Datation 40Ar/39Ar des leucogranites sous couverture du complexe plutonique de Charroux–Civray (Vienne)

⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating on muscovites, performed on leucogranitic intrusions of Charroux–Civray plutonic complex, points out the existence of two peraluminous magmatic activities, whose equivalents are known in the Limousin: (1) garnet-bearing leucogranitic veins at ca. 340 Ma; (2) a specialised leucogranite associated with W ± Sn deposits at ca 310 Ma. However, available ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar data do not allow us to provide further data concerning the age and the geometry at depth of a large leucogranitic body identified by geophysics. To cite this article: P. Alexandre et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 1141–1148.     

40Ar/39Ar dating of cleavage formation in tuffs during anchizonal metamorphism

⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar incremental-release analyses were carried out on whole-rock and constituent white mica (illite)-rich size fractions (0.63–1 to 6.3–20 m) within two very-low grade, penetratively cleaved metatuffs of contrasting anchizonal metamorphic grade (northeastern Rheinisches Schiefergebirge, Federal Republic of Germany). One sample from the upper anchizone displays internally concordant ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar spectra with plateau ages ranging between ca. 316 and 325 Ma. These are similar to conventional K-Ar ages determined for the whole-rock and size fractions. Together the isotopic results suggest that cleavage formed at ca. 320 Ma during a concomitant very-low grade metamorphism. This is consistent with biostratigraphic controls which suggest that metamorphism and cleavage formation occurred during the Westphalian.A metatuff sample from the middle anchizone records more internally discordant ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age spectra with total-gas ages ranging from 366 to 372 Ma. These are ca. 35–45 Ma older than corresponding conventional K-Ar ages, indicating marked recoil-loss of ³⁹Ar occurred during irradiation. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that white mica grains within size fractions from the upper anchizone sample have clearly defined, straight edges whereas those within the middle anchizone samples are embayed and diffuse. This results in an increase in surface/volume ratio and therefore greater susceptibility for recoil-loss of ³⁹Ar in the middle anchizone sample. Grain-edge morphology appears to be a major factor in determining the extent of recoil-loss of ³⁹Ar during ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar analysis of fine-grained size fractions.     

40Ar/39Ar ages of detrital muscovite and whole-rock slate/phyllite,Narragansett Basin,RI-MA,USA: implications for rejuvenation during very low-grade metamorphism

Late Pennsylvanian sedimentary rocks in the Narragansett basin were metamorphosed (lower anchizone to sillimanite grade) during late Paleozoic regional metamorphism at ca. 275–280 Ma. Twenty-five variably sized concentrates of detrital muscovite were prepared from samples collected within contrasting low-grade areas (diagenesis — lower greenschist facies). Microprobe analyses suggest that the constituent detrital grains are not chemically internally zoned; however, some grains within several concentrates display very narrow (<25 m), compositionally distinct, low-grade, epitaxial peripheral overgrowths. Detrital muscovite concentrates from the lower anchizone are characterized by internally concordant ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age spectra which define plateau ages of ca. 350–360 Ma. These are interpreted to date post-Devonian (Acadian) cooling within proximal source areas. Concentrates from lower grade sectors of the middle anchizone display slightly discordant spectra in which apparent ages systematically increase from ca. 250–275 Ma to define intermediate- and high-temperature plateaus of ca. 360–400 Ma. Detrital muscovite within samples from higher grade sectors of the middle anchizone and the upper anchizone are characterized by systematic low age discordance throughout both low-and intermediate-temperature increments. High-temperature ages only range up to ca. 330 Ma. Six size fractions of detrital muscovite from a sample collected within the lower greenschist facies have similarly discordant spectra, in which, apparent ages increase slightly throughout the analyses from ca. 250 Ma to 275 Ma. The detrital muscovite results are interpreted to reflect variable affects of late Paleozoic regional metamorphism. However, it is uncertain to what extent the systematic low age spectra discordance reflects intracrystalline gradients in the concentration of ⁴⁰Ar and/or experimental evolution of gas from relatively non-retentive epitaxial overgrowths. However, low age discordance occurs regardless of the extent of epitaxial overgrowth. Intermediate-temperature increments evolved during ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar whole-rock analyses of five slate/phyllite samples are characterized by internally consistent apparent K/Ca ratios. These are attributed to gas evolved from constituent, very fine-grained white mica. Samples from lower grade portions of the middle anchizone are characterized by intermediate-temperature apparent ages which systematically increase from ca. 275–300 Ma to ca. 360–375 Ma before evolution of a high-temperature contribution from detrital plagioclase feldspar. This age variation may reflect partial late Paleozoic rejuvenation of very fine-grained detrital material with a source age similar to that for the detrital muscovites. Slate/phyllite samples from upper sectors of the middle anchizone and from the upper anchizone were completely rejuvenated during late Paleozoic metamorphism and record intermediate-and high-temperature plateau ages of ca. 270–290 Ma. These data document that metamorphic conditions of the lower to middle biotite zone (ca. 325–350 °C) are required to completely rejuvenate intracrystalline argon systems of detrital muscovite. Therefore, the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating method may be useful in determination of detrital muscovite provenance and in resolution of the metamorphic evolution of low-grade terranes.     

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.     

Brittle–ductile–brittle deformation during cooling of tonalite (Adamello, Southern Italian Alps)

Late- to post-magmatic deformation in slightly diachronous contiguous intrusions of the north-western Adamello batholith (Southern Alps, Italy) is recorded as, from oldest to youngest: (i) joints, (ii) solid-state ductile shear zones, (iii) faults associated with epidote-K-feldspar veins and (iv) zeolite veins and faults. Structures (ii) to (iv) are localized on the pervasive precursory network of joints (i), which developed during the earliest stages of pluton cooling. High temperature ( 500 °C), ductile overprinting of joints produced lineations, defined by aligned biotite and hornblende, on the joint surfaces and highly localized mylonites. The main phase of faulting, producing cataclasites and pseudotachylytes, occurred at  250 °C and was associated with extensive fluid infiltration. Cataclasites and pseudotachylytes are clustered along different E–W-striking dextral strike-slip fault zones correlated with the activity of the Tonale fault, a major tectonic structure that bounds the Adamello batholith to the north. Ductile deformation and cataclastic/veining episodes occurred at P = 0.25–0.3 GPa during rapid cooling of the batholith to the ambient temperatures ( 250 °C) that preceded the exhumation of the batholith. Timing of the sequence of deformation can be constrained by ³⁹Ar–⁴⁰Ar ages of  30 Ma on pseudotachylytes and various existing mineral ages. In the whole composite Adamello batholith, multiple magma pulses were intruded over the time span 42–30 Ma and each intrusive body shows the same ductile-to-brittle structural sequence localized on the early joint sets. This deformation sequence of the Adamello might be typical of intrusions undergoing cooling at depths close to the brittle–ductile transition.     

Hornblende Ar/Ar geochronology across terrane boundaries in the Sveconorwegian Province of S. Norway

Hornblende incremental heating ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar data were obtained from augen gneiss and amphibolite of the Sveconorwegian Province of S. Norway. In the Rogaland-Vest Agder and Telemark terranes, four pyroxene-rich samples, located close (≤ 10 km) to the anorthosite-charnockite Rogaland Igneous Complex, define an age group at 916 + 12/ − 14 Ma and six samples distributed in the two terranes yield another group at 871 + 8/ − 10 Ma. The first age group is close to the reported zircon U---Pb intrusion age of the igneous complex (931 ± 2 Ma) and the regional titanite U---Pb age (918 ± 2 Ma), whereas the second group overlaps reported regional mineral Rb---Sr ages (895-853 Ma) as well as biotite K---Ar ages (878-853 Ma). In the first group, the comparatively dry parageneses of low-P thermal metamorphism (M2) associated with the intrusion of the igneous complex are well developed, and hornblende ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages probably record a drop in temperature shortly after this phase. In other hornblende + biotite-rich samples, with presumably a higher fluid content, the hornblende ages are probably a response to hornblende-fluid interaction during a late Sveconorwegian metamorphic or hydrothermal event. A ca 220 m.y. diachronism in hornblende ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages is documented between S. Telemark (ca 870 Ma) and Bamble (ca 1090 Ma). Differential uplift between these terranes was mostly accommodated by shearing along the Kristiansand-Porsgrunn shear zone. The final stage of extension along this zone occurred after intrusion of the Herefoss post-kinematic granite at 926 ± 8 Ma. On the contrary, the southern part of the Rogaland-Vest Agder and Telemark terranes share a common cooling evolution as mineral ages are similar on both sides of the Mandal-Ustaoset Line the tectonic zone between them. The succession within 20 m.y. of a voluminous pulse of post-tectonic magmatism at 0.93 Ga, a phase of high-T-low-P metamorphism at 0.93-0.92 Ga, and fast cooling at a regional scale ca 0.92 Ga, suggests that the southern parts of Rogaland-Vest Agder and Telemark were affected by an event of post-thickening extension collapse at that time. This event is not recorded in Bamble.     

Eocene tectono-thermal rejuvenation of an upper Paleozoic-lower Mesozoic terrane in the Cordillera de Carabaya, Puno, southeastern Peru, revealed by K---Ar and Ar/Ar dating

K---Ar dates for muscovites and biotites in granitoid rocks and hydrothermal ore deposits of the northeastern parts of the plutons making up the Triassic Carabaya batholith, underlying the axial Cordillera Oriental of northern Puno Department, southeastern Peru, are markedly variable and mutually discordant. Steep transverse gradients are defined in the apparent ages of both micas, which decrease systematically from SW to NE, delimiting a ca. 25-km-wide, longitudinal zone of anomalously young Mesozoic to Paleocene dates. Age minima of 37±1 Ma are attained in three of the four studied transects. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar step-heating analyses of selected micas confirm the occurrence of a thermal disturbance, and modeling of the spectra suggests that argon loss in muscovites attains at least ca. 75% in the northeastern part of the zone. A single K-feldspar spectrum yielded a minimum at 31 Ma, and apatite fission-track age cluster at ca. 31 and 18.5 Ma. The affected granitoid rocks generally display little megascopic evidence of tectonism, but microscopic deformational fabrics increase in intensity with apparent decreasing K---Ar age, paralleling a marked increase in alkali feldspar ordering. Secondary fluid inclusions trapped within the microfabrics reveal that the plutonic rocks were penetrated by a homogeneous H₂O---CO₂---CH₄---NaCl fluid at ca. 300–400°C and 0.7–2 kbar. This fluid is implicated in the degassing of the rocks. These diverse data are interpreted as evidence for a major, but moderate-temperature (400°C) and brief, tectono-thermal event at ca. 37±1 Ma (biotite closure temperature)—i.e., at the Eocene-Oligocene boundary. The K-feldspar ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar data and the Oligocene fission-track dates may record the later stages in the event, whereas the Miocene fission-track dates are tentatively ascribed to a distinct Neogene episode. Essentially identical geochronological and petrological relationships have been documented in the Cordillera Real of northwestern Bolivia by McBride et al. (1987), permitting the delimination of a disturbed belt paralleling the South American plate boundary and more than 450 km long. The tectono-thermal domain, which we term the Zongo-San Gabán Zone, constituted the foreland boundary of the Andean orogen in the vicinity of the Arica Deflection during the late Eocene Incaic orogeny. This regional thermal event, which involved the basement, appears to have resulted from compressional or, in some segments, transpressional tectonics.     

New Ar–Ar age constraints on the deformation along the Machaoying fault zone: Implications for Early Cambrian tectonism in the North China Craton

The Machaoying fault zone extends along the southern margin of the North China Craton (NCC) and controlled the regional structures and hydrothermal mineral systems in this area. The fault underwent at least two major deformational phases, as revealed by macro- and micro-structural observations from a well-developed segment of the fault in the Hongzhuang–Baitu area, located south of the Xiong'er Mountains. Early ductile deformation is characterized by thrusting from north to south, which was subsequently overprinted by late brittle faulting. Syntectonic strain shadows of biotite are preserved around rotated porphyroclasts of quartz amygdales in mylonite. The biotite yields a ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar plateau age of 524.9 ± 1.9 Ma, which is interpreted as the time of regional thrusting along the Machaoying fault zone. The thrusting may be temporally correlated with an Early Cambrian discontinuity in sedimentation observed in the rocks sequences of the NCC, suggesting a compressional regime in this area and a craton-wide tectonic event. Many 540–500 Ma tectonic events have been previously identified in the Qinling–Qilian–Kunlun Orogenic Belt of central China and in massifs in northeastern China, both of which surround the NCC, and some of these were interpreted to be associated with assembly of Gondwana. However, paleomagnetic data indicate that the NCC was unlikely to have been connected with Gondwana in the Early Cambrian and thus our new biotite date cannot record deformation along the Gondwanan margin. Dating of K-feldspar from a quartz–K-feldspar vein formed along one of the brittle faults of the Machaoying fault zone yields a much younger ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar plateau age of 119.5 ± 0.7 Ma. This is a minimum age for the brittle deformation along the southern margin of the NCC, which also overlaps the age of widespread gold and molybdenum mineralization in the region.     

Molybdenite Re–Os and albite Ar/Ar dating of Cu–Au–Mo and magnetite porphyry systems in the Yangtze River valley and metallogenic implications

The area of the Middle–Lower Yangtze River valley, Eastern China, extending from Wuhan (Hubei province) to western Zhenjiang (Jiangsu province), hosts an important belt of Cu–Au–Mo and Fe deposits. There are two styles of mineralization, i.e., skarn/porphyry/stratabound Cu–Au–Mo–(Fe) deposits and magnetite porphyry deposits in several NNE-trending Cretaceous fault-bound volcanic basins. The origin of both deposit systems is much debated. We dated 11 molybdenite samples from five skarn/porphyry Cu–Au–Mo deposits and 5 molybdenite samples from the Datuanshan stratabound Cu–Au–Mo deposit by ICP-MS Re–Os isotope analysis. Nine samples from the same set were additionally analyzed by NTIMS on Re–Os. Results from the two methods are almost identical. The Re–Os model ages of 16 molybdenite samples range from 134.7 ± 2.3 to 143.7 ± 1.6 Ma (2σ). The model ages of the five samples from the Datuanshan stratabound deposit vary from 138.0 ± 3.2 to 140.8 ± 2.0 Ma, with a mean of 139.3 ± 2.6 Ma; their isochron age is 139.1 ± 2.7 Ma with an initial Os ratio of 0.7 ± 8.1 (MSWD = 0.29). These data indicate that the porphyry/skarn systems and the stratabound deposits have the same age and suggest an origin within the same metallogenic system. Albite ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of the magnetite porphyry deposits indicates that they formed at 123 to 125 Ma, i.e., 10–20 Ma later. Both mineralization styles characterize transitional geodynamic regimes, i.e., the period around 140 Ma when the main NS-trending compressional regime changed to an EW-trending lithospheric extensional regime, and the period of 125–115 Ma of dramatic EW-trending lithospheric extension.     

He–Ar and Nd–Sr isotopic compositions of late Pleistocene felsic plutonic back arc basin rocks from Ulleungdo volcanic island, South Korea: Implications for the genesis of young plutonic rocks in a back arc basin

We report analyses of noble gases and Nd–Sr isotopes in mineral separates and whole rocks of late Pleistocene (< 0.2 Ma) monzonites from Ulleungdo, South Korea, a volcanic island within the back arc basin of the Japan island arc. A Rb–Sr mineral isochron age for the monzonites is 0.12 ± 0.01 Ma. K–Ar biotite ages from the same samples gave relatively concordant ages of 0.19 ± 0.01and 0.22 ± 0.01 Ma. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar yields a similar age of 0.29 ± 0.09 Ma. Geochemical characteristics of the felsic plutonic rocks, which are silica oversaturated alkali felsic rocks (av., 12.5 wt% in K₂O + Na₂O), are similar to those of 30 alkali volcanics from Ulleungdo in terms of concentrations of major, trace and REE elements. The initial Nd–Sr isotopic ratios of the monzonites (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.70454–0.71264, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.512528–0.512577) are comparable with those of the alkali volcanics (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.70466–0.70892, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.512521–0.512615) erupted in Stage 3 of Ulleungdo volcanism (0.24–0.47 Ma). The high initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values of the monzonites imply that seawater and crustally contaminated pre-existing trachytes may have been melted or assimilated during differentiation of the alkali basaltic magma.A mantle helium component (³He/⁴He ratio of up to 6.5 RA) associated with excess argon was found in the monzonites. Feldspar and biotite have preferentially lost helium during slow cooling at depth and/or during their transportation to the surface in a hot host magma. The source magma noble gas isotopic features are well preserved in fluid inclusions in hornblende, and indicate that the magma may be directly derived from subcontinental lithospheric mantle metasomatized by an ancient subduction process, or may have formed as a mixture of MORB-like mantle and crustal components. The radiometric ages, geochemical and Nd–Sr isotopic signatures of the Ulleungdo monzonites as well as the presence of mantle-derived helium and argon, suggests that these felsic plutonic rocks evolved from alkali basaltic magma that formed by partial melting of subcontinental lithospheric mantle beneath the back arc basin located along the active continental margin of the southeastern part of the Eurasian plate.     

The early Caledonian (Finnmarkian) event reassessed in Finnmark: Ar/Ar cleavage age data from NW Varangerhalvøya, N. Norway

The relative significance of early (Finnmarkian) and late (Scandian) Caledonian deformation in N. Norway is uncertain. Early studies suggested pervasive Finnmarkian deformation whilst later results indicated a restricted Finnmarkian domain. The present work suggests it was more widespread than accepted and that inter Finnmarkian–Scandian deformation occurred. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of 2–6 and 6–11 μm pelitic fractions from the lower to mid-greenschist facies Tanahorn Nappe (five samples; base Middle Allochthon) and the epizone Løkvikfjellet and Barents Sea Groups (three samples; North Varanger Region) in the north Scandinavian Caledonides show slightly discordant spectra. Most spectra from the Tanahorn Nappe preserve possible evidence of an early Caledonian event in the high temperature steps, with recoil/excess Ar effects in the low temperature steps; no pre-Caledonian relict component has been recorded. The results indicate Finnmarkian deformation continued to 460 Ma, with Scandian reactivation at 425–415 Ma. From the North Varanger Region, a strongly crenulated sample yielded plateau ages (444–442 Ma); means of combined young steps from weakly to uncrenulated samples gave 470–450 Ma, suggesting penetrative strike-slip deformation occurred in the late Finnmarkian to inter-Finnmarkian–Scandian period. No Scandian ages were recorded in the North Varanger Region. Reassessment of published data from the Laksefjord Nappe and Gaissa Thrust Belt suggests they were affected by Finnmarkian deformation.     

Evidence from Ar/Ar ages of lunar impact glasses for an increase in the impact rate ∼800 Ma ago

Geochemical and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar data on nine impact glasses from the Apollo 14, 16, and 17 landing sites indicate at least seven distinct impact events with ages ∼800 Ma. Rock fragments analyzed by Barra et al. [Barra F., Swindle T. D., Korotev R. L., Jolliff B. L., Zeigler R. A., and Olsen E. (2006) ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar dating of Apollo 12 regolith: implications for the age of Copernicus and the source of nonmare materials, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta,70, 6016-6031] from the Apollo 12 landing site and some Apollo 12 spherules reported by Levine et al. [Levine J., Becker T. A., Muller R. A., Renne P. R. (2005) ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of Apollo 12 impact spherules, Geophys. Res. Let., 32, L15201, doi: 10.1029/2005GL022874.] show ∼800 Ma ages, close to the accepted age of the Copernicus event, 800 ± 15 Ma [Bogard D. D., Garrison D. H., Shih C. Y., and Nyquist L. E. (1994) ³⁹Ar-⁴⁰Ar dating of two lunar granites: The age of Copernicus, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 58, 3093-3100]. These Apollo 12 samples are thought to have been affected by material from the Copernicus event since there is a Copernicus ray going through the Apollo 12 landing site. When all of these data are viewed collectively, including an Apollo 16 glass bomb [Borchardt R., Stöffler D., Spettel B., Palme H. and Wänke H. (1986) Composition, structure, and age of the Apollo 16 subregolith basement as deduced from the chemistry of post-Imbrium melt bombs. In Proceedings, 17th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, pp. E43-E54], and in the context of diverse compositional range and sample location, there is a suggestion that there may have been a transient increase in the global lunar impact flux at ∼800 Ma. Therefore, the Copernicus impact event could have been one of many. If correct, there should be evidence for this increased impact flux around 800 Ma ago in the age statistics of terrestrial impact samples.     

K–Ar and Ar/Ar ages of dikes emplaced in the onshore basement of the Santos Basin, Resende area, SE Brazil: implications for the south Atlantic opening and Tertiary reactivation

New K–Ar and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar data of tholeiitic and alkaline dike swarms from the onshore basement of the Santos Basin (SE Brazil) reveal Mesozoic and Tertiary magmatic pulses. The tholeiitic rocks (basalt, dolerite, and microgabbro) display high TiO₂ contents (average 3.65 wt%) and comprise two magmatic groups. The NW-oriented samples of Group A have (La/Yb)_N ratios between 15 and 32.3 and range in age from 192.9±2.2 to 160.9±1.9 Ma. The NNW-NNE Group B samples, with (La/Yb)_N ratios between 7 and 16, range from 148.3±3 to 133.9±0.5 Ma. The alkaline rocks (syenite, trachyte, phonolite, alkaline basalts, and lamprophyre) display intermediate–K contents and comprise dikes, plugs, and stocks. Ages of approximately 82 Ma were obtained for the lamprophyre dikes, 70 Ma for the syenite plutons, and 64–59 Ma for felsic dikes. Because Jurassic–Early Cretaceous basic dikes have not been reported in SE Brazil, we might speculate that, during the emplacement of Group A dikes, extensional stresses were active in the region before the opening of the south Atlantic Ocean and coeval with the Karoo magmatism described in South Africa. Group B dikes yield ages compatible with those obtained for Serra Geral and Ponta Grossa magmatism in the Paraná Basin and are directly related to the breakup of western Gondwana. Alkaline magmatism is associated with several tectonic episodes that postdate the opening of the Atlantic Ocean and related to the upwelling of the Trindade plume and the generation of Tertiary basins southeast of Brazil. In the studied region, alkaline magmatism can be subdivided in two episodes: the first one represented by lamprophyre dykes of approximately 82 Ma and the second comprised of felsic alkaline stocks of approximately 70 Ma and associated dikes ranging from 64 to 59 Ma.

Resumo

Novos dados K–Ar e ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar de enxames de diques toleíticos e alcalinos localizados no embasamento onshore da Bacia de Santos (SE Brasil) apontam para diferentes pulsos magmáticos ocorridos entre o Jurássico e o Terciário. Os diques de rochas toleíticas (basalto, diabásio e microgabro), são mais velhos, exibem altos teores de TiO₂ (3,65% peso na média) e podem ser subdivididos em dois grupos magmáticos. O Grupo A aflora a norte da Bacia de Resende, compreende diques orientados na direção NW, com razões (La/Yb)_N entre 15 e 32,3, e idades entre 192.9±2.2 e 160.9±1.9 Ma. O Grupo B aflora a sul e a leste da Bacia de Resende, engloba diques orientados na direção NNW e NNE, com razões (La/Yb)_N entre 7 e 16, e idades obtidas entre 148.3±3 e 133.9±0.5 Ma. As rochas alcalinas (sienito, traquito, fonolito, basalto alcalino e lamprófiro) possuem teores médios de K, e afloram como diques, plugs e stocks.. As idades obtidas são de ca. 82 Ma para os diques lamprofíricos, de ca. 70 Ma para os plugs sieníticos, e entre 64 e 59 Ma para os diques félsicos. Como estas idades Jurássicas para diques toleíticos ainda não foram descritas para a região sudeste do Brasil, pode-se especular que durante o emplacement dos diques do GrupoA o cenário tectônico indicaria esforços extensionais anteriores à abertura do Oceano atlântico Sul, e contemporânea ao derrame basáltico do Karoo na África do Sul. Já os diques do Grupo B são contemporâneos ao magmatismo Serra Geral e ao enxame de diques de Ponta Grossa, e portanto este episódio está diretamente relacionado à separação entre o Brasil e África no Cretáceo. O magmatismo alcalino está associado a diversos episódios tectônicos que sucedem à abertura do Oceano Atlântico Sul e que resultaram no desenvolvimento das Bacias terciárias do sudeste brasileiro. Está provavelmente relacionado à chegada da Pluma de Trindade e as idades obtidas para a região em estudo indicam que o magmatismo lamprofírico é mais antigo (ca. 82 Ma), seguido pelos plútons sieníticos (ca. 70 Ma) e diques associados (64 a 59 Ma.)     

Ar/Ar mineral ages from basement rocks in the Eastern Kunlun Mountains, NW China, and their tectonic implications

⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating and estimates of regional metamorphic P–T conditions were carried out on the basement rocks of the Eastern Kunlun Mountains, Western China. Samples from the Jinshuikou, Xiaomiao, Kuhai, Wanbaogou, and Nachitai groups revealed distinct metamorphic events and four age groups. The age group in the range from 363 to 439 Ma is interpreted to represent cooling after Middle Silurian–Late Devonian granulite(?) and amphibolite facies metamorphism, which is dominated by low–middle pressure/high temperature conditions. This tectono-thermal event is related to the closure of an oceanic basin or marginal sea. An age group of 212–242 Ma represents cooling after Triassic metamorphic overprint, which is probably associated with magmatic intrusions. This thermal event, together with the Permo-Triassic ophiolite zone along the South Kunlun Fault, relates to the closure of a major ocean (between India and Eurasia) and the eventual N-ward accretion of the Qiangtang block in Permo-Triassic times. The significance of the age group of 104–172 Ma may be related to the ductile deformation along the Xidatan fault due to the northward-directed accretion of the Lhasa block. Biotites from Nachitai record a partial isotopic resetting at ca. 32 Ma that is interpreted to represent a late-stage exhumation caused by further crustal shortening.     

The geological significance of 40Ar/39Ar and Rb–Sr white mica ages from Syros and Sifnos,Greece: a record of continuous (re)crystallization during exhumation?

The Attic‐Cycladic crystalline belt in the central Aegean region records a complex structural and metamorphic evolution that documents Cenozoic subduction zone processes and exhumation. A prerequisite to develop an improved tectono‐metamorphic understanding of this area is dating of distinct P–T–D stages. To evaluate the geological significance of phengite ages of variably overprinted rocks, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and Rb–Sr analyses were undertaken on transitional blueschist–greenschist and greenschist facies samples from the islands of Syros and Sifnos. White mica geochronology indicates a large age variability (⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar: 41–27 Ma; Rb–Sr: 34–20 Ma). Petrologically similar samples have either experienced greenschist facies overprinting at different times or variations in ages record variable degrees of greenschist facies retrogression and incomplete resetting of isotopic systematics. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and Rb–Sr data for metamorphic rocks from both islands record only minor, localized evidence for Miocene ages (c. 21 Ma) that are well documented elsewhere in the Cyclades and interpreted to result from retrogression of high‐pressure mineral assemblages during lower pressure metamorphism. Field and textural evidence suggests that heterogeneous overprinting may be due to a lack of permeability and/or limited availability of fluids in some bulk compositions and that retrogression was more or less parallel to lithological layering and/or foliation as a result of, possibly deformation‐enhanced, channelized fluid ingress. Published and new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and Rb–Sr data for both islands indicate apparent age variations that can be broadly linked to mineral assemblages documenting transitional blueschist‐to‐greenschist‐ and/or greenschist facies metamorphism. The data do not record the timing of peak HP metamorphism, but may accurately record continuous (partial) resetting of isotopic systematics and/or (re)crystallization of white mica during exhumation and greenschist facies retrogression. The form of ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar phengite age spectra are complex with the lowest temperature steps yielding Middle to Late Miocene ages. The youngest Rb–Sr ages suggest maximum ages of 20.6 ± 0.8 Ma (Syros) and 22.5 ± 0.6 Ma (Sifnos) for the timing of greenschist facies overprinting. The results of this study further accentuate the challenges of interpreting isotopic data for white mica from polymetamorphic terranes, particularly when mixing of populations and/or incomplete resetting of isotopic systematics occurs during exhumation. These data capture the full range of isotopic age variations in retrogressed HP rocks documented in previous isotopic studies, and can be interpreted in terms of the geodynamic evolution of the Aegean.     

Comparison of Conventional K–Ar and Ar/Ar Dating of Young Mafic Volcanic Rocks

K–Ar and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages have been measured on nine mafic volcanic rocks younger than 1 myr from the Snake River Plain (Idaho), Mount Adams (Washington), and Crater Lake (Oregon). The K–Ar ages were calculated from Ar measurements made by isotope dilution and K₂O measurements by flame photometry. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages are incremental-heating experiments using a low-blank resistance-heated furnace. The results indicate that high-quality ages can be measured on young, mafic volcanic rocks using either the K–Ar or the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar technique. The precision of an ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau age generally is better than the precision of a K–Ar age because the plateau age is calculated by pooling the ages of several gas increments. The precision of a plateau age generally is better than the precision of an isotope correlation (isochron) age for the same sample. For one sample the intercept of the isochron yielded an ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar value significantly different from the atmospheric value of 295.5. Recalculation of increment ages using the isochron intercept for the composition of nonradiogenic Ar in the sample resulted in much better agreement of ages for this sample. The results of this study also indicate that, given suitable material and modern equipment, precise K–Ar and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages can be measured on volcanic rocks as young as the latest Pleistocene, and perhaps even the Holocene.     

Development of high precision Rb-Sr phlogopite and biotite geochronology; an alternative to Ar/Ar tri-octahedral mica dating

Potassium-Ar and Rb-Sr dating of minerals was fundamental in early efforts to date magmatic and metamorphic processes and paved the way for geochronology to become an important discipline within the earth sciences. Although K-Ar and, in particular, ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of micas is still widely applied, Rb-Sr dating of micas has declined in use, even though numerous studies demonstrated that tri-octahedral mica yields geologically realistic, and more reliable and reproducible Rb-Sr ages than the K-Ar or ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar system. Moreover, a reduction of uncertainties typically reported for Rb-Sr ages (ca. 1%) can now be achieved by application of multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) rubidium isotope dilution measurements (<0.3%). Replicate Rb-Sr biotite ages from the Oslo rift, Norway, yield an external reproducibility of ±0.3% (n=4) and an analytical error of ±0.8 Ma for individual ages that vary between 276.9 and 275.5 Ma. Conventional thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (TIMS) Rb analysis on the same mineral separates yields ages between 276.1 and 271.7 Ma, three times the spread compared to Rb MC-ICPMS data. Biotite and phlogopite from the central Nagssugtoqidian orogen, West Greenland, yield ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau ages (ca. 1700 Ma) with a spread of ±150 Ma, while Rb-Sr ages on either biotite or phlogopite separates have a much narrower range of ±10 Ma. This comparison of Rb-Sr and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages demonstrates the robustness of the Rb-Sr system in tri-octahedral micas and cautions against the sole use of ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar tri-octahedral mica ages to date geological events. Analytical errors of 16 Ma for these Rb-Sr mica ages determined by TIMS are reduced to <±5 Ma when the Rb concentration is determined by MC-ICPMS. All the TIMS and MC-ICPMS data from the Nagssugtoqidian orogen agree within assigned analytical uncertainties. However, high precision Rb-Sr dating by MC-ICPMS can resolve geological information obscured by TIMS age determinations. TIMS data for seven phlogopite samples form an isochron age of 1645±6 Ma, and thus, no differentiation in age between the different samples can be made. In contrast, MC-ICPMS Rb measurements on the same samples reveal two distinct populations with ages of 1633±3 or 1652±5 Ma.Combining the mica Rb-Sr geochronological data with the well-constrained thermal history of this ancient orogen, we estimate the closure temperature of the Rb-Sr system in 1-2 mm slowly cooled phlogopite crystals, occurring in a matrix of calcite and plagioclase to be ∼435 °C, and at least 50 °C above that of biotite.     

Kinematics and Ar/Ar geochronology of the Gaoligong and Chongshan shear systems, western Yunnan, China: Implications for early Oligocene tectonic extrusion of SE Asia

The Gaoligong and Chongshan shear systems (GLSS and CSSS) in western Yunnan, China, have similar tectonic significance to the Ailaoshan–Red River shear system (ASRRSS) during the Cenozoic tectonic development of the southeastern Tibetan syntaxis. To better understand their kinematics and the Cenozoic tectonic evolution of SE Asia, this paper presents new kinematic and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar geochronological data for these shear systems. All the structural and microstructural evidence indicate that the GLSS is a dextral strike-slip shear system while the CSSS is a sinistral strike-slip shear system, and both were developed under amphibolite- to greenschist-grade conditions. The ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of synkinematic minerals revealed that the strike-slip shearing on the GLSS and CSSS at least began at  32 Ma, possibly coeval with the onset of other major shear systems in SE Asia. The late-stage shearing on the GLSS and CSSS is dated at  27–29 Ma by the biotite ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages, consistent with that of the Wang Chao shear zone (WCSZ), but  10 Ma earlier than that of the ASRRSS. The dextral Gaoligong shear zone within the GLSS may have separated the India plate from the Indochina Block during early Oligocene. Combined with other data in western Yunnan, we propose that the Baoshan/Southern Indochina Block escaped faster southeastward along the CSSS to the east and the GLSS to the west than the Northern Indochina Block along the ASRRSS, accompanying with the obliquely northward motion of the India plate during early Oligocene (28–36 Ma). During 28–17 Ma, the Northern Indochina Block was rotationally extruded along the ASRRSS relative to the South China Block as a result of continuously impinging of the India plate.     

HP–LT Variscan metamorphism in the Cubito-Moura schists (Ossa-Morena Zone, southern Iberia)

Multi-equilibrium thermobarometry shows that low-grade metapelites (Cubito-Moura schists) from the Ossa–Morena Zone underwent HP–LT metamorphism from 340–370 °C at 1.0–0.9 GPa to 400–450 °C at 0.8–0.7 GPa. These HP–LT equilibriums were reached by parageneses including white K mica, chlorite and chloritoid, which define the earliest schistosity (S₁) in these rocks. The main foliation in the schists is a crenulation cleavage (S₂), which developed during decompression from 0.8–0.7 to 0.4–0.3 GPa at increasing temperatures from 400–450 °C to 440–465 °C. Fe³⁺ in chlorite decreased greatly during prograde metamorphism from molar fractions of 0.4 determined in syn-S₁ chlorites down to 0.1 in syn-S₂ chlorites. These new data add to previous findings of eclogites in the Moura schists indicating that a pile of allochtonous rocks situated next to the Beja-Acebuches oceanic amphibolites underwent HP–LT metamorphism during the Variscan orogeny. To cite this article: G. Booth-Rea et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).     

U‐Pb Geochronological and Thermochronological Time–Temperature Constraints of 40Ar/39Ar Hornblende Reference Material HB3gr

Hornblende from the Lone Grove Pluton, Llano Uplift, Texas, has served as an irradiation reference material in ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar studies for decades. In order to evaluate the apparent age bias that currently exists between the U‐Pb and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar systems, zircon and titanite were dated by isotope dilution‐thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (ID‐TIMS) from the same rock from which the hornblende ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar reference material HB3gr is derived. Zircon U‐Pb data indicate initial crystallisation at 1090.10 ± 0.16 Ma (2s), a date that is 1.7% older than the accepted K‐Ar date (1072 ± 14 Ma, 2s) for HB3gr; an offset that exceeds the typical 0.5–1% bias between the two systems, though remaining within uncertainty due to the large uncertainties in the ⁴⁰K decay constant. Zircon data are presented using both EARTHTIME tracers ET535 and ET2535 and are statistically indistinguishable. Single grain titanite analyses range between 1082 ± 0.75 and 1086 ± 0.81 Ma (2s) and are interpreted to record the subsequent cooling following crystallisation at rates between 30 and 50 °C Ma^?1. This is supported by the observation that hornblende ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dates corrected for decay constant bias are resolvably younger than the zircon U‐Pb date and in good agreement with titanite U‐Pb dates, permitting the conclusion that both titanite U‐Pb and hornblende ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar systems provide a record of cooling.