Zircon dating of North Bohemian granulites, Czech Republic: further evidence for the Lower Carboniferous high-pressure event in the Bohemian Massif

U-Pb zircon and rutile multigrain ages and ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb zircon evaporation ages are reported from high-pressure felsic and metapelitic granulites from northern Bohemia, Czech Republic. The granulites, in contrast to those from other occurrences in the Bohemian Massif, do not show evidence of successive HT/MPLP overprints. Multigrain size fractions of nearly spherical, multifaceted, metamorphic zircons from three samples are slightly discordant and yield a U-Pb Concordia intercept age of 348 ± 10 Ma, whereas single zircon evaporation of two samples resulted in ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages of 339 ± 1.5 and 339 ± 1.4 Ma, respectively. A rutile fraction from one sample has a U-Pb Concordia intercept age of 346 ± 14 Ma. All ages are identical, within error, and a mean age of 342 ± 5 Ma was adopted to reflect the peak of HP metamorphism. Because rutile has a lower closing temperature for the U-Pb isotopic system than zircon, the results and the P-T data imply rapid uplift and cooling after peak metamorphism. The above age is identical to ages for high-grade metamorphism reported from the southern Bohemian Massif and the Granulite Massif in Saxony. It can be speculated that all these granulites were part of the same lower crustal unit in early Carboniferous, being separated later due to crustal stacking and subsequent late Variscan orogenic collapse.     

Detrital zircon ages from southern Norway – implications for the Proterozoic evolution of the southwestern Baltic Shield

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 2.1 Ga, although there is no record of rocks older than 1.6 Ga 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 1939 Ma, with frequency maxima in the range 1.85 to 1.70 Ga and 1.60 to 1.50 Ga. 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 1133 Ma, 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 1438 Ma. These data demonstrate the existence of a protocrust of 1.7 to 2.0 Ga in the southwestern part of the Baltic Shield, implying a break in the overall westward younging trend of the Precambrian crust, inferred from the southeastern part of the Baltic Shield. Received: 8 April 1997 / Accepted: 14 July 1997     

U-Pb and Pb-Pb ages of zircons from basaltic eucrites: Implications for early basaltic volcanism on the eucrite parent body

We have undertaken petrologic and SHRIMP U-Th-Pb isotopic studies on zircons from basaltic eucrites (Yamato [Y]-75011, Y-792510, Asuka [A]-881388, A-881467 and Padvarninkai) with different thermal and shock histories. Eucritic zircons are associated with ilmenite in most cases and have subhedral shapes in unmetamorphosed and metamorphosed eucrites. Some zircons in highly metamorphosed eucrites with granulitic texture occur alone in pyroxene, and typically have rounded to subrounded shapes due to recrystallization. Superchondritic Zr/Hf ratios of eucritic zircons indicate that they crystallized from incompatible element-rich melts after crystallization of ilmenite. Concentrations of uranium and thorium in zircons in the unmetamorphosed eucrite Y-75011 are higher than those in metamorphosed eucrites.The U-Pb systems of eucritic zircons are almost concordant but some zircon grains show reverse discordance. Radiogenic lead-loss up to 48% from zircons is observed in the shock-melted eucrite Padvarninkai. The ²⁰⁷Pb-²⁰⁶Pb ages of zircon in Y-75011 (4550 ± 9 Ma, n = 5) are nearly identical, within analytical uncertainty, to the ages of zircons from the metamorphosed eucrite Y-792510 (4545 ± 15 Ma, n = 13), the highly metamorphosed eucrites A-881388 (4555 ± 54 Ma, n = 5) and A-881467 (4558 ± 13 Ma, n = 8), and the shock-melted eucrite Padvarninkai (4555 ± 13 Ma, n = 18). The averaged ²⁰⁷Pb-²⁰⁶Pb age of zircon from five eucrites analyzed in this study is 4554 ± 7 Ma (95% confidence limits, n = 49), indistinguishable from the averaged U-Pb age (4552 ± 9 Ma) of the same samples. Because of the high closure temperature of lead in zircon (T_closure = ∼1050°C with a cooling rate of 0.2°C/yr), the ²⁰⁷Pb-²⁰⁶Pb ages of eucritic zircon do not represent metamorphic ages but crystallization ages of extrusive lavas.This fact strongly suggests that volcanism of the eucrite parent body occurred at a very early stage of the Solar System history, 7-20 Ma after CAI formation (4567.2 ± 0.6 Ma), thus basaltic eucrites crystallized from parental magmas within a short interval following the differentiation of their parent body. The U-Pb ages of eucritic zircons are older than the U-Pb, Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr ages of some basaltic eucrites, which is consistent with differences in closure temperatures of each isotopic system, and suggests that thermal and shock metamorphism affected the isotopic systems of pyroxene, plagioclase and phosphates.     

LA-MC-ICPMS Pb-Pb dating of rutile from slowly cooled granulites: Confirmation of the high closure temperature for Pb diffusion in rutile

Rapid Pb-Pb dating of natural rutile crystals by laser ablation multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-MC-ICPMS) is investigated as a tool for constraining geological temperature-time histories. LA-MC-ICPMS was used to analyse Pb isotopes in rutile from granulite-facies rocks from the Reynolds Range, Northern Territory, Australia. The resultant ages were compared with previous U-Pb zircon and monazite age determinations and new mica (muscovite, phlogopite, and biotite) Rb-Sr ages from the same metamorphic terrane. Rutile crystals ranging in size from 3.5 to 0.05 mm with ?20 ppm Pb were ablated with a 300-25 μm diameter laser beam. Crystals larger than 0.5 mm yielded sufficiently precise ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios to correct for the presence of common Pb, and individual rutile crystals often exhibited sufficient Pb isotopic heterogeneity to allow isochron calculations to be performed on replicate analyses of a single crystal. The mean of 12 isochron ages is 1544 ± 8 Ma (2 SD), with isochron ages for single crystals having uncertainties as low as ±1.3 Myr (2 SD). The ²⁰⁷Pb-²⁰⁶Pb ages calculated without correction for common Pb are typically <0.5% higher than the common-Pb-corrected isochron ages reflecting the very minor amounts of common Pb present in the rutile. The LA-MC-ICPMS method described samples only the outer 0.1-0.2 mm of the rutile crystals, resulting in a grain size-independent apparent closure temperature (T_c) for Pb diffusion in rutile that is less than the T_c of monazite ?0.1 mm in diameter, but significantly higher than the Rb-Sr system in muscovite (550 °C), phlogopite (435 °C) and biotite (400 °C). Even small rutile crystals are extremely resistant to isotopic resetting. For the established slow cooling rate of ca. 3 °C/Myr, the T_c for Pb diffusion in the analysed rutile is ca. 630 °C. This is in excellent agreement with recent experimental results that indicate that rutile has a higher T_c than previously thought (ca. 600-640 °C for rutile 0.1-0.2 mm diameter cooled at 3 °C/Myr; near 600 °C [Cherniak D.J., 2000. Pb diffusion in rutile. Contrib. Mineral. Petrol. 139, 198-207], versus 400 °C [Mezger, K., Hanson G.N., Bohlen S.R., 1989a. High precision U-Pb ages of metamorphic rutile: applications to the cooling history of high-grade terranes. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 96, 106-118.] for 1 °C/Myr), and with current T_c estimates for monazite and other high temperature geochronometers, which have been revised upwards in recent years. The new rutile ages, together with the other geochronological data from the region, support the interpretation that the Reynolds Range underwent prolonged slow cooling on a conductive geotherm, under nearly steady-state conditions. Slow cooling at ca. 3 °C/Myr persisted for at least 40 Myr followed the peak of high-T/low-P metamorphism to granulite-facies conditions, and probably continued at ca. 2-3 °C/Myr for ca. 200 Myr overall.     

Direct dating of hydrothermal W mineralization: U-Pb age for hübnerite (MnWO4), Sweet Home Mine, Colorado

We have investigated the potential of hübnerite for U-Pb dating. Hübnerite forms typically at medium to low-temperatures in a wide range of pneumatolytic-hydrothermal mineral deposits, particularly porphyry molybdenum and Sn-specialized granites. Hübnerite from the Sweet Home Mine (Alma, Colorado) formed in a Pb-rich, U-poor environment, but still developed relatively radiogenic Pb isotopic compositions. The low Pb_common contents in hübnerite (0.075 to 0.155 ppm) demonstrate that Pb is efficiently excluded from the crystal lattice. In contrast, U may substitute for Mn. The U-Pb data of hübnerite scatter. Most of the scatter originates from samples with ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb values below 50, where Pb_blank contributes up to 30% to Pb_total. Using the least radiogenic galena Pb, samples with ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb values above 70 have overlapping ²⁰⁶Pb∗/²³⁸U and ²⁰⁷Pb∗/²³⁵U values and yield a ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 25.7 ± 0.3 Ma (2σ). Late stage apatite from the Sweet Home Mine yields a ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb-²³⁸U/²⁰⁴Pb isochron corresponding to an age of 24.8 ± 0.5 Ma (2σ). A comparison of the U-Pb hübnerite ages with literature ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages on earlier sericite and the U-Pb age on later apatite suggests that (i) hübnerite yields accurate U-Pb ages and (ii) the evolution of the Sweet Home mineralization from greisen-type mineralization to medium-temperature hydrothermal vein mineralization took place in a few hundred thousand years at most. Aqueous low-N₂-bearing and aqueous inclusions in the dated hübnerite have homogenization temperatures between 325 and 356 °C and moderate salinity (up to 6.7 wt% NaCl equiv.). Thus, hübnerite represents one of the rare examples of a mineral that can be dated accurately and carries petrological information.     

A LA-ICP-MS Comparison of Reference Materials Used in Cassiterite U-Pb Geochronology

Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) is used to compare the suitability of four cassiterite (SnO₂) materials (SPG, Yankee, AY-4 and Jian-1), and three matrix-mismatched reference materials (NIST SRM 612, NIST SRM 614 and 91500 zircon) for normalisation of U-Pb and Pb-Pb isotope ratios in cassiterite. The excess variance of ages determined by LA-ICP-MS is estimated to be ±0.33% for ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb vs. ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁶Pb isochron ages and ± 1.8% and for U-Pb ages. Incorporation of this excess variance in cassiterite ages is necessary for realistic uncertainties. ²⁰⁷Pb-²⁰⁶Pb ages are advantageous for dating Precambrian cassiterite such as SPG compared with U-Pb ages as matrix effect on instrumental mass fractionation of Pb isotopes are generally considered to be minor. We note minor bias in ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb vs. ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁶Pb isochron ages (~ 0.6%) when using either the NIST SRM 614 or 91500 zircon reference materials and emphasise the requirement for uncertainty propagation of all sources of error and reference materials with comparable U and Pb mass fraction to the cassiterite. The ²³⁸U/²⁰⁶Pb isotopic ratios from normalisation to matrix-mismatched reference materials show varied results, which emphasises the need to use matrix-matched reference materials for calculating U-Pb ages. When cross-calibrated against each other, LA-ICP-MS U-Pb ages of the ca. 1535 Ma SPG, ca. 245 Ma Yankee and ca. 155 Ma Jian-1 cassiterites are all consistent with their ID-TIMS values.     

LA-MC-ICPMS and SHRIMP U-Pb dating of complex zircons from Quaternary tephras from the French Massif Central: Magma residence time and geochemical implications

Analyses of zircon grains from the Queureuilh Quaternary tephras (pumice) provide new information about their pre-eruptive history. U-Pb dating was performed in situ using two methods: SHRIMP and LA-MC-ICPMS equipped with a multi-ion counting system. Both methods provided reliable ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb and ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ratios as well as U and Th abundances required for U-Pb Concordia intercept age determination, after initial ²³⁰Th disequilibrium correction. The new LA-MC-ICPMS method was validated by dating a reference zircon (61.308B) and zircons from a phonolitic lava dated independently with the two techniques. A time resolution of about 20 kyr for 1 Ma zircon crystals was achieved for both methods.The clear euhedral zircon population from Queureuilh tephras is quite complex from several points of view: (1) some grains are reddish or yellowish while others are colorless; (2) the U and Th composition changes by more than an order of magnitude and Th/U is generally high (∼1-2); (3) there are three discrete ages recorded at 2.35 ± 0.04, 1.017 ± 0.008 and 0.640 ± 0.010 Ma.From the previously determined ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age at 0.571 ± 0.060 Ma [Duffell H. (1999) Contribution géochronologique à la stratigraphie volcanique du Massif des Monts Dore par la méthode ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar. D.E.A. Univ. Clermont-Ferrand, 56 p.], the discontinuous zircon age populations, the color of the grains and their composition, we favor the following model as explanation: The oldest, less numerous group of reddish zircons represents xenocrystic grains resulting from assimilation of the local material during magma ascent. A primitive magma chamber, perhaps deep in crustal level, was formed at 1.0 Ma. The related magma, previously characterized by high Th/U ratio (2.2 ± 1.1), underwent rejuvenation during ascent to a new chamber at shallow depth and/or during injection of more mafic magmas. During this stage, at 0.64 Ma, the colorless zircon grains of lower Th/U ratio (1.3 ± 0.5) crystallized. This last stage defined the magma residence time of 70 kyr prior to eruption dated by the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar method. However, if the primitive magma is considered, the magma residence time as a whole from this first stage reached 446 kyr.In the light of the complex history of such magmas, which commonly involves recycling of zircon grains that precipitated tens to hundreds of kyr earlier than eruptions, the use of Zr concentration in geochemical modeling of whole rock compositional data can be problematic.     

The origin of geochemical diversity of lunar mantle sources inferred from the combined U-Pb, Rb-Sr, and Sm-Nd isotope systematics of mare basalt 10017

The results of our combined U-Pb, Rb-Sr, and Sm-Nd isotope study of mare basalt 10017 contribute to the understanding of the petrogenetic processes involved in the origin of geochemical diversity in lunar mare basalt sources, as well as the U-Pb isotope systematics of the Moon. The Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, and ²³⁸U-²⁰⁶Pb isotope systems yield concordant crystallization ages of 3.633 ± 0.057 Ga, 3.678 ± 0.069 Ga, and 3.616 ± 0.098 Ga, respectively. The ²³⁵U-²⁰⁷Pb isochron yields an older, though still concordant, age of 3.80 ± 0.12 Ga. Neither the ²⁰⁶Pb-²⁰⁷Pb system nor U-Pb concordia system yields an age for 10017 that is concordant with the age determined from the Sm-Nd, Rb-Sr, and ²³⁸U-²⁰⁶Pb systems. The initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 10017 is 0.69941 ± 7 and the initial ε_Nd is +3.2 ± 0.4. Initial Pb isotopic compositions, determined from the U-Pb isochrons, are ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb_i = 31 ± 11 and ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb_i = 34 ± 15. Together, these initial Pb compositions constrain the μ value of the 10017 source to be 70 ± 30, assuming a single-stage Pb growth model. This is considerably lower than μ values typically estimated for mare basalt sources (∼100-600). Regardless, the μ values calculated for the sources of mare basalts, as well as other lunar samples, show a range that is larger than can be explained by fractionation of U from Pb solely by crystallization of silicate phases and ilmenite during magma ocean solidification and formation of lunar mantle sources. The U-Pb isotope systematics may reflect late-stage formation of a sulfide phase, which strongly fractionates Pb from U but has minimal effect on Rb/Sr or Sm/Nd compositions, during crystallization of the lunar magma ocean.     

Precise geochronology of phoscorites and carbonatites:: The critical role of U-series disequilibrium in age interpretations

We present the results of a comparative study of several geochronometer minerals (baddeleyite, zircon, apatite, phlogopite and tetraferriphlogopite) and isotopic systems (U-Pb, Th-Pb and Rb-Sr) from phoscorites (magnetite-forsterite-apatite-calcite rocks) and carbonatites of the Kovdor ultramafic-alkaline-carbonatite massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia. Uranium, thorium and their decay products are extremely fractionated by minerals that crystallise from carbonatite and phoscorite magma. We obtain high-precision ages from different chronometers, compare their accuracy, and evaluate the role of geochronological pitfalls of initial radioactive disequilibrium, differential migration of radiogenic isotopes, and inaccurate decay constants.Apatite yielded concordant U-Th-Pb ages between 376 and 380 Ma. The accuracy of the apatite ²³⁸U-²⁰⁶Pb ages is, however, compromised by uncertainty in the amount of radiogenic ²⁰⁶Pb produced from initial excess ²³⁰Th. The ²³⁵U-²⁰⁷Pb ages are relatively imprecise due to large common Pb correction and the uncertainty in the initial Pb isotopic composition. The Th-Pb system yields a more precise age of 376.4 ± 0.6 Ma.Zircon from two carbonatite samples is characterised by moderate to low U contents, high Th contents, and very high Th/U ratios up to 9000. The ²⁰⁶Pb*/²³⁸U systems in the zircon are strongly affected by the presence of excess ²⁰⁶Pb*, produced by decay of initial ²³⁰Th. The ²⁰⁸Pb*/²³²Th ages of zircon from both carbonatite samples are uniform and yield a weighted average of 377.52 ± 0.94 Ma.Baddeleyite U-Pb analyses are 3 to 6% normally discordant and have variable ²⁰⁷Pb*/²⁰⁶Pb* apparent ages. Eleven alteration-free baddeleyite fractions from three samples with no evidence for Pb loss yield uniform ²⁰⁶Pb*/²³⁸U ages with a weighted average of 378.54±0.23 Ma (378.64 Ma after correction for initial ²³⁰Th deficiency), which we consider the best estimate for age of the phoscorite-carbonatite body of the Kovdor massif. The ²⁰⁶Pb*/²³⁸U ages of baddeleyite fractions from five other samples spread between 378.5 and 373 Ma, indicating a variable lead loss up to 1.5%. The anomalously old ²⁰⁷Pb/²³⁵U and ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages are consistent with the presence of excess radiogenic ²⁰⁷Pb* in the baddeleyite. We interpret this as a result of preferential partitioning of ²³¹Pa to baddeleyite.Fifteen phlogopite and tetraferriphlogopite fractions from five carbonatite and phoscorite samples yielded precise Rb-Sr isochron age of 372.2 ± 1.5 Ma, which is 5 to 7 m.y. younger than our best estimate based on U-Th-Pb age values. This difference is unlikely to be a result of the disturbance or late closure of Rb-Sr system in phlogopite, but rather suggests that the accepted decay constant of ⁸⁷Rb is too high.Comparative study of multiple geochronometer minerals from the Kovdor massif has revealed an exceptional complexity of isotopic systems. Reliable ages can be understood through systematic analysis of possible sources of distortion. No single geochronometer is sufficiently reliable in these rocks. Th-Pb and Rb-Sr can be a very useful supplement to U-Pb geochronometry, but the routine use of these geochronometers together will require more precise and accurate determination of decay constants for ²³²Th and ⁸⁷Rb.     

内蒙中部白乃庙地区格林威尔岩浆事件记录：石英二长闪长岩脉锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb年龄证据

本文主要报道内蒙古中部白乃庙地区侵入古生界徐尼乌苏组沉积地层中的石英二长闪长岩脉的锆石LA-ICP-MS 法U-Pb定年结果。测试结果显示大量锆石为捕获锆石并获得了从古元古代1.9Ga到中元古代1.26Ga左右的谐和年龄。其中中元古代年龄可划分为1.7Ga, 1.6~1.47Ga和1.26Ga等三个不同阶段;前两阶段年龄分别与华北克拉通化之后初始裂谷和非造山岩浆作用以及白云鄂博裂谷中火成碳酸盐的侵位时代相对应;而1.26Ga的年龄则与全球格林威尔构造-岩浆热事件时代相吻合。结果表明华北北缘存在中元古1.26Ga左右岩浆热事件。该结果为进一步认识华北北缘地壳演化及华北板块是否参与过罗迪尼亚超大陆演化提供了重要线索。     

内蒙古北山地区盘陀山一带长城纪古硐井群碎屑锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb年龄及其地质意义

长城纪古硐井群作为内蒙古北山地区古老褶皱基底之上的第一个沉积盖层,尚未获得可靠的年龄资料,前人只是根据其产出的层位和岩石组合特征与燕山地区的长城系对比后,将其置于中元古代长城纪。对古硐井群变质长石石英砂岩中碎屑锆石进行了LA-ICP-MS U-Pb测年,结果显示,锆石~(207)Pb/~(206)Pb年龄数据90%介于1.3~2.2Ga之间,其余年龄介于2.4~3.2Ga之间,峰期在1.6~2.0Ga之间,最年轻的碎屑锆石~(207)Pb/~(206)Pb年龄为1393±50Ma。通过对比碎屑锆石的年龄频谱和周围古地块的形成时代,碎屑锆石的U-Pb年龄限制了古硐井群的沉积时代,应为中元古代蓟县纪,古硐井群的沉积物可能来自北山-阿拉善和塔里木-敦煌地块。     

Lead isotopes by LA-MC-ICPMS: Tracking the emergence of mantle signatures in an evolving silicic magma system

At Long Valley (LV) model Sr isotope phenocryst ages and absolute U-Pb zircon ages from precaldera Glass Mountain (GM) and caldera-related Bishop Tuff (BT) rhyolites show that these crystals track >1 Myr of evolution of a voluminous rhyolite magmatic system. In detail, strong disparities between the different age populations complicate ideas for a unified model for rhyolite generation, differentiation, and storage. To better elucidate the age discrepancies a new in situ Pb isotope technique has been developed to measure the compositions of 113 individual LV feldspars (mainly sanidine) and their host glasses by UV laser ablation MC-ICPMS. Given sufficient signal the accuracy and precision of this technique approaches that of double-spike thermal ionization mass spectrometry. The utility of our technique for many geologic materials is, however, limited to determining Pb isotope ratios that include ²⁰⁶Pb, ²⁰⁷Pb, and ²⁰⁸Pb, but exclude ²⁰⁴Pb. New zircon ²³⁸U-²⁰⁶Pb crystallization ages were also obtained for two older Glass Mountain domes.A >1.5‰ difference between the Pb isotope compositions of feldspars from older (1.7-2.2 Ma) precaldera Glass Mountain (GM) rhyolites and younger LV rhyolites, including the BT, is found. The Pb isotope data for feldspars and their host glasses lie along a regional trend line between young basalts and evolved crust compositions, spanning ∼15% of that isotopic difference, and show a secular change towards increasing mantle contribution. Most feldspars have Pb isotope compositions that are similar to their host glasses and, as such, there persists an apparent >100 k.y. difference between Sr model feldspar ages and zircon ages for some GM rhyolites. Collectively, the feldspars define a Sr-Pb isotope mixing curve. Evidence for mixing complicates the interpretation that the Sr isotope data solely reflect radiogenic ingrowth. Where isotopically heterogeneous feldspar populations occur, there is greater uncertainty about the veracity of the Sr model ages. Specifically, we find no Pb isotope evidence that BT feldspars grew from older GM-like magmas.The distinct Pb isotope signatures for individual rhyolites and their feldspars support evidence based on zircon dating that LV volcanism did not erupt from a single long-lived magma chamber but rather tapped a number of different magmas. Moreover, contrary to the conventional model of gradual build-up prior to cataclysmic eruption, secular changes in the U-Pb age constraints on magma residence times and the magmas’ distinct Pb isotopic compositions suggest that, at Long Valley, eruptive volumes increase with shorter magma residence time and correlate with greater mantle input. Evidently, the plumbing and therefore activity at Long Valley was influenced by the evolving interaction between source and crustal magma system.     

Pb/Pb geochronology, petrography and chemistry of Zr-rich accessory minerals (zirconolite, tranquillityite and baddeleyite) in mare basalt 10047

In situ U-Pb isotopic measurements were carried out by ion microprobe on the Zr-rich accessory minerals zirconolite [CaZrTi₂O₇], tranquillityite [Fe₈²⁺(ZrY)₂Ti₃Si₃O₂₄] and baddeleyite [ZrO₂] in low-K, high-Ti mare basalt 10047 collected during the Apollo 11 mission. The analysed minerals are concentrated in pockets of late-stage mesostasis that comprises an intergrowth of silica, barian K-feldspar and Si-Al-K glass, from a phaneritic, subophitic, basalt comprising mainly pyroxene, plagioclase, ilmenite, cristobalite and troilite. Most Zr-rich minerals are unaltered, however, some tranquillityite is replaced by a complex intergrowth of zirconolite, baddeleyite, ilmenite and fayalite, suggesting that the mineral became unstable during crystallization. Several baddeleyite crystals have also undergone alteration to secondary zircon. Zirconolite was analysed in thin section 10047,11 and tranquillityite and baddeleyite in 10047,227, using a ∼6 μm primary ion beam. Both zirconolite and tranquillityite have significant U and low initial Pb contents, and are highly suitable for Pb/Pb dating. Fifteen analyses of zirconolite give a ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb age of 3708 ± 7 Ma (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb:²⁰⁴Pb/²⁰⁶Pb isochron; 95% confidence, including renormalisation of ratios) and twenty-five analyses of tranquillityite give 3710 ± 6 Ma. The ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb dates are consistent with each other and refine results from an earlier study. Baddeleyite data were less precise, mainly due to lower secondary ionisation efficiency. Our results show that zirconolite and tranquillityite can provide precise isotopic dates and, given their presence in other samples, they represent important U-Pb chronometers for refining lunar geology.     

Eoarchean–Paleoproterozoic zircon inheritance in Japanese Permo-Triassic granites (Unazuki area,Hida Metamorphic Complex): Unearthing more old crust and identifying source terrranes

U–Pb zircon geochronology of two Permo-Triassic granites (samples OT-52 and OT-272 with ages of 229 ± 8 Ma and 256 ± 2 Ma, respectively) in the Unazuki area, Hida Metamorphic Belt, southwest Japan, revealed the presence of Eoarchean to Paleoproterozoic inheritance. Inheritance is consistent with both samples showing low zircon saturation temperatures for their bulk compositions. In OT-52, dark in CL, low Th/U zircon domains have a mean ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb age of 1940 ± 17 Ma, which is consistent with an age of 1937 ± 6 Ma for anatexis in the Precambrian Busan gneiss complex in Korea. Eoarchaean inherited zircons with ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages from ca. 3750 to 3550 Ma are common in OT-272 but are few in OT-52, suggesting a source from rocks with affinities to those in the Anshan area in the northeast China part of the North China Craton. On the other hand, a Hida Metamorphic Belt metasedimentary gneiss into which the granites were intruded contains ca. 1840, 1130, 580, 360, 285 and 250 Ma zircons (Sano et al., 2000). These ages suggest that the Unazuki Mesozoic granites did not originate from proximal Hida Metamorphic Complex rocks, but instead from unrelated rocks obscured at depth. The predominance of Eoarchean to Paleoproterozoic age components, and the marked lack of 900–700 Ma components suggest that the source was the (extended?) fringe of the North China Craton, rather than from Yangtze Craton crust. The Mesozoic evolution of Japan and its linkages to northeast Asia are discussed in the context of these results.     

内蒙古道伦达坝铜钨锡矿床LA-ICP-MS锆石和锡石U-Pb年龄及其地质意义

道伦达坝矿床位于大兴安岭南段,是一个铜钨锡矿床,其铜、钨、锡储量均达中型。矿体呈脉状,主要产于二叠系砂板岩中的断裂破碎带中,华力西期黑云母花岗岩中的断裂破碎带中亦赋存有矿体。文章选取2件石英-萤石-白云母-电气石-锡石-黑钨矿阶段的矿石样品对其中的进行了LA-ICP-MS U-Pb定年,获得2件样品的~(207)Pb/~(206)Pb-~(238)U/~(206)Pb谐和年龄分别为(134.7±6.6)Ma(MSWD=1.4)和(136.8±7.4)Ma(MSWD=1.7),~(206)Pb/~(207)Pb-~(238)U/~(207)Pb等时线年龄分别为(132±12)Ma(MSWD=0.76)和(135±13)Ma(MSWD=0.9)。锡石定年结果表明,道伦达坝矿床形成于早白垩世。对矿区外围张家营子岩体中的斑状细粒花岗岩进行了LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb测年,获得的~(206)Pb/~(238)U加权平均年龄为(135±1)Ma(MSWD=1.3),该岩体的形成年龄与道伦达坝矿床的成矿年龄在误差范围内一致。本次定年结果表明道伦达坝矿床形成于早白垩世,与同期的花岗质岩浆活动有密切的成因联系,该矿床属于与花岗岩有关的岩浆热液脉型矿床。     

The U-Pb systematics of angrite Sahara 99555

Angrite Sahara 99555 (hereafter SAH), precisely dated by Baker et al. (Baker J., Bizzarro M., Wittig N., Connelly J. and Haack H. (2005) Early planetesimal melting from an age of 4.5662 Gyr for differentiated meteorites. Nature436, 1127-1131), has been proposed as a new reference point for the early Solar System timescale and for calculation of the revised minimum age of our Solar System. The Pb-Pb age of SAH of 4566.18 ± 0.14 Ma, reported by Baker et al., differs from the Pb-Pb age of D’Orbigny, another basaltic angrite, of 4564.42 ± 0.12 Ma (Amelin Y. (2008) U-Pb ages of angrites. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta72, 221-232), despite the fact that the relative ⁵³Mn-⁵³Cr and ¹⁸²Hf-¹⁸²W ages of these meteorites are identical. Here I report U-Pb data for 21 whole rock and pyroxene fractions from SAH, analyzed using the same approach as D’Orbigny (Amelin, 2008). These fractions contain between 1.3 and 8.9 pg of total common Pb, slightly more than analytical blank. Measured ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios are between 625 and 2817 for D’Orbigny, blank-corrected ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios are between 1173 and 6675. Eight acid-washed whole rock fractions yielded an isochron age of 4564.86 ± 0.38 Ma, MSWD = 1.5. Data for pyroxene fractions plot mostly above the whole rock isochron, and do not form a linear array in ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb vs. ²⁰⁴Pb/²⁰⁶Pb isochron coordinates. The ²⁰⁷Pb^∗/²⁰⁶Pb^∗ model dates of the pyroxene fractions vary from 4563.8 ± 0.3 to 4567.1 ± 0.5 Ma. The difference between whole rock and pyroxene U-Pb systematics may be a result of re-distribution of radiogenic Pb at a mineral grain scale several million years after crystallization. Complexities of Sm-Nd, Lu-Hf, and possibly ²⁶Al-²⁶Mg mineral systematics of SAH, described previously, may be related to the same process that caused the re-distribution of radiogenic Pb. Disturbance of isotopic chronometers renders SAH an imperfect anchor for the early Solar System timescale. The problems with age determination revealed by the studies of SAH call for greater attention in Pb-isotopic dating of angrites and other achondrites.     

Cretaceous seamounts along the continent-ocean transition of the Iberian margin: U-Pb ages and Pb-Sr-Hf isotopes

To elucidate the age and origin of seamounts in the eastern North Atlantic, 54 titanite and 10 zircon fractions were dated by the U-Pb chronometer, and initial Pb, Sr, and Hf isotope ratios were measured in feldspars and zircon, respectively. Rocks analyzed are essentially trachy-andesites and trachytes dredged during the “Tore Madeira” cruise of the Atalante in 2001. The ages reveal different pulses of alkaline magmatism occurring at 104.4 ± 1.4 (2σ) Ma and 102.8 ± 0.7 Ma on the Sponge Bob seamount, at 96.3 ± 1.0 Ma on Ashton seamount, at 92.3 ± 3.8 Ma on the Gago Coutinho seamount, at 89.3 ± 2.3 Ma and 86.5 ± 3.4 Ma on the Jo Sister volcanic complex, and at 88.3 ± 3.3 Ma, 88.2 ± 3.9, and 80.5 ± 0.9 Ma on the Tore locality. No space-time correlation is observed for alkaline volcanism in the northern section of the Tore-Madeira Rise, which occurred 20-30 m.y. after opening of the eastern North Atlantic. Initial isotope signatures are: 19.139-19.620 for ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, 15.544-15.828 for ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, 38.750-39.936 for ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb, 0.70231-0.70340 for ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, and +6.9 to +12.9 for initial epsilon Hf. These signatures are different from Atlantic MORB, the Madeira Archipelago and the Azores, but they lie in the field of worldwide OIB. The Cretaceous seamounts therefore seem to be generated by melts from a OIB-type source that interact with continental lithospheric mantle lying formerly beneath Iberia and presently within the ocean-continent transition zone. Inheritance in zircon and high ²⁰⁷Pb of initial Pb substantiate the presence of very minor amounts of continental material in the lithospheric mantle. A long-lived thermal anomaly is the most plausible explanation for alkaline magmatism since 104 Ma and it could well be that the same anomaly is still the driving force for tertiary and quaternary alkaline magmatism in the eastern North Atlantic region. This hypothesis is agreement with the plate-tectonic position of the region since Cretaceous time, including an about 30° anti-clockwise rotation of Iberia.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987112000564

High-pressure（HP） granulites widely occur as enclaves within tonalite-trondhjemitegranodiorite （TTG） gneisses of the Early Precambrian metamorphic basement in the Shandong Peninsula, southeast part of the North China Craton（NCC）.Based on cathodoluminescence（CL）,laser Raman spectroscopy and in-situ U-Pb dating,we characterize the zircons from the HP granulites and group them into three main types:inherited（magmatic） zircon,HP metamorphic zircon and retrograde zircon.The inherited zircons with clear or weakly defined magmatic zoning contain inclusions of apatites,and ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages of 2915—2890 Ma and 2763—2510 Ma,correlating with two magmatic events in the Archaean basement. The homogeneous HP metamorphic zircons contain index minerals of high-pressure metamorphism including garnet,clinopyroxene.plagioclase,quartz,rutile and apatite,and yield ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages between 1900 and 1850 Ma,marking the timing of peak HP granulite fades metamorphism.The retrograde zircons contain inclusions of orthopyroxene.plagioclase.quartz,apatite and amphibole.and yield the youngest ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages of 1840—1820 Ma among the three groups,which we correlate to the medium to low-pressure granulite fades retrograde metamorphism.The data presented in this study suggest subduction of Meso- and Neoarchean magmatic protoliths to lower crust depths where they were subjected to HP granulite facies metamorphism during Palaeoproterozoic（1900—1850 Ma）.Subsequently, the HP granulites were exhumated to upper crust levels,and were overprinted by medium to low-pressure granulite and amphibolite facies retrograde event at ca.1840—820 Ma.     

U-Pb ages of angrites

Precise U-Pb ages, determined with double spike (²⁰²Pb-²⁰⁵Pb) thermal ionization m1ass spectrometry, are reported for angrites Angra dos Reis (AdoR), Lewis Cliff 86010 (LEW), and D’Orbigny. Nineteen of 23 acid-washed pyroxene fractions from these meteorites and whole rock fractions from D’Orbigny contain between 0.5 and 1.3 pg of total common Pb, indistinguishable from analytical blank. Measured ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios in these fractions are between 6300 and 14,100 for AdoR, 1160-4500 for LEW, and 608-8500 for D’Orbigny. Blank-corrected ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb ratios for all three meteorites vary from 2160 to over 100,000. These fractions yielded precise and reproducible ²⁰⁷Pb^∗/²⁰⁶Pb^∗ dates with the average values of 4557.65 ± 0.13 Ma for AdoR, 4558.55 ± 0.15 Ma for LEW, and 4564.42 ± 0.12 Ma for D’Orbigny. Pb-Pb isochrons including data with slightly elevated common Pb, and U-Pb upper concordia intercepts, yield similar dates. The implications of these new Pb-isotopic ages of angrites are threefold. First, they demonstrate that AdoR and LEW are not coeval, and the group of “slowly cooled” angrites is therefore genetically diverse. Second, the new age of LEW suggests an upward revision of ⁵³Mn-⁵³Cr “absolute” ages by 0.7 Ma. Third, a precise age of D’Orbigny allows consistent linking of the ⁵³Mn-⁵³Cr and ²⁶Al-²⁶Mg extinct nuclide chronometers to the absolute lime scale.     

大别山东部花岗片麻岩的锆石U-Pb年龄

花岗片麻岩是大别山区除超高压变质杂岩外的另一种重要岩石类型,本文测得南大别二长花岗片麻岩中单颗粒锆石U-Pb不一致线的上交点年龄为789±43 Ma.位于五河一水吼韧性剪切带南缘的糜棱岩化二长花岗片麻岩中锆石的²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb表面年龄接近一致年龄,为715～777 Ma,平均757 Ma,U-Pb不一致线的上交点年龄为815±70 Ma,下交点年龄为482±167 Ma.北大别石英二长片麻岩中锆石²⁰⁷Pb/206表面年龄的变化范围较广,介于594～700 Ma,平均为649 Ma,U-Pb不一致线的上、下交点年龄分别为814±97 Ma和477±77 Ma.这说明这些正片麻岩的侵位时间范围大致为750～850 Ma的晚元古代;南、北大别正片麻岩中的锆石年代学显示它们可能具有相似的形成与演化历史;约480 Ma前后的加里东运动对大别山地区可能也有影响.