Stable isotope constraints on the Al2SiO5'triple-point' rocks from the Proterozoic Priest pluton contact aureole, New Mexico, USA

The Priest pluton contact aureole in the Manzano Mountains, central New Mexico preserves evidence for upper amphibolite contact metamorphism and localized retrograde hydrothermal alteration associated with intrusion of the 1.42 Ga Priest pluton. Quartz–garnet and quartz–sillimanite oxygen isotope fractionations in pelitic schist document an increase in the temperatures of metamorphism from 540 °C, at a distance of 1 km from the pluton, to 690 °C at the contact with the pluton. Comparison of calculated temperature estimates with one‐dimensional thermal modelling suggests that background temperatures between 300 and 350 °C existed at the time of intrusion of the Priest pluton. Fibrolite is found within 300 m of the Priest pluton in pelitic and aluminous schist metamorphosed at temperatures >580 °C. Coexisting fibrolite and garnet in pelitic schist are in oxygen isotope equilibrium, suggesting these minerals were stable reaction products during peak metamorphism. The fibrolite‐in isograd is coincident with the staurolite‐out isograd in pelitic schist, and K‐feldspar is not observed with the first occurrence of fibrolite. This suggests that the breakdown of staurolite and not the second sillimanite reaction controls fibrolite growth in staurolite‐bearing pelitic schist. Muscovite‐rich aluminous schist locally preserves the Al₂SiO₅ polymorph triple‐point assemblage – kyanite, andalusite and fibrolite. Andalusite and fibrolite, but not kyanite, are in isotopic equilibrium in the aluminous schist. Co‐nucleation of fibrolite and andalusite at 580 °C in the presence of muscovite and absence of K‐feldspar suggests that univariant growth of andalusite and fibrolite occurred. Kyanite growth occurred during an earlier regional metamorphic event at a temperature nearly 80 °C lower than andalusite and fibrolite growth. Quartz–muscovite fractionations in hydrothermally altered pelitic schist and quartzite are small or negative, suggesting that late isotopic exchange between externally derived fluids and muscovite, but not quartz, occurred after peak contact metamorphism and that hydrothermal alteration in pelitic schist and quartzite occurred below the closure temperature of oxygen self diffusion in quartz (<500 °C).     

Proterozoic metamorphism and uplift history of the north-central Laramie Mountains, Wyoming, USA

The Laramie Mountains of south-eastern Wyoming contain two metamorphic domains that are separated by the 1.76 Ga. Laramie Peak shear zone (LPSZ). South of the LPSZ lies the Palmer Canyon block, where apatite U–Pb ages are c. 1745 Ma and the rocks have undergone Proterozoic kyanite-grade Barrovian metamorphism. In contrast, in the Laramie Peak block, north of the shear zone, the U–Pb apatite ages are 2.4–2.1 Ga, the granitic rocks are unmetamorphosed and supracrustal rocks record only low-T amphibolite facies metamorphism that is Archean in age. Peak mineral assemblages in the Palmer Canyon block include (a) quartz–biotite–plagioclase–garnet–staurolite–kyanite in the pelitic schists; (b) quartz–biotite–plagioclase–low-Ca amphiboles–kyanite in Mg–Al-rich schists, and locally (c) hornblende–plagioclase–garnet in amphibolites. All rock types show abundant textural evidence of decompression and retrograde re-equilibration. Notable among the texturally late minerals are cordierite and sapphirine, which occur in coronas around kyanite in Mg–Al-rich schists. Thermobarometry from texturally early and late assemblages for samples from different areas within the Palmer Canyon block define decompression from >7 kbar to <3 kbar. The high-pressure regional metamorphism is interpreted to be a response to thrusting associated with the Medicine Bow orogeny at c. 1.78–1.76 Ga. At this time, the north-central Laramie Range was tectonically thickened by as much as 12 km. This crustal thickening extended for more than 60 km north of the Cheyenne belt in southern Wyoming. Late in the orogenic cycle, rocks of the Palmer Canyon block were uplifted and unroofed as the result of transpression along the Laramie Peak shear zone to produce the widespread decompression textures. The Proterozoic tectonic history of the central Laramie Range is similar to exhumation that accompanied late-orogenic oblique convergence in many Phanerozoic orogenic belts.     

Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd study of granite–charnockite association in the Pudukkottai region and the link between metamorphism and magmatism in the Madurai Block

Pudukkottai region in the northeastern part of the Madurai Block exposes the garnetiferous pink granite that intruded the biotite gneiss. Charnockite patches are associated with both the rock types. Rb–Sr biotite and Sm–Nd whole-rock isochron ages indicate a regional uplift and cooling at ～550 Ma. The initial Nd isotope ratios (\(\varepsilon _{\text {Nd}}^{\mathrm {t}}=-20\) to ?22) and Nd depleted-mantle model ages (T_DM = 2.25 to 2.79 Ga) indicate a common crustal source for the pink-granite and associated charnockite, while the biotite gneiss and the charnockite within it represent an older crustal source (\(\varepsilon _{\text {Nd}}^{\mathrm {t}}= -29\) and T_DM = > 3.2 Ga). The Rb–Sr whole-rock data and initial Sr–Nd isotope ratios also help demonstrate the partial but systematic equilibration of Sr isotope and Rb/Sr ratios during metamorphic mineral-reactions resulting in an ‘apparent whole-rock isochron’. The available geochronological results from the Madurai Block indicate four major periods of magmatism and metamorphism: Neoarchaean–Paleoproterozoic, Mesoproterozoic, mid-Neoproterozoic and late-Neoproterozoic. We suggest that the high-grade and ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism was preceded by magmatism which ‘prepared’ the residual crust to sustain the high P–T conditions. There also appears to be cyclicity in the tectono-magmatic events and an evolutionary model for the Madurai Block should account for the cyclicity in the preserved records.     

Behavior of isotopic systematics during deformation and metamorphism: a Hf,Nd and Sr isotopic study of mylonitized granite

A combined compositional and Hf, Nd and Sr isotopic study was performed on a suite of samples of progressively deformed granite from a mylonite zone in the Harquahala Mountains, western Arizona, to evaluate the effects of deformation and metamorphism on the isotopic systematics of typical continental crustal rocks. The 1.4 Ga Harquahala Granite was deformed during Mesozoic thrusting along the Harquahala thrust. Granite in the resulting 60 m wide shear zone ranges from protomylonite to ultramylonite. In most of these mylonites, the protolith is not megascopically recognizable, and can be discerned only by the progressive transition to undeformed granite. Isotopic analyses of Hf, Nd and Sr from the shear zone document the immobility of the Hf and Nd isotopic systems relative to that of the Sr isotopic system during deformation. The Rb–Sr isotopic data show considerable scatter on an isochron plot, exhibiting both gains and losses of Rb and Sr from the whole-rock systems. In contrast, the Sm–Nd and Lu–Hf isotopic systematics are mostly well behaved on isochron diagrams, plotting mostly in tight clusters or along 1.4 Ga isochrons. These results show that while the Sr isotopic system in crustal rocks is quite susceptible to later tectonic disturbance, both Hf and Nd isotopic systems can provide reliable model age information in continental crustal terranes even when the rocks have been subjected to low to medium grades of deformation and metamorphism.     

Crustal accretion and metamorphism of Mesoarchean granulites in Palghat-Cauvery Shear Zone,Southern India

This work provides unequivocal evidence of the existence of Mesoarchean granulite facies metamorphic event in the Palghat-Cauvery Shear Zone (PCSZ) of South India. Charnockite samples from two prominent hills at Kollaimalai (KM) and Pachchaimalai (PM) as well as from two quarries within the Bhavani Shear Zone (BSZ) have been analyzed for their Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr ages to investigate the existence or otherwise of the Archean granulite facies events within the PCSZ. The Rb-Sr whole-rock isochron ages for massive charnockites from both the hills appear to be contemporaneous at 2.9 Ga with the initial Sr isotopic ratios of 0.7012 and 0.7014, respectively. However, the Rb-Sr data for whole-rock samples of basic granulites from one of the quarries within the BSZ indicate open system behavior, while the charnockites from the other quarry have insufficient spread in ⁸⁷Rb/⁸⁶Sr ratios and do not yield any isochron. The Sm-Nd data, on the other hand, do not distinguish between the massive charnockite and the lowland charnockite and yield Depleted Mantle model ages in the range 2.98±0.3 Ga for all of them. The ɛ^T _CHUR for all of these rocks are highly positive. Both the Sr isotopic ratios and positive ɛ^T _CHUR values for these rocks strongly suggest a mantle source for all of them. An upper age limit of ∼3.28 Ga may be assigned to the crustal accretion of the protolith of all these rocks on the basis of their Nd model ages. The Rb-Sr isochron ages of 2.9 Ga for the two massifs could be the age of granulite facies metamorphism. Thus, the metamorphism in the KM and PM Hills took place within ∼100 Ma of crustal accretion of these rocks and probably was part of the same geological event of crust formation and metamorphism. The open system behavior with respect to Rb-Sr isotopes in the basic granulite from Bhavani is possibly due to the migration of Sr isotopes, triggered during the later shearing of these rocks.     

U-Pb sphene dating of metamorphism: the importance of sphene growth in the contact aureole of the Red Mountain pluton,Laramie Mountains,Wyoming

 The relative importance of thermal diffusion versus new growth or recrystallization on U-Pb isotopic data from sphene is assessed through a study of amphibolites and granite gneisses within the contact aureole of the Red Mountain pluton, Laramie anorthosite complex, Wyoming. Samples were collected along a traverse approximately perpendicular to the margin of the intrusion over a distance of 0.13 to 2.65 km from the contact. The ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages of sphene from amphibolite samples range between 1.43 Ga, the intrusive age of the Red Mountain pluton, to 1.78 Ga, the age of regional metamorphism. The ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages of sphene in rocks metamorphosed above 700° C are within error of the intrusive age of the pluton, and appear to have resulted from diffusional resetting of preexisting sphene and the metamorphic growth of additional sphene at 1.43 Ga. At greater distance from the contact the ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb ages range from 1.45 to 1.72 Ga. This 300 million year spread in ages is interpreted to result from two periods of sphene growth, one produced during regional metamorphism at 1.78 Ga and another generation of newly grown or recrystallized sphene that formed during contact metamorphism at 1.43 Ga. These two age populations may be identified on the basis of petrographic textures, the morphologies and color differences of grain separates as well as by the U-Pb systematics. In rocks metamorphosed to temperatures less than 700° C, sphene growth was the dominant process controlling the response of the U-Pb isotope system to contact metamorphism. Sphene grew well outside the zone of obvious contact metamorphism. The U-Pb sphene ages were reset by diffusion only at high temperatures, supporting the experimentally determined closure temperature estimates for the U-Pb system in sphene of around 650° C (Cherniak 1993). This study demonstrates that U-Pb ages of sphene can be used to date metamorphism not only in areas with a simple geologic history, such as igneous intrusion or single metamorphic or deformational events, but also to date multiple events so long as different generations of sphene can be identified and separated. Received: 22 August 1995 / Accepted: 17 April 1996     

Rb,Sr and strontium isotopic composition,K/Ar age and large ion lithophile trace element abundances in rocks and glasses from the Wanapitei Lake impact structure

Shock metamorphosed rocks and shock-produced melt glasses from the Wanapitei Lake impact structure have been examined petrographically and by electron microprobe. Eleven clasts exhibiting varying degrees of shock metamorphism and eight impact-produced glasses have been analyzed for Rb, Sr and Sr isotopic composition. Five clasts and one glass have also been analyzed for large ion lithophile (LIL) trace element abundances including Li, Rb, Sr, and Ba and the REE's.The impact event forming the Wanapitei Lake structure occurred 37 m.y. ago based on K/Ar dating of glass and glassy whole-rock samples. Rb/Sr isotopic dating failed to provide a meaningful whole-rock or internal isochron. The isotopic composition of the glasses can be explained by impact-produced mixing and melting of metasediments. Large ion lithophile trace element abundance patterns confirm the origin of the glasses by total shock melting of metasediments.     

Geochronology of archean gneisses in the Lake Helen area,Southwestern Big Horn Mountains,Wyoming

The RbSr and UPb methods were used to study gneisses in the $\text{7}\text{1}\text{2}\text{-}\text{minute}$ Lake Helen quadrangle of the Big Horn Mountains, Wyoming. Two episodes of magmatism, deformation and metamorphism occurred during the Archean. Trondhjemitic to tonalitic orthogneisses and amphibolite of the first episode (E-1) are cut by a trondhjemite pluton and a calc-alkaline intrusive series of the second episode (E-2). The E-2 series includes hornblende-biotite quartz diorite, biotite tonalite, biotite granodiorite and biotite granite.A RbSr whole-rock isochron for E-1 gneisses indicates an age of 3007 ± 34 Ma (1 sigma) and an initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.7001 ± 0.0001. UPb determination on zircon from E-1 gneisses yield a concordia intercept age of 2947 ± 50 Ma. The low initial ratio suggests that the gneisses had no significant crustal history prior to metamorphism, and that the magmas from which they formed had originated from a mafic source.A RbSr whole-rock isochron for E-2 gneisses gives an age of 2801 ± 31 Ma. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr initial ration is 0.7015 ± 0.0002 and precludes the existence of the rocks for more than 150 Ma prior to metamorphism. The E-2 magmas may have originated from melting of E-1 gneisses or from a more mafic source.     

Rb/Sr geochronology of granites and gneisses from the Mount Everest region,Nepal Himalaya

Nineteen samples of granites, orthogneisses and paragneisses from the High Himalaya basement nappe(s) of the Mount Everest region have been dated by the Rb/Sr method. The post-metamorphic tourmaline leucogranites of the upper Imja Drangka (Nuptse, Lhotse Glacier) have high initial Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ characteristic of an anatectic origin from crustal material. A whole-rock isochron age of 52 m. y. (Early Eocene) has been obtained for the samples from the granite body of Lhotse Glacier; apparently Sr isotopic homogenization was not reached throughout the much larger Nuptse granite. The granite precursor of the migmatitic orthogneisses from the upper Dudh Kosi valley has an age of 550 ± 16 m. y. (whole rock isochron) and a high initial Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratio indicating its origin from an older basement complex. The Rb/Sr data on paragneisses from the south face of Lhotse do not define an isochron, possibly reflecting isotopic hetero-geneity in the sedimentary protoliths and incomplete homogenization during a late Precambrian metamorphism. All the mineral ages fall in the time span from 15 to 17 m. y. They represent cooling ages reflecting a regional phase of major uplift in the Middle Miocene and post-dating the peak of the Himalayan metamorphism which the data from the Mt. Everest region place in pre-Eocene times.     

Geochronology of Precambrian rocks in the Laramie Range and implications for the tectonic framework of Precambrian southern Wyoming

From Casper Mountain; at its northern end, to the northwestern margin of the Laramie anorthosite—syenite complex, in its central parts, the Laramie Range is underlain by granite and granitic gneiss that has a minimum age of 2.54 ± 0.04 Ga (Rb/Sr whole-rock isochron) and by metasedimentary rocks, including marble and quartzite, that appear to overlie the granitic gneiss nonconformably (minimum age: 1.7 Ga based on several horn-blende K/Ar dates). Southward from the anorthosite—syenite complex into Colorado, the Range is underlain chiefly by the Sherman Granite (1.41 Ga; Peterman and Hedge, 1968) and scattered patches of gneiss that are not dated, but are tentatively correlated wit similar gneiss in the southern Medicine Bow Mountains and in the Colorado Front Range, where they are dated as ? 1.7 Ga (Peterman and Hedge, 1968).The Laramie anorthosite—syenite complex (minimum age: ? 1.42 Ga or ? 1.51 Ga if a hornblende K/Ar date is accepted) apparently intruded the suture separating the old (? 2.5 Ga) continental edge from younger (? 1.7 Ga) geosynclinal rocks. The suture, which manifests itself as the Mullen Creek—Nash Fork shear zone in the Medicine Bow Mountains, also is the boundary between ensialic and ensimatic geosynclinal deposition that occurred during the interval 1.7–2.5 Ga ago.K/Ar dates on biotite and muscovite from rocks north of the anorthosite—syenite complex grade from 2.5 Ga on Casper Mountain down to 1.38 Ga near the complex. Near its northern tip, the Laramie Range is crossed by a geochronologic front, separating 2.5 Ga old gneiss whose K/Ar dates were not lowered by subsequent metamorphism from 2.5 Ga old gneiss whose mica dates were reset between 1.4 and 1.6 Ga ago.     

On the age of the Onverwacht Group,Swaziland Sequence,South Africa

Some rocks of the Onverwacht Group, South Africa, have been analyzed for Rb and Sr concentrations and Sr isotopie composition. These rocks include volcanic rocks, layered ultramafic differentiates and cherty sediments. Whole rock data indicate that the Rb-Sr isotopie systems in many samples were open and yield no reasonable isochron relationships. However, the data of mineral separates from a basaltic komatiite define a good isochron of $\text{t = 3.50 ± 0.20}$ (2δ) b.y. with an initial Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratio of $\text{0.70048 ± 5}$(2δ). The orthodox interpretation of this age is the time of the low grade metamorphism. Since the basaltic komatiite is stratigraphically lower than the Middle Marker Horizon (dated as $\text{3.36 ± 0.07}$ b.y. Hurley et al., 1972), and since it is commonly found that volcanism, sedimentary deposition, metamorphism and igneous intrusion in many Archean greenstone-granite terrain all took place in a relatively short time interval (less than 100 m.y.), it is reasonable to assume that the age of 3.50 b.y. might also represent the time of initial Onverwacht volcanism and deposition. The initial Sr⁸⁷/Sr⁸⁶ ratio obtained above is important to an understanding of the Sr isotopic composition of the Archean upper mantle. If the komatiite represents a large degree of partial melt (40–80 per cent) of the Archean upper mantle material, then the initial ratio obtained from the metamorphic komatiite should define an upper limit for the Sr isotopic composition of the upper mantle under the African crustal segment.     

Isotopic constraints on age and duration of fluid-assisted high-pressure eclogite-facies recrystallization during exhumation of deeply subducted continental crust in the Sulu orogen

Fluid availability during high‐grade metamorphism is a critical factor in dictating petrological, geochemical and isotopic reequilibration between metamorphic minerals, with fluid‐absent metamorphism commonly resulting in neither zircon growth/recrystallization for U‐Pb dating nor Sm‐Nd isotopic resetting for isochron dating. While peak ultra‐high pressure (UHP) metamorphism is characterized by fluid immobility, high‐pressure (HP) eclogite‐facies recrystallization during exhumation is expected to take place in the presence of fluid. A multichronological study of UHP eclogite from the Sulu orogen of China indicates zircon growth at 216 ± 3 Ma as well as mineral Sm‐Nd and Rb‐Sr reequilibration at 216 ± 5 Ma, which are uniformly younger than UHP metamorphic ages of 231 ± 4 to 227 ± 2 Ma as dated by the SHRIMP U‐Pb method for coesite‐bearing domains of zircon. O isotope reequilibration was achieved between the Sm‐Nd and Rb‐Sr isochron minerals, but Hf isotopes were not homogenized between different grains of zircon. The HP eclogite‐facies recrystallization is also evident from petrography. Thus this process occurred during exhumation with fluid availability from decompression dehydration of hydrous minerals and the exsolution of hydroxyl from nominally anhydrous minerals. This provides significant amounts of internally derived fluid for extensive retrogression within the UHP metamorphosed slabs. Based on available experimental diffusion data, the consistent reequilibration of U‐Pb, Sm‐Nd, Rb‐Sr and O isotope systems in the eclogite minerals demonstrates that time‐scale for the HP eclogite‐facies recrystallization is c. 1.9–9.3 Myr or less. This provides a maximum estimate for duration of the fluid‐facilitated process in the HP eclogite‐facies regime during the exhumation of deeply subducted continental crust.     

贺兰山——阿拉善地区下、中前寒武系的划分对比及其变质、成矿作用特征

据近期成果,贺兰山—阿拉善地区出露的巨厚变质杂岩可划分为中太古界贺兰山群和叠布斯格群(其全岩Rb—Sr等时年龄为3108.3和3218.8Ma),上太古界阿拉善群和下元古界的赵池沟群、阿拉坦敖包群;它们具不同的变质矿物共生组合,太古界变质岩属低压高温变质的麻粒岩相;下元古界为低—低中压区域动力(热流)变质的绿片岩相岩石。太古界有较强的混合岩化、花岗岩化作用,并蕴藏有铁、石墨、矽线石、刚玉等多种矿产。     

The generation and evolution of the Archean continental crust: The granitoid story in southeastern Brazil

The Archean Eon was a time of geodynamic changes. Direct evidence of these transitions come from igneous/metaigneous rocks, which dominate cratonic segments worldwide. New data for granitoids from an Archean basement inlier related to the Southern São Francisco Craton (SSFC), are integrated with geochronological, isotopic and geochemical data on Archean granitoids from the SSFC. The rocks are divided into three main geochemical groups with different ages: (1) TTG (3.02–2.77 Ga); (2) medium- to high-K granitoids (2.85–2.72 Ga); and (3) A-type granites (2.7–2.6 Ga). The juvenile to chondritic (Hf-Nd isotopes) TTG were divided into two sub-groups, TTG 1 (low-HREE) and 2 (high-HREE), derived from partial melting of metamafic rocks similar to those from adjacent greenstone belts. The compositional diversity within the TTG is attributed to different pressures during partial melting, supported by a positive correlation of Dy/Yb and Sr/Zr, and batch melting calculations. The proposed TTG sources are geochemically similar to basaltic rocks from modern island-arcs, indicating the presence of subduction processes concomitant with TTG emplacement. From ～2.85 Ga to 2.70 Ga, the dominant rocks were K-rich granitoids. These are modeled as crustal melts of TTG, during regional metamorphism indicative of crustal thickening. Their compositional diversity is linked to: (i) differences in source composition; (ii) distinct melt fractions during partial melting; and (iii) different residual mineralogies reflecting varying P–T conditions. Post-collisional (～2.7–2.6 Ga) A-type granites reflect rifting in that they were closely followed by extension-related dyke swarms, and they are interpreted as differentiation or partial melting products of magmas derived from subduction-modified mantle. The sequence of granitoid emplacement indicates subduction-related magmatism was followed by crustal thickening, regional metamorphism and crustal melting, and post-collisional extension, similar to that seen in younger Wilson Cycles. It is compelling evidence that plate tectonics was active in this segment of Brazil from ～3 Ga.     

SOVETSKAYA GEOLOGIYA (SOVIET GEOLOGY) IN COVER-TO-COVER TRANSLATION, 1960, NOS. 11 AND 12

The Río Negro-Juruena Province (RNJP) occupies a large portion of the western part of the Amazonian Craton and is a zone of complex granitization and migmatization. Regional metamorphism, in general, occurred in the upper amphibolite facies. The granites and gneisses of the RNJP yield Rb-Sr and Pb-Pb whole-rock isochron dates ranging from 1.8 Ga to 1.55 Ga, with initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of ～ 0.703 and a single-stage model μ₁ value of ～ 8.1. In order to improve the geochronological control, SHRIMP U-Pb zircon ages, conventional U-Pb zircon ages, and additional Pb-Pb whole-rock isochron ages were determined for samples of granitoids and gneisses from the Papuri-Uaupés and Guaviare-Orinoco rivers areas (northern part of the province) and Jamari-Machado rivers and Pontes de Lacerda areas (southern part). The granitoids from the northern part of the province yield conventional U-Pb zircon ages of 1709 ± 17 Ma and 1521 ± 31 Ma, and SHRIMP U-Pb concordant zircon results of 1800 ± 18 Ma. Samples of gneissic rocks from the southern part of the RNJP yielded SHRIMP U-Pb concordant ages of 1750 ± 24 Ma and 1570 ± 17 Ma and a Pb-Pb whole-rock isochron age of 1717 ± 120 Ma. These new U-Pb and Pb-Pb results confirm the previous Rb-Sr and Pb-Pb geochronological evidence that the main magmatic episodes within the RNJP occurred between 1.8 and 1.55 Ga, and suggest that this crustal province constitutes a segment of continental crust newly added to the Amazonian Craton at the end of the Early Proterozoic. In the area of the RNJP, there are several anorogenic rapakivi-type granite plutons. Because of the absence of recognized Archean material within the basement rocks, it is reasonable to consider the Early to Middle Proterozoic continental crust as the magmatic source for the rapakivi granite intrusions.     

Rb-Sr direct dating of pyrite from the Pipela VMS Zn-Cu prospect,Rajasthan, NW India

In unaltered volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) ore deposits, variable Rb/Sr ratios in the ore mineral permits application of the Rb-Sr isotopic method to directly date the time of ore formation. In contrast, post-crystallization deformation and metamorphism would open the system to metamorphic fluids that would alter elemental ratios. To test whether the Rb-Sr isotopic systematics in the ore minerals had preserved the formation time in the ∼800 Ma metamorphosed VMS ores within the ∼1 Ga Ambaji-Sendra arc terrain, Rajasthan, NW India, common sulfides, pyrite and sphalerite from the Pipela Cu-Zn prospect, were analyzed for their geochemistry and Rb-Sr isotopic systematics. Trace and rare earth elements in these minerals are resident probably at crystal defects, whereas all inclusions (including those from metamorphic fluids) were removed by a simple crush leach method. Results of direct dating by the Rb-Sr method to the hydrothermal pyrite yielded an isochron age of 1025±76 Ma with an initial Sr ratio of 0.7051±0.0006, similar to previously determined zircon U-Pb age of 987 Ma from associated rhyolites. This suggests the applicability of the crush leach method to date formation time of metamorphosed pyrite ores.     

Hydrothermal-metasomatic and tectono-metamorphic processes in the Isua supracrustal belt (West Greenland): a multi-isotopic investigation of their effects on the earth’s oldest oceanic crustal sequence

Despite superimposed metamorphic overprinting and metasomatic alterations, primary volcanic features remain preserved in low-strain domains of mafic volcanic sequences in the western Isua supracrustal belt (ISB, West Greenland). These basaltic successions represent the hitherto oldest known fragments of oceanic crust on Earth. Early Archean metasomatic fluids, rich in light rare earth elements (LREE), Th, U, Pb, Ba, and alkalies, invaded the supracrustal package and distinctively altered the basaltic sequences. Field relationships, source characteristics traced by Pb isotopes, and geochronological results provide indications that these fluids were genetically related to the emplacement of tonalite sheets into the ISB between 3.81 and 3.74 Ga ago. Subsequent early Archean metamorphism homogenized the mixed primary and metasomatic mineral parageneses of these metavolcanic rocks. Allanite occurs as the most characteristic and critical secondary metasomatic-metamorphic phase and is developed in macroscopically discernible zones of increased metsomatic alteration, even in domains of low strain. Because of its high concentration of LREE, Th, and U, this secondary mineral accounts for much of the disturbances recorded by the Sm-Nd and Th-U-Pb isotope systematics of the pillowed metabasalts.The supracrustal sequences were tectono-metamorphically affected to varying degrees during a late Archean, ∼2.6- to 2.8-Ga-old event, also recognized in the adjacent gneiss terranes of the Isuakasia area. The degree to which bulk rocks were isotopically reequilibrated is directly dependent on the different relative contributions of allanite-hosted parent-daughter elements to the overall whole-rock mass budget of the respective isotope systems. Although low-strained (initially only weakly metasomatized) pillow basalts remained more or less closed with respect to the U-Pb and Rb-Sr systems since ∼3.74 Ga, the Sm-Nd system appears to have been partially opened on a whole-rock scale during the late Archean event. This diversified behavior of the whole-rock isotope systems with respect to late Archean overprinting is explained by the combination of mass budget contributions of the respective elements added during metasomatism and the partial opening of metasomatic macroenvironments during late Archean recrystallization processes with associated renewed fluid flow. In reactivated zones of high strain, where primary metasomatic alteration is most prominently developed, late Archean partial resetting also of the U-Pb isotope system on a whole-rock scale occurred. This is consistent with an apparent late Archean age of kyanite, which initially crystallized during the early Archean metamorphism. Its age is controlled by the U-Pb systematics of allanite inclusions, which have exchanged their isotopic properties during the tectono-metamorphic event that overprinted the oceanic crustal sequence at Isua more than 1000 myr later.These results underline the need for care in the interpretation of whole-rock geochemical data from polymetamorphic rocks in general, and from the Isua oceanic crustal sequences in particular, to constrain isotopic models of early Earth’s evolution. Likewise, this study cautions against the indiscriminate use of geochemical data of metavolcanic rocks from Isua to infer models for geotectonic settings relevant for their formation.     

Loss of isotopic (Nd,O) and chemical (REE) memory during metamorphism of komatiites: new evidence from eastern Finland

Komatiites are often considered to depict the chemical and isotopic composition of their source rocks in the Archean mantle. However, a weakness of these rocks in tracking the initial compositional heterogeneity of the Earth's mantle is the ubiquitous presence of metamorphic recrystallization, which casts some doubt about the preservation of primary chemical and isotopic characteristics. Two spinifex-textured komatiite flows from the 2.75 Ga old Kuhmo greenstone belt (Siivikkovaara area) of eastern Finland document this weakness. Both flows have experienced low to medium grade metamorphism (T=450±50°C), and now consist entirely of secondary metamorphic assemblages of amphibole±chlorite±plagioclase, with minor proportions of magnetite and ilmenite. MgO contents range from 25 to 8%, which suggests that low pressure differentiation was likely controlled by olivine and clinopyroxene fractional crystallization. However, neither major nor trace elements fall on olivine and/or clinopyroxene control lines. This is particularly well illustrated by the REE as there is an overall 60% variation of (Ce/Sm)_N ratios (0.38 to 0.91), which far exceeds that expected from olivine and clinopyroxene fractionation alone. In fact, careful evaluation of petrographic (including mineral composition data) and chemical characteristics shows that most elements of geological interest (including the reputedly immobile REE) were mobile on a whole-rock scale during metamorphic recrystallization of these two flows. This view is fully supported by Sm-Nd isotopic data since both whole-rock and mineral (amphibole and plagioclase) samples lie on a single isochron relationship at T 1800 Ma, an age which corresponds to the time of regional metamorphism. Thus, the meta-komatiite flows from Siivikkovaara document a case of komatiite flow units in which metamorphism has induced whole-rock scale resetting of primary REE patterns and Sm-Nd isotope systematics. As regards the nature of the mechanism responsible for this resetting, it is suggested here that the secondary mineralogy played an important role, as there are correlations between whole-rock ¹⁴⁷Sm/¹⁴⁴Nd ratios, major and trace element chemistry, oxygen isotopic ratios and modal proportions of secondary minerals. Consideration of oxygen isotopic data, as well as previous results from a komatiite flow from the nearby Tipasjärvi belt, further enable us to propose that the REE carrier was likely a CO₂-rich fluid. The process of secondary REE redistribution prevents estimation of the true initial Nd isotopic compositions of the two flows. Taken as a whole, the results presented in this paper show that great care should be be exercised in the use of meta-komatiites as probes of Archean mantle composition.     

Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd isotope systematics and geochemical studies on metavolcanic rocks from Peddavura greenstone belt: Evidence for presence of Mesoarchean continental crust in easternmost part of Dharwar Craton,India

Linear, north–south trending Peddavura greenstone belt occurs in easternmost part of the Dharwar Craton. It consists of pillowed basalts, basaltic andesites, andesites (BBA) and rhyolites interlayered with ferruginous chert that were formed under submarine condition. Rhyolites were divided into type-I and II based on their REE abundances and HREE fractionation. Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd isotope studies were carried out on the rock types to understand the evolution of the Dharwar Craton. Due to source heterogeneity Sm–Nd isotope system has not yielded any precise age. Rb–Sr whole-rock isochron age of 2551 ± 19 (MSWD = 1.16) Ma for BBA group could represent time of seafloor metamorphism after the formation of basaltic rocks. Magmas representing BBA group of samples do not show evidence for crustal contamination while magmas representing type-II rhyolites had undergone variable extents of assimilation of Mesoarchean continental crust (>3.3 Ga) as evident from their initial ε _Nd isotope values. Trace element and Nd isotope characteristics of type I rhyolites are consistent with model of generation of their magmas by partial melting of mixed sources consisting of basalt and oceanic sediments with continental crustal components. Thus this study shows evidence for presence of Mesoarchean continental crust in Peddavura area in eastern part of Dharwar Craton.     

Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic systems in basalts of the Franz Josef Land Archipelago

Rb, Sr, Sm, Nd, U, and Pb contents and Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic composition were determined in tholeiite and subalkaline basalts (in both whole-rock samples and individual minerals) from the Franz Josef Land Archipelago. Isotopic data obtained for the Arctic basin are similar to those for islands from the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. The assimilation of crustal (sedimentary) rocks by primary depleted material makes isochron determination of basalt age difficult or impossible. The subalkaline basalts (basaltic andesites) were presumably formed by the metasomatic introduction of incompatible elements in tholeiitic basalts and, only partially, through crustal contamination and fractional crystallization.