Granitic orthogneiss forms an important component of the Barkerville terrane of southeastern British Columbia. Rb–Sr whole-rock ages for the orthogneisses are ambiguous and range from Late Proterozoic to mid-Paleozoic, with large associated errors. U–Pb dating of zircon, monazite, and sphene has been employed in an attempt to establish precise crystallization ages for two of the orthogneiss bodies. U–Pb systematics for zircons from both bodies show the combined effects of inheritance of zircon cores and postcrystallization Pb loss. This complexity precludes a precise estimate of the age of emplacement of the granitic protoliths of the gneiss. The data do, however, constrain possible emplacement ages for the bodies to between 335 and 375 Ma (Late Devonian – mid-Mississippian).A U–Pb age of 174 ± 4 Ma for metamorphic sphene from one of the orthogneiss bodies is interpreted as dating the end of the second phase of deformation in the area. Two nearly concordant U–Pb ages of 114 and 117 Ma for monazite from the second body remain problematical. These data suggest either that the monazite grew during a relatively young shearing and (or) metamorphic event that locally affected the Barkerville terrane or that the closure temperatue for the U–Pb system in monazite is lower than had previously been inferred, or both.
The Gangdese belt in southern Tibet includes the Cretaceous to early Eocene Gangdese continental magmatic arc, a newly recognized Middle Jurassic magmatic arc, and post-Gangdese arc magmatism of Miocene age that is well known for its association with important copper-molybdenum deposits. Although the tectonic history of the Gangdese continental arc is relatively well constrained, the tectonomagmatic setting of the Jurassic and Miocene magmatic events was poorly constrained previously. Geochronological analysis of samples from the Xietongmen copper-gold porphyry district has identified a previously unknown metallogenic event related to Middle Jurassic arc magmatism. The occurrence of several metallogenic epochs within the southern Gangdese belt highlights the importance of systematic metallogenic studies of this belt.
Low-grade metasedimentary rocks of Late Proterozoic age in the Bras d'Or Terrane of Cape Breton Island contain small areas of gneissic rocks which were previously undated. New U-Pb data indicate that the Lime Hill gneissic complex is the product of an Early Cambrian intrusive/metamorphic event Two intrusions at Lime Hill give similar ages which indicate that emplacement and deformation of foliated tonalitic orthogneiss were followed very quickly by intrusion of massive granitic dykes at about 540 to S4S Ma. U-Pb analyses of metamorphic monazite from the Lime Hill paragneiss indicate that these rocks last cooled through the closure temperature of the U-Pb system for monazite (650-700°C) at about 549 Ma. All zircon fractions analyzed from the tonalitic orthogneiss and granitic dyke contain older inherited zircons which yield an apparent age range of at least 1.4 to 23 Ga. The presence of an inherited monazite component may suggest that the rocks have been affected by an older metamorphic event and are in fact older than the Malagawatch Formation, as suggested by published ore lead isotopic values.
RÉSUMÉ
Des roches métasédimentaires faiblement meétamorphisees d'âge protérozolque tardif et faisant partie de la Lanière de Bras d'Or (ile du Cap Breton), renferment des Hots de roches gneissiques dont l'âge n'avait pas encore été déterminé. De nouvelles données U-Pb indiquent que le complexe gneissique de Lime Hill est le résultat d'un épisode intrusif ou métamorphique datant du deimt du Cambrien. A Lime Hill, deux intrusions ont produit des âges semblables qui montrent que l'emplacement et la déformation d'un orthogneiss tonalitique furent suivis très rapidement par l'intrusion de dykes granitiques massifs, il y a environ 540 à 545 Ma. Des analyses U-Pb d'une monazite métamoiphique provenant du paragneiss de Lime Hill indiquent que le demier réfroidissement de ces roches en deca de la température de clôture du système U-Pb pour la monazite, i.e. de 650 à 700°C, eût lieu vers 549 Ma. Toutes les portions de zircons extraites de l'orthogneiss tonalitique et du dyke granitique comprennent des zircons remaniés qui donnent un âge apparent dont la gamme s'étend de 1.4 à 2.3 Ga. La présence d'une composante de monazite remaniée semble suggèrer que les roches ont subi un épisode antérieur de métamorphisme, et indiquer que les roches sont en réalité plus vieilles que la Formation de Malagawatch, tel que suggèré par les valeurs publiées des isotopes du plomb du minéral.
[Traduit par le journal]
Yukon‐Tanana Terrane (YTT) underlies much of central and western Yukon and east central Alaska. Its history and tectonic evolution, particularly prior to mid‐Mesozoic time, has been largely obscured by younger magmatism and tectonism. The application of geochronological and isotopic techniques over the past decade, together with detailed field studies in certain critical areas of the terrane, has shed new light on the early history of YTT. Much of YTT is a product of episodic continental arc magmatism, with three main pulses in Late Devonian‐Early Mississippian, mid‐Permian, and Late Triassic‐Early Jurassic time. From Late Devonian to mid‐Mississippian time, subduction was north or northeast dipping, but arc polarity was apparently reversed by mid‐Permian time. The main, subhorizontal structural fabric characterizing much of YTT was produced between mid‐Permian time and the onset of renewed magmatism in Late Triassic time and probably reflects a major continent‐continent collision. Although the Triassic‐Jurassic magmatism is also considered to be arc related, it occurred over a very broad area of not only YTT, but also Quesnellia, and the Stikine, Nisling, Cache Creek, and Slide Mountain terranes. This magmatism appears to have coincided with final amalgamation of the Intermontane Superterrane, and the arc polarity and the position and orientation of the associated subduction zone is still controversial. Available evidence suggests that Nisling Terrane is closely related to YTT and mainly consists of older strata that underlie the Devonian and younger units generally considered to be more typical of YTT. There are close similarities between YTT and a number of other “pericratonic” terranes in the central and eastern parts of the Cordillera, and it is likely that these terranes originally formed a single arc and arc basement assemblage which has now been fragmented and dispersed by transcurrent faulting.
Geological mapping and U–Pb geochronology of the Klondike District provide new information on the nature and evolution of the Yukon–Tanana terrane (YTT) in western Yukon. The area is underlain by a sequence of thrust panels of regional extent. A continuously mappable sequence of interlayered metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks is intruded by a variety of deformed metaplutonic rocks within two of these thrust sheets. Layering in the metasediments and metavolcanics is considered to be at least in part transposed stratigraphy. Small bodies of greenstone and altered ultramafic rocks thought to be part of the Slide Mountain terrane occur discontinuously along the thrust faults.U–Pb age determinations indicate that the uppermost thrust panel (assemblage I), which underlies much of the Klondike District, consists largely of metamorphosed, mid-Permian felsic plutonic, subvolcanic, and tuffaceous rocks. Beneath assemblage I is a second thrust panel (assemblage II), also of large areal extent, of mid-Paleozoic or older metasedimentary and mafic and felsic metavolcanic rocks, intruded by a large body of latest Devonian – Early Mississippian granitic augen orthogneiss. U–Pb analyses of zircon from the orthogneiss reflect both lead loss and a significant inherited zircon component. A third structural unit (assemblage III), which consists mainly of carbonaceous schist and phyllite, crops out in the northern part and along the southwestern edge of the study area, where it underlies both assemblages I and II.The earliest stage of deformation and metamorphism that affected the area (F1) produced the pervasive recrystallization fabric characteristic of all of the metamorphic rocks in assemblages I, II, and III, and occurred between mid-Permian and Late Triassic time. Thrust faulting, presumed to be northerly or northeasterly directed, postdates Late Triassic but predates mid-Cretaceous. The second phase of deformation (F2) was either synchronous with or later than thrust faulting. Monazite ages for the augen orthogneiss indicate that at least local metamorphism and (or) deformation lasted until Early Cretaceous time.Close similarities between composition, U–Pb ages, as well as timing and style of deformation, documented in the Klondike District and observed elsewhere in the YTT in southeastern Yukon and east-central Alaska suggest that much of the YTT either evolved as a single entity or else shared a very similar history.
Geochronological and Pb isotopic studies were carried out to constrain the petrogenesis, emplacement age(s), and relationships of the Little Nahanni pegmatite group to other granitoids in the region. A U–Pb age of 81.6 ± 0.5 Ma for columbite was obtained. K–Ar ages for micas were determined to be 65.4 ± 4.0 Ma for muscovite and 65.8 ± 3.4 and 65 ± 3 Ma for lepidolite. The U–Pb age is interpreted as the emplacement age for the pegmatites, and the K–Ar ages are interpreted to be the timing of a thermal event responsible for resetting the K–Ar mica system. The U–Pb columbite age is 8–13 Ma younger than the average age of the plutons in the Selwyn plutonic suite and indicates that these pegmatites represent a magmatic event that has not been previously recognized. Likewise, the K–Ar ages point to a later thermal event not previously recognized in this area. The results of our studies demonstrate the utility of the U–Pb columbite geochronometer in dating relatively young pegmatite systems.
In this paper we analyze recently acquired geophysical data from the northern Cordillera and their relation to the mapped geology. A prominent gravity high (> −45 mGal (1 Gal = 1 cm/s 2 )) coincides with a magnetic low and an aseismic region in west-central Yukon where the underlying geology is dominated by quartzo-feldspathic rocks having moderate densities. Extension (~15%), magmatic underplating, and accretion of the anomalous region onto oceanic crust are three possible explanations.Magnetic, gravity, and seismicity data all show significant differences in the physical state of the crust on either side of the Tintina Fault and, together with geological data indicating large offset, suggest it was once a major crustal-scale strike-slip fault. The new gravity data also delineate an arcuate zone of steep gradients (up to 1.4 mGal/km) in the miogeocline, which may correlate with a west-dipping Proterozoic basement ramp mapped on deep seismic sections farther to the north and a transition from thin (east) to thick sediment cover (west). Seismicity data show that current tectonic activity is concentrated along the Pacific – North America plate margin in southwestern Yukon and adjacent Alaska and, although there is a marked decrease in activity inland of this margin, notable concentrations occur along the Denali Fault System and in the eastern miogeocline. There is a distinct absence of earthquakes in parts of the Selwyn Basin and in the northern Yukon–Tanana Terrane. Limited field studies suggest activity is confined to the upper 10–15 km of the crust.
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.
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