A U-Pb zircon,and Rb-Sr and U-Th-Pb whole-rock study of a polymetamorphic terrane in the central Alps,Switzerland

U-Pb analyses of zircons from the southern paragneiss zone of the Gotthard massif in the central Alps indicate these rocks were derived from one or more source areas ≧ 1400 m.y. old and were strongly affected by both the Caledonian and Hercynian orogenies. Rb-Sr whole-rock analyses also appear to reflect the Hercynian event while Rb-Sr analyses of a metamorphic inclusion and a boudin indicate that these small-scale samples were affected by the Alpine orogeny. U-Pb whole rock data appear to reflect only the Hercynian event; these data, when corrected for primordial lead, furthermore yield an upper concordia intercept of 4500 m.y., possibly resulting from a U-Pb fractionation very early in the history of the earth. A more refined three-stage U-Pb evolution model yields an age of about 4480 m.y. rather than 4500 m.y. for this hypothesized early terrestrial differentiation. Geologically these data emphasize that: 1) the southern paragneiss zone of the Gotthard massif contains metasediments which have experienced the Caledonian orogeny and are at least 400 m.y. old; 2) the Hercynian episode in this region was pervasive indeed; and 3) the Alpine orogeny affected the Rb-Sr and U-Pb whole rock systems to a far lesser degree than the preceding orogenic episodes and apparently did not affect the U-Pb zircon systems investigated at all.