On shearing, magmatism and regional deformation in Neoarchean granite-greenstone systems: Insights from the Yilgarn Craton

Abstract The structure of the Neoarchean Yilgarn Craton is dominated by craton-scale high-strain zones, mostly associated with highly-deformed elongate granitic bodies and transposed greenstone belts. These shear zones developed during widespread and prolonged magmatic activity that led to a nearly complete reworking of the felsic continental crust. The spatial, temporal and genetic relationships between such a voluminous and protracted event of crustal reworking and the development of the craton-scale shear zone network are unclear. Here, we combine new structural, geophysical and geochemical data to investigate the relationship between crustal-scale shear zones and large syntectonic pluto…