Early Neoproterozoic events in East Greenland

East Greenland forms one of the least understood of the orogenic belts formed during the amalgamation of Rodinia during late Mesoproterozoic times. Recent U–Pb zircon SHRIMP dating on the widespread Krummedal supracrustal succession and associated granites from central East Greenland has shown that metamorphism and intrusion affected the region at around 0.95–0.92 Ga, approximately 150 m.y. later than the main phase of Grenvillian orogenesis (s.s.). These early Neoproterozoic ages may indicate a link with metamorphism and igneous activity in the Sveconorwegian Belt of Scandinavia rather than true ‘Grenvillian’ events on the eastern margin of Laurentia. Previous plate tectonic reconstructions which link Laurentia and Baltica by a collisional margin extending through central East Greenland at 1.1 Ga were based on early conventional U–Pb zircon dating in central East Greenland, and can no longer be considered viable. Instead, new detrital zircon SHRIMP U–Pb dating studies show that the Krummedal supracrustal succession was deposited between ca. 1.0 Ga and no later than 0.95 Ga, during a time of major sediment deposition widely preserved elsewhere in the North Atlantic region. Erosion associated with post-1.1 Ga collapse of the Grenville–Sunsas orogeny is the most likely source for the majority of the detritus, since the corresponding Baltic margin was dominated by A-type magmatism for much of the period 1.4–1.1 Ga material, which is the age of the bulk of detrital zircons in the Krummedal supracrustal succession. We suggest that the Krummedal supracrustal succession was deposited east or south-east of its present location, and was thrust onto Archaean–Palaeoproterozoic orthogneisses, which in turn were displaced across the parautochthonous foreland during the Caledonian orogeny. The early Neoproterozoic orogenic events recorded in central East Greenland therefore involved the metamorphism of a metasedimentary package of Laurentian–Amazonian affinity during the Sveconorwegian orogeny in the final stages of the collision of Baltica and Laurentia.     

Linking orogenesis across a supercontinent; the Grenvillian and Sveconorwegian margins on Rodinia

The Sveconorwegian orogeny in SW Baltica comprised a series of geographically and tectonically discrete events between 1140 and 920 Ma. Thrusting and high-grade metamorphism at 1140–1080 Ma in central parts of the orogen were followed by arc magmatism and ultra-high-temperature metamorphism at 1060–920 Ma in the westernmost part of the orogen. In the eastern part of the orogen, crustal thickening and high-pressure metamorphism took place at 1050 in one terrane and at 980 Ma in another. These discrete tectonothermal events are incompatible with an evolution resulting from collision with another major, continental landmass, and better explained as accretion and re-amalgamation of fragmented and attenuated crustal blocks of the SW Baltica margin behind an evolving continental-margin arc. In contrast, the coeval, along-strike Grenvillian orogeny is typically ascribed to long-lived collision with Amazonia. Here we argue that coeval, but tectonically different events in the Sveconorwegian and Grenville orogens may be linked through the behavior of the Amazonia plate. Subduction of Amazonian oceanic crust, and consequent slab pull, beneath the Sveconorwegian may have driven long-lived collision in the Grenville. Conversely, the development of a major orogenic plateau in the Grenville may have slowed convergence, thereby affecting the rate of oceanic subduction and thus orogenic evolution in the Sveconorwegian. Convergence ceased in the Grenville at ca. 980 Ma, in contrast to the Sveconorwegian where convergence continued until ca. 920 Ma, and must have been accommodated elsewhere along the Grenville–Amazonia segment of the margin, for example in the Goiás Magmatic Arc which had been established along the eastern Amazonian margin by 930 Ma. Our model shows how contrasting but coeval orogenic behavior can be linked through geodynamic coupling along and across tectonic plates.     

Continental growth and reworking on the edge of the Columbia and Rodinia supercontinents; 1.86–0.9 Ga accretionary orogeny in southwest Fennoscandia

Geological history from the late Palaeoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic is dominated by the formation of the supercontinent Columbia, and its break-up and re-amalgamation into the next supercontinent, Rodinia. On a global scale, major orogenic events have been tied to the formation of either of these supercontinents, and records of extension are commonly linked to break-up events. Presented here is a synopsis of the geological evolution of southwest Fennoscandia during the ca. 1.9–0.9 Ga period. This region records a protracted history of continental growth and reworking in a long-lived accretionary orogen. Three major periods of continental growth are defined by the Transscandinavian Igneous Belt (1.86–1.66 Ga), Gothian (1.66–1.52 Ga), and Telemarkian (1.52–1.48 Ga) domains. The 1.47–1.38 Ga Hallandian–Danopolonian period featured reorganization of the subduction zone and over-riding plates, with limited evidence for continental collision. During the subsequent 1.38–1.15 Ga interval, the region is interpreted as being located inboard of a convergent margin that is not preserved today and hosted magmatism and sedimentation related to inboard extensional events. The 1.15–0.9 Ga period is host to Sveconorwegian orogenesis that marks the end of this long-lived accretionary orogen and features significant crustal deformation, metamorphism, and magmatism. Collision of an indenter, typically Amazonia, is commonly inferred for the cause of widespread Sveconorwegian orogenesis, but this remains inconclusive. An alternative is that orogenesis merely represents subduction, terrane accretion, crustal thickening, and burial and exhumation of continental crust, along an accretionary margin. During the Mesoproterozoic, southwest Fennoscandia was part of a much larger accretionary orogen that grew on the edge of the Columbia supercontinent and included Laurentia and Amazonia amongst other cratons. The chain of convergent margins along the western Pacific is the best analogue for this setting of Proterozoic crustal growth and tectonism.     

The boring billion? – Lid tectonics, continental growth and environmental change associated with the Columbia supercontinent

The evolution of Earth＇s biosphere,atmosphere and hydrosphere is tied to the formation of continental crust and its subsequent movements on tectonic plates.The supercontinent cycle posits that the continental crust is periodically amalgamated into a single landmass,subsequently breaking up and dispersing into various continental fragments.Columbia is possibly the first true supercontinent,it amalgamated during the 2.0-1.7 Ga period,and collisional orogenesis resulting from its formation peaked at 1.95-1.85 Ga.Geological and palaeomagnetic evidence indicate that Columbia remained as a quasi-integral continental lid until at least 1.3 Ga.Numerous break-up attempts are evidenced by dyke swarms with a large temporal and spatial range; however,palaeomagnetic and geologic evidence suggest these attempts remained unsuccessful.Rather than dispersing into continental fragments,the Columbia supercontinent underwent only minor modifications to form the next supercontinent （Rodinia） at 1.1 -0.9 Ga; these included the transformation of external accretionary belts into the internal Grenville and equivalent collisional belts.Although Columbia provides evidence for a form of ‘lid tectonics’,modern style plate tectonics occurred on its periphery in the form of accretionary orogens.The detrital zircon and preserved geological record are compatible with an increase in the volume of continental crust during Columbia＇s lifespan; this is a consequence of the continuous accretionary processes along its margins.The quiescence in plate tectonic movements during Columbia＇s lifespan is correlative with a long period of stability in Earth＇s atmospheric and oceanic chemistry.Increased variability starting at 1.3 Ga in the environmental record coincides with the transformation of Columbia to Rodinia; thus,the link between plate tectonics and environmental change is strengthened with this interpretation of supercontinent history.     

IS THE GRENVILLE PROVINCE AN ANCIENT ANALOGUE OF THE HIMALAYAN BELT?

IS THE GRENVILLE PROVINCE AN ANCIENT ANALOGUE OF THE HIMALAYAN BELT?1　All埁ｇｒｅＣＪ ,2 4others.StructureandevolutionoftheHimalayan Tibetorogenicbelt[J].Nature ,1984,30 7:17～ 2 2 . 2　BurgJP ,DavyP ,MartinodJ .Shorteningofanaloguemodelsofthecontinentallithosphere :Newhypothesisforthefor mationoftheTibetanplateau[J].Tectonics ,1994,13:475～ 483. 3　BurtmanVS ,MolnarP .GeologicalandgeophysicalevidencefordeepsubductionofcontinentalcrustbeneaththePamir[C]…     

Grenvillian remnants in the Northern Andes: Rodinian and Phanerozoic paleogeographic perspectives

Grenvillian crust is encountered in several basement inliers in the northern Andes of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru and is also represented as a major detrital or inherited component within Neoproterozoic to Paleozoic sedimentary and magmatic rocks. This review of the tectonic and geochronological record of the Grenvillian belt in the northern Andes suggests that these crustal segments probably formed on an active continental margin in which associated arc and back-arc magmatism evolved from ca. 1.25 to 1.16 Ga, possibly extending to as young as 1.08 Ga.The lithostratigraphic and tectonic history of the Grenvillian belt in the northern Andes differs from that of the Sunsas belt on the southwest Amazonian Craton and from the Grenvillian belt of Eastern Laurentia. It is considered that this belt, along with similar terranes of Grenvillian age in Middle America and Mexico define a separate composite orogen which formed on the northwestern margin of the Amazonian Craton. Microcontinent accretion and interaction with the Sveconorwegian province on Baltica is a feasible tectonic scenario, in line with recent paleogeographic reconstructions of the Rodinian supercontinent. Although Phanerozoic tectonics may have redistributed some of these terranes, they are still viewed as para-autocthonous domains that remained in proximity to the margin of Amazonia. Paleogeographic data derived from Phanerozoic rocks suggest that some of the Colombian Grenvillian fragments were connected to northernmost Peru and Ecuador until the Mesozoic, whereas the Mexican terranes where attached to the Colombian margin until Pangea fragmentation in Late Triassic times.     

Contemporaneous assembly of Western Gondwana and final Rodinia break-up: Implications for the supercontinent cycle

Geological, geochronological and isotopic data are integrated in order to present a revised model for the Neoproterozoic evolution of Western Gondwana. Although the classical geodynamic scenario assumed for the period 800–700 Ma is related to Rodinia break-up and the consequent opening of major oceanic basins, a significantly different tectonic evolution can be inferred for most Western Gondwana cratons. These cratons occupied a marginal position in the southern hemisphere with respect to Rodinia and recorded subduction with back-arc extension, island arc development and limited formation of oceanic crust in internal oceans. This period was thus characterized by increased crustal growth in Western Gondwana, resulting from addition of juvenile continental crust along convergent margins. In contrast, crustal reworking and metacratonization were dominant during the subsequent assembly of Gondwana. The Río de la Plata, Congo-São Francisco, West African and Amazonian cratons collided at ca. 630–600 Ma along the West Gondwana Orogen. These events overlap in time with the onset of the opening of the Iapetus Ocean at ca. 610–600 Ma, which gave rise to the separation of Baltica, Laurentia and Amazonia and resulted from the final Rodinia break-up. The East African/Antarctic Orogen recorded the subsequent amalgamation of Western and Eastern Gondwana after ca. 580 Ma, contemporaneously with the beginning of subduction in the Terra Australis Orogen along the southern Gondwana margin. However, the Kalahari Craton was lately incorporated during the Late Ediacaran–Early Cambrian. The proposed Gondwana evolution rules out the existence of Pannotia, as the final Gondwana amalgamation postdates latest connections between Laurentia and Amazonia. Additionally, a combination of introversion and extroversion is proposed for the assembly of Gondwana. The contemporaneous record of final Rodinia break-up and Gondwana assembly has major implications for the supercontinent cycle, as supercontinent amalgamation and break-up do not necessarily represent alternating episodic processes but overlap in time.     

The Dalradian of Scotland: Missing link between the Vendian of Northern and Southern Scandinavia?

The Dalradian sequence of the Scottish Highlands and the Vendian sequences of Scandinavian accumulated in rifts that evolved into passive margins in late Vendian to early Cambrian time. They closely resemble one another in their evolution. The Dalradian margin faced SE, the Scandinavian margins faced NW (present-day orientation). When plotted on a reconstruction of Laurentia, Baltica and W Gondwana in which Baltica has a more southerly position than the most commonly discussed reconstructions of Pannotia and Rodinia, the Vendian sediments form a coherent pattern. In particular, the enigmatic granitic clasts in the Port Askaig Dalradian tillite appear to have been eroded from the ∼1 Ga Proterozoic basement of southwestern Scandinavia. This reconstruction is supported independently by previous matches of the metamorphic belts of Baltica and Laurentia which have been largely ignored in most reconstructions of Pannotia and Rodinia, and by recent information on the age and distribution of rift-related magmatism.     

Eastern Laurentia in Rodinia: constraints from whole-rock Pb and U/Pb geochronology

Whole-rock Pb isotopic signatures and U/Pb geochronology refute a Rodinian correlation of northeastern Laurentia and proto-Andean Amazonia. According to this previously proposed model, the Labrador–Scotland–Greenland Promontory (LSGP) of northeastern Laurentia collided with the proto-Andean margin of Amazonia, at the Arica Embayment, during the Grenville/Sunsás Orogeny (ca. 1.0 Ga). Links between the two margins were based upon the correlation of the LSGP with Arequipa-Antofalla Basement (AAB), a Proterozoic block along the proto-Andean margin of Amazonia adjacent to the Arica Embayment. Specifically, similarities in 1.8–1.0 Ga basement rocks in both regions suggested that the AAB was originally a piece of the LSGP. Furthermore, similarities in unique, post-collisional, but pre-rift, glacial sedimentary sequences also supported a link between the AAB and LSGP.Tests of these apparent similarities fail to support correlation of the AAB and the LSGP and, thus, eliminate a direct link between northeastern Laurentia and southwestern Amazonia in Rodinia. However, Pb isotopic compositions and U/Pb geochronology provide the basis for two new correlations, namely, (1) the ca. 1.3–1.0 Ga basement in the central and southern Appalachians may be an allochthonous block that was transferred to Laurentia from Amazonia at ca. 1.0 Ga, and (2) an allochthonous AAB may be a piece of the Kalahari Craton that was transferred to Amazonia at ca. 1.0 Ga. Based on these new correlations and a previously proposed Grenvillian connection between southern Laurentia (Llano) and Kalahari, we propose that Amazonia may have collided with a contiguous southeastern Laurentia/Kalahari margin at ca. 1.0 Ga.     

Uplift and cooling magnetisation record in the Bamble and Telemark terranes,Sveconorwegian orogenic belt,SE Norway,and the Grenville-Sveconorwegian loop

The ~ 1100 Ma Sveconorwegian orogenic belt comprises allochthonous terranes juxtaposed by major fault zones and emplaced against, and onto, the south-western margin of the Fennoscandian Shield. To resolve the magnetic signature acquired during post-orogenic uplift and cooling and evaluate wider correlations with the contemporaneous Grenville belt of North America, this study reports a regional palaeomagnetic study on a range of rock types from sectors of the medium-high metamorphic grade Bamble terrane (48 sites and 390 cores) and the adjoining medium-low grade Telemark terrane (33 and 240 cores) juxtaposed by an orogen-parallel (Porsgrunn- Kristiansand) fault zone with major vertical displacement. Magnetite and ilmeno-hematites are magnetic carriers with the latter more significant in the higher metamorphic grades. Magnetic intensities are stronger in the higher-grade terrane presumably due to the growth of metamorphic ferromagnets, but are an order lower than values predicted for the lower continental crust and indicate that an additional mechanism is responsible for high magnetisations in deep crust. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) largely reflects the NE–SW tectonic grain of the last stage of Sveconorwegian ductile deformation. The magnetisation record is filtered by excluding magnetisations possibly acquired during regional Mesozoic dyke emplacement, development of the Permo-Carboniferous Oslo Rift and Late Proterozoic magmatism. The remaining record is a dual polarity signature summarised by mean poles at 31.9°N, 50.9°E, (N = 191 components) in the Bamble terrane and at 34.2°N, 58.9°E (N = 151 components) in the Telemark terrane. However these means are non-Fisherian and embrace arcuate distributions of magnetic components acquired during protracted exhumation cooling of the orogen with the best-defined parts comprising clockwise trajectories correlating with each another but indicating that cooling in Telemark was more protracted; in each case directions of more shallow NW-direction tend to be derived from lower unblocking temperature components. The geochronological evidence indicates that regional temperatures had fallen to permit acquisition of magnetisation by ~ 950–900 Ma and the two swathes define the younger limb of a clockwise (Grenville-Sveconorwegian) APW loop embracing the approximate interval 940–850 Ma; the outward path of this loop (~ 1020–940 Ma) is probably at present recorded only in dyke swarms from the Finnish sector of the shield. Correlation of APW between Laurentia and Fennoscandia confirms that the two shields broke apart shortly after culmination of the Sveconorwegian orogeny when Fennoscandia rotated rapidly clockwise into a secondary configuration adjacent to the eastern margin of Laurentia; the Grenville and Sveconorwegian orogenic frontal zones formed in alignment were reoriented at a high angle to one another in a coupling that appears to have persisted during most of the remainder of Neoproterozoic times.     

The ~1.4 Ga A-type granitoids in the “Chottanagpur crustal block” (India), and its relocation from Columbia to Rodinia?

In paleogeographic reconstructions of the Columbia and Rodinia Supercontinents, the position of the Greater India landmass is ambiguous. This, coupled with a limited understanding of the tectonic evolution of the mobile belts along which the mosaic of crustal domains in India accreted, impedes precise correlation among the dispersed crustal fragments in supercontinent reconstructions. Using structural, metamorphic phase equilibria, chronological and geochemical investigations, this study aims to reconstruct the tectonic evolution of the Chottanagpur Gneiss Complex (CGC) as a distinct crustal block at the eastern end of the Greater Indian Proterozoic Fold Belt (GIPFOB) along which the North India Block (NIB) and the South India Block (SIB) accreted. The study focuses on two issues, e.g. dating the Early Neoproterozoic (0.92 Ga) accretion of the CGC with the NIB contemporaneous with the assembly of Rodinia, and documenting the widespread (>24,000 km²) plutonism of 1.5–1.4 Ga weakly peraluminous, calc-alkalic to alkali-calcic and ferroan A-type granitoids (± garnet) devoid of mafic microgrannular enclaves and coeval mafic emplacements in the crustal block. These dominantly within-plate granitoids arguably formed by asthenospheric upwelling induced partial melting of garnet-bearing anatectic quartzofeldspathic gneisses that dominate the Early Mesoproterozoic basement of the block. The major and trace element chemistry of the granitoids is similar to the 1.35–1.45 Ga A-type granitoids in Laurentia/Amazonia emplaced contemporaneous with the 1.5–1.3 Ga breakup of the Columbia Supercontinent.This study suggests the Chottanagpur Gneiss Complex occured as a fragmented crustal block following the breakup of the Columbia Supercontinent; the crustal block was subsequently integrated within India during the Early Neoproterozoic oblique accretion between the NIB and SIB contemporaneous with the Rodinia Supercontinent assembly.     

Neoproterozoic—Early Paleozoic evolution of peri-Gondwanan terranes: implications for Laurentia-Gondwana connections

Neoproterozoic tectonics is dominated by the amalgamation of the supercontinent Rodinia at ca. 1.0 Ga, its breakup at ca. 0.75 Ga, and the collision between East and West Gondwana between 0.6 and 0.5 Ga. The principal stages in this evolution are recorded by terranes along the northern margin of West Gondwana (Amazonia and West Africa), which continuously faced open oceans during the Neoproterozoic. Two types of these so-called peri-Gondwanan terranes were distributed along this margin in the late Neoproterozoic: (1) Avalonian-type terranes (e.g. West Avalonia, East Avalonia, Carolina, Moravia-Silesia, Oaxaquia, Chortis block that originated from ca. 1.3 to 1.0 Ga juvenile crust within the Panthalassa-type ocean surrounding Rodinia and were accreted to the northern Gondwanan margin by 650 Ma, and (2) Cadomian-type terranes (North Armorica, Saxo-Thuringia, Moldanubia, and fringing terranes South Armorica, Ossa Morena and Tepla-Barrandian) formed along the West African margin by recycling ancient (2–3 Ga) West African crust. Subsequently detached from Gondwana, these terranes are now located within the Appalachian, Caledonide and Variscan orogens of North America and western Europe. Inferred relationships between these peri-Gondwanan terranes and the northern Gondwanan margin can be compared with paleomagnetically constrained movements interpreted for the Amazonian and West African cratons for the interval ca. 800–500 Ma. Since Amazonia is paleomagnetically unconstrained during this interval, in most tectonic syntheses its location is inferred from an interpreted connection with Laurentia. Hence, such an analysis has implications for Laurentia-Gondwana connections and for high latitude versus low latitude models for Laurentia in the interval ca. 615–570 Ma. In the high latitude model, Laurentia-Amazonia would have drifted rapidly south during this interval, and subduction along its leading edge would provide a geodynamic explanation for the voluminous magmatism evident in Neoproterozoic terranes, in a manner analogous to the Mesozoic-Cenozoic westward drift of North America and South America and subduction-related magmatism along the eastern margin of the Pacific ocean. On the other hand, if Laurentia-Amazonia remained at low latitudes during this interval, the most likely explanation for late Neoproterozoic peri-Gondwanan magmatism is the re-establishment of subduction zones following terrane accretion at ca. 650 Ma. Available paleomagnetic data for both West and East Avalonia show systematically lower paleolatitudes than predicted by these analyses, implying that more paleomagnetic data are required to document the movement histories of Laurentia, West Gondwana and the peri-Gondwanan terranes, and test the connections between them.     

Rodinia connections between Australia and Laurentia: no SWEAT,no AUSWUS?

Although geological comparisons between Australia and North America have provided a basis for various Neoproterozoic Rodinia reconstructions, quantitative support from precisely dated palaeomagnetic poles has so far been lacking. We report U–Pb ages and palaeomagnetic results for two suites of mafic sills within the intracratonic Bangemall Basin of Western Australia, one of which is dated at 1070 ± 6 Ma and carries a high‐stability palaeomagnetic remanence. Comparison of the Bangemall palaeopole with Laurentian data suggests that previous reconstructions of eastern Australia against either western Canada (SWEAT) or the western United States (AUSWUS) are not viable at 1070 Ma. This implies that the Pacific Ocean did not form by separation of Australia–Antarctica from Laurentia, and that up to 10 000 km of late Neoproterozoic passive margins need to be matched with other continental blocks within any proposed Rodinia supercontinent. Our results permit a reconstruction (AUSMEX) that closely aligns late Mesoproterozoic orogenic belts in north‐east Australia and southernmost Laurentia.     

Grenville tectonic events and evolution of the Yenisei Ridge at the western margin of the Siberian Craton

Geological, petrologic, geochemical, and isotopic geochronological evidence for Grenville events at the western margin of the Siberian Craton are considered. These events were related to assembly of the Rodinia supercontinent. Multiple manifestations of riftogenic and within-plate magmatism at the final stage of orogenic evolution gave rise to breakdown of Rodinia and the formation of the Paleoasian ocean. The results allowed us to develop a new concept on the Precambrian geological evolution of the Yenisei Ridge and the processes that created its tectonic structure. The chronological sequence of events in the history of the Transangarian Yenisei Ridge is based on geological evidence and isotopic dating of Precambrian complexes variable in geodynamic nature. Four tectonic stages dated at 1.4?1.1, 1.1?0.9, 0.90?0.85, and 0.8?0.6 Ga were controlled by collision and extension recognized from large regional linear crustal structural elements. The evolution of the Transangarian Yenisei Ridge, which lasted for ～650 Ma, corresponds in duration to supercontinental cycles that begin from rifting and breakdown of the predated supercontinent and was completed by orogeny and the formation of a new supercontinent. The regional geodynamic history correlates with the synchronous sequence and similar style of tectonothermal events at the periphery of the large Precambrian Laurentia and Baltica cratons. This is evidenced by paleocontinental reconstructions, which confirm close spatiotemporal links of Siberia with cratons in the northern Atlantic 1400?600 Ma ago and indicate incorporation of the Siberian Craton into the ancient Nuna and Rodinia supercontinents.     

Geochronology of unconformity-related uranium deposits in the Athabasca Basin,Saskatchewan, Canada and their integration in the evolution of the basin

The importance of geochronology in the study of mineral deposits in general, and of unconformity-type uranium deposits in particular, resides in the possibility to situate the critical ore-related processes in the context of the evolution of the physical and chemical conditions in the studied area. The present paper gives the results of laser step heating ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of metamorphic host-rock minerals, pre-ore and syn-ore alteration clay minerals, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (LA-ICP-MS) U/Pb dating of uraninite from a number of basement- and sediment-hosted unconformity-related deposits in the Athabasca Basin, Canada. Post-peak metamorphic cooling during the Trans-Hudson Orogen of rocks from the basement occurred at ca 1,750 Ma and gives a maximum age for the formation of the overlying Athabasca Basin. Pre-ore alteration occurred simultaneously in both basement- and sandstone-hosted mineralizations at ca 1,675 Ma, as indicated by the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of pre-ore alteration illite and chlorite. The uranium mineralization age is ca 1,590 Ma, given by LA-ICP-MS U/Pb dating of uraninite and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of syn-ore illite, and is the same throughout the basin and in both basement- and sandstone-hosted deposits. The mineralization event, older than previously proposed, as well as several fluid circulation events that subsequently affected all minerals studied probably correspond to far-field, continent-wide tectonic events such as the metamorphic events in Wyoming and the Mazatzal Orogeny (ca 1.6 to 1.5 Ga), the Berthoud Orogeny (ca 1.4 Ga), the emplacement of the McKenzie mafic dyke swarms (ca 1.27 Ga), the Grenville Orogeny (ca 1.15 to 1 Ga), and the assemblage and break-up of Rodinia (ca 1 to 0.85 Ga). The results of the present work underline the importance of basin evolution between ca 1.75 Ga (basin formation) and ca 1.59 Ga (ore deposition) for understanding the conditions necessary for the formation of unconformity-type uranium deposits. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Puncoviscana folded belt in northwestern Argentina: testimony of Late Proterozoic Rodinia fragmentation and pre-Gondwana collisional episodes: a reply

Franz and Lucassen (2000) rise several important points, which are primarily related to the Puncoviscana belt role in northwestern Argentina. Their discussion consisted of three major overviews: (a) the Puncoviscana belt evolution related to the Proterozoic Rodinia fragmentation; (b) the geochemical data associated with volcanic rock interlayered in the Puncoviscana formation and (c) the central Andes residual gravity field interpretations. It will be shown in this reply that their claim against our interpretation is the consequence of an equivocal handling of the geological times, the tectonic episodes and the associated lithologies in the wide context of the Puncoviscana belt type paleogeographic connections. Some present geochronological data oldest that 1.1 to 0.9 Ga. are consistent with an autochthonous basement integrated by very ancient protoliths adjoins to the typical Grenville belt rocks before the Rodinia fragmentation. The autochthonous condition must be interpreted only as the Rodinia supercontinental reality, that after remains into the new Laurentia-Cabalonia-Pannotia continental units. In this context, the Theia, Candelaria, Iapetus and other proto-oceanic rifts begins an allochthonous reality for lot of the drifting crustal slivers during the Pannotian Cycle (Late Proterozoic - Early Paleozoic) in the break-up geotectonic times of the post-Rodinian supercontinent. The Puncoviscana geochemical interpretation presented in this reply shows an very clear plate tectonic evolution in various steps: (1) the proto-rift lineaments from the extensional regimen of the Candelaria triple point (t_DM ~0.70 to 0.78 Ga.); (2) the passive continental margin sequences (700 to 600 Ma); and (3) the magmatic arc in the compressive regimen belonging to the Pampean orogeny (580 to 534 Ma).     

Provenance of latest Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic (meta)-sedimentary rocks and implications for paleographic reconstruction of the Yili Block

The Yili Block is one of the major Precambrian microcontinents of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). Detrital zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic data of the Meso-Neoproterozoic (meta)-sedimentary units within the Yili Block constrain the tectonic affinity and early history of the block. Detrital zircon U-Pb ages, in combination with related magmatic age data, indicate that the Tekesi and Kusitai groups were deposited during the latest Mesoproterozoic-earliest Neoproterozoic (1040–960 Ma) and early Neoproterozoic (<926 Ma), respectively. Zircons from the Kusitai Group yield major age groups at 941–910 Ma and 1887–1122 Ma, whereas the Tekesi Group have a dominant age group at ca. 2.0–1.1 Ga with age peaks at ca. 1.9 Ga, 1.8 Ga, 1.75–1.70 Ga, 1.58 Ga, 1.5 Ga, 1.47–1.43 Ga and 1.27–1.20 Ga. A minor age peak of ca. 2.5 Ga is also recognized in the middle part of the Tekesi Group. Early Neoproterozoic detrital zircons with relatively uniform ε_Hf(t) values (+0.7 to +3.2) were mainly derived from contemporaneous magmatic rocks in the Yili Block. The Central Tianshan Block provides a likely source for detritus with ages of ca. 1.7–1.4 and 2.5 Ga. The predominant late Paleoproterozoic to latest Mesoproterozoic detrital zircons with positive ε_Hf(t) values (+0.5 to +12.0) in the Yili Block were probably derived primarily from regions exhumed during collisional assembly of Rodinia. These populations are consistent with those from the late Mesoproterozoic-early Neoproterozoic (meta)-sedimentary successions in the Central Tianshan, Kokchetav-North Tianshan and Erementau-Niyaz blocks, and Southeast Siberia and northeastern Laurentia cratons. The Yili Block, together with the Precambrian microcontinents in the southwestern Central Asian Orogenic Belt, was likely located at the margin of Rodinia supercontinent, between the southeast Siberia and northeast Laurentia during the early Neoproterozoic.     

Breakup of a Paleoproterozoic Supercontinent

If a Paleoproterozoic supercontinent broke up between 1.6 and 1.5 Ga, the distribution of sutures shows that the breakup was not complete. At least two large cratons, Atlantica (Amazonia, Congo, West Africa and probably North Africa and Rio de la Plata) and Arctica (Laurentia, Siberia, Baltica, North Australia and North China), survived the breakup and later become part of Rodinia.     

Geologically constraining India in Columbia: The age,isotopic provenance and geochemistry of the protoliths of the Ongole Domain,Southern Eastern Ghats,India

The Ongole Domain in the southern Eastern Ghats Belt of India formed during the final stages of Columbia amalgamation at ca. 1600 Ma. Yet very little is known about the protolith ages, tectonic evolution or geographic affinity of the region. We present new detrital and igneous U–Pb–Hf zircon data and in-situ monazite data to further understand the tectonic evolution of this Columbia-forming orogen.Detrital zircon patterns from the metasedimentary rocks are dominated by major populations of Palaeoproterozoic grains (ca. 2460, 2320, 2260, 2200–2100, 2080–2010, 1980–1920, 1850 and 1750 Ma), and minor Archaean grains (ca. 2850, 2740, 2600 and 2550 Ma). Combined U–Pb ages and Lu–Hf zircon isotopic data suggest that the sedimentary protoliths were not sourced from the adjacent Dharwar Craton. Instead they were likely derived from East Antarctica, possibly the same source as parts of Proterozoic Australia. Magmatism occurred episodically between 1.64 and 1.57 Ga in the Ongole Domain, forming felsic orthopyroxene-bearing granitoids. Isotopically, the granitoids are evolved, producing εHf values between − 2 and − 12. The magmatism is interpreted to have been derived from the reworking of Archaean crust with only a minor juvenile input. Metamorphism between 1.68 and 1.60 Ga resulted in the partial to complete resetting of detrital zircon grains, as well as the growth of new metamorphic zircon at 1.67 and 1.63 Ga. In-situ monazite geochronology indicates metamorphism occurred between 1.68 and 1.59 Ga.The Ongole Domain is interpreted to represent part of an exotic terrane, which was transferred to proto-India in the late Palaeoproterozoic as part of a linear accretionary orogenic belt that may also have included south-west Baltica and south-eastern Laurentia. Given the isotopic, geological and geochemical similarities, the proposed exotic terrane is interpreted to be an extension of the Napier Complex, Antarctica, and may also have been connected to Proterozoic Australia (North Australian Craton and Gawler Craton).     

U–Pb geochronology of the Western Channel Diabase,northwestern Laurentia: Implications for a large 1.59 Ga magmatic province,Laurentia's APWP and paleocontinental reconstructions of Laurentia,Baltica and Gawler craton of southern Australia

U–Pb baddeleyite ages of 1592 ± 3 and 1590 ± 4 Ma are reported for paleomagnetic sites in sheets and dykes of Western Channel Diabase (WCD) that intrude Proterozoic rocks of the flat-lying Hornby Bay Group in the Hornby Bay basin and the deformed volcanic-plutonic Great Bear Magmatic Zone of Wopmay orogen of northwestern Laurentia. A published WCD paleomagnetic pole at 9°N, 115°W (A₉₅ = 6°) has been demonstrated primary. The new ages indicate that the WCD pole falls midway in time between poles for the 1.74 Ga Cleaver dykes and 1.48–1.42 Ga Elsonian-aged plutons, filling an important gap in the Proterozoic apparent polar wander path (APWP) for Laurentia. The WCD pole can be compared with poles reported from similar-aged magmatic units on other cratons in order to test paleocontinental reconstructions. A comparison of the Laurentian WCD pole with primary ca. 1.63 Ga and ca. 1.575 Ga poles for Baltica, along with an earlier comparison of precisely dated 1.27–1.255 Ga poles for Laurentia and Baltica, suggests that the two cratonic blocks drifted as a single entity with Baltica adjacent to eastern Greenland during the ca. 1.59–1.27 Ga interval. On the basis of less well constrained ca. 1.84–1.83 Ga poles from Laurentia and Baltica, it is possible that this reconstruction existed as early as ca. 1.83 Ga. The WCD is the same age as Wernecke breccias of the Wernecke and Ogilvie Mountains of northwestern Laurentia and bimodal Gawler Range Volcanics (GRV) and related Olympic Dam breccias of the Gawler craton. It has been proposed by others that the Gawler craton lay adjacent to northwestern Laurentia at 1.59 Ga, with the Olympic Dam and Wernecke breccias forming a large hydrothermal province. The primary WCD pole provides an opportunity to test Laurentia–Gawler craton reconstructions at 1.59 Ga. A paleopole has been reported for the GRV, although its primary or secondary nature is open to interpretation. If primary, or if acquired as an overprint during the later stages of 1.60–1.58 Ga Hiltaba-GRV magmatism, then a position for the Gawler craton adjacent to northwestern Laurentia is permitted. If the GRV pole is a later secondary overprint then a reliable comparison with Laurentian poles cannot be made.