A U‐Pb zircon study of the Mesoproterozoic Charleston Granite,Gawler Craton,South Australia

The Charleston Granite from the Gawler Craton, South Australia, has been dated by the ion‐microprobe U‐Pb zircon method at 1585 ± 5 Ma (2σ). This confirms previous interpretations of population‐style U‐Pb zircon analyses which record a slightly older age due to the presence of inherited zircon. Inherited cores are present in many zircon crystals, and while the age of some cores can not be accurately determined due to extreme loss of radiogenic Pb, others have ages of ～ 1780, ～ 1970, and > 3150 Ma. These cores record a diverse crustal heritage for the Charleston Granite and indicate that ancient crustal material (> 3150 Ma) is present at depth in the Gawler Craton. This is also suggested by available Nd isotopic data for both the Charleston Granite and other Gawler Craton Archaean rocks. The Rb‐Sr and K‐Ar biotite ages from the Charleston Granite of 1560 to 1570 Ma are close to the U‐Pb zircon crystallization age and suggest that the granite has not experienced sustained thermal disturbance (> 250° C) since emplacement and cooling. However, a much younger Rb‐Sr total‐rock age of 1443 ± 26 Ma probably reflects low‐temperature disturbance to the Sr isotope system in feldspar.     

Late Ordovician stratigraphy,zircon provenance and tectonics,Lachlan Fold Belt,southeastern Australia

Ordovician quartz turbidites of the Lachlan Fold Belt in southeastern Australia accumulated in a marginal sea and overlapped an adjoining island arc (Molong volcanic province) developed adjacent to eastern Gondwana. The turbidite succession in the Shoalhaven River Gorge, in the southern highlands of New South Wales, has abundant outcrop and graptolite sites. The succession consists of, from the base up, a unit of mainly thick‐bedded turbidites (undifferentiated Adaminaby Group), a unit with conspicuous bedded chert (Numeralla Chert), a unit with common thin‐bedded turbidites (Bumballa Formation (new name)) and a unit of black shale (Warbisco Shale). Coarse to very coarse sandstone in the Bumballa Formation is rich in quartz and similar to sandstone in the undifferentiated Adaminaby Group. Detrital zircons from sandstone in the Bumballa Formation, and from sandstone at a similar stratigraphic level from the upper Adaminaby Group of the Genoa River area in eastern Victoria, include grains as young as 453–473 Ma, slightly older than the stratigraphic ages.The dominant detrital ages are in the interval 500–700 Ma (Pacific Gondwana component) with a lessor concentration of Grenville ages (1000–1300 Ma). This pattern resembles other Ordovician sandstones from the Lachlan Fold Belt and also occurs in Triassic sandstones and Quaternary sands from eastern Australia. The Upper Ordovician succession is predominantly fine grained, which reflects reduced clastic inputs from the source in the Middle Cambrian to earliest Ordovician Ross‐Delamerian Fold Belts that developed along the eastern active margin of Gondwana. Development of subduction zones in the Late Ordovician marginal sea are considered to be mainly responsible for the diversion of sediment and the resulting reduction in the supply of terrigenous sand to the island arc and eastern part of the marginal sea.     

阿拉善变质基底古元古代晚期的构造热事件

阿拉善地块可分为太古宙的叠布斯格杂岩(岩群)、古元古代的巴彦乌拉山杂岩(岩组)和古-中元古代的阿拉善杂岩(岩群)、波罗斯坦庙片麻杂岩和毕级格台片麻杂岩。太古宙的叠布斯格岩群和片麻岩中的锆石记录了1926Ma和1802Ma的变质事件年龄,角闪石记录了1918Ma的变质事件年龄,斜长石记录了1722Ma的冷却年龄。同时,在波罗斯坦庙变形的片麻状杂岩中的锆石记录了1839Ma的岩浆事件年龄。该区古元古代晚期的构造热事件,可初步将划分为2000～1900Ma的早期事件和1850～1800Ma的晚期事件,并在时间和特点上与大青山-集宁-大同一带变质地体中广泛发育古元古代晚期的岩浆-变质事件非常相似,进而表明,华北克拉通西部陆块中的古元古代晚期造山带(孔兹岩带)向西可延伸到阿拉善东部地区。     

Zircon megacrysts from basalts of the Venetian Volcanic Province (NE Italy): U–Pb ages, oxygen isotopes and REE data

Mafic alkaline lavas from the Venetian Volcanic Province (NE Italy) contain orange–brown zircon megacrysts up to 15 mm long, subhedral to subrounded and showing equant morphology, with width-to-length ratios of 1:2–1:2.5. U–Pb ages of zircon (51.1 ± 1.5 to 30.5 ± 0.51 Ma) fit the stratigraphic age of the host lava (Middle Eocene and Oligocene) and their oxygen isotope composition (δ¹⁸O = 5.31–5.51‰) is similar to that of zircon formed in the upper mantle. Cathodoluminescence images and crystal chemical features, e.g. depletion of incompatible elements such as REE, Y, U and Th at constant Hf content, indicate that centre-to-edge zircon zoning is not consistent with evolution of the melt by fractional crystallization. All the above features, together with the fact that zircon and host basalts are coeval, indicate that the studied Zr megacrysts crystallised from a primitive alkaline mafic magma, which later evolved to the less alkaline host magma.     

赣东北蛇绿岩的离子探针锆石U－Pb年龄及其构造意义

离子探针锆石Ｕ－Ｐｂ年龄分析结果表明，赣东北蛇绿岩套的高度分异岩浆的结晶年龄为９６８±２３Ｍａ。重新计算的蛇绿岩Ｓｍ－Ｎｄ等时线年龄９５５±４４Ｍａ，与锆石Ｕ－Ｐｂ年龄在误差范围内一致。１５个样品的εＮｄ（Ｔ）值（Ｔ＝９７０Ｍａ）为＋４．３－＋６．７，表明蛇绿岩来源于强亏损地幔源。少数样品的Ｓｍ－Ｎｄ体系可能受到后期变质、变形或蚀变作用的影响。结合已发表的４０Ａｒ－３９Ａｒ年龄资料，可以初步确定赣东北晚元古代碰撞带发育的时限为０．９７－０．８０Ｇａ。     

Relationship between volcanism and marine sedimentation in northern Austral (Aisén) Basin, central Patagonia: Stratigraphic, U–Pb SHRIMP and paleontologic evidence

The northernmost part of the oil-producing Austral Basin, known as Aisén Basin or Río Mayo Embayment (in central Patagonian Cordillera; 43–46°S), is a special area within the basin where the interplay between volcanism and the initial stages of its development can be established. Stratigraphic, paleontologic and five new U–Pb SHRIMP age determinations presented here indicate that the Aisén Basin was synchronous with the later phases of volcanism of the Ibáñez Formation for at least 11 m.yr. during the Tithonian to early Hauterivian. In this basin marine sedimentary rocks of the basal units of the Coihaique Group accumulated overlying and interfingering with the Ibáñez Formation, which represents the youngest episode of volcanism of a mainly Jurassic acid large igneous province (Chon Aike Province). Five new U–Pb SHRIMP magmatic ages ranging between 140.3 ± 1.0 and 136.1 ± 1.6 Ma (early Valanginian to early Hauterivian) were obtained from the Ibáñez Formation whilst ammonites from the overlying and interfingering Toqui Formation, the basal unit of the Coihaique Group, indicate Tithonian, early Berriasian and late Berriasian ages. The latter was a synvolcanic shallow marine facies accumulated in an intra-arc setting, subsequently developed into a retro-arc basin.     

Geochemistry and age of metamorphosed felsic igneous rocks with A-type affinities in the Willyama Supergroup, Olary Block, South Australia, and implications for mineral exploration

Leucocratic quartzofeldspathic gneisses form a significant proportion of the lower part of the Palaeoproterozoic Willyama Supergroup sequence in the Olary Block, South Australia and have correlatives in the adjacent Broken Hill Block. Field and geochemical data demonstrate that these rocks were originally rhyolitic volcanics and granite, with A-type affinities consistent with magma production during intracratonic rifting, supporting tectonic models proposed for the Willyama Supergroup in the Broken Hill Block. Although the rocks have characteristic high-field-strength element enrichment, many have undergone extensive pervasive pre- or syn-metamorphic sodic alteration and are typically rich in albite.

Sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb zircon data tightly constrain the depositional and early intrusive history. Zircons from an interpreted metavolcanic rock containing relict quartz phenocrysts yield an age of 1699 ± 10 Ma, whereas a metagranitoid sample has an age of 1703 ± 6 Ma. These results are compatible with recent geochronological data on felsic metavolcanic rocks from the Broken Hill Block (Page and Laing, 1992) and are indicative of widespread magmatism during deposition of the Willyama Supergroup. Nd signatures for the two Olary Block samples imply the presence of a significant component from a depleted mantle source.

The A-type metavolcanic rocks are locally associated with small iron formations, some of which grade into stratiform barite-rich horizons. Although potentially favourable for sediment-hosted exhalative PbZn mineralisation, the Fe- and Ba-rich units, along with transgressive vein and breccia occurrences of Fe oxides ± quartz ± pyrite cutting both the metavolcanic and metagranitoid rocks, may be more prospective for epigenetic Cu-Au mineralisation related to later metamorphic and/or magmatic events. Partial melting of the A-type suite during high grade regional metamorphism at ˜ 1600 ± 20 Ma led to the formation of local volumes of sodic granitoids and pegmatites containing U-Th-Ti-REE-F mineralisation.     

北山柳园地区中志留世埃达克质花岗岩类及其地质意义

北山柳园地区发育的埃达克质片麻状花岗闪长岩为钙碱性岩浆系列,具有较高SiO₂ (>56%),Al₂O₃ (>15%)和较低的MgO (<3%)含量,Na₂O>K₂O; 并且具有高的Sr含量(>400×10^-6)和Sr/Y比值; 样品轻重稀土强烈分异(La/Yb)_N ＝18~86,强烈亏损重稀土Yb与Y,具有不明显的Eu异常(δEu＝0.90~0.95); 富集LREE和大离子亲石元素(LILE),而亏损HREE、高场强元素(HFSE: Nb、Ta),与世界上典型的俯冲洋壳熔融形成的埃达克岩相似。然而样品具有相对高的(⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_I (0.70635~0.70636)和相对低的ε_Nd(t) (-0.8~-0.9),以及锆石具有相对较低的ε_Hf (t) (-0.8~+2.7)同位素特征,比典型的俯冲洋壳熔融形成埃达克岩具有更多的放射成因,推测可能是源区加入了地壳物质/沉积物/或特殊的洋壳(OIB/E-MORB)熔融,以及侵位过程中地壳物质的混染所造成的。埃达克质片麻状黑云母花岗岩锆石LA-ICPMS年龄为424±4Ma,代表了花岗岩埃达克花岗岩的结晶年龄。花牛山岛弧带在中晚志留世时期具有较高的地热梯度,发育了大面积高ε_Nd(t)钙碱性花岗岩和区域围岩发生了高温变质作用。因此,柳园埃达克岩是由于热的洋壳向花牛山岛弧地体俯冲过程中熔融形成的,俯冲洋壳熔融是本地区早古生代大规模地壳增生的重要方式之一。     

New age constraints for Grenville-age metamorphism in western central Dronning Maud Land (East Antarctica), and implications for the palaeogeography of Kalahari in Rodinia

New SHRIMP zircon data from Gjelsvikfjella and Mühlig–Hofmann–Gebirge (East Antarctica) indicate that the metamorphic basement is composed of Grenville-age rocks that are most likely part of the north-eastern continuation of the Namaqua–Natal–Maud Belt. Crystallisation ages of meta-igneous rocks range between ca. 1,150 to 1,100 Ma, with little inheritance recorded. Metamorphic zircon overgrowth during high-grade metamorphism is dated between ca. 1,090 to 1,050 Ma. Both, the crystallisation ages and the metamorphic overprint are similar to U–Pb data from a number of areas along a ca. 2,000-km stretch from Natal in South Africa to central Dronning Maud Land. The basement underwent in part strong high-grade reworking during the collision of East and West Gondwana at ca. 550 Ma. The timing of Grenville-age metamorphism has important implications for the position of Kalahari in Rodinia. It also questions that Coats Land is part of the Maud Belt because the undeformed volcanic rocks of Coats Land are older than the main metamorphism within the Maud Belt and, therefore, must rest on older basement. This interpretation explains why the pole of Coats Land at ca. 1,110 Ma differs from the Kalahari poles by 30°, i.e. Coats Land had not yet amalgamated to Kalahari. On the other hand, the palaeopoles from Coats Land and Laurentia at 1,110 Ma are identical within error. Thus, Coats Land could have been part of Laurentia prior to the final amalgamation of Rodinia, the Namaqua–Natal–Maud Belt could have been a part of the Grenville Belt and the entire Kalahari Craton could indeed have opposed Laurentia on its eastern side.     

Datation U–Pb des deux faciès du granite de Soultz (Fossé rhénan,France)

Deep boreholes drilled in the basement of the Rhine Graben at Soultz-sous-Forêts have shown the presence of an ubiquitous monzogranite. Borehole GPK-2, with a total depth of 5090 m, also intersected a more leucocratic fine-grained two-mica granite, locally present below 4860 m depth and continuously found between 5047 and 5090 m. Thanks to trace elements and in particular to REE (rare-earth elements), it could be shown that the leucocratic rock is a differentiated expression of the potassic magma that was at the origin of the monzogranite pluton. This model agrees with Sr–Nd isotope data, even though a slight contribution from the pre-existing basement should be considered as well. Use of the U–Pb method on monzogranite from EPS-1 – after zircon dissolution – has yielded an emplacement age of 334.0+3.8/?3.5 Ma $\text{(2}\text{σ)}$. Point dates obtained by SHRIMP II on the rare zircons from the fine-grained granite showed that it was emplaced in a basement with very heterogeneous ages, ranging from Early Proterozoic to Silurian. The estimated crystallization age of the last granite is 327±7 Ma $\text{(2}\text{σ)}$, slightly later than, or sub-contemporaneous with, the emplacement of the common monzogranite, in agreement with structural constrains. To cite this article: A. Cocherie et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).