Tectonometamorphic evolution of the Sebadani eclogitic metagabbro and the Sambagawa schists, central Shikoku, Japan: 40Ar/39Ar mineral age constraints

Abstract The Sambagawa metamorphic belt exposed in central Shikoku records a high-P–T metamorphic event. It is represented by the Oboke nappe and structurally overlying, internally imbricated, Besshi nappe complex. These major structural units are in ductile thrust contact. A melange is developed along a ductile internal tectonic contact within the Besshi nappe complex. Tectonic emplacement of a high-T enclave (Sebadani eclogite) in the melange zone resulted in the development of a contact metamorphic aureole within the host Sambagawa rocks. ³⁶Ar/⁴⁰Ar versus ³⁹Ar/⁴⁰Ar isotope correlation ages recorded by hornblende from the Sambagawa basic schists which surround the Sebadani enclave are 83.4 ± 0.3 Ma (within contact aureole) and 83.6 ± 0.5 Ma (outside aureole). ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages recorded by muscovite from the same samples are 87.9 ± 0.3 and 89.3 ± 0.4 Ma. Amphibole from the amphibolite within the Sebadani enclave records isotope correlation ages of 93.7 ± 1.1 and 96.5 ± 0.7 Ma (massive interior) and 84.6 ± 1.2 Ma (marginal shear zone). Amphibole within the massive amphibolite is significantly higher in X_Mg than that within the host Sambagawa basic schists. The older ages recorded by amphibole within the Sebadani enclave are interpreted to date cooling through somewhat higher closure temperatures than which characterize the more Fe-rich amphibole in surrounding schists. The younger amphibole age recorded within the marginal shear zone probably indicates that crystallization of amphibole continued until cooling through the relatively lower amphibole closure temperatures. These results, together with the previously published ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of the Sambagawa schists, suggest: (i) metamorphic culmination occurred in the Besshi nappe complex at c. 100–90 Ma; (ii) at c. 95 Ma the Besshi nappe complex was internally imbricated and tectonic enclaves were emplaced; (iii) at c. 85 Ma, the composite Besshi nappe was rapidly exhumed and tectonically emplaced over the Oboke nappe (which attained peak metamorphic conditions at c. 75 Ma); (iv) the Besshi and Oboke nappe complexes were further exhumed as a coherent tectonic unit and unconformably overlain by the Eocene Kuma Group at c. 50 Ma.     

40Ar/39Ar geochronology and P-T-t paths from the Cordillera Darwin metamorphic complex, Tierra del Fuego, Chile

Abstract ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar data collected from hornblende, muscovite, biotite and K-feldspar constrain the P-T-t history of the Cordillera Darwin metamorphic complex, Tierra del Fuego, Chile. These data show two periods of rapid cooling, the first between c. 500 and c. 325° C at rates ≥25° C Ma^-1, and the second between c. 250 and c. 200°C. For high-T cooling, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages are spatially disparate and depend on metamorphic grade: rocks that record deeper and hotter peak metamorphic conditions have younger ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages. Sillimanite- and kyanite-grade rocks in the south-central part of the complex cooled latest: ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar Hbl = 73–77 Ma, Ms = 67–70 Ma, Bt = 68 Ma, and oldest Kfs = 65 Ma. Thermobarometry and P-T path studies of these rocks indicate that maximum burial of 26–30 km at 575–625° C may have been followed by as much as 10 km of exhumation with heating of 25–50° C. Staurolite-grade rocks have intermediate ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages: Hbl = 84–86 Ma, Ms = 71 Ma, Bt = 72–75 Ma, and oldest Kfs = 80 Ma. Thermobarometry on these rocks indicates maximum burial of 19–26 km at temperatures of 550–580° C. Garnet-grade rocks have the oldest ages: Ms = 72 Ma and oldest Kfs = 91 Ma; peak P-T conditions were 525–550° C and 5–7 kbar. Regional metamorphic temperatures for greenschist facies rocks south of the Beagle Channel did not exceed c. 300–325° C from 110 Ma to the present, although the rocks are only 2 km from kyanite-bearing rocks to the north. One-dimensional thermal models allow limits to be placed on exhumation rates. Assuming a stable geothermal gradient of 20–25° C km^-1, the maximum exhumation rate for the St-grade rocks is c. 2.5 mm yr^-1, whereas the minimum exhumation rate for the Ky + Sil-grade rocks is c. 1.0 mm yr^-1. Uniform exhumation rates cannot explain the disparity in cooling histories for rocks at different grades, and so early differential exhumation is inferred to have occurred. Petrological and geochronological comparisons with other metamorphic complexes suggest that single exhumation events typically remove less than c. 20 km of overburden. This behaviour can be explained in terms of a continental deformation model in which brittle extensional faults in the upper crust are rooted to shallowly dipping ductile shear zones or regions of homogeneous thinning at mid- to deep-crustal levels. The P-T-t data from Cordillera Darwin (1) are best explained by a ‘wedge extrusion’model, in which extensional exhumation in the southern rear of the complex was coeval with thrusting in the north along the margin of the complex and into the Magallanes sedimentary basin, (2) suggest that differential exhumation occurred initially, with St-grade rocks exhuming faster than Ky + Sil-grade rocks, and (3) show variations in cooling rate through time that correlate both with local deformation events and with changes in plate motions and interactions.     

Variscan vs Cadomian tectonothermal activity in northwestern sectors of the Teplá-Barrandian zone, Czech Republic: constraints from 40Ar/39Ar ages

Five muscovite concentrates from high-grade, pelitic metasedimentary basement rocks exposed in northwestern sectors of the Teplá-Barrandian zone (Czech Republic) record ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar mineral plateau ages which range between ca. 376 and 362?Ma. Hornblende concentrates from metagabbro (Mariánské Lánzě complex) and fine-grained basement amphibolite display plateaux which define ³⁶Ar/⁴⁰Ar vs ³⁹Ar/⁴⁰Ar isotope-correlation ages of ca. 370 and ca. 375 Ma. The mineral ages are interpreted to date relatively rapid cooling through appropriate argon retention temperatures following early phases of Variscan (Early Devonian) regional metamorphism. A slate/phyllite basement sample collected within lower-grade metasedimentary rocks in southeastern portions of the Teplá-Barrandian zone is characterized by an internally discordant ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar whole-rock age spectrum which suggests partial Variscan rejuvenation of intracrystalline argon systems which had cooled through appropriate argon retention temperatures following an initial regional metamorphism at or prior to ca. 500 Ma (Cadomian). Hornblende from undeformed diorite of the Kdyn? complex records a well-defined ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age plateau which corresponds to an isotope-correlation age of ca. 516?Ma. This is interpreted to date post-magmatic cooling following emplacement.     

Metamorphic evolution of the Attic Cycladic Metamorphic Belt on Naxos (Cyclades, Greece) utilizing 40Ar/39Ar age spectrum measurements

Abstract ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age spectrum analysis of phengite separates from Naxos, part of the Attic Cycladic Metamorphic Belt in Greece, indicates that cooling following high-pressure, low- to medium-temperature metamorphism, M₁, occurred about 50 Ma ago. Phengite has ⁴⁰Ar* gradients that suggest that part of the scatter observed in conventional K–Ar ages was caused by diffusion of radiogenic argon from the minerals during a younger metamorphism, M₂. In central Naxos, this metamorphism (M₂) has overprinted the original mineral assemblages completely, and is associated with development of a thermal dome. Excellent ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateaus at 15.0 ± 0.1 Ma, 11.8 ± 0.1 Ma, and 11.4 ± 0.1 Ma, obtained on hornblende, muscovite and biotite, respectively, from the migmatite zone, indicate that relatively rapid cooling followed the M₂ event, and that no significant thermal overprinting occurred subsequent to M₂. Toward lower M₂ metamorphic grade, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages of hornblendes increase to 19.8 ± 0.1 Ma; concomitantly the proportion of excess ⁴⁰Ar in the spectra increases as well. We propose that the peak of M₂ metamorphism occurred beween 15.0 and 19.8 Ma ago. K–Ar ages of biotites from a granodiorite on the west coast are indistinguishable from those found in the metamorphic complex, and hornblende K–Ar ages from the same samples are in the range 12.1–13.6 Ma. As the latter ages are somewhat younger than most ages obtained from the metamorphic complex, intrusion of the granodiorite most likely followed the peak of the M₂ metamorphism. The metamorphic evolution of Naxos is consistent with rapid crustal thickening during the Cretaceous or early Tertiary, causing conditions at which supracrustal rocks experienced pressures in the range 900–1500 MPa. Transition to normal crustal thicknesses ended the M₁ metamorphism about 50 Ma ago. The M₂ metamorphism and granodiorite intrusion occurred during a period of heat input into the crust, possibly related to the migration of the Hellenic volcanic ar°C in a southerly direction through the area.     

Initial tectonothermal evolution within the Scandinavian Caledonide Accretionary Prism: constraints from 40Ar/39Ar mineral ages within the Seve Nappe Complex, Sarek Mountains, Sweden

In the Caledonide orogen of northern Sweden, the Seve Nappe Complex is dominated by rift facies sedimentary and mafic rocks derived from the Late Proterozoic Baltoscandian miogeocline and offshore-continent–Iapetus transition. Metamorphic breaks and structural inversions characterize the nappe complex. Within the Sarek Mountains, the Sarektjåkkå Nappe is composed of c. 600-Ma-old dolerites with subordinate screens of sedimentary rocks. These lithological elements preserve parageneses which record contact metamorphism at shallow crustal levels. The Sarektjåkkå Nappe is situated between eclogite-bearing nappes (Mikka and Tsäkkok nappes) which underwent high-P metamorphism at c. 500 Ma during westward subduction of the Baltoscandian margin. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar mineral ages of c. 520–500 Ma are recorded by hornblende within variably foliated amphibolite derived from mafic dyke protoliths within the Sarektjåkkå Nappe. Plateau ages of 500 Ma are displayed by muscovite within the basal thrust of the nappe and are consistent with metamorphic evidence which indicates that the nappe escaped crustal depression as a result of detachment at an early stage of subduction. Cooling ages recorded by hornblende from variably retrogressed eclogites in the entire region are in the range of c. 510–490 Ma and suggest that imbrication of the subducting miogeocline was followed by differential exhumation of the various imbricate sheets. Hornblende cooling ages of 470–460 Ma are recorded from massive dyke protoliths within the Sarektjåkkå Nappe. These are similar to ages reported from the Seve Nappe Complex in the central Scandinavian Caledonides. Probably these date imbrication and uplift related to Early Ordovician arrival of outboard terranes (e.g. island-arc sequences represented by structurally lower horizons of the Köli Nappes). Metamorphic contrasts and the distinct grouping of mineral cooling ages suggest that the various Seve structural units are themselves internally imbricated, and were individually tectonically uplifted through argon closure temperatures during assembly of the Seve Nappe Complex. The cooling ages of 520–500 Ma recorded within Seve terranes and along terrane boundaries of the Sarek Mountains provide evidence of significant accretionary activity in the northern Scandinavian Caledonides in the Late Cambrian–Early Ordovician.     

40Ar/39Ar and oxygen isotope studies of polymetamorphism from Tinos Island, Cycladic blueschist belt, Greece

Abstract Petrological, oxygen isotope and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar studies were used to constrain the Tertiary metamorphic evolution of the lower tectonic unit of the Cyclades on Tinos. Polyphase high-pressure metamorphism reached pressures in excess of 15 kbar, based on measurements of the Si content in potassic white mica. Temperatures of 450–500° C at the thermal peak of high-pressure metamorphism were estimated from critical metamorphic assemblages, the validity of which is confirmed by a quartz–magnetite oxygen isotope temperature of 470° C. Some ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar spectra of white mica give plateau ages of 44–40 Ma that are considered to represent dynamic recrystallization under peak or slightly post-peak high-pressure metamorphic conditions. Early stages in the prograde high-pressure evolution may be documented by older apparent ages in the high-temperature steps of some spectra. Eclogite to epidote blueschist facies mineralogies were partially or totally replaced by retrograde greenschist facies assemblages during exhumation. Oxygen isotope thermometry of four quartz–magnetite pairs from greenschist samples gives temperatures of 440–470° C which cannot be distinguished from those deduced for the high-pressure event. The exhumation and overprint is documented by decreasing ages of 32–28 Ma in some greenschists and late-stage blueschist rocks, and ages of 30–20 Ma in the lower temperature steps of the Ar release patterns of blueschist micas. Almost flat parts of Ar–Ar release spectra of some greenschist micas gave ages of 23–21 Ma which are assumed to represent incomplete resetting caused by a renewed prograde phase of greenschist metamorphism. Oxygen isotope compositions of blueschist and greenschist facies minerals show no evidence for the infiltration of a δ¹⁸O-enriched fluid. Rather, the compositions indicate that fluid to rock ratios were very low, the isotopic compositions being primarily controlled by those of the protolith rocks. We assume that the fundamental control catalysing the transformation of blueschists into greenschists and the associated resetting of their isotopic systems was the selective infiltration of metamorphic fluid. A quartz–magnetite sample from a contact metamorphic skarn, taken near the Miocene monzogranite of Tinos, gave an oxygen isotope temperature of 555° C and calculated water composition of 9.1%. The value of δ¹⁸O obtained from this water is consistent with a primary magmatic fluid, but is lower than that of fluids associated with the greenschist overprint, which indicates that the latter event cannot be directly related to the monozogranite intrusion.     

Timing of Cadomian and Variscan tectonothermal activity,La Hague and Alderney,North Armorican Massif: Evidence from 40Ar/39Ar mineral ages

The La Hague region of northwest France exposes Palaeo-Proterozoic Icartian gneisses which were reworked and intruded by calc-alkaline plutonic rocks during the Cadomian Orogeny (about 700–500 Ma). ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar mineral cooling ages have been determined to clarify the timing of the regional metamorphism of orthogneisses and the emplacement of quartz diorite plutons in this region. Metamorphic amphiboles within Icartian gneisses display discordant ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar apparent age spectra interpreted to result from limited Variscan (about 350–300 Ma) overprinting of intracrystalline argon systems which initially cooled through post-metamorphic hornblende closure temperatures during the Cadomian at about 600 Ma. Igneous hornblendes from the weakly foliated Jardeheu and Moulinet quartz diorites record isotope correlation ages of 599 ± 2 and 561 ± 2 Ma, respectively. Igneous hornblende and biotite from foliated quartz diorite on the nearby Channel Island of Alderney record isotope correlation ages of about 560 Ma. The results imply that metamorphic and plutonic events in the La Hague-Alderney region were approximately contemporaneous with those recorded on Guernsey and Sark, which are thus likely to have formed part of the same tectonic block during the Cadomian Orogeny.     

准噶尔盆地周边硅质岩激光40Ar/39Ar法定年

由于较低的钾元素含量以及过剩氩的存在,长期以来对硅质岩的40Ar/39Ar定年一直存在较大难度。近年来,由于仪器水平的不断提高,新实验技术和方法的应用,特别是激光全熔40Ar/39Ar定年技术的应用,40Ar/39Ar定年方法具有了足够高的测试精度和稳定的低本底水平,可以满足测试极低钾元素含量的硅质岩样品的要求。利用多组矿物颗粒测试数据计算等时线年龄的方法可以很好地去除过剩氩对硅质岩年龄的影响。本文利用激光全熔40Ar/39Ar定年方法对新疆准噶尔盆地边缘的两个硅质岩样品进行了定年研究。采自白碱滩地区的08BJT-3样品的年龄测试结果为294±14Ma,该年龄结果与硅质岩样品所处的晚石炭世地层沉积年代基本一致。采自卡拉麦里地区的KML-2样品的年龄测试结果为266±14Ma,该年龄结果与强烈变形改造硅质岩样品的卡拉麦里构造变形带活动年代十分一致,表明激光全熔40Ar/39Ar定年方法可以准确地对硅质岩进行定年。     

40Ar/39Ar ages of detrital white mica from Upper Austroalpine units in the Eastern Alps, Austria: Evidence for Cadomian and contrasting Variscan sources

Five detrital white mica concentrates from very low-grade, metaclastic sequences within pre-Variscan basement and post-Variscan cover units of the Upper Austroalpine Nappe Complex (Eastern Alps) have been dated with ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar incremental heating techniques to constrain the age of tectonothermal events in their respective source areas. Two samples from early Palaeozoic sandstone exposed within the same Alpine nappe record slightly discordant age spectra. The maximum age recorded in one is 562.2±0.7?Ma, whereas the other yielded a ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau age of 607.3±0.3?Ma. These results indicate a source area affected by Cadomian tectonothermal activity. Three detrital muscovite concentrates from post-Variscan, Late Carboniferous and Permian cover sequences exposed within three different Alpine nappes yielded ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages of 359.6?±?1.1?Ma, 310.5±1.2?Ma, and 303.3±0.2?Ma. The contrasting detrital white mica ages are interpreted to reflect different source areas. Detrital muscovite from a post-Variscan Carboniferous molasse-type sequence and from a Permian Verrucano-type sequence record ages which indicate “late” Variscan (e.g. 330–300?Ma) metamorphic sources. By contrast, detrital white mica from another Permian Verrucano-type sequence suggests a source area affected by “early” Variscan (e.g. 400–360?Ma) metamorphism. These results help clarify palinspastic relationships and tectonic correlations between pre-Late Carboniferous metamorphic basement sequences and Carboniferous to Permian cover sequences.     

Influence of dissolution/reprecipitation reactions on metamorphic greenschist to amphibolite facies mica 40Ar/39Ar ages in the Longmen Shan (eastern Tibet)

Linking ages to metamorphic stages in rocks that have experienced low‐ to medium‐grade metamorphism can be particularly tricky due to the rarity of index minerals and the preservation of mineral or compositional relicts. The timing of metamorphism and the Mesozoic exhumation of the metasedimentary units and crystalline basement that form the internal part of the Longmen Shan (eastern Tibet, Sichuan, China), are, for these reasons, still largely unconstrained, but crucial for understanding the regional tectonic evolution of eastern Tibet. In situ core‐rim ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar biotite and U–Th/Pb allanite data show that amphibolite facies conditions (~10–11 kbar, 530°C to 6–7 kbar, 580°C) were reached at 210–180 Ma and that biotite records crystallization, rather than cooling, ages. These conditions are mainly recorded in the metasedimentary cover. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages obtained from matrix muscovite that partially re‐equilibrated during the post peak‐P metamorphic history comprise a mixture of ages between that of early prograde muscovite relicts and the timing of late muscovite recrystallization at c. 140–120 Ma. This event marks a previously poorly documented greenschist facies metamorphic overprint. This latest stage is also recorded in the crystalline basement, and defines the timing of the greenschist overprint (7 ± 1 kbar, 370 ± 35°C). Numerical models of Ar diffusion show that the difference between ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar biotite and muscovite ages cannot be explained by a slow and protracted cooling in an open system. The model and petrological results rather suggest that biotite and muscovite experienced different Ar retention and resetting histories. The Ar record in mica of the studied low‐ to medium‐grade rocks seems to be mainly controlled by dissolution–reprecipitation processes rather than by diffusive loss, and by different microstructural positions in the sample. Together, our data show that the metasedimentary cover was thickened and cooled independently from the basement prior to c. 140 Ma (with a relatively fast cooling at 4.5 ± 0.5°C/Ma between 185 and 140 Ma). Since the Lower Cretaceous, the metasedimentary cover and the crystalline basement experienced a coherent history during which both were partially exhumed. The Mesozoic history of the Eastern border of the Tibetan plateau is therefore complex and polyphase, and the basement was actively involved at least since the Early Cretaceous, changing our perspective on the contribution of the Cenozoic geology.     

雷州半岛第四纪火山岩激光40Ar/39Ar等时线定年研究

雷州半岛是我国新生代火山岩最重要的分布地区之一,火山活动主要集中在中晚更新世。前人对雷州火山岩的年代学研究以K-Ar法为主。研究表明,雷州火山岩测年结果大致分布在0.38～3.04Ma范围内。根据地层和火山岩层的叠置关系,雷州第四纪火山岩由于覆盖在被确定是1.87Ma和0.76Ma沉积的地层之上,故火山岩年龄应小于该地层年龄。K-Ar法定年结果与雷州地区地层叠置关系存在矛盾。本文通过对雷州半岛第四纪火山岩进行野外考察及采样,利用激光40Ar/39Ar年代学方法进行了精细定年。结果表明,雷州火山岩的喷发主要集中18万年前后。定年结果还表明,对于年轻样品,基于尼尔值计算的K-Ar年龄及40Ar/39Ar表观年龄偏老,等时线年龄相对较为可靠。对同一样品的斑晶、基质作斑晶-基质等时线计算,只有在斑晶基质满足同源条件时才有意义。本文首次提出,通过对比未照射样品的初始36Ar/38Ar值的均一性,以检验样品是否同源,确认斑晶-基质等时线年龄的可信度。据此,等时线的处理方法可以推广应用于特定区域内全部同源同时样品。     

Announcement

The Precambrian rocks of the St. Malo region are grouped into two tectono-stratigraphical units which are correlated with the Pentevrian Complex (a pre-900 Ma basement) and the Brioverian succession (a cover sequence deposited sometime during the interval 900-650 Ma) recognized elsewhere within the Precambrian of the Armorican Massif of France and the Channel Islands. The Pentevrian Complex in this region is composed of metasediments, metatexites (migmatites) and diatexites (anatectic granodiorites). The Brioverian succession is represented by a sequence of turbidites which have undergone only greenschist facies metamorphism. Rocks assigned to the Pentevrian Complex in the St. Malo region preserve the effects of at least four episodes of deformation and two episodes of migmatization all of which occurred prior to the deposition of the turbidites. Three episodes of deformation have affected the Brioverian succession in response to the late Precambrian Cadomian orogeny. Thus two distinct groups of Precambrian metasediments, with different structural-metamorphic histories, are present in the St. Malo region. Cadomian deformation of the Pentevrian Complex is heterogeneous, the strain being largely confined to ductile shear belts. Brief comparison is made with other areas of Precambrian rocks in the northern part of the Armorican Massif.     

40Ar/39 mineral ages from the Scituate Granite, Rhode Island: implications for Late Palaeozoic tectonothermal activity in New England

The alkalic Scituate Granite was emplaced into crystalline sequences within the New England Esmond–Dedham terrane in the Late Devonian ( c. 370 Ma). Variably recrystallized amphibole (iron-rich, hastingsite–hastingsitic hornblende) from four variably deformed samples of the pluton record south-westerly younging ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages ranging between 276 and 263 Ma. These are interpreted to date diachronous cooling through temperatures appropriate for intracrystalline retention of argon following late Palaeozoic orogenic activity. Iron-rich biotite concentrates from the samples record only slightly younger ages, and therefore suggest relatively rapid post-metamorphic cooling. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages indicate that the late Palaeozoic tectonothermal overprint was much more regionally pervasive than was previously considered. The apparent timing of this activity is similar to previous estimates for the chronology of high-grade metamorphism throughout the adjacent Hope Valley terrane and for phases of ductile movement on the intervening Lake Char–Honey Hill fault system.     

Ar/Ar thermochronology of the Kampa Dome, southern Tibet: Implications for tectonic evolution of the North Himalayan gneiss domes

Structural and thermochronological studies of the Kampa Dome provide constraints on timing and mechanisms of gneiss dome formation in southern Tibet. The core of Kampa Dome contains the Kampa Granite, a Cambrian orthogneiss that was deformed under high temperature (sub-solidus) conditions during Himalayan orogenesis. The Kampa Granite is intruded by syn-tectonic leucogranite dikes and sills of probable Oligocene to Miocene age. Overlying Paleozoic to Mesozoic metasedimentary rocks decrease in peak metamorphic grade from kyanite + staurolite grade at the base of the sequence to unmetamorphosed at the top. The Kampa Shear Zone traverses the Kampa Granite — metasediment contact and contains evidence for high-temperature to low-temperature ductile deformation and brittle faulting. The shear zone is interpreted to represent an exhumed portion of the South Tibetan Detachment System. Biotite and muscovite ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar thermochronology from the metasedimentary sequence yields disturbed spectra with 14.22 ± 0.18 to 15.54 ± 0.39 Ma cooling ages and concordant spectra with 14.64 ± 0.15 to 14.68 ± 0.07 Ma cooling ages. Petrographic investigations suggest disturbed samples are associated with excess argon, intracrystalline deformation, mineral and fluid inclusions and/or chloritization that led to variations in argon systematics. We conclude that the entire metasedimentary sequence cooled rapidly through mica closure temperatures at  14.6 Ma. The Kampa Granite yields the youngest biotite ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages of  13.7 Ma immediately below the granite–metasediment contact. We suggest that this age variation reflects either varying mica closure temperatures, re-heating of the Kampa Granite biotites above closure temperatures between 14.6 Ma and 13.7 Ma, or juxtaposition of rocks with different thermal histories. Our data do not corroborate the “inverse” mica cooling gradient observed in adjacent North Himalayan gneiss domes. Instead, we infer that mica cooling occurred in response to exhumation and conduction related to top-to-north normal faulting in the overlying sequence, top-to-south thrusting at depth, and coeval surface denudation.     

Geochronological Constraints Using 40Ar/39Ar Dating on the Mineralization of the Hishikari Epithermal Gold Deposit, Japan

Abstract. Ages for thirty adularia samples collected from various veins were in the Hishikari gold deposit determined by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating to constrain the timing of adularia‐quartz vein formation and to determine the temporal change in temperature of hydrothermal fluid. Plateau ages were obtained from all adularia samples, and significant excess ⁴⁰Ar is not recognized from inverse isochrones. The duration of mineralization within individual veins was determined by adularia ages from the early and late stages of mineralization within the same vein. The durations of mineralization in the Daisen‐1, Daisen‐3, Hosen‐2 and Keisen‐3 veins in the Honko‐Sanjin zone were 7,000, 140,000, 160,000 and 170,000 years, respectively. The durations of mineralization in the Seisen‐2 and Yusen‐1–2 veins in the Yamada zones were 360,000 and 320,000 years, respectively. Mineralization lasted for a relatively longer period in individual veins at the Yamada zone. Mineralization ages from the Honko‐Sanjin zone range from 1.04 to 0.75 Ma, and most mineralization ages are concentrated in a short period from 1.01 to 0.88 Ma. In contrast, mineralization ages for the Yamada zone range from 1.21 to 0.64 Ma. These results indicate that fracturing and subsequent vein formation lasted for a longer period in the Yamada zone (about 570,000 years) compared with those events in the Honko‐Sanjin zone (about 290,000 years). The homogenization temperatures of liquid‐rich fluid inclusions in columnar adularia used for age determination were determined to be 223°C on average, and most of these temperatures range from 180 to 258d?C. No significant temporal change in homogenization temperature is recognized in this study. However, adularia in the Keisen veins indicated higher homogenization temperatures compared with elsewhere in the deposit, suggesting that the principal ascent of mineralizing hydrothermal fluid was via the Keisen veins.     

滇西腾冲更新世粗面安山岩Ar-Ar年代学、地球化学特征及其构造意义

腾冲芒棒地区广泛发育新近纪以来的火山岩,本文首次对该区粗面安山岩进行的高精度40Ar/39Ar同位素定年,其坪年龄分别为2.1±0.1Ma和2.0±0.1Ma,代表其喷溢时代为早更新世。岩石地球化学特征研究显示,粗面安山岩属高钾钙碱性系列,富集大离子亲石元素、亏损高场强元素,具有弧火山岩与大陆板内火山岩的双重属性,推测其形成于后造山环境。综合研究表明,腾冲地块更新世火山岩的形成与印度-欧亚板块俯冲-碰撞造山隆升后的伸展垮塌、富集地幔部分熔融作用密切相关,而印支陆块向东南逃逸以及腾冲弧形走滑断裂带(龙川江断裂带、大盈江断裂带)的活化促使了该期火山岩的喷发与侵位。     

40Ar/39Ar dating of Usol'skii sill in the south-eastern Siberian Traps Large Igneous Province: evidence for long-lived magmatism

Main part of the Siberian Traps Large Igneous Province was formed in a short time-span at the Permo-Triassic boundary c. 250 Ma. New ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating results for the Usol'skii dolerite sill in south-eastern part of the province indicate its probable emplacement c. 6 Myr after the main Permo-Triassic magmatic phase. Compilation of the published ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and U-Pb ages implies that basaltic and related magmatism lasted in total as long as 22–26 Myr. Therefore, similar to other large igneous provinces, magmatism of the Siberian Traps combined voluminous short-lived and less prominent long-lived events.     

多宝山斑岩铜矿区水热蚀变矿物的激光显微探针40Ar/39Ar定年

在利用脉冲显微激光探针⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar定年技术测定标准样品的J值和年龄适用范围的基础上,研究了黑龙江省嫩江县北部多宝山斑岩铜矿区水热成因矿物的年代学。结果表明,高钾含量的水热蚀变矿物适合于激光探针的表面微区测定,并且可以克服水热蚀变矿物中的³⁹Ar “反冲”丢失对年龄结果的影响。矿区的岩浆-水热事件主要有两期,分别为253-220Ma和184-162Ma,前者代表了成矿时代,后者反映出由成矿期后岩浆活动所引起的水热叠加事件。     

东昆仑祁漫塔格地区白干湖钨锡矿田白云母~(40)Ar/~(39)Ar定年及地质意义

东昆仑祁漫塔格地区白干湖钨锡矿田是认识中国西北地区钨锡矿床成矿规律的重要窗口。作者对采自含矿石英脉的2个白云母样品进行40Ar/39Ar定年,获得其坪年龄分别为(422.7±4.5)Ma和(421.8±2.7)Ma。2个样品的等时线年龄与反等时线年龄也在误差范围内一致,分别为(424±15)Ma和(418±24)Ma,表明分析数据可信。获得的白云母40Ar/39Ar坪年龄指示成矿作用发生在晚志留世,与原特提斯洋闭合事件密切相关,闭合后的陆陆碰撞使富含成矿物质的变质沉积物重熔而形成花岗岩浆;花岗岩浆侵入并析出含矿热液,导致钨锡成矿。     

Exhumation of the Schistes Lustrés complex: in situ laser probe 40Ar/39Ar constraints and implications for the Western Alps

The Schistes Lustrés (SL) suture zone occupies a key position in the Alpine chain between the high‐pressure (HP) Brianconnais domain and the ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) Dora Maira massif, and reached subduction depths ranging from c. 40–65 km (Cottian Alps). In order to constrain the timing of HP metamorphism and subsequent exhumation, several phengite generations were differentiated, on the basis of habit, texture, paragenesis and chemistry, as belonging to the first or second exhumation episode, respectively, D2 or D3, or to earlier stages of the tectono‐metamorphic evolution. Ten carefully selected samples showing D2, D3 (D2 + D3), or earlier (mostly peak temperature) phengite population(s) were subjected to laser probe ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar analysis. The data support the results of the petrostructural study with two distinct age groups (crystallization ages) for D2 and D3 phengite, at 51–45 and 38–35 Ma, respectively. The data also reveal a coherent age cluster, at 62–55 Ma, for peak temperature phengite associated with chloritoid which were preserved in low strain domains. The age of the D3 event in the SL complex appears very similar to ages recently obtained for greenschist facies deformation on the border of most internal crystalline massifs. Exhumation rates of the order of 1–2 mm yr^?1 are obtained for the SL complex, which are compatible with velocities documented for accretionary wedge settings. Similarly, cooling velocities are only moderate (c.5 °C Myr^?1), which is at variance with recent estimates in the nearby UHP massifs.