Facies architecture of the Early Devonian Ural Volcanics,New South Wales

The Ural Volcanics are a early Devonian, submarine, felsic lava-sill complex, exposed in the western central Lachlan Orogen, New South Wales. The Ural Volcanics and underlying Upper Silurian, deepwater, basin-fill sedimentary rocks make up the Rast Group. The Ural Range study area, centrally located in the Cargelligo 1:100 000 map sheet area, was mapped at 1:10 000 scale. Seventeen principal volcanic facies were identified in the study area, dominated by felsic coherent facies (rhyolite and dacite) and associated monomictic breccia and siltstone-matrix monomictic breccia facies. Subordinate volcaniclastic facies include the pumice-rich breccia facies association, rhyolite – dacite – siltstone breccia facies and fiamme – siltstone breccia facies. The sedimentary facies association includes mixed-provenance and non-volcanic sandstone to conglomerate, black mudstone, micaceous quartz sandstone and foliated mudstone. The succession was derived from at least two intrabasinal volcanic centres. One, in the north, was largely effusive and intrusive, building a lava – sill complex. Another, in the south, was effusive, intrusive and explosive, generating lavas and moderate-volume (～3 km³) pyroclastic facies. The presence of turbidites, marine fossils, very thick massive to graded volcaniclastic units and black mudstone, and the lack of large-scale cross-beds and erosional scours, provide evidence for deposition in a submarine environment below storm wave-base. The Ural Volcanics have potential for seafloor or sub-seafloor replacement massive sulfide deposits, although no massive sulfide prospects or related altered zones have yet been defined. Sparse, disseminated sulfides occur in sericite-altered, steeply dipping shear zones.     

Early Devonian synorogenic alluvial-fan deposits of the Maccullochs Range,western New South Wales

The Early Devonian, Maccullochs Range beds (new) of the Winduck Interval largely comprise non-marine fine-grained sheet-flood-deposited sandstones which lie in the southeast sector of the Darling Basin Conjugate Fault System. Deposition of the >2.5 km-thick sequence occurred on the Wilcannia, Towers and Coolabah Bore alluvial fans, that were sourced largely from lightly indurated sandstone caps overlying a large basement high lying north of the Darling River Lineament, and also from west of Maccullochs Range (Coolabah Bore Fan). Four lithofacies are recognised. Lithofacies 1, massive sandstone, is proximal and was deposited from hyperconcentrated sheet floods. The more distal lithofacies 2 is partly massive, partly laminated and partly affected by soft sediment slumping during its deposition. It contains 1.3 – 3.5 m-thick sheet-flood successions that rarely show cross-bedding. Lithofacies 3 and 4 are minor: lithofacies 3, stream-flood deposited, comprises coarse-grained, pebbly sandstone and lithofacies 4, transient playa lake deposits that are locally intercalated with lithofacies 2. In lithofacies 2, thick massive fine-grained sandstone is commonly overlain by laminated sandstone that was deformed when soft. Incised channel deposits in lithofacies 2 deposits are rare and palaeosols were not discovered. Permanency of the positions of two of the alluvial fans, and by inference their feeder streams, remained unchanged for ～9 million years. The fans overlie probable floodplain deposits observed in a quarry in the easternmost part of the study area. Marine fossils are very minor in the range—the brachiopod Howellella jaqueti at one locality indicates an Early Devonian age for one of the brief marine incursions into what was normally an alluvial-fan environment. Very brief marine incursions elsewhere in the group are deduced from the presence of very rare fossil gastropods.     

Chronology of landscape evolution and soil development in the upper Flinders River area,Queensland, based on isotopic dating of Cainozoic basalts

Victorian granites containing more than 750 ppm Ba are almost entirely confined to the region between a line from Geelong to Swan Hill and the Wonnangatta Fault Zone. Granite Ba contents normalised to 70% SiO₂ range from 620 to 733 ppm in western Victoria, 719 to 1560 ppm in central Victoria and 493 to 689 ppm in eastern Victoria. Melting of Ba-rich (meta)sedimentary rocks in the lower – middle crust is implicated in the petrogenesis of central Victorian S types, at least. Thus, granite geochemistry supports the concept of some sort of (largely concealed) Ba-rich Selwyn Block beneath central Victoria, although the boundaries that have been proposed for the block are modified here. There is a strong possibility that the Selwyn Block is an exotic terrane emplaced by northwest-directed strike-slip movement during the Bindian Orogeny. Such movement appears to have been controlled by the previously postulated Baragwanath Transform and another fundamental fault here called the Ulrich Transform. Asthenospheric upwelling related to movement on the Ulrich and Baragwanath Transforms may be the explanation for the twin belts of 400 Ma plutonism occurring to the west of the former and to the east of the latter. The southern extension of the Ulrich Transform may be the Tamar – Tiers structure in Tasmania. Plate-tectonic models suggesting Ordovician – Silurian subduction in Victoria need to be carefully revisited given the possibility of Siluro-Devonian exotic terrane emplacement.     

Plate-driven extension and convergence along the East Gondwana active margin: Late Silurian–Middle Devonian tectonics of the Lachlan Fold Belt,southeastern Australia

The Lachlan Fold Belt of southeastern Australia developed along the Panthalassan margin of East Gondwana. Major silicic igneous activity and active tectonics with extensional, strike-slip and contractional deformation have been related to a continental backarc setting with a convergent margin to the east. In the Early Silurian (Benambran Orogeny), tectonic development was controlled by one or more subduction zones involved in collision and accretion of the Ordovician Macquarie Arc. Thermal instability in the Late Silurian to Middle Devonian interval was promoted by the presence of one or more shallow subducted slabs in the upper mantle and resulted in widespread silicic igneous activity. Extension dominated the Late Silurian in New South Wales and parts of eastern Victoria and led to formation of several sedimentary basins. Alternating episodes of contraction and extension, along with dispersed strike-slip faulting particularly in eastern Victoria, occurred in the Early Devonian culminating in the Middle Devonian contractional Tabberabberan Orogeny. Contractional deformation in modern systems, such as the central Andes, is driven by advance of the overriding plate, with highest strain developed at locations distant from plate edges. In the Ordovician to Early Devonian, it is inferred that East Gondwana was advancing towards Panthalassa. Extensional activity in the Lachlan backarc, although minor in comparison with backarc basins in the western Pacific Ocean, was driven by limited but continuous rollback of the subduction hinge. Alternation of contraction and extension reflects the delicate balance between plate motions with rollback being overtaken by advance of the upper plate intermittently in the Early to Middle Devonian resulting in contractional deformation in an otherwise dominantly extensional regime. A modern system that shows comparable behaviour is East Asia where rollback is considered responsible for widespread sedimentary basin development and basin inversion reflects advance of blocks driven by compression related to the Indian collision.     

Adaminaby Group west of Batemans Bay: Deformation and metamorphism of the Narooma accretionary complex,NSW

This study provides new structural data that show that the Adaminaby Group is part of the Narooma accretionary complex and has been overprinted by HT/LP metamorphism associated with Middle Devonian Moruya Suite intrusions. The grade of metamorphism based on Kübler Indices is the same in the Wagonga and Adaminaby Groups at Batemans Bay inferring that these rocks were involved in the same accretionary event. White micas in slates of the Adaminaby Group record apparent K–Ar ages of 384.6 ± 7.9 Ma and 395.8 ± 8.1 Ma. These ages are believed to represent the age of Middle to Upper Devonian Buckenbowra Granodiorite. Kübler Index values indicate lower epizonal (greenschist facies) metamorphic conditions and are not influenced by heating in metamorphic aureoles of the plutons. All b cell lattice parameter values are characteristic of intermediate pressure facies conditions although they are lower in the metamorphic aureole of the Buckenbowra Granodiorite than in the country rock, defining two areas with dissimilar baric conditions. East of the Buckenbowra Granodiorite, b cell lattice parameter values outside the contact aureole (x = 9.033 Å; n = 8) indicate P = 4 kb, and assuming a temperature of 300°C, infer a depth of burial of approximately 15 km for these rocks with a geothermal gradient of 20°C/km. In the metamorphic aureole of the Buckenbowra Granodiorite, b cell lattice parameter values (x = 9.021 Å; n = 41) indicate P = 3.1 kb inferring exhumation of the Adaminaby Group rocks to a depth of approximately 11 km prior to intrusion. A geothermal gradient of 36°C/km operated in the aureole during intrusion. An extensional back-arc environment prevailed in the Adaminaby Group during the Middle to Upper Devonian.     

Structure and metamorphism of the Calliope Volcanic Assemblage: Implications for middle to Late Devonian orogeny in the northern New England Fold Belt

The Late Silurian to Middle Devonian Calliope Volcanic Assemblage in the Rockhampton region is deformed into a set of northwest‐trending gently plunging folds with steep axial plane cleavage. Folds become tighter and cleavage intensifies towards the bounding Yarrol Fault to the east. These folds and associated cleavage also deformed Carboniferous and Permian rocks, and the age of this deformation is Middle to Late Permian (Hunter‐Bowen Orogeny). In the Stanage Bay area, both the Calliope Volcanic Assemblage and younger strata generally have one cleavage, although here it strikes north to northeast. This cleavage is also considered to be of Hunter‐Bowen age. Metamorphic grade in the Calliope Volcanic Assemblage ranges from prehnite‐pumpellyite to greenschist facies, with higher grades in the more strongly cleaved rocks. In the Rockhampton region the Calliope Volcanic Assemblage is part of a west‐vergent fold and thrust belt, the Yarrol Fault representing a major thrust within this system.

A Late Devonian unconformity followed minor folding of the Calliope Volcanic Assemblage, but no cleavage was formed. The unconformity does not represent a collision between an exotic island arc and continental Australia as previously suggested.     

Le magmatisme basique calcoalcalin d'âge dévono-dinantien du nord du Massif Central,témoin d'une marge active hercynienne: arguments géochimiques et isotopiques Sr/Nd

Abstract

Samples of volcanic rocks from the main outcrops of Devono-Dinantian series in northern Massif-Central have been studied for Sr and Nd isotopes and immobile incompatible trace elements. In addition, two intrusive bodies of dioritic composition have been dated at 365 ± 3 Ma (Aydat) and 360 ± 1 Ma (Beaumont-Huriel), using the U/Pb zircon method. Together with geochemical data, these ages show that all the studied rocks belong to the same igneous episode. Based on trace element and radiogenic isotopes (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_i from 0,7041 to 0,7057; εNd_i from +1.5 to +5.0), the Late Devonian and Early Carboniferous igneous rocks bear distinct similarities with magmas produced in modern active margin settings. Combined with independent evidence for the occurrence of Devonian oceanic lithosphere in the northern branch of the Variscides, these geochemical affinities suggest that southward subduction of oceanic crust prevailed during the Late Devonian in northern Massif-Central. As a corollary, it appears that true continent-continent collision did not occur before Early Carboniferous times. © 2002 Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.     

Frasnian rugose and tabulate corals from the eastern Taurus (Kozan region,Turkey)

A section near the Kilgen Lake (Adana Province) has yielded a fauna of rugose and tabulate corals including Disphyllum cf. rugosum (Wedekind, 1922), D. cf. curtum Hill, 1954, Wapitiphyllum sp., Thamnopora sp., and Alveolites sp. This coral assemblage is consistent with the previous Frasnian age assigned to the limestones of the Gümü?ali Formation. The rather well-preserved material provides new data on the structure and microstructure of Disphyllum and allows to describe in Thamnopora unusual calicinal morphology (septal ridges, median teeth, and pseudopercula) as well as new structures linked to the lateral increase (basal low wall, apical cul-de-sac).     

The Devonian units of the Marimanya massif and their relationship with the Pyrenean Devonian facies areas

Abstract

The metasedimentary materials of the Marimanya Massif are chiefly made up of Devonian deposits, classically attributed to the Cambro-Ordovician. Their stratigraphic succession has been reconstructed from geological mapping, structural analysis and the study of the limestone conodont content, and subsequently divided into four Devonian units.

The lower part consists of the Moredo-Salau carbonatic unit (braided alternation, crinoidal carbonates, parallel alternation and Campaus limestones). Its age ranges from the Upper Silurian to Lower Emsian. This unit is overlain by lutites with limestone and fine sandstone intercalations from the Beret series (Lower Emsian-Lower Frasnian).

The two units are correlated in the east with the Salau carbonate series and the “Shales Bleutes”, and in the Vielha synclinal with the “Calcaire Basal” and the Entecada, Auba, Sa Fusta and Mont Corbisum units.

The Upper part of the succession is formed by the Montgarri and Can Cabau Detrital units, which are lithologically correlated with the Sa Cal and Riu Nere units in the Vall d’Aran and, in the west, with the Agudes-Cap de Pales and Sia series.

Thus the Devonian Central facies area stretches eastwards to the Pyrenees ariégeoises and westwards to the Vielha syncline, Les Agudes, Sia, Sagette and Laruns.

The new biostratigraphic succession established in the Marimanya Massif represents, to date, the most complete within the Central facies area. The new data obtained enable the correlation between the Devonian units in this facies area with the units in the remaining Devonian facies area in the Pyrenees.     

北山泥盆纪碰撞造山火山－磨拉石地质构造及地球化学特征

本区早泥盆世旱山微大陆与塔里木板块的北山地体间发生对接，原洋区变为残留滨浅海区。中泥盆世该区形成中央断块山，相应南带的断陷山间洼地内形成陆相磨拉石堆积，北带与南蒙古洋毗邻，形成陆缘滨浅海火山－磨拉石沉积。经计算，中带造山隆起侵蚀速率为０．１５４ｍｍ／ａ。晚泥盆世火山岩显示弱碱性和深熔岩浆喷溢特点，表明陆壳演化尚未达到完全稳定的阶段。