-Pb ages from the Jack Hills zircon suite in order to define age populations that can be used with a high degree of confidence in geodynamic interpretations. A notable problem in the interpretation of U-Pb data from ancient zircon grains (including those as young as the Neoarchean) is that disturbance of the systematics even several 100 Ma after crystallization causes data to spread along the concordia curve without becoming discernably discordant within the relatively large error bounds associated with U/Pb ages from in situ dating methods (e.g. SIMS). While 207Pb/206Pb ages are typically more precise, individually they provide no means to detect Pb-loss-induced younging. However, if two or preferably more analyses have been made in the same zircon growth zone, a reasonable evaluation of the possibility of Pb-loss can be made. In the available Jack Hills zircon

  19. New Robust Reference Materials for In Situ Single Grain Rutile U-Pb Geochronology and Method Refinements for Detrital Rutile Analysis by LA-MC-ICP-MS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parrish, R. R.; Bracciali, L.; Condon, D. J.; Horstwood, M. S.; Najman, Y.

    2012-12-01

    While rutile (TiO2) occurs in the heavy mineral suite of detrital sediments and originates mainly in medium- to high-grade metamorphic and some igneous rocks, there are very few applications of U-Pb dating of rutile to provenance studies; this is due to an overreliance on zircon, low U content of rutile limiting measurement quality by in situ methods, a higher proportion of common Pb relative to zircon, and a lack of widely available good quality reference materials. We have addressed these issues and characterized two ~ 1.8 Ga rutile reference materials by SEM, trace elements, U-Pb ID-TIMS, and intra-grain and inter-grain U-Pb LA-MC-ICP-MS analysis using mixed faraday and multiple ion counting detectors with high sensitivity. We have assessed U-Pb discordance and in situ variations in relative common Pb and age and their bearing on the quality of the reference materials for in situ U-Pb dating. The rutiles (Sugluk-4 and PCA-S207) come from granulite facies belts of the Canadian Shield, namely the northern Cape Smith Belt of Quebec and the Snowbird Tectonic Zone (Sasatchewan). The ID-TIMS data are slightly discordant due to variable common Pb and limited Pb loss; the variation in 6 single grains of Sugluk-4, that we use as the primary reference material, is <1% in 206Pb/238U, and <2% for 207Pb/206Pb (95 % conf.); after common Pb correction these variations are <1%. The measured variations are smaller than in existing reference materials (i.e. R10) in current use. LA-ICP-MC-MS data (n ~ 500 for each) have a reproducibility of 206Pb/238U and 207Pb/206Pb of ~2-4% (at the 2S level), which is only modestly worse than long-term data for multiple zircon standards, this being due to the real variation in measured values arising from limited Pb loss, age variation, and common Pb variability [1]. We have applied our refined method to the provenance of rutile from drainages from British Columbia, Bhutan, and the Brahmaputra River of NE India (predominant rutile ages ~ 50, 15

  20. Tracing source terranes using U-Pb-Hf isotopic analysis of detrital zircons: provenance of the Orhanlar Unit of the Palaeotethyan Karakaya subduction-accretion complex, NW Turkey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ustaömer, Timur; Ayda Ustaömer, Petek; Robertson, Alastair; Gerdes, Axel

    2016-04-01

    Sandstones of the Late Palaeozoic-Early Mesozoic Karakaya Complex are interpreted to have accumulated along an active continental margin related to northward subduction of Palaeotethys. The age of deposition and provenance of the sandstones are currently being determined using radiometric dating of detrital zircons, coupled with dating of potential source terranes. Our previous work shows that the U-Pb-Hf isotopic characteristics of the sandstones of all but one of the main tectonostratigraphic units of the Karakaya Complex are compatible with a provenance that was dominated by Triassic and Permo-Carboniferous magmatic arc-type rocks, together with a minor contribution from Lower to Mid-Devonian igneous rocks (Ustaömer et al. 2015). However, one of the tectono-stratigraphic units, the Orhanlar Unit, which occurs in a structurally high position, differs in sedimentary facies and composition from the other units of the Karakaya Complex. Here, we report new isotopic age data for the sandstones of the Orhanlar Unit and also from an extensive, associated tectonic slice of continental metamorphic rocks (part of the regional Sakarya Terrane). Our main aim is to assess the provenance of the Orhanlar Unit sandstones in relation to the tectonic development of the Karakaya Complex as a whole. The Orhanlar Unit is composed of shales, sandstone turbidites and debris-flow deposits, which include blocks of Devonian radiolarian chert and Carboniferous and Permian neritic limestones. The sandstones are dominated by rock fragments, principally volcanic and plutonic rocks of basic-to-intermediate composition, metamorphic rocks and chert, together with common quartz, feldspar and mica. This modal composition contrasts significantly with the dominantly arkosic composition of the other Karakaya Complex sandstones. The detrital zircons were dated by the U-Pb method, coupled with determination of Lu-Hf isotopic compositions using a laser ablation microprobe attached to a multicollector

  1. SHRIMP U-Pb evidence for a Late Silurian age of metasedimentary rocks in the Merrimack and Putnam-Nashoba terranes, eastern New England

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wintsch, R.P.; Aleinikoff, J.N.; Walsh, G.J.; Bothner, Wallace A.; Hussey, A.M.; Fanning, C.M.

    2007-01-01

    U-Pb ages of detrital, metamorphic, and magmatic zircon and metamorphic monazite and titanite provide evidence for the ages of deposition and metamorphism of metasedimentary rocks from the Merrimack and Putnam-Nashoba terranes of eastern New England. Rocks from these terranes are interpreted here as having been deposited in the middle Paleozoic above Neoproterozoic basement of the Gander terrane and juxtaposed by Late Paleozoic thrusting in thin, fault-bounded slices. The correlative Hebron and Berwick formations (Merrimack terrane) and Tatnic Hill Formation (Putnam-Nashoba terrane), contain detrital zircons with Mesoproterozoic, Ordovician, and Silurian age populations. On the basis of the age of the youngest detrital zircon population (???425 Ma), the Hebron, Berwick and Tatnic Hill formations are no older than Late Silurian (Wenlockian). The minimum deposition ages of the Hebron and Berwick are constrained by ages of cross-cutting plutons (414 ?? 3 and 418 ?? 2 Ma, respectively). The Tatnic Hill Formation must be older than the oldest metamorphic monazite and zircon (???407 Ma). Thus, all three of these units were deposited between ???425 and 418 Ma, probably in the Ludlovian. Age populations of detrital zircons suggest Laurentian and Ordovician arc provenance to the west. High grade metamorphism of the Tatnic Hill Formation soon after deposition probably requires that sedimentation and burial occurred in a fore-arc environment, whereas time-equivalent calcareous sediments of the Hebron and Berwick formations probably originated in a back-arc setting. In contrast to age data from the Berwick Formation, the Kittery Formation contains primarily Mesoproterozoic detrital zircons; only 2 younger grains were identified. The absence of a significant Ordovician population, in addition to paleocurrent directions from the east and structural data indicating thrusting, suggest that the Kittery was derived from peri-Gondwanan sources and deposited in the Fredericton Sea

  2. Combined garnet and zircon geochronology and trace elements studies - constraints of the UHP-(U)HT evolution of Orlica-Śnieżnik Dome (NE Bohemian Massif).

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Walczak, Katarzyna; Anczkiewicz, Robert; Szczepański, Jacek; Rubatto, Daniela

    2017-04-01

    The Orlica-Śnieżnik Dome (OSD), located on the NE margin of the Bohemian Massif, is predominantly composed of amphibolite-facies orthogneiss that contain bodies of HP and UHP eclogites and granulites. Numerous geochronological studies have been undertaken to constrain the timing of the ultra-high grade metamorphic event. Despite this, the exact timing of UHP-(U)HT conditions remain dubious (e.g. Brueckner et al., 1991; Anczkiewicz et al., 2007; Bröcker et al., 2009 & 2010). We have utilized garnet and zircon geochronology to provide time constraints on the evolution of the UHT-(U)HP rocks of the OSD. We have combined the ages with trace element analyses in garnet and zircon to better understand the significance of the obtained ages in petrological context. Lu-Hf grt-wr dating of peritectic garnet from two felsic granulites constrained the time of its initial growth at 346.9 ± 1.2 and 348.3 ± 2.0 Ma, recording peak conditions of 2.7 GPa and 950°C (e.g. Ferrero et al., 2015). In situ U-Pb SHRIMP dating of zircon from the same granulite gave a younger age of 342.2 ± 3.4 Ma. HREE partitioning between garnet rim and metamorphic zircon indicate their growth in equilibrium, hence, the U-Pb zircon date constrains the terminal phase of garnet crystallization. Similar ages were obtained from two eclogite bodies from Międzygórze and Nowa Wieś localities; Lu-Hf (grt-cpx-wr) dating provided ages of 346.5 ± 2.4 and 348.1 ± 9.1 Ma for samples from Międzygórze and Nowa Wieś, respectively. The same age (within error) of 346.3 ± 5.2 Ma was reported by Bröcker et al. (2010) for zircon from the Międzygórze eclogite. Comparison of REE concentrations in garnet (this study) and in metamorphic zircon (reported in Bröcker et al., 2010) indicate that garnet and zircon crystallized in equilibrium. Furthermore, M-HREE patterns observed in both garnet and zircon strongly suggest their growth at eclogite facies conditions. Sm-Nd garnet ages obtained for both felsic and mafic

  3. New Evidence for opening of the Black Sea; U-Pb analysis of detrital zircons and paleocurrent measurements of the Early Cretaceous turbidites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akdoğan, Remziye; Okay, Aral I.; Sunal, Gürsel; Tari, Gabor; Kylander-Clark, Andrew R. C.

    2015-04-01

    have a late Neoproterozoic basement, whereas the East European Platform (EEP) has a Paleoproterozoic-Archean basement. The zircon and the paleocurrent data indicate that the eastern and central part of the Early Cretaceous turbidite basin was mainly fed by EEP, whereas local sources were dominant in the western part of the basin and especially fed from a crystalline basement of the Istanbul zone. This in turn indicates that the Black Sea did not form a major barrier between the Pontides and the EEP and was probably not open during the Early Cretaceous. Keywords: Central Pontides, Early Cretaceous, Paleocurrent, Provenance, U-Pb Detrital zircon.

  4. Elemental and Isotopic Tomography at Single-Atom-Scale in 4.0 and 2.4 Ga Zircons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Valley, J. W.; Reinhard, D. A.; Snoeyenbos, D.; Lawrence, D.; Martin, I.; Kelly, T. F.; Ushikubo, T.; Strickland, A.; Cavosie, A. J.

    2012-12-01

    Atom probe tomography can determine identity (mass/charge ratio) and 3-D position of individual atoms in minerals such as zircon. These data provide unique information for understanding the thermal history and mechanisms of mineral reaction and exchange, including radiation damage. Nine needle-shaped specimens ~100 nm in diameter (at the apex) were sampled from 2 zircons by FIB and analyzed with a local-electrode atom probe (LEAP), CAMECA LEAP 4000X HR. The LEAP uses pulsed-laser heating to field evaporate the tip of a zircon needle and accelerates the ions into a position-sensitive TOF-MS. With due care for complex isobaric interferences (molecules, multiple ionizations) and background correction, it is possible to individually identify up to 10E8 atoms/needle (36% detection efficiency) by mass/charge (MRP ~ 1000@ m/n=16Da) and position (X-Y-Z coordinates on 0.2 nm scale) (Kelly & Larson 2012). The 3-D distribution of Pb and Y differ at atom-scale in the 2 zircons. Zircon #1 (4007 Ma, Jack Hills, W. Australia, Cavosie 2005, Ushikubo et al. 2008, Bouvier et al. 2011) is homogeneous in Pb and Y. In contrast, incompatible elements, including Pb and Y, are concentrated in equant 5-10 nm dia. domains, spaced ~50 nm apart in zircon #2 (2438 Ma, Albion-Raft R-Grouse Ck core complex, Utah, Strickland et al. 2011). U is homogeneously distributed in both zircons. The analyzed domains suffered 4-8 x 10E15 α-decay events/mg due to U and Th decay and yet both zircons yield >97% concordant U-Pb ages by SIMS, suggesting annealing of radiation damage during the life of the zircons. The 207-Pb/206-Pb ratios for these nm-scale domains, as measured by LEAP, average 0.17 for the 2.4 Ga Zrc2 (3 needles) and 0.43 for the 4.0 Ga Zrc1 (5 needles). These ratios are less precise (±40% 2σ) due to ultra-small sample size, but are in excellent agreement with values measured by SIMS, 0.1684 and 0.4269, respectively. Thus Pb in both zircons is radiogenic. The Pb-Y-rich domains and lack of

  5. U-Pb Geochronology of Devonian Granites in the Meguma Terrane of Nova Scotia, Canada: Evidence for Hotspot Melting of a Neoproterozoic Source.

    PubMed

    Keppie; Krogh

    1999-09-01

    U-Pb isotopic analyses of monazite and zircon from six granitic plutons in the Meguma Terrane yield nearly concordant ages of 373+/-3 Ma, interpreted as the time of intrusion. U-Pb analyses of euhedral zircons with thick rims overgrowing cores, which were abraded to remove all or most of the rim, plot on chords between 370+/-3 and 628+/-33 Ma (Larrys River and Halfway Cove plutons), 372+/-3 and approximately 660 Ma (Shelburne pluton), and 373+/-2 and approximately 732 Ma (Barrington Passage pluton). The upper intercepts are interpreted as the age of magma source, correlatives of which are present in the Avalon Composite Terrane to the north. This basement may be either in depositional or tectonic contact with the overlying Cambro-Ordovician Meguma Group. Other zircons in the granites are generally irregular-euhedral with thin rims, and most U-Pb isotopic analyses fall between two chords from 373-2040 and 373-2300 Ma, with a few lying outside this field. These zircons are probably derived from the country rock (Goldenville Formation), which a previous study has shown contains detrital zircons with concordant U-Pb ages of 3000, 2000, and 600 Ma, and numerous intermediate discordant ages. These new ages, along with published data, document a relatively short (5-10 m.yr.) but voluminous period of magmatism. This age is approximately synchronous with intrusion of mafic rocks and lamprophyre dikes and regional low-pressure metamorphism and was followed by rapid denudation of 5-12 km. These observations may be interpreted in terms of shallowly dipping subduction and overriding of a mantle plume that eventually penetrates through the subducting plate to melt the overriding continental plate. Subsequent northward migration of the plume could explain both the approximately 360 Ma magmatism in the Cobequid Highlands (Avalon Composite Terrane) and the mid-Carboniferous plume-related intrusions around the Magdalen Basin.

  6. Zircon ages in granulite facies rocks: decoupling from geochemistry above 850 °C?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kunz, Barbara E.; Regis, Daniele; Engi, Martin

    2018-03-01

    Granulite facies rocks frequently show a large spread in their zircon ages, the interpretation of which raises questions: Has the isotopic system been disturbed? By what process(es) and conditions did the alteration occur? Can the dates be regarded as real ages, reflecting several growth episodes? Furthermore, under some circumstances of (ultra-)high-temperature metamorphism, decoupling of zircon U-Pb dates from their trace element geochemistry has been reported. Understanding these processes is crucial to help interpret such dates in the context of the P-T history. Our study presents evidence for decoupling in zircon from the highest grade metapelites (> 850 °C) taken along a continuous high-temperature metamorphic field gradient in the Ivrea Zone (NW Italy). These rocks represent a well-characterised segment of Permian lower continental crust with a protracted high-temperature history. Cathodoluminescence images reveal that zircons in the mid-amphibolite facies preserve mainly detrital cores with narrow overgrowths. In the upper amphibolite and granulite facies, preserved detrital cores decrease and metamorphic zircon increases in quantity. Across all samples we document a sequence of four rim generations based on textures. U-Pb dates, Th/U ratios and Ti-in-zircon concentrations show an essentially continuous evolution with increasing metamorphic grade, except in the samples from the granulite facies, which display significant scatter in age and chemistry. We associate the observed decoupling of zircon systematics in high-grade non-metamict zircon with disturbance processes related to differences in behaviour of non-formula elements (i.e. Pb, Th, U, Ti) at high-temperature conditions, notably differences in compatibility within the crystal structure.

  7. The age of unusual xenogenic zircons from Yakutian kimberlites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vladykin, N. V.; Lepekhina, E. A.

    2009-12-01

    Several spindle-shaped grains of zircon, which have a small size (<0.25 mm) and a distinct purplish pink coloration were found in the crushed samples of kimberlites from the Aykhal, Komsomolskaya-Magnitnaya, Botuobinskaya (Siberian platform), and Nyurbinskaya (Yakutia) pipes and olivine lamproites of the Khani massif (West Aldan). U-Pb SHRIMP II zircon dating performed at the VSEGEI Center for Isotopic Research yielded the ages of 1870-1890 Ma for the pipes of the Western province (Aykhal and Komsomolskaya) and 2200-2750 Ma for the pipes of the eastern province (Nyurbinskaya and Botuobinskaya), which allowed us to consider these zircons to be xenogenic to kimberlites. Although these zircons resemble in their age and color those from the granulite xenoliths in the Udachnaya pipe [2], no other granulite minerals are found there. Thus, major geological events in the mantle and lower crust, which led to the formation of zircon-bearing rocks, happened at 1800-1900 Ma in the northern part of the kimberlite province, whereas in the Eastern part of the province (Nakyn field) these events were much older (2220-2700 Ma). It is known that the period of 1800-1900 Ma in the Earth’s history was accompanied by intense tectonic movements and widespread alkaline-carbonatite magmatism. This magmatism was related to plume activity responsible for overheating the large portions of the mantle to the temperatures at which some diamonds in mantle rocks would burn (northern part of the kimberlite province). In the Nakyn area, the mantle underwent few or no geological processes at that time, and perhaps for this reason this area hosts more diamondiferous kimberlites. The age of olivine lamproites from the Khani massif is 2672-2732 Ma. Thus, these are some of the world’s oldest known K-alkaline rocks.

  8. New insights into Arctic paleogeography and tectonics from U-Pb detrital zircon geochronology

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Miller, E.L.; Toro, J.; Gehrels, G.; Amato, J.M.; Prokopiev, A.; Tuchkova, M.I.; Akinin, V.V.; Dumitru, T.A.; Moore, Thomas E.; Cecile, M.P.

    2006-01-01

    To test existing models for the formation of the Amerasian Basin, detrital zircon suites from 12 samples of Triassic sandstone from the circum-Arctic region were dated by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The northern Verkhoyansk (NE Russia) has Permo-Carboniferous (265-320 Ma) and Cambro-Silurian (410-505 Ma) zircon populations derived via river systems from the active Baikal Mountain region along the southern Siberian craton. Chukotka, Wrangel Island (Russia), and the Lisburne Hills (western Alaska) also have Permo-Carboniferous (280-330 Ma) and late Precambrian-Silurian (420-580 Ma) zircons in addition to Permo-Triassic (235-265 Ma), Devonian (340-390 Ma), and late Precambrian (1000-1300 Ma) zircons. These ages suggest at least partial derivation from the Taimyr, Siberian Trap, and/ or east Urals regions of Arctic Russia. The northerly derived Ivishak Formation (Sadlerochit Mountains, Alaska) and Pat Bay Formation (Sverdrup Basin, Canada) are dominated by Cambrian-latest Precambrian (500-600 Ma) and 445-490 Ma zircons. Permo-Carboniferous and Permo-Triassic zircons are absent. The Bjorne Formation (Sverdrup Basin), derived from the south, differs from other samples studied with mostly 1130-1240 Ma and older Precambrian zircons in addition to 430-470 Ma zircons. The most popular tectonic model for the origin of the Amerasian Basin involves counterclockwise rotation of the Arctic Alaska-Chukotka microplate away from the Canadian Arctic margin. The detrital zircon data suggest that the Chukotka part of the microplate originated closer to the Taimyr and Verkhoyansk, east of the Polar Urals of Russia, and not from the Canadian Arctic. Copyright 2006 by the American Geophysical Union.

  9. Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, and U-Pb geochronology of the rocks within the Khlong Marui shear zone, southern Thailand

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kanjanapayont, Pitsanupong; Klötzli, Urs; Thöni, Martin; Grasemann, Bernhard; Edwards, Michael A.

    2012-08-01

    In southern Thailand, the Khlong Marui shear zone is dominated by a NNE-SSW striking high topographic lozenge shaped area of ca. 40 km long and 6 km wide between the Khlong Marui Fault and the Bang Kram Fault. The geology within this strike-slip zone consists of strongly deformed layers of mylonitic meta-sedimentary rocks associated with orthogneisses, mylonitic granites, and pegmatitic veins with a steeply dipping foliation. The strike-slip deformation is characterized by dextral ductile deformation under amphibolite facies and low to medium greenschist facies. In situ U-Pb ages of inherited zircon cores from all zircons in the Khlong Marui shear zone indicate that they have the same material from the Archean. Late Triassic to Late Cretaceous ages obtained for zircon outer cores of the mylonitic granite are probably related to a period of magmatic activity that was significantly influenced by the West Burma and Shan-Thai collision and the subduction along the Sunda Trench. The early dextral ductile deformation phase of the Khlong Marui shear zone in the Early Eocene suggested by U-Pb ages of zircon rims, and the later dextral transpressional deformation in the Late Eocene indicated by mica Rb-Sr ages. Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, and U-Pb dating correlation implies that the major exhumation period of the ductile lens was in the Eocene. This period was tectonically influenced in the SE Asia region by the early India-Asia collision.

  10. Precambrian U-Pb zircon ages in eclogites and garnet pyroxenites from South Brittany (France): an old oceanic crust in the West European Hercynian belt?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peucat, J. J.; Vidal, Ph.; Godard, G.; Postaire, B.

    1982-08-01

    U-Pb zircon ages have been determined for two eclogites from the Vendée and for two garnet pyroxenites from the Baie d'Audierne. In an episodic Pb loss model, the two discordia would give upper intercept ages around 1300-1250 Ma and lower intercepts ages of 436-384 Ma. Two interpretations are proposed: (1) The 1250-1300 Ma ages may reflect an unspecified upper mantle event or process; the Paleozoic ages correspond to the tectonic emplacement of an eclogitic mantle fragment into the continental crust. (2) The protolith may have been extracted from the upper mantle 1250-1300 Ma ago and stored in a crustal environment until it was metamorphosed under high-pressure conditions around 400 Ma ago. This latter model is favoured by available geologic and isotopic data. Consequently, we propose that a 1300 Ma old oceanic crust was tectonicly incorporated into a sialic basement during the Proterozoic. This mixture was subsequently subducted during the Paleozoic.

  11. Development of the Archaean Mallina Basin, Pilbara Craton, northwestern Australia; a study of detrital and inherited zircon ages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smithies, R. H.; Nelson, D. R.; Pike, G.

    2001-06-01

    SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dates are combined with an examination of the age distribution patterns and provenance of both detrital zircons and of zircon xenocrysts in granites to investigate the development of the Archaean Mallina Basin, in the granite-greenstone terrain of the Pilbara Craton, northwestern Australia. The oldest dated components of the basin are c. 3010 Ma volcaniclastic rocks in the western part of the area. New data indicate that siliciclastic turbidites that dominate the southern and eastern part of the basin were deposited at or after c. 2970 Ma but before c. 2955 Ma. Linking both the detrital zircon populations as well as zircon xenocrysts from granites that intruded the Mallina Basin to well-dated areas of the Pilbara granite-greenstone terrane indicates that the sediment was derived from the south, north, northwest, and east. The basin probably evolved primarily in an intracontinental setting between two elevated land masses to the southeast and northwest. Most of the rocks within the basin were folded before intrusion of granites, the oldest of which has been dated at 2954±4 Ma. Evidence of a second depositional cycle is provided by a maximum depositional age of 2941±9 Ma, indicated by a detrital zircon population from a sample of wacke from the southeast part of the Mallina Basin. This second depositional phase may have been related to renewed extension, and recycling of sedimentary rocks within the basin.

  12. A new Late Triassic age for the Puesto Viejo Group (San Rafael depocenter, Argentina): SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating and biostratigraphic correlations across southern Gondwana

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ottone, Eduardo G.; Monti, Mariana; Marsicano, Claudia A.; de la Fuente, Marcelo S.; Naipauer, Maximiliano; Armstrong, Richard; Mancuso, Adriana C.

    2014-12-01

    The Puesto Viejo Group crops out in the San Rafael Block, southwest Mendoza, at approximately 35° S and 68°20‧ W. It consists of the basal mainly grayish Quebrada de los Fósiles Formation (QF) overlying by the reddish Río Seco de la Quebrada Formation (RSQ). The basal unit includes both plant remains (pleuromeians and sphenopsids) and vertebrates (scattered fish scales, dicynodont synapsids and remains of an archosauriform). In contrast, the RSQ beds have yielded only tetrapods, although a more diverse fauna. The latter includes cynodonts as Cynognathus, Pascualognathus and Diademodon, and also dicynodonts (Vinceria and Kannemeyeria). Based on the assemblage of tetrapod taxa the bearing levels were correlated to the Cynognathus AZ of South Africa and thus referred to the Middle Triassic (Anisian). We obtained a SHRIMP 238U/206Pb age of 235.8 ± 2.0 Ma from a rhyolitic ignimbrite interdigitated between the QF and RSQ formations at the Quebrada de los Fósiles section. This new radiometric date for the Puesto Viejo Group suggests that the tetrapod fauna in the RSQ beds existed, instead, during the Late Triassic (early Carnian) some 10 Ma later than the currently accepted age. Two scenarios might explain our results: first, the Cynognathus AZ of South Africa is wrongly assigned to the lower Middle Triassic (Anisan) and should be considered younger in age, Late Triassic (Carnian); second, the relative age of the Cynognathus AZ of South Africa is correct but the inferred range of Cynognathus and Diademodon is incorrect as they were present during the Late Triassic (Carnian) at least in South America. In any case, this new date pose serious doubts about the validity of biostratigraphic correlations based solely on tetrapod taxa, a common practice for Triassic continental successions across Gondwana.

  13. Geochronology and Geochemistry of Zircons from the IODP Site U1437 in the Rear of the Izu-Bonin Volcanic Arc

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Andrews, G. D.; Schmitt, A. K.; Busby, C. J.; Brown, S. R.

    2015-12-01

    Zircons recovered from International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 350 Site U1437 (31°47.390'N, 139°01.580'E) in the Izu-Bonin arc were analyzed by SIMS to constrain their age (U/Pb geochronology) and geochemistry (trace elements, δ18O); LA-ICP-MS ɛHf analyses are pending. Seven intervals were dated successfully: six tuffs and lapilli-tuffs between 680.99 and 1722.46 m below sea floor (mbsf) and a single peperitic rhyolitic intrusion at 1388.86 - 1390.07 mbsf. Thirty-two intervals which underwent mineral separation lacked zircon, or yielded zircon much older than age expectations for U1437. Geochronology results from separated zircons confirm and extend the shipboard age model to 1360.77 mbsf where Late Miocene (Tortonian) submarine volcanic rocks (11.3 ±0.7 Ma; n = 17) were sampled. In-situ measurement of zircons associated with magnetite crystals in the rhyolite intrusion yield an age of 13.6 ±1.7 Ma (n = 9). Zircon U contents are low (typically <300 ppm), with trace element ratios characteristic of oceanic lithosphere and near-mantle δ18O values (4-6 ‰). Individual Miocene zircon crystals are difficult to distinguish by age alone from those in the drilling mud (sepiolite) used during Expedition 350; the sepiolite is quarried by IMV Nevada in the Amargosa Valley. Our analysis of thirty-three zircons from the sepiolite finds that they have a broad and varied age distribution (2 - 2033 Ma) with a prominent peak at 12-14 Ma, bimodal δ18O values (peaks at 5-5.5 and 6.5-7.5 ‰), and dominantly continental trace element signatures. Three zircons from U1437 are tentatively identified as sepiolite-derived, but a single Eocene grain (51.7 ±2.4 Ma) recovered from 1722.46 mbsf has an age unlike those in the sepiolite, and potentially is genuinely xenocrystic. The majority of U1437 zircons thus crystallized from evolved melts lacking continental characteristics, although thermal and compositional conditions conducive for zircon crystallization appear to have

  14. Permian-Carboniferous arc magmatism in southern Mexico: U-Pb dating, trace element and Hf isotopic evidence on zircons of earliest subduction beneath the western margin of Gondwana

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ortega-Obregón, C.; Solari, L.; Gómez-Tuena, A.; Elías-Herrera, M.; Ortega-Gutiérrez, F.; Macías-Romo, C.

    2014-07-01

    Undeformed felsic to mafic igneous rocks, dated by U-Pb zircon geochronology between 311 and 255 Ma, intrude different units of the Oaxacan and Acatlán metamorphic complexes in southwestern Mexico. Rare earth element concentrations on zircons from most of these magmatic rocks have a typical igneous character, with fractionated heavy rare earths and negative Eu anomalies. Only inherited Precambrian zircons are depleted in heavy rare earth elements, which suggest contemporaneous crystallization in equilibrium with metamorphic garnet during granulite facies metamorphism. Hf isotopic signatures are, however, different among these magmatic units. For example, zircons from two of these magmatic units (Cuanana pluton and Honduras batholith) have positive ɛHf values (+3.8-+8.5) and depleted mantle model ages (using a mean crustal value of 176Lu/177Hf = 0.015) ( T DMC) ranging between 756 and 1,057 Ma, whereas zircons from the rest of the magmatic units (Etla granite, Zaniza batholith, Carbonera stock and Sosola rhyolite) have negative ɛHf values (-1 to -14) and model ages between 1,330 and 2,160 Ma. This suggests either recycling of different crustal sources or, more likely, different extents of crustal contamination of arc-related mafic magmas in which the Oaxacan Complex acted as the main contaminant. These plutons thus represent the magmatic expression of the initial stages of eastward subduction of the Pacific plate beneath the western margin of Gondwana, and confirm the existence of a Late Carboniferous-Permian magmatic arc that extended from southern North America to Central America.

  15. Evolution of the depleted mantle and growth of the continental crust: improving on the imperfect detrital zircon record

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vervoort, J. D.; Kemp, A. I. S.; Patchett, P. J.

    2012-04-01

    One of the basic tenets of terrestrial geochemistry is that the continental crust has been extracted from the mantle leaving the latter depleted in incompatible elements. Nd and Hf isotopes have long shown that this process has been an essential feature of the Earth throughout its history. There is wide agreement on the general nature of this process, but the details of the isotopic record—and their implications for the depletion of the mantle and the extraction of continental crust—remain debated. Recently, much attention has been given to detrital zircons in both modern and ancient sediments. An advantage of this approach is the integration of the crystallization history of the zircon from the U-Pb chronometer with its Hf isotopic composition, which can provide important information on whether the zircons have been derived from juvenile or reworked crust. One essential requirement in this approach, however, is to unambiguously determine the crystallization ages of the zircons. We suggest that this represents an important—but generally ignored—source of uncertainty in the Hf isotopic record from detrital zircons. The quality filter most often used to assess the integrity of zircon U-Pb systematics is concordance; if a zircon is concordant, it is assumed that the U-Pb age is accurate. A concordance filter is less effective in old zircons, however, because ancient Pb loss, viewed today, parallels concordia. Without the benefit from the geological context of the host rock to the zircons, it is impossible to unambiguously determine it true crystallization age. Ancient Pb loss in zircons produces an apparent age less than the true magmatic age. The initial Hf isotopic composition of these zircons, as a result, will be calculated at the wrong age and will be anomalously low (by ~2.2 epsilon Hf units per 0.1 Ga). Hf model ages, calculated from these parameters, will be artificially old and spurious. The combination of unradiogenic Hf and Hf model ages > U-Pb ages

  16. U-Pb Isotope Systematic of SNC Meteorites

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jagoutz, E.; Jotter, R.; Kubny, A.; Zartman, R.

    2005-12-01

    A stepwise dissolution technique was applied to several nakhlite meteorites that were heavily contaminated by terrestrial Pb. Pulverized samples were subjected to three acid leaches of increasing strength followed by HF-HNO3 digestion of the remaining residue. Using this procedure the major portion of the terrestrial contamination was removed in Leaches 1 and 2, while essentially uncontaminated Pb was recovered in Leach 3 and the Residue. We give further details here about some of the insights gained from this improved ability to distinguish between the primary and terrestrial Pb components in meteorites. Firstly, we ran one sample of Nakhla as a test of the procedure. The result showed L1 and L2 to be mainly dominated by terrestrial Pb while L3 yielded Pb close to the initial Pb of other Nakhlites. The Pb in the Res, however, was very radiogenic and had a 206Pb/204Pb relative to 207Pb/204Pb indicating a drastic increase of the U/Pb at 1.3 Ga. Furthermore, the relatively unradiogenic 208Pb/204Pb suggested that there might be zircon or other high U/Th mineral in the Res. We made an in-depth study on a thin-section using an electron microscope and found indeed tiny 10 m grains of Baddeleyeite. The same dissolution technique was then applied to other Nakhlites from the Antarctic NIPR collection and NASA (MIL) with similar results, indicating that all Nakhlites may have the same age. In addition, an identical initial Pb isotopic composition indicates that all of these meteorites were derived from the same homogeneous source. Moreover, it is strongly suggested by their initial Pb that the "olivine Shergottites", like SAU, DAG, Que, and Y, likewise come from this Nakhla source. While "normal" Shergottites like Shergotty, LA are from sources having a more evolved Pb isotopic composition. "Olivine Shergottites" are clearly younger than Nakhlites. Their Sm Nd and Rb Sr isotopic systems are highly disturbed. Analyzing the existing data we favor an age of 800 my for the

  17. Hf isotope compositions In detrital zircons as a new tool for provenance studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jacobsen, Y. J.; Münker, C.; Mezger, K.

    2003-04-01

    Identifying the provenance of continental sediments is a major issue in palaeo-tectonic studies, providing important information for paleogeographic reconstructions. Isotope studies, e.g. those of whole rock Sm-Nd or detrital zircon U-Pb dating, have widely been used for this purpose. Here we assess the potential of combined Lu-Hf data and U-Pb ages determined on the same single detrital zircons as a new tool for provenance studies. Due to the low Lu/Hf ratios in zircons the Hf isotope composition of a zircon changes insignificantly after its crystallization. Thus each particular grain preserves information on the Hf-siotpe composition of its source and the age of this source. Provided that both the U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotope systems have not been disturbed, this information can be used to constrain the sources of each individual zircon. In order to demonstrate the capability of Hf isotope studies on detrital zircons for provenance studies, we obtained combined U-Pb ages and Lu-Hf isotope data for zircons from the Cambrian Junction Formation in New Zealand. The Junction Formation was deposited on the (present) SE margin of Gondwana near the Australian continent and consists of turbidites, siltstones and conglomerates [1]. Typical continent derived Paleozoic sediments in SE Gondwana generally show characteristic age maxima at 500-600 Ma, 1000-1200 Ma (Grenvillian) and additional older peaks (early Proterozoic to Archean) [2]. We focused on two groups of detrital zircons with Grenvillian and Proterozoic to Late Archean ages. The initial ɛHf values for these zircons range from 0.7 to -15.5 for the Grenvillian and from -5.2 to -14.1 for the Proterozoic/Archean zircons. Corresponding two stage Hf model ages range from ca. 1500 to 2500 Ma for the Grenvillian and from ca. 3200 to 3600 Ma for the Proterozoic/Archean zircons. Furthermore it can be shown that the Grenvillian zircons must have been derived from recycled Grenvillian provinces. Comparison of these Hf model ages

  18. Fission track dating of kimberlitic zircons

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Haggerty, S.E.; Raber, E.; Naeser, C.W.

    1983-01-01

    The only reliable method for dating kimberlites at present is the lengthy and specialized hydrothermal procedure that extracts 206Pb and 238U from low-uranium zircons. This paper describes a second successful method by fission track dating of large single-crystal zircons, 1.0-1.5 cm in dimension. The use of large crystals overcomes the limitations imposed in conventional fission track analysis which utilizes crushed fragments. Low track densities, optical track dispersion, and the random orientation of polished surfaces in the etch and irradiation cycle are effectively overcome. Fission track ages of zircons from five African kimberlites are reported, from the Kimberley Pool (90.3 ?? 6.5 m.y.), Orapa (87.4 ?? 5.7 and 92.4 ?? 6.1 m.y.), Nzega (51.1 ?? 3.8 m.y.), Koffiefontein (90.0 ?? 8.2 m.y.), and Val do Queve (133.4 ?? 11.5 m.y.). In addition we report the first radiometric ages (707.9 ?? 59.6 and 705.5 ?? 61.0 m.y.) of crustal zircons from kimberlites in northwest Liberia. The fission track ages agree well with earlier age estimates. Most of the zircons examined in this study are zoned with respect to uranium but linear correlations are established (by regression analysis) between zones of variable uranium content, and within zones of constant uranium content (by analysis of variance). Concordance between the fission track method and the U/Pb technique is established and we concluded that track fading from thermal annealing has not taken place. Kimberlitic zircons dated in this study, therefore, record the time of eruption. ?? 1983.

  19. Creation of a continent recorded in zircon zoning

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Moser, D.E.; Bowman, J.R.; Wooden, J.; Valley, J.W.; Mazdab, F.; Kita, N.

    2008-01-01

    We have discovered a robust microcrystalline record of the early genesis of North American lithosphere preserved in the U-Pb age and oxygen isotope zoning of zircons from a lower crustal paragneiss in the Neoarchean Superior province. Detrital igneous zircon cores with ??18O values of 5.1???-7.1??? record creation of primitive to increasingly evolved crust from 2.85 ?? 0.02 Ga to 2.67 ?? 0.02 Ga. Sharp chemical unconformity between cores and higher ??18O (8.4???-10.4???) metamorphic overgrowths as old as 2.66 ?? 0.01 Ga dictates a rapid sequence of arc unroofing, burial of detrital zircons in hydrosphere-altered sediment, and transport to lower crust late in upper plate assembly. The period to 2.58 ?? 0.01 Ga included ???80 m.y. of high-temperature (???700-650 ??C), nearly continuous overgrowth events reflecting stages in maturation of the subjacent mantle root. Huronian continental rifting is recorded by the youngest zircon tip growth at 2512 ?? 8 Ma (??? 600 ??C) signaling magma intraplating and the onset of rigid plate behavior. This >150 m.y. microscopic isotope record in single crystals demonstrates the sluggish volume diffusion of U, Pb, and O in zircon throughout protracted regional metamorphism, and the consequent advances now possible in reconstructing planetary dynamics with zircon zoning. ?? 2008 The Geological Society of America.

  20. Petrology and zircon U-Pb geochronology of metagabbros from a mafic-ultramafic suite at Aniyapuram: Neoarchean to Early Paleoproterozoic convergent margin magmatism and Middle Neoproterozoic high-grade metamorphism in southern India

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koizumi, Tatsuya; Tsunogae, Toshiaki; Santosh, M.; Tsutsumi, Yukiyasu; Chetty, T. R. K.; Saitoh, Yohsuke

    2014-12-01

    Several mafic-ultramafic complexes occur within the Palghat-Cauvery Suture Zone (PCSZ) in southern India. The PCSZ is regarded in recent models as the zone along which crustal blocks were amalgamated during the Late Neoproterozoic-Cambrian (550-530 Ma) Gondwana assembly. Here we report petrologic and zircon U-Pb geochronologic data from gabbros associated with the Aniyapuram mafic-ultramafic suite in the central domain of the PCSZ. Geothermobarometry and pseudosection approach in the system NCFMASHTO for the metagabbro (Grt + Cpx + Opx + Hbl + Pl + Qtz + Ilm + Rt) yield peak P-T condition of 9.8-10.6 kbar and 730-790 °C, which was followed by decompression to 6.5-8.0 kbar and ca. 750 °C as inferred from the formation of Opx + Pl symplectite around garnet, probably along a clockwise P-T path. Zircon U-Pb data analyzed by LA-ICP-MS plot along a well-defined discordia with upper and lower intercepts in the concordia at 2436 ± 22 Ma and 731 ± 11 Ma respectively, suggesting Neoarchean-Early Paleoproterozoic magmatic emplacement of the protolith and progressive Pb loss related to the Middle Neoproterozoic (Cryogenian) thermal event (or high-grade metamorphism). These results closely compare with the available Neoarchean magmatic ages of mafic-ultramafic complexes (e.g., Sittampundi, Devanur, Agali Hills, and Kanja Malai) and Middle Neoproterozoic magmatic event (e.g., Manamedu and Kadavur) in the PCSZ and adjacent granulite blocks. The 650 Ma concordia ages obtained from unzoned zircons might indicate the timing of high-grade metamorphism or post-peak hydration event. The P-T conditions obtained from Aniyapuram are significantly lower than the high-pressure and ultrahigh-temperature conditions of the 550-530 Ma final collisional event (P > 14 kbar and T > 950 °C). The Middle Neoproterozoic (ca. 730 Ma or 650 Ma) high-grade metamorphism in Aniyapuram reported for the first time from the PCSZ is possibly associated with magmatism in arc tectonic setting.

  1. Petrogenesis of the Yaochong granite and Mo deposit, Western Dabie orogen, eastern-central China: Constraints from zircon U-Pb and molybdenite Re-Os ages, whole-rock geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Wei; Xu, Zhaowen; Qiu, Wenhong; Li, Chao; Yu, Yang; Wang, Hao; Su, Yang

    2015-05-01

    The Dabie orogen is among the most famous continent-continent collisional orogenic belts in the world, and is characterized by intensive post-collisional extension, magmatism and Mo mineralization. However, the genetic links between the mineralization and the geodynamic evolution of the orogen remain unresolved. In this paper, the Yaochong Mo deposit and its associated granitic stocks were investigated to elucidate this issue. Our new zircon U-Pb ages yielded an Early Cretaceous age (133.3 ± 1.3 Ma) for the Yaochong granite, and our molybdenite Re-Os dating gave a similar age (135 ± 1 Ma) for the Mo deposit. The Yaochong stock is characterized by high silica and alkali but low Mg, Fe and Ca. It is enriched in light rare earth elements (LREEs) and large ion lithophile elements (LILEs: Rb, K, Th and U), but strongly depleted in heavy REEs, and high field strength elements (HFSEs: Nb, Ta, Ti and Y). The Yaochong granite has initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.7087-0.7096, and Pb isotopic ratios of (206Pb/204Pb)i = 16.599-16.704, (207Pb/204Pb)i = 15.170-15.618 and (208Pb/204Pb)i = 36.376-38.248. The granite has εNd(t) of -18.0 to -16.3 and εHf(t) values of -26.5 to -20.0. All these data indicate that the Yaochong granite is a high-K calc-alkaline fractionated I-type granite, and may have originated from partial melting of the thickened Yangtze continental crust. The Mo ores also show low radiogenic Pb isotopes similar to the Yaochong stock. Medium Re content in molybdenite (21.8-74.8 ppm) also suggests that the ore-forming materials were derived from the thickened lower crust with possibly minor mixing with the mantle. Similar to the Eastern Dabie orogen, the thickened crust beneath the Western Dabie orogen may also have experienced tectonic collapse, which may have exerted fundamental geodynamic controls on the two-stage Mo mineralization in the region.

  2. Timing of mid-crustal ductile extension in the northern Snake Range metamorphic core complex, Nevada: Evidence from U/Pb zircon ages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, J.; Blackburn, T.; Johnston, S. M.

    2016-12-01

    Metamorphic core complexes (Mccs) within the western U.S. record a history of Cenozoic ductile and brittle extensional deformation, metamorphism, and magmatism, and exhumation within the footwall of high-angle Basin and Range normal faults. Documenting these histories within Mccs have been topics of research for over 40 years, yet there remains disagreement about: 1) whether the detachment fault formed and moved at low angles or initiated at high angles and rotated to a low angle; 2) whether brittle and ductile extensional deformation were linked in space and time; and 3) the temporal relationship of both modes of extension to the development of the detachment fault. The northern Snake Range metamorphic core complex (NSR), Nevada has been central to this debate. To address these issues, we report new U/Pb dates from zircon in deformed and undeformed rhyolite dikes emplaced into ductilely thinned and horizontally stretched lower plate rocks that provide tight bounds on the timing of ductile extension at between 38.2 ± 0.3 Ma and 22.50 ± 0.36 Ma. The maximum age constraint is from the Northern dike swarm (NDS), which was emplaced in the northwest part of the range pre- to syn-tectonic with ductile extension. The minimum age constraint is from the Silver Creek dike swarm (SDS) that was emplaced in the southern part of the range post ductile extensional deformation. Our field observations, petrography, and U/Pb zircon ages on the dikes combined with published data on the geology and kinematics of extension, moderate and low temperature thermochronology on lower plate rocks, and age and faulting histories of Cenozoic sedimentary basins adjacent to the NSR are interpreted as recording an episode of localized upper crustal brittle extension during the Eocene that drove upward ductile extensional flow of hot middle crustal rocks from beneath the NSR detachment soon after, or simultaneous with, emplacement of the NDS. Exhumation of the lower plate continued in a rolling

  3. Detrital and volcanic zircon U-Pb ages from southern Mendoza (Argentina): An insight on the source regions in the northern part of the Neuquén Basin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Naipauer, Maximiliano; Tapia, Felipe; Mescua, José; Farías, Marcelo; Pimentel, Marcio M.; Ramos, Victor A.

    2015-12-01

    The infill of the Neuquén Basin recorded the Meso-Cenozoic geological and tectonic evolution of the southern Central Andes being an excellent site to investigate how the pattern of detrital zircon ages varies trough time. In this work we analyze the U-Pb (LA-MC-ICP-MS) zircon ages from sedimentary and volcanic rocks related to synrift and retroarc stages of the northern part of the Neuquén Basin. These data define the crystallization age of the synrift volcanism at 223 ± 2 Ma (Cerro Negro Andesite) and the maximum depositional age of the original synrift sediments at ca. 204 Ma (El Freno Formation). Two different pulses of rifting could be recognized according to the absolute ages, the oldest developed during the Norian and the younger during the Rhaetian-Sinemurian. The source regions of the El Freno Formation show that the Choiyoi magmatic province was the main source rock of sediment supply. An important amount of detrital zircons with Triassic ages was identified and interpreted as a source area related to the synrift magmatism. The maximum depositional age calculated for the Tordillo Formation in the Atuel-La Valenciana depocenter is at ca. 149 Ma; as well as in other places of the Neuquén Basin, the U-Pb ages calculated in the Late Jurassic Tordillo Formation do not agree with the absolute age of the Kimmeridgian-Tithonian boundary (ca. 152 Ma). The main source region of sediment in the Tordillo Formation was the Andean magmatic arc. Basement regions were also present with age peaks at the Carboniferous, Neoproterozoic, and Mesoproterozoic; these regions were probably located to the east in the San Rafael Block. The pattern of zircon ages summarized for the Late Jurassic Tordillo and Lagunillas formations were interpreted as a record of the magmatic activity during the Triassic and Jurassic in the southern Central Andes. A waning of the magmatism is inferred to have happened during the Triassic. The evident lack of ages observed around ca. 200 Ma suggests

  4. Radiometric ages of the Fire Clay tonstein [Pennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous), Westphalian, Duckmantian]: A comparison of U-Pb zircon single-crystal ages and 40Ar/39Ar sanidine single-crystal plateau ages

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lyons, P.C.; Krogh, T.E.; Kwok, Y.Y.; Davis, D.W.; Outerbridge, W.F.; Evans, H.T.

    2006-01-01

    The Fire Clay tonstein [Pennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous), Westphalian Series, Duckmantian Stage]-a kaolinized, volcanic-ash deposit occurring in Kentucky, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Virginia-is the most widespread bed in the Middle Pennsylvanian of the central Appalachian basin, USA. A concordant single-crystal U-Pb zircon datum for this tonstein gives a 206Pb/238U age of 314.6 ?? 0.9 Ma (2??). This age is in approximate agreement with a mean sanidine plateau age of 311.5 ?? 1.3 Ma (1??, n = 11) for the Fire Clay tonstein. The difference between the two ages may be due to bias between the 40K and 238U decay constants and other factors. The age of the Fire Clay tonstein has important implications for Duckmantian Stage (Westphalian Series) sedimentation rates, correlations with the Westphalian Series of Europe, Middle Pennsylvanian volcanic events, and the late Paleozoic time scale. ?? 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Testing the age calibration of the Newark-Hartford APTS by magnetostratigraphic correlation of U-Pb zircon-dated tuffaceous beds in the Late Traissic Chinle Formation in core PFNP-1A from the Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona, USA)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kent, D. V.; Olsen, P. E.; Mundil, R.; Lepre, C. J.

    2017-12-01

    The Newark-Hartford APTS extends over 27 Myr according to cycle stratigraphy of the Norian and Rhaetian of the Late Triassic and Hettangian and Sinemurian of the Early Jurassic and an additional 6 Myr by extrapolation into the Carnian; the entire sequence is anchored by U-Pb zircon dating of CAMP activity that provides a calibration date of 201.6 Ma for Chron E23r just below the end-Triassic extinction and the earliest CAMP basalts in the Newark basin (Blackburn+2013 Science; Kent+2017 ESR). The developing APTS has been successfully used for global correlations in marine and non-marine facies but there have been ongoing suggestions that millions of years of Rhaetian time are missing in a cryptic unconformity that supposedly occurs just above E23r in the Newark Supergroup basins. Testing the continuity of the APTS by magnetostratigraphic correlation of U-Pb zircon-dated tuffaceous beds in the Chinle Formation was a prime scientific objective for core PFNP-1A. Paleomagnetic results were obtained using stepwise thermal demagnetization to 680°C from >150 samples of finer-grained red lithologies from the upper 250 m of the cored section of the Chinle (upper Sonsela, Petrified Forest including the Black Forest Bed, and lower Owl Rock Members). Characteristic directions isolated in 2/3 of the samples showed antipodal directions that were shallow with respect to reference directions (flattening factor 0.5), consistent with early acquisition of remanence. Seven polarity magnetozones produce a distinctive pattern correlated to Chrons E17r to E14r of the APTS. The Black Forest Bed at 209.93±0.26 Ma (Ramezani+2011 GSAB), confirmed by our new U-Pb dates from core PFNP-1A, occurs in a reverse polarity magnetozone correlated to E16r (209.95-210.25 Ma), which puts the U-Pb zircon date(s) in excellent agreement with the inferred APTS age. Rather than a 'missing Rhaetian', the apparent regional differences in appearances and disappearances of palynoflora, conchostracans, and other

  6. Paleozoic and Paleoproterozoic Zircon in Igneous Xenoliths Assimilated at Redoubt Volcano, Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bacon, C. R.; Vazquez, J. A.; Wooden, J. L.

    2010-12-01

    Historically active Redoubt Volcano is a basalt-to-dacite cone constructed upon the Jurassic-early Tertiary Alaska-Aleutian Range batholith. New SHRIMP-RG U-Pb age and trace-element concentration results for zircons from gabbroic xenoliths and crystal-rich andesitic mush from a late Pleistocene pyroclastic deposit indicate that ~310 Ma and ~1865 Ma igneous rocks underlie Redoubt at depth. Two gabbros have sharply terminated prismatic zircons that yield ages of ~310 Ma. Zircons from a crystal mush sample are overwhelmingly ~1865 Ma and appear rounded due to incomplete dissolution. Binary plots of element concentrations or ratios show clustering of data for ~310-Ma grains and markedly coherent trends for ~1865-Ma grains; e.g., ~310-Ma grains have higher Eu/Eu* than most of the ~1865-Ma grains, the majority of which form a narrow band of decreasing Eu/Eu* with increasing Hf content which suggests that ~1865-Ma zircons come from igneous source rocks. It is very unlikely that detrital zircons from a metasedimentary rock would have this level of homogeneity in age and composition. One gabbro contains abundant ~1865 Ma igneous zircons, ~300-310 Ma fluid-precipitated zircons characterized by very low U and Th concentrations and Th/U ratios, and uncommon ~100 Ma zircons. We propose that (1) ~310 Ma gabbro xenoliths from Redoubt Volcano belong to the same family of plutons dated by Aleinikoff et al. (USGS Circular 1016, 1988) and Gardner et al. (Geology, 1988) located ≥500 km to the northeast in basement rocks of the Wrangellia and Alexander terranes and (2) ~1865 Ma zircons are inherited from igneous rock, potentially from a continental fragment that possibly correlates with the Fort Simpson terrane or Great Bear magmatic zone of the Wopmay Orogen of northwestern Laurentia. Possibly, elements of these Paleoproterozoic terranes intersected the Paleozoic North American continental margin where they may have formed a component of the basement to the Wrangellia

  7. Uranium-lead dating of hydrothermal zircon and monazite from the Sin Quyen Fe-Cu-REE-Au-(U) deposit, northwestern Vietnam

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Xiao-Chun; Zhou, Mei-Fu; Chen, Wei Terry; Zhao, Xin-Fu; Tran, MyDung

    2018-03-01

    The Sin Quyen deposit in northwestern Vietnam contains economic concentrations of Cu, Au and LREE, and sub-economic concentration of U. In this deposit, massive and banded replacement ores are hosted in Neoproterozoic metapelite. The paragenetic sequence includes sodic alteration (stage I), calcic-potassic alteration and associated Fe-REE-(U) mineralization (stage II), Cu-Au mineralization (stage III), and sulfide-(quartz-carbonate) veins (stage IV). The Sin Quyen deposit experienced an extensive post-ore metamorphic overprint, which makes it difficult to precisely determine the mineralization age. In this study, zircon and monazite U-Pb geochronometers and the Rb-Sr isochron method are used to constrain the timing of mineralization. Zircon grains in the ore are closely intergrown or texturally associated with hydrothermal minerals of stage II (e.g., garnet, allanite, and hedenbergite). They may contain primary fluid inclusions and display irregular zoning in cathodoluminescence (CL) images. Zircon grains are rich in U (688 to 2902 ppm) and poor in Th (0.2 to 2.9 ppm). Their δ18OV-SMOW values range from 11.9 to 14.0‰, higher than those of typical magmatic zircon. These textural and compositional features imply that zircon precipitated from 18O- and U-rich hydrothermal fluids, coeval with the minerals of stage II. Monazite occurs in close association with stage II magnetite and allanite and has low contents of Th (<2700 ppm), indicative of a hydrothermal origin. Hydrothermal zircon and monazite have indistinguishable U-Pb ages of 841 ± 12 and 836 ± 18 Ma, respectively, representing the timing of Fe-REE mineralization. There is no direct isotopic constraint on the timing of the Cu-Au mineralization, but geological observations suggest that the Cu-Au and Fe-REE ores most likely formed within a single evolved hydrothermal process. In the plot of 87Rb/86Sr vs. 87Sr/86Sr, the composition of bulk-ore and biotite separates from ore lie along a reference line for 30 Ma

  8. Data Reduction of Laser Ablation Split-Stream (LASS) Analyses Using Newly Developed Features Within Iolite: With Applications to Lu-Hf + U-Pb in Detrital Zircon and Sm-Nd +U-Pb in Igneous Monazite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fisher, Christopher M.; Paton, Chad; Pearson, D. Graham; Sarkar, Chiranjeeb; Luo, Yan; Tersmette, Daniel B.; Chacko, Thomas

    2017-12-01

    A robust platform to view and integrate multiple data sets collected simultaneously is required to realize the utility and potential of the Laser Ablation Split-Stream (LASS) method. This capability, until now, has been unavailable and practitioners have had to laboriously process each data set separately, making it challenging to take full advantage of the benefits of LASS. We describe a new program for handling multiple mass spectrometric data sets collected simultaneously, designed specifically for the LASS technique, by which a laser aerosol is been split into two or more separate "streams" to be measured on separate mass spectrometers. New features within Iolite (https://iolite-software.com) enable the capability of loading, synchronizing, viewing, and reducing two or more data sets acquired simultaneously, as multiple DRSs (data reduction schemes) can be run concurrently. While this version of Iolite accommodates any combination of simultaneously collected mass spectrometer data, we demonstrate the utility using case studies where U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotope composition of zircon, and U-Pb and Sm-Nd isotope composition of monazite were analyzed simultaneously, in crystals showing complex isotopic zonation. These studies demonstrate the importance of being able to view and integrate simultaneously acquired data sets, especially for samples with complicated zoning and decoupled isotope systematics, in order to extract accurate and geologically meaningful isotopic and compositional data. This contribution provides instructions and examples for handling simultaneously collected laser ablation data. An instructional video is also provided. The updated Iolite software will help to fully develop the applications of both LASS and multi-instrument mass spectrometric measurement capabilities.

  9. Alxa Block Provenance of Ediacaran (Sinian) Sediments in the Helanshan Area: Constraints from Hf Isotopes and U-Pb Geochronology of Detrital Zircons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiaopeng, D.

    2016-12-01

    The tectonic relationship between the Alxa Block and the North China Craton has long been controversial. The Helanshan area lies at the western margin of the Ordos Block and east of the Alxa Block (Fig.a), and it contains rocks of the lower Zhengmuguan and upper Tuerkeng formations that belong to the Ediacaran system. The Zhengmuguan Formation is made up of abyssal facies rocks including dolomite and glacial conglomerate with dropstones, and the Tuerkeng Formation consists of silty slate of the neritic facies. A discontinuity marks the boundary between the Tuerkeng Formation and the Early Cambrian Suyukou Formation, which is composed mainly of pebbly sandstone towards the base and sandstone towards the top, representing a change in sedimentary facies from terrestrial to littoral.The Neoproterozoic U-Pb ages of zircons from the Ediacaran and Early Cambrian sediments peak at 818 ± 4 Ma (n = 88) and 905 ± 8 Ma (n = 20), consistent with the Neoproterozoic age peaks found in the Precambrian basement of the Alxa Block(Fig.b). There are few Neoproterozoic zircons in the Neoproterozoic strata of the Langshan area, and there are no reports of Neoproterozoic zircons in the Zhuozishan area, northwest of Helanshan, or in the western margin of the neighboring Ordos Basin. A number of Neoproterozoic zircons are found in the Middle Cambrian to Middle Ordovician strata of the Niushoushan area. And while Niushoushan is part of the Hexi Corridor, it did not amalgamate with the NCC before the Early-Middle Cambrian. Therefore, the Neoproterozoic and Early Cambrian sediments in Helanshan record information about Neoproterozoic magmatic events in the Alxa Block, and indicate an Alxa Block provenance(Fig.c).The Hf isotopic characteristics of the Neoproterozoic zircons from the Ediacaran Zhengmuguan Formation in the Helanshan area (eHf(t) = -7.812 to 3.274, TDMC = 2211-1578 Ma, n = 10) are similar to those Neoproterozoic igneous zircons from the Langshan area (eHf(t) = -1.105 to 5

  10. "Taconic" arc magmatism in the central Brooks Range, Alaska: New U-Pb zircon geochronology and Hf isotopic data from the lower Paleozoic Apoon assemblage of the Doonerak fenster

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Strauss, J. V.; Hoiland, C. W.; Ward, W.; Johnson, B.; McClelland, W.

    2015-12-01

    The Doonerak fenster in the central Brooks Range, AK, exposes an important package of early Paleozoic volcanic and sedimentary rocks called the Apoon assemblage, which are generally interpreted as para-autochthonous basement to the Mesozoic-Cenozoic Brookian fold-thrust belt. Recognition in the 1970's of a major pre-Mississippian unconformity within the window led to correlations between Doonerak and the North Slope (sub-) terrane of the Arctic Alaska Chukotka microplate (AACM); however, the presence of arc-affinity volcanism and the apparent lack of pre-Mississippian deformation in the Apoon assemblage makes this link tenuous and complicates Paleozoic tectonic reconstructions of the AACM. Previous age constraints on the Apoon assemblage are limited to a handful of Middle Cambrian-Silurian paleontological collections and five K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar hornblende ages from mafic dikes ranging from ~380-520 Ma. We conducted U-Pb geochronologic and Hf isotopic analyses on igneous and sedimentary zircon from the Apoon assemblage to test Paleozoic links with the North Slope and to assess the tectonic and paleogeographic setting of the Doonerak region. U-Pb analyses on detrital zircon from Apoon rocks yield a spectrum of unimodal and polymodal age populations, including prominent age groups of ca. 420-490, 960-1250, 1380­-1500, 1750-1945, and 2650-2830 Ma. Hf isotopic data from the ca. 410-490 Ma age population are generally juvenile (~7-10 ɛHf), implying a distinct lack of crustal assimilation during Ordovician-Silurian Doonerak arc magmatism despite its proximity to a cratonic source terrane as indicated by an abundance of Archean and Proterozoic zircon in the interbedded siliciclastic strata. These data are in stark contrast to geochronological data from the non-Laurentian portions of the AACM, highlighting a prominent tectonic boundary between Laurentian- and Baltic-affinity rocks at the Doonerak window and implying a link to "Taconic"-age arc magmatism documented along

  11. Application of U-Pb ID-TIMS dating to the end-Triassic global crisis: testing the limits on precision and accuracy in a multidisciplinary whodunnit (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schoene, B.; Schaltegger, U.; Guex, J.; Bartolini, A.

    2010-12-01

    The ca. 201.4 Ma Triassic-Jurassic boundary is characterized by one of the most devastating mass-extinctions in Earth history, subsequent biologic radiation, rapid carbon cycle disturbances and enormous flood basalt volcanism (Central Atlantic Magmatic Province - CAMP). Considerable uncertainty remains regarding the temporal and causal relationship between these events though this link is important for understanding global environmental change under extreme stresses. We present ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon geochronology on volcanic ash beds from two marine sections that span the Triassic-Jurassic boundary and from the CAMP in North America. To compare the timing of the extinction with the onset of the CAMP, we assess the precision and accuracy of ID-TIMS U-Pb zircon geochronology by exploring random and systematic uncertainties, reproducibility, open-system behavior, and pre-eruptive crystallization of zircon. We find that U-Pb ID-TIMS dates on single zircons can be internally and externally reproducible at 0.05% of the age, consistent with recent experiments coordinated through the EARTHTIME network. Increased precision combined with methods alleviating Pb-loss in zircon reveals that these ash beds contain zircon that crystallized between 10^5 and 10^6 years prior to eruption. Mineral dates older than eruption ages are prone to affect all geochronologic methods and therefore new tools exploring this form of “geologic uncertainty” will lead to better time constraints for ash bed deposition. In an effort to understand zircon dates within the framework of a magmatic system, we analyzed zircon trace elements by solution ICPMS for the same volume of zircon dated by ID-TIMS. In one example we argue that zircon trace element patterns as a function of time result from a mix of xeno-, ante-, and autocrystic zircons in the ash bed, and approximate eruption age with the youngest zircon date. In a contrasting example from a suite of Cretaceous andesites, zircon trace elements

  12. Content of Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn on Pacific white shrimp cultured in modern farm at BLUPPB, Karawang, West Java

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takarina, N. D.; Rahman, A.; Siswanting, T.; Pin, T. J.

    2018-03-01

    Heavy metal is one of the hazardous substances which often found in shrimp farm. Since this shrimp become mostly favorable food, it is necessary to determine the content of metal in this shrimps. This research was aimed to determine the content of Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn on Pacific white shrimp cultured on the modern farm at BLUPPB, Karawang, West Java. Samples were taken from five farms. During transport, samples were kept in a more relaxed box. Farms used were designed using black plastic as the bottom layer to separate contact with soil. Heavy metal of Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn on shrimp meat was analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry method. The content of Cr was ranged from 0.06 – 0.38 ppm and Pb were 0.02 – 0.05 ppm. The content of Cu was ranged from 1.89 – 15.25 ppm and Zn were 2.16 – 3.92 ppm. According to government rules and literature, those content were below a threshold which was 0.4 ppm for Cu, 0.5 ppm for Pb, 20 ppm for Cu and 0.2 ppm for Zn.

  13. Magma evolution as seen through zircon geochemistry: an example from the Southern Adamello Batholith, N. Italy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Broderick, C.; Schaltegger, U.; Gerdes, A.; Frick, D.; Guenther, D.; Brack, P.

    2012-04-01

    Zircon is an ubiquitous accessory mineral often used for U-Pb geochronology but is also an important recorder of geochemical information. The trace element and isotopic characteristics of zircon yield potential for tracking changes in an evolving magma through time. With recent advances in U-Pb zircon geochronology, 10-100 ka to Ma timescales are observed for incremental pluton construction (Michel et al., 2008, Schaltegger et al., 2009). In observed 100 ka timescales of zircon crystallization, can zircon record the processes that produce trace element variations in a magma? This study focuses on the Val Fredda Complex (VFC) in the southern tip of the 43 to 33 Ma Adamello batholith, N. Italy. The VFC displays complex relationships among mafic melts that were injected into solidifying felsic magmas. Single zircon crystals were dated using CA-ID-TIMS. With permil uncertainties on 206Pb/238U zircon dates, zircons reveal complexities within single populations. The mafic units crystallized potential autocrystic zircons over a duration of 100 - 150ka, whereas the felsic units record up to 200ka of zircon crystallization. In order to understand these complex zircon populations, we analyzed Hf isotopes and trace elements, on the same volume of zircon used for U-Pb dating, following the TIMS-TEA method (Schoene et al., 2010). This detailed zircon study will allow us to look at how magmas are evolving with time. Hf isotopes of VFC mafic zircons reveal distinct ɛHf values between the three mafic units and their ɛHf values remain consistent through time, whereas the VFC felsic units record more complexity in their ɛHf values. We observe changes such as increasing and slight decreases in ɛHf with time which suggest different processes are occurring to produce the different felsic units. Trace element ratios in zircon reveal differences which allow us to make distinctions between felsic and mafic units (e.g. Th/U, (Lu/Gd)N, REEs). The VFC records 200 ka of zircon

  14. Ca. 400 Ma Recrystallization of Norwegian Ultrahigh-pressure Eclogites: an ion Microprobe and Chemical Abrasion Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Root, D. B.; Mattinson, J. M.; Hacker, B. R.; Wooden, J. L.

    2002-12-01

    Understanding the formation and exhumation of the ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) rocks of western Norway hinges on precise determination of the time of eclogite recrystallization. Our study consists of SHRIMP analysis, in conjunction with CL imagery, of zircon from four UHP and high-pressure (HP) eclogites; and detailed TIMS analysis of zircon from two samples subjected to combined thermal annealing and multi-step chemical abrasion (CA). SHRIMP analyses of the Otnheim and Langenes eclogites yield Caledonian spot ages of ca. 400 Ma from zircon rims. CL imagery and Th/U ratios from the Langenes eclogite indicate formation of rims by recrystallization of inherited zircon. SHRIMP analysis of the UHP Flatraket eclogite yielded a broad range of apparently concordant Caledonian ages. CA analyses of two fractions yielded moderate Pb loss from the first (lowest T) steps; possible minor Pb loss or minor growth at 400 Ma from the second steps; and a 407-404 Ma cluster of slightly discordant 206Pb/238U ages, most likely free from Pb loss, from the remaining steps. We interpret the latter to reflect recrystallization of inherited zircon, with possible new growth, at ca. 400-395 Ma. Alternatively, the high-temperature CA steps could represent growth at 407-404 Ma, with apparent discordance due to intermediate daughter product effects. HP/UHP zircon recrystallization in the Flatraket eclogite is inferred from three lines of evidence: i) zircon occurs as inclusions in garnet, omphacite, breunnerite, dolomite, and quartz, as well as in symplectites after phengite and omphacite; ii) association of zircon with rutile implies zircon formation during HP breakdown of Zr-ilmenite; and iii) chondrite-normalized ICP-MS analyses of the CA steps reveal small Eu anomalies and shallow HREE profiles, indicating zircon recrystallization in the presence of garnet. CA analysis of the Verpeneset eclogite yielded distinctly discordant step ages from two steps comprising <90% of the sample, with 206Pb/238U

  15. "SHRIMP geochronology for the 1450 Ma Lakhna dyke swarm: Its implication for the presence of Eoarchaean crust in the Bastar Craton and 1450-517 Ma depositional age for Purana basin (Khariar), Eastern Indian Peninsula": Comment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Basu, Abhijit; Bickford, M. E.

    2011-11-01

    As critical comments to the recent paper by Ratre et al. (2010, Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 39, 565-577) we cite U-Pb SHRIMP and CHIME ages of magmatic and detrital zircon and monazite from the Chhattisgarh and the Khariar basins in the Bastar craton to argue that these basins closed ca. 1000 Ma. We further argue that geochronologic data, geological evidence, and geological logic strongly indicate that sedimentation in the Khariar basin did not continue up to or beyond 517 Ma, as stated by Ratre et al. (op. cit).

  16. U-Pb Dating of Unabraded Detrital Zircon Metamorphic Rims in the Nanaimo Basin, British Columbia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boivin, M. P.; Guest, B.; Matthews, W.

    2016-12-01

    Thin metamorphic rims on detrital zircons from the Nanaimo Basin in SW British Columbia offer a unique opportunity to further constrain the source of these zircons, helping to resolve the long standing Baja BC controversy. Here we present an analytical approach for dating thin zircon rims and use it to show that zircons from the Nanaimo Basin are most likely derived from metamorphic rocks in southern California. Conventional in-situ laser ablation sample preparation typically requires mounting and polishing zircon grains to expose their core. However, in order to date these thin metamorphic zircon rims a depth-profiling approach on unabraded grains was employed. Zircon grains from the Upper Cretaceous Geoffrey, Spray, and Gabriola formations of the Nanaimo Group exposed on Denman and Hornby Islands (British Columbia) were sorted into five groups based on morphology. The zircons were then mounted on tape along with several grains of a well-characterised zircon reference material to validate the uncertainty of the method. The zircons were then imaged using a Zygo Zescope optical profilometer in order to correct for grain-to-grain variations in elevation relative to mounting medium and ensure consistent laser focus. Backscatter electron images (BSE) were used to further characterised the grains and optimize the location of laser ablation targets. Zircons were ablated using a Resonetics 193 nm excimer laser and uranium and lead isotopic ratios were measured using an Agilent 7700 quadrupole mass spectrometer. A low frequency laser repetition rate extended the data collection period on relatively thin zircon rims. Our results show that metamorphic zircon growth occurred in two main phases at 100 Ma and 77 Ma suggesting two sources of detrital zircons with differing metamorphic histories were present in the catchment area. The timing of metamorphism of the source area for the Nanaimo basin is inconsistent with derivation from sources in the Rocky Mountains (Lemhi sub

  17. Fission track dating of kimberlitic zircons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haggerty, Stephen E.; Raber, Ellen; Naeser, Charles W.

    1983-04-01

    The only reliable method for dating kimberlites at present is the lengthy and specialized hydrothermal procedure that extracts 206Pb and 238U from low-uranium zircons. This paper describes a second successful method by fission track dating of large single-crystal zircons, 1.0-1.5 cm in dimension. The use of large crystals overcomes the limitations imposed in conventional fission track analysis which utilizes crushed fragments. Low track densities, optical track dispersion, and the random orientation of polished surfaces in the etch and irradiation cycle are effectively overcome. Fission track ages of zircons from five African kimberlites are reported, from the Kimberley Pool (90.3 ± 6.5 m.y.), Orapa (87.4 ± 5.7 and 92.4 ± 6.1 m.y.), Nzega (51.1 ± 3.8 m.y.), Koffiefontein (90.0 ± 8.2 m.y.), and Val do Queve (133.4 ± 11.5 m.y.). In addition we report the first radiometric ages (707.9 ± 59.6 and 705.5 ± 61.0 m.y.) of crustal zircons from kimberlites in northwest Liberia. The fission track ages agree well with earlier age estimates. Most of the zircons examined in this study are zoned with respect to uranium but linear correlations are established (by regression analysis) between zones of variable uranium content, and within zones of constant uranium content (by analysis of variance). Concordance between the fission track method and the U/Pb technique is established and we concluded that track fading from thermal annealing has not taken place. Kimberlitic zircons dated in this study, therefore, record the time of eruption.

  18. Temporal evolution of the giant Salobo IOCG deposit, Carajás Province (Brazil): constraints from paragenesis of hydrothermal alteration and U-Pb geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    deMelo, Gustavo H. C.; Monteiro, Lena V. S.; Xavier, Roberto P.; Moreto, Carolina P. N.; Santiago, Erika S. B.; Dufrane, S. Andrew; Aires, Benevides; Santos, Antonio F. F.

    2017-06-01

    The giant Salobo copper-gold deposit is located in the Carajás Province, Amazon Craton. Detailed drill core description, petrographical studies, and U-Pb SHRIMP IIe and LA-ICP-MS geochronology unravel its evolution regarding the host rocks, hydrothermal alteration and mineralization. Within the Cinzento Shear Zone, the deposit is hosted by orthogneisses of the Mesoarchean Xingu Complex (2950 ± 25 and 2857 ± 6.7 Ma) and of the Neoarchean Igarapé Gelado suite (2763 ± 4.4 Ma), which are crosscut by the Old Salobo granite. Remnants of the Igarapé Salobo metavolcanic-sedimentary sequence are represented by a quartz mylonite with detrital zircon populations (ca. 3.1-3.0, 2.95, 2.86, and 2.74 Ga). High-temperature calcic-sodic hydrothermal alteration (hastingsite-actinolite) was followed by silicification, iron-enrichment (almandine-grunerite-magnetite), tourmaline formation, potassic alteration with biotite, copper-gold ore formation, and later Fe-rich hydrated silicate alteration. Myrmekitic bornite-chalcocite and magnetite comprise the bulk of copper-gold ore. All these alteration assemblages have been overprinted by post-ore hematite-bearing potassic and propylitic alteration, which is also recognized in the Old Salobo granite. In the central zone of the deposit the mylonitized Igarapé Gelado suite rocks yield an age of 2701 ± 30 Ma. Zircon ages of 2547 ± 5.3 and 2535 ± 8.4 Ma were obtained for the Old Salobo granite and for the high-grade copper ore, respectively. A U-Pb LA-ICP-MS monazite age (2452 ± 14 Ma) from the copper-gold ore indicates hydrothermal activity and overprinting in the Siderian. Therefore, a protracted tectono-thermal event due to the reactivation of the Cinzento Shear Zone is proposed for the evolution of the Salobo deposit.

  19. Do Jack Hills Detrital Zircons Contain Records of the Early Geodynamo?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weiss, B. P.; Maloof, A. C.; Tailby, N. D.; Ramezani, J.; Fu, R. R.; Glenn, D. R.; Kehayias, P.; Walsworth, R. L.; Hanus, V.; Trail, D.; Watson, E. B.; Harrison, T. M.; Bowring, S. A.; Kirschvink, J. L.; Swanson-Hysell, N.; Coe, R. S.; Einsle, J. F.; Harrison, R. J.

    2015-12-01

    It is unknown when Earth's dynamo magnetic field originated. With crystallization ages ranging from 3.0-4.38 Ga, detrital zircon crystals found in the Jack Hills of Western Australia might preserve a record of the missing first billion years of Earth's magnetic field history. Recently, Tarduno et al. (2015) argued that magnetization in Jack Hills zircons provides evidence for a substantial geomagnetic field dating back to their U/Pb formation ages (3.3 and 4.2 Ga). However, the identification of such ancient field records requires establishing that the zircons have avoided remagnetization since their formation. At a minimum, it should be demonstrated that they have not been remagnetized since being deposited at ~3.0 Ga. To establish the timing and intensity of the metamorphic and alteration events experienced by the zircon, we conducted 12 paleomagnetic field tests in combination with U-Pb geochronology on their host rocks (see Weiss et al. 2015, EPSL). Our data show that the Hadean zircon-bearing rocks and surrounding region have been pervasively remagnetized, with the final major overprinting likely from emplacement of the Warakurna large igneous province at 1.1 Ga (see Figure). Even if some Jack Hills zircons do record a pre-depositional magnetization, they still could have been remagnetized sometime during the 1.4 Gy between their crystallization and their deposition. First, the temperatures capable of remagnetizing magnetite inclusions are well below those that could reset a U-Pb date or result in significant discordance. Therefore, thermal events capable of completely remagnetizing Jack Hills zircons could be undetected by the techniques reported by Tarduno at al. (2015). Second, the zircons' magnetization might be dominated by secondary ferromagnetic inclusions or contamination. To address the latter possibility, we are conducting electron microscopy, x-ray tomography, and magnetic field mapping on the zircons. Our initial quantum diamond magnetometry high

  20. Annealing effects on cathodoluminescence of zircon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tsuchiya, Y.; Nishido, H.; Noumi, Y.

    2011-12-01

    U-Pb zircon dating (e. g., SHRIMP) is an important tool to interpret a history of the minerals at a micrometer-scale, where cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging allows us to recognize internal zones and domains with different chemical compositions and structural disorder at high spatial resolution. The CL of zircon is attributed by various types of emission centers, which are extrinsic ones such as REE impurities and intrinsic ones such as structural defects. Metamictization resulted from radiation damage to the lattice by alpha particles from the decay of U and Th mostly causes an effect on the CL features of zircon as a defect center. However, slightly radiation-damaged zircon, which is almost nondetectable by XRD, has not been characterized using CL method. In this study, annealing effects on CL of zircon has been investigated to clarify a recovery process of the damaged lattice at low radiation dose. A single crystal of zircon from Malawi was selected for CL measurements. It contains HfO2: 2.30 w.t %, U: 241 ppm and Th: 177 ppm. Two plate samples perpendicular to c and a axes were prepared for annealing experiments during 12 hours from room temperature to 1400 degree C. Color CL images were captured using a cold-cathode microscope (Luminoscope: Nuclide ELM-3R). CL spectral measurements were conducted using an SEM (JEOL: JSM-5410) combined with a grating monochromator (Oxford: Mono CL2) to measure CL spectra ranging from 300 to 800 nm in 1 nm steps with a temperature controlled stage. The dispersed CL was collected by a photoncounting method using a photomultiplier tube (Hamamatsu: R2228) and converted to digital data. All CL spectra were corrected for the total instrumental response. Spectral analysis reveals an anisotropy of the CL emission bands related to intrinsic defect center in blue region, radiation-induced defect center from 500 to 700 nm, and trivalent Dy impurity center at 480 and 580 nm, but their relative intensities are almost constant. CL on the

  1. Mesoproterozoic juvenile mafic-ultramafic magmatism in the SW Amazonian Craton (Rio Negro-Juruena province): SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology and Nd-Sr constraints of the Figueira Branca Suite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Teixeira, Wilson; Geraldes, Mauro C.; D'Agrella-Filho, Manoel S.; Santos, João O. S.; Sant'Ana Barros, Márcia A.; Ruiz, Amarildo S.; Corrêa da Costa, Paulo C.

    2011-12-01

    The Figueira Branca Suite (FBS) comprises a layered mafic-ultramafic complex which together with mafic-felsic plugs makes up a string of NW-trending intrusive bodies that are emplaced into the Jauru domain (Rio Negro-Juruena province; 1.80-1.60 Ga). This domain comprises Orosirian calc-alkaline rocks and coeval metamorphic volcanic-sedimentary associations, intruded by voluminous granitoid plutons resulted from outboard Cachoeirinha (1587-1522 Ma) and Santa Helena (1485-1420 Ma) accretionary orogens that eventually created the Rondonian-San Ignacio province along the SW margin of the proto-Amazonian Craton. SHRIMP U-Pb age in zircon for one cumulatic gabbro from the FBS yielded a concordia intercept age of 1425.5 ± 8.0 Ma (MSWD = 1.11). Another gabbroic plug which crops out to the East gives a similar within error concordia intercept zircon age of 1415.9 ± 6.9 Ma (MSWD = 0.25), whereas a nearby monzogranite yields a concordia intercept zircon age of 1428.9 ± 2.8 Ma (MSWD = 1.30). All these results are crystallization ages and constrain an important intraplate magmatic event within the Orosirian continental crust at the time of outboard Santa Helena orogen. On the other hand, igneous titanite from another gabbro located to the West of the FBS yielded a weighted mean 207Pb/ 206Pb crystallization age of 1541 ± 23 Ma (MSWD = 0.74). Therefore this rock is not genetically associated with the FBS, as previously suggested by the field information. Additional Nd-Sr isotopic analyses of the FBS mafic-ultramafic rocks and coeval gabbro showed comparable ɛNd(1.42Ga) values (+3.0 to +4.7) and variable ɛSr(1.42Ga) ones (-39.1 to -8.1). These data plot in the depleted field quadrant of the Nd-Sr diagram, indicating a significant influence of the MORB end-member reservoir in the magma genesis. This interpretation is similarly supported by comparison of the Nd evolutionary path of the FBS with those that characterize the isotopic evolution of the Jauru crust and the

  2. SHRIMP study of zircons from Early Archean rocks in the Minnesota River Valley: Implications for the tectonic history of the Superior Province

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bickford, M.E.; Wooden, J.L.; Bauer, R.L.

    2006-01-01

    Interest in Paleoarchean to early Mesoarchean crust in North America has been sparked by the recent identification of ca. 3800-3500 Ma rocks on the northern margin of the Superior craton in the Assean Lake region of northern Manitoba and the Porpoise Cove terrane in northern Quebec. It has long been known that similarly ancient gneisses are exposed on the southern margin of the Superior craton in the Minnesota River Valley and in northern Michigan, but the ages of these rocks have been poorly constrained, because methods applied in the 1960s through late 1970s were inadequate to unravel the complexities of their thermotectonic history. Rocks exposed in the Minnesota River Valley include a complex of migmatitic granitic gneisses, schistose to gneissic amphibolite, metagabbro, and paragneisses. The best-known units are the Morton Gneiss and the Montevideo Gneiss. The complex of ancient gneisses is intruded by a major younger, weakly deformed granite body, the Sacred Heart granite. Regional geophysical anomalies that extend across the Minnesota River Valley have been interpreted as defining boundaries between distinct blocks containing the various gneissic units. New sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb data from complex zircons yielded the following ages: Montevideo Gneiss near Montevideo, 3485 ?? 10 Ma, granodiorite intrusion, 3385 ?? 8 Ma; Montevideo Gneiss at Granite Falls, 3497 ?? 9 Ma, metamorphic event, 3300-3350 Ma, mafic intrusion, 3141 ?? 2 Ma, metamorphic overprint (rims), 2606 ?? 4 Ma; Morton Gneiss: 3524 ?? 9 Ma, granodiorite intrusion, 3370 ?? 8 Ma, metamorphic overprints (growth of rims), 3140 ?? 2 Ma and 2595 ?? 4 Ma; biotite-garnet paragneiss, 2619 ?? 20 Ma; and Sacred Heart granite, 2604 ?? 4 Ma. Zircons from a cordierite-bearing feldspar-biotite schist overlying the Morton Gneiss yielded well-defined age peaks at 3520, 3480, 3380, and 3140 Ma, showing detrital input from most of the older rock units; 2600 Ma rims on these zircons

  3. Geochemistry, mineralogy, and zircon U-Pb-Hf isotopes in peraluminous A-type granite xenoliths in Pliocene-Pleistocene basalts of northern Pannonian Basin (Slovakia)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huraiová, Monika; Paquette, Jean-Louis; Konečný, Patrik; Gannoun, Abdel-Mouhcine; Hurai, Vratislav

    2017-08-01

    Anorogenic granite xenoliths occur in alkali basalts coeval with the Pliocene-Pleistocene continental rifting of the Pannonian Basin. Observed granite varieties include peraluminous, calcic to peralkalic, magnesian to ferroan types. Quartz and feldspars are dominant rock-forming minerals, accompanied by minor early ilmenite and late magnetite-ulvöspinel. Zircon and Nb-U-REE minerals (oxycalciopyrochlore, fergusonite, columbite) are locally abundant accessory phases in calc-alkalic types. Absence of OH-bearing Fe, Mg-silicates and presence of single homogeneous feldspars (plagioclase in calcic types, anorthoclase in calc-alkalic types, ferrian Na-sanidine to anorthoclase in alkalic types) indicate water-deficient, hypersolvus crystallization conditions. Variable volumes of interstitial glass, absence of exsolutions, and lacking deuteric hydrothermal alteration and/or metamorphic/metasomatic overprint are diagnostic of rapid quenching from hypersolidus temperatures. U-Pb zircon ages determined in calcic and calc-alkalic granite xenoliths correspond to a time interval between 5.7 and 5.2 Ma. Positive ɛHf values (14.2 ± 3.9) in zircons from a 5.2-Ma-old calc-alkalic granite xenolith indicate mantle-derived magmas largely unaffected by the assimilation of crustal material. This is in accordance with abundances of diagnostic trace elements (Rb, Y, Nb, Ta), indicating A1-type, OIB-like source magmas. Increased accumulations of Nb-U-REE minerals in these granites indicate higher degree of the magmatic differentiation reflected in Rb-enrichment, contrasting with Ba-enrichment in barren xenoliths. Incipient charnockitization, i.e. orthopyroxene and ilmenite crystallization from interstitial silicate melt, was observed in many granite xenoliths. Thermodynamic modeling using pseudosections showed that the orthopyroxene growth may have been triggered by water exsolution from the melt during ascent of xenoliths in basaltic magma. Euhedral-to-skeletal orthopyroxene growth

  4. Ti-in-zircon thermometry: applications and limitations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fu, Bin; Page, F. Zeb; Cavosie, Aaron J.; Fournelle, John; Kita, Noriko T.; Lackey, Jade Star; Wilde, Simon A.; Valley, John W.

    2008-08-01

    The titanium concentrations of 484 zircons with U-Pb ages of ˜1 Ma to 4.4 Ga were measured by ion microprobe. Samples come from 45 different igneous rocks (365 zircons), as well as zircon megacrysts (84) from kimberlite, Early Archean detrital zircons (32), and zircon reference materials (3). Samples were chosen to represent a large range of igneous rock compositions. Most of the zircons contain less than 20 ppm Ti. Apparent temperatures for zircon crystallization were calculated using the Ti-in-zircon thermometer (Watson et al. 2006, Contrib Mineral Petrol 151:413-433) without making corrections for reduced oxide activities (e.g., TiO2 or SiO2), or variable pressure. Average apparent Ti-in-zircon temperatures range from 500° to 850°C, and are lower than either zircon saturation temperatures (for granitic rocks) or predicted crystallization temperatures of evolved melts (˜15% melt residue for mafic rocks). Temperatures average: 653 ± 124°C (2 standard deviations, 60 zircons) for felsic to intermediate igneous rocks, 758 ± 111°C (261 zircons) for mafic rocks, and 758 ± 98°C (84 zircons) for mantle megacrysts from kimberlite. Individually, the effects of reduced a_{TiO2} or a_{SiO2}, variable pressure, deviations from Henry’s Law, and subsolidus Ti exchange are insufficient to explain the seemingly low temperatures for zircon crystallization in igneous rocks. MELTs calculations show that mafic magmas can evolve to hydrous melts with significantly lower crystallization temperature for the last 10-15% melt residue than that of the main rock. While some magmatic zircons surely form in such late hydrous melts, low apparent temperatures are found in zircons that are included within phenocrysts or glass showing that those zircons are not from evolved residue melts. Intracrystalline variability in Ti concentration, in excess of analytical precision, is observed for nearly all zircons that were analyzed more than once. However, there is no systematic change in Ti

  5. U-Pb age constraints for the La Tuna Granite and Montevideo Formation (Paleoproterozoic, Uruguay): Unravelling the structure of the Río de la Plata Craton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pamoukaghlián, Karina; Gaucher, Claudio; Frei, Robert; Poiré, Daniel G.; Chemale, Farid; Frei, Dirk; Will, Thomas M.

    2017-11-01

    The Río de la Plata Craton is a continental block that crops out in Uruguay, eastern Argentina, southernmost Brazil and Paraguay. It comprises in Uruguay the Piedra Alta, Tandilia and Nico Pérez terranes, separated by the Colonia and the Sarandí del Yí megashears. The La Tuna Granite, which intrudes the Araminda metasandstones in the Tandilia Terrane, was considered Cambrian in age and the intruded sandstones were assigned to the Neoproterozoic Piedras de Afilar Formation. We show that the granite is Paleoproterozoic in age and that the host metasandstones do not belong to the Piedras de Afilar Formation, but to the Paleoproterozoic Montevideo Formation. U-Pb LA ICP-MS of zircon ages for the La Tuna Granite yielded a concordant crystallization age of 2156 ± 26 Ma. Furthermore a metamorphic event at 2010 ± 9 Ma is revealed by Pb stepwise leaching dating of monazites. U-Pb detrital zircon ages of the host Araminda metasandstone yield an upper intercept discordia age of 2152 ± 29 Ma, which marks the intrusion of the La Tuna pluton, and which is in accordance with the zircon U-Pb LA ICP MS constraints. A concordant U-Pb detrital zircon age of 2465 ± 40 Ma provides a maximum depositional age constraint for the metapsammites. Comparing quartz arenites of the Ediacaran Piedras de Afilar Formation with the Araminda metaquartzites, we conclude that they are very similar regarding petrology but they differ in age and metamorphic overprint. Detrital zircons in quartz arenites of the Piedras de Afilar Formation show youngest ages of 1.0 Ga. On the other hand, detrital zircons recovered from the Araminda metasandstones and the age of the intruding granite allow interpreting a depositional age between 2465 and 2150 Ma. Nd model ages show crustal residence times in average more than 200 myr older for the Tandilia Terrane both in Uruguay and Argentina, with a significant Neoarchean component, which is lacking in the Piedra Alta Terrane. Whereas the Piedra Alta Terrane was

  6. Prospects for Practical Laser Ablation U/Pb and (U-Th)/He Double-Dating (LADD) of Detrital Apatite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Horne, A.; Hodges, K. V.; Van Soest, M. C.

    2017-12-01

    A laser ablation micro-analytical technique for (U-Th)/He dating has been shown to be an effective approach to the thermochronologic study of detrital zircons (Tripathy-Lang et al., J. Geophys. Res., 2013), while Evans et al. (J. Anal. At. Spectrom., 2015) and Horne et al. (Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 2016) demonstrated how the technique could be modified to enable laser ablation U/Pb and (U-Th)/He double-dating (LADD) of detrital zircon and titanite. These successes beg the question of whether or not LADD is viable for another commonly encountered detrital mineral: apatite. Exploratory LADD studies in Arizona State University's Group 18 Laboratories - using Durango fluorapatite, apatite from the Fish Canyon tuff, and detrital apatite from modern fluvial sediments in the eastern Sierra Nevada of California - illustrate that the method is indeed viable for detrital apatite. However, the method may not be appropriate for all detrital samples. For example, many apatite grains encountered in detrital samples from young orogenic settings have low concentrations of U and Th and small crystal sizes. This can lead to imprecise laser ablation (U-Th)/He dates, especially for very young grains potentially obscuring or inhibiting relevant interpretations of the data set.

  7. At what conditions does zircon grow/dissolve during high-T metamorphism? Relating zircon textures to PT-conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kunz, Barbara E.; Regis, Daniele; Manzotti, Paola; Engi, Martin

    2015-04-01

    A key question in ziconology is when and how zircon grows during metamorphism. To shed light on zircon forming processes and the corresponding PT-conditions during high-T metamorphism a case study was undertaken. The Ivrea Zone (N-Italy) exposes a lower continental crustal section in which a continuous metamorphic field gradient from amphibolite to granulite facies is documented. This field gradient is thought to reflect protracted heating during late Paleozoic times, with a probable high-T peak in the Permian. We present first results from a primarily textural study supported by U-Pb ages, Th/U ratios and Ti-in-Zrn thermometry. Four types of zircon were identified based on their overgrowth proportions and the preservation of detrital cores. Zircon grains were thus classified as Type1 - detrital grains with no overgrowth or very narrow rims (300 Ma) and appears to reflect an early dehydration phase. Rim2b has Permian ages (median 275 Ma), is by far the most common overgrowth type, found in a wide PT-range. Its development appears related to biotite breakdown. Rim3 is texturally indicative of magmatic zircon, occurs only in diatexites. Rim4 is the latest overgrowth and is locally found at all metamorphic grades. Textural features suggest late fluid-related recrystallization of existing zircon. At lowest grade (675±35°C, 6±2 kbar) zircons show type1 only, overgrowths are too thin to clearly identify the rim type. Further upgrade (~700°C, 7 kbar) type1 and type2 dominate. Type2 zircons show rim1, rim2a and occasionally rim4. At the Mu-out isograd (750±50°C, 8.2±1.4 kbar) most zircons are of type2, now with rim2b instead of 2a, in addition to rim1 and rim4. Near and in granulite facies (to 800°C, 8±2 kbar) mostly zircon type2 and type4 are present. While rim1 gets more narrow with increasing metamorphic grade, rim2b grows significantly thicker. Occasionally rim2a and rim4 occur. Close to the Bt-out isograd (~860°C, 9.2±1.7 kbar), mostly type3 and type4 are

  8. Neoproterozoic-Early Paleozoic Peri-Pacific Accretionary Evolution of the Mongolian Collage System: Insights From Geochemical and U-Pb Zircon Data From the Ordovician Sedimentary Wedge in the Mongolian Altai

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Y. D.; Schulmann, K.; Kröner, A.; Sun, M.; Lexa, O.; Janoušek, V.; Buriánek, D.; Yuan, C.; Hanžl, P.

    2017-11-01

    Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic accretionary processes of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt have been evaluated so far mainly using the geology of ophiolites and/or magmatic arcs. Thus, the knowledge of the nature and evolution of associated sedimentary prisms remains fragmentary. We carried out an integrated geological, geochemical, and zircon U-Pb geochronological study on a giant Ordovician metasedimentary succession of the Mongolian Altai Mountains. This succession is characterized by dominant terrigenous components mixed with volcanogenic material. It is chemically immature, compositionally analogous to graywacke, and marked by significant input of felsic to intermediate arc components, pointing to an active continental margin depositional setting. Detrital zircon U-Pb ages suggest a source dominated by products of early Paleozoic magmatism prevailing during the Cambrian-Ordovician and culminating at circa 500 Ma. We propose that the Ordovician succession forms an "Altai sedimentary wedge," the evolution of which can be linked to the geodynamics of the margins of the Mongolian Precambrian Zavhan-Baydrag blocks. This involved subduction reversal from southward subduction of a passive continental margin (Early Cambrian) to the development of the "Ikh-Mongol Magmatic Arc System" and the giant Altai sedimentary wedge above a north dipping subduction zone (Late Cambrian-Ordovician). Such a dynamic process resembles the tectonic evolution of the peri-Pacific accretionary Terra Australis Orogen. A new model reconciling the Baikalian metamorphic belt along the southern Siberian Craton with peri-Pacific Altai accretionary systems fringing the Mongolian microcontinents is proposed to explain the Cambro-Ordovician geodynamic evolution of the Mongolian collage system.

  9. The basement of the Mount Athos peninsula, northern Greece: insights from geochemistry and zircon ages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Himmerkus, F.; Zachariadis, P.; Reischmann, T.; Kostopoulos, D.

    2012-09-01

    The Mount Athos Peninsula is situated in the south-easternmost part of the Chalkidiki Peninsula in northern Greece. It belongs to the Serbo-Macedonian Massif (SMM), a large basement massif within the Internal Hellenides. The south-eastern part of the Mount Athos peninsula is built by fine-grained banded biotite gneisses and migmatites forming a domal structure. The southern tip of the peninsula, which also comprises Mount Athos itself, is built by limestone, marble and low-grade metamorphic rocks of the Chortiatis Unit. The northern part and the majority of the western shore of the Mount Athos peninsula are composed of highly deformed rocks belonging to a tectonic mélange termed the Athos-Volvi-Suture Zone (AVZ), which separates two major basement units: the Vertiskos Terrane in the west and the Kerdillion Unit in the east. The rock-types in this mélange range from metasediments, marbles and gneisses to amphibolites, eclogites and peridotites. The gneisses are tectonic slivers of the adjacent basement complexes. The mélange zone and the gneisses were intruded by granites (Ierissos, Ouranoupolis and Gregoriou). The Ouranoupolis intrusion obscures the contact between the mélange and the gneisses. The granites are only slightly deformed and therefore postdate the accretionary event that assembled the units and created the mélange. Pb-Pb- and U-Pb-SHRIMP-dating of igneous zircons of the gneisses and granites of the eastern Athos peninsula in conjunction with geochemical and isotopic analyses are used to put Athos into the context of a regional tectonic model. The ages form three clusters: The basement age is indicated by two samples that yielded Permo-Carboniferous U-Pb-ages of 292.6 ± 2.9 Ma and 299.4 ± 3.5 Ma. The main magmatic event of the granitoids now forming the gneiss dome is dated by Pb-Pb-ages between 140.0 ± 2.6 Ma and 155.7 ± 5.1 Ma with a mean of 144.7 ± 2.4 Ma. A within-error identical age of 146.6 ± 2.3 Ma was obtained by the U-Pb-SHRIMP

  10. Detrital zircon provenance from three turbidite depocenters of the Middle-Upper Triassic Songpan-Ganzi complex, central China: Record of collisional tectonics, erosional exhumation, and sediment production

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Weislogel, A.L.; Graham, S.A.; Chang, E.Z.; Wooden, J.L.; Gehrels, G.E.

    2010-01-01

    To test the idea that the voluminous upper Middle to Upper Triassic turbidite strata in the Songpan-Ganzi complex of central China archive a detrital record of Dabie ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terrane unroofing, we report 2080 single detrital U-Pb zircon ages by sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe-reverse geometry (SHRIMP-RG) and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis from 29 eastern Songpan-Ganzi complex sandstone samples. Low (<0.07) Th/U zircons, consistent with crystallization under UHP conditions, are rare in eastern Songpan-Ganzi complex zircon, and U-Pb ages of low Th/U zircons are incompatible with a Dabie terrane source. An unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean nearest-neighbor analysis of Kolmogorov-Smirnov two-sample test results reveals that the eastern Songpan-Ganzi complex is not a single contiguous turbidite system but is instead composed of three subsidiary depocenters, each associated with distinct sediment sources. The northeastern depocenter contains zircon ages characterized by Paleozoic and bimodally distributed Precambrian zircon populations, which, together with south-to southeast-directed paleocurrent data, indicate derivation from the retro-side of the Qinling-Dabie (Q-D) collisional orogen wedge. In the central depocenter, the dominantly Paleozoic detrital zircon signature and south-to southwest-oriented paleocurrent indicators reflect a profusion of Paleozoic zircon grains. These data are interpreted to reflect an influx of material derived from erosion of Paleozoic supra-UHP rocks of the Dabie terrane in the eastern Qinling-Dabie orogen, which we speculate may have been enhanced by development of a monsoonal climate. This suggests that erosional unroofing played a significant role in the initial phase of UHP exhumation and likely influenced the petrotectonic and structural evolution of the Qinling-Dabie orogen, as evidenced by compressed Triassic isotherms/grads reported in the

  11. First application of the revised Ti-in-zircon geothermometer to Paleoproterozoic ultrahigh-temperature granulites of Tuguiwula, Inner Mongolia, North China Craton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, S. J.; Li, J. H.; Santosh, M.

    2010-02-01

    The revised titanium-in-zircon geothermometer was applied to Paleoproterozoic ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) granulites at Tuguiwula, Inner Mongolia, North China Craton. The Tuguiwula granulites contain diagnostic UHT mineral assemblages such as sapphirine + quartz and high alumina orthopyroxene + sillimanite + quartz, suggesting formation under temperatures of ca. 1,000°C and pressures of up to 10 kbar. Here, we report detailed petrographic studies and ICP-MS data on titanium concentration in zircons associated with the UHT assemblages. The zircons associated with sapphirine-spinel-sillimanite-magnetite assemblages have the highest Ti concentration of up to 57 ppm, yielding a temperature of 941°C, and suggesting that the growth of zircons occurred under ultrahigh-temperature conditions. The maximum temperatures obtained by the revised Ti-in-zircon geothermometer is lower than the equilibrium temperature of sapphirine + quartz, indicating an interval of cooling history of the granulites from UHT condition to ca. 940°C. Many of the zircons have Ti concentrations ranging from 10 to 33 ppm, indicating their growth or recrystallization under lower temperatures of ca. 745-870°C. These zircons are interpreted to have recrystallized during the retrograde stage indicated by microstructures such as cordierite rim or corona between spinel and quartz, and orthopyroxene-cordierite symplectite around garnet. Previous geochronological study on the zircons of the Tuguiwula UHT granulites gave a mean U-Pb SHRIMP age of 1.92 Ga. However, based on the Ti-in-zircon geothermometer results reported in this work, and considering the relatively slow thermal relaxation of these rocks, we infer that the timing of peak UHT metamorphism in the Tuguiwula area could be slightly older than 1.92 Ga.

  12. Zircon U-Pb age, Hf isotope and geochemistry of Carboniferous intrusions from the Langshan area, Inner Mongolia: Petrogenesis and tectonic implications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Min; Zhang, Da; Xiong, Guangqiang; Zhao, Hongtao; Di, Yongjun; Wang, Zhong; Zhou, Zhiguang

    2016-04-01

    Late Paleozoic was a critical period for the tectonic evolution of the northern margin of the Alxa-North China craton, but the evolutionary history is not well constrained. The Carboniferous intrusions in the Langshan area in the western part of the northern margin of the Alxa-North China craton are mainly composed of tonalite, quartz diorite, olivine gabbro and pyroxene peridotite. Zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating indicates that the Langshan Carboniferous intrusions were emplaced at ca. 338-324 Ma. The quartz diorites are characterized by high amounts of compatible trace elements (Cr, Ni and V) and high Mg# values, which may suggest a significant mantle source. The positive Pb and negative Nb-Ta-Ti anomalies, the variable εHf(t) (-6.9 to 2.0) values and the old Hf model ages (1218-1783 Ma) imply some involvement of ancient continental materials in its petrogenesis. The tonalite has relatively high Sr/Y ratios, low Mg#, Yb and Y contents, features of adakite-like rocks, negative εHf(t) values (-9.8 to -0.1) and older Hf model ages (1344-1953 Ma), which suggest significant involvement of ancient crust materials and mantle-derived basaltic component in its petrogenesis. The high Mg# values, high Cr and Ni contents, and low Zr and Hf contents of the mafic-ultramafic rocks show evidence of a mantle source, and the relatively low zircon εHf(t) values (-5.9 to 3.2) might point to an enriched mantle. The trace element characteristics indicate the influence of subducted sediments and slab-derived fluids. In the tectonic discrimination diagrams, all the rocks plot in subduction-related environment, such as volcanic arc and continental arc. Considering the regional geology, we suggest that the Carboniferous intrusions in the Langshan area were likely emplaced during the late stage of the southward subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean plate, which formed a continental arc along the northern margin of the Alxa-North China craton.

  13. Regional patterns of Mesozoic-Cenozoic magmatism in western Alaska revealed by new U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar ages: Chapter D in Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska, vol. 15

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bradley, Dwight C.; Miller, Marti L.; Friedman, Richard M.; Layer, Paul W.; Bleick, Heather A.; Jones, James V.; Box, Steven E.; Karl, Susan M.; Shew, Nora B.; White, Timothy S.; Till, Alison B.; Dumoulin, Julie A.; Bundtzen, Thomas K.; O'Sullivan, Paul B.; Ullrich, Thomas D.

    2017-03-02

    In support of regional geologic framework studies, we obtained 50 new argon-40/argon-39 (40Ar/39Ar) ages and 33 new uranium-lead (U-Pb) ages from igneous rocks of southwestern Alaska. Most of the samples are from the Sleetmute and Taylor Mountains quadrangles; smaller collections or individual samples are from the Bethel, Candle, Dillingham, Goodnews Bay, Holy Cross, Iditarod, Kantishna River, Lake Clark, Lime Hills, McGrath, Medfra, Talkeetna, and Tanana quadrangles.A U-Pb zircon age of 317.7±0.6 million years (Ma) reveals the presence of Pennsylvanian intermediate igneous (probably volcanic) rocks in the Tikchik terrane, Bethel quadrangle. A U-Pb zircon age of 229.5±0.2 Ma from gabbro intruding the Rampart Group of the Angayucham-Tozitna terrane, Tanana quadrangle, confirms and tightens a previously cited Triassic age for this intrusive suite. A fresh mafic dike in Goodnews Bay quadrangle yielded a 40Ar/39Ar whole rock age of 155.0±1.9 Ma; this establishes a Jurassic or older age for the previously unconstrained (Paleozoic? to Mesozoic?) sandstone unit that it intrudes. A thick felsic tuff in the Gemuk Group in Taylor Mountains quadrangle yielded a U-Pb zircon age of 153.0±2.0 Ma, extending the age of magmatism in this part of the Togiak terrane back into the Late Jurassic. We report three new U-Pb zircon ages between 120 and 110 Ma—112.0±0.9 Ma from syenite in the Candle quadrangle, 114.9±0.3 Ma from orthogneiss assigned to the Ruby terrane in Iditarod quadrangle, and 116.6±0.1 Ma from a gabbro of the Dishna River mafic-ultramafic complex in Iditarod quadrangle. The latter result requires a substantial age revision, from Triassic to Cretaceous, for at least some rocks that have been mapped as the Dishna River mafic-ultramafic complex. A tuff in the Upper Cretaceous Kuskokwim Group yielded a U-Pb zircon (sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe, SHRIMP) age of 88.3±1.0 Ma; we speculate that the eruptive source was an arc along the trend of the Pebble

  14. U-Pb and Lu-Hf zircon geochronology of the Cañadón Asfalto Basin, Chubut, Argentina: Implications for the magmatic evolution in central Patagonia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hauser, N.; Cabaleri, N. G.; Gallego, O. F.; Monferran, M. D.; Silva Nieto, D.; Armella, C.; Matteini, M.; Aparicio González, P. A.; Pimentel, M. M.; Volkheimer, W.; Reimold, W. U.

    2017-10-01

    The Cañadón Asfalto basin, central Chubut, Argentina, comprises a volcano-sedimentary sequence related to the opening of the Atlantic Ocean during Mesozoic times. The Lonco Trapial, Cañadón Asfalto and Cañadón Calcáreo formations are the main units related to the evolution of this basin. The Las Chacritas and Puesto Almada members are distinguished in the Cañadón Asfalto Formation. LA-HR-ICP-MS U-Pb and Lu-Hf data on zircon were obtained on these units. The Lonco Trapial Formation gave a weighted average age of 172.3 ± 1.8 Ma. A pyroclastic level from the Las Chacritas Member gave a weighted average age of 168.2 ± 2.2 Ma. Two U-Pb concordant ages of 160.3 ± 1.7 Ma on a laminated tuffite and 158.3 ± 1.3 Ma on a pyroclastic level were obtained for the Puesto Almada Member. Two maximum depositional ages constrain the sedimentary provenance areas for the basin: 1) A sample from the Sierra de la Manea range, where a controversial unit related either to the Cañadón Asfalto or to the Cañadón Calcáreo formation occurs, gave an age of 176.6 ± 1.0 Ma. Two younger zircon crystals indicate that this unit may be related to the Cañadón Calcáreo Formation. 2) A sandstone with cross-stratification from the Puesto Almada Member gave a maximum depositional age of 173.6 ± 6.4 Ma. In terms of U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotopes, two magmatic events are identified in central Patagonia: the Mamil Choique magmatic event characterized by negative εHf values around -5.0 and representing recycling during Permian times of Mesoproterozoic crust (TDM of ∼1.5 Ga), and the Cañadón Asfalto magmatic event with negative (-8.2) to positive (+4) εHf values and Meso- to Neoproterozoic TDM between 1.5 and 0.8 Ga. The younger event is characterized by three main cycles: C1 related to the Lonco Trapial magmatism, C2 to the Las Chacritas volcanism, and C3 to the Puesto Almada volcanism. These cycles are related with Marifil, Chon Aike and El Quemado formations volcanics events of

  15. The provenance of Archean clastic metasediments in the Narryer Gneiss Complex, Western Australia: Trace element geochemistry, Nd isotopes, and U-Pb ages for detrital zircons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maas, Roland; McCulloch, Malcolm T.

    1991-07-01

    Clastic metasedimentary rocks of mid-Archean age from the Mt. Narryer and Jack Hills metasedimentary belts have REE patterns resembling those of mid- to late-Archean pelitic-quartzitic cratonic sequences elsewhere, and post-Archean continental rocks in general. Detrital zircons in the metasediments range in age from ca. 3000 to 3700 Ma. This indicates a provenance from mature cratonic sources controlled by K-rich granitic rocks. Additional minor sediment sources were identified as older, mainly chemical sedimentary sequences, ultramafic rocks, and felsic rocks characterized by low HREE contents, perhaps of tonalitic affinity. The association of the near-shore/fluviatile clastic association studied here with extensive turbiditic and chemical sedimentary sequences indicates these sources formed part of a (rifted ?) cratonic margin ca. 3 Ga ago. Differences between sedimentary REE patterns and those in the surrounding 3.73-3.0 Ga orthogneiss terrain, and between detrital zircon ages and the age distribution in the gneisses, suggest that the present association of the metasedimentary belts with the orthogneiss terrain is of tectonic origin. The occurrence of detrital zircons with U-Pb ages > 4 Ga in certain quartzites and conglomerates of the Jack Hills and Mt. Narryer metasedimentary sequences indicates a further, most likely granitic, source. ɛNd( TDep) values in Jack Hills metasediments vary widely (+5 to -12) but have a smaller range in the Mt. Narryer belt (-5 to -9). The lowest ɛNd values of both sequences are interpreted to reflect the presence of detritus derived from 4.1-4.2 Ga old LREE-enriched continental crust in proportions considerably larger (≥ 10%) than estimated previously from the abundance of pre-4 Ga detrital zircons (≈3%). This would imply the former existence of significant volumes of pre-4 Ga continental crust in the provenance of the Mt. Narryer and Jack Hills metasediments.

  16. The provenance of Archean clastic metasediments in the Narryer Gneiss Complex, western Australia: Trace element geochemistry, Nd isotopes, and U-Pb ages for detrital zircons

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Maas, R.; McCulloch, M.T.

    1991-07-01

    Clastic metasedimentary rocks of mid-Archean age from the Mt. Narryer and Jack Hills metasedimentary belts have REE patterns resembling those of mid- to late-Archean pelitic-quartzitic cratonic sequences elsewhere, and post-Archean continental rocks in general. Detrital zircons in the metasediments range in age from ca. 3,000 to 3,700 Ma. This indicates a provenance from mature cratonic sources controlled by K-rich granitic rocks. Additional minor sediment sources were identified as older, mainly chemical sedimentary sequences, ultramafic rocks, and felsic rocks characterized by low HREE contents, perhaps of tonalitic affinity. Differences between sedimentary REE patterns and those in the surrounding 3.73-3.0 Ga orthogneissmore » terrain, and between detrital zircon ages and the age distribution in the gneisses, suggest that the present association of the metasedimentary belts with the orthogneiss terrain is of tectonic origin. The occurrence of detrital zircons with U-Pb ages > 4 Ga in certain quartzites and conglomerates of the Jack Hills and Mt. Narryer metasedimentary sequences indicates a further, most likely granitic, source. {epsilon}{sub Nd}(T{sub Dep}) values in Jack Hills metasediments vary widely (+5 to {minus}12) but have a smaller range in the Mt. Narryer belt ({minus}5 to {minus}9). The lowest {epsilon}{sub Nd} values of both sequences are interpreted to reflect the presence of detritus derived from 4.1-4.2 Ga old LREE-enriched continental crust in proportions considerably larger ({ge} 10%) than estimated previously from the abundance of pre-4 Ga detrital zircons ({approx}3%). This would imply the former existence of significant volumes of pre-4 Ga continental crust in the provenance of the Mt. Narryer and Jack Hills metasediments.« less

  17. Petrology, geochemistry and U-Pb geochronology of magmatic rocks from the high-sulfidation epithermal Au-Cu Chelopech deposit, Srednogorie zone, Bulgaria

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chambefort, Isabelle; Moritz, Robert; von Quadt, Albrecht

    2007-10-01

    The Chelopech deposit is one of the largest European gold deposits and is located 60 km east of Sofia, within the northern part of the Panagyurishte mineral district. It lies within the Banat-Srednegorie metallogenic belt, which extends from Romania through Serbia to Bulgaria. The magmatic rocks define a typical calc-alkaline suite. The magmatic rocks surrounding the Chelopech deposit have been affected by propylitic, quartz-sericite, and advanced argillic alteration, but the igneous textures have been preserved. Alteration processes have resulted in leaching of Na2O, CaO, P2O5, and Sr and enrichment in K2O and Rb. Trace element variation diagrams are typical of subduction-related volcanism, with negative anomalies in high field strength elements (HFSE) and light element, lithophile elements. HFSE and rare earth elements were relatively immobile during the hydrothermal alteration related to ore formation. Based on immobile element classification diagrams, the magmatic rocks are andesitic to dacitic in compositions. Single zircon grains, from three different magmatic rocks spanning the time of the Chelopech magmatism, were dated by high-precision U-Pb geochronology. Zircons of an altered andesitic body, which has been thrust over the deposit, yield a concordant 206Pb/238U age of 92.21 ± 0.21 Ma. This age is interpreted as the crystallization age and the maximum age for magmatism at Chelopech. Zircon analyses of a dacitic dome-like body, which crops out to the north of the Chelopech deposit, give a mean 206Pb/238U age of 91.95 ± 0.28 Ma. Zircons of the andesitic hypabyssal body hosting the high-sulfidation mineralization and overprinted by hydrothermal alteration give a concordant 206Pb/238U age of 91.45 ± 0.15 Ma. This age is interpreted as the intrusion age of the andesite and as the maximum age of the Chelopech epithermal high-sulfidation deposit. 176Hf/177Hf isotope ratios of zircons from the Chelopech magmatic rocks, together with published data on the

  18. Precise K-Ar, 40Ar/39Ar, Rb-Sr and U/Pb mineral ages from the 27.5 Ma fish canyon tuff reference standard

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lanphere, M.A.; Baadsgaard, H.

    2001-01-01

    The accuracy of ages measured using the 40Ar/39Ar technique is affected by uncertainties in the age of radiation fluence-monitor minerals. At present, there is lack of agreement about the ages of certain minerals used as fluence monitors. The accuracy of the age of a standard may be improved if the age can be measured using different decay schemes. This has been done by measuring ages on minerals from the Oligocene Fish Canyon Tuff (FCT) using the K-Ar, 40Ar/39Ar. Rb-Sr and U/Pb methods. K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar total fusion ages of sanidine, biotite and hornblende yielded a mean age of 27.57 ?? 0.36 Ma. The weighted mean 40Ar/39Ar plateau age of sanidine and biotite is 27.57 ?? 0.18 Ma. A biotite-feldspar Rb-Sr isochron yielded an age of 27.44 ?? 0.16 Ma. The U-Pb data for zircon are complex because of the presence of Precambrian zircons and inheritance of radiogenic Pb. Zircons with 207Pb/235U < 0.4 yielded a discordia line with a lower concordia intercept of 27.52 ?? 0.09 Ma. Evaluation of the combined data suggests that the best age for FCT is 27.51 Ma. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

  19. Ancient Pb and Ti mobilization revealed by Scanning Ion Imaging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kusiak, Monika A.; Whitehouse, Martin J.; Wilde, Simon A.

    2014-05-01

    Zircons from strongly layered early Archean ortho- and paragneisses in ultra-high temperature (UHT) metamorphic rocks of the Napier Complex, Enderby Land, East Antarctica are characterized by complex U-Th-Pb systematics [1,2,3]. A large number of zircons from three samples, Gage Ridge, Mount Sones and Dallwitz Nunatak, are reversely discordant (U/Pb ages older than 207Pb/206Pb ages) with the oldest date of 3.9 Ga [4] (for the grain from Gage Ridge orthogneiss). To further investigate this process, we utilized a novel high spatial resolution Scanning Ion Imaging technique on the CAMECA IMS 1280 at the Natural History Museum in Stockholm. Areas of 70 μm x 70 μm were selected for imaging in mono- and multicollection modes using a ~2 μm rastered primary beam to map out the distribution of 48Ti, 89Y, 180Hf, 232Th, 238U, 204Pb, 206Pb and 207Pb. The ion maps reveal variable distribution of certain elements within analysed grains that can be compared to their CL response. Yttrium, together with U and Th, exhibits zonation visible on the CL images, Hf shows expected minimal variation. Unusual patchiness is visible in the map for Ti and Pb distribution. The bright patches with enhanced signal do not correspond to any zones or to crystal imperfections (e.g. cracks). The presence of patchy titanium is likely to affect Ti-in-zircon thermometry, and patchy Pb affecting 207Pb/206Pb ages, usually considered as more robust for Archean zircons. Using the WinImage program, we produced 207Pb/206Pb ratio maps that allow calculation of 207Pb/206Pb ages for spots of any size within the frame of the picture and at any time after data collection. This provides a new and unique method for obtaining age information from zircon. These maps show areas of enhanced brightness where the 207Pb/206Pb ratio is higher and demonstrate that within these small areas (μm scale) the apparent 207Pb/206Pb age is older, in some of these patches even > 4 Ga. These data are a result of ancient Pb

  20. Igneous Complexes of the Orochenka Caldera of the East Sikhote-Alin Belt: U-Pb (SHRIMP) Age, Trace and Rare Earth Element Composition, and Au-Ag Mineralization

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sakhno, V. G.; Kovalenko, S. V.

    2018-04-01

    New data are presented on the geology and composition of volcanic and intrusive rocks of the Orochenka caldera, which is located in the western part of the East Sikhote Alin volcanic belt. The SHRIMP and ICP MS age of zircons of volcanic and intrusive rocks, respectively, and the composition of the volcanic rocks allow comparison of these complexes with volcanic rocks of the eastern part of the volcanic structure. New data indicate the period of transition between subduction to transform regimes.

  1. Zircon trace element and isotopic (Sr, Nd, Hf, Pb) effects of assimilation-fractional crystallization of pegmatite magma: A case study of the Guangshigou biotite pegmatites from the North Qinling Orogen, central China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yuan, Feng; Liu, Jia-Jun; Carranza, Emmanuel John M.; Zhang, Shuai; Zhai, De-Gao; Liu, Gang; Wang, Gong-Wen; Zhang, Hong-Yuan; Sha, Ya-Zhou; Yang, Shang-Song

    2018-03-01

    Evidence for open-system magmatic processes related to wallrock assimilation accompanied by fractional crystallization (AFC) is present in the Guangshigou biotite pegmatites, North Qinling Orogen. The biotite pegmatite-gneiss contacts generally coincide with the greatest enrichment of U and Th. Zircon Usbnd Pb dating constrains the crystallization ages of the biotite pegmatite (rim zone-415 ± 2.6 Ma; internal zone-413.5 ± 2.5 Ma), in line with a pyrite Pbsbnd Pb isochron age (413 ± 22 Ma). Metamict areas in zircon show generally elevated concentrations of trace elements and expulsion of radioactive Pb. Internal zone samples, representing uncontaminated magma, have negative to positive zircon ( 413 Ma) εHf(t) (- 1.53 - + 3.24), low εNd(t) values (- 2.4), and old Hf and Nd model ages (tDM2 = 1.5-1.19 Ga, T2DM = 1.35 Ga, respectively), indicating a dominantly recycled Mesoproterozoic lower crustal material with involvement of some juvenile materials in the source region. The magmatic oxygen fugacity (fO2) and crystallization temperatures ranges from - 24.81 to - 13.34 of log fO2 and 570 °C to 793 °C, respectively. Compared to the internal zone, pegmatite rim samples display a variable and lower εNd(t) values (- 3.9 to - 2.8) and T2DM (1.47-1.37 Ga), but similar Hf isotopic compositions, favouring a three-component isotopic mixing model (recycled Mesoproterozoic lower crust materials, juvenile materials, and host gneiss). Pronounced variations of Ti, Y, U, Th, Hf, and REE concentrations in zircon from grain to grain in individual samples and from area to area within individual grains suggest a fluctuating crystallization environment in hybridized magma from which the rim-hosted zircons crystallized. Variable and high radiogenic Pb ratios of pyrites forming in the hybridized magma were inherited from the matrix. Zircons from both zones exhibit similar Hf isotope patterns, indicating the rim-hosted zircons crystallized during the early stage of hybridization of

  2. Diachronous evolution of volcano-sedimentary basins north of the Congo craton: Insights from U Pb ion microprobe dating of zircons from the Poli, Lom and Yaoundé Groups (Cameroon)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Toteu, Sadrack Félix; Penaye, Joseph; Deloule, Etienne; Van Schmus, William Randall; Tchameni, Rigobert

    2006-04-01

    Ion microprobe U-Pb dating of zircons from Neoproterozoic volcano-sedimentary sequences in Cameroon north of the Congo craton is presented. For the Poli basin, the depositional age is constrained between 700-665 Ma; detrital sources comprise ca. 920, 830, 780 and 736 Ma magmatic zircons. In the Lom basin, the depositional age is constrained between 613 and 600 Ma, and detrital sources include Archaean to Palaeoproterozoic, late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic (1100-950 Ma), and Neoproterozoic (735, 644 and 613 Ma) zircons. The Yaoundé Group is probably younger than 625 Ma, and detrital sources include Palaeoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic zircons. The depositional age of the Mahan metavolcano-sedimentary sequence is post-820 Ma, and detrital sources include late Mesoproterozoic (1070 Ma) and early Neoproterozoic volcanic rocks (824 Ma). The following conclusions can be made from these data. (1) The three basins evolved during the Pan-African event but are significantly different in age and tectonic setting; the Poli is a pre- to syn-collisional basin developed upon, or in the vicinity of young magmatic arcs; the Lom basin is post-collisional and intracontinental and developed on old crust; the tectono-metamorphic evolution of the Yaoundé Group resulted from rapid tectonic burial and subsequent collision between the Congo craton and the Adamawa-Yade block. (2) Late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic inheritance reflects the presence of magmatic event(s) of this age in west-central Africa.

  3. U-Pb isotopic results for single shocked and polycrystalline zircons record 550-65.5-Ma ages for a K-T target site and 2700-1850-Ma ages for the Sudbury impact event

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Krogh, T. E.; Kamo, S. L.; Bohor, B. F.

    1992-01-01

    The refractory mineral zircon develops distinct morphological features during shock metamorphism and retains these features under conditions that would anneal them in other minerals. In addition, weakly shocked zircon grains give primary ages for the impact site, while highly reconstituted (polycrystalline) single grains give ages that approach the age of the impact event. Data for a series of originally coeval grains will define a mixing line that gives both of these ages providing that no subsequent geological disturbances have overprinted the isotopic systematics. In this study, we have shown that the three zircon grain types described by Bohor, from both K-T distal ejecta (Fireball layer, Raton Basin, Colorado) and the Onaping Formation, represent a progressive increase in impact-related morphological change that coincides with a progressive increase in isotopic resetting in zircons from the ejecta and basement rocks. Unshocked grains are least affected by isotopic resetting while polycrystalline grains are most affected. U-Pb isotopic results for 12 of 14 single zircon grains from the Fireball layer plot on or close to a line recording a primary age of 550 +/- 10 Ma and a secondary age of 65.5 +/- 3 Ma. Data for the least and most shocked grains plot closest to the primary and secondary ages respectively. The two other grains each give ages between 300 and 350 Ma. This implies that the target ejecta was dominated by 550-Ma rocks and that the recrystallization features of the zircon were superimposed during the impact event at 65.5 Ma. A predominant age of 550 Ma for zircons from the Fireball layer provides an excellent opportunity to identify the impact site and to test the hypothesis that multiple impacts occurred at this time. A volcanic origin for the Fireball layer is ruled out by shock-related morphological changes in zircon and the fact that the least shocked grains are old. Basement Levack gneisses north of the Sudbury structure have a primary age of

  4. Comparing pre- and post-chemical abrasion ages for Miocene Peach Springs Tuff zircon from ID-TIMS and SIMS analyses

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lidzbarski, M. I.; Mundil, R.; Miller, J. S.; Vazquez, J. A.

    2012-12-01

    The Miocene Peach Spring Tuff (PST) is a voluminous (>600 km3), zoned ignimbrite (trachyte to high-SiO2 rhyolite) that is exposed widely in eastern California, western Arizona, and southernmost Nevada, which was erupted from the Silver Creek caldera in the southwestern Black Mountains, AZ. PST serves as a regionally widespread marker unit and its eruption age has been determined to 18.8 to 18.9 Ma by 40Ar/39Ar methods, when corrected for systematic bias and normalized to the U-Pb system (Renne et al., 2010,). We performed ion-microprobe (SIMS) U-Pb dating of zircon from individual pumice clasts from PST to evaluate the growth history of zircon in the PST magma system. Sectioned, polished zircon from conventional epoxy mounts allows dating of internal growth domains (e.g. cores, interiors, and near-rim), whereas mounting unpolished zircon in indium and analyzing unpolished crystal faces provides a means to selectively sample the final increments of crystal growth (Reid and Coath, 2000). Combining U-Pb ages of unpolished zircon rims with near-rim interior analyses on sectioned grains yields a mean age of ca. 18.3 Ma, whereas ages of cores of sectioned crystals yield a mean of ca. 18.9 Ma. Several zircons have rim and/or core ages that are several hundred thousand years older or younger than these means (up to 1 m.y. total spread), although the uncertainties for individual SIMS ages are 2 to 5% (2 sigma uncertainty). Therefore, the distribution of ages is challenging to resolve. A modest number of the older grains are plausibly recycled antecrysts, but we suspect that the youngest zircons may have experienced Pb-loss. Failure to account for the possibility of inheritance and Pb-loss may lead to erroneous interpretations about crystallization in the PST system. In order to evaluate and mitigate the effects of Pb-loss, we employed the chemical abrasion (CA) technique of Mattinson (2005), which effectively eliminates domains in zircon that have suffered Pb-loss, and

  5. Sandstone provenance and U-Pb ages of detrital zircons from Permian-Triassic forearc sediments within the Sukhothai Arc, northern Thailand: Record of volcanic-arc evolution in response to Paleo-Tethys subduction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hara, Hidetoshi; Kunii, Miyuki; Miyake, Yoshihiro; Hisada, Ken-ichiro; Kamata, Yoshihito; Ueno, Katsumi; Kon, Yoshiaki; Kurihara, Toshiyuki; Ueda, Hayato; Assavapatchara, San; Treerotchananon, Anuwat; Charoentitirat, Thasinee; Charusiri, Punya

    2017-09-01

    Provenance analysis and U-Pb dating of detrital zircons in Permian-Triassic forearc sediments from the Sukhothai Arc in northern Thailand clarify the evolution of a missing arc system associated with Paleo-Tethys subduction. The turbidite-dominant formations within the forearc sediments include the Permian Ngao Group (Kiu Lom, Pha Huat, and Huai Thak formations), the Early to earliest Late Triassic Lampang Group (Phra That and Hong Hoi formations), and the Late Triassic Song Group (Pha Daeng and Wang Chin formations). The sandstones are quartzose in the Pha Huat, Huai Thak, and Wang Chin formations, and lithic wacke in the Kiu Lom, Phra That, Hong Hoi and Pha Daeng formations. The quartzose sandstones contain abundant quartz, felsic volcanic and plutonic fragments, whereas the lithic sandstones contain mainly basaltic to felsic volcanic fragments. The youngest single-grain (YSG) zircon U-Pb age generally approximates the depositional age in the study area, but in the case of the limestone-dominant Pha Huat Formation the YSG age is clearly older. On the other hand, the youngest cluster U-Pb age (YC1σ) represents the peak of igneous activity in the source area. Geological evidence, geochemical signatures, and the YC1σ ages of the sandstones have allowed us to reconstruct the Sukhothai arc evolution. The initial Sukhothai Arc (Late Carboniferous-Early Permian) developed as a continental island arc. Subsequently, there was general magmatic quiescence with minor I-type granitic activity during the Middle to early Late Permian. In the latest Permian to early Late Triassic, the Sukhothai Arc developed in tandem with Early to Middle Triassic I-type granitic activity, Middle to Late Triassic volcanism, evolution of an accretionary complex, and an abundant supply of sediments from the volcanic rocks to the trench through a forearc basin. Subsequently, the Sukhothai Arc became quiescent as the Paleo-Tethys closed after the Late Triassic. In addition, parts of sediments of

  6. U-Pb ages of detrital zircon from Cenozoic sediments in the southwestern Tarim Basin, NW China: Implications for Eocene-Pliocene source-to-sink relations and new insights into Cretaceous-Paleogene magmatic sources

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Wei; Fu, Ling; Wu, Chaodong; Song, Yan; Jiang, Zhenxue; Luo, Qun; Zhang, Ziya; Zhang, Chen; Zhu, Bei

    2018-05-01

    A detailed investigation of potential provenance is still lacking in the southwestern Tarim Basin, which restricts our complete understanding of Cenozoic source-to-sink relations between the basin interior and the Pamir salient - western Kunlun Mountain Range. Debate also exists concerning the potential sources of the Paleogene and Cretaceous igneous detritus present in the Cenozoic sedimentary sequences. Here, we present U-Pb (LA-ICP-MS) ages of detrital zircons from the continuous Eocene-Pliocene sediment series in the well-exposed Aertashi section to investigate changes in sediment provenance through time. The U-Pb detrital zircon ages range widely from 45 to 3204 Ma and can be divided into seven main groups: 45-65 Ma (sub-peak at 49 Ma), 67-103 Ma (sub-peak at 95 Ma), 196-251 Ma (sub-peak at 208 Ma), 252-416 Ma (sub-peak at 296 Ma), 417-540 Ma (sub-peak at 446 Ma), 550-1429 Ma (sub-peaks at 614 Ma, 828 Ma and 942 Ma) and 1345-3204 Ma (sub-peaks at 1773 Ma and 2480 Ma). These zircons were mainly derived from the western Kunlun Mountain Range and northern Pamir salient to the west and south. The evolution of the provenance and source-to-sink relationship patterns in the southwestern Tarim Basin can be divided into three stages: (1) The Middle Eocene to Lower Oligocene sediments display a wide variety of detrital zircon ages, suggesting that the source area was extensive. (2) A major change in provenance occurred during the Late Oligocene to Early Miocene and was characterized by an abrupt increase in the proportion of Triassic and Lower Paleozoic igneous components, implying a significant adjustment in topography induced by the initial uplift and exhumation of the western Kunlun Mountain Range and northern Pamir salient. (3) In the Late Miocene, the source-to-sink system transformed again, and contributions of Triassic to Lower Paleozoic material weakened substantially due to the sufficient indentation of the Pamir salient. Our integrated analyses of zircon

  7. Metamorphic P-T path and zircon U-Pb dating of HP mafic granulites in the Yushugou granulite-peridotite complex, Chinese South Tianshan, NW China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Lu; Zhang, Lifei; Xia, Bin; Lü, Zeng

    2018-03-01

    Co-existing granulite and peridotite may represent relics of the paleo-suture zone and provides an optimal opportunity for better understanding of orogeny between two blocks. In this study, we carried out petrological and U-Pb zircon dating investigation on the HP mafic granulites associated with peridotite complex at Yushugou in Chinese South Tianshan. The studied samples include garnet-bearing high-pressure mafic granulites which can be subdivided into two types: Type I orthopyroxene-free and Type II orthopyroxene-bearing granulites and amphibolite. Type I granulite (Y21-2) has a mineral assemblage of garnet (33 vol.%), clinopyroxene (32 vol.%) and plagioclase (30 vol.%); and Type II granulite (Y18-8) has a mineral assemblage of garnet (22 vol.%), clinopyroxene (10 vol.%), orthopyroxene (14 vol.%), plagioclase (45 vol.%) and quartz. Garnet in both granulites exhibits core-rim structure characterized by increasing grossular and decreasing pyrope from core to rim. Petrographic observations and phase equilibrium modeling using THERMOCALC in the NCFMASHTO system for the mafic granulites (Y21-2 and Y18-8) show three stages of metamorphism: Stage I (granulite facies) was recognized by the large porphyroblastic garnet core, with P-T conditions of 9.8-10.4 Kbar and 860-900 °C (Y21-2) and 9.9-10.6 Kbar and 875-890 °C (Y18-8), respectively; Stage II (HP granulite facies) has peak P-T conditions of 12.1 Kbar at 755 °C (Y21-2) and 13.8 Kbar at 815 °C (Y18-8) using mineral assemblages combining with garnet rim compositions with maximum grossular and minimum pyrope contents; Stage III (amphibolite facies) was characterized by the development of calcic amphibole in granulites with temperature of 446-563 °C. Therefore, an anticlockwise P-T path characterized by simultaneous temperature-decreasing and pressure-increasing was inferred for the Yushugou HP mafic granulite. Studies of zircon morphology and inclusions, combined with zircon U-Pb dating and REE geochemistry

  8. U-Pb and Hf isotope analysis of detrital zircons from Mesozoic strata of the Gravina belt, southeast Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yokelson, Intan; Gehrels, George E.; Pecha, Mark; Giesler, Dominique; White, Chelsi; McClelland, William C.

    2015-10-01

    The Gravina belt consists of Upper Jurassic through Lower Cretaceous marine clastic strata and mafic-intermediate volcanic rocks that occur along the western flank of the Coast Mountains in southeast Alaska and coastal British Columbia. This report presents U-Pb ages and Hf isotope determinations of detrital zircons that have been recovered from samples collected from various stratigraphic levels and from along the length of the belt. The results support previous interpretations that strata in the western portion of the Gravina belt accumulated along the inboard margin of the Alexander-Wrangellia terrane and in a back-arc position with respect to the western Coast Mountains batholith. Our results are also consistent with previous suggestions that eastern strata accumulated along the western margin of the inboard Stikine, Yukon-Tanana, and Taku terranes and in a fore-arc position with respect to the eastern Coast Mountains batholith. The history of juxtaposition of western and eastern assemblages is obscured by subsequent plutonism, deformation, and metamorphism within the Coast Mountains orogen, but may have occurred along an Early Cretaceous sinistral transform system. Our results are inconsistent with models in which an east-facing subduction zone existed along the inboard margin of the Alexander-Wrangellia terrane during Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous time.

  9. Crustal Zircons from the Podiform Chromitites in Luobusa Ophiolite, Tibet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yamamoto, S.; Komiya, T.; Maruyama, S.

    2004-12-01

    For the past decade, diamonds and unusual mineral asemblages were reported in podiform chromitites of the Luobusa ophiolite, southern Tibet, China (Bai 1993, Bai 2000, Yan 2001) by heavy mineral separation. These include (1) native elements, (2) alloys, (3) carbide, (4) platinium group elements (PGE) and arsenides, (5) silicates (6) oxide, (7) carbonates, (8) minerals with unusual compositons. Despite many questions as to these minerals above still remain open, these mineral inclusions would provide us the important infomation on the formation of the podiform chromitites. In this study, over 100 zircons were discovered by heavy mineral separation of podiform chromitite in Luobusa ophiolite. The discovery of accessory zircons in chromitites allowed us to date the formation of the chromitite and history of tectonic evolutions. Here we report the U-Pb age and mineral inclusions of zircons and discuss with unusually old age zircons. 20 zircon grains in chromitites from No. 1 site were analyzed. Zircons from the chromitites in Luobusa ophiolite are usually euhedral-subhedral and some are rounded. Cathodoluminescence images of these zircons indicate that some zircons have clear oscillatory zoning, whereas other zircons show apparent homogeneous overgrowth. U-Pb dating of these zircons by LA-ICP-MS yielded two different ages. One group has relatively younger age, 107-534Ma, which plots nearly on a concordia line. Another group has older age 1460-1822Ma, which plots off the concordia line. There is insignificant difference of apparent ages within a single zircon grain. For example, a zircon has 1650 Ma in the core, whereas does 1654 Ma in the rim. We identified several mineral inclusions, quartz, feldspar, mica, apatite, within both yonger and older zircons using laser-Raman spectrometry and EPMA. No high-pressure minerals or mantle minerals were identified. This means that these unusually old zircons were formed in low-pressure crustal emvironment. Where did the zircons

  10. Detrital zircon microtextures and U-PB geochronology of Upper Jurassic to Paleocene strata in the distal North American Cordillera foreland basin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Finzel, E. S.

    2017-07-01

    Detrital zircon surface microtextures, geochronologic U-Pb data, and tectonic subsidence analysis from Upper Jurassic to Paleocene strata in the Black Hills of South Dakota reveal provenance variations in the distal portion of the Cordillera foreland basin in response to tectonic events along the outboard margin of western North America. During Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous time, nonmarine strata record initially low rates of tectonic subsidence that facilitated widespread recycling of older foreland basin strata in eolian and fluvial systems that dispersed sediment to the northeast, with minimal sediment derived from the thrust belt. By middle Cretaceous time, marine inundation reflects increased subsidence rates coincident with a change to eastern sediment sources. Lowstand Albian fluvial systems in the Black Hills may have been linked to fluvial systems upstream in the midcontinent and downstream in the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming. During latest Cretaceous time, tectonic uplift in the study area reflects dynamic processes related to Laramide low-angle subduction that, relative to other basins to the west, was more influential due to the greater distance from the thrust load. Provenance data from Maastrichtian and lower Paleocene strata indicate a change back to western sources that included the Idaho-Montana batholith and exhumed Belt Supergroup. This study provides a significant contribution to the growing database that is refining the tectonics and continental-scale sediment dispersal patterns in North America during Late Jurassic-early Paleocene time. In addition, it demonstrates the merit of using detrital zircon grain shape and surface microtextures to aid in provenance interpretations.

  11. Sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) detrital zircon geochronology provides new evidence for a hidden neoproterozoic foreland basin to the Grenville Orogen in the eastern Midwest, U.S.A

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Santos, J.O.S.; Hartmann, L.A.; McNaughton, N.J.; Easton, R. M.; Rea, R.G.; Potter, P.E.

    2002-01-01

    A sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) was used in combination with backscattered electron (BSE) and cathodoluminescence (CL) images to determine the age of detrital zircons from sandstones in the Neoproterozoic Middle Run Formation of the eastern Midwest, United States. Eleven samples from seven drill cores of the upper part of the Middle Run Formation contain detrital zircons ranging in age from 1030 to 1982 Ma (84 analyses), with six distinctive modes at 1.96, 1.63, 1.47, 1.34, 1.15, and 1.08 Ga. This indicates that most, but not all, of the zircon at the top of the Middle Run Formation was derived from the Grenville Orogen. The youngest concordant detrital zircon yields a maximum age of 1048 ?? 22 Ma for the Middle Run Formation, indicating that the formation is younger than ca. 1026 Ma minus the added extra time needed for later uplift, denudation, thrusting, erosion, and transport to southwestern Ohio. Thus, as judged by proximity, composition, thickness, and geochronology, it is a North American equivalent to other Neoproterozoic Grenvillian-derived basins, such as the Torridon Group of Scotland and the Palmeiral Formation of South America. An alternate possibility, although much less likely in our opinion, is that it could be much younger, any time between 1048 ?? 22 Ma and the deposition of the Middle Cambrian Mount Simon Sandstone at about 510 Ma, and still virtually almost all derived from rocks of the Grenville Orogen.

  12. Empirical constraints on the effects of radiation damage on helium diffusion in zircon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Anderson, Alyssa J.; Hodges, Kip V.; van Soest, Matthijs C.

    2017-12-01

    In this study, we empirically evaluate the impact of radiation damage on zircon (U-Th)/He closure temperatures for a suite of zircon crystals from the slowly cooled McClure Mountain syenite of south-central Colorado, USA. We present new zircon, titanite, and apatite conventional (U-Th)/He dates, zircon laser ablation (U-Th)/He and U-Pb dates, and zircon Raman spectra for crystals from the syenite. Titanite and apatite (U-Th)/He dates range from 447 to 523 Ma and 88.0 to 138.9 Ma, respectively, and display no clear correlation between (U-Th)/He date and effective uranium concentration. Conventional zircon (U-Th)/He dates range from 230.3 to 474 Ma, while laser ablation zircon (U-Th)/He dates show even greater dispersion, ranging from 5.31 to 520 Ma. Dates from both zircon (U-Th)/He datasets decrease with increasing alpha dose, indicating that most of the dispersion can be attributed to radiation damage. Alpha dose values for the dated zircon crystals range from effectively zero to 2.15 × 1019 α /g, spanning the complete damage spectrum. We use an independently constrained thermal model to empirically assign a closure temperature to each dated zircon grain. If we assume that this thermal model is robust, the zircon radiation damage accumulation and annealing model of Guenthner et al. (2013) does not accurately predict closure temperatures for many of the analyzed zircon crystals. Raman maps of the zircons dated by laser ablation document complex radiation damage zoning, sometimes revealing crystalline zones in grains with alpha dose values suggestive of amorphous material. Such zoning likely resulted in heterogeneous intra-crystalline helium diffusion and may help explain some of the discrepancies between our empirical findings and the Guenthner et al. (2013) model predictions. Because U-Th zoning is a common feature in zircon, radiation damage zoning is likely to be a concern for most ancient, slowly cooled zircon (U-Th)/He datasets. Whenever possible, multiple

  13. SHRIMP U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar age constraints for relating plutonism and mineralization in the Boulder batholith region, Montana

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lund, K.; Aleinikoff, J.N.; Kunk, Michael J.; Unruh, D.M.; Zeihen, G.D.; Hodges, W.C.; du Bray, E.A.; O'Neill, J. M.

    2002-01-01

    The composite Boulder batholith, Montana, hosts a variety of mineral deposit types, including important silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein districts in the northern part of the batholith and the giant Butte porphyry copper-molybdenum pre-Main Stage system and crosscutting copper-rich Main Stage vein system in the southern part of the batholith. Previous dating studies have identified ambiguous relationships among igneous and mineralizing events. Mineralizing hydrothermal fluids for these types of deposits and magma for quartz porphyry dikes at Butte have all been considered to be late-stage differentiates of the Boulder batholith. However, previous dating studies indicated that the Boulder batholith plutons cooled from about 78 to 72 Ma, whereas copper-rich Main Stage veins at Butte were dated at about 61 Ma. Recent efforts to date the porphyry copper-molybdenum pre-Main Stage deposits at Butte resulted in conflicting estimates of both 64 and 76 Ma for the mineralizing events. Silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein deposits elsewhere in the batholith have not been dated previously. To resolve this controversy, we used the U.S. Geological Survey, Stanford, SHRIMP RG ion mic??roprobe to date single-age domains within zircons from plutonic rock samples and 40Ar/39Ar geochronology to date white mica, biotite, and K-feldspar from mineral deposits. U-Pb zircon ages are Rader Creek Granodiorite, 80.4 ?? 1.2 Ma; Unionville Granodiorite, 78.2 ?? 0.8 Ma; Pulpit Rock granite, 76.5 ?? 0.8 Ma; Butte Granite, 74.5 ?? 0.9 Ma; altered Steward-type quartz porphyry dike (I-15 roadcut), 66.5 ?? 1.0 Ma; altered Steward-type quartz porphyry dike (Continental pit), 65.7 ?? 0.9 Ma; and quartz monzodiorite of Boulder Baldy (Big Belt Mountains), 66.2 ?? 0.9 Ma. Zircons from Rader Creek Granodiorite and quartz porphyry dike samples contain Archean inheritance. The 40Ar/39Ar ages are muscovite, silver-rich polymetallic quartz vein (Basin district), 74.4 ?? 0.3 Ma; muscovite, silver

  14. Generation of Silicic Melts in the Early Izu-Bonin Arc Recorded by Detrital Zircons in Proximal Arc Volcaniclastic Rocks From the Philippine Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Barth, A. P.; Tani, K.; Meffre, S.; Wooden, J. L.; Coble, M. A.; Arculus, R. J.; Ishizuka, O.; Shukle, J. T.

    2017-10-01

    A 1.2 km thick Paleogene volcaniclastic section at International Ocean Discovery Program Site 351-U1438 preserves the deep-marine, proximal record of Izu-Bonin oceanic arc initiation, and volcano evolution along the Kyushu-Palau Ridge (KPR). Pb/U ages and trace element compositions of zircons recovered from volcaniclastic sandstones preserve a remarkable temporal record of juvenile island arc evolution. Pb/U ages ranging from 43 to 27 Ma are compatible with provenance in one or more active arc edifices of the northern KPR. The abundances of selected trace elements with high concentrations provide insight into the genesis of U1438 detrital zircon host melts, and represent useful indicators of both short and long-term variations in melt compositions in arc settings. The Site U1438 zircons span the compositional range between zircons from mid-ocean ridge gabbros and zircons from relatively enriched continental arcs, as predicted for melts in a primitive oceanic arc setting derived from a highly depleted mantle source. Melt zircon saturation temperatures and Ti-in-zircon thermometry suggest a provenance in relatively cool and silicic melts that evolved toward more Th and U-rich compositions with time. Th, U, and light rare earth element enrichments beginning about 35 Ma are consistent with detrital zircons recording development of regional arc asymmetry and selective trace element-enriched rear arc silicic melts as the juvenile Izu-Bonin arc evolved.

  15. Feldspar palaeo-isochrons from early Archaean TTGs: Pb-isotope evidence for a high U/Pb terrestrial Hadean crust

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kamber, B. S.; Whitehouse, M. J.; Moorbath, S.; Collerson, K. D.

    2001-12-01

    Feldspar lead-isotope data for 22 early Archaean (3.80-3.82 Ga) tonalitic gneisses from an area south of the Isua greenstone belt (IGB),West Greenland, define a steep linear trend in common Pb-isotope space with an apparent age of 4480+/-77 Ma. Feldspars from interleaved amphibolites yield a similar array corresponding to a date of 4455+/-540 Ma. These regression lines are palaeo-isochrons that formed during feldspar-whole rock Pb-isotope homogenisation a long time (1.8 Ga) after rock formation but confirm the extreme antiquity (3.81 Ga) of the gneissic protoliths [1; this study]. Unlike their whole-rock counterparts, feldspar palaeo-isochrons are immune to rotational effects caused by the vagaries of U/Pb fractionation. Hence, comparison of their intercept with mantle Pb-isotope evolution models yields meaningful information regarding the source history of the magmatic precursors. The locus of intersection between the palaeo-isochrons and terrestrial mantle Pb-isotope evolution lines shows that the gneissic precursors of these 3.81 Ga gneisses were derived from a source with a substantially higher time-integrated U/Pb ratio than the mantle. Similar requirements for a high U/Pb source have been found for IGB BIF [2], IGB carbonate [3], and particularly IGB galenas [4]. Significantly, a single high U/Pb source that separated from the MORB-source mantle at ca. 4.3 Ga with a 238U/204Pb of ca. 10.5 provides a good fit to all these observations. In contrast to many previous models based on Nd and Hf-isotope evidence we propose that this reservoir was not a mantle source but the Hadean basaltic crust which, in the absence of an operating subduction process, encased the early Earth. Differentiation of the early high U/Pb basaltic crust could have occurred in response to gravitational sinking of cold mantle material or meteorite impact, and produced zircon-bearing magmatic rocks. The subchondritic Hf-isotope ratios of ca. 3.8 Ga zircons support this model [5] provided that

  16. Zircon U-Pb and molybdenite Re-Os geochronology and geological significance of the Baoshan porphyry Cu polymetallic deposit in Jiangxi province

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jia, Liqiong; Wang, Liang

    2017-10-01

    Baoshan porphyry Cu polymetallic deposit belongs to Jiujiang-Ruichang Cu-Au ore field, which is a component part of the Middle-Lower Yangtze River Cu-Au metallogenic belt. The U-Pb LA-MC-TCP MS dating of the zircons from Baoshan granodiorite porphyry yields an age of 147.81±0.48Ma (MSWD=1.07). Six molybdenite samples separated from Baoshan deposit are used for Re-Os dating and obtained the weighted average age of 147.42±0.84Ma and an isochron age of 147.7±1.2Ma. These ages suggest that the mineralization in the Baoshan deposit is genetically associated to the granodiorite porphyry, and the process of rock-and ore-forming is continuous. These data indicate that ages of intrusion and ore-body from Baoshan deposit are almost identical to other typical magmatic intrusion and deposits in Jiujiang-Ruichang metallogenic district. Tt is inferred that the Baoshan deposit was formed in the transition from EW-striking Tndosinian tectonic domain to NE-striking Paleo-Pacific tectonic domain.

  17. Evolution Of An Upper Crustal Plutonic-Volcanic Plumbing System:Insights From High Precision U-Pb Zircon Geochronology Of Intracaldera Tuff And Intrusions In Silver Creek Caldera, Arizona, USA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, T.; Mundil, R.; Miller, C. F.; Miller, J. S.; Paterson, S. R.

    2010-12-01

    Study of both plutonic and volcanic regimes in one single magmatic system is a powerful approach towards obtaining a more complete view of the long-term evolution of magma systems. The recently discovered Silver Creek caldera is the source of the voluminous Peach Spring Tuff (PST) (Ferguson, 2008) and presents a unique opportunity to study a field laboratory of a linked plutonic-volcanic system. This relict west-facing half caldera is predominantly filled with trachytic intracaldera tuff with the caldera margin intruded by several petrologically distinct hypabyssal intrusions. These include porphyritic granite with granophyric texture, felsic leucogranite, porphyritic monzonite exposed on NE side of the caldera that is zoned from more felsic to more mafic, and quartz-phyric dikes that intrude the caldera fill. We present preliminary single zircon ages from 4 samples that have been analyzed using the CA-TIMS method after thermal annealing and chemical leaching (Mattinson 2005), including 1 sample from intracaldera tuff and 3 samples from caldera-related intrusions. 3-D total U/Pb isochron ages from all four samples fall within a range of 18.32-18.90 Ma with uncertainties between 0.09 and 0.39 Ma, although some of them lack precision and are compromised by elevated common Pb. For example, zircon from the dated porphyritic monzonite yields an age of 18.32±0.42 Ma (MSWD=2.7) where the excess scatter may result from real age dispersion and/or different compositions of the common Pb contribution. The PST had been dated to ~18.5 Ma by 40Ar/39Ar techniques (Nielson et al., 1990). In order to be compared to U/Pb ages the 40Ar/39Ar age must be adjusted for a revised age for the then used flux monitor (MMbh-1) and corrected for the now quantified systematic bias between 40Ar/39Ar and U/Pb ages (Renne et al., 2010), which results in a corrected age of 18.8 Ma. Thus, the ages for our samples match that of the PST within error. Based on current results, the age difference

  18. Late Pleistocene granodiorite beneath Crater Lake caldera, Oregon, dated by ion microprobe

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Bacon, C.R.; Persing, H.M.; Wooden, J.L.; Ireland, T.R.

    2000-01-01

    Variably melted granodiorite blocks ejected during the Holocene caldera-forming eruption of Mount Mazama were plucked from the walls of the climactic magma chamber ~15 km depth. Ion-microprobe U-Pb dating of zircons from two unmelted granodiorite blocks with SHRIMP RG (sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe-reverse geometry) gives a nominal 238U/206Pb age of 101+78-80 ka, or 174+89-115 ka when adjusted for an initial 230Th deficit. SHRIMP RG U-Th measurements on a subset of the zircons yield a 230Th/238U isochron age of 112 ?? 24 ka, considered to be the best estimate of the time of solidification of the pluton. These results suggest that the granodiorite is related to andesite and dacite of Mount Mazama and not to magmas of the climactic eruption. The unexposed granodiorite has an area of at least 28 km2. This young, shallow pluton was emplaced in virtually the same location where a similarly large magma body accumulated and powered violent explosive eruptions ~7700 yr ago, resulting in collapse of Crater Lake caldera.

  19. U-Pb age of the Diana Complex and Adirondack granulite petrogenesis

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Basu, A.R.; Premo, W.R.

    2001-01-01

    U-Pb isotopic analyses of eight single and multi-grain zircon fractions separated from a syenite of the Diana Complex of the Adirondack Mountains do not define a single linear array, but a scatter along a chord that intersects the Concordia curve at 1145 ?? 29 and 285 ?? 204 Ma. For the most concordant analyses, the 207Pb/206Pb ages range between 1115 and 1150 Ma. Detailed petrographic studies revealed that most grains contained at least two phases of zircon growth, either primary magmatic cores enclosed by variable thickness of metamorphic overgrowths or magmatic portions enclosing presumably older xenocrystic zircon cores. The magmatic portions are characterized by typical dipyramidal prismatic zoning and numerous black inclusions that make them quite distinct from adjacent overgrowths or cores when observed in polarizing light microscopy and in back-scattered electron micrographs. Careful handpicking and analysis of the "best" magmatic grains, devoid of visible overgrowth of core material, produced two nearly concordant points that along with two of the multi-grain analyses yielded an upper-intercept age of 1118 ?? 2.8 Ma and a lower-intercept age of 251 ?? 13 Ma. The older age is interpreted as the crystallization age of the syenite and the younger one is consistent with late stage uplift of the Appalachian region. The 1118 Ma age for the Diana Complex, some 35 Ma younger than previously believed, is now approximately synchronous with the main Adirondack anorthosite intrusion, implying a cogenetic relationship among the various meta-igneous rocks of the Adirondacks. The retention of a high-temperature contact metamorphic aureole around Diana convincingly places the timing of Adirondack regional metamorphism as early as 1118 Ma. This result also implies that the sources of anomalous high-temperature during granulite metamorphism are the syn-metamorphic intrusions, such as the Diana Complex.

  20. 207Pb-206Pb zircon ages of eastern and western Dharwar craton, southern India : Evidence for contemporaneous Archaean crust

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maibam, B.; Goswami, J. N.; Srinivasan, R.

    2009-04-01

    Dharwar craton is one of the major Archaean crustal blocks in the Indian subcontinent. The craton is comprised of two blocks, western and eastern. The western domain is underlain by orthogneisses and granodiorites (ca. 2.9-3.3 Ga) collectively termed as Peninsular Gneiss [e.g., 1] interspersed with older tracts of metasedimentary and metamorphosed igneous suites (Sargur Group and Dharwar Group; [2]). The eastern part of the craton is dominated by Late Archaean (2.50-2.75 Ga) granitoids and their gneissic equivalents. They are interspersed with schist belts (also of Sargur Group and Dharwar Group), which are lithologically similar to the Dharwar Supergroup in the western block, but are in different metamorphic dress. Here we report 207Pb-206Pb age of zircons separated from the metasedimentary and gneissic samples from the two blocks to constrain the evolution of the Dharwar craton during the early Archaean. Detrital zircons of the metasedimentary rocks from both the blocks show a wide range of overlapping ages between ~2.9 to >3.5 Ga. Zircon ages of the orthogneisses from the two blocks showed that most of the analysed grains of the eastern Dharwar block are found to be of the age as old as the western Dharwar gneisses. Imprints of younger events could be discerned from the presence of overgrowths in zircons from the studied samples throughout the craton. Our data suggest that crust forming cycles in the two blocks of the Dharwar craton occurred contemporaneously during the Archaean. References [1] Beckinsale, R.D., Drury, S.A., Holt, R.W. (1980) Nature 283, 469-470. [2] Swami Nath J., Ramakrishnan M., Viswanatha M.N. (1976) Rec. Geol. Surv. Ind., 107, 149-175.

  1. Monazite paragenesis and U-Pb systematics in rocks of the eastern Mojave Desert, California, U.S.A.: implications for thermochronometry

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kingsbury, J.A.; Miller, C.F.; Wooden, J.L.; Harrison, T.M.

    1993-01-01

    Studies of the paragenesis and U-Pb systematics of monazite in rocks from the eastern Mojave Desert, California, corroborate its potential usefulness as a prograde thermochronometer and in dating granite inheritance. Unmetamorphosed Latham Shale and its equivalents at grades ranging from greenschist to upper amphibolite facies are virtually identical in composition. Monazite is absent in the shale and low-grade schists, but it is abundant in schists at staurolite and higher grades. Lower-grade schists instead include minute Th- and Ce-oxides and unidentified Ce-poor LREE-phosphates that apparently are lower-temperature precursors to monazite. Thus monazite originates when the pelite passes through lower-amphibolite-facies conditions. Monazites from three Upper Cretaceous granites yield ages that are strongly discordant. Upper intercepts of 1.6-1.7 Ga are similar to those defined by U-Pb data for coexisting zircons and coincide with a period of copious magmatism in the Mojave crust. As the host Upper Cretaceous granitic magmas were all above 700??C, effective closure of the restitic monazites to Pb loss must be well in excess of this temperature. U-Pb compositions of monazite from Proterozoic granitoids and schist also indicate high Pb retentivity. Taken together, these studies support the suggestion that monazite can be an effective prograde thermochronometer. At least in pelites, it is not usually retained as a detrital mineral, but rather forms during moderate-temperature metamorphism. Its U-Pb system should not be reset by subsequent higher-grade metamorphism. ?? 1993.

  2. When the CA-TIMS therapy fails: the over-enthusiastic, the mixed-up, and the stubborn zircon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Corfu, F.

    2009-12-01

    Mattinson’s CA-TIMS technique has proven to be highly successful in efficiently removing disturbed domains of zircon, thus enabling the determination of precise and accurate ages in a variety of geological situations. The method generally produces equal or better results than mechanical abrasion. There are, however, cases where CA-TIMS fails to achieve perfect concordance, and occasionally actually increases the degree of discordance. Such a behaviour (the over-reaction) is observed for example in U-rich (>1000 ppm) but texturally homogeneous zircon, a type quite common in highly differentiated portions of mafic intrusions, in granitic pegmatites, and in some metamorphic rocks. Because of their internal uniformity, such zircons do not exhibit large contrasts in crystallinity and solubility and after the baking stage of the CA-TIMS procedure they will either totally dissolve in the first HF attack, or produce discordant results. By contrast, mechanical abrasion of this type of zircon can isolate alteration-free zircon domains that yield concordant and reproducible data. This is due to the homogeneity of the crystals, the lack of zoning limiting contrasts in the degrees of metamictization and brittleness and preventing fracturing. The absence of fractures helps to confine alteration of zircon to the marginal domains, and these can be removed very efficiently by mechanical abrasion. This behaviour is exemplified by zircon populations from 252.0 Ma and 182.5 Ma mafic sills in Siberia and the Karoo basin. Another class of zircons that in general does not, or only partially comply with CA-TIMS includes populations from metamorphic and poly-orogenic rocks, typical of many Proterozoic orogens. The metamorphic reprocessing of zircon into low-U domains can freeze-in old Pb-loss patterns that cannot be undone by any technique. New metamorphic zircon growth can also create mixtures of different aged domains that cannot be resolved by CA-TIMS. In favourable circumstances

  3. Opening the closed box: lattice diffusion in zircon?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wheeler, J.; MacDonald, J.; Goodenough, K. M.; Crowley, Q.; Harley, S.; Mariani, E.

    2015-12-01

    In principle, any radiogenic parent or daughter element can diffuse through any crystalline lattice. Given improved analytic techniques and mathematical models, geochronology is beginning to take such diffusion into account in a quantitative fashion. Whilst lattice diffusion compromises simple interpretation of radiometric data, it can, when combined with spatially resolved data, provide more detailed insight into thermal histories. In regions that have experienced particularly high temperatures diffusion may become significant in minerals normally thought to be reliably closed. We have modelled Pb diffusion in zircon, building on earlier work on Ar diffusion in micas - the mathematics being basically the same. We are motivated by some challenging isotope data from zircon in the Lewisian Complex of NW Scotland (a TTG region with a long Archaean and Proterozoic history). For example we have grains with old rims and younger cores. Whilst other explanations are possible, we show how lattice diffusion of Pb is plausible, using experimental diffusion data together with estimates of ultra-high temperatures from the region. We have modified a previous model for Ar diffusion ("Diffarg") to include variations in parent isotope concentration, so we can understand the consequences of U zonation within zircon grains during prolonged thermal histories. This is also relevant to asking why Pb has apparently not diffused in zircon from other UHT regions - or has it?

  4. In situ detrital zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tripathy, A.; Monteleone, B. D.; van Soest, M. C.; Hodges, K.; Hourigan, J. K.

    2010-12-01

    Detrital studies of both sand and rock are relevant to many problems, ranging from the climate and tectonics feedback debate to the long-term record of orogenic evolution. When applying the conventional (U-Th)/He technique to such studies, two important issues arise. Often, only euhedral grains are permissible for analysis in order to make simple geometric corrections for α-recoil. In detrital samples, this is problematic because euhedral grains can be scarce due to mechanical abrasion during transport, and potentially introduce bias in favour of more proximally sourced grains. Second, inherent to detrital studies is the need to date many grains (>100) per sample to ensure a representative sampling of the sediment source region, thus making robust conventional detrital studies both expensive and time-consuming. UV laser microprobes can improve this by permitting careful targeting of the grain interior away from the α-ejection zone, rendering the α-recoil correction unnecessary, thus eliminating bias toward euhedral grains. In the Noble Gas, Geochemistry, and Geochronology Laboratory at ASU, apatite and zircon have been successfully dated using in situ methods. For this study, the conventional and in situ techniques are compared by dating zircons from a modern river sand that drains a small catchment in the Mesozoic-Cenozoic Ladakh Batholith in NW India. This sample has a simple provenance, which allows us to demonstrate the robustness of the in situ method. Moreover, different microbeam techniques will be explored to establish the most efficient approach to obtain accurate and precise U-Th concentrations using synrock, which is our powdered, homogenized, and reconstituted zircon-rock standard. Without this, such in situ U-Th data would be difficult to obtain. 117 zircons were dated using the conventional (U-Th)/He method, revealing dates ranging from 9.70±0.35 to 106.6±3.5 Ma (2σ) with the major mode at 26 Ma. For comparison, 44 grains were dated using the in

  5. Calibrating Late Cretaceous Terrestrial Cyclostratigraphy with High-precision U-Pb Zircon Geochronology: Qingshankou Formation of the Songliao Basin, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, T.; Ramezani, J.; Wang, C.

    2015-12-01

    A continuous succession of Late Cretaceous lacustrine strata has been recovered from the SK-I south (SK-Is) and SKI north (SK-In) boreholes in the long-lived Cretaceous Songliao Basin in Northeast China. Establishing a high-resolution chronostratigraphic framework is a prerequisite for integrating the Songliao record with the global marine Cretaceous. We present high-precision U-Pb zircon geochronology by the chemical abrasion isotope dilution thermal-ionization mass spectrometry method from multiple bentonite core samples from the Late Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation in order to assess the astrochronological model for the Songliao Basin cyclostratigraphy. Our results from the SK-Is core present major improvements in precision and accuracy over the previously published geochronology and allow a cycle-level calibration of the cyclostratigraphy. The resulting choronostratigraphy suggest a good first-order agreement between the radioisotope geochronology and the established astrochronological time scale over the corresponding interval. The dated bentonite beds near the 1780 m depth straddle a prominent oil shale layer of the Qingshankou Formation, which records a basin-wide lake anoxic event (LAE1), providing a direct age constraint for the LAE1. The latter appears to coincide in time with the Late Cretaceous (Turonian) global sea level change event Tu4 presently constrained at 91.8 Ma.

  6. Detrital U-Pb zircon dating of lower Ordovician syn-arc-continent collision conglomerates in the Irish Caledonides

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Clift, P.D.; Carter, A.; Draut, A.E.; Long, H.V.; Chew, D.M.; Schouten, H.A.

    2009-01-01

    The Early Ordovician Grampian Orogeny in the British Isles represents a classic example of collision between an oceanic island arc and a passive continental margin, starting around 480??Ma. The South Mayo Trough in western Ireland preserves a complete and well-dated sedimentary record of arc collision. We sampled sandstones and conglomerates from the Rosroe, Maumtrasna and Derryveeny Formations in order to assess erosion rates and patterns during and after arc collision. U-Pb dating of zircons reveals a provenance dominated by erosion from the upper levels of the Dalradian Supergroup (Southern Highland and Argyll Groups), with up to 20% influx from the colliding arc into the Rosroe Formation, but only 6% in the Maumtrasna Formation (~ 465??Ma). The dominant source regions lay to the northeast (e.g. in the vicinity of the Ox Mountains, 50??km distant, along strike). The older portions of the North Mayo Dalradian and its depositional basement (the Annagh Gneiss Complex) do not appear to have been important sources, while the Connemara Dalradian only plays a part after 460??Ma, when it supplies the Derryveeny Formation. By this time all erosion from the arc had effectively ceased and exhumation rates had slowed greatly. The Irish Grampian Orogeny parallels the modern Taiwan collision in showing little role for the colliding arc in the production of sediment. Negligible volumes of arc crust are lost because of erosion during accretion to the continental margin. ?? 2008 Elsevier B.V.

  7. Zircon and monazite petrochronologic record of prolonged amphibolite to granulite facies metamorphism in the Ivrea-Verbano and Strona-Ceneri Zones, NW Italy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guergouz, Celia; Martin, Laure; Vanderhaeghe, Olivier; Thébaud, Nicolas; Fiorentini, Marco

    2018-05-01

    In order to improve the understanding of thermal-tectonic evolution of high-grade terranes, we conducted a systematic study of textures, REE content and U-Pb ages of zircon and monazite grains extracted from migmatitic metapelites across the amphibolite to granulite facies metamorphic gradient exposed in the Ivrea-Verbano and Strona-Ceneri Zones (Italy). This study documents the behaviour of these accessory minerals in the presence of melt. The absence of relict monazite grains in the metasediments and the gradual decrease in the size of inherited zircon grains from amphibolite to granulite facies cores indicate partial to total dissolution of accessory minerals during the prograde path and partial melting. The retrograde path is marked by (i) growth of new zircon rims (R1 and R2) around inherited cores in the mesosome, (ii) crystallisation of stubby zircon grains in the leucosome, especially at granulite facies, and (iii) crystallisation of new monazite in the mesosome. Stubby zircon grains have a distinctive fir-tree zoning and a constant Th/U ratio of 0.20. Together, these features reflect growth in the melt; conversely, the new zircon grains with R1 rims have dark prismatic habits and Th/U ratios < 0.1, pointing to growth in solid residues. U-Pb ages obtained on both types are similar, indicating contemporaneous growth of stubby zircon and rims around unresorbed zircon grains, reflecting the heterogeneous distribution of the melt at the grain scale. In the Ivrea-Verbano Zone the interquartile range (IQR) of U-Pb ages on zircon and monazite are interpreted to represent the length of zircon and monazite crystallisation in the presence of melt. Accordingly, they provide an indication on the minimum duration for high-temperature metamorphism and partial melting of the lower crust: 20 Ma and 30 Ma in amphibolite and granulite facies, respectively. In amphibolite facies, zircon crystallisation between 310 and 294 Ma (IQR) is interpreted to reflect metamorphic peak

  8. Multiple Hadean crystallization and reworking events preserved in individual Jack Hills zircon grains

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bellucci, Jeremy; Nemchin, Alexander; Whitehouse, Martin; Snape, Joshua

    2017-04-01

    Five Hadean (>3.9 Ga) aged zircon grains from the Jack Hills metasedimentary belt have been investigated by an improved secondary ion mass spectrometry scanning ion image technique. This technique has the ability to obtain accurate and precise full U-Pb systematics on a scale <5 μm, as well as document the spatial distribution of U, Th and Pb. All five of the grains investigated here have complex cathodoluminescence patterns that correlate to different U, Th, and Pb concentration domains. The age determinations for these different chemical zones indicate multiple reworking events that are preserved in each grain and have affected the primary crystalized zircon on the scale of <10 μm, smaller than traditional ion microprobe spot analyses. These new scanning ion images and age determinations suggest that roughly half, if not all, previous analyses, including those of trace elements and various isotope systems, could have intersected several domains of unfractured zircon, thus making the interpretation of any trace element, Hf, or O isotopic data tenuous. Lastly, all of the grains analyzed here preserve at least two distinguishable 207Pb/206Pb ages. These ages are preserved in core-rim and/or complex internal textural relationships. These secondary events took place during at ca. 4.3, 4.2, 4.1, 4.0, and 3.7 Ga potentially indicating a sequence of magmatic and/or metamorphic events that recycled some volume of early crust during the Hadean and into Paleo- to Mesoarchean several times with an apparent periodicity of ca. 100 Ma.

  9. In situ U-Th-Pb ages of the Miaoya carbonatite complex in the South Qinling orogenic belt, central China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ying, Yuancan; Chen, Wei; Lu, Jue; Jiang, Shao-Yong; Yang, Yueheng

    2017-10-01

    The Miaoya carbonatite complex in the South Qinling orogenic belt hosts one of the largest rare earth element (REE)-Nb deposits in China that is composed of carbonatite and syenite. The emplacement age of the complex and the geochronological relationship between the carbonatite and syenite have long been debated. In this study, in situ U-Th-Pb ages have been obtained for the constituent minerals zircon, monazite and columbite from carbonatite and syenite of the Miaoya complex, together with their chemical and isotopic compositions. In situ trace element compositions for zircon from carbonatite and syenite are highly variable. The zircon displays slightly heavy REE (HREE)-enriched chondrite-normalized patterns with no Eu anomaly and various light REE (LREE) contents. In situ Th-Pb dating for zircon from the Miaoya complex by laser ablation ICP-MS yields ages of 442.6 ± 4.0 Ma (n = 53) for syenite and 426.5 ± 8.0 Ma (n = 23) for carbonatite. Monazite from carbonatite and syenite shows similar chondrite-normalized REE patterns and yields a consistent Th-Pb age of 240 Ma. Based on petrographic and chemical composition, columbite from the carbonatite can be identified into two groups. The columbite dispersed within carbonatite is characterized by slightly LREE-enriched chondrite-normalized REE patterns, whereas columbite associated with apatite is characterized by LREE-depleted trends. Columbite has been further determined to have a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 232.8 ± 4.5 Ma (n = 9) using LA-ICP-MS. Detailed geochronological and chemical investigations suggest that there were two major episodes of magmatic/metasomatic activities in the formational history of the Miaoya carbonatite complex. The early alkaline magmatism emplaced in the Silurian was related to the opening of the Mianlue Ocean, whereas the late metasomatism or hydrothermal overprint occurred during the Triassic South Qinling orogeny. The latter serves as the major ore formation period for both REE (e

  10. The Mesoarchean Tiejiashan-Gongchangling potassic granite in the Anshan-Benxi area, North China Craton: Origin by recycling of Paleo- to Eoarchean crust from U-Pb-Nd-Hf-O isotopic studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dong, Chunyan; Wan, Yusheng; Xie, Hangqiang; Nutman, Allen P.; Xie, Shiwen; Liu, Shoujie; Ma, Mingzhu; Liu, Dunyi

    2017-10-01

    Mesoarchean and older potassic granites are important indicators of recycling of ancient continental crust early in Earth's history. This study of integrated whole rock and zircon geochemistry and geochronology reports the age and identification of the source materials of the > 200 km2 Mesoarchean Tiejiashan-Gongchangling granite in the Anshan-Benxi area, North China Craton, the largest pre-Neoarchean granite domain in the craton. SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating on 15 samples indicates the magmatic crystallization of the granites between 2.95 and 3.0 Ga and reveals a superimposed tectonothermal event at 2.91 Ga. The granites are characterized by high SiO2 and K2O, low CaO, FeOt, MgO and TiO2 with peraluminuous features. They show large variations in (La/Yb)n and strong negative Eu and Ba anomalies and Nb, P and Ti depletions. Whole rock Nd and magmatic zircon Hf isotopic compositions show large variations, but with most having εNd(t) and εHf(t) values < 0, with tDM(Nd) and tDM(Hf) values varying from 3.3 to 3.9 Ga and 3.3 to 4.0 Ga, respectively. Magmatic zircons without very strong lead loss (discordance ≤ 20%) have δ18O values of + 3.14 to + 8.39. 3.3-3.7 Ga xenocrystic zircons occur in some samples. The granite formed as a result of recycling of Paleo- to Eoarchean continental material in an intracontinental environment, with little if any contribution from Mesoarchean mantle sources. The sources could be predominantly unaltered ancient gneisses, together with yet to be identified Paleo- to Eoarchean materials affected by early low temperature alteration (weathered rocks or clastic sediment).

  11. Hydrothermal titanite from the Chengchao iron skarn deposit: temporal constraints on iron mineralization, and its potential as a reference material for titanite U-Pb dating

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hu, Hao; Li, Jian-Wei; McFarlane, Christopher R. M.

    2017-09-01

    Uranium-lead isotopes and trace elements of titanite from the Chengchao iron skarn deposit (Daye district, Eastern China), located along the contact zones between Triassic marine carbonates and an early Cretaceous intrusive complex consisting of granite and quartz diorite, were analyzed using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to provide temporal constraints on iron mineralization and to evaluate its potential as a reference material for titanite U-Pb geochronology. Titanite grains from mineralized endoskarn have simple growth zoning patterns, exhibit intergrowth with magnetite, diopside, K-feldspar, albite and actinolite, and typically contain abundant primary two-phase fluid inclusions. These paragenetic and textural features suggest that these titanite grains are of hydrothermal origin. Hydrothermal titanite is distinct from the magmatic variety from the ore-related granitic intrusion in that it contains unusually high concentrations of U (up to 2995 ppm), low levels of Th (12.5-453 ppm), and virtually no common Pb. The REE concentrations are much lower, as are the Th/U and Lu/Hf ratios. The hydrothermal titanite grains yield reproducible uncorrected U-Pb ages ranging from 129.7 ± 0.7 to 132.1 ± 2.7 Ma (2σ), with a weighted mean of 131.2 ± 0.2 Ma [mean standard weighted deviation (MSWD) = 1.7] that is interpreted as the timing of iron skarn mineralization. This age closely corresponds to the zircon U-Pb age of 130.9 ± 0.7 Ma (MSWD = 0.7) determined for the quartz diorite, and the U-Pb ages for zircon and titanite (130.1 ± 1.0 Ma and 131.3 ± 0.3 Ma) in the granite, confirming a close temporal and likely genetic relationship between granitic magmatism and iron mineralization. Different hydrothermal titanite grains have virtually identical uncorrected U-Pb ratios suggestive of negligible common Pb in the mineral. The homogeneous textures and U-Pb characteristics of Chengchao hydrothermal titanite suggest that the mineral might be a

  12. Permian arc-back-arc basin development along the Ailaoshan tectonic zone: Geochemical, isotopic and geochronological evidence from the Mojiang volcanic rocks, Southwest China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fan, Weiming; Wang, Yuejun; Zhang, Aimei; Zhang, Feifei; Zhang, Yuzhi

    2010-10-01

    This paper presents a set of new SHRIMP zircon U-Pb geochronological, elemental and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic data for the Wusu and Yaxuanqiao basaltic rocks (the Mojiang area) along the Ailaoshan tectonic zone. The Wusu basaltic sequence is dominated by SiO 2-poor, MgO- and TiO 2-rich basalts with a major mineral assemblage of plagioclase + clinopyroxene. These rocks gave a SHRIMP zircon U-Pb age of 287 ± 5 Ma (MSWD = 0.58). In contrast, the Yaxuanqiao basaltic sequence is predominantly composed of high-Al basaltic andesite, which gave a SHRIMP zircon U-Pb age of 265 ± 7 Ma (MSWD = 0.34). The analyzed samples for both sequences exhibit significant enrichment in LILEs and depletion in HFSEs with (Nb/La)n of 0.38-0.81, similar to arc-like volcanics. They have positive ɛNd(t) values (+ 3.52 to + 5.54). In comparison with MORB-derived magmatic rocks, the Wusu basalts are more enriched in LILEs and REEs, and the Yaxuanqiao samples are more enriched in LILEs but variably depleted in Ti, Y and HREE. The Wusu samples show high Pb isotopic ratios, similar to the Tethyan basalts, whereas the Yaxuanqiao samples plot in the field of the global pelagic sediments. The geochemical and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic characteristics suggest that the Wusu basalts originated from a MORB-like source metasomatised by slab-derived fluids, while the Yaxuanqiao rocks have a fluid-modified MORB source with the input of subducted sediments. The geochemical affinity to both MORB- and arc-like sources, together with other geological observations, appears to support the development of a Permian arc-back-arc basin along the Ailaoshan-Song Ma tectonic zone in response to the northward subduction of the Paleotethys main Ocean. The final closure of the arc-back-arc basin took place in the uppermost Triassic due to the diachronous amalgamation between the Yangtze and Simao-Indochina Blocks.

  13. Zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopes for the Diablillos Intrusive Complex, Southern Puna, Argentina: Crustal evolution of the Lower Paleozoic Orogen, Southwestern Gondwana margin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ortiz, Agustín; Hauser, Natalia; Becchio, Raúl; Suzaño, Néstor; Nieves, Alexis; Sola, Alfonso; Pimentel, Marcio; Reimold, Wolf

    2017-12-01

    The evolution of the rocks of the Lower Paleozoic Orogen in Puna, at the Southwestern Gondwana margin, has been widely debated. In particular, the scarce amount of geological and geochemical data available for the Diablillos Intrusive Complex, Eastern Magmatic Belt, Southern Puna, require a further study for new evidence towards the understanding of sources, magmatic processes and emplacement of magmas, in order to better comprehend the crustal evolution in this setting. We present new combined U-Pb and Hf isotope analyses on zircon by LA-MC-ICP-MS from monzogranite, granodiorite and diorite rocks of the Diablillos Intrusive Complex. We obtained 206Pb/238U concordant weighted average ages of 517 ± 3 Ma and 515 ± 6 Ma for the monzogranite and diorite, respectively, and a concordant age of 521 ± 4 Ma for the granodiorite. These ages permit to constrain the climax of magmatic activity in the Diablillos Complex around ∼515-520 Ma, while the emplacement of the complex took place between ∼540 Ma and 490 Ma (representing a ca. 50 Ma magmatic event). Major and trace element data, initial 87Sr/86Sr values varying from 0.70446 to 0.71278, positive and negative ɛNd(t) values between +2.5 and -4, as well as ɛHf(t) for zircon data between + 3 and -3 indicate that the analyzed samples represent contaminated magmas. The ɛHf(t) and the ɛNd(t) values for this complex specify that these rocks are derived from interaction of a dominant Mesoproterozoic crystalline and/or a metasedimentary source and juvenile mantle-derived magmas, with a TDM model age range of ∼1.2-1.5 Ga, with later reworking during lower Paleozoic times. The combined data obtained in this contribution together with previous data, allow us to suggest that the formation of the Eastern Magmatic Belt of the Puna was part of a long-lived magmatic event during Early Paleozoic times. Whereby the granitoids of the Eastern Magmatic Belt formed through intra-crustal recycling at an active continental margin, with

  14. Age of the granitic magmatism and the W-Mo mineralization in skarns of the Seridó belt (NE Brazil) based on zircon U-Pb (SHRIMP) and molybdenite Re-Os dating

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hollanda, Maria Helena B. M. de; Souza Neto, João A.; Archanjo, Carlos J.; Stein, Holly; Maia, Ana C. S.

    2017-11-01

    Over five hundred W-Mo skarns have been reported in the Neoproterozoic Seridó belt in the northeastern Brazil. The origin of these mineralizations has been attributed to metasomatic reactions occuring after the infiltration of hydrothermal fluids that are mostly derived from the plutonic magmatic activity that ranged between approximately 600 and 525 Ma. Here we date molybdenite using N-TIMS on Re-Os analysis of three major scheelite deposits (Brejuí, Bonfim and Bodó) hosted in the skarn horizons of the metasedimentary sequence. Molybdenite is an integral part of the mineralizations that include scheelite in skarns and, in the Bonfim deposit, gold concentrate in late brittle faults. The Re-Os ages are 554 ± 2 Ma (Brejuí), 524 ± 2 Ma (Bonfim) and 510 ± 2 Ma (Bodó). The age of the Brejuí molybdenite, however, appears to be anomalous based on the local geology of the deposit, which is located next to the contact of a batholith dated ca. 575 Ma. In turn, the Bonfim molybdenite yields similar ages in replicated samples with variable high Re contents. New U-Pb SHRIMP ages of four biotite (leuco)granite plutons vary from 577 ± 5 Ma to 526 ± 8 Ma, which overlap with molybdenite crystallization. These results indicate a close connection between the W-Mo mineralizations and the plutonic activity that intruded the belt after the peak HT/LP metamorphism. The latest pulses of felsic magmatism, which were contemporaneous with the emplacement of Be-Ta-Nb-Li pegmatites, therefore constitute a potential guide in the Seridó belt for prospective W-Mo deposits.

  15. Late accretion to the Moon recorded in zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kelly, Nigel M.; Flowers, Rebecca M.; Metcalf, James R.; Mojzsis, Stephen J.

    2018-01-01

    We conducted zircon (U-Th)/He (ZHe) analysis of lunar impact-melt breccia 14311 with the aim of leveraging radiation damage accumulated in zircon over extended intervals to detect low-temperature or short-lived impact events that have previously eluded traditional isotopic dating techniques. Our ZHe data record a coherent date vs. effective Uranium concentration (eU) trend characterized by >3500 Ma dates from low (≤75 ppm) eU zircon grains, and ca. 110 Ma dates for high (≥100 ppm) eU grains. A progression between these date populations is apparent for intermediate (75-100 ppm) eU grains. Thermal history modeling constrains permissible temperatures and cooling rates during and following impacts. Modeling shows that the data are most simply explained by impact events at ca. 3950 Ma and ca. 110 Ma, and limits allowable temperatures of heating events between 3950-110 Ma. Modeling of solar cycling thermal effects at the lunar surface precludes this as the explanation for the ca. 110 Ma ZHe dates. We propose a sample history characterized by zircon resetting during the ca. 3950 Ma Imbrium impact event, with subsequent heating during an impact at ca. 110 Ma that ejected the sample to the vicinity of its collection site. Our data show that zircon has the potential to retain 4He over immense timescales (≥3950 Myrs), thus providing a valuable new thermochronometer for probing the impact histories of lunar samples, and martian or asteroidal meteorites.

  16. Proterozoic to Mesozoic evolution of North-West Africa and Peri-Gondwana microplates: Detrital zircon ages from Morocco and Canada

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marzoli, Andrea; Davies, Joshua H. F. L.; Youbi, Nasrrddine; Merle, Renaud; Dal Corso, Jacopo; Dunkley, Daniel J.; Fioretti, Anna Maria; Bellieni, Giuliano; Medina, Fida; Wotzlaw, Jörn-Frederik; McHone, Greg; Font, Eric; Bensalah, Mohamed Khalil

    2017-05-01

    The complex history of assemblage and disruption of continental plates surrounding the Atlantic Ocean is in part recorded by the distribution of detrital zircon ages entrained in continental sedimentary strata from Morocco (Central High Atlas and Argana basins) and Canada (Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick). Here we investigate detrital zircon from the latest Triassic (ca. 202 Ma) sedimentary strata directly underlying lava flows of the Central Atlantic magmatic province or interlayered within them. SHRIMP (Sensitive High-Resolution Ion MicroProbe) and LA-ICP-MS (Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry) U-Pb ages for zircon range from Paleozoic to Archean with a dominant Neoproterozoic peak, and significant amounts of ca. 2 Ga zircon. These ages suggest a prevailing West African (Gondwanan) provenance at all sampling sites. Notably, the Paleoproterozoic zircon population is particularly abundant in central Morocco, north of the High Atlas chain, suggesting the presence of Eburnean-aged rocks in this part of the country, which is consistent with recent geochronologic data from outcropping rocks. Minor amounts of late Mesoproterozoic and early Neoproterozoic zircon ages (ca. 1.1-0.9 Ga) in Moroccan samples are more difficult to interpret. A provenance from Avalonia or Amazonia, as proposed by previous studies is not supported by the age distributions observed here. An involvement of more distal source regions, possibly located in north-eastern Africa (Arabian Nubian Shield) would instead be possible. Paleozoic zircon ages are abundant in the Canadian sample, pointing to a significant contribution from Hercynian aged source rocks. Such a signal is nearly absent in the Moroccan samples, suggesting that zircon-bearing Hercynian granitic rocks of the Moroccan Meseta block were not yet outcropping at ca. 200 Ma. The only Moroccan samples that yield Paleozoic zircon ages are those interlayered within the CAMP lavas, suggesting an increased dismantling

  17. Multiple sources for the origin of Late Jurassic Linglong adakitic granite in the Shandong Peninsula, eastern China: Zircon U-Pb geochronological, geochemical and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic evidence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ma, Liang; Jiang, Shao-Yong; Dai, Bao-Zhang; Jiang, Yao-Hui; Hou, Ming-Lan; Pu, Wei; Xu, Bin

    2013-03-01

    The Linglong granite is one of the most important Mesozoic plutons in the Shandong Peninsula, eastern China, and its petrogenesis has long been controversial, particularly with regard to the nature of source region and geodynamic setting. Our new precise zircon U-Pb dating results reveal that the Linglong granite was emplaced in the Late Jurassic (157-160 Ma). In addition, abundant inherited zircons are identified in the granite with four groups of age peaked at ~ 208, ~ 750, ~ 1800 and ~ 2450 Ma. Geochemical studies indicate that the Linglong granite is weakly peraluminous I-type granite, and is characterized by high SiO2, Sr and La, but low MgO, Y and Yb contents, strongly fractionated REE pattern and high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios. It also exhibits high initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.7097 to 0.7125), low ɛNd(t) (- 17.7 to - 20.3) and variable zircon ɛHf(t) (- 22.2 to - 8.7) values. Calculation of the zircon saturation temperature (TZr) reveals that the magma temperatures are 760 ± 20 °C, and the lowest TZr value of 740 °C may be close to initial magma temperature of this inheritance-rich rock. Interpretation of the elemental and isotopic data suggests that the Linglong granite has some affinities with the adakite, and was most likely derived from partial melting of thickened lower crust without any significant contribution of mantle components. The presence of a large number of inherited zircons and variable Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic compositions reveal that the Linglong granite probably has multiple sources consisting of the lower crust of both South China Block and North China Block, as well as the collision-related alkaline rocks and UHP metamorphic rocks. The continental arc-rifting related to the Izanagi plate subduction was the most likely geodynamic force for formation of the Jurassic Linglong adakatic granite in the Shandong Peninsula.

  18. New U-Pb zircon geochronology of the Choma-Kalomo Block (Zambia) and the Dete-Kamativi Inlier (Zimbabwe), with implications for the extent of the Zimbabwe Craton.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glynn, Sarah; Wiedenbeck, Michael; Master, Sharad; Frei, Dirk

    2015-04-01

    The Choma-Kalomo Block is a north-east trending, Mesoproterozoic terrane located in southern Zambia. It is composed of as yet undated gneissic basement with a high-grade metamorphosed supracrustal metasedimentary sequence, which is intruded by hornblende granites and gneisses of the Choma-Kalomo Batholith, that is dated between ca. 1.37 and 1.18 Ga. Our new zircon U-Pb age data on metasedimentary rocks of the Choma-Kalomo Block identifies samples of different ages, with slightly different provenances. The oldest metasedimentary rock is a muscovite-biotite schist, which has only Palaeoproterozoic detrital zircons, the two age clusters around 2.03-2.02 Ga and 1.8-1.9 Ga, correspond to the ages of granitic intrusion, and metamorphism, in the Magondi Mobile Belt on the western side of the Archaean Zimbabwe Craton. The second sample is a garnetiferous paragneiss, which contains both Palaeoproterozoic (2.04 Ga), and Mesoproterozoic zircons, ca. 1.36 Ga, derived from the granites of the Choma-Kalomo Batholith. The third sample is a biotite-muscovite schist, in which the detrital zircon ages fall into four separate clusters: ca. 3.39 Ga, ca. 2.7-2.6 Ga, ca. 2.1-1.7 Ga (with a peak at ca. 1.18 Ga), and 1.55 - 1.28 Ga. The Archaean zircons in this sample are derived from the Zimbabwe Craton, while the Palaeoproterozoic samples come from the Magondi belt, and the youngest zircons come from both phases of the Choma-Kalomo Batholith. A possible connection between the Choma-Kalomo Block and the Dete-Kamativi Inlier - some 150 km to the south-east in western Zimbabwe - has been proposed on the basis of similarities in the nature of their Sn-Ta-muscovite pegmatite mineralisation. The Dete-Kamativi Inlier, which is part of the Magondi Mobile Belt, is a window into Palaeoproterozoic north-east trending belts of deformed and metamorphosed supracrustal rocks. By dating localities which we suspect form the basement to the surrounding younger sediments, along with selected pegmatites

  19. Advantages of conducting in-situ U-Pb age dating of multiple U-bearing minerals from a single complex: Case in point - the Oka Carbonatite Complex

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, W.; Simonetti, A.

    2012-12-01

    A detailed radiometric investigation is currently underway focusing on U-bearing accessory minerals apatite, perovskite, and niocalite from the Oka Carbonatite Complex (Canada). One of the main objectives is to obtain a comparative chronology of melt crystallization for the complex. Unlike other commonly adopted U-bearing minerals (e.g., zircon, monazite) for in-situ dating investigations, apatite, perovskite, and niocalite contain relatively high contents of common Pb. Hence, careful assessment of the proportion and composition of the common Pb, and usage of appropriate matrix-matched external standards are imperative. The Madagascar apatite was utilized as the external standard for apatite dating, and the Emerald Lake and Durango apatites were adopted as secondary standards; the latter yield ages of 92.6 ±1.8 and 32.2 ±1.1 Ma, respectively, and these are identical to their accepted ages. Pb/U ages for apatite from Oka were obtained for different rock types, including 8 carbonatites, 4 okaites, 3 ijolites and 3 alnoites, and these define a range of ages between ~105 and ~135 Ma; this result suggests a protracted crystallization history. In total, 266 individual analyses define two peaks at ~115 and ~125Ma. For perovskite dating, the Ice River perovskite standard was utilized as the external standard. The perovskites from one okaite sample yield an age of 112.2 ±1.9 Ma, and is much younger than the previously reported U-Pb perovskite age of 131 ±7 Ma. Hence, the combined U-Pb perovskite ages also suggest a rather prolonged time of melt crystallization. Niocalite is a rare, accessory silicate mineral that occurs within the carbonatites at Oka. The international zircon standard BR266 was selected for use as the external standard and rastering was employed to minimize the Pb-U fractionation. Two niocalite samples give young ages at 110.6 ±1.2 and 115.0 ±1.9 Ma, and are identical to their respective apatite ages (given associated uncertainties) from the same

  20. Primary Data on U/Pb-Isotope Ages and Lu/Hf-Isotope Geochemical Systematization of Detrital Zircons from the Lopatinskii Formation (Vendian-Cambrian Transition Levels) and the Tectonic Nature of Teya-Chapa Depression (Northeastern Yenisei Ridge)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuznetsov, N. B.; Priyatkina, N. S.; Rud'ko, S. V.; Shatsillo, A. V.; Collins, W. J.; Romanyuk, T. V.

    2018-03-01

    The main results are presented on U/Pb-isotope dating of 100 detrital zircons and, selectively, on the Lu/Hf-isotope system of 43 grains from sandstones of the Lopatinskii formation (the lower stratigraphic level of the Chingasan group). Ages from 896 ± 51 to 2925 ± 38 Ma were obtained with a pronounced maximum of 1890 Ma in the curve of probability density, along with ɛHf estimates from +8.4 to-15.1, which allow one to throw doubt upon the molasse nature of the Lopatinskii formation.

  1. Birth and demise of the Rheic Ocean magmatic arc(s): Combined U-Pb and Hf isotope analyses in detrital zircon from SW Iberia siliciclastic strata

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pereira, M. F.; Gutíerrez-Alonso, G.; Murphy, J. B.; Drost, K.; Gama, C.; Silva, J. B.

    2017-05-01

    Paleozoic continental reconstructions indicate that subduction of Rheic oceanic lithosphere led to collision between Laurussia and Gondwana which was a major event in the formation of the Ouachita-Appalachian-Variscan orogenic belt and the amalgamation of Pangea. However, arc systems which record Rheic Ocean subduction are poorly preserved. The preservation of Devonian detrital zircon in Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous siliciclastic rocks of SW Iberia, rather than arc-related igneous rocks indicates that direct evidence of the arc system may have been largely destroyed by erosion. Here we report in-situ detrital zircon U-Pb isotopic analyses of Late Devonian-Early Carboniferous siliciclastic rocks from the Pulo do Lobo Zone, which is a reworked Late Paleozoic suture zone located between Laurussia and Gondwana. Detrital zircon age spectra from the Pulo do Lobo Zone Frasnian formations show striking similarities, revealing a wide range of ages dominated by Neoproterozoic and Paleoproterozoic grains sourced from rocks typical of peri-Gondwanan terranes, such as Avalonia, the Meguma terrane and the Ossa-Morena Zone. Pulo do Lobo rocks also include representative populations of Mesoproterozoic and Early Silurian zircons that are typical of Avalonia and the Meguma terrane which are absent in the Ossa-Morena Zone. The Famennian-Tournaisian formations from the Pulo do Lobo Zone, however, contain more abundant Middle-Late Devonian zircon indicating the contribution from a previously unrecognized source probably related to the Rheic Ocean magmatic arc(s). The Middle-Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous zircon ages from the siliciclastic rocks of SW Iberia (South Portuguese, Pulo do Lobo and Ossa-Morena zones) have a wide range in εHfT values (- 8.2 to + 8.3) indicating the likely crystallization from magmas formed in a convergent setting. The missing Rheic Ocean arc was probably built on a Meguma/Avalonia type basement. We propose for the Pulo do Lobo Zone that the

  2. Early Paleozoic tectonic reconstruction of Iran: Tales from detrital zircon geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moghadam, Hadi Shafaii; Li, Xian-Hua; Griffin, William L.; Stern, Robert J.; Thomsen, Tonny B.; Meinhold, Guido; Aharipour, Reza; O'Reilly, Suzanne Y.

    2017-01-01

    In this study we use detrital zircons to probe the Early Paleozoic history of NE Iran and evaluate the link between sediment sources and Gondwanan pre-Cadomian, Cadomian and younger events. U-Pb zircon ages and Hf isotopic compositions are reported for detrital zircons from Ordovician and Early Devonian sedimentary rocks from NE Iran. These clastic rocks are dominated by zircons with major age populations at 2.5 Ga, 0.8-0.6 Ga, 0.5 Ga and 0.5-0.4 Ga as well as a minor broad peak at 1.0 Ga. The source of 2.5 Ga detrital zircons is enigmatic; they may have been supplied from the Saharan Metacraton (or West African Craton) to the southwest or Afghanistan-Tarim to the east. The detrital zircons with age populations at 0.8-0.6 Ga probably originated from Cryogenian-Ediacaran juvenile igneous rocks of the Arabian-Nubian Shield; this inference is supported by their juvenile Hf isotopes, although some negative εHf (t) values suggest that other sources (such as the West African Craton) were also involved. The age peak at ca 0.5 Ga correlates with Cadomian magmatism reported from Iranian basement and elsewhere in north Gondwana. The variable εHf (t) values of Cadomian detrital zircons, resembling the εHf (t) values of zircons in magmatic Cadomian rocks from Iran and Taurides (Turkey), suggest an Andean-type margin and the involvement of reworked older crust in the generation of the magmatic rocks. The youngest age population at 0.5-0.4 Ga is interpreted to represent Gondwana rifting and the opening of Paleotethys, which probably started in Late Cambrian-Ordovician time. A combination of U-Pb dating and Hf-isotope data from Iran, Turkey and North Gondwana confirms that Iran and Turkey were parts of Gondwana at least until late Paleozoic time.

  3. Petrography, geochemistry and U-Pb zircon age of the Matongo carbonatite Massif (Burundi): Implication for the Neoproterozoic geodynamic evolution of Central Africa

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Midende, Gilbert; Boulvais, Philippe; Tack, Luc; Melcher, Frank; Gerdes, Axel; Dewaele, Stijn; Demaiffe, Daniel; Decrée, Sophie

    2014-12-01

    the carbonatite can directly be related to the carbonatite evolution. They have been dated at 705.5 ± 4.5 Ma (U-Pb concordant age, LA-ICP-MS). Similar zircon megacrysts of the Lueshe carbonatite (DRCongo) have been dated and give a concordant age at 798.5 ± 4.9 Ma (U-Pb, LA-ICP-MS). Considering that an extensional tectonic regime occured at that time in Central Africa - what remains debated - both ages could relate to different stages of Rodinia breakup, with uprise of mantle-derived magmas along Palaeoproterozoic lithospheric zones of weakness.

  4. The mesoproterozoic Beaverhead impact structure and its tectonic setting, Montana-Idaho: 40Ar/39 and U-Pb isotopic constraints

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kellogg, K.S.; Snee, L.W.; Unruh, D.M.

    2003-01-01

    New 40Ar/39Ar and uranium-lead (U-Pb) zircon data from the Beaverhead impact structure, first identified by extensive shatter coning of Proterozoic quartzite and gneiss from the Beaverhead Mountains near the Montana-Idaho border, indicate that the structure formed at or after 900 Ma. The 40Ar/39Ar age spectra from fine-grained muscovite and biotite from a breccia zone in high-grade gneiss show significant argon loss but yield dates for highest-temperature steps that cluster between 899 and 908 Ma. The dated minerals probably formed by recrystallization of impact glass, so on both geologic and isotopic grounds, the dates probably represent the minimum age of impact. U-Pb data for zircons from the same breccia are strongly discordant and yield an upper intercept apparent age of 2464 ?? 56 Ma and a lower intercept apparent age of 779 ?? 69 Ma. Another brecciated gneiss about 7 km to the northeast that does not contain secondary mica does contain zircons that yield a concordant apparent age of 2455 ?? 9 Ma. Nearby gneiss that neither is brecciated nor contains shatter cones yields an apparent age of 2451 ?? 46 Ma. The 40Ar/39Ar results constrain the age of the shatter-coned quartzite and indicate that it is >900 Ma and possibly correlative with the Gunsight Formation of the Mesoproterozoic Lemhi Group. The upper intercept U-Pb age of ???2450 Ma from all three dated samples also shows that the Paleoproterozoic basement rocks of the area are among the youngest in the mostly Archean Wyoming province of North America. The impact site lies near the margin of the province, along the northeast-trending Great Falls tectonic zone, and the relatively young crustal age may reflect Early Proterozoic marginal accretion.

  5. Applications of primary and secondary inclusion assemblages for zircon petrogenesis and alteration

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bell, E. A.

    2017-12-01

    Igneous zircon often contains abundant mineral inclusions which represent a mixture of primary phases captured during crystallization in magma and secondary phases formed either during late-stage deuteric alteration of a solidifying pluton, during later metamorphism, or during detrital transport and diagenesis in groundwater. Microstructural examination of zircon from both magmatic and metamorphic rocks reveals varying abundances of clearly secondary phases filling cracks and potentially secondary phases in contact with cracks or in disturbed regions of the host zircon. We used EDS and WDS X-ray spectroscopy to examine crack-isolated, crack-intersecting, and crack-filling phases in zircon from Phanerozoic magmatic rocks (USA, Victoria), several Grenville (Blue Ridge, VA) orthogneisses, and detrital zircons in metasediments from Jack Hills, Mt. Narryer (Western Australia) and the Nuvvuagittuq supracrustal belt (northern Quebec). Orthogneiss and detrital zircon appear to retain primary inclusion compositions away from contact with cracks or disturbed regions of zircon (as distinguished by U-Pb). Characteristic trace element patterns associated with chemical alteration of zircon match well with the apparently dominant secondary phases in metasedimentary detrital zircons and magmatic zircon subjected to deuteric alteration. Additionally, high spatial resolution Pb isotopic analyses of secondary phosphates using the CAMECA ims1290 ion microprobe reveal preservation of multiple generations of metamorphic phosphate, in some cases juxtaposed within a single inclusion on the 5-10 micron scale. Zircon can therefore in many cases preserve the compositions of its primary inclusion cargo through later metamorphism. Zircon can also preserve information about individual hydrothermal or metamorphic events during the grain's residence in the crust.

  6. U-pb zircon age of metafelsite from the pinney hollow formation: Implications for the development of the vermont Appalachians

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Walsh, G.J.; Aleinikoff, J.N.

    1999-01-01

    The Pinney Hollow Formation of central Vermont is part of a rift-clastic to drift-stage sequence of cover rocks deposited on the Laurentian margin during the development of the Iapetan passive margin in Late Proterozoic to Cambrian time. Conventional U-Pb zircon data indicate an age of 571 ?? 5 Ma for a metafelsite from the Pinney Hollow Formation. Geochemical data indicate that the protolith for the metafelsite, now a quartz-albite gneiss or granofels, was rhyolite from a source that was transitional between a witnin-plate granite and ocean-ridge granite setting and probably came through partially distended continental crust The transitional setting is consistent with previous data from metabasalts in the Pinney Hollow Formation and supports the idea that the source magma came through continental crust on the rifted margin of the Laurentian craton. The 571 ?? 5 Ma age provides the first geochronologic age from the rift-clastic cover sequence in New England and establishes a Late Proterozoic age for the Pinney Hollow Formation. The Late Proterozoic age of the Pinney Hollow confirms the presence of a significant mapped thrust fault between the autochthonous and para-autochthonous rocks of the cover sequence. These findings support the interpretation that the Taconic root zone is located in the hinterland of the Vermont Appalachians on the eastern side of the Green Mountain massif.

  7. The Comparison of Detrital Zircon Ages to Point Count Provenance Analysis for the Pottsville Sandstone in the Northern Appalachian Foreland Basin Venango County, Pennsylvania

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loveday, S.; Harris, D. B.; Schiappa, T.; Pecha, M.

    2017-12-01

    The specific sources of sediments deposited in the Appalachian basin prior to and immediately following the Alleghenian orogeny has long been a topic of debate. Recent advances in U-Pb dating of detrital zircons have greatly helped to determine some of the sources of these sediments. For this study, sandstone samples were collected from the Pottsville Formation in the northern Appalachian Foreland Basin, Venango County, Pennsylvania to provide supplementary data for previous work that sought to describe the provenance of the same sediments by point counts of thin sections of the same units. Results of this previous work established that the provenance for these units was transitional recycled orogenic, including multiple recycled sediments, and that a cratonic contribution was not able to be determined clearly. The previous results suggested that the paleoenvironment was a fluvial dominated delta prograding in the northern direction. However, no geochronologic data was found during this study to confirm this interpretation. We sought to verify these results by U-Pb analysis of detrital zircons. Samples were collected from the areas where the previous research took place. U-Pb ages were found from sample at the highest elevation and lowest elevation. In the first sample, sample 17SL01 (younger sample stratigraphically), the zircons yield U-Pb age range peaks at 442-468 ma and 1037-1081 ma. The probability density plot for this specific sample displays a complete age gap from 500 ma to 811 ma. In the second sample, sample 17SL03 (older rock stratigraphically), the zircons yield U-Pb ages range peaks of 424-616 ma and 975-1057 ma. This sample doesn't show any ages younger than 424 ma and it doesn't display the sample age gap as sample 17SL01 does. The ages of zircons are consistent with thin section point counting provenance results from previous research suggesting zircon transport from the northern direction.

  8. Accretionary history of the Altai-Mongolian terrane: perspectives from granitic zircon U-Pb and Hf-isotope data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cai, Keda; Sun, Min; Xiao, Wenjiao

    2014-05-01

    The Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) consists of many tectonic terranes with distinct origin and complicated evolutionary history. Understanding of individual block is crucial to reconstruct the geodynamic history of the gigantic accetionary collage. This study presents zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopes for the granitoid rocks in the Russian Altai mountain range (including Gorny Altai, Altai-Mongolian terrane and CTUS suture zone between them), in order to clarify the timing of granitic magmatism, source nature, continental crustal growth and tectonic evolution. Our dating results suggest that granitic magmatism of the Russian Altai mountain range occurred in three major episodes including 445~429 Ma, 410~360 Ma and ~241 Ma. Most of the zircons within the Paleozoic granitoids present comparable positive ɛHf(t) values and Neoproterozoic crustal model ages, which favor the interpretation that the juvenile crustal materials produced in the early stage of CAOB were probably dominant sources for the Paleozoic magmatism in the region. The inference is also supported by widespread occurrence of short-lived juvenile materials including ophiolites, seamount relics and arc assemblages in the north CAOB. Consequently, the Paleozoic massive granitic rocks maybe not represent continental crustal growth at the time when they were emplaced, but rather record reworking of relatively juvenile Proterozoic crustal rocks although mantle-derived mafic magma was possibly involved to sever as heat engine during granitic magma generation. The Early Triassic granitic intrusion may be product in an intra-plate environment, as the case of same type rocks in the adjacent areas. The positive ɛHf(t) values (1.81~7.47) and corresponding Hf model ages (0.80~1.16 Ga) together with evidence of petrology are consistent with the interpretation that the parental magma of the Triassic granitic intrusion was produced from enriched mantle-derived sources under an usually high temperature condition

  9. U-Pb isotope systematics and age of uranium mineralization, Midnite mine, Washington.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Ludwig, K. R.; Nash, J.T.; Naeser, C.W.

    1981-01-01

    Uranium ores at the Midnite mine, near Spokane, Washington, occur in phyllites and calcsilicates of the Proterozoic Togo Formation, near the margins of an anomalously uraniferous, porphyritic quartz monzonite of Late Cretaceous age. The present geometry of the ore zones is tabular, with the thickest zones above depressions in the pluton-country rock contact. Analyses of high-grade ores from the mine define a 207 Pb/ 204 Pb- 235 U/ 204 Pb isochron indicating an age of mineralization of 51.0 + or - 0.5 m.y. This age coincides with a time of regional volcanic activity (Sanpoil Volcanics), shallow intrusive activity, erosion, and faulting. U-Th-Pb isotopic ages of zircons from the porphyritic quartz monzonite in the mine indicate an age of about 75 m.y., hence the present orebodies were formed about 24 m.y. after its intrusion. The 51-m.y. time of mineralization probably represents a period of mobilization and redeposition of uranium by supergene ground waters, perhaps aided by mild heating and ground preparation and preserved by a capping of newly accumulated, impermeable volcanic rocks. It seems most likely that the initial concentration of uranium occurred about 75 m.y. ago, probably from relatively mild hydrothermal fluids in the contact-metamorphic aureole of the U-rich porphyritic quartz monzonite.Pitchblende, coffinitc, pyrite, marcasite, and hisingerite are the most common minerals in the uranium-bearing veinlets, with minor sphalerite and chalcopyrite. Coffinitc with associated marcasite is paragenetically later than pitchblende, though textural and isotopic evidence suggests no large difference in the times of pitchblende and colfinite formation.The U-Pb isotope systematics of total ores and of pitchblende-coffinite and pyrite-marcasite separates show that whereas open system behavior for U and Pb is essentially negligible for large (200-500 g) ore samples, Pb migration has occurred on a scale of 1 to 10 mm (out of pitchblende and coffinite and into pyrite

  10. Combined apatite fission track and U-Pb dating by LA-ICPMS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chew, D. M.; Donelick, R. A.

    2012-04-01

    Apatite is a common accessory mineral in igneous, metamorphic and clastic sedimentary rocks. It is a nearly ubiquitous accessory phase in igneous rocks, is common in metamorphic rocks of pelitic, carbonate, basaltic, and ultramafic composition and is virtually ubiquitous in clastic sedimentary rocks. In contrast to the polycyclic behavior of the stable heavy mineral zircon, apatite is unstable in acidic groundwaters and has limited mechanical stability in sedimentary transport systems. Apatite has many potential applications in provenance studies, particularly as it likely represents first-cycle detritus. Fission track and U-Pb dating are very powerful techniques in apatite provenance studies. They yield complementary information, with the apatite fission-track system yielding low-temperature exhumation ages and the U-Pb system yielding high-temperature cooling ages which constrain the timing of apatite crystallization. This study focuses on integrating apatite fission track and U-Pb dating by the LA-ICPMS method. Our approach is intentionally broad in scope, and is applicable to any quadrupole or rapid-scanning magnetic-sector LA-ICPMS system. Calculating uranium concentrations in fission-track dating by LA-ICPMS increases the speed of analysis and sample throughput compared to the conventional external detector method and avoids the need for neutron irradiation (Hasebe et al., 2004). LA-ICPMS-based uranium measurements in apatite are measured relative to an internal concentration standard (typically 43Ca). Ca in apatite is not always stochiometric as minor cations (Mn2+, Sr2+, Ba2+ and Fe2+) and REE can substitute with Ca2+. These substitutions must be quantified by multi-elemental LA-ICPMS analyses. Such data are also useful for discriminating between different apatite populations in sedimentary or volcaniclastic rocks based on their trace-element chemistry. Low U, Th and radiogenic Pb concentrations, elevated common Pb / radiogenic Pb ratios and U-Pb elemental

  11. Observations and controls on the occurrence of inherited zircon in Concord-type granitoids, New Hampshire

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Harrison, T.M.; Aleinikoff, J.N.; Compston, W.

    1987-01-01

    U-Pb analyses of zircons separated from two Concord-type plutons near Sunapee and Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, reveal differences in the pattern and magnitude of zircon inheritance which are related to differences in melt chemistry. The Sunapee pluton contains only slightly more Zr than required to saturate the melt at the peak temperature of 700 ?? 30??C. Traces of inherited zircon in this separate are inferred to be present as small, largely resorbed grains. In contrast, the Long Mountain pluton, near Dixville Notch, contains about 240% more Zr than required to saturate the melt. Thus, more than half of the Zr existed as stable, inherited zircon crystals during the partial fusion event, consistent with the observation of substantial inheritance in all grain size fractions. Ion probe intra-grain analyses of zircon from the Long Mountain pluton indicate a complex pattern of inheritance with contributions from at least two Proterozoic terrenes and caution against simple interpretations of upper and lower intercepts of chords containing an inherited component. Ion probe analyses of zircons from the Sunapee pluton reveal clear evidence of U loss which results in incorrect apparent conventional U-Pb ages. Ages of crystallization for the Long Mountain and Sunapee pluton are ~350 and 354 ?? 5 Ma, respectively. A Sm/Nd measurement for the Long Mountain pluton yields a depleted mantle model age of 1.5 Ga, consistent with the observed inheritance pattern. In contrast, a Sm/Nd model age for the Sunapee pluton is improbably old due to minor monazite fractionation. ?? 1987.

  12. U-Pb (SHRIMP) Ages of Be and U-rich Opal in Tuffaceous Breccia at Spor Mountain, Utah: Interpreting a Record of Continuous Opal Formation, Episodic Be-U Mineralization, and Remobilization Events

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ayuso, R. A.; Vazquez, J. A.; Foley, N.; Lederer, G.; Jaskula, B.

    2016-12-01

    The Spor Mountain Fm. (SMF, ca. 21 Ma; Lindsey, 1977, Eco. Geol., v. 72, 219-232; Foley et al., 2012, USGS SIR 2010-5070-F, 1-43) hosts the largest deposit of volcanogenic-epithermal Be in the world (proven reserves 15,700 t/contained Be). Ore occurs mainly in cm-to-m-wide irregularly layered nodules of calcite, chalcedony, opal, fluorite, and bertrandite (Be4Si2O7(OH)2) in tuff breccias. U-Pb SHRIMP dating (adapted from Paces et al., 2004, GCA v. 68, 1591-1606; Neymark and Paces, 2013, EPSL v. 361, 98-109) of opal in nodules from SMF yielded 206Pb/238U ages coupled with multi-element analyses, e.g., Be, F, P, Si, Ti, REE, etc. The ages reveal periods of prolonged massive and fracture-filling opal formation that range from 55 Ma to 2 Ma. Age gaps are not prominent (a previous study of bulk samples identified opal ages of 21.8 Ma, 13-16 Ma, 8-9 Ma in SMF and 3.5 Ma in the overlying 6 Ma Topaz Mountain Fm.; Ludwig et al., 1980, EPSL, v. 46, 221-232). High values of Be/Si ( 5,000-20,000), Be/F, Be/P, and Be/U and oldest ages ( 55 to 28 Ma) occur in opal in nodule cores; outward, younger opal layers ( 28 to 7 Ma) decline in Be/Si but also include spikes of >5,000. A prominent U/Si spike (>300) occurs in opal between 6 Ma and 4 Ma, which may establish the age of U mineralization that occurs immediately east of Spor Mountain (the Yellow Chief U deposit). The occurrence of Be-rich opal older than 25 Ma in nodules within the 21 Ma (K-Ar date) tuff suggests that nodule formation may also be associated with older volcanism in the region. Opal that is younger than 21 Ma is thought to have formed by hydrothermal fluid interacting with Be-rich tuff. Geochemical modeling shows leaching of Be and other elements from volcanic glass and deposition of bertrandite upon reaction of the fluid with carbonate clasts in the tuff are viable mechanisms for the observed assemblages. Be concentrations in late nodular opal (<6 Ma) may reflect redistribution of earlier mineralization. The world

  13. Evaluating the provenance of Permian-Triassic and Palaeocene-Eocene ash beds by high precision U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotopic analyses of zircons: linking local sedimentary records to global events

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Eivind Augland, Lars; Jones, Morgan; Planke, Sverre; Svensen, Henrik; Tegner, Christian

    2016-04-01

    Zircons are a powerful tool in geochronology and isotope geochemistry, as their affinity for U and Hf in the crystal structure and the low initial Pb and Lu allow for precise and accurate dating by U-Pb ID-TIMS and precise and accurate determination of initial Hf isotopic composition by solution MC-ICP-MS analysis. The U-Pb analyses provide accurate chronostratigraphic controls on the sedimentary successions and absolute age frames for the biotic evolution across geological boundaries. Moreover, the analyses of Lu-Hf by solution MC-ICP-MS after Hf-purification column chemistry provide a powerful and robust fingerprinting tool to test the provenance of individual ash beds. Here we focus on ash beds from Permian-Triassic and Palaeocene successions in Svalbard and from the Palaeocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) in Fur, Denmark. Used in combination with whole rock geochemistry from the ash layers and the available geochemical and isotopic data from potential source volcanoes, these data are used to evaluate the provenance of the Permian-Triassic and Palaeocene ashes preserved in Svalbard and PETM ashes in Denmark. If explosive eruptions from volcanic centres such as the Siberian Traps and the North Atlantic Igneous Province (NAIP) can be traced to distal basins as ash layers, they provide robust tests of hypotheses of global synchronicity of environmental changes and biotic crises. In addition, the potential correlation of ash layers with source volcanoes will aid in constraining the extent of explosive volcanism in the respective volcanic centres. The new integrated data sets will also contribute to establish new reference sections for the study of these boundary events when combined with stable isotope data and biostratigraphy.

  14. Timing of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age: A Review of the Status Quo and New U-Pb Zircon Ages From Southern Gondwana

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mundil, R.; Griffis, N. P.; Keller, C. B.; Fedorchuk, N.; Montanez, I. P.; Isbell, J.; Vesely, F.; Iannuzzi, R.

    2017-12-01

    Throughout the Carboniferous and Permian Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA), glaciations in southern Gondwana exerted a profound influence on global climate and environment, ocean chemistry, and the nature of sedimentary processes. The LPIA is widely regarded as an analogue for Pleistocene glaciations. Our understanding of the latter, as well as the validity of predictions for the future global climate and environment, depends therefore on our ability to reconstruct the LPIA. A robust chronostratigraphic framework built on high precision/high accuracy geochronology is crucial for the reconstruction of events and processes that occurred during the LPIA, particularly in the absence of high-resolution terrestrial biostratigraphic constraints that apply to both near- and far-field proxy records. The occurrence of volcaniclastic layers containing primary volcanic zircon at many levels throughout southern Gondwana makes such a reconstruction feasible, but complications inevitably arise due to the mixing of older age components with primary volcanic crystals, as well as the potential of unrecognized open system behavior to produce spurious younger ages. These pitfalls cause age dispersion that may be difficult to interpret, or is unrecognized if low precision geochronological techniques are used, resulting in inaccurate radioisotopic ages. Our current efforts in the Parana Basin (Southern Brazil) and the Karoo Basin (South Africa/Namibia) concentrate on building a robust and exportable chronostratigraphic framework based on U-Pb zircon CA-TIMS ages with sub-permil level precision combined with Bayesian approaches for resolving the eruption age of dispersed age spectra to facilitate the reconstruction of glaciogenic processes through the Carboniferous-Permian transition, as well as their implications for global sea level, atmospheric pCO2 and ocean chemistry. We will also review currently available geochronological data from contemporaneous Australian successions and their

  15. Zircon U-Pb age, Hf isotopic compositions and geochemistry of the Silurian Fengdingshan I-type granite Pluton and Taoyuan mafic-felsic Complex at the southeastern margin of the Yangtze Block

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhong, Yufang; Ma, Changqian; Zhang, Chao; Wang, Shiming; She, Zhenbing; Liu, Lei; Xu, Haijin

    2013-09-01

    This work presents an integrated study of zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotope along with whole-rock geochemistry on Silurian Fengdingshan I-type granites and Taoyuan mafic-felsic intrusive Complex located at the southeastern margin of the Yangtze Block, filling in a gap in understanding of Paleozoic I-type granites and mafic-intermediate igneous rocks in the eastern South China Craton (SCC). The Fengdingshan granite and Taoyuan hornblende gabbro are dated at 436 ± 5 Ma and 409 ± 2 Ma, respectively. The Fengdingshan granites display characteristics of calc-alkaline I-type granite with high initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.7093-0.7127, low ɛNd(t) values ranging from -5.6 to -5.4 and corresponding Nd model ages (T2DM) of 1.6 Ga. Their zircon grains have ɛHf(t) values ranging from -2.7 to 2.6 and model ages of 951-1164 Ma. The Taoyuan mafic rocks exhibit typical arc-like geochemistry, with enrichment in Rb, Th, U and Pb and depletion in Nb, Ta. They have initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.7053-0.7058, ɛNd(t) values of 0.2-1.6 and corresponding T2DM of 1.0-1.1 Ga. Their zircon grains have ɛHf(t) values ranging from 3.2 to 6.1 and model ages of 774-911 Ma. Diorite and granodiorite from the Taoyuan Complex have initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.7065-0.7117, ɛNd(t) values from -5.7 to -1.9 and Nd model ages of 1.3-1.6 Ga. The petrographic and geochemical characteristics indicate that the Fengdingshan granites probably formed by reworking of Neoproterozoic basalts with very little of juvenile mantle-derived magma. The Taoyuan Complex formed by magma mixing and mingling, in which the mafic member originated from a metasomatized lithospheric mantle. Both the Fengdingshan and Taoyuan Plutons formed in a post-orogenic collapse stage in an intracontinental tectonic regime. Besides the Paleozoic Fengdingshan granites and Taoyuan hornblende gabbro, other Neoproterozoic and Indosinian igneous rocks located along the southeastern and western margin of the Yangtze Block also exhibit decoupled

  16. Central Antarctic provenance of Permian sandstones in Dronning Maud Land and the Karoo Basin: Integration of U Pb and TDM ages and host-rock affinity from detrital zircons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Veevers, J. J.; Saeed, A.

    2007-12-01

    In conjugate SE Africa and Antarctica, Early Permian sandstones of the Swartrant Formation of the Ellisras Basin, Vryheid Formation of the Karoo Basin, and Amelang Plateau Formation of Dronning Maud Land (DML) were deposited after Gondwanan glaciation on a westward paleoslope. We analysed detrital zircons for U-Pb ages by a laser ablation microprobe-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (LAM-ICPMS) and attached age significance only to clusters of three or more overlapping analyses. We analysed Hf-isotope compositions by a multi-collector spectrometer (LAM-MC-ICPMS) and trace elements by electron microprobe (EMP) and ICPMS. These analyses indicate the rock type and source (whether crustal or juvenile mantle) of the host magma, and a "crustal" model age ( TDMC). The integrated analysis gives a more distinctive, and more easily interpreted, picture of crustal evolution in the provenance area than age data alone. Zircons from the Ellisras Basin are aged 2700-2540 Ma with minor populations about 2815 Ma and 2040 Ma, which correspond with the ages of the upslope parts of the proximal Kaapvaal Craton and Limpopo Belt. Mafic rock is the dominant host rock, and it reflects the Archean granite-greenstone terrane of the Kaapvaal Craton. The three Karoo Basin samples and the two DML samples have zircons with these common properties: (1) 1160-880 Ma, host magma mafic granitoid (< 65% SiO 2) derived from juvenile depleted mantle sources ( ɛHf positive) at 1.65 Ga and 1.35 Ga, with TDMC of 2.0-0.9 Ga; (2) 760 to 480 Ma, host magma granitoid and low-heavy rare earth element rock (?alkaline rock-carbonatite), derived from mixed crustal and juvenile depleted mantle sources ( ɛHf positive and negative) at 1.50 Ga and 1.35 Ga, with TDMC of 2.0-0.9 Ga. Together with similar detrital zircons in Triassic sandstone of SE Australia, these properties reflect those in upslope central Antarctica, indicating a provenance of ˜ 1000 Ma (Grenville) cratons embedded in 700-500 Ma (Pan

  17. Archaean and Palaeoproterozoic gneisses reworked during a Neoproterozoic (Pan-African) high-grade event in the Mozambique belt of East Africa: Structural relationships and zircon ages from the Kidatu area, central Tanzania

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vogt, M.; Kröner, A.; Poller, U.; Sommer, H.; Muhongo, S.; Wingate, M. T. D.

    2006-06-01

    This study presents new zircon ages and Sm-Nd whole-rock isotopic compositions for high-grade gneisses from the Udzungwa Mountain area in the central part of the Mozambique belt, Tanzania. The study area comprises a succession of layered granulite-facies para- and orthogneisses, mostly retrograded to amphibolite-facies. The original intrusive contacts became obscured or severely modified during non-coaxial ductile deformation, and extensive shearing occurred during retrogression. Structures reflecting the early deformational history were mostly obscured when the rocks were transported into the lower crust as documented by severe flattening. Only the fragmented gneisses in the eastern part of the area testify to a brittle regime. Structures in narrow low strain zones that predate the currently observed layering are preserved in rootless isoclinal folds and boudins. Magmatic and detrital zircons from tonalitic to felsic orthogneisses and a metapelite sample were dated using the U-Pb and Pb-Pb evaporation methods and SHRIMP II. Cathodoluminiscence images reveal ubiquitous xenocrystic cores, rimmed by clear, unzoned overgrowth due to high-grade metamorphism. Discordant U-Pb data therefore reflect core-rim relationships, and it was not always possible to obtain precise crystallisation ages. The analyses reveal Neoarchaean, Palaeoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic protolith ages. Nd isotopic systematics yielded strongly negative ɛNd( t) -values and Neoarchaean to Palaeoproterozoic model ages, even for gneisses emplaced in the Neoproterozoic. The trace element distribution suggests upper crustal derivation of the gneisses. Therefore, our study provides evidence that recycling of older crust played a major role during the evolution of the Kidatu area. Neoarchaean rocks are interpreted to represent fragments of the Tanzania craton. Our results, together with those of earlier workers, lead to the conclusion that the central part of the Mozambique belt mainly consists of ancient

  18. Record of Fluctuating Magmatic Environments, Melt Fractionation, and Mixing of Crystals: Elemental Compositions of Zircon Zones, Spirit Mountain Batholith, Nevada

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miller, C. F.; Claiborne, L. L.; Wooden, J. L.; Mazdab, F. K.; Walker, B. A.

    2006-12-01

    Spirit Mountain batholith is a large, tilted, subvolcanic intrusion in southernmost Nevada (Walker et al., in press; Lowery Claiborne et al., in press). Field relations and elemental chemistry of rocks ranging from felsic cumulates to leucogranites demonstrate both fractionation and frequent recharging. SHRIMP U-Pb analysis of zircon reveals a 2 m.y. history (17.4-15.3 Ma) for the batholith; almost all of the samples record multiple age populations. Elemental concentrations and zoning patterns document the utility of zircon in tracking magmatic environments and crystal transfer processes and provide important insights into the complex and protracted history of the batholith. The data lend strong support to the Watson et al. (2006) Ti-in-zircon thermometer. At reasonable a(TiO2) between 0.5 and 0.9, all calculated T's are consistent with petrological constraints and granite phase equilibria; using a(TiO2) = 0.7, T ranges from 675-900 C. Over this apparent T interval, which reflects a range in Ti from 3.2-34 ppm, concentrations of Hf (6000-18000 ppm), U (20-5000 ppm), and Th (50-13,000 ppm), and REE patterns all vary dramatically and systematically. Hf, U, Th, and Ce/Ce* are negatively correlated with T; LREE/MREE, MREE/HREE, and Eu/Eu* are positively correlated with T. These variations indicate that zircon preferentially incorporated Zr over Hf (hence falling Zr/Hf); U and Th behaved as strongly incompatible elements in the crystallizing assemblage as a whole; compatibility of REE increased with decreasing atomic number (effect of LREE accessories?); Eu+2 was more compatible (feldspars) and Ce+4 less compatible than equivalent +3 REE. All of these trends are consistent with the observed crystallizing assemblage and with general trends in whole rocks. More striking, however, is intrasample and intragrain variability. Although leucogranite samples have a larger proportion of zircon with compositions indicating low T and growth from fractionated melt, all samples have

  19. Contrasting Granite Metallogeny through the Zircon Record: A Case Study from Myanmar.

    PubMed

    Gardiner, Nicholas J; Hawkesworth, Chris J; Robb, Laurence J; Whitehouse, Martin J; Roberts, Nick M W; Kirkland, Christopher L; Evans, Noreen J

    2017-04-07

    Granitoid-hosted mineral deposits are major global sources of a number of economically important metals. The fundamental controls on magma metal fertility are tectonic setting, the nature of source rocks, and magma differentiation. A clearer understanding of these petrogenetic processes has been forged through the accessory mineral zircon, which has considerable potential in metallogenic studies. We present an integrated zircon isotope (U-Pb, Lu-Hf, O) and trace element dataset from the paired Cu-Au (copper) and Sn-W (tin) magmatic belts in Myanmar. Copper arc zircons have juvenile εHf (+7.6 to +11.5) and mantle-like δ 18 O (5.2-5.5‰), whereas tin belt zircons have low εHf (-7 to -13) and heavier δ 18 O (6.2-7.7‰). Variations in zircon Hf and U/Yb reaffirm that tin belt magmas contain greater crustal contributions than copper arc rocks. Links between whole-rock Rb/Sr and zircon Eu/Eu* highlight that the latter can monitor magma fractionation in these systems. Zircon Ce/Ce* and Eu/Eu* are sensitive to redox and fractionation respectively, and here are used to evaluate zircon sensitivity to the metallogenic affinity of their host rock. Critical contents of Sn in granitic magmas, which may be required for the development of economic tin deposits, are marked by zircon Eu/Eu* values of ca. ≤0.08.

  20. Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology of Cambrian to Triassic miogeoclinal and eugeoclinal strata of Sonora, Mexico

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Gehrels, G.E.; Stewart, John H.

    1998-01-01

    One hundred and eighty two individual detrital zircon grains from Cambrian through Permian miogeoclinal strata, Ordovician eugeoclinal rocks, and Triassic post-orogenic sediments in northwestern Sonora have been analyzed. During Cambrian, Devonian, Permian, and Triassic time, most zircons accumulating along this part of the Cordilleran margin were shed from 1.40-1.45 and 1.62-1.78 Ga igneous rocks that are widespread in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Zircons with ages of approximately 1.11 Ga are common in Cambrian strata and were apparently shed from granite bodies near the sample site. The sources of 225-280 Ma zircons in our Triassic sample are more problematic, as few igneous rocks of these ages are recognized in northwestern Mexico. Such sources may be present but unrecognized, or the grains could have been derived from igneous rocks of the appropriate ages to the northwest in the Mojave Desert region, to the east in Chihuahua and Coahuila, or to the south in accreted(?) arc-type terranes. Because the zircon grains in our Cambrian and Devonian to Triassic samples could have accumulated in proximity to basement rocks near their present position or in the Death Valley region of southern California, our data do not support or refute the existence of the Mojave-Sonora megashear. Ordovician strata of both miogeoclinal and eugeoclinal affinity are dominated by >1.77 Ga detrital zircons, which are considerably older than most basement rocks in the region. Zircon grains in the miogeoclinal sample were apparently derived from the Peace River arch area of northwestern Canada and transported southward by longshore currents. The eugeoclinal grains may also have come from the Peace River arch region, with southward transport by either sedimentary or tectonic processes, or they may have been shed from off-shelf slivers of continents (perhaps Antarctica?) removed from the Cordilleran margin during Neoproterozoic rifting. It is also possible that the

  1. Listwaenite in the Sartohay ophiolitic mélange (Xinjiang, China): A genetic model based on petrology, U-Pb chronology and trace element geochemistry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qiu, Tian; Zhu, Yongfeng

    2018-03-01

    Listwaenite lenses in the Sartohay ophiolitic mélange (Xinjiang, China) were formed via reactions between serpentinite and metasomatic fluids. First, serpentinite changed into talc schist via the reaction of serpentine + CO2 → talc + magnesite + H2O. Second, talc schist changed into listwaenite via the reaction of talc + CO2 → magnesite + quartz + H2O. Magnetite was progressively destroyed during transformation from serpentinite to talc schist, and completely consumed in listwaenite. Zircon crystals 30-100 μm long, disseminating in talc schist, undeformed listwaenite and mylonitized listwaenite, coexist with talc, quartz and magnesite, while micron-sized zircon grains (<5 μm in length) occur along the shearing foliation in the weakly deformed listwaenite and mylonitized listwaenite. We postulate that these micron-sized zircon crystals may have grown in-situ from medium-temperature hydrothermal fluids. Concentrations of most trace elements including high field strength elements (HFSE) increase from the undeformed, through the weakly deformed, to the mylonitized listwaenite, showing a positive correlation with the degrees of deformation and proportions of micron-size zircon, apatite, rutile and monazite. The large zircon crystals recovered from talc schist, undeformed listwaenite and mylonitized listwaenite yield similar weighted mean U-Pb ages (302.9 ± 6.8 Ma, 299.7 ± 5.5 Ma and 296.5 ± 3.5 Ma), and are thought to represent the age of formation of the talc schist and listwaenite. These ages are indistinguishable within errors and suggest a rapid transformation from talc schist to listwaenite. Some zircon rims in samples of the undeformed listwaenite and mylonitized listwaenite give much younger apparent U-Pb ages (280-277 Ma), which could be interpreted as a recrystallization age reflecting late-stage shearing in the Sartohay ophiolitic mélange.

  2. Geochemical signatures and magmatic stability of terrestrial impact produced zircon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wielicki, Matthew M.; Harrison, T. Mark; Schmitt, Axel K.

    2012-03-01

    Understanding the role of impacts on early Earth has major implications to near surface conditions, but the apparent lack of preserved terrestrial craters > 2 Ga does not allow a direct sampling of such events. Ion microprobe U-Pb ages, REE abundances and Ti-in-zircon thermometry for impact produced zircon are reported here. These results from terrestrial impactites, ranging in age from ~ 35 Ma to ~ 2 Ga, are compared with the detrital Hadean zircon population from Western Australia. Such comparisons may provide the only terrestrial constraints on the role of impacts during the Hadean and early Archean, a time predicted to have a high bolide flux. Ti-in-zircon thermometry indicates an average of 773 °C for impact-produced zircon, ~ 100 °C higher than the average for Hadean zircon crystals. The agreement between whole-rock based zircon saturation temperatures for impactites and Ti-in-zircon thermometry (at aTiO2 = 1) implies that Ti-in-zircon thermometry record actual crystallization temperatures for impact melts. Zircon saturation modeling of Archean crustal rock compositions undergoing thermal excursions associated with the Late Heavy Bombardment predicts equally high zircon crystallization temperatures. The lack of such thermal signatures in the Hadean zircon record implies that impacts were not a dominant mechanism of producing the preserved Hadean detrital zircon record.

  3. Age revision of the Neotethyan arc migration into the southeast Urumieh-Dokhtar belt of Iran: Geochemistry and U-Pb zircon geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hosseini, Mohammad Reza; Hassanzadeh, Jamshid; Alirezaei, Saeed; Sun, Weidong; Li, Cong-Ying

    2017-07-01

    The Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic belt of Central Iran runs parallel to the Zagros orogenic belt and has been resulted from Neotethys ocean subduction underneath Eurasia. The Bahr Aseman volcanic-plutonic complex (BAC), covering an area 2000 km2 in the Kerman magmatic belt (KMB) in the southern section of the Urumieh-Dokhtar belt, has long been considered as the earliest manifestation of extensive Cenozoic arc magmatism in KMB. The nature and timing of the magmatism, however, is poorly constrained. An area 1000 km2, in BAC and adjacent Razak volcaniclastic complex and Jebal Barez-type granitoids, was mapped and sampled for geochemistry and geochronology. Andesite and basaltic andesite are the main volcanic components in the study area; plutonic bodies vary from tonalite to quartz diorite, granodiorite and biotite-granite. The rocks in BAC display dominantly normal calc-alkaline character. On spider diagrams, the rocks are characterized by enrichments in LILE relative to HFSE and enrichments in LREE relative to HREE. These features suggest a subduction related setting for the BAC. LaN/YbN ratios for the intrusive and volcanic rocks range from 1.41 to 5.16 and 1.01 to 6.42, respectively. These values are lower than those for other known granitoids in KMB, namely the abyssal, dominantly Oligocene Jebal Barez-type (LaN/YbN = 1.66-9.98), and the shallow, dominantly late Miocene Kuh Panj-type (LaN/YbN = 12.97-36.04) granitoids. This suggests a less evolved magma source for the BAC igneous rocks. In Y vs. Nb and Th/Yb vs. La/Yb discrimination diagrams, an island-arc setting is defined for the BAC rocks. The rocks further plot in primitive island-arc domain in Nb vs. Rb/Zr and Y/Nb vs. TiO2 diagrams. The BAC volcanic and plutonic rocks yielded zircon U-Pb ages of 78.1 to 82.7 Ma and 77.5 to 80.8 Ma, respectively. Zircon U-Pb dating of volcanic rocks and granitoids from the adjacent Razak complex and the Jebal Barez-type granitoids indicated 48.2 Ma and 26.1 Ma ages

  4. Thermal and exhumation history of the central Tianshan (NW China): Constraints by U-Pb geochronology and Ar-Ar and (U-Th)/He thermochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yin, J.; Chen, W.; Hodges, K. V.; Xiao, W.; Van Soest, M. C.; Cai, K.; Zhang, B.; Mercer, C. M.; Yuan, C.

    2015-12-01

    Geochronology and thermochronology using multiple mineral-isotopic chronometers reveals the thermo-tectonic history of the central Tianshan (NW China) from emplacement to exhumation. Granites from the central Tianshan, which are associated with the southward subduction of the northern Tianshan Ocean, have been dated at 362-354 Ma using the LA-ICP-MS Zircon U-Pb method. A younger diorite sample (282 ± 1 Ma, Zircon U-Pb method by LA-ICP-MS) from northern Tianshan formed during the final closure of the Northern Tianshan Ocean when the Junggar Block collided with the Yili-Central Tianshan Block. 40Ar/39Ar step-wise heating plateau dates (biotite Ar/Ar: 312-293 Ma; Plagioclase Ar/Ar: 270-229 Ma) from the Central Tianshan show rapid post-magmatic cooling during the Late Carboniferous-Early Permian followed by a more modest rate of cooling from the middle Permian to the middle Jurassic. The northern Tianshan diorite (biotite Ar/Ar: 240 ± 1 Ma) also reveals a middle Jurassic cooling. Apatite (U-Th )/He dates from the central Tianshan samples range from ca. 130 Ma to ca. 116 Ma. The Apatite (U-Th )/He date for the northern Tianshan sample is ca. 27 Ma. Previous studies also reported Apatite (U-Th)/He ages of ca. 44 Ma-11 Ma in the Baluntai area of the southern Central Tianshan[1]. Two episodes of cooling are distinguished by thermal history modelling: (1) Mesozoic cooling occurred as the result of the exhumation and tectonic reactivation of the central Tianshan; and (2) The Tianshan orogenic belt has been rapidly exhumed since the Middle Cenozoic. References [1] Lü, H.H., Chang, Y., Wang, W., Zhou, Z.Y., 2013. Rapid exhumation of the Tianshan Mountains since the early Miocene: Evidence from combined apatite fission track and (U-Th)/He thermochronology. Science China: Earth Sciences, 43(12): 1964-1974 (in Chinese).

  5. Dating kimberlite emplacement with zircon and perovskite (U-Th)/He geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stanley, Jessica; Flowers, Rebecca

    2017-04-01

    Kimberlites provide rich information about the composition and evolution of cratonic lithosphere. They can entrain xenoliths and xenocrysts from the entire lithospheric column as they transit rapidly to the surface, providing information on the state of the deep lithosphere as well as any sedimentary units covering the craton at the time of eruption. Accurate geochronology of these eruptions is key for interpreting this information and discerning spatiotemporal trends in lithospheric evolution, but kimberlites can sometimes be difficult to date with available methods. Here we explore whether (U-Th)/He dating of zircon and perovskite can serve as reliable techniques for determining kimberlite emplacement ages by dating a suite of sixteen southern African kimberlites by zircon and/or perovskite (U-Th)/He (ZHe, PHe). Most samples with abundant zircon yielded ZHe dates reproducible to ≤15% dispersion that are in good agreement with published eruption ages, though there were several samples that were more scattered. Since the majority of dated zircon were xenocrystic, zircon with reproducible dates were fully reset during eruption or resided at temperatures above the ZHe closure temperature ( 180 °C) prior to entrainment in the kimberlite magma. We attribute scattered ZHe dates to shallowly sourced zircon that underwent incomplete damage annealing and/or partial He loss during the eruptive process. All seven kimberlites dated with PHe yielded dates reproducible to ≤15% dispersion and reasonable results. As perovskite has not previously been used as a (U-Th)/He chronometer, we conducted two preliminary perovskite 4He diffusion experiments to obtain initial estimates of its temperature sensitivity. These experiments suggest a PHe closure temperature of >300 °C. Perovskite in kimberlites is unlikely to be xenocrystic and its relatively high temperature sensitivity suggests that PHe dates will typically record emplacement rather than post-emplacement processes. ZHe

  6. The double-edged sword of high-precision U-Pb geochronology or be careful what you wish for. (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bowring, S. A.

    2010-12-01

    Over the past two decades, U-Pb geochronology by ID-TIMS has been refined to achieve internal (analytical) uncertainties on a single grain analysis of ± ~ 0.1-0.2%, and 0.05% or better on weighted mean dates. This level of precision enables unprecedented evaluation of the rates and durations of geological processes, from magma chamber evolution to mass extinctions and recoveries. The increased precision, however, exposes complexity in magmatic/volcanic systems and highlights the importance of corrections related to disequilibrium partitioning of intermediate daughter products, and raises questions as to how best to interpret the complex spectrum of dates characteristic of many volcanic rocks. In addition, the increased precision requires renewed emphasis on the accuracy of U decay constants, the isotopic composition of U, the calibration of isotopic tracers, and the accurate propagation of uncertainties It is now commonplace in the high precision dating of volcanic ash-beds to analyze 5-20 single grains of zircon in an attempt to resolve the eruption/depositional age. Data sets with dispersion far in excess of analytical uncertainties are interpreted to reflect Pb-loss, inheritance, and protracted crystallization, often supported with zircon chemistry. In most cases, a weighted mean of the youngest reproducible dates is interpreted as the time of eruption/deposition. Crystallization histories of silicic magmatic systems recovered from plutonic rocks may also be protracted, though may not be directly applicable to silicic eruptions; each sample must be evaluated independently. A key to robust interpretations is the integration high-spatial resolution zircon trace element geochemistry with high-precision ID-TIMS analyses. The EARTHTIME initiative has focused on many of these issues, and the larger subject of constructing a timeline for earth history using both U-Pb and Ar-Ar chronometers. Despite continuing improvements in both, comparing dates for the same rock

  7. The tectonic evolution of the Irtysh tectonic belt: New zircon U-Pb ages of arc-related and collisional granitoids in the Kalaxiangar tectonic belt, NW China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hong, Tao; Klemd, Reiner; Gao, Jun; Xiang, Peng; Xu, Xing-Wang; You, Jun; Wang, Xin-Shui; Wu, Chu; Li, Hao; Ke, Qiang

    2017-02-01

    Precise geochronological constraints of the Irtysh tectonic belt situated between the Saur Island Arc and the Altay Terrane are crucial to a better understanding of the tectonic evolution of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). Recently, we discovered repeatedly deformed arc-related and collisional granitoids in the Kalaxiangar tectonic belt (KTB), which is located in the eastern part of the Irtysh tectonic belt. In this study, we report new whole-rock geochemical, zircon U-Pb and Hf isotopic data of the arc-related and collisional granitoids. Our data reveal that 1) arc-related granodioritic porphyries formed at ca. 382-374 Ma. Recrystallized zircon grains from a (ultra-)mylonitic granodiorite of the Laoshankou zone in the southern KTB display a U-Pb age of ca. 360 Ma; 2) syn-collisional granodioritic porphyries, which distribute along faults and parallel to the cleavage, were emplaced at ca. 367-356 Ma, with εHf(t) values varying from + 7.8 to + 14.2 and Hf model ages from 873 to 459 Ma; 3) a post-collisional A-type granodioritic porphyry, which crosscuts the NW-NNW trending schistosity of the metasedimentary country rocks at a low angle, has an age of ca. 324-320 Ma, while the εHf(t) values range from + 7.6 to + 14.4 with Hf model ages from 850 to 416 Ma; 4) post-collisional strike-slip A-type granite dykes, exposed along strike-slip faults, gave ages between 287 and 279 Ma, whereas the εHf(t) values range from + 4.9 to + 12.7 and the Hf model ages from 995 to 500 Ma; and 5) A-type biotite granite dykes, which intruded along conjugate tension joints, have ages of 274-271 Ma, and εHf(t) values from + 1.5 to + 13.2 with Hf model ages from 1196 to 454 Ma. Consequently, we propose that the collision between the Saur Island Arc and the Altay Terrane occurred in the Early Carboniferous (ca. 367-356 Ma) and the subsequent post-collisional tectonic process continued to the Late Carboniferous (ca. 324-320 Ma). It is further suggested that the Irtysh tectonic belt

  8. Zircon and baddeleyite from the economic ultramafic-mafic Noril'sk-1 intrusion (Russia): Hf-isotope constraints on source composition

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malitch, K. N.; Belousova, E. A.; Badanina, I. Yu.; Griffin, W. L.

    2012-04-01

    The ultramafic-mafic Noril'sk-1 intrusion in the northwestern part of the Siberian Craton (Russia) represents one of three known Noril'sk-type, ore-bearing intrusions, which host one of the world's major economic sulphide platinum-group-element (PGE)-Cu-Ni deposits. Zircon and baddeleyite dated previously both by SHRIMP (i.e. 248.0 ± 3.7 Ma, Campbell et al. 1992) and ID-TIMS (251.1 ± 3.6 Ma, Kamo et al. 1996) have been restricted to one lithology (e.g. leucogabbro) of the Noril'sk-1 intrusion. To better constrain the age of igneous event and sources involved in its generation our multi-technique study utilized ten rock samples characteristic of unmineralized and mineralized lithologies. The rocks investigated comprise (from top to bottom) gabbro-diorite (sample N1-1), leucogabbro (N1-3), olivine-free gabbro (N1-2 and N1-4), olivine-bearing gabbro (N1-5), olivine gabbro (N1-6), plagiowehrlite and plagiodunite (N1-7), taxitic-textured rocks comprising melanotroctolite, olivine gabbro with relics of ultramafic rocks (N1-8, N1-9) and contact fine-grained gabbro (N1-10). Sulphide PGE-Cu-Ni ores occur in ultramafic (N1-7) and taxitic-textured rocks (N1-8 and N1-9), which have thickness of about 17 m, whereas the low-sulphide horizon of about 1 m thick occurs in the upper part of intrusion (N1-3). In situ U-Pb analyses of zircon from these rocks, combined with detailed study of crystal morphology and internal structure, identify four zircon populations (Malitch et al. 2012). The U-Pb ages of baddeleyite and the defined zircon populations cover a significant time span, from Late Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic (e.g., 290 ± 2.8; 261.3 ± 1.6; 245.7 ± 1.1; 236.5 ± 1.8 and 226.7 ± 0.9 Ma). The established distribution of U-Pb ages implies that crystallization of baddeleyite and zircon corresponds to several stages of protracted evolution of ultramafic-mafic magmas at deep-seated staging chambers and/or probably characterizes interaction of distinct magmas during formation

  9. U-Pb isotopic evidence for the accretion of a continental microplate in the Zalm region of the Saudi Arabian Shield.

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stacey, J.S.; Agar, R.A.

    1985-01-01

    This area includes three of the main tectonic units of the Arabian Shield: the Afif continental terrain, the Nabitah suture with its associated mobile belt, and the Asir ensimatic arc terrain. U/Pb zircon data from a pelitic garnet-sillimanite gneiss show that the Kabib formation in the S of the Afif terrain may be as old as 1770 m.y. Pb and Rb/Sr isotopic data in the Zalm region reveal a change in the nature of the underlying crust, from continental basement in the NE to less radiogenic marginal arc rocks in the SW. Miogeosynclinal continental shelf facies of the Siham group lie unconformably over the Kabid formation. U/Pb zircon age determinations show that this 'Andean' continental margin developed before approx 720 m.y. and the emplacement of calc-alkaline plutonic rocks continued until approx 690 m.y. During the period 685-640 m.y. the continental Afif microplate collided with the Asir terrain as part of the Nabitah orogeny. At approx 640 m.y. age the Najd strike-slip faulting commenced, with a dextral phase that controlled emplacement of granite plutons as well as the development of large pull-apart grabens. Some of the latter were floored by new oceanic crust and filled with volcanosedimentary rocks of the Bani Ghayy group.-R.A.H.

  10. Timing of deformation and rapid subsidence in the northern Altiplano, Peru: Insights from detrital zircon geochronology of the Ayaviri hinterland basin

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Horton, B. K.; Perez, N. D.; Saylor, J. E.

    2011-12-01

    Although age constraints on crustal deformation and sediment accumulation prove critical to testing hypotheses of orogenic plateau construction, a common lack of marine facies, volcanic tuffs, and suitable fossils hinders many attempts at chronological reconstructions. A series of elevated retroarc basins along the axis of the Andean orogenic belt provide opportunities to define the timing of deformation and transformation from foreland to hinterland basin configurations. In this study, we present new U-Pb ages of detrital zircons in the Ayaviri intermontane basin of southern Peru (~4 km elevation) in the northern part of the central Andean (Altiplano) plateau. Nearly all sandstone samples show strong unimodal U-Pb age peaks (generally defined by > 5-50 zircons), suggesting these age peaks represent syndepositional volcanism and can be regarded as accurate estimates of true depositional (stratigraphic) age. Integration of these ages with structural and stratigraphic relationships demonstrate the utility of zircon U-Pb geochronology in defining both (1) the timing of basin partitioning and (2) the pace of sediment accumulation. (1) U-Pb ages for several sandstone samples from growth-strata packages associated with two basin-bounding faults reveal structural partitioning of the Ayaviri basin from late Oligocene to Miocene time. In the north, displacement along the southwest-directed Ayaviri thrust fault commenced in late Oligocene time (~28-24 Ma), inducing initial structural partitioning of an upper Eocene-Oligocene, > 5 km thick succession potentially representing an early Andean retroarc foreland basin. In the south, the Ayaviri basin was further disrupted by initial displacement along the northeast-directed Pasani thrust fault in early to middle Miocene time (~18-15 Ma). (2) Additional U-Pb analyses from the Ayaviri basin fill help delimit the long-term rates of sedimentation, suggesting relatively short-lived (< 5 Myr) pulses of accelerated accumulation. Rapid

  11. Dating high-grade metamorphism: constraints from zircon and garnet REE compositions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Whitehouse, M. J.; Platt, J. P.

    2001-12-01

    We present high spatial resolution ion microprobe REE analyses of zircon and garnet from pelitic granulite adjacent to the Ronda peridotite, Betic Cordillera, southern Spain. The zircons exhibit polyphase growth, with thick structureless (in cathodoluminescence) overgrowths over detrital cores. These overgrowths yield a U-Pb age of 21.3 +/- 0.3 Ma [1, unpublished data] which we intepret as dating an episode of zircon growth during the Alpine orogeny. REE analyses of the dated portions of these zircons reveal profound differences between cores and rims. Cores show patterns typical of magmatic zircon (steep upward slopes from La to Lu with marked positive Ce anomaly), while the overgrowths are characterised by flat or even negatively sloping HREE profiles (Gd - Lu). Garnet, which occupies ca. 30 % by volume of the rock, is the most likely phase to host the HREEs in the rock and has been the subject of further ion-microprobe REE, textural and trace element investigations. The garnets are themselves zoned, with dominant central regions that are relatively free of inclusions overgrown by inclusion-rich, more calcic rims. Inclusions of kyanite +rutile in the central regions and sillimanite +ilmenite in the rims suggests that the garnets grew during decompression, and the Ca-enrichment in the rims suggests that their growth coincided with the initiation of partial melting. The presence of rimmed zircons only in the garnet rims and the matrix further suggests that the zircons also grew during this late decompressional history. An REE traverse of the garnet from core to rim reveals marked HREE depletion in the rims relative to the cores which we suggest is consistent with the textural evidence and probably results from early garnet core growth strongly depleting the HREEs available to subsequent growth. This mechanism can also be invoked to explain depletion in the zircon rims and more closely ties their formation to this stage of garnet growth. We therefore interpret the

  12. Unraveling the Switch from Subduction to Exhumation within a Collisional Orogen: Split-stream U-Pb and Trace-element Results from the Western Gneiss Region, Norway (Invited)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gordon, S. M.; Whitney, D. L.; Teyssier, C. P.; Fossen, H.; Desormeau, J. W.; Jessen, B.

    2013-12-01

    During continental collision, crustal material may be subducted to great depths and subsequently exhumed. Ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terranes preserve a record of the subduction of crustal material during suturing of colliding continents and the exhumation of this material during extension and, in some cases, collapse of the orogen. The UHP rocks of the Western Gneiss Region (WGR), Norway, resulted from the collision of Baltica with Laurentia during the final stages of the Caledonian orogeny. The WGR represents one of the two largest UHP terranes on Earth and consists of a UHP eclogite-bearing domain south of the Møre-Trøndelag strike-slip fault and a HP mafic granulite-bearing domain north of the fault. At least some of the HP granulite is overprinted eclogite. To evaluate the metamorphic and structural relationship of mafic rocks and associated migmatite in both regions, we obtained LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dates and trace-element analyses for zircon from a variety of textural types of leucosome associated with mafic layers and lenses. Five leucosomes within highly deformed migmatite in the HP granulite complex on the Roan Peninsula reveal U-Pb lower-intercept ages from ca. 405 to 409 Ma and upper-intercept Proterozoic dates. These zircons have distinct trace-elements patterns: all of the zircons that yield Proterozoic dates have overall much higher REE concentrations, a more significant negative Eu anomaly (-0.3 to -0.7) and steeper HREE patterns (Lu/Dy = 5-12). In comparison, the Caledonian zircons reveal flatter Eu anomalies (-0.3 to 0.2) and less steep HREE patterns (Lu/Dy = 2-7), although the individual patterns do not seem to correlate with age. The Caledonian zircon patterns suggest crystallization at high-pressures and are distinct from the inherited Proterozoic grains. Similar results were obtained from zircon rims extracted from layer-parallel to crosscutting leucosomes from the UHP domain. Trace elements in zircon in these samples record the transition from high

  13. New uppermost Cambrian U-Pb date from Avalonian Wales and age of the Cambrian-Ordovician boundary

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Davidek, K.; Landing, E.; Bowring, S.A.; Westrop, S.R.; Rushton, A.W.A.; Fortey, R.A.; Adrain, J.M.

    1998-01-01

    A crystal-rich volcaniclastic sandatone in the lower Peltura scarabaeoides Zone at Ogof-odi near Criccieth, North Wales, yields a U-Pb zircon age of 491 ?? 1 Ma. This late Late Cambrian date indicates a remarkably young age for the Cambrian-Ordovician boundary whose age must be less than 491 Ma. Hence the revised duration of the post-Placentian (trilobite-bearing) Cambrian indicates that local trilobite zonations allow a biostratigraphic resolution comparble to that provided by Ordovician graptolites and Mesozoic ammonites.

  14. The 3.66 Ga Nuvvuagittuq Tonalite-Trondhjemite-Granodiorite Suite: A Case of Hadean Anatexis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stevenson, R. K.; Bizzarro, M.

    2011-12-01

    The ca 3.8-4.3 Ga Nuvvuagittuq supracrustal sequence in northern Quebec, Canada, ranks as one of the most exciting early Earth terrain discoveries of the past fifteen years. The supracrustal sequence consists of mafic amphibolite rocks with rare felsic schists along with ultramafic sills and oxide-rich and quartz-rich iron formation. The supracrustal sequence is semi-oval in form and is folded around a core of foliated tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) suite. A similar TTG suite forms a sheath around the exterior margin of the Nuvvuagittuq supracrustal sequence. Zircons from a felsic volcanic unit within the sequence yielded a minimum age of 3.8 Ga (U-Pb) for volcanic rocks of the sequence (David et al. 2009). A study of the Nd142 isotope systematics of the sequence found evidence for a Nd142 deficit in the sequence and a Nd142-Sm147 isochron yielded an age of 4.28 Ga (O'Neil et al. 2008). Dating of zircons from the tonalite sheath (U-Pb TIMS; David et al., 2009) and from the inner core (U-Pb SHRIMP; this study) yield similar ages (3.66 Ga). Zircons from this sequence undoubtedly contributed to the Hf isotopic composition of Archean sedimentary sequences of the Canadian Shield (Stevenson and Patchett 1990).The zircons from the TTG suite are very homogeneous and only have rare thin metamorphic rims that yield an age of 2.7 Ga (U-Pb Shrimp; this study). Radiogenic isotope studies (Sm-Nd and Lu-Hf) indicate that the TTG suite is an anatectic product of the melting of the Nuvvuagittuq supracrustal suite. The geochemical compositions of the Nuvvuagittuq TTG suite are compared with the compositions of ca 3.6 TTG suites from other localities around the world. David, J. Godin, L., Stevenson, R., O'Neil, J. and Francis, D. 2009. U-Pb ages (3.8-2.7 Ga) and Nd isotope data from the newly- identified Eoarchean Nuvvuagittuq supracrustal sequence, Superior Craton, Canada. GSA Bulletin 121; 150-163. O'Neil, J., Carlson, R.W., Francis, D., and Stevenson, R.K. 2008

  15. Evidence for Archean inheritance in the pre-Panafrican crust of Central Cameroon: Insight from zircon internal structure and LA-MC-ICP-MS Usbnd Pb ages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ganwa, Alembert Alexandre; Klötzli, Urs Stephan; Hauzenberger, Christoph

    2016-08-01

    The main geological feature of Central Cameroon is the wide spread occurrence of granitoids emplaced in close association with transcurrent regional shear zones. The basement of this vast domain is a Paleoproterozoic ortho-and para-derivative formation, which has been intensely reworked, together with subsequent intrusions and sediments, during the Panafrican orogenesis in the Neoproterozoic. As consequence, the area underwent pervasive metamorphism and intense deformation. This makes it difficult to distinguish between Panafrican metasediments or syntectonic plutonites and their respective basement. Our study presents zircon features (CL-BSE-SE) and in-situ U-Th-Pb LA-MC-ICP-MS geochronology of a meta-sedimentary pyroxene-amphibole-bearing gneiss of the Méiganga area in Central Cameroon. Based on the Internal structures of the zircon four characteristic zonation patterns can be deciphered: 1) cores with magmatic oscillatory zonation 2) zircons with oscillatory or sector zonation, 3) zircons with sector zoning or blurred zoning, and 4) narrow bright un-zoned rims. These groups suggest that the rock experienced a number of geological events. Considering this zircon characteristic, the U-Th-Pb data allow to distinguish four ages: 2116 ± 57 Ma, consistent with ages from the Paleoproterozoic West Central African Belt; 2551 ± 33 Ma which marks a late Neoarchean magmatic event; 2721 ± 27 Ma related to a Neoarchean magmatic even in Central Cameroon, similar to one found in the Congo Craton. A zircon core gives ages around 2925 Ma which provides some evidence of the presence of the Mesoarchean basement prior to the Neoarchean magmatism. A weighted average of lower intercepts ages gives a value of 821 ± 50 Ma, representing the age of later metamorphism event. The various characteristic group and related ages reflect not only the complexity of the history of the pyroxene amphibole gneiss, but also show that the meta-sediment has at least three zircon contributing

  16. Geological Structure of the Basement of Western and Eastern Parts of the West-Siberian Plain

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ivanov, Kirill S.; Erokhin, Yuriy V.; Ponomarev, Vladimir S.; Pogromskaya, Olga E.; Berzin, Stepan V.

    2016-01-01

    The U-Pb dating (SHRIMP-II on zircon) was obtained for the first time from the basement of the West Siberian Plain in the Western half of the region. It is established that a large part of the protolith of the metamorphic depth in the Shaim-Kuznetsov meganticlinorium contained sedimentary late- and middle-Devonian rocks (395-358 million years).…

  17. 3-D Characterization of Detrital Zircon Grains and its Implications for Fluvial Transport, Mixing, and Preservation Bias

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Markwitz, V.; Kirkland, C. L.; Mehnert, A.; Gessner, K.; Shaw, J.

    2017-12-01

    Detrital zircon studies can suffer from selective loss of provenance information due to U-Pb age discordance, metamictization, metamorphic overprinting and fluviatile transport processes. The relationship between isotopic composition and zircon grain shape, and how grain shape is modified during transport, is largely unknown. We combine X-ray tomography with U-Pb geochronology to quantify how fluvial transport affects 3-D zircon shape, detrital age signature, and grain density along the Murchison River, whose catchment comprises Eoarchean to Early Paleozoic source rocks in Western Australia. We acquired tomographic volumes and isotopic data from 373 detrital zircons to document changes in size, shape and density in transport direction, and explore how grain shape, age spectra and the proportion of discordant material vary along the channel. Results show that shape characteristics are sensitive to transport distance, stream gradient, proximity to source material, and whether the source consists of primary or recycled zircons. With increasing transport distance, grain lengths decrease more than their widths. Furthermore, the loss of metamict grains occurs at a near constant rate, resulting in a linear increase of mean calculated zircon density by ca. 0.03 g/cm3 per 100 km transport distance. 3-D grain shape is therefore strongly linked to detrital age signature, and mean grain density is a function of the absolute transport distance. 3-D shape characteristics provide valuable information on detrital zircon populations, including the interaction between source materials with fluvial transport processes, which significantly affects preservation bias and, by inference, the representativeness of the sampled data.

  18. Zirconology of lherzolites in the Nurali Massif

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krasnobaev, A. A.; Rusin, A. I.; Anfilogov, V. N.; Valizer, P. M.; Busharina, S. V.; Medvedeva, E. V.

    2017-06-01

    The age trend (SHRIMP U/Pb) of the evolution of zircon is obtained for the first time in lherzolites of the Nurali Massif. Zircons are subdivided into groups by the crystallomorphological and geochemical features. These specific features in zircon development are confirmed by the age dates. Precambrian dates (no younger than 1190 Ma) correspond to mantle sources of the lherzolite block. The Early Silurian (445-448 and 439-440 Ma) wass the time of lherzolite magmatism of 10-15 Ma in duration. The Middle Devonian (382.9 ± 8.7 Ma) corresponded to postmagmatic processes related to the effect of gabbro-diorite intrusions crowning in the Nurali Massif.

  19. Reliability and longitudinal change of detrital-zircon age spectra in the Snake River system, Idaho and Wyoming: An example of reproducing the bumpy barcode

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Link, Paul Karl; Fanning, C. Mark; Beranek, Luke P.

    2005-12-01

    Detrital-zircon age-spectra effectively define provenance in Holocene and Neogene fluvial sands from the Snake River system of the northern Rockies, U.S.A. SHRIMP U-Pb dates have been measured for forty-six samples (about 2700 zircon grains) of fluvial and aeolian sediment. The detrital-zircon age distributions are repeatable and demonstrate predictable longitudinal variation. By lumping multiple samples to attain populations of several hundred grains, we recognize distinctive, provenance-defining zircon-age distributions or "barcodes," for fluvial sedimentary systems of several scales, within the upper and middle Snake River system. Our detrital-zircon studies effectively define the geochronology of the northern Rocky Mountains. The composite detrital-zircon grain distribution of the middle Snake River consists of major populations of Neogene, Eocene, and Cretaceous magmatic grains plus intermediate and small grain populations of multiply recycled Grenville (˜950 to 1300 Ma) grains and Yavapai-Mazatzal province grains (˜1600 to 1800 Ma) recycled through the upper Belt Supergroup and Cretaceous sandstones. A wide range of older Paleoproterozoic and Archean grains are also present. The best-case scenario for using detrital-zircon populations to isolate provenance is when there is a point-source pluton with known age, that is only found in one location or drainage. We find three such zircon age-populations in fluvial sediments downstream from the point-source plutons: Ordovician in the southern Beaverhead Mountains, Jurassic in northern Nevada, and Oligocene in the Albion Mountains core complex of southern Idaho. Large detrital-zircon age-populations derived from regionally well-defined, magmatic or recycled sedimentary, sources also serve to delimit the provenance of Neogene fluvial systems. In the Snake River system, defining populations include those derived from Cretaceous Atlanta lobe of the Idaho batholith (80 to 100 Ma), Eocene Challis Volcanic Group and

  20. U-Pb Geochronology and Hf-isotope constrains on Formation of Archaean Crust From the Lewisian of NW Scotland, Great Britain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crowley, Q. G.; Noble, S. R.; Key, R.

    2006-12-01

    The Lewisian complex of NW Scotland is dominantly composed of Archaean tonalitic to granodioritic gneisses, ultramafic bodies and minor metasedimentary components. Although the area is internationally well known and has been much studied for over a century, the precise timing of crustal forming events has proven difficult to ascertain. We present data from both in-situ laser ablation (LA) ICP-MS and an adaptation of a new U-Pb chemical abrasion ID-TIMS technique (Mattinson 2006) applied to multi-age component zircons from the Assynt block of this region. The new data reveal a previously unrecognised complexity and provide the first unequivocal proof of an Archean metamorphic event in the area. In a wider context the data also elucidate some of the processes involved in early global crust formation and plate tectonic events. In-situ LA-ICPMS U-Pb dating has indicated a ca 2.8Ga protolith age for a tonalite gneiss with evidence for a ca. 3.6Ga xenocrystic component (the oldest discovered in the UK). Non-conventional U-Pb ID-TIMS utilising a combination of high-temperature annealing followed by multi-step incremental dissolution on single grains has dated zircon growth at ca 2.7Ga (Badcallian) and 2.5Ga (Inverian) with later Pb-loss occurring at ca 1.9Ga and ca 1.7Ga (early and late Laxfordian respectively). This latter method combines a pseudo-spatial resolution normally associated with an in-situ technique but benefits from the high-precision analysis of ID-TIMS. Zircon Hf isotopes indicate that some rocks from the Assynt area are typical of Archaean continental crust (epsilon Hf ca -1. The tonalite gneisses however have strongly negative epsilon Hf values of -7 to -10 indicating a more complex history of derivation through partial melting of ancient crust with residual garnet as a long- lived control on Hf. Archaean events at ca. 3.6Ga, ca 2.8Ga and ca 2.7Ga have also been recorded in west Greenland (e.g. Mojzsis & Harrison 1999, Richards and Appel, 1987

  1. Major zircon megacryst suites of the Indo-Pacific lithospheric margin (ZIP) and their petrogenetic and regional implications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sutherland, Lin; Graham, Ian; Yaxley, Gregory; Armstrong, Richard; Giuliani, Gaston; Hoskin, Paul; Nechaev, Victor; Woodhead, Jon

    2016-04-01

    Zircon megacrysts (± gem corundum) appear in basalt fields of Indo-Pacific origin over a 12,000 km zone (ZIP) along West Pacific continental margins. Age-dating, trace element, oxygen and hafnium isotope studies on representative zircons (East Australia-Asia) indicate diverse magmatic sources. The U-Pb (249 to 1 Ma) and zircon fission track (ZFT) ages (65 to 1 Ma) suggest thermal annealing during later basalt transport, with < 1 to 203 Ma gaps between the U-Pb and ZFT ages. Magmatic growth zonation and Zr/Hf ratios (0.01-0.02) suggest alkaline magmatic sources, while Ti—in—zircon thermometry suggests that most zircons crystallized within ranges between 550 and 830 °C. Chondrite-normalised multi-element plots show variable enrichment patterns, mostly without marked Eu depletion, indicating little plagioclase fractionation in source melts. Key elements and ratios matched against zircons from magmatic rocks suggest a range of ultramafic to felsic source melts. Zircon O-isotope ratios (δ18O in the range 4 to 11‰) and initial Hf isotope ratios (ɛHf in the range +2 to +14) encompass ranges for both mantle and crustal melts. Calculated Depleted Mantle (TDM 0.03-0.56 Ga) and Crustal Residence (0.20-1.02 Ga) model ages suggest several mantle events, continental break-ups (Rodinia and Gondwana) and convergent margin collisions left imprints in the zircon source melts. East Australian ZIP sites reflect prolonged intraplate magmatism (~85 Ma), often during times of fast-migrating lithosphere. In contrast, East Asian-Russian ZIP sites reflect later basaltic magmatism (<40 Ma), often linked to episodes of back-arc rifting and spreading, slow-migrating lithosphere and slab subduction.

  2. Provenance of the lower Miocene of the Gulf of Mexico from detrital zircon double dating

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    xu, J.

    2013-12-01

    The lower Miocene interval of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) has recently gained increasing attention from oil and gas industry due to its hydrocarbon potential below the salt canopy. However, it has been less well studied than both the underlying Oligocene and overlying middle Miocene strata. The lower Miocene worldwide is a transitional period of tectonic, climatic, and oceanographic change. In particular, it is a period of major tectonic reorganization in the western interior of North America (Rocky Mountains), involving a shift from the Oligocene thermal phase, with abundant volcanic activity recorded in the thick Frio/Vicksburg succession of the GOM, to the Miocene Basin-Range extensional phase. Climatic conditions also changed from a relatively arid Oligocene to wetter Miocene, resulting in increased sediment yields from exhumed tectonic structures. Previous provenance studies used proportions of quartz, feldspar and lithic fragments and consideration of likely river courses through known paleogeomorphological elements. Only limited detrital zircon (DZ) U-Pb studies on Paleocene strata have been undertaken and there has been no previous U-Pb and (U-Th)/He double dating in the GOM. In this study we apply the latest analytical approaches, such as DZ U-Pb dating to gain robust source terranes ages and more fully elucidate the complex sediment provenance and dispersal history of GOM. We also employ DZ (U-Th)/He (ZHe) dating, combined with DZ U-Pb, to not only define sedimentary provenance but also the exhumation histories of detrital source regions. Samples of lower Miocene outcrop exposures in Texas and Louisiana have been collected to discriminate the varied tectonic and drainage system changes across the basin in lateral. In addition, samples from the Eocene, Oligocene and middle Miocene have been obtained to reveal vertical shift of source terranes contributions. Our initial age data show detrital zircons of lower Miocene sediments come from a wide range of source

  3. Evaluating the utility of detrital thermochronometric studies: detrital laser ablation (U-Th)/He dating and conventional bedrock zircon (U-Th)/He analyses from the eastern Sierra Nevada, California

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Horne, A.; Hodges, K. V.; Van Soest, M. C.

    2016-12-01

    Recent applications of the newly developed `laser ablation double dating' (LADD) technique, an integrated laser microprobe U/Pb and (U-Th)/He dating method, have showcased the potential utility of LADD for detrital thermochronologic studies. However, detrital thermochronologic techniques rely on confidence that detrital data adequately represent the full range of bedrock cooling ages within a catchment. To test this primary assumption, we compare (U-Th)/He zircon ages from age-elevation transects to LADD (U-Th)/He zircon ages from modern fluvial detritus collected at the range front in the eastern Sierra Nevada, California. Terminated by a normal fault escarpment, the small, steep catchments along the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada batholith are apropos locations for comparing the ability of detrital data to deduce the exhumation history of a source terrain with standard age-elevation transects. Additionally, the exhumation of the Sierra Nevada batholith is also intriguing, as past evaluations of the post-emplacement exhumation history of the range have yielded discrepant results. Thus far, analyses from the southern extent of the eastern Sierra Nevada show narrow ranges of cooling ages consistent with simple, relatively rapid exhumation. Ongoing analyses will expand the dataset such that we can fully compare bedrock and detrital age ranges as well as characterize the exhumation history of the range with a thermochronometer that has not been used to date the batholith.

  4. Impact-shocked zircons: Discovery of shock-induced textures reflecting increasing degrees of shock metamorphism

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bohor, B. F.; Betterton, W. J.; Krogh, T. E.

    1993-01-01

    Textural effects specifically characteristic of shock metamorphism in zircons from impact environments have not been reported previously. However, planar deformation features (PDF) due to shock metamorphism are well documented in quartz and other mineral grains from these same environments. An etching technique was developed that allows scanning electron microscope (SEM) visualization of PDF and other probable shock-induced textural features, such as granular (polycrystalline) texture, in zircons from a variety of impact shock environments. These textural features in shocked zircons from K/T boundary distal ejecta form a series related to increasing degrees of shock that should correlate with proportionate resetting of the U-Pb isotopic system.

  5. U-Pb geochronologic constraints on the origin of a unique monazite- xenotime gneiss, Hudson Highlands, New York

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Aleinikoff, J.N.; Grauch, R.I.

    1990-01-01

    A unique rock composed almost entirely of equal proportions of monazite and xenotime occurs as a small, lenticular body (2 ?? 0.5 ?? 0.3 m) in association with paragneiss, migmatite, and Canada Hill Granite in an outcrop in the Hudson Highlands of southeastern New York. The paragneiss contains detrital zircon (207Pb/206Pb ages of 1150-1460 Ma), monazite, and xenotime (both dated at about 1000 Ma). Zircons from the monazite-xenotime gneiss contain dark, rounded cores and clear rims, a morphology suggestive of derivation from the paragneiss, with subsequent metamorphic overgrowth. We conclude, based on results from xenotime and zircon rims, that the monazite-xenotime gneiss formed at about 985 Ma. Based on zircon morphology and age relations within the outcrop, we prefer a metasomatic origin over other possibilities such as a paleo-placer or anatectic restite. -from Authors

  6. Integrated U-Pb zircon and palynological/palaeofloristic age determinations of a Bashkirian palaeofjord fill, Quebrada Grande (Western Argentina)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Valdez Buso, Victoria; di Pasquo, Mercedes; Milana, Juan Pablo; Kneller, Benjamin; Fallgatter, Claus; Junior, Farid Chemale; Gomes Paim, Paulo Sérgio

    2017-01-01

    This work presents a new age framework for the main Bashkirian glacio-eustatic transgression in Argentina, including the first absolute age for the Jejenes Formation, San Juan Province, based on radiometric dating of a crystal-rich tuff, supported by palynological and palaeofloristic studies, and presented within a revised palaeogeographic setting. The Jejenes Formation represents the glacial to postglacial fill of the Quebrada Grande palaeofjord carved in the Eastern Precordillera. The succession has been subdivided into five stages, the youngest of which suggests a previously unrecognised glacial event for this locality. Six productive levels for palynology were found within proglacial strata, and in the base and top of the succeeding interglacial stage. Palynoassemblages are characterized by poorly preserved trilete spores and monosaccate pollen grains along with a large amount of terrestrial phytoclasts. Main species indicating the Raistrickia densa-Convolutispora muriornata SubZone (DMa SZ) are Vallatisporites ciliaris, Cristatisporites rollerii, C. stellatus, C. chacoparanensis, C. inconstans and monosaccates such as Circumplicatipollis plicatus. This DMa SZ is estimated as Serpukhovian/Bashkirian and characterizes the glacial-related Guandacol Formation and equivalents units of the western Paganzo Basin. A tuffaceous level in the proglacial unit, bearing platyspermic seeds, plant remains and palynomorphs, yielded first-cycle volcanic zircons that were analysed by SHRIMP. An absolute age of 321.3 ± 5.3 Ma confirms a Bashkirian age for the main postglacial transgression in the Paganzo Basin, and offers a novel calibration for the palynoassemblages of DMa SZ that occurs elsewhere in Western Argentina.

  7. Decoding a protracted zircon geochronological record in ultrahigh temperature granulite, and persistence of partial melting in the crust, Rogaland, Norway

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Laurent, Antonin T.; Bingen, Bernard; Duchene, Stephanie; Whitehouse, Martin J.; Seydoux-Guillaume, Anne-magali; Bosse, Valerie

    2018-04-01

    This contribution evaluates the relation between protracted zircon geochronological signal and protracted crustal melting in the course of polyphase high to ultrahigh temperature (UHT; T > 900 °C) granulite facies metamorphism. New U-Pb, oxygen isotope, trace element, ion imaging and cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging data in zircon are reported from five samples from Rogaland, South Norway. The data reveal that the spread of apparent age captured by zircon, between 1040 and 930 Ma, results both from open-system growth and closed-system post-crystallization disturbance. Post-crystallization disturbance is evidenced by inverse age zoning induced by solid-state recrystallization of metamict cores that received an alpha dose above 35 × 1017 α g-1. Zircon neocrystallization is documented by CL-dark domains displaying O isotope open-system behaviour. In UHT samples, O isotopic ratios are homogenous (δ18O = 8.91 ± 0.08‰), pointing to high-temperature diffusion. Scanning ion imaging of these CL-dark domains did not reveal unsupported radiogenic Pb. The continuous geochronological signal retrieved from the CL-dark zircon in UHT samples is similar to that of monazite for the two recognized metamorphic phases (M1: 1040-990 Ma; M2: 940-930 Ma). A specific zircon-forming event is identified in the orthopyroxene and UHT zone with a probability peak at ca. 975 Ma, lasting until ca. 955 Ma. Coupling U-Pb geochronology and Ti-in-zircon thermometry provides firm evidence of protracted melting lasting up to 110 My (1040-930 Ma) in the UHT zone, 85 My (ca. 1040-955 Ma) in the orthopyroxene zone and some 40 My (ca. 1040-1000 Ma) in the regional basement. These results demonstrate the persistence of melt over long timescales in the crust, punctuated by two UHT incursions.

  8. Zircon U-Pb age, Lu-Hf isotope, mineral chemistry and geochemistry of Sundamalai peralkaline pluton from the Salem Block, southern India: Implications for Cryogenian adakite-like magmatism in an aborted-rift

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Renjith, M. L.; Santosh, M.; Li, Tang; Satyanarayanan, M.; Korakoppa, M. M.; Tsunogae, T.; Subba Rao, D. V.; Kesav Krishna, A.; Nirmal Charan, S.

    2016-01-01

    The Sundamalai peralkaline pluton is one among the Cryogenian alkaline plutons occurring in the Dharmapuri Rift Zone (DRZ) of the Salem Block in the Southern Granulite Terrane (SGT) of India. Here we present zircon U-Pb age and Lu-Hf isotopic composition, mineral chemistry and geochemistry of the pluton to explore the petrogenesis and geodynamic implications. Systematic modal variation of orthoclase, Na-plagioclase, Ca-amphibole (ferro-edenite and hastingsite) and quartz developed quartz-monzonite and granite litho units in the Sundamalai pluton. Thermometry based on amphibole-plagioclase pair suggests that the pluton was emplaced and solidified at around 4.6 kbar pressure with crystallization of the major phases between 748 and 661 °C. Estimated saturation temperature of zircon (712-698 °C) is also well within this range. However, apatite saturation occurred at higher temperatures between 835 and 870 °C, in contrast with monazite saturation (718-613 °C) that continued up to the late stage of crystallization. Estimated oxygen fugacity values (log fO2: -14 to -17) indicate high oxidation state for the magma that stabilized titanite and magnetite. The magmatic zircons from Sundamalai pluton yielded a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 832.6 ± 3.2 Ma. Geochemically, the Sundamalai rocks are high-K to shoshonitic, persodic (Na2O/K2O ratio > 1), silica-saturated (SiO2:65-72 wt.%), and peralkaline in composition (aluminum saturation index, ASI < 1; Alkalinity index, AI < 0). The initial magma was mildly metaluminous which evolved to strongly peralkaline as result of fractional crystallization (plagioclase effect) controlled differentiation between quartz-monzonite and granite. Both rock types have high content of Na2O (5.1-6.3 wt.%), Ba (350-2589 ppm) and Sr (264-1036 ppm); low content of Y (8.7-17 ppm) and Yb (0.96-1.69 ppm); elevated ratios of La/Yb (11-46) and Sr/Y (46-69) and are depleted in Ti, with a positive Sr anomaly suggesting an adakite-like composition and

  9. Zircon (U-Th)/He Thermochronometric Constraints on Himalayan Thrust Belt Exhumation, Bedrock Weathering, and Cenozoic Seawater Chemistry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Colleps, Cody L.; McKenzie, N. Ryan; Stockli, Daniel F.; Hughes, Nigel C.; Singh, Birendra P.; Webb, A. Alexander G.; Myrow, Paul M.; Planavsky, Noah J.; Horton, Brian K.

    2018-01-01

    Shifts in global seawater 187Os/188Os and 87Sr/86Sr are often utilized as proxies to track global weathering processes responsible for CO2 fluctuations in Earth history, particularly climatic cooling during the Cenozoic. It has been proposed, however, that these isotopic records instead reflect the weathering of chemically distinctive Himalayan lithologies exposed at the surface. We present new zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronometric and detrital zircon U-Pb geochronologic evidence from the Himalaya of northwest India to explore these contrasting interpretations concerning the driving mechanisms responsible for these seawater records. Our data demonstrate in-sequence southward thrust propagation with rapid exhumation of Lesser Himalayan strata enriched in labile 187Os and relatively less in radiogenic 87Sr at ˜16 Ma, which directly corresponds with coeval shifts in seawater 187Os/188Os and 87Sr/86Sr. Results presented here provide substantial evidence that the onset of exhumation of 187Os-enriched Lesser Himalayan strata could have significantly impacted the marine 187Os/188Os record at 16 Ma. These results support the hypothesis that regional weathering of isotopically unique source rocks can drive seawater records independently from shifts in global-scale weathering rates, hindering the utility of these records as reliable proxies to track global weathering processes and climate in deep geologic time.

  10. Zircon geochronology and ca. 400 Ma exhumation of Norwegian ultrahigh-pressure rocks: An ion microprobe and chemical abrasion study

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Root, D.B.; Hacker, B.R.; Mattinson, J.M.; Wooden, J.L.

    2004-01-01

    Understanding the formation and exhumation of the remarkable ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) rocks of the Western Gneiss Region, Norway, hinges on precise determination of the time of eclogite recrystallization. We conducted detailed thermal ionization mass spectrometry, chemical abrasion analysis and sensitive high-resolution ion-microprobe analysis of zircons from four ultrahigh- and high-pressure (HP) rocks. Ion-microprobe analyses from the Flatraket eclogite yielded a broad range of apparently concordant Caledonian ages, suggesting long-term growth. In contrast, higher precision thermal ionization mass spectrometry analysis of zircon subject to combined thermal annealing and multi-step chemical abrasion yielded moderate Pb loss from the first (lowest temperature) abrasion step, possible minor Pb loss or minor growth at 400 Ma from the second step and a 407-404 Ma cluster of slightly discordant 206Pb/238U ages, most likely free from Pb loss, from the remaining abrasion steps. We interpret the latter to reflect zircon crystallization at ???405-400 Ma with minor discordance from inherited cores. Zircon crystallization occurred at eclogite-facies, possibly post-peak conditions, based on compositions of garnet inclusions in zircon as well as nearly flat HREE profiles and lack of Eu anomalies in zircon fractions subjected to chemical abrasion. These ages are significantly younger than the 425 Ma age often cited for western Norway eclogite recrystallization, implying faster rates of exhumation (>2.5-8.5 km/Myr), and coeval formation of eclogites across the UHP portion of the Western Gneiss Region. ?? 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.

  11. Developing Zircon as a Probe of Planetary Impact History

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wielicki, Matthew

    2014-12-01

    cratering and future diffusion studies may provide better constraints on this problem. Although little disturbance was identified in Pb* of target zircon, other low temperature geochronometers, zircon (U-Th)/He dating in this case, have been shown to be completely 'reset' and accurately date impacts. Zircon (U-Th)/He ages isolated from the target rock below ~850 m of well-dated impact melt at Morokweng yield ages consistent with the impact melt sheet and provide an alternative tool to dating events where such melts no longer exists. This geochronometer was also applied to impactites from Popigai, Russia and results in an age that is significantly younger than that reported in the literature and coincident with the Eocene-Oligocene boundary mass extinction event however the lack of any impact signatures at this boundary is puzzling. Constraining the impact flux to the Earth-Moon system not only allows for a better understanding into early Earth evolution and the formation of a habitable planet but also provides constraints on the modern impactor flux, important criteria for estimating the likelihood of future impact events. Zircon geochronology offers an exciting new tool by which to date impact events and has the potential to assist understanding of complex impactite samples from terrestrial craters and future sample return missions.

  12. Sapphirine-bearing granulites from the Tongbai orogen, China: Petrology, phase equilibria, zircon U-Pb geochronology and implications for Paleozoic ultrahigh temperature metamorphism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiang, Hua; Zhong, Zeng-Qiu; Li, Ye; Qi, Min; Zhou, Han-Wen; Zhang, Li; Zhang, Ze-Ming; Santosh, M.

    2014-11-01

    We report here for the first time the occurrence of sapphirine-bearing granulites within the Qinling Group of the Qinling-Tongbai orogen and provide robust evidence for extreme crustal metamorphism at ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) conditions. We document the UHT indicator of sapphirine and spinel in a mafic granulite consisting of orthopyroxene, biotite, plagioclase, amphibole and rutile/ilmenite. The ferromagnesian minerals in the sapphirine-bearing granulite have high XMg [Mg/(Mg + Fe)] (orthopyroxene XMg = 0.84-0.95; biotite XMg = 0.81; amphibole XMg = 0.87-0.96). The phase equilibria modeling demonstrates that the early spinel-bearing assemblage is stable at 923-950 °C and 6.7-8.9 kbar, and the peak assemblage of Opx + Pl + Spr/Spl + Amp + Bt + Ilm (+ melt) defines a field at 922-947 °C and 8.4-10.2 kbar. Rutiles have variable Zr concentrations but mostly cluster at ca. 1,500 and 3400 ppm. Zr-in-rutile geothermometry yielded high temperatures of up to 890-940 °C. Zircon U-Pb dating of the granulite constrains the timing of the immediate post-peak and retrograde metamorphic stages as 429 ± 7 Ma and 412 ± 4 Ma, respectively. The UHT metamorphism, together with extensive occurrence of coeval magmatic suites suggests that the Tongbai orogen experienced a Paleozoic Andean-type orogeny probably derived from mid-oceanic ridge subduction of the Qinling Ocean.

  13. Dating High Temperature Mineral Fabrics in Lower Crustal Granulite Facies Rocks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stowell, H. H.; Schwartz, J. J.; Tulloch, A. J.; Klepeis, K. A.; Odom Parker, K.; Palin, M.; Ramezani, J.

    2015-12-01

    Granulite facies rocks may record strain that provides a record of compressional and/or extensional crustal events in hot orogenic cores and the roots of magmatic arcs. Although the precise timing of these events is important for constructing tectonic histories, it is often difficult to determine due to uncertain relationships between isotopic signatures, mineral growth, and textural features that record strain. In addition, there may be large uncertainties in isotope data due to intracrystalline diffusion and multiple crystallization events. L-S tectonites in lower crustal rocks from Fiordland, NZ record the early stages of extensional collapse of thickened magmatic arc crust. The precise age of these fabrics is important for constraining the timing of extension that led to opening of the Tasman Sea. High temperature granulite facies L-S fabrics in garnet reaction zones (GRZ) border syn- to post-deformational leucosomes. U-Pb zircon, Lu-Hf garnet, and Sm-Nd garnet ages, and trace elements in these phases indicate the complexity of assigning precise and useful ages. Zircon have soccer ball morphology with patchy and sector zoned CL. Zircon dates for igneous host and adjacent GRZ range over ca. 17 Ma. 236U-208Pb LA-ICP-MS are 108-125 Ma, N=124 (host & GRZ); however, chemical abrasion (CA) shifts GRZ dates ca. 2 Ma older. 236U-208Pb SHRIMP-RG dates cluster in 2 groups: 118.5±0.8 Ma, N=23 and 111.0±0.8 Ma, N=6. CA single crystal TIMS dates also fall into 2 groups: 117.6±0.1 Ma, N=4 and 116.6±0.2 Ma N=4. Garnet isochron ages determined from coarse garnet selvages adjacent to leucosomes range from 112.8±2.2 (147Sm-143Nd, 10 pts.) to 114.8±3.5 (177Lu-176Hf, 6 pts.) Ma. Zircon dates from all methods show ranges (>10 Ma) and 2 distinct populations. Host and GRZ zircon cannot be readily distinguished by age, lack younger rims, but have distinct Th/U trends and Eu/Eu* vs. Hf ratios. Difference in zircon trace element composition indicates either early leucosome

  14. Zircon, titanite, and apatite (U-Th)/He ages and age-eU correlations from the Fennoscandian Shield, southern Sweden

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guenthner, William R.; Reiners, Peter W.; Drake, Henrik; Tillberg, Mikael

    2017-07-01

    Craton cores far from plate boundaries have traditionally been viewed as stable features that experience minimal vertical motion over 100-1000 Ma time scales. Here we show that the Fennoscandian Shield in southeastern Sweden experienced several episodes of burial and exhumation from 1800 Ma to the present. Apatite, titanite, and zircon (U-Th)/He ages from surface samples and drill cores constrain the long-term, low-temperature history of the Laxemar region. Single grain titanite and zircon (U-Th)/He ages are negatively correlated (104-838 Ma for zircon and 160-945 Ma for titanite) with effective uranium (eU = U + 0.235 × Th), a measurement proportional to radiation damage. Apatite ages are 102-258 Ma and are positively correlated with eU. These correlations are interpreted with damage-diffusivity models, and the modeled zircon He age-eU correlations constrain multiple episodes of heating and cooling from 1800 Ma to the present, which we interpret in the context of foreland basin systems related to the Neoproterozoic Sveconorwegian and Paleozoic Caledonian orogens. Inverse time-temperature models constrain an average burial temperature of 217°C during the Sveconorwegian, achieved between 944 Ma and 851 Ma, and 154°C during the Caledonian, achieved between 366 Ma and 224 Ma. Subsequent cooling to near-surface temperatures in both cases could be related to long-term exhumation caused by either postorogenic collapse or mantle dynamics related to the final assembly of Rodinia and Pangaea. Our titanite He age-eU correlations cannot currently be interpreted in the same fashion; however, this study represents one of the first examples of a damage-diffusivity relationship in this system, which deserves further research attention.

  15. Metallogeny of precious and base metal mineralization in the Murchison Greenstone Belt, South Africa: indications from U-Pb and Pb-Pb geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jaguin, J.; Poujol, M.; Boulvais, P.; Robb, L. J.; Paquette, J. L.

    2012-10-01

    The 3.09 to 2.97 Ga Murchison Greenstone Belt is an important metallotect in the northern Kaapvaal Craton (South Africa), hosting several precious and base metal deposits. Central to the metallotect is the Antimony Line, striking ENE for over 35 km, which hosts a series of structurally controlled Sb-Au deposits. To the north of the Antimony Line, hosted within felsic volcanic rocks, is the Copper-Zinc Line where a series of small, ca. 2.97 Ga Cu-Zn volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS)-type deposits occur. New data are provided for the Malati Pump gold mine, located at the eastern end of the Antimony Line. Crystallizations of a granodiorite in the Malati Pump Mine and of the Baderoukwe granodiorite are dated at 2,964 ± 7 and 2,970 ± 7 Ma, respectively (zircon U-Pb), while pyrite associated with gold mineralization yielded a Pb-Pb age of 2,967 ± 48 Ma. Therefore, granodiorite emplacement, sulfide mineral deposition and gold mineralization all happened at ca. 2.97 Ga. It is, thus, suggested that the major styles of orogenic Au-Sb and the Cu-Zn VMS mineralization in the Murchison Greenstone Belt are contemporaneous and that the formation of meso- to epithermal Au-Sb mineralization at fairly shallow levels was accompanied by submarine extrusion of felsic volcanic rocks to form associated Cu-Zn VMS mineralization.

  16. Geology, zircon geochronology, and petrogenesis of Sabalan volcano (northwestern Iran)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghalamghash, J.; Mousavi, S. Z.; Hassanzadeh, J.; Schmitt, A. K.

    2016-11-01

    Sabalan Volcano (NW Iran) is an isolated voluminous (4821 m elevation; > 800 km2) composite volcano that is located within the Arabia-Eurasia collision zone. Its edifice was assembled by recurrent eruptions of trachyandesite and dacite magma falling into a relatively restricted compositional range (56-67% SiO2) with high-K calc-alkaline and adakitic trace element (Sr/Y) signatures. Previous K-Ar dating suggested protracted eruptive activity between 5.6 and 1.4 Ma, and a two stage evolution which resulted in the construction of the Paleo- and Neo-Sabalan edifices, respectively. The presence of a topographic moat surrounding Neo-Sabalan and volcanic breccias with locally intense hydrothermal alteration are indicative of intermittent caldera collapse of the central part of Paleo-Sabalan. Volcanic debris-flow and debris-avalanche deposits indicate earlier episodes of volcanic edifice collapse during the Paleo-Sabalan stage. In the Neo-Sabalan stage, three dacitic domes extruded to form the summits of Sabalan (Soltan, Heram, and Kasra). Ignimbrites and minor pumice fall-out deposits are exposed in strongly dissected drainages that in part have breached the caldera depression. Lavas and pyroclastic rocks are varyingly porphyritic with Paleo-Sabalan rocks being trachyandesites carrying abundant phenocrysts (plagioclase + amphibole + pyroxene + biotite). The Neo-Sabalan rocks are slightly more evolved and include dacitic compositions with phenocrysts of plagioclase + amphibole ± alkali-feldspar ± quartz. All Sabalan rock types share a common accessory assemblage (oxides + apatite + zircon). High spatial resolution and sensitivity U-Pb geochronology using Secondary Ionization Mass Spectrometry yielded two clusters of zircon ages which range from 4.5 to 1.3 Ma and 545 to 149 ka, respectively (all ages are averages of multiple determinations per sample). U-Th zircon geochronology for selected Neo-Sabalan rocks agrees with the U-Pb ages, with the youngest zircon rims dating

  17. New Insights on the Recrystallization and New Growth of Extensively Radiation-damaged Zircon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hanchar, J. M.; Schmitz, M. D.; Wirth, R.

    2012-12-01

    Approximately 10 grams of cm-sized nearly metamict zircon crystals from the Saranac Prospect in the Bancroft District of Ontario were combined by breaking into small pieces and then ground under ethanol to a fine powder with an agate mortar and pestle in order to make enough homogeneously mixed material for multiple powder X-Ray and diffraction scans, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) measurements, and chemical abrasion isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-TIMS). While these large zircon crystals ground to a powder have a larger surface area and not in the same physical state (i.e., brown and metamict) as what is typically analyzed in single zircon CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb analysis (clear euhedral grains), the physical and chemical changes that occur during the heat treatment used in CA-TIMS are thought to be similar processes. Aliquots of the ground zircon powder were annealed in situ using a Pt furnace in a powder diffractometer during which time simultaneous powder diffraction patterns were acquired starting at 25°C, at elevated temperature (from 500°C to 1400°C) at selected time intervals, and then again at 25°C. The powder X-ray diffraction results indicate that below ~900°C the recrystallization of the zircon powder commences but is incomplete, even after 36 hours, with diffuse low intensity diffraction peaks. At 1150°C the zircon powder shows significant recrystallization. At 1150°C, the recrystallization is essentially complete in less than one hour. Before heating the zircon powder samples consisted of clear, transparent to brown, translucent, complexly zoned fragments. After heating at 900°C the zircon powder retained a smaller percentage of clear or brown complexly zoned fragments, while the majority of material had transformed to oscillatory or irregularly zoned, dominantly white opaque microcrystalline fragments. The clear fragments were hypothesized to be preexisting original crystalline zircon, the brown

  18. Zircon U-Pb ages, geochemistry, and Nd-Hf isotopes of the TTG gneisses from the Jiaobei terrane: Implications for Neoarchean crustal evolution in the North China Craton

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shan, Houxiang; Zhai, Mingguo; Wang, Fang; Zhou, Yanyan; Santosh, M.; Zhu, Xiyan; Zhang, Huafeng; Wang, Wei

    2015-02-01

    The Precambrian basement in the Jiaobei terrane is largely composed of Tonalite-Trondhjemite-Granodiorite (TTG) suite of rocks and offers important insights into the crustal evolution history of the North China Craton (NCC). The LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb age data presented in this study show that the magmatic protoliths of the TTG gneisses formed during 2508-2547 Ma and recorded the Paleoproterozoic metamorphism (∼1905 Ma). The rocks are enriched in LILE (Rb, Ba and Sr) and depleted in HFSE (Nb, Ta, Zr and Hf). They are characterized by high Sr contents (406-2906 ppm), Sr/Y ratios (31.3-355) and subchondritic Nb/Ta ratios (18.5-68.9). The TTGs show relatively high ΣREE contents (72.0-266 ppm) with strongly enriched LREE ((La/Yb)N = 11.5-121) and positive or negligible negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu∗ = 0.84-1.89). These geochemical features suggest that the magma source might have been rutile-bearing amphibole eclogite. Their high Mg# numbers (42-56) and high Cr (153-285 ppm) and Ni contents (22.2-74.5 ppm) indicate interaction with the mantle wedge during magma ascent. The whole rock εNd (t) values (+2.6 to +3.8) and most of the magmatic zircon εHf (t) values (+1.3 to +7.6) suggest juvenile to evolved isotopic signatures. All these lines of evidence suggest that the TTG rocks in this study formed through partial melting of subducted oceanic slab in a continental arc environment. The drill holes in the Jiaobei terrane are dominated by ∼2.5 Ga TTG gneisses, suggesting that the TTG magma at ∼2.5 Ga is more widely distributed deep underground than that of ∼2.7-2.9 Ga, at least within the approachable depth range of our research. Some zircon grains from Jiaobei TTGs give high εHf (t) values plotting above the curve of 0.75 ∗ εHf of DM, and their TCDM ages are very close to the time of the zircon crystallization. However, the majority of the εHf (t) values fall below the curve of 0.75 ∗ εHf of DM and their TCDM ages are concentrated between ∼2.7-2.9 Ga

  19. 206Pb-230Th-234U-238U and 207Pb-235U geochronology of Quaternary opal, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Neymark, Leonid A.; Amelin, Yuri V.; Paces, James B.

    2000-01-01

    U–Th–Pb isotopic systems have been studied in submillimeter-thick outermost layers of Quaternary opal occurring in calcite–silica fracture and cavity coatings within Tertiary tuffs at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, USA. These coatings preserve a record of paleohydrologic conditions at this site, which is being evaluated as a potential high-level nuclear waste repository. The opal precipitated from groundwater is variably enriched in 234U (measured 234U/238U activity ratio 1.124–6.179) and has high U (30–313 ppm), low Th (0.008–3.7 ppm), and low common Pb concentrations (measured 206Pb/204Pb up to 11,370). It has been demonstrated that the laboratory acid treatment used in this study to clean sample surfaces and to remove adherent calcite, did not disturb U–Th–Pb isotopic systems in opal. The opal ages calculated from 206Pb∗/238U and 207Pb∗/235U ratios display strong reverse discordance because of excess radiogenic 206Pb∗ derived from the elevated initial 234U. The data are best interpreted using projections of a new four-dimensional concordia diagram defined by 206Pb∗/238U, 207Pb∗/235U, 234U/238Uactivity, and 230Th/238Uactivity. Ages and initial 234U/238U activity ratios have been calculated using different projections of this diagram and tested for concordance. The data are discordant, that is observed 207Pb∗/235U ages of 170 ± 32 (2σ) to 1772 ± 40 ka are systematically older than 230Th/U ages of 34.1 ± 0.6 to 452 ± 32 ka. The age discordance is not a result of migration of uranium and its decay products under the open system conditions, but a consequence of noninstantaneous growth of opal. Combined U–Pb and 230Th/U ages support the model of slow mineral deposition at the rates of millimeters per million years resulting in layering on a scale too fine for mechanical sampling. In this case, U–Pb ages provide more accurate estimates of the average age for mixed multiage samples than 230Th/U ages, because ages based on shorter

  20. Mesozoic-Cenozoic evolution of the Zoige depression in the Songpan-Ganzi flysch basin, eastern Tibetan Plateau: Constraints from detrital zircon U-Pb ages and fission-track ages of the Triassic sedimentary sequence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tang, Yan; Zhang, Yunpeng; Tong, Lili

    2018-01-01

    The Zoige depression is an important depocenter within the northeast Songpan-Ganzi flysch basin, which is bounded by the South China, North China and Qiangtang Blocks and forms the northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. This paper discusses the sediment provenance and Mesozoic-Cenozoic evolution of the Zoige depression in the Songpan-Ganzi flysch basin, eastern Tibetan Plateau, using the detrital zircon U-Pb ages and apatite fission-track data from the Middle to Late Triassic sedimentary rocks in the area. The U-Pb ages of the Middle to Late Triassic zircons range from 260-280 Ma, 429-480 Ma, 792-974 Ma and 1800-2500 Ma and represent distinct source region. Our new results demonstrate that the detritus deposited during the Middle Triassic (Ladinian, T2zg) primarily originated from the Eastern Kunlun and North Qinling Orogens, with lesser contributions from the North China Block. By the Late Triassic (early Carnian, T3z), the materials at the southern margin of the North China Block were generally transported westward to the basin along a river network that flowed through the Qinling region between the North China and South China Blocks: this interpretation is supported by the predominance of the bimodal distribution of 1.8 Ga and 2.5 Ga age peaks and a lack of significant Neoproterozoic zircon. Since the Late Triassic (middle Carnian, T3zh), considerable changes have occurred in the source terranes, such as the cessation of the Eastern Kunlun Orogen and North China Block sources and the rise of the northwestern margin of the Yangtze Block and South Qinling Orogen. These drastic changes are compatible with a model of a sustained westward collision between the South China and North China Blocks during the late Triassic and the clockwise rotation of the South China Block progressively closed the basin. Subsequently, orogeny-associated folds have formed in the basin since the Late Triassic (late Carnian), and the study area was generally subjected to uplifting and

  1. Paragneiss zircon geochronology and trace element geochemistry, North Qaidam HP/UHP terrane, western China

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mattinson, C.G.; Wooden, J.L.; Zhang, J.X.; Bird, D.K.

    2009-01-01

    In the southeastern part of the North Qaidam terrane, near Dulan, paragneiss hosts minor peridotite and UHP eclogite. Zircon geochronology and trace element geochemistry of three paragneiss samples (located within a ???3 km transect) indicates that eclogite-facies metamorphism resulted in variable degrees of zircon growth and recrystallization in the three samples. Inherited zircon core age groups at 1.8 and 2.5 Ga suggest that the protoliths of these rocks may have received sediments from the Yangtze or North China cratons. Mineral inclusions, depletion in HREE, and absence of negative Eu anomalies indicate that zircon U-Pb ages of 431 ?? 5 Ma and 426 ?? 4 Ma reflect eclogite-facies zircon growth in two of the samples. Ti-in-zircon thermometry results are tightly grouped at ???660 and ???600 ??C, respectively. Inclusions of metamorphic minerals, scarcity of inherited cores, and lack of isotopic or trace element inheritance demonstrate that significant new metamorphic zircon growth must have occurred. In contrast, zircon in the third sample is dominated by inherited grains, and rims show isotopic and trace element inheritance, suggesting solid-state recrystallization of detrital zircon with only minor new growth. ?? 2009 Elsevier Ltd.

  2. The Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 (ETM-2) in a terrestrial section of the High Arctic: identification by U-Pb zircon ages of volcanic ashes and carbon isotope records of coal and amber (Stenkul Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Canada)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Reinhardt, Lutz; von Gosen, Werner; Piepjohn, Karsten; Lückge, Andreas; Schmitz, Mark

    2017-04-01

    The Stenkul Fiord section on southern Ellesmere Island reveals largely fluvial clastic sediments with intercalated coal seams of the Margaret Formation of Late Paleocene/Early Eocene age according to palynology and vertebrate remains. Field studies in recent years and interpretative mapping of a high-resolution satellite image of the area southeast of Stenkul Fiord revealed that the clastic deposits consist of at least four sedimentary units (Units 1 to 4) separated by unconformities. Several centimeter-thin volcanic ash layers, recognized within coal layers and preserved as crandallite group minerals (Ca-bearing goyazite), suggest an intense volcanic ash fall activity. Based on new U-Pb zircon ages (ID-TIMS) of three ash layers, the volcanic ash fall took place at 53.7 Ma in the Early Eocene, i.e. within the Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 (ETM-2) hyperthermal. The ETM-2 is bracketed further by discrete negative excursions of carbon isotope records of both bulk coal and amber droplets collected from individual coal layers of the section. The identification of the ETM-2 hyperthermal provides a stratigraphic tie-point in the terrestrial Margaret Formation sediments enabling assignment of the lowermost sedimentary Unit 1 to the Late Paleocene-earliest Eocene, Unit 2 to the Early Eocene, whereas Unit 3 and 4 might be Early to Middle Eocene in age. Thus the timing of syn-sedimentary movements of the Eurekan deformation causal for the observed unconformities in the section can be studied and the positions of further hyperthermals like the PETM or the ETM-3 in the section can be identified in the future. The integration of structural studies, new U-Pb zircon ages, and different carbon isotope records provides a new stratigraphic framework for further examination of the unique Early Eocene flora and fauna preserved in this high-latitude outcrop.

  3. U-Pb zircon geochronology of Mesoproterozoic postorogenic rocks and implications for post-Ottawan magmatism and metallogenesis, New Jersey Highlands and contiguous areas, USA

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Volkert, R.A.; Zartman, R.E.; Moore, P.B.

    2005-01-01

    Postorogenic rocks are widespread in Grenville terranes of the north-central Appalachians where they form small, discordant, largely pegmatitic felsic intrusive bodies, veins, and dikes, and also metasomatic calcic skarns that are unfoliated and postdate the regional 1090 to 1030 Ma upper amphibolite- to granulite-facies metamorphism related to the Grenville (Ottawan) Orogeny. Zircons from magmatic and nonmagmatic rocks from northern New Jersey and southern New York were dated to provide information on the regional tectonomagmatic and metallogenic history following Ottawan orogenesis. We obtained U-Th-Pb zircon ages of 1004 ?? 3 Ma for pegmatite associated with the 1020 ?? 4 Ma Mount Eve Granite near Big Island, New York, 986 ?? 4 Ma for unfoliated, discordant pegmatite that intrudes supracrustal marble at the Buckwheat open cut, Franklin, New Jersey, ???990 Ma for a silicate-borate skarn layer in the Franklin Marble at Rudeville, New Jersey, and 940 ?? 2 Ma for a calc-silicate skarn layer at Lower Twin Lake, New York. This new data, together with previously published ages of 1020 ?? 4 to 965 ?? 10 Ma for postorogenic rocks from New Jersey and southern New York, provide evidence of magmatic activity that lasted for up to 60 Ma past the peak of high-grade metamorphism. Postorogenic magmatism was almost exclusively felsic and involved relatively small volumes of metaluminous to mildly peraluminous melt that fractionated from an A-type granite parent source. Field relationships suggest the melts were emplaced along lithosphere-scale fault zones in the Highlands that were undergoing extension and that emplacement followed orogenic collapse by least 30 Ma. Postorogenic felsic intrusions correspond to the niobium-yttrium-fluorine (NYF) class of pegmatites of C??erny?? (1992a). Geochronologic data provide a temporal constraint on late-stage hydrothermal activity and a metallogenic event in New Jersey at ???990 to 940 Ma that mineralized pegmatites with subeconomic to

  4. Continental crustal history in SE Asia: Insights from zircon geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sevastjanova, I.; Hall, R.; Gunawan, I.; Ferdian, F.; Decker, J.

    2012-12-01

    It is well known that SE Asia is underlain mostly by continental crust derived from Gondwana. However, there are still many uncertainties about the ages of protoliths, origin, arrival ages and history of different blocks, because much of the basement is unexposed. We have compiled previously published and new zircon U-Pb age and Hf isotope data from SE Asia. Our data set currently contains over 8400 U-Pb ages and over 600 Hf isotope analyses from sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks and work is continuing to increase its size and the area covered. Zircons range in age from 3.4 Ga to near-zero. Archean zircons (>2.5 Ga) are rare in SE Asia and significant Archean populations (particularly zircons >2.8 Ga) are found only in East Java and the Sibumasu block of the Malay Peninsula. The presence of Archean zircons strongly suggests that the East Java and Sibumasu blocks were once situated near present-day Western Australia. Detrital Paleoproterozoic (ca. 1.9-1.8 Ga) zircons are abundant in many parts of SE Asia. In Sundaland (Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, West Java, Borneo) the most likely source for these zircons is the tin belt basement, but a north Australian source is more likely for eastern Indonesian samples. An early Mesoproterozoic (ca. 1.6-1.5 Ga) zircon population, particularly common in eastern Indonesia, is interpreted to be derived from central or northern Australia. Mesoproterozoic zircons, ca. 1.4 Ga, are common only on fragments that are now attached to or were previously part of the north Australian margin, such as the Bird's Head of New Guinea, Timor, Seram, Sulawesi and SW Borneo. Hf isotope characteristics of zircons from Seram are similar to those of zircons from eastern Australia. This supports the suggestion that Seram was part of the Australian margin. Late Meso- and early Neoproterozoic zircons (ca. 1.2-1.1 Ga, 900 Ma, and 600 Ma) are present, but not abundant, in SE Asia. Dominant Phanerozoic populations are Permian-Triassic, Cretaceous, and

  5. U-Th-Pb and Rb-Sr systematics of Allende and U-Th-Pb systematics of Orgueil

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Tatsumoto, M.; Unruh, D.M.; Desborough, G.A.

    1976-01-01

    U-Th-Pb systematics study of Allende inclusions showed that U, Th and Sr concentrations in Ca, Al (pyroxene)-rich chondrules and white and pinkish-white aggregate separates of Allende are five to ten times higher than those of the matrix, whereas Mg (olivine)-rich chondrules have U and Th concentrations about twice as high as the matrix. Th concentrations are extremely high in white aggregates and in pinkish-white (spinel-rich) aggregates while U and Sr concentrations in white aggregates are more than twice as high as those in pinkish-white aggregates. Large enrichment of these refractory elements in the white aggregates indicates that they contain high-temperature condensates from the solar nebula. The Pb concentrations in the inclusions are less than half of those in the whole rock and matrix, indicating that the matrix is a lower-temperature condensate. The isotopic composition of lead in the matrix is less radiogenic than that of the whole meteorite, whereas lead in Ca- and Al-rich chondrules and aggregates is extremely radiogenic. The 206Pb/204Pb ratio reaches as high as 55.9 in a white aggregate separate. The lead of Mg-rich chondrules is moderately radiogenic and the 206Pb/204Pb ratio ranges from 18 to 26. A striking linear relationship exists among leads in the chondrules, aggregates and matrix on the 207Pb/204Pb vs 204Pb/204Pb plot. The slope of the best fit line is 0.6188 ?? 0.0016, yielding an isochron age of 4553 ?? 4 m.y. The regression line passes through primordial lead values obtained from Canyon Diablo troilite. The data, when corrected for Canyon Diablo troilite Pb and plotted on a U-Pb concordia diagram, show that the pink and white aggregates and the Ca-Al-rich and Mg-rich inclusions have excess Pb and define a chord which intersects the concordia curve at 4548 ?? 25 m.y. and 107 ?? 70 m.y. The intercepts might correspond to the agglomeration age of the meteorite and a time of probably later disturbance, respectively. The matrix and some

  6. Equilibrium and Disequilibrium of 230Th-238U in Zircon from the Minoan Eruption, Santorini, Aegean Sea, Greece

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmitt, A. K.; Stockli, D. F.; Song, E. J.; Storm, S.

    2016-12-01

    The Minoan eruption (ca. 1600 BCE; 40-80 km3 dense rock equivalent) occurred after a ca. 18 ka period of dormancy followed by rapid reinvigoration through arrival of new magma from deep reservoirs colliding with evolved magmas in shallow storage. Although zoned phenocrysts indicate brief timescales ranging between years to decades for final pre-eruptive magma recharge and mixing, it remains unclear how magma accumulation vs. crystallization were balanced in the subvolcanic reservoir during the preceding inter-eruptive cycle. To directly probe magma presence over the repose interval prior to the Minoan eruption and further back in time, we reconnoitered the potential of U-Th zircon geochronology to date the crystallization of individual zircon crystals from pumice from the Minoan eruption. Zircon crystals were extracted from composite pumice samples (several kg each) from basal fall out deposits using gravity and magnetic separation. Etching in cold HF removed adherent glass and revealed the shape of crystals, which were pressed into indium metal to expose unpolished rims to the ion beam of a CAMECA IMS 1270 secondary ionization mass spectrometer. Adherent glass was ubiquitous, indicating that crystals were in contact with melt at the time of eruption. Six of 18 crystals were in 230Th/238U secular equilibrium, two crystals yielded ages of ca. 160 ka, and the remaining rims dated between eruption age and ca. 20 ka. Low Th/U of some secular equilibrium zircon suggests recycling of metamorphic basement zircon, which is also indicated by the presence of rutile in heavy mineral separates. U-Th dates also reveal recycling of zircon from Pleistocene intrusions that likely represent left-over magma from antecedent eruption cycles. We tentatively interpret the dominant zircon population with near-eruption to ca. 20 ka ages to indicate continuous melt presence underneath Santorini during the last repose interval. Distinguishing a hiatus in zircon crystallization between 20 ka

  7. The significance of the Medicine Hat Block (southern Alberta, northern Montana) in the assembly of Laurentia: New interpretations from recent single grain zircon geochronological and geochemical data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    LaDouceur, B. O.; Gifford, J.; Malone, S.; Davis, B.

    2017-12-01

    Keywords: Medicine Hat Block, Zircon, U/Pb ages, Hf isotopes, Laurentia The Medicine Hat Block (MHB) is one of the core cratonic elements that amalgamated in the Paleoproterozoic to form Laurentia. However, unlike many of the other cratons, the role of the MHB in the formation of Laurentia is poorly constrained. Virtually all of the MHB is concealed by Proterozoic and younger supracrustal sequences, limiting the data collected from this craton. The primary source of samples from the MHB comes from two sources: 1) xenoliths of variably metamorphoses gneisses, amphibolites, and meta-plutonic rocks collected from Eocene volcanic rock, and 2) similar lithologies recovered from boreholes that penetrate to the MHB basement. Multigrain zircon TIMS analyses yielded U/Pb ages ranging from 1.70 Ga to 3.26 Ga. Recent zircon single-grain LA-ICPMS U-Pb ages revealed a slightly older range of Archean ages, 2.63 Ga to 3.27 Ga, and two samples yielding Paleoproterozoic ages at 1.78 and 1.82 Ga. Whole-rock Sm/Nd data indicated that the samples formed from crustal sources, with model ages ranging between 1.80 Ga to 3.48 Ga. In-situ zircon Hf isotopic results revealed that Archean-aged zircon are generally suprachondritic, with eHf(t) values between 8.3 and -8.7. In contrast, the Paleoproterozoic grains yielded negative eHf(t) values ranging from -6.8 to -21.2, suggestive of a reworked Archean crustal component in their genesis. In particular, the Sweetgrass Hill xenolith suite is characterized solely by Paleoproterozoic ages, with evolved eHf(t) suggesting that any older U-Pb ages were reset by granulite facies metamorphism and zircon recrystallization. The combined U-Pb and Hf isotopic data from these samples helps illuminate the character of the MHB and its relationships to the Wyoming and Hearne cratons, as well as the Great Falls Tectonic Zone (GFTZ). The ages overlap between cratonic elements; however, the abundance of positive eHf(t) values of the 2.8 Ga ages suggests that the

  8. Connecting the U-Th and U-Pb Chronometers: New Algorithms and Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McLean, N. M.; Smith, C. J. M.; Roberts, N. M. W.; Richards, D. A.

    2016-12-01

    The U-Th and U-Pb geochronometers are important clocks for separate intervals of the geologic timescale. U-Th dates exploit disequilibrium in the 238U intermediate daughter isotopes 234U and 230Th, and are often used to date corals and speleothems that are zero age through 800 ka. The U-Pb system relies on secular equilibrium decay of 238U to 206Pb and 235U to 207Pb over longer timescales, and can be used to date samples from <1 Ma to 4.5 Ga. Disequilibrium plays a role in young U-Pb dates, but only as a nuisance correction. Both chronometers can produce dates with uncertainties <0.1% near the center of their applicable age ranges, but become less precise at their intersection, when the 238U decay chain approaches secular equilibrium and there has been little time for ingrowth of radiogenic Pb. However, if measurements or assumptions about both chronometers can be made, then they can be combined into a single, more informed date. Coupling the datasets can improve their precision and accuracy and help interrogate the assumptions that underpin each. Working with this data is difficult for two reasons. The Bateman equations are long and cumbersome for U decay chains that include 238U, 234U, 230Th, 226Ra, 206Pb and 235U, 231Pa, and 207Pb. Also, Pb measurements often comprise varying amounts of radiogenic Pb from locally heterogeneous U concentrations mixed with varying amounts of common Pb. At present there is no established, flexible computational framework to combine information from measurements and/or assumptions of these parameters, and no way to visualize and interpret the results. We present new algorithms to quickly and accurately solve the system of differential equations defined by both of the uranium decay chains and the linear regression through the U-Pb isochron. The results are illustrated on a new concordia diagram, where the concordia curve is determined by measured and/or assumed U-series disequilibrium and can have unfamiliar topologies. We

  9. Geochemical indications and Detrital Zircon U-Pb ages of net-like laterite from Youjiang terrace, Bose Basin, southwestern China: new evidence of proximal provenance for laterite sediments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cheng, F.; Hong, H.; Li, C.; Ye, H.; Yang, H.

    2015-12-01

    The net-like laterite sediments is widely spread over the terraces and high lands of the river valley in southern China during mid-Pleistocene, although whose origin is still debated. The Xiaomei laterite sediments on the terraces of Youjiang River, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, southern China, was dominated by the intermittently uplift of the Tibetan Plateau for the mechanism during the Quaternary times. Compared to the loess-paleosol deposits in Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), the upper continental crust (UCC) and the post-Archean Australian average shale (PAAS), the sediments show notable depletion of the relative mobile compositions like CaO, MgO, Na2O, K2O, Sr, Ba and the accumulation of TiO2, Al2O3, Fe2O3(t), Zr, but similar with other laterite sediments (the Xuancheng and Jiujiang laterite profiles) in the middle to lower reaches of Yangtze River, southern China. The relatively uniform La/Th ratio, U/Pb vs. Th/Pb ratio and chondrite-normalized REE distribution pattern of Xiaomei samples are similar with the loess-paleosol deposits and UCC values, which suggesting the sediments have experienced well-mixing prior to deposition and intense superficial weathering. The low ɛNd(t) values and uniform 147Sm/144Nd ratios with the 87Sr/86Sr vs. Rb/Sr ratios show the notable differences with loess-paleosol deposits and the recycling function of the old fluvial sediments which are similar with the Pearl River sediments. The stable zircon age distribution pattern with three age groups of 240-300Ma, 420-480Ma and 900-1000Ma for Xiaomei laterite samples are different with the loess-paleosol deposits and its source regions. The zircons are mainly derived from a source of the Upper Permian to Middle Triassic clastic rocks in Youjiang Basin, superordinate tectonic unit of Bose Basin, and their potential source areas like the Emeishan Large Igneous Province (Emeishan LIP) and the southeastern area of south China Craton (SCC). For the basis of these data, we suggest that that

  10. Trace element geochemistry of zircons from mineralizing and non-mineralizing igneous rocks related to gold ores at Yanacocha, Peru

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Koleszar, A. M.; Dilles, J. H.; Kent, A. J.; Wooden, J. L.

    2012-12-01

    Zircons record important details about the evolution of magmatic systems, are relatively insensitive to alteration, and have been used to investigate the geochemistry, temperature, and oxidation state of volcanic and plutonic system. We examine zircons that span 6-7 m.y. of calc-alkaline volcanic activity in the Yanacocha district of northern Peru, where dacitic intrusions are associated with high-sulfidation gold deposits. The 14.5-8.4 Ma Yanacocha Volcanics include cogenetic lavas and pyroclastic rocks and are underlain by the andesites and dacites of the Calipuy Group, the oldest Cenozoic rocks in the region. We present data for magmatic zircons from the Cerro Fraile dacitic pyroclastics (15.5-15.1 Ma) of the Calipuy Group, and multiple eruptive units within the younger Yanacocha Volcanics: the Atazaico Andesite (14.5-13.3 Ma), the Quilish Dacite (~14-12 Ma), the Azufre Andesite (12.1-11.6 Ma), the San Jose Ignimbrite (11.5-11.2 Ma), and the Coriwachay Dacite (11.1-8.4 Ma). Epithermal high sulfidation (alunite-bearing) gold deposits are associated with the dacite intrusions of the Coriwachay and Quilish Dacites. Zircons from the non-mineralizing rocks typically have lower Hf concentrations and record Ti-in-zircon temperatures that are ~100°C hotter than zircons from the mineralizing intrusions. Temperatures recorded by zircons from the mineralizing intrusions are remarkably similar to those of the underlying Cerro Fraile dacite pyroclastics, but the zircons discussed here generally record SHRIMP-RG 206Pb/238U ages within error of previously published Ar-Ar eruption ages (eliminating antecrystic or xenocrystic origins). These observations suggest that zircons in the mineralizing intrusions form after greater extents of crystallization (and thus record elevated Hf concentrations and lower temperatures) than do zircons in the non-mineralized deposits. Unlike zircons from mineralized units associated with the porphyry Cu(Mo) deposits in Yerington, Nevada, which

  11. U-Pb Dating of Calcite by LA-ICPMS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hacker, B. R.; Kylander-Clark, A. R.; Holder, R. M.; Nuriel, P.

    2016-12-01

    An emerging frontier area in geochronology is U-Pb dating of carbonate minerals by laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS). The spate of papers over the last few years applying LA-ICPMS to carbonate dating stems from the capability of LA-ICPMS to deal with the variable, and often low, U/Pb ratios of carbonate. LA-ICPMS is an excellent tool for efficiently screening out samples with low U/Pb ratios and provides the ability to measure many spots with different U/Pb ratios and obtain dates free of assumptions about the composition of common Pb. Because this technique is in its infancy, important questions remain. What percentage of carbonate samples have high enough U/Pbc ratios that they can be dated? What percentage of samples yield isochronous datasets? What are the limits on precision and accuracy of carbonate U/Pb dates? What is the best analytical method in the absence of isotopically homogeneous reference materials? Through the generosity of our colleagues we have acquired 8 reference materials ranging in age from 3 to 250 Ma. We have analyzed 125 unknowns from a variety of locations using a 193 nm ns laser with an 80-100 μm spot and a Nu Plasma HR-ES. We measure 207Pb/206Pb using NIST 614 glass and then calculate a 206Pb/238U correction factor based on the measured vs. known ages of the reference materials. Sixty of these samples ( 50%) have high enough U/Pb ratios that they can be dated. There is great heterogeneity among the sample suites: some have no datable samples, whereas one suite of 68 samples yielded 53 datable rocks. Of the samples with high U/Pbc ratios, a majority yielded isochronous U-Pb data, indicating that the U-Pb system closed at a given time and was not subsequently disturbed.

  12. CONSTRAINTS ON EXHUMATION AND SEDIMENTS PROVENANCE DURING PALEOGENE IN THE NORTHERN PYRENEES (FRANCE) USING DETRITAL AFT, ZHe AND Z(U/Pb) THERMOCHRONOLOGY

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Filleaudeau, P.; Mouthereau, F.; Fellin, M.; Pik, R.; Lacombe, O.

    2009-12-01

    The Pyrenees are a doubly vergent orogenic wedge built by the convergence between the subducting Iberian microplate and the European plate lasting from late Cretaceous to early Miocene. The backbone of the Pyrenean belt (Axial Zone) consists in a stack of thrusts units composed of Paleozoic series intruded by late-Variscan granitoids. Both pro- and retro-wedge sides of the Pyrenees are fold-and-thrust belts made of Meso-Cenozoic sediments thrusted onto the Ebro and Aquitaine foreland basins. The deep structure, highlighted by the ECORS profile, shows a strong asymmetry caused by the southward migration of deformation associated with the development of a Paleogene antiformal stack emplaced during wedge growth in the Iberian plate. The present study focuses on the synorogenic deposits of the retro-foreland basin in the northern part of the belt. To examine the source rocks and quantify the exhumation rates, we combine fission track thermochronometry on detrital apatites with Helium diffusion and U/Pb thermochronometry on zircons. Due to the very high closure temperature of the U/Pb system and the wide range of age distribution, the U/Pb method, that provides zircon crystallisation ages, is a powerful tool to distinguish the various eroded sources feeding the North Pyrenean basin. Thus, we can separate grains coming from Variscan intrusive basement with ages around 310 Ma from younger grains coming from Permian or Triassic to lower Jurassic volcanics. Zircon ages of 220 Ma found in the Paleocene sandstones point to the Triassic volcanic rocks (the so-called “ophites”) as the main source of detrital grains. We infer that Paleozoic units of the Axial Zone were not outcropping in the Paleocene catchments. Exhumation rates are estimated through apatite fission track grain-age distributions and (U-Th)/He dating for two Lutetian and Bartonian synorogenic sandstone samples of the North Pyenean foreland basin. The first results obtained with AFT dating show two main grain

  13. An ion microprobe study of individual zircon phenocrysts from voluminous post-caldera rhyolites of the Yellowstone caldera

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Watts, K. E.; Bindeman, I. N.; Schmitt, A. K.

    2010-12-01

    Following the formation of the Yellowstone caldera from the 640 ka supereruption of the Lava Creek Tuff (LCT), a voluminous episode of post-caldera volcanism filled the caldera with >600 km3 of low-δ18O rhyolite. Such low-δ18O signatures require remelting of 100s of km3 of hydrothermally altered (18O-depleted) rock in the shallow crust. We present a high resolution oxygen isotope and geochronology (U-Th and U-Pb) study of individual zircon crystals from seven of these voluminous post-caldera rhyolites in order to elucidate their genesis. Oxygen isotope and geochronology analyses of zircon were performed with an ion microprobe that enabled us to doubly fingerprint 25-30 µm diameter spots. Host groundmass glasses and coexisting quartz were analyzed in bulk for oxygen isotopes by laser fluorination. We find that zircons from the youngest (200-80 ka) post-caldera rhyolites have oxygen isotopic compositions that are in equilibrium with low-δ18O host groundmass glasses and quartz and are unzoned in oxygen and U-Th age. This finding is in contrast to prior work on older (500-250 ka) post-caldera rhyolites, which exhibit isotopic disequilibria and age zoning, including the presence of clearly inherited zircon cores. Average U-Th crystallization ages and δ18O zircon values for Pitchstone Plateau flow (81±7 ka, 2.8±0.2‰), West Yellowstone flow (118±8 ka, 2.8±0.1‰), Elephant Back flow (175±22 ka, 2.7±0.2‰) and Tuff of Bluff Point (176±20 ka, 2.7±0.1‰) are overlapping or nearly overlapping in age and identical in oxygen isotope composition within uncertainty (2 SE). New U-Pb geochronology and oxygen isotope data for the North Biscuit Basin flow establish that it has an age (188±33 ka) and δ18O signature (2.8±0.2‰) that is distinctive of the youngest post-caldera rhyolites. Conversely, the South Biscuit Basin flow has a heterogeneous zircon population with ages that range from 550-250 ka. In this unit, older and larger (200-400 µm) zircons have more

  14. Zircon geochronology and Hf-O isotope geochemistry from granites in the Iapetus Suture Zone in Ireland and the Isle of Man

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fritschle, Tobias; Daly, J. Stephen; Whitehouse, Martin J.; McConnell, Brian; Buhre, Stephan

    2014-05-01

    Late Caledonian syn- to post-orogenic granites located in the Iapetus Suture Zone (ISZ) in Ireland and Britain have been related to A-type subduction and possible slab breakoff [1] following the Laurentia-Avalonian collision. Lack of reliable age data (especially in Ireland) has inhibited petrogenetic investigations of these rocks. Hence, ion microprobe U-Pb and oxygen isotope analyses as well as LA-MC-ICPMS Lu-Hf isotopic measurements on zircons from Irish and Isle of Man granites have been undertaken to provide better constraints on this enigmatic episode of the Caledonian Orogeny. Four stages of Late Caledonian granitic magmatism (c. 435, 417, 410 and 394 Ma) are indicated by U-Pb dating of oscillatory-zoned magmatic zircons. The Crossdoney, Kentstown, Drogheda and Ballynamuddagh granites together with a rhyolite from Glenamaddy have yielded U-Pb concordia ages, interpreted as intrusion-ages, between 419.9 ± 4.3 Ma (Glenamaddy) and 415.8 ± 2.0 Ma (Crossdoney) with a weighted average of 417.5 ± 0.9 Ma (MSWD = 1.3). The Glenamaddy Granite - which intruded the Glenamaddy Rhyolite - yielded an age of 410 ± 2.1 Ma. In addition, the Rockabill Granite yielded a younger age of 393.9 ± 1.9 Ma, whereas the Carnsore Granite yielded an older age of 434.6 ± 1.9 Ma. Inherited zircons (487 to 453 Ma) occur in several of the granites, and are interpreted to have been derived from Ordovician arc magmatic rocks accreted within the ISZ. A younger group of c. 440 Ma inherited zircons occurs in the c. 417 Ma Crossdoney and Ballynamuddagh granites. These grains could be related to continued or renewed Silurian arc magmatism. Hf-O isotopic measurements on the dated zircon grains range between -2 and +7 ɛHfi units and 5.5 to 8.5 o δ18O. These are interpreted to indicate the contribution of juvenile mantle melts - possibly derived from the Ordovician arc - to some of the granites. Significant heterogeneities in zircon oxygen isotopes in at least four of the granites further

  15. Evidence of extinct 244Pu in ancient terrestrial zircons

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Harrison, T. M.; Turner, G.; Holland, G.; Gilmour, J. D.; Mojzsis, S. J.

    2003-04-01

    could result from loss of Xe after 4.0 Ga or represent U-Pu fractionation. We are currently repeating the exercise with older zircons and intend to search for correlations with REE patterns, oxygen isotopes, and the degree of U-Pb concordance, and to investigate the thermal release characteristics of the xenon. In addition to constraining the terrestrial Pu/U ratio these investigations may allow us to characterise the geochemical behaviour of Pu as a constraint on the earliest crust forming processes.

  16. (De)coupled zircon metamictization, radiation damage, and He diffusivity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ault, A. K.; Guenthner, W.; Reiners, P. W.; Moser, A. C.; Miller, G. H.; Refsnider, K. A.

    2017-12-01

    We develop and apply a new protocol for targeting crystals for the zircon (U-Th)/He (He) thermochronometry to maximize effective U (eU) and corresponding closure temperature variability to develop zircon He date-eU correlations observed in some datasets. Our approach exploits visual proxies for radiation damage accumulation (metamictization) during zircon selection. We show that by purposefully targeting a spectrum of zircon textures from pristine to metamict grains, it is possible to generate broad eU variation in suites of zircon from a single sample and zircon He date-eU-metamictization trends that can be exploited to resolve increasingly complex thermal histories. We present plane light photographs, eU concentration, and zircon He results from 59 individual zircons from nine crystalline rock samples. Six of the nine samples come from exposed Proterozoic granitoids on SE Baffin Island, Canada; Boulder Creek, CO; Sandia Mountains, NM; and Mecca Hills, CA. We report data from three Archean Baffin samples to compare with the Proterozoic Baffin sample date-eU-metamictization trend. In each Proterozoic sample, target zircons display a spectrum of metamictization from pristine, transparent crystals to purple-brown, translucent grains. Progressive loss of transparency and increase in discoloration consistently corresponds to an increase in eU in all samples. Individual zircon eU varies from 89-1885 ppm and, within each sample, the total eU spread is 538 ppm to 1374 ppm. For any given eU value, the Archean zircon appear comparatively more metamict than the Proterozoic Baffin grains and samples collectively define a 1681 ppm range in eU, with more restrictive intrasample eU spreads (199-1120 ppm). Proterozoic samples from Baffin, Sandia, and Front Range yield negative zircon He date-eU correlations with intrasample date ranges of 90-783 Ma. Increasing eU and younger dates correspond with increasing metamictization. In contrast, all three Proterozoic Mecca Hills samples

  17. High precision time calibration of the Permo-Triassic boundary mass extinction by U-Pb geochronology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Baresel, Björn; Bucher, Hugo; Brosse, Morgane; Schaltegger, Urs

    2014-05-01

    U-Pb dating using Chemical Abrasion, Isotope Dilution Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) is the analytical method of choice for geochronologists, who are seeking highest temporal resolution and a high degree of accuracy for single grains of zircon. The use of double-isotope tracer solutions, cross-calibrated and assessed in different EARTHTIME labs, coinciding with the reassessment of the uranium decay constants and further improvements in ion counting technology led to unprecedented precision better than 0.1% for single grain, and 0.05% for population ages, respectively. These analytical innovations now allow calibrating magmatic and biological timescales at resolution adequate for both groups of processes. To construct a revised and high resolution calibrated time scale for the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) we use (i) high-precision U-Pb zircon age determinations of a unique succession of volcanic ash beds interbedded with shallow to deep water fossiliferous sediments in the Nanpanjiang Basin (South China) combined with (ii) accurate quantitative biochronology based on ammonoids and conodonts and (iii) carbon isotope excursions across the PTB. Using these alignments allows (i) positioning the PTB in different depositional environments and (ii) solving age/stratigraphic contradictions generated by the index, water depth-controlled conodont Hindeodus parvus, whose diachronous first occurrences are arbitrarily used for placing the base of the Triassic. This new age framework provides the basis for a combined calibration of chemostratigraphic records with high-resolution biochronozones of the Late Permian and Early Triassic. Besides the general improvement of the radio-isotopic calibration of the PTB at the ±100 ka level, this will also lead to a better understanding of cause and effect relations involved in this mass extinction.

  18. Constraining Metamorphic Timing and Processes by Dating Garnet, Zircon, Titanite and Monazite in UHP and HP Rocks from Weihai, Sulu UHP Terrane, Eastern China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, D.; Vervoort, J. D.; Fisher, C. M.; Cao, H.

    2016-12-01

    The Sulu UHP terrane is the extension of the Dabie orogenic belt to the east, offset 500 km to the northeast by the Tanlu fault [1]. The focus of this study, the Weihai area, is located at the northernmost part of the Sulu UHP terrane, and consists mainly of gneisses overprinted by amphibolite-facies assemblages, in addition to minor eclogite, granulite, and some ultramafic rocks [1]. Time constrains are critical to our understanding of the processes of UHP metamorphism, as well as the tectonic evolution of the region. In the last decade, U-Pb dating of metamorphic domains of zircons has been widely applied to determine the history of the UHP metamorphism (240 - 220 Ma) [1]. Recent garnet Lu-Hf dating from the Dabie terrane (240 - 220Ma) suggests the initiation of prograde metamorphism to be prior to ca. 240 Ma [2]. In-situ U-Pb dating of accessary minerals using LA-ICPMS (i.e. monazite, titanite, rutile, etc.), can provide important information to augment and complement the zircon U-Pb metamorphic dates. In this study, we collected samples throughout the Weihai area. Protolith ages of these samples range from Paleoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic ( 1850 - 700 Ma) as indicated by U-Pb dating of zircon cores. Zircon metamorphic rims yield U-Pb ages of 240 - 220 Ma, likely indicating the UHP stage of the Sulu terrane [3]. Four eclogites yield Lu-Hf garnet isochrons with dates between 239 and 224 Ma, consistent with garnet Lu-Hf dates from Dabie UHP terrane [2]. Sm-Nd isochrons indicate systematic younger dates (220 - 210 Ma) interpreted as cooling ages. Titanites extracted from four samples give U-Pb ages ranging from 220 to 200 Ma, in agreement with the titanite dates from the southern Sulu terrane [4]. Monazites from three samples give precise dates between 214 and 211 Ma. Collectively, monazite and titanite U-Pb ages are broadly consistent with the garnet Sm-Nd isochrons, and thus we interpret these as cooling ages. Based on the dates of different systems

  19. Detrital Zircons Split Sibumasu in East Gondwana

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, X.; Chung, S. L.

    2017-12-01

    It is widely accepted that Sibumasu developed as a united terrane and originated from NW Australian margin in East Gondwana. Here we report new detrital zircon U-Pb-Hf isotopic data from Sumatra that, in combination with literature data, challenge and refute the above long-held view. In particular, the East and West Sumatra terranes share nearly identical Precambrian to Paleozoic detrital zircon age distributions and Hf isotopes, indicating a common provenance/origin for them. The Sumatra detrital zircons exhibit a prominent population of ca. 1170-1070 Ma, indistinguishable from those of the Lhasa and West Burma terranes, with detritus most probably sourcing from western Australia. By contrast, Sibuma (Sibumasu excluding Sumatra) detrital zircons display a prevailing population of ca. 980-935 Ma, strongly resembling those of the western Qiangtang terrane, with detrital materials most likely derived from Greater India and Himalayas. Such markedly distinct detrital zircon age profiles between Sumatra and Sibuma require disparate sources/origin for them, provoking disintegration of the widely-adopted, but outdated, term Sibumasu and thus inviting a new configuration of East Gondwana in the early Paleozoic, with Sumatra and West Burma lying outboard the Lhasa terrane in the NW Australian margin and Sibuma situated in the northern Greater Indian margin. More future investigations are needed to establish the precise rifting and drifting histories of Sumatra and Sibuma, as two separated terranes, during the breakup of Gondwana.

  20. Zircon from charnockite gneiss, charnockite, and leucosome of migmatite in the Nimnyr Block of the Aldan Shield

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Glebovitsky, V. A.; Sedova, I. S.; Berezhnaya, N. G.; Skublov, S. G.; Samorukova, L. M.

    2015-12-01

    The microgeochemistry of zircon was studied in three samples: charnockite gneiss (1594), charnockite (1594a), and migmatite leucosome Lc4 (1594c). Prismatic (Zrn I) and oval (Zrn II) zircon morphotypes are distinguished in the first two samples. Most zircon grains consist of two-phase cores and overgrowth rims variable in thickness. The average weighted concordant U-Pb age of Zrn II cores from charnockite gneiss is 2436 ± 10 Ma. The concordant ages of Zrn I and Zrn II cores from charnockite are 2402 ± 16 Ma and 2453 ± 14 Ma, respectively. Some overgrowth rims are 1.9-2.1 Ga in age. In leucosome Lc4, all measured prismatic zircon crystals yielded a discordant age of 1942 ± 11 Ma (the upper intersection of discordia with concordia). These zircons are strongly altered and anomalously enriched in U and Th. Zrn I grains are enriched relative to Zrn II in REE, Li, Ca, Sr, Ba, Hf, Th, and U. Zrn I is considered to be a product of melt crystallization or subsolidus recrystallization in the presence of melt. Zrn II is relict or crystallizing from melt and then partly fused again. Zrn I from charnockite gneiss and especially from charnockite are markedly altered and have a more discordant age than Zrn II. This is probably related to concentration of fluid in the residual melt left after zircon crystallization.