U‐Th Zircon Dating by Laser Ablation Single Collector Inductively Coupled Plasma‐Mass Spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS)

Zircon crystals in the age range of ca. 10–300 ka can be dated by ²³⁰Th/²³⁸U (U‐Th) disequilibrium methods because of the strong fractionation between Th and U during crystallisation of zircon from melts. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) analysis of nine commonly used reference zircons (at secular equilibrium) and a synthetic zircon indicates that corrections for abundance sensitivity and dizirconium trioxide molecular ions (Zr₂O₃⁺) are critical for reliable determination of ²³⁰Th abundances in zircon. When corrected for abundance sensitivity and interferences, mean activity ratios of (²³⁰Th)/(²³⁸U) for nine reference zircons analysed on five different days averaged 0.995 ± 0.023 (95% confidence weighted by data‐point uncertainty only, MSWD = 1.6; n = 9), consistent with their U‐Pb ages > 4 Ma that imply equilibrium for all intermediate daughter isotopes (including ²³⁰Th) within the ²³⁸U decay chain. U‐Th zircon ages generated by LA‐ICP‐MS without mitigating (e.g., by high mass resolution) or correcting for abundance sensitivity and molecular interferences on ²³⁰Th are potentially unreliable. To validate the applicability of LA‐ICP‐MS to this dating method, we acquired data from three late Quaternary volcanic units: the 41 ka Campanian Ignimbrite (plutonic clasts), the 161 ka Kos Plateau Tuff (juvenile clasts) and the 12 ka Puy de Dôme trachyte lava (all eruption ages by Ar/Ar, with zircon U‐Th ages being of equal or slightly older). A comparison of the corrected LA‐ICP‐MS results with previously published secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) data for these rocks shows comparable ages with equivalent precision for LA‐ICP‐MS and SIMS, but much shorter analysis durations (~ 2 min vs. ~ 15 min) per spot with LA‐ICP‐MS and much simpler sample preparation. Previously undated zircons from the Yali eruption (Kos‐Nisyros volcanic centre, Greece) were analysed using this method. This yielded a large age spread (~ 45 to > 300 ka), suggesting significant antecryst recycling. The youngest zircon age (~ 45 ± 10 ka) provides a reasonable maximum estimate for the eruption age, in agreement with the previously published age using oxygen isotope stratigraphy (~ 31 ka).     

Uranium-series chronology for sediments of Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia, and the 1-Ma records of uranium and thorium isotopes from the HDP-04 drill core

Uranium and thorium isotopes in an 81-m long sediment core (HDP-04) of Lake Hovsgol, Mongolia, were measured to investigate their downcore distributions and to explore potential linkage to paleoenvironmental changes. Three-dimensional isochron techniques using isotope-ratio diagrams in ²³⁸U–²³⁴U–²³⁰Th–²³²Th system presented by Ludwig and Titterington were applied to age date the lake sediments at the depths of 11.42, 14.71 and 14.83 m in the HDP-04 section, the estimated ages of these horizons are 66 ± 8, 122 ± 11 and 128 ± 22 ka, respectively. The ²³⁸U concentration throughout the entire section fluctuated by a factor of 12, ranging from 19.9 to 232.1 mBq/g with anomalously high ²³⁸U peak at 23.8 m in depth, while the ²³²Th concentration varied only by a factor of about two between 24.3 and 54.0 mBq/g. The discrimination of the bulk ²³⁸U into authigenic and terrigenous ²³⁸U fractions was attempted, based on the measured ²³²Th as a correction index for terrigenous materials. In the upper 24 m corresponding to the last 250 ka, the authigenic ²³⁸U was higher in interglacials and lower in glacials. This depth profile of authigenic ²³⁸U contents was almost identical pattern with that found in a sediment core (VER98-1-6) from the Academician Ridge, Lake Baikal. Further, this profile can be correlated well with that of photosynthetic pigment contents, one of proxies of paleoproductivity, suggesting that the variation of authigenic ²³⁸U contents were associated with the environmental change around Lake Hovsgol.     

Formation of the Upper Pleistocene terraces of Lake Van (Turkey)

Sedimentological and geomorphological studies of terraces around Lake Van (1647 m) provided a preliminary framework for lake‐level variations. The elevations of terraces and past lake level were measured with a differential global positioning system. A chronology is developed using ²³⁴U/²³⁰Th dating of travertines, ³⁹Ar/⁴⁰Ar dating of pyroclastites and ¹⁴C dating of organic matter. Facies and stratigraphic correlations identify four transgressions (C1′, C1″, C2′ and C2″), each followed by a regression which ended with low lake levels that caused river incision and terrace formation. Evidence of the oldest transgression (C1′) is found in the uppermost reaches of valleys up to 1755 m, an altitude higher than the present lake threshold (1736 m). This C1′ transgression may be related to pyroclastic flows which dammed an outlet located in the western part of the lake basin and which is dated to before 105 ka. After 100 ka, a second transgression (C1″) reached 1730/1735 m, possibly related to a younger ignimbrite flow, in association with high water inflow (warm and/or wetter conditions). The two younger transgressions reached 1700–1705 m. The first one (C2′) is dated to 26–24.5 cal. ka BP and the second one (C2″) to 21–20 cal. ka BP. Available data suggest that the long‐term lake‐level changes responded mainly to climate oscillations. Additional events such as river captures caused by volcanic falls filling valleys, tectonism, erosion and karstic diversion may have impacted these long‐term lake‐level changes. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Extensional Late Paleozoic deformation on the western margin of Pangea, Patlanoaya area, Acatlán Complex, southern Mexico

New mapping in the northern part of the Paleozoic Acatlán Complex (Patlanoaya area) records several ductile shear zones and brittle faults with normal kinematics (previously thought to be thrusts). These movement zones separate a variety of units that pass structurally upwards from: (i) blueschist-eclogitic metamorphic rocks (Piaxtla Suite) and mylonitic megacrystic granites (Columpio del Diablo granite ≡ Ordovician granites elsewhere in the complex); (ii) a gently E-dipping, listric, normal shear zone with top to the east kinematic indicators that formed under upper greenschist to lower amphibolite conditions; (iii) the Middle–Late Ordovician Las Minas quartzite (upper greenschist facies psammites with minor interbedded pelites intruded by mafic dikes and a leucogranite dike from the Columpio del Diablo granite) unconformably overlain by the Otate meta-arenite (lower greenschist facies psammites and pelites): roughly temporal equivalents are the Middle–Late Ordovician Mal Paso and Ojo de Agua units (interbedded metasandstone and slate, and metapelite and mafic minor intrusions, respectively) — some of these units are intruded by the massive, 461 ± 2 Ma, Palo Liso megacrystic granite: decussate, contact metamorphic muscovite yielded a ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau age of 440 ± 4 Ma; (iv) a steeply-moderately, E-dipping normal fault; (v) latest Devonian–Middle Permian sedimentary rocks (Patlanoaya Group: here elevated from formation status). The upward decrease in metamorphic grade is paralleled by a decrease in the number of penetrative fabrics, which varies from (i) three in the Piaxtla Suite, through (ii) two in the Las Minas unit (E-trending sheath folds deformed by NE-trending, subhorizontal folds with top to the southeast asymmetry, both associated with a solution cleavage), (iii) one in the Otate, Mal Paso, and Ojo de Agua units (steeply SE-dipping, NE–SW plunging, open-close folds), to (iv) none in the Patlanoaya Group. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar analyses of muscovite from the earliest cleavage in the Las Minas unit yielded a plateau age of 347 ± 3 Ma and show low temperature ages of  260 Ma. Post-dating all of these structures and the Patlanoaya Group are NE-plunging, subvertical folds and kink bands. An E–W, vertical normal fault juxtaposes the low-grade rocks against the Anacahuite amphibolite that is cut by megacrystic granite sheets, both of which were deformed by two penetrative fabrics. Amphibole from this unit has yielded a ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar plateau age of 299 ± 6 Ma, which records cooling through  490 °C and is probably related to a Permo-Carboniferous reheating event during exhumation. The extensional deformation is inferred to have started in the latest Devonian ( 360 Ma) during deposition of the basal Patlanoaya Group, lasting through the rapid exhumation of the Piaxtla Suite at  350–340 Ma synchronous with cleavage development in the Las Minas unit, deposition of the Patlanoaya Group with active fault-related exhumation suggested by Mississippian and Early Permian conglomerates ( 340 and 300 Ma, respectively), and continuing at least into the Middle Permian (≡ 260 Ma muscovite ages). The continuity of Mid-Continent Mississippian fauna from the USA to southern Mexico suggests that this extensional deformation occurred on the western margin of Pangea after closure of the Rheic Ocean.     

Eclogite and pyroxenite xenoliths from off-craton kimberlites near the Kaapvaal Craton, South Africa

Mantle xenoliths brought to the surface by kimberlite magmas along the south-western margin of the Kaapvaal craton in South Africa can be subdivided into eclogites sensu stricto, kyanite eclogites and orthopyroxene eclogites, all containing omphacite, and garnet clinopyroxenites and garnet websterites characterised by diopside. Texturally, chemically (major elements) and thermally, we observe an evolution from garnet websterites (T_EG = 742–781 °C) towards garnet clinopyroxenites (T_EG = 715–830 °C) and to eclogites (T_EG = 707–1056 °C, mean value of 913 °C). Pressures calculated for orthopyroxene-bearing samples suggest upper mantle conditions of equilibration (P = 16–33 kb for the garnet websterites, 18 kb for a garnet clinopyroxenite and 23 kb for an opx-bearing eclogite). The overall geochemical similarity between the two groups of xenoliths (omphacite-bearing and diopside-bearing) as well as the similar trace element patterns of clinopyroxenes and garnet suggest a common origin for these rocks. Recently acquired oxygen isotope data on garnet (δ¹⁸O_gnt = 5.25–6.78 ‰ for eclogites, δ¹⁸O_gnt = 5.24–7.03 ‰ for garnet clinopyroxenites) yield values ranging from typical mantle values to other interpreted as resulting from low-temperature alteration or precursors sea-floor basalts and associated rocks. These rocks could then represent former magmatic oceanic rocks that crystallised from a same parental magma as plagioclase free diopside-bearing and plagioclase-bearing crustal rocks. During subduction, these oceanic rock protoliths equilibrated at mantle depth, with the plagioclase-bearing rocks converting to omphacite and garnet-bearing lithologies (eclogites sensu largo), whereas the plagioclase-free diopside-bearing rocks converted to diopside and garnet-bearing lithologies (garnet websterites and garnet clinopyroxenites).     

The Late Triassic Central Patagonian Batholith: Magma hybridization, 40Ar/39Ar ages and thermobarometry

The Late Triassic Central Patagonian Batholith is a key element in paleogeographic models of West Gondwana just before to the break-up of the supercontinent. The preexisting classification of units of this batholith was mainly based on isotopic and geochemical data. Here we report the results of field mapping and petrography, backed up by three new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar biotite ages, which reveal previously unnoticed relationships of the rocks in the batholith. Based on the new information we present a reorganization of units where the batholith is primarily formed by the Gastre and the Lipetrén superunits. The Gastre Superunit is the oldest magmatic suite and is composed of I-type granites which display evidence of felsic and mafic magma interaction. It is formed by 4 second-order units: 1) equigranular hornblende–biotite granodiorites, 2) porphyritic biotite–hornblende monzogranites, 3) equigranular biotitic monzogranites and 4) hornblende quartz-diorites. Emplacement depth of the Gastre Superunit is bracketed between 6 and 11 km (1.8–3 kbar), and the maximum recorded temperatures of emplacement are comprised between 660 and 800 °C. The recalculated Rb/Sr age is 222 ± 3 Ma and the porphyritic biotite–hornblende monzogranites yielded a ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age in biotite of 213 ± 5 Ma. On the other hand, the Lipetrén Superunit is made up by fine-grained biotitic monzo- and syenogranites that postdate magma hybridization processes and intrude all the other units. The recalculated Rb/Sr age for this suite is identical to a ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age in biotite extracted from one of its monzogranites (206.4 ± 5.3 and 206 ± 4 Ma, respectively). This and the observed textural features suggest very fast cooling related to a subvolcanic emplacement. An independent unit, the “Horqueta Granodiorite”, which has previously been considered as the record of a Jurassic intrusive stage in the Central Patagonian Batholith, gave a ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age in biotite of 214 ± 2 Ma. This and the reexamination of available isotopic data allow propose that this granodiorite unit is part of the Late Paleozoic intrusives in the region. The Late Triassic Central Patagonian Batholith is overlain by 190–185 Ma volcano-sedimentary rocks, suggesting that it was exposed sometime between the latest Triassic and earliest Jurassic times, roughly coeval with a major accretionary episode in the southwestern margin of Gondwana.     

Glacial and environmental changes over the last 60 000 years in the Polar Ural Mountains,Arctic Russia,inferred from a high‐resolution lake record and other observations from adjacent areas

Our knowledge about the glaciation history in the Russian Arctic has to a large extent been based on geomorphological mapping supplemented by studies of short stratigraphical sequences found in exposed sections. Here we present new geochronological data from the Polar Ural Mountains along with a high‐resolution sediment record from Bolshoye Shchuchye, the largest and deepest lake in the mountain range. Seismic profiles show that the lake contains a 160‐m‐thick sequence of unconsolidated lacustrine sediments. A well‐dated 24‐m‐long core from the southern end of the lake spans the last 24 cal. ka. From downward extrapolation of sedimentation rates we estimate that sedimentation started about 50–60 ka ago, most likely just after a large glacier had eroded older sediments from the basin. Terrestrial cosmogenic nuclide (TCN) exposure dating (¹⁰Be) of boulders and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating of sediments indicate that this part of the Ural Mountains was last covered by a coherent ice‐field complex during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4. A regrowth of the glaciers took place during a late stage of MIS 3, but the central valleys remained ice free until the present. The presence of small‐ and medium‐sized glaciers during MIS 2 is reflected by a sequence of glacial varves and a high sedimentation rate in the lake basin and likewise from ¹⁰Be dating of glacial boulders. The maximum extent of the mountain glaciers during MIS 2 was attained prior to 24 cal. ka BP. Some small present‐day glaciers, which are now disappearing completely due to climate warming, were only slightly larger during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) as compared to AD 1953. A marked decrease in sedimentation rate around 18–17 cal. ka BP indicates that the glaciers then became smaller and probably disappeared altogether around 15–14 cal. ka BP.     

Petrogenesis of basalt–trachyte lavas from Olmoti Crater, Tanzania

Olmoti Crater is part of the Plio-Pleistocene Ngorongoro Volcanic Highland (NVH) in northern Tanzania to the south of Gregory Rift. The Gregory Rift is part of the eastern branch of the East African Rift System (EARS) that stretches some 4000 km from the Read Sea and Gulf of Aden in the north to the Zambezi River in Mozambique. Here, we (1) characterize the chemistry and mineral compositions of lavas from Olmoti Crater, (2) determine the age and duration of Olmoti volcanic activity through ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of Olmoti Crater wall lavas and (3) determine the genesis of Olmoti lavas and the relationship to other NVH and EARS volcanics and (4) their correlation with volcanics in the Olduvai and Laetoli stratigraphic sequences.Olmoti lavas collected from the lower part of the exposed crater wall section (OLS) range from basalt to trachyandesite whereas the upper part of the section (OUS) is trachytic. Petrography and major and trace element data reflect a very low degree partial melt origin for the Olmoti lavas, presumably of peridotite, followed by extensive fractionation. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr data overlap whereas Nd and Pb isotope data are distinct between OLS and OUS samples. Interpretation of the isotope data suggests mixing of enriched mantle (EM I) with high-μ-like reservoirs, consistent with the model of Bell and Blenkinsop [Bell, K., Blenkinsop, J., 1987. Nd and Sr isotopic compositions of East African carbonatites: implications for mantle heterogeneity. Geology 5, 99–102] for East African carbonatite lavas. The isotope ratios are within the range of values defined by Oceanic Island Basalt (OIB) globally and moderate normalized Tb/Yb ratios (2.3–1.6) in these lavas suggest melting in the lithospheric mantle consistent with other studies in the region.⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar incremental-heating analyses of matrix and anorthoclase separates from Olmoti OLS and OUS lavas indicate that volcanic activity was short in duration, lasting 200 kyr from 2.01 ± 0.03 Ma to 1.80 ± 0.01 Ma. The age of Olmoti activity overlaps with ages reported for Ngorongoro Caldera, implying contemporaneous activity of multiple NVH volcanic centers during part of the eruption interval.Olmoti is considered the source for the bulk of interbedded volcanics and volcaniclastic deposits that comprise much of the upper Bed I section of nearby Olduvai Gorge, and part of the Laetoli sequence, both known for their well preserved fossils and archaeological remains. Age and chemical data reported here are compatible with those derived from tephra and lava interbedded in Bed I at Olduvai Gorge and from the Olpiro Beds at Laetoli.     

Structural and geochronological constraints on the tectonic evolution of the Dulong-Song Chay tectonic dome in Yunnan province, SW China

The Dulong-Song Chay tectonic dome lies on the border of China (SE Yunnan Province) and northern Vietnam, and consists of two tectonic and lithologic units: a core complex and a cover sequence, separated by an extensional detachment fault. These two units are overlain unconformably by Late Triassic strata. The core complex is composed of gneiss, schist and amphibolite. SHRIMP zircon U–Pb dating results for the orthogneiss yield an age of 799±10 Ma, which is considered to be the crystallization age of its igneous protolith formed in an arc-related environment. A granitic intrusion within the core complex occurred with an age of 436–402 Ma, which probably formed during partial closure of Paleotethys. Within the core complex, metamorphic grades change sharply from upper greenschist-low amphibolite facies in the core to low greenschist facies in the cover sequence. There are two arrays of foliation within the core complex, detachment fault and the cover sequence: S₁ and S₂. The pervasive S₁ is the axial plane of intrafolial S₀ folds. D₁ deformation related to this foliation is characterized by extensional structures. The strata were structurally thinned or selectively removed along the detachment faults, indicating exhumation of the Dulong-Song Chay tectonic dome. The major extension occurred at 237 Ma, determined by SHRIMP zircon U–Pb and ³⁹Ar/⁴⁰Ar isotopic dating techniques. Regionally, simultaneous tectonic extension was associated with pre-Indosinian collision between the South China and Indochina Blocks. The S₂ foliation appears as the axial plane of NW-striking S₁ buckling folds formed during a compressional regime of D₂. D₂ is associated with collision between the South China and Indochina Blocks along the Jinshajiang-Ailao Shan suture zone, and represents the Indosinian deformation. The Dulong granites intruded the Dulong-Song Chay dome at 144±2, 140±2 and 116±10 Ma based on ³⁹Ar/⁴⁰Ar measurement on muscovite and biotite. The dome was later overprinted by a conjugate strike-slip fault and related thrust fault, which formed a vortex structure, contemporaneously with late Cenozoic sinistral movement on the Ailao Shan-Red River fault.     

Climatic and environmental changes in the Yana Highlands of north-eastern Siberia over the last c. 57 000 years,derived from a sediment core from Lake Emanda

The sediment succession of Lake Emanda in the Yana Highlands was investigated to reconstruct the regional late Quaternary climate and environmental history. Hydro-acoustic data obtained during a field campaign in 2017 show laminated sediments in the north-western and deepest (up to ̃15 m) part of the lake, where a ̃6-m-long sediment core (Co1412) was retrieved. The sediment core was studied with a multi-proxy approach including sedimentological and geochemical analyses. The chronology of Co1412 is based on ¹⁴C AMS dating on plant fragments from the upper 4.65 m and by extrapolation suggests a basal age of c. 57 cal. ka BP. Pronounced changes in the proxy data indicate that early Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 was characterized by unstable environmental conditions associated with short-term temperature and/or precipitation variations. This interval was followed by progressively colder and likely drier conditions during mid-MIS 3. A lake-level decline between 32.0 and 19.1 cal. ka BP was presumably related to increased continentality and dry conditions peaking during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). A subsequent rise in lake level could accordingly have been the result of increased rainfall, probably in combination with seasonally high meltwater input. A milder or wetter Lateglacial climate increased lake productivity and vegetation growth, the latter stabilizing the catchment and reducing clastic input into the lake. The Bølling-Allerød warming, Younger Dryas cooling and Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM) are indicated by distinct changes in the environment around Lake Emanda. Unstable, but similar-to-present-day climatic and environmental conditions have persisted since c. 5 cal. ka BP. The results emphasize the highly continental setting of the study site and therefore suggest that the climate at Lake Emanda was predominantly controlled by changes in summer insolation, global sea level, and the extent of ice sheets over Eurasia, which influenced atmospheric circulation patterns.     

Sedimentary evolution and environmental history of Lake Van (Turkey) over the past 600 000 years

The lithostratigraphic framework of Lake Van, eastern Turkey, has been systematically analysed to document the sedimentary evolution and the environmental history of the lake during the past ca 600 000 years. The lithostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy of a 219 m long drill core from Lake Van serve to separate global climate oscillations from local factors caused by tectonic and volcanic activity. An age model was established based on the climatostratigraphic alignment of chemical and lithological signatures, validated by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages. The drilled sequence consists of ca 76% lacustrine carbonaceous clayey silt, ca 2% fluvial deposits, ca 17% volcaniclastic deposits and 5% gaps. Six lacustrine lithotypes were separated from the fluvial and event deposits, such as volcaniclastics (ca 300 layers) and graded beds (ca 375 layers), and their depositional environments are documented. These lithotypes are: (i) graded beds frequently intercalated with varved clayey silts reflecting rising lake levels during the terminations; (ii) varved clayey silts reflecting strong seasonality and an intralake oxic–anoxic boundary, for example, lake‐level highstands during interglacials/interstadials; (iii) CaCO₃‐rich banded sediments which are representative of a lowering of the oxic–anoxic boundary, for example, lake level decreases during glacial inceptions; (iv) CaCO₃‐poor banded and mottled clayey silts reflecting an oxic–anoxic boundary close to the sediment–water interface, for example, lake‐level lowstands during glacials/stadials; (v) diatomaceous muds were deposited during the early beginning of the lake as a fresh water system; and (vi) fluvial sands and gravels indicating the initial flooding of the lake basin. The recurrence of lithologies (i) to (iv) follows the past five glacial/interglacial cycles. A 20 m thick disturbed unit reflects an interval of major tectonic activity in Lake Van at ca 414 ka bp . Although local environmental processes such as tectonic and volcanic activity influenced sedimentation, the lithostratigraphic pattern and organic matter content clearly reflect past global climate changes, making Lake Van an outstanding terrestrial archive of unprecedented sensitivity for the reconstruction of the regional climate over the last 600 000 years.     

Latest Pleistocene and Holocene glacier variations in the European Alps

In the Alps, climatic conditions reflected in glacier and rock glacier activity in the earliest Holocene show a strong affinity to conditions in the latest Pleistocene (Younger Dryas). Glacier advances in the Alps related to Younger Dryas cooling led to the deposition of Egesen stadial moraines. Egesen stadial moraines can be divided into three or in some cases even more phases (sub-stadials). Moraines of the earliest and most extended advance, the Egesen maximum, stabilized at 12.2 ± 1.0 ka based on ¹⁰Be exposure dating at the Schönferwall (Tyrol, Austria) and the Julier Pass-outer moraine (Switzerland). Final stabilization of moraines at the end of the Egesen stadial was at 11.3 ± 0.9 ka as shown by ¹⁰Be data from four sites across the Alps. From west to east the sites are Piano del Praiet (northwestern Italy), Grosser Aletschgletscher (central Switzerland), Julier Pass-inner moraine (eastern Switzerland), and Val Viola (northeastern Italy). There is excellent agreement of the ¹⁰Be ages from the four sites. In the earliest Holocene, glaciers in the northernmost mountain ranges advanced at around 10.8 ± 1.1 ka as shown by ¹⁰Be data from the Kartell site (northern Tyrol, Austria). In more sheltered, drier regions rock glacier activity dominated as shown, for example, at Julier Pass and Larstig valley (Tyrol, Austria). New ¹⁰Be dates presented here for two rock glaciers in Larstig valley indicate final stabilization no later than 10.5 ± 0.8 ka. Based on this data, we conclude the earliest Holocene (between 11.6 and about 10.5 ka) was still strongly affected by the cold climatic conditions of the Younger Dryas and the Preboreal oscillation, with the intervening warming phase having had the effect of rapid downwasting of Egesen glaciers. At or slightly before 10.5 ka rapid shrinkage of glaciers to a size smaller than their late 20th century size reflects markedly warmer and possibly also drier climate. Between about 10.5 ka and 3.3 ka conditions in the Alps were not conducive to significant glacier expansion except possibly during rare brief intervals. Past tree-line data from Kaunertal (Tyrol, Austria) in concert with radiocarbon and dendrochronologically dated wood fragments found recently in the glacier forefields in both the Swiss and Austrian Alps points to long periods during the Holocene when glaciers were smaller than they were during the late 20th century. Equilibrium line altitudes (ELA) were about 200 m higher than they are today and about 300 m higher in comparison to Little Ice Age (LIA) ELAs. The Larstig rock glacier site we dated with ¹⁰Be is the type area for a postulated mid-Holocene cold period called the Larstig oscillation (presumed age about 7.0 ka). Our data point to final stabilization of those rock glaciers in the earliest Holocene and not in the middle Holocene. The combined data indicate there was no time window in the middle Holocene long enough for rock glaciers of the size and at the elevation of the Larstig site to have formed. During the short infrequent cold oscillations between 10.5 and 3.3 ka small glaciers (less than several km²) may have advanced to close to their LIA dimensions. Overall, the cold periods were just too short for large glaciers to advance. After 3.3 ka, climate conditions became generally colder and warm periods were brief and less frequent. Large glaciers (for example Grosser Aletschgletscher) advanced markedly at 3.0–2.6 ka, around 600 AD and during the LIA. Glaciers in the Alps attained their LIA maximum extents in the 14th, 17th, and 19th centuries, with most reaching their greatest LIA extent in the final 1850/1860 AD advance.     

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.     

A multiple-approach radiometric age estimate for the Rotoiti and Earthquake Flat eruptions,New Zealand,with implications for the MIS 4/3 boundary

Pyroclastic fall deposits of the paired Rotoiti and Earthquake Flat eruptions from the Taupo Volcanic Zone (New Zealand) combine to form a widespread isochronous horizon over much of northern New Zealand and the southwest Pacific. This horizon is important for correlating climatic and environmental changes during the Last Glacial period, but has been the subject of numerous disparate age estimates between 35.1±2.8 and 71±6 ka (all errors are 1 s.d.), obtained by a variety of techniques. A potassium–argon (K–Ar) age of 64±4 ka was previously determined on bracketing lavas at Mayor Island volcano, offshore from the Taupo Volcanic Zone. We present a new, more-precise ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age determination on a lava flow on Mayor Island, that shortly post-dates the Rotoiti/Earthquake Flat fall deposits, of 58.5±1.1 ka. This value, coupled with existing ages from underlying lavas, yield a new estimate for the age of the combined eruptions of 61.0±1.4 ka, which is consistent with U–Th disequilibrium model-age data for zircons from the Rotoiti deposits. Direct ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age determinations of plagioclase and biotite from the Rotoiti and Earthquake Flat eruption products yield variable values between 49.6±2.8 and 125.3±10.0 ka, with the scatter attributed to low radiogenic Ar yields, and/or alteration, and/or inheritance of xenocrystic material with inherited Ar. Rotoiti/Earthquake Flat fall deposits occur in New Zealand in association with palynological indicators of mild climate, attributed to Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 and thus used to suggest an age that is post-59 ka. The natures of the criteria used to define the MIS 4/3 boundary in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, however, imply that the new 61 ka age for the Rotoiti/Earthquake Flat eruption deposits will provide the inverse, namely, a more accurate isochronous marker for correlating diverse changes across the MIS 4/3 boundary in the southwest Pacific.     

Age of the Cutler Dam Alloformation (Late Pleistocene), Bonneville Basin, Utah

Luminescence geochronology, especially infrared stimulated luminescence analyses on marsh mud, shows that a relatively deep lake reached its peak (1340 m above sea level) in the Bonneville basin 59,000±5000 yr ago. The age is consistent with nonfinite ¹⁴C ages and with amino acid geochronology on ostracodes. The Cutler Dam Alloformation was deposited during this lake cycle, which, like the subsequent Bonneville lake cycle, appears to have reached its maximum highstand following the peak of a global glacial stage (marine oxygen-isotope stage 4) but at a time when other records from North America show evidence for cold climate and expanded glacier ice.     

Quechua II contraction in the Ayacucho intermontane basin: Evidence for rapid and episodic Neogene deformation in the Andes of central Perú

In the Ayacucho basin of central Perú the regional Quechua II contractional deformation is bracketed by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar isotopic age determinations to a maximum duration of about 300,000 years, and probably less than 150,000 years, centered on 8.7 Ma. The strongly deformed Huanta Formation beneath the Quechua II angular unconformity was deposited during a period of extension that began before 9.05 ± 0.05 Ma. Deposition of a thick succession of alluvial fan deposits interbedded with flows of basaltic andesite in the Tingrayoc Member continued up to about 8.76 ± 0.05 Ma with the later part of the sedimentary record reflected by lacustrine deposits of the Mayocc Member. The upper limit on contractional deformation is constrained by an age of 8.64 ± 0.05 Ma on a unit of tuff near the base of the Puchcas volcanics, which in places was deposited upon near-vertical beds of the Huanta Formation. The Ayacucho Formation was deposited, locally unconformably, upon the Puchcas volcanics beginning slightly before 7.65 ± 0.10 Ma.Extended periods of neutral to tensional stress interrupted by rapid well-developed pulses of contractional deformation demonstrate the episodic behavior of Andean orogeny in Perú. The very short duration for the Quechua II event implies that driving forces for episodic deformation may be related to coupling along the orogen boundaries and strain accumulation and release mechanisms in the continental crust instead of much longer-term variations in the configuration of converging plates.     

Chronologic implications of new Miocene mammals from the Cura-Mallín and Trapa Trapa formations, Laguna del Laja area, south central Chile

Recent work in the central Andean Main Range of Chile near Laguna del Laja (37.5°S, 71°W) has produced the first mammal fossils for the region. Fossils, locally abundant and well preserved, occur patchily across a wide area southeast of the lake. Mammalian remains are derived from generally strongly folded (kilometer-scale) exposures of the locally 1.8 km thick, early to middle Miocene Cura-Mallín Formation; two identifiable specimens have been recovered from the overlying Trapa Trapa Formation as well. Both formations consist primarily of well-stratified (1–5 m thick layers) volcaniclastic and volcanic strata, deposited predominantly in fluviatile systems. The Cura-Mallín Formation is possibly the southern continuation of (or lateral equivalent to) the richly fossiliferous Abanico Formation mapped between 32°S and 36°S. Intensive sampling in a series of localities east and south of Laguna del Laja has yielded diverse faunas, in addition to radioisotopically dateable horizons. The new fossil mammal faunas represent as many as six South American Land Mammal “Ages” (SALMAs). Fossils, together with preliminary ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar radioisotopic dates, ranging from 9 to 20 Ma across the exposed thickness of the Cura-Mallín Formation and into the overlying Trapa Trapa Formation, provide a robust geochronological framework for middle Cenozoic strata in the Laguna del Laja region. The sequence of directly superposed mammalian assemblages at Laguna del Laja is one of the longest in all of South America, rivaled only by the classic Gran Barranca section of Patagonian Argentina. These data illuminate the geological history of the area and its record of mammalian evolution. The potential to isotopically date these diverse faunas with high precision (error ± 0.5 Ma) presents a rare opportunity to calibrate related portions of the SALMA sequence.     

Multi-technique monitoring of ocean tide loading in northern France

We have organised afield study of ocean tide loading in the northwestern part of France, where tidal amplitudes are known to be among the highest in the world. GPS and gravimetric techniques have already proved their capability to measure such weak and high-frequency signals. In this study, these classical observations are complemented with less usual techniques, such as tiltmeter and Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) measurements. We present here the preliminary results for a common period of observations spanning from 12–19 May 2004. Additional measurements from the French Transportable Laser Ranging Station (FTLRS) were available during September and October 2004. Observation residuals are computed as the difference between the observed and the predicted time signals. We obtain small RMS residuals for GPS measurements (2.5/3.1/4.5 mm for the eastward, northward and upward components), for absolute and relative gravimetry (9 nm/s² and 13 nm/s²) and for tiltmeters (0.05 μrad for EW component). We also fit the amplitude of the main M2 tidal constituent to FTLRS observations and we find a value of 3.731 cm, which is comparable to the theoretical value.     

Structural geology of the Mesozoic Miers Bluff Formation and crosscutting Paleogene dikes (Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica) – Insights into the geodynamic history of the northern Antarctic Peninsula

The Antarctic Peninsula has been part of a magmatic arc since at least Jurassic times. The South Shetland Islands archipelago forms part of this arc, but it was separated from the Peninsula following the Pliocene opening of the Bransfield Strait. Dikes are widespread throughout the archipelago and are particularly accessible on the Hurd Peninsula of Livingston Island. The host rocks for the dikes are represented by the Miers Bluff Formation, which forms the overturned limb of a large-scale fold oriented 63/23 NW. The orientation of minor structures indicates a fold axis oriented NNE–SSW (24/0). Structural analysis of the dikes and their host rocks shows that the tectonic regime was similar to other parts of the archipelago and that only minor changes of the stress field occurred during dike emplacement.Based on crosscutting field relationships and geochemical data, six early Paleocene to late Eocene intrusive events can be distinguished on Hurd Peninsula. In contrast to calc-alkaline dikes from other parts of the South Shetland Islands, the majority of the Hurd Peninsula dikes are of tholeiitic affinity. Nd and Pb isotope data indicate a significant crustal component, particularly during initial magmatic activity.Plagioclase ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and whole rock K–Ar ages show that dike emplacement peaked during the Lutetian (48.3 ± 1.5, 47.4 ± 2.1, 44.5 ± 1.8 and 43.3 ± 1.7 Ma) on Hurd Peninsula and also further northeast on King George Island. Dike intrusion continued on Livingston Island at least until the Priabonian (37.2 ± 0.9 Ma). The type of magma sources (mantle, slab, crust and sediment) did not change, though their relative magmatic contributions varied with time.During Cretaceous and Early Paleogene times, the Antarctic Peninsula including the South Shetland Islands was situated southwest of Patagonia; final separation from South America occurred not before the Eocene. Thus, the geological evolution of Livingston Island is related as much to the development of Patagonia as of Antarctica, and needs to be considered within the history of southernmost South America.     

The luminescence dating chronology of a deep core from Bosten Lake (NW China) in arid central Asia reveals lake evolution over the last 220 ka

The lacustrine deposits of lakes in arid central Asia (ACA) potentially record palaeoclimatic changes on orbital and suborbital time scales, but such changes are still poorly understood due to the lack of reliable chronologies. Bosten Lake, the largest freshwater inland lake in China, is located in the southern Tianshan Mountains in central ACA. A 51.6‐m‐deep lacustrine succession was retrieved from the lake and 30 samples from the succession were used for luminescence dating to establish a chronology based on multi‐grain quartz OSL and K‐feldspar post‐IR IRSL (pIRIR₂₉₀) dating. Quartz OSL ages were only used for samples from the upper part of the core. The K‐feldspar luminescence characteristics (dose recovery test, anomalous fading test, first IR stimulation temperature plateau test) are satisfactory and from the relationship amongst the quartz OSL, IR₅₀ and pIRIR₂₉₀ doses we infer that the feldspar signals are likely to be well bleached at deposition. Bacon age‐depth modelling was used to derive a chronology spanning the last c. 220 ka. The chronology, lithology and grain‐size proxy record indicate that Bosten Lake formed at least c. 220 ka ago and that lake levels fluctuated frequently thereafter. A stable deep lake occurred at c. 220, 210–180, c. 165, 70–60, 40–30 and 20–5 ka, while shallow levels occurred at c. 215, 180–165, 100–70, 60–40 and 30–20 ka. Bosten Lake levels decreased by at least ~29 m and possibly the lake even dried up between c. 160 and c. 100 ka. We suggest that the water‐level fluctuations in the lakes of ACA may not respond directly to climatic changes and may be affected by a number of complex factors.