A HEMATITE (U-TH)/HE MINIMUM AGE FOR CRYOGENIAN TAVA SANDSTONE, COLORADO, AND VARIATIONS IN DETRITAL ZIRCON PROVENANCE THAT ILLUMINATE THE PALEOGEOGRAPHY OF THE REGION

Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary successions of the northwestern Canadian Shield provide records of tectonic events, but the definition of depositional ages has proved elusive. Although previously poorly understood, the Montresor belt of western Nunavut yields new insight into the 2.2–1.8 Ga time window. On the basis of U–Pb analyses of detrital zircon in sedimentary rocks and igneous zircon in sills, we conclude that arenite of the lower Montresor group was deposited between 2.194 and 2.045 Ga, and arkose of the upper Montresor group after 1.924 Ga, adding constraints on the Rae cover sequence. The lower Montresor arenite yielded an older group (3.05–2.58 Ga) and a younger, more tightly constrained group (2.194 ± 0.014 Ga). Four of six zircon grains analyzed from a gabbro sill within the lower Montresor have discordant 207Pb/206Pb ages (2.71, 2.66, 2.53, and 2.39 Ga) and are considered to be inherited, whereas two grains provide an age of 2045 ± 13 Ma, interpreted to date crystallization and providing a minimum age for the lower Montresor package. Upper Montresor arkose contains detrital zircon with probability density peaks at 2.55–2.25 and 2.1–1.92 Ga, together with scattered older grains (3.8–2.65 Ga). The youngest grain yields an age of 1924 ± 6 Ma, establishing a maximum age for sandstone deposition. Provenance is inferred to have been from the west, where igneous sources of 2.5–2.3 Ga (Queen Maud block) and 2.03–1.89 Ga (Thelon orogen) are known. Collectively, the new ages suggest a minimum 120 million year gap between deposition of the pre-2045 ± 13 Ma lower and post-1924 ± 6 Ma upper parts of the Montresor group. Similar age constraints may apply to other parts of the Rae cover sequence.

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Age constraints for Paleoproterozoic glaciation in the Lake Superior Region: detrital zircon and hydrothermal xenotime ages for the Chocolay Group, Marquette Range Supergroup

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences ◽

10.1139/e06-010 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 43 (5) ◽

pp. 571-591 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Daniela A Vallini ◽

William F Cannon ◽

Klaus J Schulz

Keyword(s):

Detrital Zircon ◽

Sedimentary Cover ◽

Lake Superior ◽

The North ◽

Lake Formation ◽

Geochronological Study ◽

Minimum Age ◽

Depositional Age ◽

First Time ◽

Age Constraints

A geochronological study of the Chocolay Group at the base of the Paleoproterozoic Marquette Range Supergroup in Michigan, Lake Superior Region, is attempted for the first time. Age data from detrital zircon grains and hydrothermal xenotime from the basal glaciogenic formation, the Enchantment Lake Formation, and the stratigraphically higher Sturgeon Quartzite and its equivalent, the Sunday Quartzite, provide maximum and minimum age constraints for the Chocolay Group. The youngest detrital zircon population in the Enchantment Lake Formation is 2317 ± 6 Ma; in the Sturgeon Quartzite, it is 2306 ± 9 Ma, and in the Sunday Quartzite, it is 2647 ± 5 Ma. The oldest hydrothermal xenotime age in the Enchantment Lake Formation is 2133 ± 11 Ma; in the Sturgeon Quartzite, it is 2115 ± 5 Ma, and in the Sunday Quartzite, it is 2207 ± 5 Ma. The radiometric age data in this study implies the depositional age of the Chocolay Group is constrained to ~2.32.2 Ga, which proves its correlation with part of the Huronian Supergroup in the Lake Huron Region, Ontario, and reveals the unconformity that separates the Chocolay Group from the overlying Menominee Group is up to 325 million years in duration. The source(s) of the ~ 2.3 Ga detrital zircon populations in the Enchantment Lake Formation and Sturgeon Quartzite remains an enigma because no known rock units of this age are known in the Michigan area. It is speculated that once widespread volcano-sedimentary cover sequences in Michigan were removed or concealed prior to Chocolay Group deposition. The hydrothermal xenotime ages probably reflect basinal hydrothermal fluid flow associated with the period of extension, involving rifting and major dyke formation, that affected the North American provinces between 2.2 and 2.1 Ga.

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Chronostratigraphic framework and provenance of the Ossa-Morena Zone Carboniferous basins (SW Iberia)

10.5194/se-2020-26 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

M. Francisco Pereira ◽

Cristina Gama ◽

Ícaro Dias da Silva ◽

José B. Silva ◽

Mandy Hofmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Detrital Zircon ◽

Volcanic Rocks ◽

Early Carboniferous ◽

Suture Zone ◽

Magmatic Rocks ◽

Icp Ms ◽

Minimum Age ◽

Depositional Age ◽

Siliciclastic Rocks ◽

Detrital Zircon Ages

Abstract. Carboniferous siliciclastic and silicic magmatic rocks from the Santa Susana-São Cristovão region contain valuable information regarding the timing of synorogenic processes in SW Iberia. In this region of the Ossa-Morena Zone (OMZ), Late Carboniferous terrigenous strata (i.e. the Santa Susana Formation) unconformably overlie Early Carboniferous marine siliciclastic deposits alternating with volcanic rocks (i.e. the Toca da Moura volcano-sedimentary complex). Lying below this intra-Carboniferous unconformity, the Toca da Moura volcano-sedimentary complex is intruded and overlain by the Baleizão porphyry. Original SHRIMP and LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon are presented in this paper, providing chronostratigraphic and provenance constraints, since available geochronological information is scarce and only biostratigraphic ages are currently available for the Santa Susana-São Cristovão region. Our findings and the currently-available detrital zircon ages from Paleozoic terranes of SW Iberia (Pulo do Lobo Zone- PLZ, South-Portuguese Zone- SPZ, and OMZ), were jointly analyzed using the K-S test and MDS diagrams to investigate provenance. The marine deposition is constrained to the age interval of c. 335–331 Ma (Visean) by new U-Pb data for silicic tuffs from the Toca da Moura volcano-sedimentary complex. The Baleizão porphyry, intrusive in the Toca da Moura volcano-sedimentary complex, yielded a crystallization age of c. 317 Ma (Bashkirian), providing the minimum age for the overlying intra-Carboniferous unconformity. A comparison of detrital zircon populations from siliciclastic rocks of the Cabrela and Toca de Moura volcano-sedimentary complexes of the OMZ suggests that they derived from distinct sources more closely associated with the SPZ and PLZ than the OMZ. Above the intra-Carboniferous unconformity, the Santa Susana Formation is either the result of the recycling of distinct sources located in the Laurussian-side (SPZ and PLZ) and Gondwanan-side (OMZ) of the Rheic suture zone. The best estimate of the crystallization age of a granite cobble found in a conglomerate from the Santa Susana Formation yielded c. 303 Ma (Kasimovian-Gzhelian), representing the maximum depositional age for the terrestrial strata. The intra-Carboniferous unconformity seems to represent a stratigraphic gap of approximately 12–14 Ma, providing evidence of the rapid post-accretion/collision uplift of the Variscan orogenic belt in SW Iberia (i.e. the OMZ, PLZ and SPZ).

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Chronostratigraphic framework and provenance of the Ossa-Morena Zone Carboniferous basins (southwest Iberia)

Solid Earth ◽

10.5194/se-11-1291-2020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 1291-1312

Author(s):

Manuel Francisco Pereira ◽

Cristina Gama ◽

Ícaro Dias da Silva ◽

José Brandão Silva ◽

Mandy Hofmann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Detrital Zircon ◽

Inductively Coupled Plasma ◽

Volcanic Rocks ◽

Early Carboniferous ◽

Inductively Coupled ◽

Minimum Age ◽

Plasma Mass Spectrometry ◽

Depositional Age ◽

Siliciclastic Rocks ◽

Detrital Zircon Ages

Abstract. Carboniferous siliciclastic and silicic magmatic rocks from the Santa Susana–São Cristovão and Cabrela regions contain valuable information regarding the timing of synorogenic processes in SW Iberia. In this region of the Ossa-Morena Zone (OMZ), late Carboniferous terrigenous strata (i.e., the Santa Susana Formation) unconformably overlie early Carboniferous marine siliciclastic deposits alternating with volcanic rocks (i.e., the Toca da Moura volcano-sedimentary complex). Lying below this intra-Carboniferous unconformity, the Toca da Moura volcano-sedimentary complex is intruded and overlain by the Baleizão porphyry. Original sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) U–Pb zircon are presented in this paper, providing chronostratigraphic and provenance constraints since available geochronological information is scarce and only biostratigraphic ages are currently available for the Santa Susana–São Cristovão region. Our findings and the currently available detrital zircon ages from Paleozoic terranes of SW Iberia (Pulo do Lobo Zone – PLZ – South Portuguese Zone – SPZ – and OMZ) were jointly analyzed using the K–S test and multidimensional scaling (MDS) diagrams to investigate provenance. The marine deposition is constrained to the age range of ca. 335–331 Ma (Visean) by new U–Pb data for silicic tuffs from the Toca da Moura and Cabrela volcano-sedimentary complexes. The Baleizão porphyry, intrusive in the Toca da Moura volcano-sedimentary complex, yielded a crystallization age of ca. 318 Ma (Bashkirian), providing the minimum age for the overlying intra-Carboniferous unconformity. A comparison of detrital zircon populations from siliciclastic rocks of the Cabrela and Toca de Moura volcano-sedimentary complexes of the OMZ suggests that they are derived from distinct sources more closely associated with the SPZ and PLZ than the OMZ. Above the intra-Carboniferous unconformity, the Santa Susana Formation is the result of the recycling of distinct sources located either on the Laurussian side (SPZ and PLZ) or Gondwanan side (OMZ) of the Rheic suture zone. The best estimate of the crystallization age of a granite cobble which was found in a conglomerate from the Santa Susana Formation yielded ca. 303 Ma (Kasimovian–Gzhelian), representing the maximum depositional age for the terrestrial strata. The intra-Carboniferous unconformity seems to represent a stratigraphic gap of approximately 12–14 Myr, providing evidence of the rapid post-accretion and collision uplift of the Variscan orogenic belt in SW Iberia (i.e., the OMZ, PLZ, and SPZ).

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