Chilliwack composite terrane in northwest Washington: Neoproterozoic–Silurian passive margin basement, Ordovician–Silurian arc inception

2010 ◽  
Vol 47 (10) ◽  
pp. 1347-1366 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. H. Brown ◽  
G. E. Gehrels ◽  
V. A. Valencia
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Sedimentary Rocks ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
Late Ordovician ◽  
Detrital Zircons ◽  
Passive Margin ◽  
Early Paleozoic ◽  
Intrusive Rocks ◽  
History Of ◽  
Detrital Zircon Ages

The Chilliwack composite terrane in northwest Washington is part of an assemblage of mid-Paleozoic arc terranes extending from California to Alaska. Some terranes bear evidence of exotic origin, whereas others apparently formed proximal to western Laurentia, posing a complex problem in unraveling the Paleozoic accretionary history of the Cordillera. In our proposed broader definition, the Chilliwack composite terrane includes the volcanic and sedimentary East Sound and Chilliwack groups, and the plutonic and metamorphic Turtleback and Yellow Aster complexes. New zircon ages indicate that the plutonic and volcanic rocks are mutually related as parts of the same arc complex and that its inception was as old as Late Ordovician to Silurian, older than most other parts of the mid-Paleozoic terrane assemblage. Basement to the arc complex is a passive margin assemblage of metamorphosed quartzose sandstone and calc-silicate rock of the Yellow Aster Complex, bracketed in age by ca. 1000 Ma detrital zircons and 418 Ma intrusive rocks. This association of paragneiss basement and overlying and (or) intruding arc resembles that of older parts of the extensive Yukon–Tanana terrane in the northern Cordillera. Detrital zircon ages support a western Laurentian pericratonic origin for the paragneiss basement and the overlying arc. However, an early to mid-Paleozoic connection of this assemblage to the exotic outboard Alexander terrane is also indicated, based on (1) Mesoproterozoic and early Paleozoic detrital zircons in Devonian sedimentary rocks of the arc, and also in certain other pericratonic Devonian terranes and strata of the miogeocline; (2) Late Ordovician – Silurian igneous ages; and (3) an earliest Devonian or older metamorphic age of the basement paragneiss.

U–Pb age constraints for the magmatic and tectonic evolution of the Pontiac Subprovince, Quebec

1993 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 1970-1980 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. K. Mortensen ◽  
K. D. Card
Keyword(s):  
Tectonic Evolution ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Sedimentary Rocks ◽  
Volcanic Zone ◽  
Volcanic Arcs ◽  
The North ◽  
Intrusive Rocks ◽  
History Of ◽  
Tonalitic Gneiss ◽  
Age Constraints

New U–Pb zircon, titanite, and monazite ages help constrain the history of magmatism and tectonism within the Pontiac Subprovince of western Quebec. The Pontiac Subprovince resembles other metasedimentary belts of the Superior Province; however, the stratigraphic relationships between the dominantly sedimentary rocks of the Pontiac and the adjacent, volcanic-dominated Abitibi belt to the north and west remain controversial. Volcanic rocks of the Belleterre volcanic zone in the southern part of the Pontiac Subprovince have been interpreted by other workers as klippen of Abitibi strata that were thrust southward onto the Pontiac Subprovince. However, volcanic rocks in the Belleterre zone give crystallization ages of 2689–2682 Ma, which are younger than any extrusive rocks dated thus far from the Abitibi belt. Single detrital zircon grains from Pontiac sedimentary rocks give ages as young as 2683 Ma, indicating that the sediments are similar in age, or younger than, the volcanic units. The volcanic rocks probably represent distal facies of small volcanic arcs deposited within a large turbidite basin.The Lac des Quinze tonalitic gneiss body gives U–Pb zircon and titanite ages of 2695 ± 1 Ma and 2673 ± 4 Ma, respectively. Although the gneiss may represent basement to the supracrustal units, field relationships indicate that it was tectonically juxtaposed against the supracrustal package. Alkaline intrusive rocks in the Pontiac Subprovince yield U–Pb ages that overlap with the youngest ages obtained from the volcanic units. This attests to a very short-lived cycle of sedimentation and arc magmatism, followed by late tectonic and posttectonic alkaline plutonism.

The Duck Pond and Boundary Cu–Zn deposits, Newfoundland: new insights into the ages of host rocks and the timing of VHMS mineralization

2010 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 1481-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicki McNicoll ◽  
Gerry Squires ◽  
Andrew Kerr ◽  
Paul Moore
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Sedimentary Rocks ◽  
Isotopic Data ◽  
Sulphide Ores ◽  
Intrusive Rocks ◽  
Felsic Volcanic ◽  
Host Rocks ◽  
Felsic Volcanic Rocks

The Duck Pond Cu–Zn–Pb–Ag–Au deposit in Newfoundland is hosted by volcanic rocks of the Cambrian Tally Pond group in the Victoria Lake supergroup. In conjunction with the nearby Boundary deposit, it contains 4.1 million tonnes of ore at 3.3% Cu, 5.7% Zn, 0.9% Pb, 59 g/t Ag, and 0.9 g/t Au. The deposits are hosted by altered felsic flows, tuffs, and volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks, and the sulphide ores formed in part by pervasive replacement of unconsolidated host rocks. U–Pb geochronological studies confirm a long-suspected correlation between the Duck Pond and Boundary deposits, which appear to be structurally displaced portions of a much larger mineralizing system developed at 509 ± 3 Ma. Altered aphyric flows in the immediate footwall of the Duck Pond deposit contained no zircon for dating, but footwall stringer-style and disseminated mineralization affects rocks as old as 514 ± 3 Ma at greater depths below the ore sequence. Unaltered mafic to felsic volcanic rocks that occur structurally above the orebodies were dated at 514 ± 2 Ma, and hypabyssal intrusive rocks that cut these were dated at 512 ± 2 Ma. Some felsic samples contain inherited (xenocrystic) zircons with ages of ca. 563 Ma. In conjunction with Sm–Nd isotopic data, these results suggest that the Tally Pond group was developed upon older continental or thickened arc crust, rather than in the ensimatic (oceanic) setting suggested by previous studies.

U-Pb detrital zircon ages of Cambrian−Ordovician sandstones from the Taebaeksan Basin, Korea: Provenance variability in platform shelf sequences and paleogeographic implications

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moonsup Cho ◽  
Wonseok Cheong ◽  
W.G. Ernst ◽  
Yoonsup Kim ◽  
Keewook Yi
Keyword(s):  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Isotopic Signature ◽  
Detrital Zircons ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Early Paleozoic ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Taebaeksan Basin ◽  
Double Peaks ◽  
The North ◽  
Detrital Zircon Ages

The early Paleozoic paleogeography of East Gondwanan terranes, including the North China Craton (NCC), is contentious, primarily reflecting the paucity of integrated geochronological, biogeographic, and tectonic data sets. Our new sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe data from 14 sandstones of the Taebaeksan Basin, Korea, indicate that its platform shelf sequences, typified by trilobite faunal assemblages diagnostic of the NCC, record the vestige of coeval arc magmatism. Detrital zircons analyzed from the sandstones yielded Eoarchean to Early Ordovician ages, which define three distinct types of distribution patterns characterized by: (1) double peaks at ca. 1.85 Ga and 2.50 Ga diagnostic of basement rocks in the NCC; (2) minor peaks at ca. 1.75, 1.6, and 1.2−1.1 Ga in addition to double peaks; and finally (3) a scattered array of late Paleoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic zircons lacking double peaks. The marked contrasts among the three types reflect significant changes in provenance, most likely linked to variations in paleo-water depths during the “Sauk” transgression. Longshore- or onshore-directed currents, associated with an increase in water depth, apparently brought outboard oceanic detritus and benthic trilobites into the relatively flat outer shelf of the Taebaeksan Basin. As a result, fine-grained sandstones received a large amount of detritus from distal sources, yielding mixed signatures in zircon age patterns and trilobite assemblages. Excluding the basal sandstone-conglomerate unit, five siliciclastic formations contain syndepositional zircon populations, and their weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages decrease upsection from 512 ± 5 Ma to 483 ± 2 Ma, indicating a sedimentary influx from contemporaneous volcanic activity. In conjunction with arc-related bulk-rock geochemistry and juvenile Nd isotopic signature, early Paleozoic detrital zircons likely represent the first-cycle detritus supplied for ∼30 m.y. from the proto-Japan arc that initially formed at ca. 520 Ma. Together with the occurrence of ca. 700−500 Ma detrital Pacific Gondwana zircons in fine-grained sandstones, Paleozoic arc-sourced detritus suggests that the Korean Peninsula was paleogeographically linked to an ancient convergent margin, perhaps extending from the Terra Australis orogen.

Coeval sedimentation, magmatism, and fold-thrust belt development in the Trans-Hudson Orogen: geochronological evidence from the Wekusko Lake area, Manitoba, Canada

1999 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 293-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin M Ansdell ◽  
Karen A Connors ◽  
Richard A Stern ◽  
Stephen B Lucas
Keyword(s):  
Regional Metamorphism ◽  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Sedimentary Rocks ◽  
Detrital Zircons ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Thrust Belt ◽  
Fold And Thrust Belt ◽  
Minimum Age ◽  
Flin Flon ◽  
Felsic Volcanic

Lithological and structural mapping in the east Wekusko Lake area of the Flin Flon Belt, Trans-Hudson Orogen, suggested an intimate relationship between magmatism, fluvial sedimentation, and initiation of fold and thrust belt deformation. Conventional U-Pb geochronology of volcanic rocks in fault-bounded assemblages provides a minimum age of 1876 ± 2 Ma for McCafferty Liftover back-arc basalts, and ages of between 1833 and 1836 Ma for the Herb Lake volcanic rocks. A rhyolite which unconformably overlies Western Missi Group fluvial sedimentary rocks has complex zircon systematics. This rock may be as old as about 1856 Ma or as young as 1830 Ma. The sedimentary rocks overlying this rhyolite are locally intercalated with 1834 Ma felsic volcanic rocks, and yield sensitive high resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) U-Pb and Pb-evaporation detrital zircon ages ranging from 1834 to 2004 Ma. The Eastern Missi Group is cut by an 1826 ± 4 Ma felsic dyke, and contains 1832-1911 Ma detrital zircons. The dominant source for detritus in the Missi Group was the Flin Flon accretionary collage and associated successor arc rocks. The fluvial sedimentary rocks and the Herb Lake volcanic rocks were essentially coeval, and were then incorporated into a southwest-directed fold and thrust belt which was initiated at about 1840 Ma and active until at least peak regional metamorphism.

A Tarim-South China-North India connection in the periphery of Rodinia: Constraints from provenance of middle Neoproterozoic sedimentary rocks in the Altyn Tagh orogen, southeastern Tarim

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Liu
Keyword(s):  
South China ◽  
Detrital Zircon ◽  
Sedimentary Rocks ◽  
Detrital Zircons ◽  
Close Linkage ◽  
North India ◽  
Hf Isotopes ◽  
Altyn Tagh ◽  
Detrital Zircon Ages ◽  
Rule Out

<p>Locating Tarim during assembly and breakup of Supercontinent Rodinia remains enigmatic, with different models advocating a Tarim-Australia linkage or a location between Australia and Laurentia at the heart of unified Rodinia. In this study, zircon U-Pb dating results first revealed middle Neoproterozoic sedimentary rocks in the Altyn Tagh orogen, southeastern Tarim. These sedimentary rocks were deposited between ca. 880 and 750 Ma in a rifting-related setting slightly prior to breakup of Rodinia at ca. 750 Ma. A compilation of Neoproterozoic geological records indicates that the Altyn Tagh orogen in southeastern Tarim underwent ca. 1.0-0.9 Ga collision and ca. 850-600 Ma rifting related to assembly and breakup of Rodinia, respectively. In order to place Tarim in Rodinia, available detrital zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopes from Meso- to Neoproterozoic sedimentary rocks in relevant Rodinia blocks are compiled. Comparable detrital zircon ages (at ca. 0.9, 1.3-1.1, and 1.7 Ga) and Hf isotopes indicate a close linkage among southeastern Tarim, Cathaysia, and North India, but rule out a North or West Australian affinity for Tarim. In addition, detrital zircons from northern Tarim exhibit a prominent age peak at ca. 830 Ma with minor spectra at ca. 1.9 and 2.5 Ga but lack Mesoproterozoic ages, which are comparable to those from northern and western Yangtze. Together with comparable geological responses to assembly and breakup of Rodinia, a new Tarim-South China-North India connection is inferred in the periphery of Rodinia.</p>

A Tarim-North India connection in northern Gondwana: Constraints from provenance of early Paleozoic sedimentary rocks in the Altyn Tagh orogen, southeastern Tarim

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qian Liu ◽  
Toshiaki Tsunogae ◽  
Guochun Zhao ◽  
Yigui Han ◽  
Jinlong Yao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South China ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Sedimentary Rocks ◽  
Detrital Zircons ◽  
Early Paleozoic ◽  
The North ◽  
Altyn Tagh ◽  
Tarim Craton ◽  
Tethys Ocean ◽  
Final Closure

<p>Amalgamation of northern Gondwana involves a wealth of present-day East Asian blocks (e.g., South China, North China, Alxa, Tarim, Indochina, Qiangtang, Sibumasu, Lhasa, etc.) due to consumption and closure of the Proto-Tethys Ocean. Locating the Tarim craton during assembly of northern Gondwana remains enigmatic, with different models separating Tarim from Gondwana by a paleoceanic domain throughout the Paleozoic, advocating a long-term Tarim-Australia linkage in the Neoproterozoic to the early Paleozoic, or suggesting a Tarim-Arabia connection in the early Paleozoic.</p><p>This study carried out field-based zircon U-Pb dating and Hf isotopic analyses for early Paleozoic sedimentary rocks in the Altyn Tagh orogen, southeastern Tarim. New dating results revealed that the early Paleozoic sedimentary rocks were deposited from ca. 494 to 449 Ma. Provenance tracing indicates the ca. 494-477 Ma sedimentary rocks were primarily sourced from the local Altyn Tagh orogen to the south of the North Altyn Ocean (one branch of the Proto-Tethys Ocean between southeastern Tarim and northern Gondwana). In contrast, the ca. 465-449 Ma sedimentary rocks have remarkably increasing ca. 840-780 Ma, 2.0-1.7 Ga, and 2.7-2.4 Ga detrital zircons, indicating an augmented supply of detritus from the Tarim craton to the north of the North Altyn Ocean. Such a significant provenance shift between ca. 477 and 465 Ma marks the timing of the final closure of the North Altyn Ocean. Combined with the timing of the final closure of other branches of the Proto-Tethys Ocean, the entire Proto-Tethys Ocean might have been progressively closed at ca. 500-420 Ma, resulting in the connection of most East Asian blocks with northern Gondwana. Based on detrital zircon U-Pb-Hf isotopic comparison, Tarim most likely shared a North Indian affinity with many East Asian blocks (such as North Qilian, North Qinling, South China, Indochina, South Qiangtang, etc.). This new finding argues against an Australian or Arabian affinity for the Tarim craton.</p><p>This work was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China Projects (grants 41730213, 42072264, 41902229, 41972237, and 41888101), Hong Kong Research Grants Council General Research Fund (grant 17307918), and Grant-in-Aids for Scientific Research from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) to Prof. Toshiaki Tsunogae (No. 18H01300) and to Dr. Qian Liu (No. 19F19020). JSPS fellowship is also much appreciated.</p>

Late Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic paleogeographic position of the Yangtze block and the change of tectonic setting in its northwestern margin: Evidence from detrital zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopes of sedimentary rocks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bingshuang Zhao ◽  
Xiaoping Long ◽  
Jin Luo ◽  
Yunpeng Dong ◽  
Caiyun Lan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Detrital Zircon ◽  
Tectonic Setting ◽  
Sedimentary Rocks ◽  
Detrital Zircons ◽  
Hf Isotopes ◽  
Early Paleozoic ◽  
Yangtze Block ◽  
Sedimentary Provenance ◽  
Northwestern Margin ◽  
Late Neoproterozoic

The crustal evolution of the Yangtze block and its tectonic affinity to other continents of Rodinia and subsequent Gondwana have not been well constrained. Here, we present new U-Pb ages and Hf isotopes of detrital zircons from the late Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic sedimentary rocks in the northwestern margin of the Yangtze block to provide critical constraints on their provenance and tectonic settings. The detrital zircons of two late Neoproterozoic samples have a small range of ages (0.87−0.67 Ga) with a dominant age peak at 0.73 Ga, which were likely derived from the Hannan-Micangshan arc in the northwestern margin of the Yangtze block. In addition, the cumulative distribution curves from the difference between the depositional age and the crystalline age (CA−DA) together with the mostly positive εHf(t) values of these zircon crystals (−6.8 to +10.7, ∼90% zircon grains with εHf[t] > 0) suggest these samples were deposited in a convergent setting during the late Neoproterozoic. In contrast, the Cambrian−Silurian sediments share a similar detrital zircon age spectrum that is dominated by Grenvillian ages (1.11−0.72 Ga), with minor late Paleoproterozoic (ca. 2.31−1.71 Ga), Mesoarchean to Neoarchean (3.16−2.69 Ga), and latest Archean to early Paleoproterozoic (2.57−2.38 Ga) populations, suggesting a significant change in the sedimentary provenance and tectonic setting from a convergent setting after the breakup of Rodinia to an extensional setting during the assembly of Gondwana. However, the presence of abundant Grenvillian and Neoarchean ages, along with their moderately to highly rounded shapes, indicates a possible sedimentary provenance from exotic continental terrane(s). Considering the potential source areas around the Yangtze block when it was a part of Rodinia or Gondwana, we suggest that the source of these early Paleozoic sediments had typical Gondwana affinities, such as the Himalaya, north India, and Tarim, which is also supported by their stratigraphic similarity, newly published paleomagnetic data, and tectono-thermal events in the northern fragments of Gondwana. This implies that after prolonged subduction in the Neoproterozoic, the northwestern margin of the Yangtze block began to be incorporated into the assembly of Gondwana and then accept sediments from the northern margin of Gondwanaland in a passive continental margin setting.

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

2013 ◽  
Vol 50 (10) ◽  
pp. 1007-1018 ◽  
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.

Age and source of detrital zircons from the Missi Formation: a Proterozoic molasse deposit, Trans-Hudson Orogen, Canada

1992 ◽  
Vol 29 (12) ◽  
pp. 2583-2594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin M. Ansdell ◽  
T. Kurtis Kyser ◽  
Mel R. Stauffer ◽  
Garth Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Rocks ◽  
Sedimentary Rocks ◽  
Detrital Zircons ◽  
Early Proterozoic ◽  
Minimum Age ◽  
Granitoid Rocks ◽  
Evaporation Technique ◽  
Single Zircon ◽  
Flin Flon ◽  
Felsic Volcanic

The Missi Formation in the Flin Flon Basin forms part of a discontinuous series of molasse-type sediments found throughout the Early Proterozoic Trans-Hudson Orogen in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The Flin Flon Basin contains a sequence of proximal-fan to braided-stream fluvial conglomerates and sandstones, which unconformably overlie subaerially weathered Amisk Group volcanic rocks. Stratigraphic way-up indicators have been preserved, even though these rocks have undergone greenschist-facies metamorphism and polyphase deformation. The sedimentary rocks are crosscut by intrusive rocks, which provide a minimum age of sedimentation of 1840 ± 7 Ma.Detrital zircons from each of the six stratigraphic subdivisions of the Flin Flon Basin were analyzed using the single-zircon Pb-evaporation technique. Euhedral to slightly rounded zircons dominate each sample, and these zircons give ages of between about 1854 and 1950 Ma. The Missi sediments were thus deposited between 1840 and 1854 Ma. Possible sources for the detrital zircons are Amisk Group felsic volcanic rocks and post-Amisk granitoid rocks and orthogneisses in adjacent domains within the Trans-Hudson Orogen. However, the immature character of the sedimentary rocks, the composition of clasts, the euhedral character of many of the zircons, and the range in ages suggest that most were likely derived from Amisk Group and granitoid rocks in the western Flin Flon Domain. Rounded zircons are uncommon but provide evidence for the reworking of older Proterozoic sedimentary rocks, or a distant Archean or Early Proterozoic granitoid terrane.

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