Search

The southern Rocky Mountains in Colorado and northern New Mexico hosted intracontinental magmatism that developed during a tectonic transition from shortening (Laramide orogeny, ca. 75 to 40 Ma) through extension and rifting. We present a novel approach that uses stochastic weighted bootstrap simulations of a large set of new and historical geochronology data to better understand how regional anisotropies responsible for focusing magma emplacement evolved through time. This technique can detect subtle trends in directional distributions, including multi‐modal orientations, and can be filtered from regional to local scales. Our results indicate that magmatism followed first the northeast trend of the Colorado mineral belt between 75 and 40 Ma and deviated afterward. These deviations vary depending on the scale of the analysis. At the smallest scale we evaluated (<75 km), the orientation of magmatism from 45 to 30 Ma rotated counter‐clockwise before aligning with the north‐south trend of the modern Rio Grande rift. Larger, regional‐scale analyses indicate magma centers between 40 to 35 Ma and 25 to 20 Ma were dominantly oriented southwest‐northeast, whereas magmatism between 35 and 25 Ma had north‐south orientation. The large areal footprint of magmatism and shifting regional patterns suggest that ancient zones of weakness in the North American lithosphere accommodated magma flow at different moments in time, rather than controlled by a retreating interface of the Farallon and North American plates. Plain Language Summary: Continents can be deformed by compression or extension, and this deformation is commonly accompanied by magma ascension and crystallization in the upper crust. In many cases, magmas generated during a given time period are emplaced and crystallize aligned to their dominant stress fields, such as compression or extension. It is also possible for magmas to solidify aligned along ancient faults (and associated weaknesses), and therefore their spatial orientations may reflect tectonic events much older than magma crystallization. However, these "magma alignments" are not always obvious in maps, because there are many factors that go into dating magma systems, and magma flow is not always limited to one or a few obvious faults or related features. This study introduces a technique that treats sample locations for dated rocks as a point pattern and applies previously developed point pattern analyses to detect subtle alignments in magmatism. We apply this tool to a well‐known example in the western United States, where magmatism was continuous from tectonic compression through extension, to evaluate how magma alignments shifted through time. Key Points: Fry analyses reveal shifting regional orientations in Eocene‐Oligocene magmatism in the southern Rocky MountainsRegional‐scale magmatism followed ancient continental structures at various time periodsSmaller‐scale analyses indicate magma orientations rotated counter‐clockwise between 45 and 30 Ma [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Adamello intrusive suite is a composite batholith in Northern Italy, with an estimated 2000 km3 volume, assembled incrementally over a time span of 10 to 12 million years. The history of crystallization has been studied in detail through laser ablation ICP-MS and SIMS U–Pb geochronology of zircon, which records prolonged crystallization of each of the different intrusive units at mid-crustal levels between 43·47 and 33·16 Ma. The magmas were episodically extracted from this storage area and ascended to the final intrusion level at ∼6 km paleo-depth. Each batch of melt cooled very rapidly down to the ambient temperature of 250°C, evidenced by distinct cooling paths recorded by amphibole, biotite and K-feldspar 40Ar/39Ar dates. The magma source area was moving from SW to NE with time, causing increasing thermal maturity in the mid-crustal reservoir. The resulting temporal trend of higher degrees of crustal assimiliation in the course of the evolution of the magmatic system can be traced through Hf and O isotopes in zircon. Rough estimates of magma emplacement rates ('magma flux') yield very low values in the range of 10-4 km3/yr, typical of mid-to-upper crustal plutons and increase with time. Although we cannot discern a decrease of magma flux from our own data, we anticipate that a dramatic decrease of magma flux between 33 and 31 Ma along the northern contact lead to cessation of magma emplacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Garnet-clinopyroxene ultra-high-pressure (UHP) rocks from the northern Bohemian Massif contain zircon with micro-diamond inclusions. Trace element concentrations, oxygen and hafnium isotopic composition and U-Pb age of distinct textural domains in zircon characterize their growth conditions and temporal evolution. Diamond-bearing zircon mantle domains with relicts of oscillatory zoning have uniform Th/U ratios (~0.1-0.2), high-Ti contents (110-190 ppm, corresponding to temperatures of at least 1100 °C), and some (two of 17 mantle analyses) preserve steep heavy rare earth element ( HREE) patterns with YbN/GdN = 10-11, with a weak negative Eu anomaly. These signatures are consistent with crystallization from a melt under UHP/ultra-high-temperature ( UHT) conditions. Some of the bright-cathodoluminscence ( CL) rims preserve Th/U and Ti values characteristic of the zircon mantles, but others show elevated Th/U ratios of ~0.3-0.4 and lower Ti contents (20-40 ppm; only 13 ppm in a rare low- CL outer rim). As they feature flat HREE patterns and negative Eu anomalies and commonly make embayments and truncate the mantle zoning, we suggest that they have formed through recrystallization in the solid state during exhumation of the rock, when both garnet and plagioclase were stable. The three zircon domains, that is, cores, mantles and rims, yield U-Pb concordia ages of 340.9 ± 1.5, 340.3 ± 1.5 and 341.2 ± 3.4 Ma respectively. When linked to the previously reconstructed P-T path of the rock, the error limits of the zircon mantle and rim ages constrain the exhumation of the rocks from depth of ~140 km ( UHP) to ~80 km ( HP) to a minimum rate of 1.5 cm yr−1. The zircon cores are heterogeneous in terms of Th/U ratio (below 0.1 but also above 0.2) and REE characteristics, and their εHf values scatter between −15.7 and +4.8 with similar values for individual domains within a single zircon grain suggesting a very localized control on hafnium isotope composition on a grain scale. The non-equilibrated εHf values as well as a large range of the Hf-depleted mantle model ages possibly reflect the presence of a heterogeneous population of old zircon. Consequently, the uniform and young 238U/206Pb ages may represent (near-)complete resetting of the U-Pb geochronometer during the UHP- UHT event at c. 340 Ma through dissolution-reprecipitation process. In contrast to Hf, the oxygen isotope composition of zircon is homogeneous, ranging between 7.8‰ and 9.6‰ VSMOW, reflecting a source containing upper crustal material and homogenization at UHP- UHT conditions. Our study documents that continental crust was subducted to mantle depths at c. 340 Ma during the Variscan orogeny and was subsequently very rapidly exhumed, implying that the sequence of events was faster than can be resolved by the secondary ion mass spectrometry technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chronologic record encoded in accessory minerals, based on the radioactive decay of U and Th, is indispensable to extract quantitative process rates over timescales encompassing Earth's evolution from the Hadean to the Holocene, and extending from terrestrial to extra-terrestrial realms. We have essentially three different U–Pb dating tools at hand, a high-precision, whole-grain bulk technique (isotope-dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry, ID-TIMS), and two high-spatial resolution but less precise in-situ techniques (secondary ion mass spectrometry, SIMS, and laser ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry, LA-ICP-MS), all of which are predominantly applied to the mineral zircon. All three have reached a technological and methodological maturity in data quality and quantity, but interpretational differences, which are often common (albeit at different temporal and spatial scales) to all isotopic dating techniques, remain largely unresolved. The choice to use one of these techniques should be governed by the scientific question posed, such as (1) the duration of the geological process to be resolved; (2) the size and abundance of the material to be analyzed; (3) the complexity of the sample material and of the geological history to be resolved; and (4) the number of dates needed to address the question. Our compilation demonstrates that, ultimately, the highest confidence geochronological data will not only result from the optimal choice of appropriate analysis technique and the accurate treatment of analytical and interpretational complexities, but also require comprehensive sample characterization that employs the full gamut of textural (e.g., cathodoluminescence, charge contrast imaging, electron backscatter diffraction) and compositional (e.g., trace element, stable and radiogenic isotope) analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the zircon and monazite grains from medium-to-low-pressure granulites and low-pressure gneisses and granites in the Vosges mountains in eastern France. Geological outline of the study area; Analytical procedures; Results.

Abstract The present sub-permil precision of single zircon chemical abrasion, isotope-dilution, thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) U Pb dates often reveals age dispersions that are outside of analytical uncertainty. Interpreting these complex age distributions requires the ability to distinguish between protracted crystallization of zircon over a few 100 kyr, age bias due to radiation damage induced Pb-loss, and analytical artefacts. This is a particularly critical issue when a number of these factors occur together. To ensure geologically meaningful results, the complete eradication of Pb-loss is of paramount importance. The impact of Pb-loss can be removed by chemical abrasion (CA) applied prior to the dissolution of zircon. However, CA is an empirical approach that is used without a detailed understanding of how the temperature applied during the annealing step, or the temperature and duration of the partial dissolution step affect the radiation-damaged zones. In addition, the conditions of the CA procedures differ between laboratories making comparisons of age data problematic. This study presents an experimental approach to quantify how chemical abrasion affects the crystal structure and the chemical composition of zircon as well as its U Pb age. For this experiment, we have chosen the Plešovice reference zircon, because of its known variation in trace element concentrations and especially the presence of domains rich in actinides. We performed CA experiments under different temperature-time conditions on fragmented Plešovice crystals. These were compared in respect to the changes in trace element concentration, lattice order and U Pb date. The most reliable U Pb results are obtained by chemically abrading Plešovice fragments at 210 °C for 12 h. Additionally, we demonstrate that the Plešovice zircon cannot be considered homogenous at the current level of precision achieved by CA-ID-TIMS dating due to a natural age variation at the ~900 kyr scale. Highlights • Quantifying the partial dissolution step of chemical abrasion • Improved protocol for the chemical pre-treatment of zircon before U Pb dating • Control of lead loss from zircon through Raman spectrometry • New high precision zircon CA-ID-TIMS dates for the Plešovice reference zircon [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Increased precision in isotope-dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS) U–Pb geochronology has revealed age complexities in zircon populations that require new tools for understanding how the growth of zircon is related to geologic processes. U and Pb are routinely separated from other elements in dated minerals by ion exchange separation prior to TIMS isotope measurement. We develop a method in which trace elements in the exact same volume of zircon are redissolved and analyzed using solution nebulization inductively coupled plasma sector-field mass spectrometry with matrix-matched external liquid calibration. Using <0.5ml solution, resulting concentrations are between <1ppt for elements such as Ti, Nb and Ta and tens of ppb for Zr. By analyzing a series of standard solutions, zircons and procedural blanks, we show that accurate measurements are performed on Zr, Hf, Y, Sc, and the HREE while low-concentration elements can be measured accurately to <5ppt. We performed combined U–Pb ID-TIMS geochronology with trace element analysis (here called U–Pb TIMS-TEA) on zircons from eight volcanic rocks comprising several volcanic systems and one metamorphic sample. Similar to previous in situ trace element analyses, zircon geochemistry is distinct between different samples and records petrogenetic processes such as fractional crystallization, assimilation and/or magma mixing. Unique from in situ analysis, U–Pb TIMS-TEA can trace geochemical evolution in accessory minerals with adequate age precision to resolve magmatic processes in rocks at least 200 million years old. This provides a means to identify auto-, ante- and xenocrystic zircon and lead to more robust age interpretations in ID-TIMS U–Pb geochronology. One suite of Cretaceous andesitic zircons shows correlations in geochemistry and absolute time that record evolution of a magmatic system over ∼250ka prior to eruption. Future work will combine U–Pb TIMS-TEA with solution isotopic analysis of Nd, Sr and Hf and will be applied to a host of datable minerals such as monazite, sphene, apatite, rutile, xenotime, and baddeleyite. These combined tools will provide access to an improved understanding of a wide range of igneous and metamorphic processes as a function of time. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Viseu area is located in the Central Iberian Zone of the Iberian Variscan Belt and hosts numerous post-thickening, collision-related granitoids intruded into upper and middle crustal levels. The present paper reports high precision U–Pb zircon and monazite ages for four plutons of the Viseu area: the syn-kinematic granitoids of Maceira (314±5 Ma), Casal Vasco (311±1 Ma) and Junqueira (307.8±0.7 Ma) and the late-kinematic biotite monzogranites of Cota (306±9 Ma). This points to a synchronous emplacement of the different syn-kinematic plutons shortly followed by the intrusion of the late-kinematic granites and shows that the Upper Carboniferous plutonism occurred within a short time span of ca. 10 million years. The ascent of granite magmas took place after an extensional tectonic event (D2) and is coeval with dextral and sinistral crustal-scale transcurrent shearing (D3). Field and petrographical evidence suggest a narrow time-span between peak T metamorphic conditions and the intrusion of granitic melts which implies very fast uplift rates accommodated through active tectonic exhumation. Magma compositions evolve through time, reflecting an increasing involvement of mid-crustal sources and the underplating effect of an upwelling asthenospheric mantle at the base of a thinning and stretching continental crust. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Variscan granites from the Western Erzgebirge were repeatedly dated by various methods, but no consensus has been reached about their exact intrusion ages. This study presents a multi-dating approach for the four largest intrusions from the Western Erzgebirge (Aue-Schwarzenberg, Bergen, Eibenstock, Kirchberg). We analysed several samples from each pluton/suite with zircon U–Pb CA-ID-TIMS (chemical abrasion-isotope dilution-thermal ionization mass spectrometry) to obtain robust temporal information on their age and tempo of intrusion. These data enable us for the first time to define three intrusive episodes of 1–2 Ma each, separated by quiet periods of several Ma. The Aue-Schwarzenberg suite represents the oldest granites that intruded at ~323–322 Ma followed by the granites from Bergen and Kirchberg 2–4 Ma later. The highly evolved ore-bearing granites from the Eibenstock pluton intruded after a time lag of ~5 Ma at ~315–314 Ma. The new data show that there is a resolvable age difference between the two known granite groups. Granite group 2 (also assigned as younger igneous complex, represented by the Eibenstock pluton) is ≥5 Ma younger than granite group 1 (assigned as older igneous complex, represented by granites from Aue-Schwarzenberg, Bergen and Kirchberg). Protracted magmatism and late-/post-magmatic fluid flow partly reset the U–Pb system of these granites to variable degrees, making a precise and accurate dating of their intrusion ages challenging. Pb loss in zircons is often combined with high common Pb (Pb c). SHRIMP/SIMS (sensitive high mass resolution ion microprobe/secondary ion mass spectrometry) and LA-ICP-MS (laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry) on non-CA zircons document that Pb loss and high Pb c is quite variable within zircon grains and may be located in micro-fractures. We demonstrate that chemical abrasion (CA) clearly minimizes or removes both Pb loss and Pb c. Results from prior LA-ICP-MS and SHRIMP dating on non-CA zircons from the same samples considerably helped the interpretation of the CA-ID-TIMS data when Pb loss was not completely erased by CA. In such cases we often had to choose the oldest analyses for mean age calculation in contrast to the common practice of the CA-ID-TIMS community to choose the youngest dates. Rb–Sr and Ar–Ar dating systems revealed age differences between the older group and the younger ore-bearing granites albeit with diverging absolute ages. Most Ar–Ar ages are identical with CA-ID-TIMS ages and would imply rapid cooling. However, samples from the older group have excess Ar that could have led to too old ages. In contrast, Rb–Sr ages for the older granites are 0–7 Ma younger than their intrusions. Fluid induced alteration led to the formation of Li-mica, fluorite and cassiterite (greisenization). For the youngest granite (Eibenstock), Li-mica was used to date the first greisenization. Samples without visible hydrothermal overprint yielded identical Ar–Ar and Rb–Sr ages as severely greisenized samples. This implies re-equilibration due to the hydrothermal overprint for all Ar–Ar and Rb–Sr ages from the Eibenstock pluton. According to Ar–Ar dating, the first ore formation (~315 Ma) is coeval with the CA-ID-TIMS intrusion age of the Eibenstock granite while it is delayed by ~6 (±3) Ma according to Rb–Sr dating (308 ± 3 Ma). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We present an integrated geochronological and sedimentological study that significantly revises the basin and magmatic history associated with lithospheric thinning in southern coastal Peru (15–18°S) since the onset of subduction at ∼530 Ma. Until now, estimating the age of the sedimentary and volcanic rocks has heavily relied on paleontologic determinations. Our new geochronological data, combined with numerous field observations, provide the first robust constraints on their chronostratigraphy, which is discussed in the light of biostratigraphical attributions. A detailed review of the existing local units simplifies the current stratigraphic nomenclature and clarifies its absolute chronology using zircon U–Pb ages. We observe that the Late Paleozoic to Jurassic stratigraphy of coastal southern Peru consists of two first-order units, namely (1) the Yamayo Group, a sedimentary succession of variable (0–2 km) thickness, with apparently no nearby volcanic lateral equivalent, and (2) the overlying Yura Group, consisting of a lower, 1–6 km-thick volcanic and volcaniclastic unit, the Chocolate Formation, and an upper, 1–2 km-thick sedimentary succession that are in markedly diachronous contact across the coeval arc and back-arc. We date the local base of the Chocolate Formation, and thus of the Yura Group, to 216 Ma, and show that the underlying Yamayo Group spans a >110 Myr-long time interval, from at least the Late Visean to the Late Triassic, and is apparently devoid of significant internal discontinuities. The age of the top of the Chocolate Formation, i.e. of the volcanic arc pile, varies from ∼194 Ma to less than ∼135 Ma across the study area. We suggest that this simplified and updated stratigraphic framework can be reliably used as a reference for future studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]