Paleomagnetic evidence for a stationary Marion hotspot: Additional paleomagnetic data from Madagascar

The island of Madagascar experienced widespread magmatism at ca. 90 Ma due to its interaction with the Marion hotspot. Previous paleomagnetic data from igneous rocks in the southwestern and northwestern regions of the island indicated that the Marion hotspot has remained fixed for the past 90 Ma. We report paleomagnetic data from northeastern Madagascar (d'Analava Complex). Samples were collected from basalts, rhyolites, gabbros and a dolerite dyke. Sixty samples from 5 sites yield a paleomagnetic pole at 66.7°S, 43.5°E (A95 = 10.7°) and a grand mean pole (GMP) calculated from 10 different studies covering the entire island of Madagascar falls at 68.9°S, 49.0°E (A95 = 4.4°). This pole translates to a paleolatitude for the Volcan de l'Androy (focal point of the hotspot) at 45.2° + 6°/− 5°S compared to the current location of the Marion hotspot at  46°S. Our results confirm, and expand upon, previous studies that argue for the fixity of the Marion hotspot for the past 90 Ma.     

Travels of the Cache Creek Terrane: a paleomagnetic, geobarometric and Ar/Ar study of the Jurassic Fourth of July Batholith, Canadian Cordillera

The Middle Jurassic Fourth of July Batholith and cross-cutting mafic dikes have been studied geochronologically, geobarometrically and paleomagnetically to estimate subsequent tectonic motion of the Cache Creek Terrane (CCT) in the northern Canadian Cordillera. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar hornblende ages from a granodiorite phase are similar to U–Pb zircon ages and indicate rapid cooling of the batholith upon intrusion, suggesting that the magnetization age is coincident with the 173-Ma crystallization age. Argon ages of biotite from the granodiorite and two mafic dikes have similar ages of 165 Ma, which dates cooling through 280 °C.Aluminum-in-hornblende geobarometry indicates differential uplift of the batholith across a north–south fault zone along Atlin Lake with >6 km more uplift on its eastern side. Also, the eastern side has been tilted downward to the south–southwest by 9°.Combined paleomagnetic data from 20 granitoid and 11 mafic dike sites yield an in situ paleopole at 55°W, 63°N (d_p=5°, d_m=5°) and a tilt-corrected paleopole at 81°W, 55°N (d_p=5°, d_m=6°). Compared to the 173-Ma reference pole for the North American craton, the tilt-corrected pole suggests a significant southward translation of 16.1±3.7° and a significant clockwise rotation of 107±7°. The translation estimate is similar to the Jurassic Teslin Crossing pluton in the Stikine Terrane, however, the rotation estimate is very different. This could indicate that the Cache Creek Terrane was at a similar latitude of the Stikine Terrane, but the two were not yet amalgamated.     

The paleomagnetism of eastern Nazca plate seamounts

Paleomagnetism of eastern Nazca plate seamounts defines Nazca and Farallon absolute plate motion during Cenozoic times. Magnetic and bathymetric surveys are presented for two eastern Nazca plate seamounts in the Chile Basin and they are used to calculate paleomagnetic poles with uniform and nonuniform magnetic modeling. The paleopole for Piquero-2 seamount is coincident with the earth's pole, suggesting a young seamount. The paleopole for Piquero-1 seamount indicates that the Nazca plate moved 23° northward during 0–50 ma. This is 13° more latitudinal motion than predicted by a Pacific hotspot reference frame and 20 ° more motion than predicted by DSDP sediment and basalt paleomagnetism.     

Granulite facies xenoliths from Prindle volcano, Alaska: Implications for the northern Cordilleran crustal lithosphere

Xenoliths collected from Prindle volcano, Alaska (Lat. 63.72°N; Long. 141.82°W) provide a unique opportunity to examine the lower crust of the northern Canadian Cordillera. The cone's pyroclastic deposits contain crustal and mantle-derived xenoliths. The crustal xenoliths include granulite facies metamorphic rocks and charnockites, comprising orthopyroxene (opx)–plagioclase (pl)–quartz (qtz) ± mesoperthite (msp) and clinopyroxene (cpx). Opx–cpx geothermometry yields equilibrium temperatures (T) from 770 to 1015 °C at 10 kbar. Pl–cpx–qtz geobarometry yields pressures (P) of  6.6–8.0 kbar. Integrated mesoperthite compositions suggest minimum temperatures of 1020–1140 °C at 10 kbar using solvus geothermometry. The absence of garnet in these rocks indicates a range of maximum pressure of 5–11.3 kbar, and calculated solidi constrain upper temperature limits. We conclude that the granulite facies assemblages represent relatively dry metamorphism at pressures indicative of crustal thicknesses similar to present day ( 36 km). Zircon separates from a single crustal xenolith yield mainly Early Tertiary (48–63 Ma) U–Pb ages which are considerably younger than the cooling ages of the high-pressure amphibolites exposed at the surface. The distribution of zircon ages is interpreted as indicating zircon growth coincident with at least two different thermal events as expressed at surface: (i) the eruption of the Late Cretaceous Carmacks Group volcanic rocks in western Yukon and adjacent parts of Alaska, and (ii) emplacement of strongly bimodal high level intrusions across much of western Yukon and eastern Alaska possibly in an extensional tectonic regime. The distributions of zircon growth ages and the preservation of higher-than-present-day (> 25 ± 3 °C km^− 1) geothermal gradients in the granulite facies rocks demonstrate the use of crustal xenoliths for recovering records of past, lithospheric-scale thermal–tectonic events.     

Age and emplacement of late-Variscan granites of the western Bohemian Massif with main focus on the Hauzenberg granitoids (European Variscides, Germany)

The Variscan Hauzenberg pluton consists of granite and granodiorite that intruded late- to postkinematically into HT-metamorphic rocks of the Moldanubian unit at the southwestern margin of the Bohemian Massif (Passauer Wald). U–Pb dating of zircon single-grains and monazite fractions, separated from medium- to coarse-grained biotite-muscovite granite (Hauzenberg granite II), yielded concordant ages of 320 ± 3 and 329 ± 7 Ma, interpreted as emplacement age. Zircons extracted from the younger Hauzenberg granodiorite yielded a ²⁰⁷Pb–²⁰⁶Pb mean age of 318.6 ± 4.1 Ma. The Hauzenberg granite I has not been dated. The pressure during solidification of the Hauzenberg granite II was estimated at 4.6 ± 0.6 kbar using phengite barometry on magmatic muscovite, corresponding to an emplacement depth of 16-18 km. The new data are compatible with pre-existing cooling ages of biotite and muscovite which indicate the Hauzenberg pluton to have cooled below T = 250–400 °C in Upper Carboniferous times. A compilation of age data from magmatic and metamorphic rocks of the western margin of the Bohemian Massif suggests a west- to northwestward shift of magmatism and HT/LP metamorphism with time. Both processes started at > 325 Ma within the South Bohemian Pluton and magmatism ceased at ca. 310 Ma in the Bavarian Oberpfalz. The slight different timing of HT metamorphism in northern Austria and the Bavarian Forest is interpreted as being the result of partial delamination of mantle lithosphere or removal of the thermal boundary layer.     

Volatiles in a peralkaline system: Abiogenic hydrocarbons and F–Cl–Br systematics in the naujaite of the Ilímaussaq intrusion, South Greenland

Agpaitic rocks comprise most of the exposed part of the 1.16 Ga old, 8 × 17 km large and about 1700 m thick Ilímaussaq intrusion in South Greenland. Within these, more than 600 m thick sequence of sodalite-rich “naujaites” (mainly sodalite + arfvedsonite + alkali feldspar + nepheline + eudialyte + aenigmatite) are interpreted as a sodalite flotation cumulate. Sodalites show two to three different zones in cathodoluminescence (CL) and at least two zones in thin sections. The CL zones can be related to chemical differences detectable by electron microprobe, whereas relations with optical zonations are less obvious. Compositional trends in sodalite reflect trends in the evolution of volatile contents in the melt. The sodalite at Ilímaussaq is almost free of Ca and closely corresponds to the pure Na–Cl sodalite endmember with about 7 wt.% of Cl; S contents reach up to 0.9 wt.%. Cl/Br ratios range from 500 to 1700. Raman spectroscopy shows that S is present as [SO₄]²⁻ in sodalite, although sphalerite (ZnS) is a stable phase in naujaites. Peralkalinity and fO₂ conditions allow S²⁻ and [SO₄]²⁻ to be present contemporaneously.

The whole naujaite sequence is divided into two parts, an upper part with low, homogeneous S contents and Cl/Br ratios in the sodalite cores, and a lower part with strongly variable and higher S contents and with Cl/Br ratios, which are decreasing downwards. The details of the S content and the Cl/Br ratio evolution show that sodalite strongly influences the halogen contents of the melt by scavenging Cl and Br.

The naujaites were formed from a highly reduced, halogen-rich magma in equilibrium with magmatic methane at about 800 °C, which, upon ascent, cooling and fractionation, exsolved an aqueous fluid phase. Both fluids were trapped in separate inclusions indicating their immiscibility.

Micrometer-sized aegirine crystals and primary hydrocarbon-bearing inclusions are abundant in the crystal cores. The inclusions were trapped at pressures up to 4 kbar, although the emplacement pressure of the intrusion is about 1 kbar. This indicates growth of the sodalite during melt ascent and a very effective mechanism of trace element scavenging during sodalite growth. Sodalite rims are devoid of aegirine or primary hydrocarbon inclusions and probably reflect the emplacement stage.     

Paleomagnetism of Permo-Triassic Redbeds from the Asturias and Cantabric Chain (northern Spain): evidence for strong lower Tertiary remagnetizations

The paleomagnetic analysis of the Permo-Triassic redbeds outcropping in the western part of the Cantabric Chain and the small Mesozoic basin from the Asturias shows that these formations have a history of complex magnetization. Only a few sites did not experience the remagnetization processes and retained original directions. The most reliable results yield a paleomagnetic pole located at: lat. 49° N, long. 217° E (n = 11, ₉₅ = 3.7°), which is suggested as reliable Permo-Triassic data for the Iberian plate. Two remagnetization phases are recognized: a moderate phase predating the folding gave rise to a first overprinting. It is connected with the distension which occurred in the Pyreneo-Cantabrian region during the upper Jurassic-lower Cretaceous. The main remagnetization phase which occurred after the folding is dated from the lower Tertiary, and can be related to the compression induced on the northern boundary of Iberia from upper Cretaceous onwards. In some cases this phase led to a complete replacement of the primary magnetization.

Previously published data, which were at the time interpreted as being European-like in direction, are attributed to this phase. Hence, our results do not support the hypothesis of a micro-plate called “le Danois block”, which was suggested in order to explain these results. We believe that there is no paleomagnetic evidence supporting the existence of a complicated boundary between Europe and Iberia during the mid-Cretaceous opening of the Bay of Biscay.     

First Late Ordovician Paleomagnetic Pole for the Cuyania (Precordillera) Terrane of Western Argentina: a Microcontinent or a Laurentian Plateau

Time and tectonic processes involved in docking of the Argentine Precordillera (Cuyania terrane) against SW Gondwana has been a matter of much debate. A paleomagnetic study on the Early Caradoc Pavón Formation, exposed in the San Rafael block, province of Mendoza, Argentina, is presented. After detailed thermal and alternating field demagnetizations two geologically significant magnetic components were defined. A widespread post-tectonic component (A) is present in most sites of the Pavón Formation, with dual polarities, and is coincident with the characteristic remanence isolated from a Permo-Triassic rhyolitic dome intruding the sediments. Its pole position (83.7°S, 271.0°E, dp = 6.8°, dm = 9.0° N = 11 sites) falls on the Late Permian-Early Triassic South American reference poles suggesting that this component was acquired during the Choiyoi magmatic phase. A second component (B) also shows dual polarities and a positive fold test suggesting a primary origin. Unblocking temperatures and rock magnetic experiments indicate that B is carried either by hematite or magnetite at different sites. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility results suggest a depositional fabric and no remanence distortion due to deformation or compaction. A paleomagnetic pole computed from this remanence (PV) falls on 3.6°N, 346.4°E (dp = 2.9°, dm = 4.6° n = 22 samples). It indicates a paleolatitude around 26°S for deposition of Pavón sediments and constrains the paleogeographic evolution of Cuyania during the Ordovician, which was still at subtropical latitudes by the Early Caradoc. PV is consistent with the Laurentian Late Ordovician reference pole if Cuyania remains attached to SE Laurentia for the Early Caradoc, while it shows a significant cw rotation with no paleolatitude anomaly respect to the Gondwana reference pole when kept in its present position in SW South America. These comparisons are interpreted in three possible alternatives for the paleogeographic and tectonic setting of Cuyania in the Late Ordovician.     

New age constraints for a short pulse in Ross orogen deformation triggered by East–West Gondwana suturing

Constraints on the timing of deformation within the Antarctic Ross orogenic belt are important for understanding early Paleozoic tectonic activity accompanying the assembly of Gondwana. One of the best areas for constraining the tectonic evolution of the Ross orogenic belt is the Holyoake Range in the central Transantarctic Mountains where previous work shows an abrupt change in the stratigraphic succession of the Cambrian Byrd Group possibly related to the inception of tectonism within the orogen at  515 Ma. To further constrain deformational timing, we conducted ⁴⁰Ar–³⁹Ar analyses on magmatic phases of the Holyoake Gabbro, which cross-cuts folded Lower Cambrian Shackleton Limestone of the Byrd Group. Our analyses yield average ages of 506.7 ± 3.6 Ma (2 sigma; MSWD = 0.9) and 504.1 ± 2.4 Ma (2 sigma; MSWD = 1.3) for hornblende from the early and late magmatic phases, respectively. Deformation of the Shackleton Limestone therefore occurred prior to 506.7 ± 3.6 Ma, which is  12 m.y. after the siliciclastic drowning of the carbonate platform inferred to record the start of Ross tectonism in the central Transantarctic Mountains. On a regional scale, the data are consistent with a short pulse of deformation, which was probably related to global plate motion changes following final suturing of East and West Gondwana.     

U–Pb zircon and microfabric data of (meta) granitoids of western Cameroon: Constraints on the timing of pluton emplacement and deformation in the Pan-African belt of central Africa

Striking characteristics of the western Neoproterozoic belt of Cameroon (NFBC) are the large volume of granitoids and crustal-scale shear zones. New structural and geochronological data from this area are provided to put constraints on the tectonic evolution of this segment of the belt and to make further correlations between major shear zones exposed on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

Three different complexes have been identified in the study area: the migmatitic complex of Foumbot (MCF), the metagranitoid complex of Bangwa (BC), and the Batié pluton (BP). The MCF was intruded by the BC, while the BP cuts through the BC. U–Pb zircon dating of metaleucogranite and metagranodiorite of the BC yielded concordant to subconcordant ages of 638 ± 2 Ma and 637 ± 5 Ma, respectively. A concordant U–Pb zircon age of 602 ± 1.4 Ma has been obtained from porphyrogranite of the BP. These ages are interpreted as emplacement ages. Continuous deformation from magmatic to solid-state flow along the BP margins and the (sub)parallelism of the steep solid-state foliation in the BP margins with the foliation in the surrounding BC and MFC suggest synkinematic emplacement of the BP along crustal-scale NNE to ENE-trending strike–slip shear zones. Subhorizontal foliations in migmatitic-gneiss xenoliths found in the BC suggest that the major transcurrent motion was preceded by thrusting.

The new data confirm previous assumptions that the western NFBC is equivalent to parts of the Borborema province of Brazil. There are geochronological correlations between the studied (meta)granitoids and Brasiliano pre- to syn-transcurrent granitoids of the Borborema province.     

Bimodal back-arc alkaline magmatism after ridge subduction: Pliocene felsic rocks from Central Patagonia (47°S)

Volumetrically minor microsyenites, alkali microgranite and related trachytic dykes intrude early Pliocene OIB-like alkali basaltic and basanitic flows of the Meseta del Lago Buenos Aires in Central Patagonia (47°S–71°30′W), and occur together with scarce trachytic lava flows. Whole-rock K–Ar ages between 3.98 and 3.08 Ma indicate that the emplacement of these felsic rocks occurred more or less synchronously with that of the post-plateau basaltic sequence that they intrude, during a bimodal mafic–felsic magmatic episode devoid of intermediate compositions. Chemically, these rocks have A₁-type granitoid affinities and are characterized by high silica and alkali contents (60–68 wt.% SiO₂; 8.7–10.8 wt.% Na₂O + K₂O), major and trace elements patterns evidencing evolution by low-pressure fractional crystallization, and Sr and Nd isotopic signatures similar to those of coeval basalts ((⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_o = 0.70488–0.70571; (¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd)_o = 0.512603–0.512645). Nevertheless, some of them have the most radiogenic Sr values ever reported for a magmatic rock in the Meseta and even in the whole Neogene Patagonian Plateau Lavas province ((⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_o = 0.70556–0.70571; (¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd)_o = 0.512603–0.512608). In addition, very high contents of strongly incompatible elements in the most evolved rocks, together with Sr isotopic ratios higher than those of coeval basalts, suggest the occurrence of open-system magmatic processes. Continuous fractional crystallization from a primitive basaltic source, similar to post-plateau coeval basalts, towards alkali granites combined with small rates of assimilation of host Jurassic tuffs (AFC) in a shallow magmatic reservoir, best explains the geochemical and petrographic features of the felsic rocks. Therefore, A₁-type magmatic rocks can be generated by open-system crystallization of deep asthenospheric melts in back-arc tectonic settings.

In Central Patagonia, these  3–4 Ma old alkaline intrusions occur aligned along a  N160–170 trending lineament, the Zeballos Fault Zone, stacking the morphotectonic front of one segment of the Patagonian Cordillera. Intrusion along this fault zone occurred during the onset of a new transtensional or extensional event in the area, related to major regional tectonics occurring in possible relation with the collision of one segment of the Chile Spreading Ridge with the trench.     

Magma sources and gold mineralisation in the Mount Leyshon and Tuckers Igneous Complexes, Queensland, Australia: U-Pb and Hf isotope evidence

In situ LAM-ICPMS U-Pb, Hf-isotope and trace-element analyses of zircon have been used to evaluate the relative contributions of juvenile mantle and crustal sources to the intrusive rocks of the mafic to intermediate, gold-poor Tuckers Igneous Complex (TIC), and the spatially and temporally related, felsic Mount Leyshon Igneous Complex (MLIC), which hosts a gold-rich porphyry system.

The TIC intrusions range in age from 304.2 ± 9.1 Ma to 288.5 ± 6.4 Ma, and the MLIC intrusions from 291.0 ± 4.8 Ma to 288 ± 6 Ma. Cross-cutting relationships define the intrusion sequence from oldest to youngest; Diorite, Monzodiorite, Mafic Granodiorite and Biotite Microgranite within the TIC; Early Dyke, Southern Porphyry and Late Dyke within the MLIC.

Zircons from the earliest rock type within each complex have a wide range in _Hf (5.2 to 14.8 for the TIC Diorite, 2.0 to 12.4 for the MLIC Early Dykes) suggesting the mixing of juvenile and crustal magmas. This interpretation is supported by trace-element data that show the presence of two distinct zircon populations in the MLIC Early Dyke. The later intrusive rocks have narrower ranges in _Hf (typically < 4 _Hf units) and trace-element patterns of zircon. This homogeneity suggests derivation from magmas produced by further mixing and fractional crystallisation of the TIC Diorite and the MLIC Early Dyke magmas respectively. A greater crustal contribution to the gold-rich MLIC is inferred from the range of median _Hf (3.2 to 4.5 for the MLIC, 5.4 to 8.7 for the TIC). We suggest that the MLIC was derived by melting of more felsic crustal rocks, and with less input from juvenile mantle, then the TIC; it was not derived by fractional crystallisation of an intermediate to mafic TIC-like magma. Modelling of Hf isotope data yields a mean model age of 1040 ± 10 Ma (at ¹⁷⁶Lu/¹⁷⁷Hf = 0.015) for the crustal component in both complexes.

Gold was precipitated in the MLIC Breccia during the emplacement of the Late Dykes. The isotopically homogenous nature of the Late Dykes suggests that no additional juvenile-mantle input was involved at the mineralisation stage. This supports a model in which gold and other metals were indigenous to the Late Dykes magma and were concentrated by magma differentiation and fluid-evolution processes.     

The South Patagonian batholith: 150 my of granite magmatism on a plate margin

A new database of 70 U–Pb zircon ages (mostly determined by SHRIMP) indicates that the South Patagonian batholith resulted from the amalgamation of subduction-related plutons from the Late Jurassic to the Neogene. Construction of the batholith began with a voluminous, previously undetected, Late Jurassic bimodal body mainly composed of leucogranite with some gabbro, emplaced along its present eastern margin within a restricted time span (157 to 145 Ma). This episode is, at least in part, coeval with voluminous rhyolitic ignimbrites of the Tobífera Formation, deposited in the deep Rocas Verdes Basin east of the batholith; this was the last of several southwestward-migrating silicic volcanic episodes in Patagonia that commenced in an Early Jurassic extensional tectonic regime. The quasi-oceanic mafic floor of the basin was also contemporaneous with this Late Jurassic batholithic event, as indicated by mutually cross-cutting field relationships. Changes in subduction parameters then triggered the generation of earliest Cretaceous plutons (Cretaceous 1: 144–137 Ma) west of the Late Jurassic ones, a westward shift that culminated at 136–127 Ma (Cretaceous 2) along the present western margin of the batholith. Most mid- to Late Cretaceous (Cretaceous 3: 126–75 Ma) and Paleogene (67–40 Ma) granitoids are represented by geographically restricted plutons, mainly emplaced between the previously established margins of the batholith, and mostly in the far south; no associated volcanic rocks of similar age are known at present in this area. During the final Neogene stage of plutonism (25–15 Ma) a recurrence of coeval volcanism is recognized within and east of the batholith. Typical εNdt values for the granitoids vary from strongly negative (− 5) in the Late Jurassic, to progressively higher values for Cretaceous 1 (− 4), Cretaceous 2 (− 0.7), Cretaceous 3 (+ 2) and the Paleogene (+ 5), followed by lower and more variable ones in the Neogene (− 1 to + 5). These variations may reflect different modes of pluton emplacement: large crustal magma chambers developed in the early stages (Late Jurassic to Cretaceous 1), leading to widespread emplacement of plutons with a crustal signature, whereas the Cretaceous 2, Cretaceous 3 and Palaeogene parts of the batholith resulted from incremental assembly of small plutons generated at greater depths and with higher εNdt. This does not in itself justify the idea of a reduction in crustal character due to progressive exhaustion of fusible material in the crust through which the magmas passed.     

Late Cenozoic to recent transtensional deformation across the Southern part of the Gaoligong shear zone between the Indian plate and SE margin of the Tibetan plateau and its tectonic origin

Chuquicamata, in northern Chile, is one of the largest porphyry copper deposits in the world; the western side of its orebody is bounded by a major longitudinal fault, the West fault. We report paleomagnetic results from surface sites and drill cores from different geological units at Chuquicamata, especially within the late Eocene Fiesta granodiorite of the western block of the West fault. Characteristic remanent magnetizations (ChRM) were determined after detailed thermal or alternating field demagnetization. Soft components carried by multidomain magnetite crystals in the Fiesta granodiorite were removed by AF demagnetization at 10–20 mT. The ChRMs, not demagnetized by alternating fields up to 100 mT, have unblocking temperatures above 580 °C with ~ 75% of the magnetization removed in the temperature range of 580–590 °C. Optical and SEM mineralogical observations, and microprobe data indicate the occurrence of multidomain magnetite formed during a late magmatic stage of alteration coeval with strong oxidation of primary titanomagnetite and formation of ilmenite, hematite, pseudobrookite, and rutile. The characteristic directions have negative inclinations and declinations (330° to 230°); strongly deflected from the expected Eocene direction. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS), with degree up to 1.4, is carried by multidomain magnetite. AMS ellipsoids have subvertical foliations with azimuth varying strongly from N280° to N20°. We show that both the ChRMs and the AMS fabrics record the same apparent relative rotations between sites. Although the AMS anisotropy is high, there is no evidence for a solid-state deformation and the apparent rotation of the magnetic fabric is interpreted to be the consequence of small-block rotation. The apparent large (> 100°) counterclockwise rotations of small blocks within the Fiesta granodiorite suggest a wide damaged zone related to sinistral displacement along the West fault. This interpretation is consistent with previous models indicating that the Fiesta granodiorite was sinistrally translated and brought in front of the early Oligocene porphyry copper deposit during the Oligocene–early Miocene. This study shows that paleomagnetic markers are useful for improving the quantification and understanding of small-scale deformation within plutons adjacent to major fault zones.     

Zircon U–Pb age and trace element evidence for Paleoproterozoic granulite-facies metamorphism and Archean crustal rocks in the Dabie Orogen

Zircon U–Pb ages and trace elements were determined for granulites and gneiss at Huangtuling, which are hosted by ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic rocks in the Dabie Orogen, east-central China. CL images reveal core–rim structure for most zircons in the granulites. The cores show oscillatory zoning, relatively high Th/U ratios, and HREE enriched patterns, consistent with a magmatic origin. They gave a weighted mean ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb age of 2766 ± 9 Ma, interpreted as dating magma emplacement of the protolith. The rims are characterized by sector or planar zoning, low Th/U ratios, negative Eu anomalies and flat HREE patterns, consistent with their formation under granulite-facies metamorphic conditions. Zircon U–Pb dating yields a weighted mean ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb age of 2029 ± 13 Ma, which is interpreted to record a metamorphic event, possibly during assembly of the supercontinent Columbia. The gneiss has a protolith age of 1982 ± 14 Ma, which is younger than the zircon age of the granulite-facies metamorphism, suggesting a generally delay between HT metamorphism and the intrusion of post-collisional granites. A few inherited cores with igneous characteristics have ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages of 2.90, 3.28 and 3.53 Ga, suggesting the presence of Mesoarchean to Paleoarchean crustal remnants in the Yangtze Craton. A few Cretaceous metamorphic ages were also obtained, suggesting the influence of post-collisional collapse in response to Cretaceous extension of the Dabie Orogen. It is inferred that the recently discovered Archean basement of the Yangtze Craton occurs as far north as the Dabie Orogen.     

Spinel granulite in Odesan area, South Korea: Tectonic implications for the collision between the North and South China blocks

Spinel granulite formed in the Fe–Al-rich layers in migmatitic gneiss adjacent to a late Paleozoic collision-related mangerite intrusion in the Odesan area, eastern Gyeonggi Massif, South Korea, contains the high-temperature (HT) assemblage Crd + Spl + Crn. Spinel and cordierite compositions indicate peak metamorphic conditions of 914–1157 °C. Retrograde metamorphism reached amphibolite facies where garnet and cordierite broke down to biotite, sillimanite and quartz. These conditions, and the reactions inferred from mineral textures, are consistent with a clockwise P–T path. Metamorphic zircon overgrowths in the spinel granulite and enclosing migmatitic gneiss, dated by SHRIMP U–Pb, yield Permo-Triassic ages of 245 ± 10 and 248 ± 18 Ma respectively, consistent with the metamorphism being a product of the late Paleozoic collision between the North and South China blocks within South Korea. The zircon core ages and textures suggest that the ultimate source of the spinel granulite was a Paleoproterozoic (1852 ± 14 Ma) igneous rock. The protolith of the host migmatitic gneiss was a sediment derived principally from 2.49, 2.16 and 1.86 Ga sources. The age and conditions of spinel granulite metamorphism are similar to those of spinel-bearing granulite in the Higo terrane in west-central Kyushu (250 Ma, > 950 °C at 8–9 kbar), consistent with a continuation of the Dabie-Sulu collision zone into Japan through the Odesan area.     

Petrology and mineralogy of granulite-facies mafic xenoliths (Sardinia, Italy): Evidence for KCl metasomatism in the lower crust

Here new mineralogical data is presented on the occurrence of K-feldspar in granulite-facies metagabbronorite xenoliths found in recent alkaline lavas from Western Sardinia, Italy. The xenoliths originated from the underplating of variably evolved subduction-related basaltic liquids, which underwent cooling and recrystallisation in the deep crust (T = 850–900 °C, P = 0.8–1.0 GPa). They consist of orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + plagioclase porphyroclasts (An = 50–66 mol%) in a granoblastic, recrystallised, quartz-free matrix composed of pyroxene + plagioclase (An = 56–72 mol%) + Fe–Ti oxides ± K-feldspar ± biotite ± fluorapatite ± Ti-biotite. Texturally, the K-feldspar occurs in a variety of different modes. These include: (1) rods, blebs, and irregular patches in a random scattering of plagioclase grains in the form of antiperthite; (2) micro-veins along plagioclase–plagioclase and plagioclase–pyroxene grain rims; (3) myrmekite-like intergrowths with Ca-rich plagioclase along plagioclase–plagioclase grain boundaries; and (4) discrete anhedral grains (sometimes microperthitic). The composition of each type of K-feldspar is characterized by relatively high albite contents (16–33 mol%). An increasing anorthite content in the plagioclase towards the contact with the K-feldspar micro-vein and myrmekite-like intergrowths into the K-feldspar along the plagioclase–K-feldspar grain boundary are also observed. Small amounts of biotite (TiO₂ = 4.7–6.5 wt.%; F = 0.24–1.19 wt.%; Cl = 0.04–0.20 wt.%) in textural equilibrium with the granulite-facies assemblage is present in both K-feldspar-bearing and K-feldspar-free xenoliths. These K-feldspar textures suggest a likely metasomatic origin due to solid-state infiltration of KCl-rich fluids/melts. The presence of such fluids is supported by the fluorapatite in these xenoliths, which is enriched in Cl (Cl = 6–50% of the total F + Cl + OH). These lines of evidence suggest that formation of K-feldspar in the mafic xenoliths reflects metasomatic processes, requiring an external K-rich fluid source, which operated in the lower crust during and after in-situ high-T recrystallisation of relatively dry rocks.     

Paleomagnetic study of Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks from the Mixteca terrane (Mexico)

Three sites from Cretaceous limestone and Jurassic sandstone in northern Oaxaca, Mexico, were studied paleomagnetically. Thermal demagnetization isolated site-mean remanence directions which differ significantly from the recent geomagnetic field. The paleopole for the Albian–Cenomanian Morelos formation is indistinguishable from the corresponding reference pole for stable North America, indicating tectonic stability of the Mixteca terrane since the Cretaceous. Rock magnetic properties and a positive reversal test for the Bajocian Tecomazuchil sandstone suggest that the remanence could be of primary origin, although no fold test could be applied. The Tecomazuchil paleopole is rotated 10°±5° clockwise and displaced 24°±5° towards the study area, with respect to the reference pole for stable North America. Similar values were found for the Toarcien–Aalenian Rosario Formation, with 35°±6° clockwise rotation and 33°±6° latitudinal translation. These data support a post-Bajocian southward translation of the Mixteca terrane by around 25°, which was completed in mid-Cretaceous time.     

Silurian/Ordovician asymmetrical sill-like bodies from La Codosera syncline, W Spain: A case of tholeiitic partial melts emplaced in a single magma pulse and derived from a metasomatized mantle source

A Silurian/Ordovician extensional event in the southernmost sectors of the Central Iberian Zone is inferred from the Sm/Nd isochron obtained (436 ± 17 Ma) after the diabase sills from the La Codosera syncline. From the geochemical and mineralogical points of view, the diabase sills are subalkaline and range between high-Mg tholeiite diabases to tholeiite andesites. LREE enrichment, an Nb negative anomaly, the absence of a Ta trough and a high Nd isotope signature (ε_Ndt = + 6) are the most relevant geochemical features. The diabase bodies are up to 330 m in thickness and were sampled from bottom to top along several different sections, permitting the definition of an accumulation of clinopyroxene, olivine and plagioclase close to chilled margins at the bottom, and abundant pegmatoid layers at the top. Chemical profiles and mass-balance modelling suggest that the bulk rock and chilled margin compositions are not dissimilar, defining an unusual S-type vertical compositional profile for large (> 50 m thick) sills, which in turn strongly suggests a single magma pulse and a probable gravitational settling. Assuming chilled margin samples as the parental magma, as well as Cr-enriched samples as cumulate layers, a two-stage liquid line of descent has been established, the first one consisting of a clinopyroxene-plagioclase-olivine cumulate assemblage. A second stage in relation to the depletion in Ti, Fe and V is accounted for by ilmenite fractionation, along with that of clinopyroxene, plagioclase and olivine fractionation. Thermobarometric estimations reveal that the clinopyroxene (around 1100 °C and 197 MPa) was a late mineral phase, whereas the plagioclase (around 1200 °C) was pre- to syn-emplacement, in agreement with the presence only of plagioclase phenocrysts in the chilled margins and the very abundant positive Eu anomaly. The energy constraint modelling is consistent with the lack of a significant assimilation process owing to the high temperature contrast between the country rock and the magma itself. The compositional characteristics of chilled margins enable them to be ruled out as primary melts in equilibrium with mantle olivine (Fo₉₁), a certain amount of olivine fractionation being required, which might have occurred in magma conduits en route to shallow emplacement levels in the crust. Spinel lherzolitic xenoliths from the European Cenozoic alkaline magmatism appear to be unsuitable protoliths to account for the chilled margin compositions. Instead, a hybrid mantle source consisting of a small amount of OIB-mantle component (5 wt.%) and a depleted end-member mantle component seems to be a plausible protolith, resulting in a good fit with the fractionation-corrected chilled margin trends for 10% of partial melting.     

Paleomagnetism of early Aphebian diabase dykes from the slave structural province, Canada

Early Aphebian dykes (lowermost Proterozoic) intrude the Archean terrain of the Slave Structural Province of the Canadian Shield and paleomagnetic results from them are reported. The Dogrib dykes, with an Rb/Sr age of 2692 ± 80 mm.y., have directions of magnetization directed toward the NW without reversals (16 sites; 309, + 37; α₉₅ = 4°; pole 35S, 050W). The Indin dykes, with an Rb/Sr age of 2093 ± 86 mm.y., have magnetization directed toward the SE with reversals (13 sites; 131, + 58; α₉₅ = 8°; pole 19N, 076W). Other, less well-documented data from a third dyke swarm (the “X” dykes) and a basic sill (the Duck Lake Sill), are also presented, and a very tentative polar path for the Slave Province in the earlier Proterozoic is given. This path is not greatly different from a similar very tentative early Aphebian polar path from the Archean Superior Province, considering the uncertainties in the paleomagnetic and age determinations. We interpret this to mean either that the intervening Hudsonian Structural Province (−1850 m.y.) was not the site of a wide plate-style opening and closing ocean, or if it was, the two bounding Archean cratons returned approximately to their original relative position.