Fluid inclusion 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of andalusite from syn-tectonic quartz veins: perspectives on dating regional deformation and metamorphism events

<p>A long-lasting orogenic process often generates vast complexity of deformation and metamorphism. Understanding the time scales of these processes is essential for the reconstruction of the finite architecture of a fossil orogenic belt, which, nevertheless, is not always straightforward. This is because multiple episodes of tectonic events would lead to multiple growth periods of accessory minerals and deformation of rock-forming minerals, which brings challenges for conventional dating methods such as U–Pb, K/Ar, and <sup>40</sup>Ar/<sup>39</sup>Ar step-heating. Fortunately, the emplacement of syn-tectonic quartz veins witness the deformation process and potentially, the associated metamorphism. They, therefore, have the potential to provide vital age information for regional crustal evolution. These veins, especially those in metapelitic terranes, usually contain andalusite, a fluid inclusion bearing K-poor pure aluminosilicate, which stands a good chance for directly dating syn-tectonic veining events by the fluid inclusion <sup>40</sup>Ar/<sup>39</sup>Ar stepwise crushing technique.</p><p>Combined with detailed petro-structural investigation, this study applies the fluid inclusion <sup>40</sup>Ar/<sup>39</sup>Ar geochronology, for the first time, on andalusite minerals in syn-tectonic quartz veins from the Chinese Altai Orogenic Belt, Central Asia, to explore a new way for dating deformation and metamorphism. <sup>40</sup>Ar/<sup>39</sup>Ar stepwise crushing on three andalusite samples yielded well-defined Early Permain ages of 282–274 Ma. These ages are consistent with previously published emplacement ages of regional syn-tectonic leucosome/pegmatite/granite veins and metamorphic ages for local and region schist/gneiss from the same metamorphic series. These results collectively suggest that the fluid inclusion <sup>40</sup>Ar/<sup>39</sup>Ar geochronology of andalusite in syn-tectonic quartz veins has the potential to constrain the timing of fluid-present deformation and potentially contemporaneous metamorphism. This work, therefore, provides a novel way for the age constraints of regional tectonic-thermal evolution of metapelitic terranes in general.</p><p><strong>Acknowledgements </strong></p><p>This project was supported by the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (No. 2019A1515012190), the International Partnership Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. 132744KYSB20190039) and the Projects funded by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2019M663133). A Guangdong Special Support Program to Y.D. Jiang is also acknowledged.</p>

Ar–Ar dating for hydrothermal quartz from the 2.4 Ga Ongeluk Formation, South Africa: implications for seafloor hydrothermal circulation

Fluid inclusions in hydrothermal quartz in the 2.4 Ga Ongeluk Formation, South Africa, are expected to partially retain a component of the ancient seawater. To constrain the origin of the fluid and the quartz precipitation age, we conducted Ar–Ar dating for the quartz via a stepwise crushing method. The obtained argon isotopes show two or three endmembers with one or two binary mixing lines as the crushing proceeds, suggesting that the isotopic compositions of these endmembers correspond to fluid inclusions of each generation, earlier generated smaller 40 Ar- and K-rich inclusions, moderate 40 Ar- and 38 Ar Cl (neutron-induced 38 Ar from Cl)-rich inclusions and later generated larger atmospheric-rich inclusions. The K-rich inclusions show significantly different 40 Ar/ 38 Ar Cl values compared to the 38 Ar Cl -rich inclusions, indicating that it is difficult to constrain the quartz formation age using only fluid inclusions containing excess 40 Ar. The highest obtained 40 Ar/ 36 Ar value from the fluid inclusions is consistent with an expected value of the Ongeluk plume source, suggesting that the quartz precipitation was driven by Ongeluk volcanism. Considering the fluid inclusion generations and their compositions, the hydrothermal system was composed of crustal fluid and magmatic fluid without seawater before the beginning of a small amount of seawater input to the hydrothermal system.