Search results for "Craton"
showing 10 items of 116 documents
Palaeoproterozoic crustal accretion and collision in the southern Capricorn Orogen: the Glenburgh Orogeny
2004
Abstract The Capricorn Orogen in central Western Australia records the Palaeoproterozoic collision of the Archaean Pilbara and Yilgarn Cratons. Until recently only one orogenic event was thought to be the cause of this collision, the 1830–1780 Ma Capricorn Orogeny. However, recent work has uncovered an older event, the Glenburgh Orogeny that occurred between 2000 and 1960 Ma. The Glenburgh Orogeny reflects the collision of a late Archaean to Palaeoproterozoic microcontinent (the Glenburgh Terrane) with the Archaean Yilgarn Craton and is therefore tectonically distinct as well as significantly older than the widespread 1900–1800 Ma tectonothermal events recorded in northern Australia. The Gl…
New geochemical and combined zircon U–Pb and Lu–Hf isotopic data of orthogneisses in the northern Altyn Tagh, northern margin of the Tibetan plateau:…
2014
Abstract Dunhuang Block is previously considered to be an eastern part of the Tarim Craton, but now it is proposed to be the western extension of the Alxa Block of the NCC as a result of displacement along the Altyn Tagh fault. The oldest basement rocks of the Dunhuang Block, named Aketashitage Complex, were mainly exposed in the northern Altyn Tagh. Migmatites of the Aketashitage Complex are sodic and subalkaline in composition. Zircon U–Pb dating of the tonalitic and monzogranitic migmatites indicates that these rocks were produced by strong deformation of earlier formed tonalites with innumerous granitic veins. The tonalitic melanosome of the migmatites was generated approximately at 2.7…
Zircon REE patterns and geochemical characteristics of Paleoproterozoic anatectic granite in the northern Tarim Craton, NW China: Implications for th…
2012
Abstract Because Archean basement rocks are sparsely distributed around the Tarim Basin, little is known of the relationship between the Tarim Craton and the Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic Columbia supercontinent. Zircon U–Pb dating of a Paleoproterozoic gneissic granite in the northern Tarim Craton yielded a crystallization age of 1915 ± 13 Ma, consistent with global Paleoproterozoic collisional events (ca. 2.1–1.8 Ga) recorded in most cratons. Despite the fact that some zircons display discordant U–Pb ages with a distinct loss of radiogenetic Pb, all grains have similar 176Lu/177Hf and 176Hf/177Hf(t) values. Zircons from this granite have high Th/U ratios (0.15–0.95), but contrasting rare eart…
A ∼700 Ma Sm–Nd garnet–whole rock age from the granulite facies Central Kaoko Zone (Namibia): Evidence for a cryptic high-grade polymetamorphic histo…
2007
Continental collision of the Kalahari and the Congo craton in Africa and the Rio de la Plata Craton in South America resulted in a structurally complex Neoproterozoic belt system, the Kaoko–Dom Feliciano–Ribeira belt. It is uncertain whether these three cratons collided more or less simultaneously during one single orogenic event at ∼580–550 Ma or whether the belt owe its structural and metamorphic features to several so far poorly constrained events. The Kaoko Belt (NW Nambia), representing the belt system between the southern Congo Craton and the Rio de la Plata Craton, is an ideal object to study these complexities. Within this belt, high-grade meta-igneous and metasedimentary rocks of t…
Single zircon ages from high-grade rocks of the Jianping Complex, Liaoning Province, NE China
1998
Abstract The high-grade rocks of the Jianping Complex in Liaoning Provi nce, NE China, belong to the late Archaean to earliest Proterozoic granulite belt of the North China craton. Single zircon ages obtained by the Pb–Pb evaporation method and SHRIMP analyses document an evolutionary history that began with deposition of a cratonic supracrustal sequence some 2522–2551 Ma ago, followed by intrusion of granitoid rocks beginning at 2522 Ma and reaching a peak at about 2500 Ma. This was followed by high-grade metamorphism, transforming the existing rocks into granulites, charnockites and enderbites some 2485–2490 Ma ago. The intrusion of post-tectonic granites at 2472 Ma is associated with wid…
Ca. 1318 Ma A-type granite on the northern margin of the North China Craton: Implications for intraplate extension of the Columbia supercontinent
2012
Abstract Identification of the Mesoproterozoic A-type Jining granite and granite porphyry, which with abundant coeval mafic dike sills and volcanic rocks on the northern margin of the Precambrian North China Craton (NCC), may suggest intraplate extension of Columbia supercontinent. Major and trace elements of the Jining granite show an affinity to A-type granites, and may reflect an intraplate rift setting (A 1 ‐type granite). High Rb, Y, Yb, and Ta contents also show features of within-plate granites. SHRIMP zircon dating yielded concordant weighted mean 207 Pb/ 206 Pb ages of 1318 ± 7 Ma and 1321 ± 15 Ma, which define a Mesoproterozoic magmatic event. The zircons have negative e Hf(t) of …
Mesoproterozoic (Grenville-age) terranes in the Kyrgyz North Tianshan: Zircon ages and Nd–Hf isotopic constraints on the origin and evolution of base…
2013
Abstract The North Tianshan orogenic belt in Kyrgyzstan consists predominantly of Neoproterozoic to early Paleozoic assemblages and tectonically interlayered older Precambrian crystalline complexes and formed during early Paleozoic accretionary and collisional events. One of the oldest continental fragments of late Mesoproterozoic (Grenvillian) age occurs within the southern part of the Kyrgyz North Tianshan. Using SHRIMP zircon ages, we document two magmatic events at ~ 1.1 and ~ 1.3 Ga. The younger event is characterized by voluminous granitoid magmatism between 1150 and 1050 Ma and is associated with deformation and metamorphism. The older event is documented by ~ 1.3 Ga felsic volcanism…
The Pan-African continental margin in northeastern Africa: evidence from a geochronological study of granulites at Sabaloka, Sudan
1987
Ion microprobe zircon ages, a Nd model age and RbSr whole-rock dates are reported from the high-grade gneiss terrain at Sabaloka on the River Nile north of Khartoum, formally considered to be part of the Archaean/early Proterozoic Nile craton. The granulites, which are of both sedimentary and igneous derivation, occur as remnants in migmatites. Detrital zircon ages range from ≈ 1000 to ≈ 2650 Ma and prove the existence of Archaean to late Proterozoic continental crust in the sedimentary source region. The Nd model age for one sedimentary granulite is between 1.26 (TCHUR) and 1.70 (TDM) Ga and provides a mean crustal residence age for the sedimentary precursor. Igneous zircons in enderbitic …
Exhumation of high-pressure granulites and the role of lower crustal advection in the North China Craton near Datong
1997
Granulites in the Datong-Huai'an area of North China are characterized by high P-T assemblages (14 16 kbar, -9OOY) that underwent decompression cooling to -7 kbar and -800°C during a 250&2400 Ma tectonic event. Nearly all structures in the grantilites developed during the retrograde exhumation history, and can be subdivided into: (1) the stratigraphically lower, 'lower structural domain' that is characterized by complex folding with 55-10 km wide domes surrounded by concentric troughs, preserving concentric lineation patterns; and (2) the stratigraphically higher 'upper structural domain' that is characterized by a planar gneissic foliation, upright folds and a constant, shallowly SW-plungi…
Rejuvenation and erosion of the cratonic lithosphere
2008
Cratons are ancient continental nuclei that have resisted significant fragmentation for almost two billion years. Yet, many cratons also experience phases of instability in the form of erosion and rejuvenation of their thick lithospheric mantle keels. Melting governed by redox processes as well as small-scale convection play a key role in triggering such instability. Cratons are the ancient cores of continents, characterized by tectonic inactivity, a thick mantle lithosphere and low heat flow. Although stable as tectonically independent units for at least the past 2 billion years, cratons have experienced episodic rejuvenation events throughout their history. The lower part of the lithosphe…