U–Pb ages of detrital zircons from Paleozoic metasandstones of the Gelnica Terrane (Southern Gemeric Unit, Western Carpathians, Slovakia): evidence for Avalonian–Amazonian provenance

U–Pb (SHRIMP) determinations on detrital zircons from the Early Paleozoic Gelnica Terrane metasandstones and their Permian overlap sediments of the Inner Western Carpathian Southern Gemeric Unit define five age populations based on age-probability plots. The metasandstones were sampled for detrital zircons from six stratigraphic levels, four of them in the Late Cambrian/Ordovician Gelnica Terrane metasandstones and the two in Permian envelope sequence. The data set includes 84 U–Pb ages for individual detrital zircons. These ages are combined with the previously dated inherited zircons from the associated metavolcanites (n?=?31). The majority of the pre-Permian detrital and inherited zircons (95%) belong to the three main populations: population A—the Paleoproterozoic/Neoarchean ages ranging from 1.75 to 2.6?Ga; population B—the Mesoproterozoic ages with the range of 0.9 to 1.1?Ga; population C—the Neoproterozoic ages, ranging from 560 to 807?Ma. The detrital zircon age spectrum from the basal Permian sediments reflects the strong recycling from the underlying Gelnica Terrane, with the presence of the dominant Precambrian C and B populations (94% of total), including the minor populations A. The range of the detrital zircon ages from the Late Permian sandstones is wider, with additional population D, ranging from 497 to 450?Ma and population E with a time span from 369 to 301?Ma. Within the Late Permian detrital zircon assemblage, the Proterozoic population A?+?B?+?C form only 25% of total. The detrital zircon data suggest that the Gelnica Terrane belongs to the peri-Gondwanan terrane with a source area located on the northwestern margin of Gondwana close to Amazonia. This terrane should have travelled a long distance in the Phanerozoic times.     

Mesoarchean mafic dykes of the Belomorian eclogite province (Gridino Village Area,Russia)

Archean processes of eclogitization in the Gridino metamorphic association (the Belomorian eclogite province) developed in mafic dykes, boudins, and acidic rocks of the Archean continental crusts. To determine the U-Pb age of the intrusion of the latest dykes, the geochronological samples were taken from the dyke of ferriferious metagabbro that cross-cuts the dyke of eclogitzed and granulitized olivine gabbronorite. The igneous zircons were dated by the SHRIMP II technique. The zircons showed a concordia age of 2846 ± 7 Ma, which is considered as the time of intrusion of a mafic melt. The younger low-thorium zircon rims of 2.78–2.81 Ga age around the igneous cores are typical formations that appeared under metamorphic conditions in equilibrium with a migmatite melt, and may characterize the time of formation of the granite leucosome under metamorphism, probably of eclogite facies.     

Age and sources of the Paleoproterozoic premetamorphic granitoids of the Goloustnaya block of the Siberian craton: Geodynamic applications

This paper reports the results of geological, geochronological, and isotope geochemical investigations of two premetamorphic granite massifs of the Goloustnaya block of the Baikal salient of the basement of the Siberian craton and granite gneisses from the migmatite–gneiss sequence of this block. The U–Pb zircon age of the granites of the Khomut massif is 2153 ± 11 Ma. The age of the Elovka massif was previously determined by us as 2018 ± 28 Ma. The Khomut and Elovka granites underwent structural and metamorphic transformations accompanied by migmatization. An age of 1.98–1.97 Ga was obtained for the structural and metamorphic processes in the Goloustnaya block from the analysis of margins of zircon grains from the Khomut granites and zircon from the granite gneisses. The biotite granites of the Khomut massif show transitional I–S-type geochemical characteristics, which allowed us to suggest that they were derived by melting of a crustal source of intermediate–acid composition. The Khomut granites show positive ε_Nd(T) values from +2.0 to +2.2 and a Nd model age of 2.4 Ga, which may indicate their formation owing to the reworking of the Paleoproterozoic juvenile continental crust. The combined isotope geochemical data are consistent with collision of island arcs as a possible environment for the formation of the Khomut granites. The formation of these granites was not related to the development of the structure of the Siberian craton, similar to a few other anorogenic magmatic complexes of the margin of the Chara–Olekma terrane of the Aldan shield with ages of ~2.2–2.1 Ga, including the granites of the Katugin complex. The biotite–amphibole granites of the Elovka massif with an age of ~2.02 Ga are geochemically similar to I-type granites. The geochemical characteristics of these granites, including elevated Sr and Ba and low Nb and Ta contents, were inherited from a subduction-related source. Negative ε_Nd(T) values from–0.9 to–1.8 and rather high contents of K₂O and Th allow us to suppose a metamagmatic crustal source for the granites of the Elovka massif. The combined isotope geochemical characteristics of the Elovka granites suggest that a mature island arc or an active continental margin is the most probable environment of their formation. The estimates of the age of structural and metamorphic processes affecting the Goloustnaya block (1.98–1.97 Ga) coinciding with the time of similar transformations in the central part of the Aldan shield and eastern Anabar shield (1.99–1.96 Ga) indicate wide occurrence of collisional events of similar age in the Siberian craton and allow us to consider this age interval as an early large-scale stage of the formaiton of the structure of the Siberian craton.     

U-Pb (SIMS SHRIMP-II) age of volcanic rocks from the Tulukuev caldera (Streltsov Uranium-Ore Cluster,Eastern Transbaikalia)

The precision dating (U-Pb local by zircons, SHRIMP-II) of volcanic rocks in the unique uranium-bearing structure of Transbaikalia is performed for the first time. The basic conclusions are as follows. The volcanic activity in the Tulukuev caldera covers the period of not less than 30–35 mln years, within the period from (not later than) 162 to 128 mln years. Two stages of caldera evolution are established: the early (trachydacite-basalt) stage up to 154 mln years and the late (trachybasalt-rhyolite) stage from 142 to 128 mln years, with a 10 mln year break, which caused the deep erosion of the lower layer. Three phases of rhyolite magmatism are substantiated. The first one, 142 mln years, is the ejection of ignimbrites (microfelsitic rhyolites); the second one, 137–135 mln years, is the outflow of lavas of sanidine-morion rhyolites and subvolcanic and ring dyke intrusions. The third phase, 128 mln years, is connected with the occurrence of cesium-bearing perlites in the southwestern part of the caldera. The age of the granite-porphyries of the Krasnokamensk stock almost coincides with the precision data of the age of the uranium ores [4]. It is found that zircons from the granite-porphyries within the ore field of the Argunsk deposit have an anomalously high content of uranium. This fact can additionally testify to the time-and-spatial closeness of magmatism and processes of ore formation.     

Zirconology of pyroxenites from the Kiryabinka pyroxenite-gabbro complex (Southern Urals)

In this study we discuss the problem of dating the Kiryabinka complex. The data collected on zircons from pyroxenites of the Kiryabinka polyphase pyroxenite-gabbro complex can help address a number of controversial issues regarding the Precambrian geology of the Southern Urals. First, the age of the complex (T = 680 ± 3.4 Ma) can be assigned within the late Riphean (RF₄, Arshinian) or the middle Neoproterozoic (Cryogenian). The available zircon dates from gabbroic and granitoid rocks in the western flank of the Southern Urals (Berdyaush, Akhmer, and Barangul massifs) are supplemented with a new age of ultramafic rocks, the differentiates of a basaltic magma, which further corroborate the conclusion about the Upper Riphean age of the country rocks.     

Age of Ore-Bearing Rocks at Devonian Fe–Mn Deposits,Central Kazakhstan

Doklady Earth Sciences - Isotope study of ore-bearing rocks at Fe–Mn rift deposits of the Atasu and Zhezdy (Dzhezdy) ore districts in Central Kazakhstan has been carried out for the first...