Geological relationships in high‐grade basement gneiss of the northern Prince Charles Mountains, East Antarctica

Two new U-Pb zircon ages from the area immediately west of Denman Glacier in Antarctica show that its geological history differs from that of the Obruchev Hills and Bunger Hills, to the east of the glacier. A crystallization age of 516.0 ± 1.5 Ma for syenite is by far the youngest primary age reported for this region, whereas tonalitic orthogneiss from Cape Charcot, the oldest known local rock, was derived by the high-grade metamorphism and deformation at 2889 ± 9 Ma of a 3003 ± 8 Ma igneous precursor. Both major populations of zircon in this rock lost Pb at 500–600 Ma. Although the Sm-Nd characteristics of the entire region resemble those of the Albany Mobile Belt of Western Australia, the Sm-Nd systematics of the felsic gneisses and plutonics are too old to allow direct correlation with the rocks of the Naturaliste Block (Western Australia), a potential key element for Gondwana reconstruction. However, the possibility exists that there is an indirect relationship between the Naturaliste Block and the region immediately west of Denman Glacier.

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Continuation of the Mozambique Belt Into East Antarctica: Grenville‐Age Metamorphism and Polyphase Pan‐African High‐Grade Events in Central Dronning Maud Land

The Journal of Geology ◽

10.1086/516031 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 106 (4) ◽

pp. 385-406 ◽

Cited By ~ 263

Author(s):

Joachim Jacobs ◽

C. Mark Fanning ◽

Friedhelm Henjes‐Kunst ◽

Martin Olesch ◽

Hans‐Jürgen Paech

Keyword(s):

East Antarctica ◽

High Grade ◽

Pan African ◽

Mozambique Belt ◽

Dronning Maud Land

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SHRIMP U–Pb zircon geochronology of high-grade rocks and charnockites from the eastern Amery Ice Shelf and southwestern Prydz Bay, East Antarctica: Constraints on Late Mesoproterozoic to Cambrian tectonothermal events related to supercontinent assembly

Gondwana Research ◽

10.1016/j.gr.2009.02.003 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 342-361 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

Xiaochun Liu ◽

Yue Zhao ◽

Biao Song ◽

Jian Liu ◽

Jianjun Cui

Keyword(s):

East Antarctica ◽

Prydz Bay ◽

High Grade ◽

Zircon Geochronology ◽

Ice Shelf ◽

Amery Ice Shelf

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Pan-African Tectonism in the Western Maud Belt: P–T–t Path for High-grade Gneisses in the H.U. Sverdrupfjella, East Antarctica

Journal of Petrology ◽

10.1093/petrology/egh093 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 46 (4) ◽

pp. 671-699 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

W. S. BOARD ◽

H. E. FRIMMEL ◽

R. A. ARMSTRONG

Keyword(s):

East Antarctica ◽

High Grade ◽

Pan African ◽

T Path

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Mg-Al yttrian zirconolite in a partially melted sapphirine granulite, Vestfold Hills, East Antarctica

Mineralogical Magazine ◽

10.1180/minmag.1994.058.391.08 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 58 (391) ◽

pp. 259-269 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Simon L. Harley

Keyword(s):

Partial Melting ◽

East Antarctica ◽

High Grade ◽

Chemical Analyses ◽

Late Archaean ◽

Granulite Xenolith ◽

Early Proterozoic ◽

Coupled Substitution ◽

Vestfold Hills ◽

Image Position

AbstractA new compositional variety of zirconolite characterized by high Mg, Al, Y2O3 and REE, and low Fe is described from a sapphirine granulite xenolith entrained in an intrusive norite body which was emplaced into the late Archaean (2520–2480 Ma) Vestfold Hills high-grade terrain during the early Proterozoic. The zirconolite, and similarly Mg-Al rich perrierite-(Ce), formed as a result of sanidinite facies partial melting of the particularly magnesian and aluminous sapphirine granulite xenolith during its incorporation into the c. 1170°C basic magma at c. 2240 Ma. The high REE compared to Al cations require that a previously unrecognized coupled substitution:occurs in this zirconolite. Full chemical analyses are presented for zirconolite and perrierite from this unique occurrence.

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