Pairwise sample comparisons and multidimensional scaling of detrital zircon ages with examples from the North American platform, basin, and passive margin settings

The Chinese North Tianshan (CNTS) extends E-W along the southern part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and has undergone complicated accretion-collision processes in the Paleozoic. This study attempts to clarify the late Paleozoic tectonism in the region by investigating the provenance of the Late Paleozoic sedimentary successions from the Bogda Mountain in the eastern CNTS by U-Pb dating and Lu-Hf isotopic analyses of detrital zircons. Detrital zircon U-Pb ages (N=519) from seven samples range from 261 &#177; 4 Ma to 2827 &#177; 32 Ma, with the most prominent age peak at 313 Ma. There are Precambrian detrital zircon ages (~7%) ranged from 694 to 1024 Ma. The youngest age components in each sample yielded weighted mean ages ranging from 272 &#177; 9 Ma to 288 &#177; 5 Ma, representing the maximum depositional ages. These and literature data indicate that some previously-assumed &#8220;Carboniferous&#8221; strata in the Bogda area were deposited in the Early Permian, including the Qijiaojing, Julideneng, Shaleisaierke, Yangbulake, Shamaershayi, Liushugou, Qijiagou, and Aoertu formations. The low maturity of the sandstones, zircon morphology and provenance analyses indicate a proximal sedimentation probably sourced from the East &#173;Junggar Arc and the Harlik-Dananhu Arc in the CNTS. The minor Precambrian detrital zircons are interpreted as recycled materials from the older strata in the Harlik-Dananhu Arc. Zircon &#603;Hf(t) values have increased since ~408 Ma, probably reflecting a tectonic transition from regional compression to extension. This event might correspond to the opening of the Bogda intra-arc/back arc rift basin, possibly resulting from a slab rollback during the northward subduction of the North Tianshan Ocean. A decrease of zircon &#603;Hf(t) values at ~300 Ma was likely caused by the cessation of oceanic subduction and subsequent collision, which implies that the North Tianshan Ocean closed at the end of the Late Carboniferous. This research was financially supported by the Youth Program of Shaanxi Natural Science Foundation (2020JQ-589), the NSFC Projects (41730213, 42072264, 41902229, 41972237) and Hong Kong RGC GRF (17307918).

Download Full-text

TIMING AND DRIVERS OF EXHUMATION IN THE HINTERLAND OF THE NORTH AMERICAN CORDILLERA FROM DETRITAL ZIRCON U-PB AND (U-TH)/HE DOUBLE-DATING

10.1130/abs/2017am-305494 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Kathleen A. Graham ◽

◽

Tandis S. Bidgoli ◽

J. Douglas Walker ◽

Andreas Möller

Keyword(s):

North American ◽

Detrital Zircon ◽

North American Cordillera ◽

The North

Download Full-text

Detrital zircon geochronology of Ediacaran to Cambrian deep-water strata of the Franklinian basin, northern Ellesmere Island, Nunavut: implications for regional stratigraphic correlations

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences ◽

10.1139/cjes-2013-0026 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 50 (10) ◽

pp. 1007-1018 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Luke P. Beranek ◽

Victoria Pease ◽

Robert A. Scott ◽

Tonny B. Thomsen

Keyword(s):

Shallow Water ◽

Deep Water ◽

Detrital Zircon ◽

Detrital Zircons ◽

Ellesmere Island ◽

Passive Margin ◽

Sediment Provenance ◽

Provenance Analysis ◽

Detrital Zircon Geochronology ◽

Detrital Zircon Ages

Enigmatic successions of deep-water strata referred to as the Nesmith beds and Grant Land Formation comprise the exposed base of the Franklinian passive margin sequence in northern Ellesmere Island, Nunavut. To test stratigraphic correlations with Ediacaran to Cambrian shallow-water strata of the Franklinian platform that are inferred by regional basin models, >500 detrital zircons from the Nesmith beds and Grant Land Formation were analyzed for sediment provenance analysis using laser ablation (LA–ICP–MS) and ion-microprobe (SIMS) methods. Samples of the Nesmith beds and Grant Land Formation are characterized by 1000–1300, 1600–2000, and 2500–2800 Ma detrital zircon age distributions and indicate provenance from rock assemblages of the Laurentian craton. In combination with regional stratigraphic constraints, these data support an Ediacaran to Cambrian paleodrainage model that features the Nesmith beds and Grant Land Formation as the offshore marine parts of a north- to northeast-directed depositional network. Proposed stratigraphic correlations between the Nesmith beds and Ediacaran platformal units of northern Greenland are consistent with the new detrital zircon results. Cambrian stratigraphic correlations within northern Ellesmere Island are permissive, but require further investigation because the Grant Land Formation provenance signatures agree with a third-order sedimentary system that has been homogenized by longshore current or gravity-flow processes, whereas coeval shallow-water strata yield a restricted range of detrital zircon ages and imply sources from local drainage areas or underlying rock units. The detrital zircon signatures of the Franklinian passive margin resemble those for the Cordilleran and Appalachian passive margins of Laurentia, which demonstrates the widespread recycling of North American rock assemblages after late Neoproterozoic continental rifting and breakup of supercontinent Rodinia.

Download Full-text

Proterozoic microcontinents in the western Central Asian Orogenic Belt (Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan): relationship with Gondwana

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-10716 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Andrey K. Khudoley ◽

Dmitriy V. Alexeiev ◽

S. Andrew DuFrane

Keyword(s):

Detrital Zircon ◽

Orogenic Belt ◽

Detrital Zircons ◽

Central Asian Orogenic Belt ◽

Significant Similarity ◽

Widespread Occurrence ◽

The North ◽

Central Asian ◽

Rfbr Grant ◽

Detrital Zircon Ages

Proterozoic microcontinents are widespread in the western part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt, but their origin remains poorly constrained. The U-Pb dating of detrital zircons in Proterozoic rocks of the southern Kazakhstan and Kyrgyz North Tianshan elucidate depositional ages and evolution of the Precambrian basins and characterize possible links of Precambrian microcontinents in these regions with Gondwana and other cratons.Distributions of U-Pb detrital zircon ages in 13 samples from ca 5 km thick flysch-like succession of the Talas and Malyi Karatau ranges (Ishim-Middle-Tianshan microcontinent) show significant similarity. They are characterized by a widespread occurrence of Neoproterozoic grains with peaks at ca 820-800 and 910&#8211;860 Ma, almost complete absence of Mesoproterozoic grains and distinct peaks at ca 2040&#8211;1990 and 2500&#8211;2465 Ma for Paleoproterozoic grains. Archean grains occur in small amount. Close similarity is supported by K-S test indicating that samples have the same or similar provenance, also implying rapid accumulation and similar depositional ages. Main peaks resemble those in the Tarim Craton, suggesting Tarim as likely provenance and pointing to the Gondwana affinity of the Ishim-Middle-Tianshan microcontinent.In contrast, detrital zircon populations in 3 samples from the Neoproterozoic quartzites of the North Tianshan microcontinent are dominated by Mesoproterozoic grains ranging in age from ca 1500 to 1000 Ma and contain few Paleoproterozoic grains ca 1800-1650 Ma. Distributions of U-Pb zircon ages in all 3 samples are very similar and resemble those in the early Neoproterozoic quartzites from the Kokchetav area of northern Kazakhstan, recently reported by Kovach et al. (2017). Age peaks in these samples are very different from the ages of magmatic pulses in Gondwana and point that the North Tianshan microcontinent did not have connection with Gondwana.The Ishim-Middle-Tianshan microcontinent was rifted out from the Gondwana in late Neoproterozoic and travelled to the north. Origin and travel paths of the North Tianshan microcontinent remain poorly constrained. Widespread occurrence of Mesoproterozoic zircons implies possible links with Baltica, North America or east Siberia, but more detailed study is required to define exact provenance. These two microcontinents welded together in the middle to late Ordovician during amalgamation of the Kazakhstan paleocontinent and were jointly incorporated in Eurasia during the late Paleozoic collisions of the Kazakhstan continent with Siberia, Baltica and Tarim.The study was supported by RFBR grant 20-05-00252

Download Full-text

The Lithoprobe trans-continental lithospheric cross sections: imaging the internal structure of the North American continentThis article is one of a series of papers published in this Special Issue on the theme Lithoprobe — parameters, processes, and the evolution of a continent.Lithoprobe Publication 1487.

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences ◽

10.1139/e10-036 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 47 (5) ◽

pp. 821-857 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Philip T.C. Hammer ◽

Ron M. Clowes ◽

Fred A. Cook ◽

Arie J. van der Velden ◽

Kris Vasudevan

Keyword(s):

Cross Sections ◽

North American ◽

Lithospheric Mantle ◽

Large Scale ◽

Passive Margin ◽

Cascadia Subduction Zone ◽

American Continent ◽

North American Continent ◽

Continental Scale ◽

The North

Three lithospheric cross sections provide a continental-scale synthesis of more than two decades of coordinated multidisciplinary research during the Canadian Lithoprobe project. The sections are based on seismic reflection and refraction data combined with a broad range of geological, geochemical, geochronological, and geophysical data. The dataset is derived from remnants of nearly every kind of tectonic regime, and the geologic history of the entrained rocks spans the Present to the Mesoarchean. The longest of the three cross sections is located within a 6000 km long Trans-Canada corridor traversing the North American continent at 45°N–55°N. From west to east, the profile crosses the Juan de Fuca ridge and active Cascadia subduction zone, the Cordilleran, Albertan, and Trans-Hudson orogens, the Superior Province, the Midcontinent rift, the Grenville and Appalachian orogens, and the Atlantic passive margin. The two northern cross sections include (i) a 2000 km long corridor in northwestern Canada (54°N–63°N) crossing the Cordilleran, Wopmay, and Slave orogens; and (ii) a 1600 km long corridor in northeastern Canada (52°N–61°N) crossing the New Quebec and Torngat orogens, the Nain craton, and the Makkovik and Grenville orogens. The unprecedented scale of the cross sections illuminates the assembly of the North American continent. Relationships between orogens are emphasized; plate collisions and accretions have sequentially stacked orogen upon orogen such that the older crust forms basement to the next younger. The large-scale perspective of these regional sections highlights the subhorizontal Moho that is indicative of either structural or thermal re-equilibration (or both), as few crustal roots beneath orogens are preserved. In contrast, heterogeneities in the lithospheric mantle suggest that, in certain situations, relict subducted or delaminated lithosphere can remain intact beneath and eventually within cratonic lithospheric mantle.

Download Full-text

Cambrian detrital zircon signatures of the northern Cordilleran passive margin, Liard area, Canada: evidence of sediment recycling, non-Laurentian ultimate sources, and basement denudation

Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences ◽

10.1139/cjes-2016-0127 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 54 (6) ◽

pp. 609-621

Author(s):

Margot McMechan ◽

Lisel Currie ◽

Filippo Ferri ◽

William Matthews ◽

Paul O’Sullivan

Keyword(s):

North American ◽

Detrital Zircon ◽

Lower Cambrian ◽

Probability Distributions ◽

Detrital Zircons ◽

Passive Margin ◽

Early Cambrian ◽

Middle Cambrian ◽

Middle Member

Detrital zircon U–Pb age probability distributions for the Cambrian Vizer formation (informal) and Mount Roosevelt Formation (middle member) of the northern Canadian Cordilleran passive margin indicate extensive recycling from ∼1.7 to 1.6 Ga Paleoproterozoic sandstones and Proterozoic and Lower Cambrian strata, respectively. The units have minor or no first cycle input from Laurentian basement. The lower part of the Vizer formation contains North American magmatic gap (1610–1490 Ma) detrital zircons and lacks ultimate Grenvillian sourced grains, indicating that the grains were likely sourced from a nearby Mesoproterozoic basin and have an ultimate non-Laurentian source. Detrital zircon U–Pb ages of 670–640 Ma from the middle member of the Mount Roosevelt Formation indicate associated volcanic clasts were locally sourced, and are not of syn-sedimentary Middle Cambrian age. Provenance of these units was indirectly impacted by the Liard Line basement feature. Detrital zircon U–Pb age probability distributions from the northern Canadian Cordilleran passive margin indicate sediments were sourced from the east in the Early Cambrian (Terreneuvian; Vizer formation and correlatives) and the northeast during Early Cambrian (Series 2) deposition of Sekwi Formation and correlative strata. In the early Middle Cambrian, the middle member of the Mount Roosevelt Formation was primarily locally sourced, whereas the upper member was derived from Laurentian basement to the east and southeast. The change from reworked Paleoproterozoic cover in the Terrenuvian to primary basement sources in the Middle Cambrian suggests significant denudation of the basement occurred southeast of the Liard Line.

Download Full-text

Glacially-influenced late Pleistocene stratigraphy of a passive margin: New Jersey's Record of the North American ice sheet

Marine Geology ◽

10.1016/j.margeo.2005.04.006 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 218 (1-4) ◽

pp. 155-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

John S. Carey ◽

Robert E. Sheridan ◽

Gail M. Ashley ◽

Jane Uptegrove

Keyword(s):

Late Pleistocene ◽

North American ◽

Ice Sheet ◽

Passive Margin ◽

The North

Download Full-text

U-Pb Detrital Zircon Ages and Geochemical Features of the Jingxing Formation, (Qamdo Basin, Tibet: Implications): Inferences for the Metallogenic Model of the East Tethys Evaporite

Minerals ◽

10.3390/min11070745 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 745

Author(s):

Wenhua Han ◽

Haizhou Ma ◽

Weixuan Fang ◽

Huaide Cheng ◽

Yongshou Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Trace Elements ◽

Continental Margin ◽

Detrital Zircon ◽

Tectonic Setting ◽

Active Continental Margin ◽

Age Distribution ◽

Major And Trace Elements ◽

Jinsha River ◽

The North ◽

Detrital Zircon Ages

Qamdo basin is located between the suture zone of Jinsha River (Ailao Mountains) and that of Ban Gong Lake (Nujiang) in the eastern Tethys. Part of the Jingxing Formation is deposited in the southwest of the basin. In this study, two profiles were investigated from the north and south of Qamdo basin. The characteristics of detrital zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb age, and the main and trace elements of sandstone were analyzed. The characteristics of major and trace elements showed that the tectonic setting of the study area is mainly composed of a relatively stable active continental margin and a passive continental margin, showing characteristics of a continental island arc. The weathering degree of Jingxing Formation in the Qamdo area is lower than that in the Lanping-Simao area, which may be closer to the origin. The age distribution characteristics of detrital zircon grains indicate that the Qiangtang Block, Youjiang basin, and Yangtze area jointly constitute the provenance of the Qamdo-Lanping-Simao basin. Both basins may be part of a large marine basin with unified water conservancy connection before evaporite deposition. Metamorphic seawater from the Qamdo basin may migrate to the Lanping-Simao basin and even the Khorat basin, where evaporite was deposited.

Download Full-text