K-Ar ages of intrusive rocks in the Oban-Obudu massif and their significance for the tectonic and plutonic history of southeastern Nigeria

Abstract K-Ar ages have been obtained for mineral separates: plagioclases from two dolerites and biotites from one granite and four granodiorites in the Oban-Obudu massif of southeastern Nigeria. Dolerites in the Oban area give K-Ar plagioclase ages of 204.0 ± 9.9 Ma and 219.9 ± 4.7 Ma. The granite of the Obudu area yields a K-Ar biotite age of 507.6 ± 10.1 Ma whilst the granodiorites in the Oban area yield K-Ar biotite ages ranging from 474.6 ± 9.4 Ma to 511.8 ± 10.0 Ma. The dolerites are related to the tholeiitic basaltic magmatism at the early opening of the central Atlantic, and are compatible in age with the formation of the Ring Complexes and the rifting of the Benue Trough of Nigeria. The granites and granodiorites belong to the syntectonic Older Granite series in the Pan-African orogeny. The emplacement timing deduced from the reported Pb-Pb zircon age of 617 ± 2 Ma and the newly obtained biotite ages suggest that these older granites in southeastern Nigeria had a prolonged cooling history of ∼110 Ma.     

The chemical Th-U-total Pb isochron ages of Jiaodong and Jiaonan metamorphic rocks in the Shandong Peninsula, eastern China

Abstract The chemical Th-U-total Pb isochron method (CHIME) was applied to determine the age of monazite and thorite in five gneisses and zircon in an ultra high-pressure (UHP) phengite schist from the Su-Lu region, eastern China. The CHIME ages and isotopic ages reported in the literature show that gneisses in the Su-Lu region are divided into middle Proterozoic (1500–1720 Ma) and Mesozoic (100–250 Ma) groups. The Proterozoic group includes paragneiss and orthogneiss of the amphibolite-granulite facies, and their protolith age is late Archean-early Proterozoic. The Mesozoic group is mainly composed of orthogneiss of the greenschist-epidote amphibolite facies, and the protolith age is Middle Paleozoic-Early Proterozoic. The Proterozoic and Mesozoic gneisses occupy northern and southern areas of the Su-Lu region, respectively, which are divided by a major Wulian-Qingdao-Yantai fault. Ultra high-pressure metamorphic rocks occur as blocks in the Mesozoic gneisses, and form a UHP complex.
The UHP phengite schist in the Mesozoic orthogneiss contains detrital zircons with late Proterozoic CHIME age ( ca 860 Ma). Age of the UHP metamorphism is late Proterozoic or younger, and protolith age of the UHP metamorphic rocks is probably different from that of the surrounding Mesozoic gneisses.     

Paleogeographic reconstructions of the East Asia continental margin during the middle to late Mesozoic

The currently available paleogeographic maps of the East Asia continental margin during the Mesozoic have been recast in the light of recent research results on sediments distributed in Korea and Japan. Both the Korean peninsula and the Inner zone of Southwest Japan exchanged sediment supply during the Middle to Late Mesozoic, suggestive of a close paleogeographic relationship between the two countries at the active continental margin setting. During the latest Middle to earliest Late Jurassic the Mino–Tamba trench was developed along the southeastern Korean peninsula, from which trench‐fill sediments were sourced and to which an accretionary complex was accreted. Lower Cretaceous quartz‐arenite clasts of the Tetori Group in the Hida Marginal Belt of Southwest Japan were derived from pre‐Mesozoic quartz‐arenite strata distributed in the southern central and east central Korean peninsula, suggesting that the Tetori Basin was located close to the central eastern part of the Korean peninsula at the time of deposition of quartz‐arenite clasts, contrary to conventional thought of far distance between the two areas based on paleomagnetic data. During the early Late Cretaceous radiolaria‐bearing chert pebbles and sands in the northern part of the non‐marine Gyeongsang Basin distributed in the southeastern Korean peninsula were derived from the uplifted Mino–Tamba accretionary complex distributed in southwest Japan, suggesting that the Mino–Tamba terrane was land‐connected with the eastern Korean peninsula. These new findings suggest that in contrast to conventional thought, the collage of tectonic blocks in Southwest Japan has assembled in post‐early Late Cretaceous time.     

Sm–Nd, Rb–Sr and K–Ar geochronology of the Higo metamorphic terrane, west-central Kyushu, Japan

The Higo metamorphic terrane situated in west-central Kyushu island, southwest Japan, is composed of greenschist- to granulite-facies metamorphic rocks. The southern part of the metamorphic terrane consists mainly of garnet–biotite gneiss and garnet–cordierite–biotite gneiss, and orthopyroxene or cordierite-bearing S-type tonalite with subordinate amounts of hornblende gabbro. Rb–Sr, Sm–Nd and K–Ar isotopic ages for these rocks have been determined here. The garnet–biotite gneiss gives an Sm–Nd age of 227.1 ± 4.9 Ma and a Rb–Sr age of 101.0 ± 1.0 Ma. The hornblende gabbro has an Sm–Nd age of 257.9 ± 2.5 Ma and a K–Ar age of 103.4 ± 1.1 Ma. These age differences of the same samples are due to the difference in the closure temperature for each system and minerals. The garnet-cordierite–biotite gneiss contains coarse-grained garnet with a zonal structure conspicuously distinguished in color difference (core: dark red; rim: pink). Sm–Nd internal isochrons of the garnet core and the rim give ages of 278.8 ± 4.9 Ma (initial ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd ratio = 0.512311 ± 0.000005) and 226.1 ± 28.4 Ma (0.512277 ± 0.000038), respectively. These ages are close to formation of the garnet core and the rim. It has been previously suggested that the Higo metamorphic terrane belongs to the Ryoke metamorphic belt. But Sr and Nd isotopic features of the rocks from the former are different from those of the Ryoke metamorphic rocks, and are similar to those of the granulite xenoliths contained in the Ryoke younger granite.     

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb ages for the Paleoproterozoic metamorphic-magmatic events in the southeast margin of the North China Craton

A garnet-pyroxene bearing amphibolite as a xenolith hosted by the Mesozoic igneous rocks from Xuzhou-Suzhou area was dated by zircon SHRIMP U-Pb method, which yields a metamorphic age of 1918 ± 56 Ma. In addition, the zircons from a garnet amphibolite as a lens interbedded with marble in the Archean metamorphic complex named Wuhe group in the Bengbu uplift give a metamorphic U-Pb age of 1857 ± 19 Ma, and the zircons from Shimenshan deformed granite in the eastern margin of the Bengbu uplift give a magma crystallization U-Pb age of 2054 ± 22 Ma. Both the Xuzhou-Suzhou area and Bengbu uplift are located in the southeastern margin of the North China Craton. Therefore, these ages indicate that there is a Paleoproterozoic tectonic zone in the southeastern margin of the North China Craton, and its metamorphic and magmatic ages are consistent with those of the other three Paleoproterozoic tectonic zones in the North China Craton. In view of the large scale sinistral strike-slip movement occurred at the Mesozoic along the Tan-Lu fault zone, the position of the eastern Shandong area, which is a south section of the Paleoproterozoic Jiao-Liao-Ji Belt, was correlated to Xuzhou-Suzhou-Bengbu area prior to movement of the Tan-Lu fault zone. This suggests that the Xuzhou-Suzhou-Bengbu Paleoproterozoic tectonic zone might be a southwest extension of the Paleoproterozoic Jiao-Liao-Ji Belt. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40634023)     

K–Ar ages of the Ohmine Granitic Rocks, south-west Japan

Abstract The Ohmine Granitic Rocks are a series of granitic rocks that are distributed in a chain stretching along the central axis of the Kii Peninsula. Their precise ages have not been determined, although precise ages have been reported for other geological units of the early to middle Miocene distributed over the peninsula. In this study, biotite K–Ar ages were obtained for the six major granitic plutons of the Ohmine Granitic Rocks: Dorogawa, Shirakura, Kose, Asahi, Tenguyama and Shiratani. Most are aged from 14.8 to 14.6 Ma. Although one pluton is older (15.4 ± 0.2 Ma) and two are younger (14.0 ± 0.2 Ma and 13.4 ± 0.1 Ma), these ages are excluded from the discussion of the mutual correlation among the plutons because some ambiguities exist in their ages. The age of the southernmost unit, the Katago–Mukuro Dykes, was not determined because of its intense alteration, but stratigraphic constraints suggest that it is younger than 16.1 Ma. The majority of the Ohmine Granitic Rocks concentrate within a narrow age window of approximately 14.8–14.6 Ma, although their geochemical/petrographical characteristics suggest that they were generated by multiple magma batches. The results of this study also reveal the simultaneous occurrence of the major activities of the Ohmine Granitic Rocks and the gigantic felsic igneous activities in the Kii Peninsula, such as the Kumano Acidic Rocks and the Muro Pyroclastic Flow Deposit.     

U-Pb dating of early Mesozoic granodioritic intrusions in southeastern Hunan Province, South China and its petrogenetic implications

The NE-trended Mesozoic granodioritic intrusions are spatially and temporally associated with the copper multi-metal mineralization in southeastern Hunan Province, South China. U-Pb dating result of single-grained zircons of four samples respectively from Shuikoushan, Baoshan, western Tongshanling and eastern Tongshanling intrusions reveals that their crystallization age spans a range from 172 Ma to 181 Ma, which also represents the oldest age of the regional copper multi-metal mineralization. Some of the zircon grains give an upper intercept age of about 1753 Ma and ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb apparent age of (1752 ± 4) Ma, implying the involvement of the pre-Cambrian metamorphic (possible Middle Proterozoic) basement in their genesis. The presence of such a kind of zircon grains in these granodiorites indicates either that the parental magmas were assimilated by basement rocks during magma ascent or that lower/middle crustal rocks were one of the important components during the melting process.     

Mesozoic doming extensional tectonics of Wugongshan, South China

Wugongshan in Jiangxi Province, China was a Mesozoic granitic dome-type extensional tectonics that is composed of metamorphic core complexes, ductile and brittle shear-deformed zones distributed around Mesozoic granites. Within it, the foliation defines an E-W elliptical shape and bears S-N stretching lineations. The axial part is located in Hongjiang-Wanlongshan area and occupied by oriented granites with coaxial symmetric shear fabrics. The southem and northern flanks, including rocks in the Anfu Basin to the south and the Pingxiang Basin to the north, display top-to-south and top-to-north motions, respectively. The ductile and brittle structures indicate a geometric and kinematic consistency. The extensional tectonics is developed on a Caledonian metamorphic basement and is unconformably covered by Late Cretaceous red beds. Isotopic ages on muscovite, biotite and whole rock by⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar, K-Ar and Rb-Sr suggest that the Wugongshan extensional doming began from the Triassic and ended in the Late Cretaceous. A geodynamic model is discussed. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 49632080, 49572141)     

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb age and significance of Early Paleozoic volcanic rocks in East Kunlun orogenic belt, Qinghai Province, China

A great deal of practical data in recent years have proved that the East Kunlun orogenic belt and even the China central orogenic belt are complex orogenic belts that underwent polycycle orogenic evolvement[1―7]. Each orogenic cycle has left a compositional print, the multi-period ophiolites[4―6] and various types of tec-tono-magmatic production in the same orogenic belt. There is a suite of shallow metamorphic volcanic rocks in the Nuomuhong area in the east part of the East Kunlun orogen…     

Zircon U–Pb sensitive high mass-resolution ion microprobe dating of granitoids in the Ryoke metamorphic belt, Kinki District, Southwest Japan

Abstract Zircon U–Pb sensitive high mass-resolution ion microprobe dating was carried out on three types of granitic rock (gneissose biotite granodiorite, biotite granite and two-mica granite) from the Cretaceous Ryoke belt of the Kinki district, Southwest Japan. The results give the ages of granitic magmatism in the Shigi-san area of between 87 and 78 Ma and suggest extensive melting of the Cretaceous Ryoke granitic crust to form the two-mica granite, probably at ca 80 Ma. Discrimination into older and younger granites based on development of gneissosity does not appear to represent the sequence of magma generation, although there is some scope in the interpretation of the zircon U–Pb data that would allow all three granites to form at 83 Ma. Compilation of chemical Th-U-total Pb isochron dating method ages, whole rock Rb–Sr isotope ages and U–Pb isotope ages indicates that most Ryoke plutonism occurred from ca 70 Ma to ca 100 Ma. Younger (85 Ma–70 Ma) plutonism with the formation of two-mica granite occurred only in the eastern sector of the Ryoke belt, including the Kinki District.     

Multi-method radiometric dating of volcano-sedimentary layers from northern Italy: Age and duration of the Priabonian stage

A comparison between conventional KAr (biotite) ages and fission track (zircon and apatite) and UPb (zircon) ages obtained from stratigraphically well-constrained Priabonian (Late Eocene) volcano-sedimentary deposits of northern Italy is presented. Two sections at Priabona (one level) and Possagno (two levels) were dated. The application of fission track dating appears fruitful for obtaining reasonably precise (±4 to 5% 2σ errors) ages useful for time-scale calibration. The concordancy of apatite and zircon fission track ages, and the reproducibility of results provide the time of volcanic eruption and deposition. The UPb analysis of the zircons has not been unsuccessful, but discordancy does not permit accurate dating. Significant dates obtained from Possagno are: KAr method, 35.0 ± 0.5 Ma (duplicate analysis on K-rich biotite from the same level); fission track dating method, 35.8 ± 1.4 Ma (weighted mean age on 2 apatite and 3 zircon separates from the same level); UPb method, 36.7 ± 1.0 Ma (maximum age of discordant zircons from the same level). The comparison between the present results and recent multi-method and multi-laboratory results obtained from time equivalent Priabonian (Late Eocene) biotite-rich layers from the Apennines shows perfect agreement and supports the location of a Priabonian stage between about 37.5 Ma and about 33.7 (±0.5) Ma; the alternative ages preferred by the Decade of North American Geology convention should be abandoned and a large portion of this scale revised accordingly.     

Renewed profile of the Mesozoic magmatism in Korean Peninsula: Regional correlation and broader implication for cratonic destruction in the North China Craton

Widespread Mesozoic magmatism occurs in the Korean Peninsula (KP). The status quo is poles apart between the northern and southern parts in characterizing its distribution and nature, with the nearly absence of any related information in North Korea. We have the opportunity to have conducted geological investigations in North Korea and South Korea during the past ten years through international cooperation programs. This led to the revelation of a number of granitoids and related volcanic rocks and thus facilitates the comparison with those in East China and Japan. Mesozoic granitoids in the KP can be divisible into three age groups: the Triassic group with a peak age of ~220 Ma, the Jurassic one of ~190–170 Ma and the late Early Cretaceous one of ~110 Ma. The Triassic intrusions include syenite, calc-alkaline to alkaline granite and minor kimberlite in the Pyeongnam Basin of North Korea. They have been considered to form in post-orogenic settings related to the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) or the Dabie-Sulu Orogenic Belt (DSOB). The Jurassic granitoids constitute extensive occurrence in the KP and are termed as the Daebo-period magmatism. They correlate well with coeval counterparts in NE China encompassing the northeastern part of the North China Craton (NCC) and the eastern segment of the CAOB. They commonly consist of biotite or two-mica granites and granodiorites, with some containing small dark diorite enclaves. On one hand, Early Jurassic to early Middle Jurassic magmatic rocks are rare in most areas of the NCC, whilst Middle-Late Jurassic ones are not developed in the KP. On the other hand, both NCC and KP host abundant Cretaceous granites. However, the present data revealed contrasting age peaks, with ~130–125 Ma in the NCC and ~110–105 Ma in the KP. Cretaceous granites in the KP comprise the dominant biotite granites and a few amphibole granites. The former exhibit mildly fractionated REE patterns and zircon ε _Hf(t) values from -15 to -25, whereas the latter feature strongly fractionated REE patterns and zircon ε _Hf(t) values from -10 to -1. Both granites contain inherited zircons of ~1.8–1.9 or ~2.5 Ga. These geochemical characters testify to their derivation from re-melting distinct protoliths in ancient basement. Another Cretaceous magmatic sub-event has been entitled as the Gyeongsang volcanism, which is composed of bimodal calc-alkaline volcanic rocks of 94–55 Ma and granitic-hypabyssal granitic bodies of 72–70 Ma. Synthesizing the Mesozoic magmatic rocks across the KP, NCC and Japan can lead to the following highlights: (1) All Triassic granites in the NCC, KP and Japan have similar characteristics in petrology, chronology and geochemistry. Therefore, the NCC, KP and Japan tend to share the same tectonic setting during the Triassic, seemingly within the context of Indosinian orogensis. (2) Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous magmatic rocks in the NCC seem to define two episodes: episode A from 175 to 157 Ma and episode B from 157 to 135 Ma. Jurassic magmatic rocks in the KP span in age mainly from 190 to 170 Ma, whereas 160–135 Ma ones are rare. With the exception of ~197 Ma Funatsu granite, Jurassic magmatic rocks are absent in Japan. (3) Cretaceous granites in the KP have a peak age of ~110, ~20 Ma younger than those in the NCC, while Japan is exempt from ~130–100 Ma granites. (4) The spatial-temporal distribution and migratory characteristics of the Jurassic-Cretaceous magmatic rocks in Japan, KP, and NE China-North China indicate that the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific plate might not be operative before Late Cretaceous (~130–120 Ma). (5) Late Cretaceous magmatic rocks (~90–60 Ma) occur in the southwestern corner of the KP and also in Japan, coinciding with the metamorphic age of ~90–70 Ma in the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt of Japan. The magmatic-metamorphic rock associations and their spatial distribution demonstrate the affinities of sequentially subduction zone, island arc and back-arc basin from Japan to Korea, arguing for the Pacific plate subduction during Late Cretaceous. (6) This study raises another possibility that the Mesozoic cratonic destruction in the NCC, which mainly occurred during ~150–120 Ma, might not only be due to the subduction of the Paleo-Pacific Plate, but also owe much to the intraplate geodynamic forces triggered by other adjacent continental plates like the Eurasian and Indian plates.     

Zircon U–Pb ages of plutonic rocks in the southern Abukuma Mountains: Implications for Cretaceous geotectonic evolution of the Abukuma Belt

Plutonic rocks in the southern Abukuma Mountains include gabbro and diorite, fine‐grained diorite, hornblende–biotite granodiorite (Ishikawa, Samegawa, main part of Miyamoto and Tabito, Kamikimita and Irishiken Plutons), biotite granodiorite (the main part of Hanawa Pluton and the Torisone Pluton), medium‐ to coarse‐grained biotite granodiorite and leucogranite, based on the lithologies and geological relations. Zircon U–Pb ages of gabbroic rocks are 112.4 ±1.0 Ma (hornblende gabbro, Miyamoto Pluton), 109.0 ±1.1 Ma (hornblende gabbro, the Hanawa Pluton), 102.7 ±0.8 Ma (gabbronorite, Tabito Pluton) and 101.0 ±0.6 Ma (fine‐grained diorite). As for the hornblende–biotite granodiorite, zircon U–Pb ages are 104.2 ±0.7 Ma (Ishikawa Pluton), 112.6 ±1.0 Ma (Tabito Pluton), 105.2 ±0.8 Ma (Kamikimita Pluton) and 105.3±0.8 Ma (Irishiken Pluton). Also for the medium‐ to fine‐grained biotite granodiorite, zircon U–Pb ages are 106.5±0.9 Ma (Miyamoto Pluton), 105.1 ±1.0 Ma (Hanawa Pluton) and the medium‐ to coarse‐grained biotite granodiorite has zircon U–Pb age of 104.5 ±0.8 Ma. In the case of the leucogranite, U–Pb age of zircon is 100.6 ±0.9 Ma. These data indicate that the intrusion ages of gabbroic rocks and surrounding granitic rocks ranges from 113 to 101 Ma. Furthermore, K–Ar ages of biotite and or hornblende in the same rock samples were dated. Accordingly, it is clear that these rocks cooled down rapidly to 300 °C (Ar blocking temperature of biotite for K–Ar system) after their intrusion. These chronological data suggest that the Abukuma plutonic rocks in the southern Abukuma Mountains region uplifted rapidly around 107 to 100 Ma after their intrusion.     

郯庐断裂带北段的形成时间及其动力学特征(英文)

郯庐断裂带在中国东北地区延伸，切过辽河盆地东部坳陷后分为依兰－伊通、密山－敦化和四平－长春三条断裂。在依兰－伊通断裂带内利用４０Ａｒ／３９Ａｒ法测得断层岩（云母石英片岩）中黑云母单矿物的年龄为（１００±２．３）Ｍａ。同时测得断裂带内辉绿岩的Ｒｂ－Ｓｒ全岩等时线年龄（１００±５．９）Ｍａ，辉石的４０Ａｒ／３９Ａｒ坪年龄为１０５Ｍａ。从依兰－伊通断裂错开中生代花岗岩体、古生界地层、白垩系泉头组的露头对比，以及断裂带内应变测量等获得区内断层的走滑距离为４ｋｍ左右。断层切过下白垩统泉头组（１２２Ｍａ，Ｋ－Ａｒ法）并被上白垩统嫩江组所覆盖。这段走滑断层的活动对邻近盆地产生了影响，造成盆地中的反转构造。该走滑断层是在中国东部地区逆时针方向的旋转运动基础上形成的，并与俯冲的西太平洋板块及其引起的上地幔物质运动有关     

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb geochronology of early Mesozoic felsic igneous rocks from the southern Lancangjiang and its tectonic implications

The SHRIMP zircon U-Pb geochronology of three typical samples, including two monzo nitic granites from the Lincang batholith and a rhyolite from the Manghuai Formation are presented in the southern Lancangjiang, western Yunnan Province. The analyses of zircons for the biotite monzonitic granites from the northern (02DX-137) and southern (20JH-10) Lincang batholith show the single and tight clusters on the concordia, and yield the weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages of 229.4 ± 3.0 Ma and 230.4 ± 3.6 Ma, respectively, representing the crystallized ages of these granites. The zircons for the rhyolitic sample (02DX-95) from the Manghuai Formation give a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 231.0 ± 5.0 Ma. These data suggest that the igneous rocks from the Lincang granitic batholith and Manghuai Formation have a similar crystallized age. In combination with other data, it is inferred that both were generated at a narrow age span (~230 Ma) and were originated from the postcollisional tectonic regime. An early Proterozoic 206Pb/238U apparent age of 1977±44 Ma is additionally obtained from one zircon from the biotite monzonitic granite (southern Lincang batholith), indicative of devel- opment of the early Proterozoic Yangtze basement in the region. These precisely geochronological data provide important constraints on better understanding the Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the Tethys, western Yunnan Province.     

LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating from granitoids in southern basement of Songliao basin:Constraints on ages of the basin basement

Seven LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb datings from granitoids in the southern basement of the Songliao basin were done in order to constrain the ages of the basin basement. The cathodoluminescence (CL) images of the zircons from seven granitoids indicate that they are euhedral-subhedral ones with striped ab-sorption and obvious oscillatory zoning rims. The dating results show that a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age is 236±3 Ma for quartz diorite (sample No.T6-1) located in the western slope of the basin,that weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages are 319±1 Ma (2126 m) and 361±2 Ma (1994 m) for diorite (sample No.YC1-1) and granite (sample No.YC1-2) located in northern part of southeastern uplift of the basin,respectively,and that weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages are 161±5 Ma,165±2 Ma,165±1 Ma and 161±4 Ma for samples Q2-1,SN121,SN122,and SN72 granitoids located in southern part of southeastern uplift of the basin,respectively. The statistical results of ages suggest that the middle Jurassic granitoids con-stitute the main part of basement granitoids,and that the Hercynian and Indo-Sino magmatisms also occur in the basin basement. It is implied that the Songliao basin should be a rift one formed in the intracontinent or active continental margin settings in the late Mesozoic after the Middle Jurassic orogeny took place.     

Structure of Sumatra and its implications for the tectonic assembly of Southeast Asia and the destruction of Paleotethys

It is now generally accepted that Southeast Asia is composed of continental blocks which separated from Gondwana with the formation of oceanic crust during the Paleozoic, and were accreted to Asia in the Late Paleozoic or Early Mesozoic, with the subduction of the intervening oceanic crust. From east to west the Malay peninsula and Sumatra are composed of three continental blocks: East Malaya with a Cathaysian Permian flora and fauna; Sibumasu, including the western part of the Malay peninsula and East Sumatra, with Late Carboniferous–Early Permian 'pebbly mudstones' interpreted as glaciogenic diamictites; and West Sumatra, again with Cathaysian fauna and flora. A further unit, the Woyla nappe, is interpreted as an intraoceanic arc thrust over the West Sumatra block in the mid Cretaceous. There are varied opinions concerning the age of collision of Sibumasu with East Malaya and the destruction of Paleotethys. In Thailand, radiolarites have been used as evidence that Paleotethys survived until after the Middle Triassic. In the Malay peninsula, structural evidence and the ages of granitic intrusions are used to support a Middle Permian to Early Triassic age for the destruction of Paleotethys. It is suggested that the West Sumatra block was derived from Cathaysia and emplaced against the western margin of Sibumasu by dextral transcurrent faulting along a zone of high deformation, the Medial Sumatra Tectonic Zone. These structural units can be traced northwards in Southeast Asia. The East Malaya block is considered to be part of the Indochina block, Sibumasu can be traced through Thailand into southern China, the Medial Sumatra Tectonic Zone is correlated with the Mogok Belt of Myanmar, the West Burma block is the extension of the West Sumatra block, from which it was separated by the formation of the Andaman Sea in the Miocene, and the Woyla nappe is correlated with the Mawgyi nappe of Myanmar.     

SHRIMP ziron U-Pb geochronology of early Mesozoic felsic igneous rocks from the southern Lancangjiang and its tectonic implications

The SHRIMP zircon U-Pb geochronology of three typical samples, including two monzonitic granites from the Lincang batholith and a rhyolite from the Manghuai Formation are presented in the southern Lancangjiang, western Yunnan Province. The analyses of zircons for the biotite monzonitic granites from the northern (02DX-137) and southern (20JH-10) Lincang batholith show the single and tight clusters on the concordia, and yield the weighted mean ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of 229.4 ± 3.0 Ma and 230.4 ± 3.6 Ma, respectively, representing the crystallized ages of these granites. The zircons for the rhyolitic sample (02DX-95) from the Manghuai Formation give a weighted mean ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 231.0 ± 5.0 Ma. These data suggest that the igneous rocks from the Lincang granitic batholith and Manghuai Formation have a similar crystallized age. In combination with other data, it is inferred that both were generated at a narrow age span (∼230 Ma) and were originated from the postcollisional tectonic regime. An early Proterozoic ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U apparent age of 1977±44 Ma is additionally obtained from one zircon from the biotite monzonitic granite (southern Lincang batholith), indicative of development of the early Proterozoic Yangtze basement in the region. These precisely geochronological data provide important constraints on better understanding the Paleozoic tectonic evolution of the Tethys, western Yunnan Province.     

Paleomagnetism, geochronology, and magnetic mineralogy of Devonian dikes from the Kola alkaline province (NE Fennoscandian Shield)

The new paleomagnetic data on forty dikes and two intrusive plutons of Devonian age located in different parts of the Kola Peninsula, which have not been previously covered by systematic paleomagnetic studies, are reported. We describe the results of the rock magnetic, petrographic, and microprobe investigations of the Devonian dikes and present their isotopic ages (⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar, stepwise heating). Within the studied area, almost all the Devonian dikes, metamorphic Archaean-Proterozoic complexes of the Fennoscandian Shield, and Proterozoic dikes have undergone low-temperature hydrothermal-metasomatic alteration, which resulted in the formation of new magnetic minerals with a secondary (chemical) component of magnetization. The comparison of the paleomagnetic poles indicates the Early Jurassic age of the secondary component. We suggest that regional remagnetization event was caused by endogenic activity genetically related to the formation of the Barents Sea trap province 200–170 Ma ago. On the basis of the obtained data, the preliminary Devonian paleomagnetic pole of the East European Platform is determined.     

Dating of altered mafic intrusions by applying a zircon fission track thermochronometer to baked country rock,and implications for the timing of volcanic activity during the opening of the Japan Sea

Once a mafic intrusive rock has become altered, it is generally difficult to obtain a reliable intrusion age using conventional isotopic dating methods. To overcome this problem, this study used zircon fission track (ZFT) thermochronometry to determine the timing of crystallization of altered mafic intrusions. ZFT dating was carried out on samples of baked granite country rock adjacent to dolerite dikes (5–10 m thick) in the Takato area of central Japan. Three granite samples collected within 8 mm of a dike contact yielded consistent ZFT ages of 17–16 Ma, with confined track lengths indicative of the complete annealing of pre‐existing tracks by reheating due to dike intrusion. An older ZFT age was obtained for one granite sample collected within 20 mm of the contact, but confined track length measurements indicate that this is an incompletely reset age that lies between the ZFT age of the unbaked granitic country rocks (ca. 55 Ma) and the emplacement age of the dike. Petrographic examinations suggest that post‐intrusion hydrothermal activity did not influence the ZFT ages. We conclude that the 17–16 Ma ZFT age represents the emplacement age of the dikes. Our results show that ZFT dating of baked country rock is an effective tool for dating altered mafic intrusions, for which other dating techniques are not applicable. In the eastern part of Southwest Japan, dispersed volcanic activity occurred in the late Early to early Middle Miocene (18–15 Ma), and the volcanic belt extended into the forearc. This pulse of activity was possibly related to the injection of asthenospheric material into the trench‐side mantle wedge beneath the Japan arc. We also present young apatite fission track ages (ca. 4 Ma) that may reflect a Middle Miocene or later thermal event associated with local magmatic activity near the Takato area.