Basin fill evolution and paleotectonic patterns along the Samfrau geosyncline: the Sauce Grande basin–Ventana foldbelt (Argentina) and Karoo basin–Cape foldbelt (South Africa) revisited

As integral parts of du Toit’s (1927) “Samfrau Geosyncline”, the Sauce Grande basin–Ventana foldbelt (Argentina) and Karoo basin–Cape foldbelt (South Africa) share similar paleoclimatic, paleogeographic, and paleotectonic aspects related to the Late Paleozoic tectono-magmatic activity along the Panthalassan continental margin of Gondwanaland. Late Carboniferou-earliest Permian glacial deposits were deposited in the Sauce Grande (Sauce Grande Formation) and Karoo (Dwyka Formation) basins and Falkland–Malvinas Islands (Lafonia Formation) during an initial (sag) phase of extension. The pre-breakup position of the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands on the easternmost part of the Karoo basin (immediately east of the coast of South Africa) is supported by recent paleomagnetic data, lithofacies associations, paleoice flow directions and age similarities between the Dwyka and the Lafonia glacial sequences. The desintegration of the Gondwanan Ice Sheet (GIS) triggered widespread transgressions, reflected in the stratigraphic record by the presence of inter-basinally correlatable, open marine, fine-grained deposits (Piedra Azul Formation in the Sauce Grande basin, Prince Albert Formation in the Karoo basin and Port Sussex Formation in the Falkland Islands) capping glacial marine sediments. These early postglacial transgressive deposits, characterised by fossils of the Eurydesma fauna and Glossopteris flora, represent the maximum flooding of the basins. Cratonward foreland subsidence was triggered by the San Rafael orogeny (ca. 270 Ma) in Argentina and propogated along the Gondwanan margin. This subsidence phase generated sufficient space to accommodate thick synorogenic sequences derived from the orogenic flanks of the Sauce Grande and Karoo basins. Compositionally, the initial extensional phase of these basins was characterized by quartz-rich, craton-derived detritus and was followed by a compressional (foreland) phase characterized by a paleocurrent reversal and dominance of arc/foldbelt-derived material. In the Sauce Grande basin, tuffs are interbedded in the upper half of the synorogenic, foldbelt-derived Tunas Formation (Early–early Late? Permian). Likewise, the first widespread appearance of tuffs in the Karoo basin is in the Whitehill Formation, of late Early Permian (260?Ma) age. Silicic volcanism along the Andes and Patagonia (Choiyoi magmatic province) peaked between the late Early Permian and Late Permian. A link between these volcanics and the consanguineous airborne tuffs present in the Sauce Grande and Karoo basins is suggested on the basis of their similar compositions and ages.     

30 million years of Permian volcanism recorded in the Choiyoi igneous province (W Argentina) and their source for younger ash fall deposits in the Paraná Basin: SHRIMP U–Pb zircon geochronology evidence

We present four SHRIMP U–Pb zircon ages for the Choiyoi igneous province from the San Rafael Block, central–western Argentina. Dated samples come from the Yacimiento Los Reyunos Formation (281.4 ± 2.5 Ma) of the Cochicó Group (Lower Choiyoi section: andesitic breccias, dacitic to rhyolitic ignimbrites and continental conglomerates), Agua de los Burros Formation (264.8 ± 2.3 Ma and 264.5 ± 3.0 Ma) and Cerro Carrizalito Formation (251.9 ± 2.7 Ma Upper Choiyoi section: rhyolitic ignimbrites and pyroclastic flows) spanning the entire Permian succession of the Choiyoi igneous province. A single zircon from the El Imperial Formation, that is overlain unconformably by the Choiyoi succession, yielded an early Permian age (297.2 ± 5.3 Ma), while the main detrital zircon population indicated an Ordovician age (453.7 ± 8.1 Ma). The new data establishes a more precise Permian age (Artinskian–Lopingian) for the section studied spanning 30 Ma of volcanic activity. Volcanological observations for the Choiyoi succession support the occurrence of explosive eruptions of plinian to ultraplinian magnitudes, capable of injecting enormous volumes of tephra in the troposphere–stratosphere. The new SHRIMP ages indicate contemporaneity between the Choyoi succession and the upper part of the Paraná Basin late Paleozoic section, from the Irati up to the Rio do Rasto formations, encompassing about 24 Ma. Geochemical data show a general congruence in compositional and tectonic settings between the volcanics and Paraná Basin Permian ash fall derived layers of bentonites. Thickness and granulometry of ash fall layers broadly fit into the depletion curve versus distance from the remote source vent of ultraplinian eruptions. Thus, we consider that the Choiyoi igneous province was the source of ash fall deposits in the upper Permian section of the Paraná Basin. Data presented here allow a more consistent correlation between tectono-volcanic Permian events along the paleo-Pacific margin of southwestern Gondwana and the geological evolution of neighboring Paleozoic foreland basins in South America and Africa.     

Permian plate margin volcanism and tuffs in adjacent basins of west Gondwana: Age constraints and common characteristics

Increasing evidence of Permian volcanic activity along the South American portion of the Gondwana proto-Pacific margin has directed attention to its potential presence in the stratigraphic record of adjacent basins. In recent years, tuffaceous horizons have been identified in late Early Permian–through Middle Permian (280–260 Ma) sections of the Paraná Basin (Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay). Farther south and closer to the magmatic tract developed along the continental margin, in the San Rafael and Sauce Grande basins of Argentina, tuffs are present in the Early to Middle Permian section. This tuff-rich interval can be correlated with the appearance of widespread tuffs in the Karoo Basin. Although magmatic activity along the proto-Pacific plate margin was continuous during the Late Paleozoic, Choiyoi silicic volcanism along the Andean Cordillera and its equivalent in Patagonia peaked between the late Early Permian and Middle Permian, when extensive rhyolitic ignimbrites and consanguineous airborne tuffaceous material erupted in the northern Patagonian region. The San Rafael orogenic phase (SROP) interrupted sedimentation along the southwestern segment of the Gondwana margin (i.e., Frontal Cordillera, San Rafael Basin), induced cratonward thrusting (i.e., Ventana and Cape foldbelts), and triggered accelerated subsidence in the adjacent basins (Sauce Grande and Karoo) located inboard of the deformation front. This accelerated subsidence favored the preservation of tuffaceous horizons in the syntectonic successions. The age constraints and similarities in composition between the volcanics along the continental margin and the tuffaceous horizons in the San Rafael, Sauce Grande, Paraná, and Karoo basins strongly suggest a genetic linkage between the two episodes. Radiometric ages from tuffs in the San Rafael, Paraná, and Karoo basins indicate an intensely tuffaceous interval between 280 and 260 Ma.     

Permian plate margin volcanism and tuffs in adjacent basins of west Gondwana: Age constraints and common characteristics

Increasing evidence of Permian volcanic activity along the South American portion of the Gondwana proto-Pacific margin has directed attention to its potential presence in the stratigraphic record of adjacent basins. In recent years, tuffaceous horizons have been identified in late Early Permian–through Middle Permian (280–260 Ma) sections of the Paraná Basin (Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay). Farther south and closer to the magmatic tract developed along the continental margin, in the San Rafael and Sauce Grande basins of Argentina, tuffs are present in the Early to Middle Permian section. This tuff-rich interval can be correlated with the appearance of widespread tuffs in the Karoo Basin. Although magmatic activity along the proto-Pacific plate margin was continuous during the Late Paleozoic, Choiyoi silicic volcanism along the Andean Cordillera and its equivalent in Patagonia peaked between the late Early Permian and Middle Permian, when extensive rhyolitic ignimbrites and consanguineous airborne tuffaceous material erupted in the northern Patagonian region. The San Rafael orogenic phase (SROP) interrupted sedimentation along the southwestern segment of the Gondwana margin (i.e., Frontal Cordillera, San Rafael Basin), induced cratonward thrusting (i.e., Ventana and Cape foldbelts), and triggered accelerated subsidence in the adjacent basins (Sauce Grande and Karoo) located inboard of the deformation front. This accelerated subsidence favored the preservation of tuffaceous horizons in the syntectonic successions. The age constraints and similarities in composition between the volcanics along the continental margin and the tuffaceous horizons in the San Rafael, Sauce Grande, Paraná, and Karoo basins strongly suggest a genetic linkage between the two episodes. Radiometric ages from tuffs in the San Rafael, Paraná, and Karoo basins indicate an intensely tuffaceous interval between 280 and 260 Ma.     

Detrital zircons U–Pb SHRIMP ages and provenance of La Modesta Formation,Patagonia Argentina

This paper summarizes the geology of the Paleozoic La Modesta Formation in Patagonia, Argentina, and presents new SHRIMP U–Pb dating of detrital zircons from muscovite-chlorite schist and tourmalinite. Also complementary geochemical and lead isotopic data are presented, indicating that the protoliths were formed from upper crustal rocks by the contribution of a large input from recycled (or felsic) sources. The maximum age of sedimentation of La Modesta Formation is about 446 ± 6 Ma. The basin closure (or eventually a paleocurrent shift) occurs at Lower Devonian before the exhumation of the Middle-Devonian granitoids of the Rio Deseado Complex (Deseado Massif). Many of the detrital zircons are igneous and record Ordovician ages, with a prominent Lower Ordovician-age peak at approximately 473 Ma. Most favourable candidates to provide the younger zircons in the basin would Ordovician granites of the Rio Deseado Complex (Deseado Massif) and Punta Sierra Plutonic Complex (Somun Cura Massif). Older zircons have peaks of different importance (including Brasiliano and Grenvillian ages) between 530 and 700, 750–1500, 1750–2000 and 2550–2700 Ma. La Modesta Formation is also a potential area of materials (detrital zircon) to the basin where the rocks of the Eastern Andean Metamorphic Complex and equivalent formations of the Andean region were generated.     

Absolute Dating of Permian Ash-Fall in the Rio Bonito Formation,Paraná Basin,Brazil

The Rio Bonito Formation in southern Paraná basin contains a set of tonsteins interbedded with coal-seams. These tonsteins are composed mainly of kaolinite with zircon, apatite and beta-quartz paramorphs as accessory minerals, and were interpreted as volcanic ashes deposited by ash falls over pits protected by barrier islands in a barrier-lagoon system. A U-Pb dating of zircons in the tonstein A, which furnished an age of 267.1 ± 3.4 Ma (Early Permian) confirming previous age-dates based on palynology and correlating them with one of the main periods of volcanic activity in the Gondwana.The source of the pyroclastic material was attributed to the early Permian Choiyoi magmatic arc in Argentina, developed during the Sanrafaelic orogeny, and with a main peak of volcanic activity between 260 and 272 Ma.     

滇中易门地区新元古代澄江组凝灰岩锆石U-Pb年龄及其地质意义

扬子西缘广泛出露的新元古代澄江组是一套与晋宁运动密切相关的沉积岩夹火山岩系,其形成时限对华南新元古代区域地层格架、地层划分对比及古大陆再造具有重要意义。出露于滇中易门地区的新元古代澄江组底部发育有厚数米的凝灰岩夹层,本次采集凝灰岩进行LA-ICP-MS锆石U-Pb定年研究,结果表明,锆石206Pb/238U年龄加权平均值为812±5. 5Ma(n=17,MSWD=0.46),可以代表滇中澄江组的底界年龄,从而进一步确定澄江组底界年龄为812Ma左右。此外,凝灰岩中捕获的锆石年龄信息指示扬子西缘可能存在2. 5Ga、1. 8～1. 6Ga、1. 5Ga、1. 3Ga及1.0Ga等数期重要的区域构造-热事件。     

浙西地区新元古代骆家门组SHRIMP锆石U-Pb 年龄及其地质意义

对河上镇群底部骆家门组2个凝灰岩样品进行锆石测年,得到的2组SHRIMP 锆石U-Pb年龄分别为824±5Ma和832±6Ma、791±15Ma。同时,对骆家门组底部花岗岩砾石中的锆石进行了测试,获得的SHRIMP 锆石U-Pb年龄为901±9Ma。由此进一步约束了骆家门组的形成时代。骆家门组年龄的标定对于浙江地区神功运动界面上、下地层双溪坞群和河上镇群年龄的完善,进而确定江南造山带的地层格架和地层对比具有重要意义。这些地层年龄和已经获得的角度不整合于骆家门组之下双溪坞群的年龄数据,为神功运动时限的约束和对比提供了重要依据。     

U–Pb dating of zircons from tuff layer,sandstone and tillite samples in the uppermost Liantuo Formation and the lowermost Nantuo Formation in Three Gorges area,South China

Uranium-lead (U–Pb) dating was conducted on zircons in tuff layers and sandstone samples from the uppermost Liantuo Formation and in a tillite sample from the lowermost Nantuo Formation in Three Gorges area, South China, using SHRIMP and LA-ICP-MS techniques. Zircons from these samples yielded age spectrum (within 1000 Ma) of ∼890, ∼830, ∼780, ∼730, and 646 Ma. Zircons from the Liantuo tuffs have a weighted mean ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 734.1 ± 8.1 Ma (2σ, n = 7, MSWD = 0.48), which was regarded as the best estimation of the upper boundary age of the Liantuo Formation. Combining with previous geochronologic data, the Liantuo Formation was proposed to be a pre-Chang′an glaciation unit, and it is comparable to the middle-upper Banxi/Danzhou Group in South China.     

New high precision U-Pb ages for the Vinchina Formation: Implications for the stratigraphy of the Bermejo Andean foreland basin (La Rioja province,western Argentina)

The Vinchina Formation is one of the thickest Cenozoic units related to the Andean orogeny in Argentina totaling more than 5100 m in thickness. Different ages, from Eocene to latest Miocene, have been postulated for this red-bed succession based on fission track, magnetostratigraphy and whole rock isotopic analyses. Two new high precision U-Pb zircon ages are reported herein for this unit. A maximum U-Pb age of 15.6 ± 0.4 Ma was obtained from detritic zircons collected from a thick tuffaceous interval of the Lower Member of the Vinchina Formation at La Cueva (Precordillera), while a depositional U-Pb age of 9.24 ± 0.034 Ma was derived from volcanic zircons collected from a thin tuff bed in the Upper Member at Quebrada de Los Pozuelos (Northwestern Sierras Pampeanas).At La Cueva, the Vinchina Formation unconformably overlies eolian sandstones of the Vallecito Formation and was divided into four units representing 1) deposits of high-sinuosity ephemeral rivers associated with 2) a playa-lake passing upwards to 3) low-sinuosity sandy ephemeral rivers and finally, 4) a gravelly-sandy braided plain. The tuffaceous level corresponding to unit 1 is located 280 m above the base of the formation.At Quebrada de Los Pozuelos, the Vinchina Formation unconformably overlies the Vallecito Formation and is covered by a deeply incised surface at the base of the Toro Negro Formation. We divided the Vinchina Formation into four units. Unit 1 represents sedimentation in shallow fluvial channels with sandy to muddy floodplains. Units 2 and 3 record sedimentation in braided, meandering and anastomosing rivers. Finally unit 4 represents deposition in braided and wandering fluvial systems. The sampled tuff is located within unit 4 at ∼3470 m above the base of the formation.The new ages indicate that the bulk of the Vinchina Formation is Miocene in age but they do not preclude a longer time span for the sedimentation of the whole unit. Ages of the sampled volcanic zircons match an important episode of volcanism recorded in the Cerro Las Tórtolas Formation, located ∼90 km to the west in the Andean Cordillera, but also the upper tuff could be related to the late Miocene Puna volcanism. Comparison of the new ages with previous chronological data suggests coetaneous sedimentation along different depocenters of the Bermejo basin (e.g., Vinchina and Talampaya depocenters in Western Sierras Pampeanas and La Troya depocenter and Huaco-Mogna sections in Precordillera) and strenghten the need for correlation among them. In addition the age of 15.6 ± 0.4 Ma constrains the end of the severe arid conditions recorded in the Sierras Pampeanas and Precordillera region.     

U-Pb ages of detrital and volcanic zircons of the Toro Negro Formation,northwestern Argentina: Age,provenance and sedimentation rates

The Toro Negro Formation is a foreland sequence in western La Rioja province, Argentina, which records the late-stage tectonic evolution of the Vinchina Basin. Together with the underlying Vinchina Formation, these two units represent one of the thickest and longest continually exposed foreland sections in northwest Argentina. The Vinchina basin is uniquely situated between the Toro Negro and Umango blocks of the Western Sierra Pampeanas to the north and south, the Precordillera to the west, and the Sierra de Famatina to the east. New U-Pb dating of volcanic tephra provides improved age constraints on the pace of sedimentation, and U-Pb ages of detrital zircons serve to strengthen existing provenance interpretations. We show that deposition of the Toro Negro Formation spans roughly 6.9 to 2.3 Ma: Late Miocene to Early Pleistocene. A high-relief, erosional unconformity with the underlying Vinchina Formation developed sometime between 9.3 and 6.9 Ma, although stratigraphic considerations suggest it spanned only the later part of this time interval (perhaps 7.5–6.9 Ma). Above this unconformity, undecompacted sedimentation rates are remarkably high at ∼1.2 mm/yr, slowing to ∼0.3 mm/yr after ∼6 Ma. An unconformity in the upper part of the section is constrained to occur sometime between 5.0 and 3.0 Ma, probably beginning not long after 5.0 Ma. The timing of both unconformities broadly Matches the timing of inferred tectonic events in the Sierra Famatina ∼50 km to the east, the Fiambalá basin to the north, and the Bermejo basin to the south, suggesting they May record regional tectonism at these times. Provenance interpretations of detrital zircon spectra are consistent with previous interpretations based on sediment petrography. They show that provenance did not change significantly during the course of Toro Negro deposition, precluding major tectonically-induced drainage reorganization events. Sediments were derived primarily from the north (Toro Negro Block) and west (Precordillera). The data are consistent with a subtle increase in sediment supply from the Precordillera beginning around 6.5 Ma.     

Peculiarities of the structure and evolution of the Riphean Ai volcanic complex,South Urals

The Ai volcanic complex is a part of the Ai Formation, which begins the stratotypical Riphean section in the South Urals and lies on the Archean Taratash metamorphic complex. New geochemical and isotope data were obtained for the volcanic rocks. The dominant porphyritic plagioclase and pyroxene trachibasalts associated with dacites are characterized by higher contents of alkalis and titanium, which is typical of rift volcanism. However, other geochemical data, e.g., decreased Ni contents, are beyond of this scheme. The U-Pb (SHRIMP) age of zircons from dacites is 1415 ± 11 Ma.     

滇西桃花花岗斑岩中新太古代-古元古代锆石年龄信息:对扬子板块西缘基底时代的约束

扬子板块西缘滇西地区是否存在古老基底一直存在争议。本文对滇西桃花地区花岗斑岩进行了岩石学、地球化学和锆石SHRIMP U-Pb年代学研究。形成于晚造山-后碰撞背景的桃花花岗斑岩具岛弧花岗岩地球化学特征,其成因可能与:1)俯冲拆离的洋壳俯冲拆离的洋壳或富集地幔重熔作用;2)加厚的地壳部分熔融。花岗斑岩中的继承锆石有两种类型:一类是发育具有密集振荡环带的岩浆锆石;另一类是次浑圆状锆石。测年结果显示,花岗斑岩的岩浆锆石年龄为36.35±0.35Ma,环带发育的继承锆石年龄介于167~891Ma之间;而次浑圆状继承锆石可以分为两组,其207Pb/206Pb加权平均年龄分别为1851±22Ma与2499±32Ma。新的锆石测年结果表明着滇西桃花地区不仅存在古金沙江洋东向俯冲形成的晚古生代弧岩浆记录,还发现新元古代岩浆活动信息,及早古元古代和新太古代的锆石记录。推测1.8Ga与2.5Ga锆石可能是捕获自地壳或围岩(石鼓片岩),表明滇西地区可能存在古老基底。     

The Cordon del Portillo Permian magmatism,Mendoza, Argentina,plutonic and volcanic sequences at the western margin of Gondwana

The Cerro Punta Blanca, Cerro Bayo and Cerro Punta Negra stocks, parts of the Cordillera Frontal Composite Batholith, cropping out in the Cordón del Portillo, records the Gondwana magmatic development of the Cordillera Frontal of Mendoza, in western Argentina. In this area, the San Rafael Orogenic phase, that represents the closure of the Late Carboniferous–Early Permian marine basins, begins at 284 Ma, and ceased before 276 Ma. The Cerro Punta Blanca, Cerro Bayo and Cerro Punta Negra stocks represent a post-orogenic magmatism and are equivalents to the Choiyoi Group. The Gondwana magmatic activity in the Cordón del Portillo area can be divided into two stages. The Cerro Punta Blanca stock (c.a. 276 Ma) represents an early post-orogenic, subduction-related magmatism similar to the basic-intermediate section of the Choiyoi Group (c.a. 277 Ma). The late post-orogenic second event was recorded by the Cerro Bayo (262 Ma) and Cerro Punta Negra stocks which represent a transition between subduction-related and intra-plate magmatism. This event represents the intrusive counterpart of the acidic facies of the upper section of the Choiyoi Group (c.a. 273 Ma). This extensional condition continued during the Triassic when the Cacheuta basin developed.     

北京密云元古宙常州沟组之下环斑花岗岩古风化壳岩石的发现及其碎屑锆石年龄

在北京密云地区,最近发现环斑花岗岩(脉)上发育有古风化壳,并被长城系常州沟组砂岩覆盖。风化壳物质的组成主要为来自环斑花岗岩的原地风化残留物和粗碎屑岩,采用SHRIMP和LA-ICP-MS方法,分别获得环斑花岗岩古风化壳碎屑岩的碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄值为(1682±20)Ma、(1708±6)Ma等,与相邻的密云环斑花岗岩年龄相同。这套古风化壳碎屑岩的存在和测年结果显示,长城系常州沟组的底界年龄应小于1682Ma。     

Constraining a SHRIMP U-Pb age: micro-scale characterization of zircons from Saxonian Rotliegend rhyolites

We present results of a detailed investigation of zircons from two rhyolites from St. Egidien and Chemnitz, Saxony, using a combination of microprobe techniques (SHRIMP ion probe, Raman microprobe, SEM: SE, BSE, and CL imaging). These rhyolites belong to the so-called “lower volcanics”, which is the older of two series of Late Variscan volcanic rocks occurring in the Saxonian Sub-Erzgebirge basin (Germany). The purpose of the present contribution is to demonstrate that detailed characterization of zircons, as provided by the different micro-techniques, facilitates soundest interpretation of geochronological data. The zircons (at most 40 to 80 m in size) show oscillatory growth zoning, with reversely correlated CL and BSE signal intensities. These zircons are interpreted to have grown during crystallization of the rhyolite because, apart from some cracking, they do not appear to have experienced any alteration since the time of their growth: The shapes of the zircons and their internal structures revealed by CL and BSE imaging appear to be magmatic, and neither annealing of the accumulated alpha-decay damage nor disturbance of the U-Pb system is observed. The SHRIMP ion probe measurements on the zircons gave a Permian ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age of 278 ± 5 Ma (95% confidence). The concordance of this age is supported by the correlation between the low degrees of metamictization (estimated from Raman parameters) and the accumulated alpha fluxes (calculated from SHRIMP data). The 278 Ma zircon age is interpreted to represent the age of the “lower rhyolites” series and, with that, the age of postkinematic Late Variscan volcanism in the Sub-Erzgebirge basin, which has been related to anorogenic extension and uplift as a result of intracontinental rifting. Because of genetic association of rhyolites in the Sub-Erzgebirge basin and Li-F granites and lamprophyres in the neighbouring Erzgebirge, the rhyolite age also indirectly contributes to the understanding of the geological history of the Erzgebirge. The 278 Ma age is the first absolute dating result for rhyolites from the Saxonian Sub-Erzgebirge basin. Received: 16 December 1997 / Accepted: 4 May 1998     

Age of the Yarrabee and accessory tuffs: implications for the upper Permian sediment-accumulation rates across the Bowen Basin

The Yarrabee Tuff is a stratigraphically significant marker across the Bowen Basin separating the Fort Cooper–Burngrove–Fair Hill formations from the overlying Rangal and equivalent coal measures. At least three to four persistent tuffs (referred here as accessary tuffs) beneath the Yarrabee Tuff were recognised in the Fort Cooper Coal Measures as suitable for regional stratigraphic correlations. In this study, we determined the ages of the Yarrabee and accessary tuffs across different morphotectonic zones of the basin through high-precision U–Pb dating of zircon with the CA-IDTIMS technique. The age of the Yarrabee Tuff is found to be 252.69 ± 0.16 Ma in the Duckworth 11 well, 253.07 ± 0.22 Ma in the Crocker Gully 2 well and <252.58 ± 0.23 Ma in the Peat 1 well. The age range of the Yarrabee Tuff coincides with the previously published date of the Kaloola Tuff Member in Meeleebee 5 suggesting that the tuffs are stratigraphically equivalent. The age range for the accessory tuff 1 is 253.12 ± 0.12 Ma to 252.85 ± 0.16 Ma, 253.45 ± 0.08 Ma for accessory tuff 2 and 253.77 ± 0.17 Ma to 253.57± 0.18 Ma for accessory tuff 3, placing them in the upper Changhsingian Stage. The age of the accessory tuff 6 (less laterally consistent in the basin) from the Fair Hill Formation is 254.03 ± 0.03 Ma, placing it in the lower Changhsingian Stage. The age-constrained intervals allow the estimation of sedimentation rates using decompacted coal and clastic sediment thickness. In the Taroom Trough, the temporal variation in sedimentation rates is found to be 902 m/Ma in the Fair Hill Formation decreasing to 234.5 m/Ma in the overlying Burngrove Formation, reflecting a decrease in accommodation or sediment supply upwards in the sequence. Across the basin, the sedimentation rates for the Burngrove Formation are consistently higher in the Taroom Trough ranging between 234.5 and 224.5 m/Ma and lower rates of 112 m/Ma in the Roma Shelf. This regional variation reflects areas of high sedimentation rates that are high accommodation sites recognised by split coal seams and increased interburden. Conversely, low sedimentation rates reflect low accommodation sites, such as the Roma Shelf and the Burunga Anticline that are characterised by coalesced coal seams. The results help to understand stratal relationships across variable accommodation sites, basin-fill history of the basin including extent of sediment supply and paleotopographic controls during the evolution of the Bowen Basin. We also discuss criteria for interpreting the results of CA-IDTIMS U–Pb dating and consider the possible geological uncertainties related to either the primary magmatic processes or secondary reworking of tuffs at the site of deposition.     

四川攀西地区层状基性-超基性岩体SHRIMP锆石U-Pb年龄及其地质意义

应用SHRIMP锆石U-Pb测年,对攀西地区白马和太和含矿层状基性-超基性岩体的年龄进行研究,获得白马层状辉长岩体锆石U-Pb年龄为258±2Ma(95%可信度),太和层状辉长岩体锆石U-Pb年龄为262±2Ma(95%可信度)。结果表明,攀西地区的白马和太和含矿层状辉长岩体均形成于二叠纪晚期。该年龄信息显示了从层状辉长岩体的侵入到峨眉山玄武岩的喷发高峰期(250Ma)仅距5~10Ma,二者应属于同期不同阶段岩浆活动的产物。鉴于空间上层状辉长岩体与峨眉山玄武岩密切相关,基性-超基性岩体和玄武岩的形成均与晚古生代末期峨眉地幔柱活动有关。     

大兴安岭中段乐平统-中三叠统沉积物源分析:来自重矿物组合及碎屑锆石年代学证据

黑龙江西部龙江地区位于中亚造山带东段,黑河-贺根山缝合带与西拉木伦缝合带之间,地层记录了两大古板块之间古亚洲洋闭合过程的信息。本文对龙江地区乐平统林西组和下-中三叠统老龙头组的砂岩样品进行碎屑重矿物和碎屑锆石U-Pb同位素年代学研究。碎屑重矿物组合以锆石+磷灰石+金红石+角闪石+绿帘石+重晶石的组合为特征,表明物源主要来自于中酸性岩浆岩,并有少量变质岩及沉积岩组分。林西组样品最年轻的锆石年龄为278±3Ma,老龙头组样品最年轻的锆石年龄为247±3Ma、243±4Ma及237±3Ma,结合前人的研究,限定了林西组沉积于乐平世,老龙头组沉积于早三叠世-中三叠世。碎屑锆石年龄谱明显分为五组:237～258Ma、270～329Ma、357～558Ma、680～1633Ma及1893～1966Ma。其中237～258Ma的碎屑锆石主要来自与古亚洲洋洋壳消亡前的俯冲增生过程相关的火山活动,270～329Ma的碎屑锆石主要来自大石寨组火山岩及其同期侵入岩,357～558Ma的碎屑锆石来自早古生代-晚古生代早期岩浆弧,680～1633Ma的碎屑锆石可能来自兴安及额尔古纳地块的变质基底,而较古老的～1800Ma的锆石年龄暗示了华北克拉通基底的物源信息。通过研究发现林西组及老龙头组样品前30%年轻的碎屑锆石年龄与地层沉积年龄之差都小于100Ma,结合对砂岩碎屑组成、重矿物组合及盆地与火山弧位置关系的研究,认为研究区乐平世-中三叠世沉积盆地具有汇聚背景,为弧前盆地。     

滇中新元古代澄江组层型剖面锆石U-Pb年代学及其地质意义

澄江组是华南新元古代地层中的重要地层单元之一,其确切沉积时限对于建立和完善华南新元古代区域地层格架具有关键意义。对滇中澄江组层型剖面顶部的凝灰岩夹层进行高精度SHRIMP锆石U-Pb定年研究,获得3组有效的206Pb/238U加权平均年龄值,其分别为(819±14)Ma(MSWD=0.15)、(781±11)Ma(MSWD=0.24)和(725±11)Ma(MSWD=0.65)。其中,最年轻的一组年龄值(725±11)Ma被解释为澄江组顶部凝灰岩夹层的形成时间,可以代表滇中澄江组的顶界年龄,从而进一步确认澄江组的沉积时限为800～725 Ma。结合相关研究资料,证实澄江组与开建桥组、莲沱组的沉积时限基本相当,三者与下冰期长安组不存在对比关系,而应与冰期前板溪群的上部进行对比。此外,推测两组年龄值较老的锆石可能是与新元古代罗迪尼亚(Rodinia)超大陆裂解有关的幕式岩浆活动的记录。