Chronology of the pressure-temperature history recorded by a granulite terrain

Coronite-bearing anorthositic granulites consisting of olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, garnet and plagioclase assemblages are particularly well preserved at Gaupås and Holsnöy in the Bergen Arc of West Norway. The coronites are considered to have formed near T= 900° C and P=10 Kb by two stages of subsolidus reaction from an anorthositic gabbro parent. The first reaction involved ol+plagcpxI+opxI+sp and the second cpxI+opxI+sp+plcpxII+opxII+gn. The incomplete reaction products are preserved to varying extents in different corona structures. Sm-Nd isotopic data for each of four coronas yield precise isochrons, and demonstrate isochronism both between the constituent phases of the corona assemblages and dispersed ground mass phases. Three individual coronas not associated with shear zones yield ages of 907±9 my, 912±18 my and 905±37 my. Eclogite facies mineralogy is developed locally in shear zones, which are shown by Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr analyses to be Caledonian in age. Where relict corona structures survive unsheared within these zones, Nd exchange between the constituent phases cannot be resolved. This observation together with sympathetic Ca/Mg and Sm/Nd zoning preserved at T900° C in the garnet mantles of coronites places a limit on the diffusivity of Nd in pyropic garnets which is no higher than published experimental values for Mg in pyrope-almandine garnets. Consequently even in slowly-cooled granulite terrains, garnet grains are expected to yield Sm-Nd chronologies very close to the time of mineral growth.     

Helium, volatile fluxes and the development of continental crust

Mantle-derived helium has a substantial primordial component and is readily distinguished from radiogenic “crustal” He by its isotopic composition. For some years it has been known to be escaping at mid-ocean ridges and more recently it has been shown to be escaping through the continental lithosphere in tectonically active areas, particularly those undergoing extension or volcanism. The C/³He value observed in ocean ridge basalts and continental gases that contain only mantle He, is close to 10⁹. This is believed to be a typical value for the upper mantle. Other continental gases have ratios that vary widely and are diluted with crustal carbon. The ratio C/⁴He decreases with time through the production of radiogenic⁴He, and depends on the C/(U + Th) value. Departures from the average may result from exceptional concentrations of U and Th or from C/He fractionation.There is circumstantial evidence for a steady-state flux of He through the continents that may be estimated from He accumulations in lakes and aquifers. The mantle component of such fluxes is calculated from their³He content. If the mantle component is accompanied by C in the proportion indicated above, and extensional areas make up as little as 10% of the crust at any one time, then about 10% of the present inventory of crustal C would have been added to the crust every Ga by this means. C/K values for the crust and mantle are today very similar, and K may therefore scale as C. K/U and K/Th vary within narrow limits and they may scale with C also.The most plausible means of scavenging He from the mantle is by partial melting: He is expected to enter the first few percent of liquid formed, and the loss of mantle He and C at the surface is associated with the emplacement of basaltic bodies in the lower crust carrying K, U and Th. Some limits are placed on the thickness of basalt added in extensional areas.Mantle-derived CO₂ has often been invoked as a means of dehydrating continental crust to produce granulites. However, the amounts of CO₂, estimated from mantle He fluxes, entering the crust in those active tectonic areas studied so far appears too small to produce dehydration on a regional scale. The addition of mantle-derived material to the crust in extensional zones is a first-order crustal growth process the importance of which has previously been underestimated.     

High-resolution garnet chronometry and the rates of metamorphic processes

Garnets in an amphibolite-facies metasediment from Sulitjelma, North Norway yield precise and concordant SmNd, UPb and RbSr ages that relate directly to the pressure (P) and temperature (T) conditions of mineral growth. Differential mineral reaction between graphitic and non-graphitic layers within this sample preserves a record of theP-T and time (t) history experienced during Barrovian regional metamorphism. Garnets in graphitic layers grew during prograde metamorphism at462 ± 16°C and5.2 ± 0.5 kbar under conditions of lowaH₂O, and yield indistinguishable¹⁴⁷Sm¹⁴³Nd and²³⁸U²⁰⁶Pb ages of434.1 ± 1.2 Ma and433.9 ± 1.0 Ma, respectively. In contrast, garnet growth in adjacent graphite-free layers did not occur untilP-T conditions of540 ± 18°C and8.0 ± 1.0 kbar were attained, with continued growth in response to minor heating and decompression with final matrix equilibration at544 ± 16°C and7.0 ± 1.0 kbar. The inclusion-free garnet rims in this assemblage record indistinguishable¹⁴⁷Sm¹⁴³Nd and²³⁸U²⁰⁶Pb ages of424.6 ± 1.2 Ma and423.4± 1.7 Ma, respectively. These results provide precise estimates for average heating and burial rates during prograde metamorphism of 8.6_−4.4^+7.5°C Ma⁻¹ and 0.8_−0.5^+0.9 km Ma⁻¹, respectively. Rb and Sr exchange between coexisting silicates in the graphite-free assemblage continued for some 37 Ma after the “peak” of metamorphism, and require an average cooling rate of about 4.0°C Ma⁻¹ during uplift. These results illustrate a clear relationship between reaction history and the timing of mineral growth and provide definitive constraints on the rates of thermal and tectonic processes accompanying regional metamorphism.     

Rare gas constraints on hydrocarbon accumulation, crustal degassing and groundwater flow in the Pannonian Basin

The isotopic composition and abundances of He, Ne and Ar have been measured in a sequence of vertically stacked gas reservoirs at Hajduszoboszlo and Ebes, in the Pannonian Basin of Hungary. The gas reservoirs occur at depths ranging from 727 to 1331 m, are CH₄ dominated and occupy a total rock volume of approximately 1.5 km³. There are systematic variations in both major species abundances and rare gas isotopic composition with depth: CO₂ and N₂ both increase from 0.47 and 1.76% to 14.1 and 30.5%, respectively, and ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar and ²¹Ne/²²Ne increase systematically from 340 and 0.02990 at 727 m to 1680 and 0.04290 at 1331 m. A mantle-derived He component between 2 and 5% is present in all samples, the remainder is crustal-radiogenic He. The Ar and Ne isotope variations arise from mixing between atmosphere-derived components in groundwater, and crustally produced radiogenic Ar and Ne. The atmosphere-derived ⁴⁰Ar and ²¹Ne decreases from 85 and 97% of the total ⁴⁰Ar and ²¹Ne at 727 m to 18 and 68% at 1331 m. The deepest samples are shown to have both atmosphere-derived and radiogenic components close to the air-saturated water and radiogenic production ratios. The shallowest samples show significant fractionation of He/Ar and Ne/Ar ratios in atmosphere-derived and radiogenic rare gas components, but little or no fractionation of He/Ne ratios. This suggests that diffusive fractionation of rare gases is relatively unimportant and that rare gas solubility partitioning between CH₄ and H₂O phases controls the observed rare gas elemental abundances.The total abundance of atmosphere-derived and radiogenic rare gas components in the Hajduszoboszlo gas field place limits on the minimum volume of groundwater that has interacted with the natural gas, and the amount of crust that has degassed and supplied radiogenic rare gases. The radiogenic mass balance cannot be accounted for by steady state production either within the basin sediments or the basement complex since basin formation. The results require that radiogenic rare gases are stored at their production ratios on a regional scale and transported to the near surface with minimal fractionation. The minimum volume of groundwater required to supply the atmosphere-derived rare gases would occupy a rock volume of some 1000 km³ (assuming an average basin porosity of 5%), a factor of 670 greater than the reservoir volume. Interactions between groundwater and the Hajduszoboszlo hydrocarbons has been on a greater scale than often envisaged in models of hydrocarbon formation and migration.     

Pleistocene volcanic rocks from the Fly-Highlands province of western Papua New Guinea: A note on new Sr and Nd isotopic data and their petrogenetic implications

RB-Sr and Sm-Nd isotopic and trace-element-abundance values have been determined for 15 mafic and intermediate rocks from six Pleistocene volcanic centres of the Fly-Highlands province. ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and _{N d} values range from 0.70362 to 0.70540, and +1.9 to +5.9, respectively. These new data can be accounted for by contamination of mantle-derived magmas by the continental crust through which the magmas have risen. They do not, however, preclude derivation of some of the Sr and Nd from subducted crust, nor are they inconsistent with Sr and Nd enrichments having taken place by means of mantle metasomatic events. Nevertheless, there is no Benioff zone beneath the Fly-Highlands province (although there is geological evidence for Cretaceous subduction). A preferred interpretation is that uncontaminated, mantle-derived magmas are related to the Pliocene crustal uplift that caused the development of the highlands and which formed in response to a mid-Tertiary continent/island-arc collision.     

A metamorphic history from micron-scale Pb/Pb chronometry of Archean monazite

Ion microprobe measurements of Pb isotope ratios in monazites have been obtained, in situ, from thin sections using the Cambridge ISOLAB 120. Molecular interferences are sufficiently resolved at an RP of 6500 to allow ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb dating of monazite with precisions as low as 4–5 Ma (2σ). The results presented here provide important information on the chronological history of the Late Archean metamorphism of the Wind River Range, Wyoming (USA).

Matrix monazites and monazite inclusions in garnets from a metapelite from the northern Wind River Range have been analysed by SIMS. In a previous study peak metamorphic conditions (T = 800°C; P = 8 ± 1 kb^*) were estimated using inclusion assemblages in garnets from this same sample. Isolated monazite inclusions in garnet yield ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb age estimates of 2781 ± 6 to 2809 ± 10 Ma. Those along fractures yield lower ages (2603–2687 Ma) which are similar to TIMS and SIMS ages of matrix monazites. A single large (500 μm) monazite grain locally preserves growth zoning, but has a recrystallised core and a resorbed (recrystallised?) rim. Age estimates for these three regions are 2788 ± 9 Ma, 2663 ± 4 and 2523 ± 6 Ma, respectively. Thus the inclusion assemblages of Sharp and Essene^* may record peak metamorphic conditions at ca. 2.8 Ga, and indicate a phase of metamorphism that predates by over 100 Ma the emplacement of the Bridger Batholith, the major lithologic component of the northern Wind River Range.

The analysed monazite grains appear to preserve ca. 300 Ma history, even within a single grain. Monazite inclusions in garnet that are fully armoured may provide estimates for the time of garnet growth, even in high grade terranes where most chronometers are reset. The age pattern preserved by the large monazite grain cannot be simply related to diffusion controlled closure. Instead, a chronology is preserved which can be related to the petrographic setting of indicidual grains through in situ analysis.     

The Klippfisk Formation—a new lithostratigraphic unit of Lower Cretaceous platform carbonates on the Western Barents Shelf

A new Lower Cretceous lithostratigraphic unit of the Western Barents Shelf, named the Klippfisk Formation, is formally introduced. The formation represents a condensed carbonate succession deposited on platform areas and structural highs, where it consists of limestones and marls, often glauconitic. The limestones may have a nodular appearance, and fossil debris, which are dominated by Inoceramus prisms, may be abundant. The Klippfisk Formation is composed of two members: the Kutling Member defined herein from cores drilled on the Bjarmeland Platform, and the coeval Tordenskjoldberget Member described on Kong Karls Land. The base of the formation is defined by the abrupt decrease in gamma-ray intensity, where the dark shales of the underlying Hekkingen or Agardhfjellet formations are replaced by marls. It is often unconformable. The Klippfisk Formation is of Berriasian to Early Barremian age and appears to be time-transgressive over parts of the Western Barents Shelf (including Kong Karls Land). It passes laterally into the basinal Knurr Formation. On Kongsøya (Kong Karls Land) a thin shale unit, bounded by unconformities, earlier included in the Tordenskjoldberget Member, represents the northernmost extension of the overlying Kolje Formation in the Barents Shelf.     

Geology and palynology of the Triassic succession of Bjørnøya

The Triassic succession of Bjørnøya (200 m) comprises the Lower Triassic Urd Formation (65 m) of the Sassendalen Group, and the Middle and Upper Triassic Skuld Formation (135 m) of the Kapp Toscana Group. These units are separated by a condensed '.'Middle Triassic sequence represented by a phosphatic remainé conglomerate (0.2m).
The Urd Formation consists of grey to dark grey shales with yellow weathering dolomitic beds and nodules. Palynology indicates the oldest beds to be Diencrian; ammonoid faunas in the middle and upper part of the formation arc of Smithian age. The organic content (c. 1 %) includes kerogen of land and marine origin, reflecting a shallow marine depositional environment.
The Skuld Formation is dominated by grey shales with red weathering siderite nodules. There are minor coarsening upwards sequences; the highest bed exposed is a 20 m thick, very fine-grained sandstone. Palynomorphs indicate a late Ladinian age for the lower part of the formation, and macrofossils and palynomorphs indicate Ladinian to Carnian ages for the upper part. Sedimentary structures, a sparse marine fauna and microplankton indicate deposition in a shallow marine environment. The organic residues contain dominantly terrestrially derived kerogen.     

The type section of the Vikinghôgda Formation: a new Lower Triassic unit in central and eastern Svalbard

The Vikinghøgda Formation (250 m) is defined with a stratotype in Deltadalen-Vikinghøgda in central Spitsbergen. The Vikinghøgda Formation replaces the Vardebukta and Sticky Keep Formations of Buchan et al. (1965) and the lower part of the Barentsøya Formation of Lock et al. (1978) as extended geographically by Mørk, Knarud et al. (1982) in central Spitsbergen, Barentsøya and Edgeøya. The formation consists of three member: the Deltadalen Member (composed of mudstones with sandstones and siltstones), the Lusitaniadalen Member (dominated by mudstones with thin siltstone beds and some limestone concretions) and the Vendomdalen Member (composed of dark shales with dolomite interbeds and nodules). The Lusitaniadalen and Vendomdalen members replace the former Sticky Keep Formation/ Member in the siirne areu. The Vikinghøda Formation can be followed through central and eastern Spitsbergen to Barentøya and Edgeøya and includes all sediments between the chert-rich Kapp Starostin Formation (Permian) and the organic-rich shales of the Botneheia Formation (Middle Triassic). The subdivision into three members is also reflected in the organic carbon content and palynofacies. Upwards. each succeeding member becomes more distal, organic-rich and oil-prone than the one below.
The Vikinghøda Formation is well-dated by six ammonoid zones. although the transitional beds between the Deltadalen and Lusitaniadalen members lack age diagnostic macrofossils. Corresponding palynozonation and magnetustratigraphy have also been determined. The overall stratigraphical development correlates well with other key Triassic areas in the Arctic, although intervals in the late Dienerian and early Smithian may be condensed or missing.