Chronology of Cadomian tectonothermal activity in the baie de Saint-Brieuc (north Brittany), France: evidence from 40Ar/39Ar mineral ages

1991 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 762-773 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Dallmeyer ◽  
R. A. Strachan ◽  
R. S. D'Lemos

The late Precambrian Cadomian Orogen exposed in the North Armorican Massif (northwest France) is a collage of displaced terranes that, in part, developed during amalgamation of continental-arc and marginal-basin complexes. 40Ar/39Ar mineral ages reported here place new constraints on the timing of Cadomian tectonothermal activity in the southern part of the St Brieuc terrane. In the baie de Saint-Brieuc area Brioverian supracrustal units were deformed, metamorphosed, and intruded by calc-alkaline plutonic complexes. Metamorphic hornblende from a metabasic amphibolite sheet within Brioverian rocks records an isotope correlation age of 568.4 ± 2.6 Ma (interpreted to date postmetamorphic cooling through appropriate argon closure temperatures). Similar isotope correlation cooling ages are recorded by metamorphic hornblende within both an amphibolite sheet intrusive into the Penthièvre complex (567.5 ± 1.2 Ma) and the La Croix Gibat amphibolite (574.8 ± 2.1 Ma). Igneous hornblende from the late tectonic to posttectonic St Quay quartz diorite and muscovite from Brioverian metasedimentary rocks in the contact aureole record isotope correlation ages of ca. 565–570 Ma. These and a ca. 568 Ma isotope correlation age determined for hornblende from the foliated Fort de la Latte quartz diorite are interpreted to date postmagmatic cooling.The 40Ar/39Ar ages indicate that Cadomian tectonothermal activity within southern parts of the St Brieuc terrane occurred prior to ca. 570 Ma. This is markedly older than the ca. 540 Ma date previously suggested for peak Cadomian metamorphism and granite emplacement in the adjacent St Malo terrane and is consistent with palinspastic separation of the contrasting Cadomian elements until at least the latest Precambrian. A pre-570 Ma age for Cadomian tectonothermal activity in the St Brieuc terrane suggests correlation with similar-aged orogenic activity in other circum-Atlantic, late Precambrian Gondwanan marginal terranes (including southern portions of the Iberian massif and various sectors of the West African orogens).

1992 ◽  
Vol 29 (11) ◽  
pp. 2445-2462 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. David Dallmeyer ◽  
R. Damian Nance

Within the Avalon composite terrane exposed in southern New Brunswick, late Precambrian, low-grade volcanic–sedimentary sequences are juxtaposed against late Precambrian gneisses (Brookville Gneiss) and older platformal metasedimentary rocks (Green Head Group) along the Caledonia Fault. Both assemblages host petrographically similar suites of calc-alkalic dioritic and granodioritic plutons. Those intruding volcanic–sedimentary sequences (Caledonia terrane) record ca. 615–625 Ma crystallization ages typical of arc-related magmatism throughout the Avalon composite terrane. However, 40Ar/39Ar age data from stocks intruding gneisses and platformal metasedimentary rocks (Brookville terrane) suggest significantly younger crystallization ages.36Ar/40Ar versus 39Ar/40Ar isotope correlation ages recorded by hornblende are interpreted to closely date postmagmatic cooling within six plutons: Fairville Granite (547 ± 1 Ma); French Village Quartz Diorite (539 ± 2 and 537 ± 1 Ma); Rockwood Park Granodiorite (529 ± 2 and 523 ± 3.5 Ma); Musquash Granite (526 ± 2 Ma); Milkish Head Granite (Red Bridge pluton, 520 ± 1.5 Ma); Lepreau Diorite (Talbot Road pluton, 519 ± 2 Ma and Hansen Stream pluton, 518 ± 1.5 Ma. A hornblende isotope correlation age of 530 ± 2 Ma from penetratively foliated amphibolite within the French Village Quartz Diorite suggests that the magmatic activity was locally accompanied by ductile shear. Muscovite within granitic pegmatite in the Brookville Gneiss records a 40Ar/39Ar plateau age of 510 ± 1 Ma interpreted to date final phases of associated magmatic activity.Arc-related magmatism extending into the Cambrian contrasts with the characteristic tectono-stratigraphic record in the Avalon composite terrane where late Precambrian igneous rocks are overstepped by Cambrian–Ordovician shallow-marine strata with only a local and minor record of rift-related volcanic activity. Although the Brookville terrane shows affinities with the Avalon composite terrane during the late Precambrian, the 40Ar/39Ar age data suggest that it was isolated as a distinct tectono-stratigraphic element by the Early Cambrian.


1979 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 1166-1175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jo Anne Nelson

The western margin of the Coast Plutonic Complex, one of the major tectonic boundaries of the Canadian Cordillera, has been variously interpreted as an intrusive contact, a shear zone, and a suture zone joining the Early Mesozoic Insular Belt to the North American continent. A representative section of this boundary, exposed on islands in Johnstone Strait, is an intrusive contact along which a quartz diorite with peripheral mafic phases truncates Early Mesozoic sediments and volcanics of the Insular Belt. Concordant hornblende–biotite pairs and two whole rock biotite isochrons date the intrusion as Late Jurassic (151 Ma). Prior to intrusion the stratified units underwent prehnite–pumpellyite facies metamorphism and west-northwest block faulting.The contact aureole of the quartz diorite and its associated mafic phases involves greenschist and hornblende–hornfels facies assemblages. Total pressure in the upper Karmutsen Formation during contact metamorphism was less than 2.5 × 105 kPa. The maximum contact temperature was between 670 and 700 °C. Forcible emplacement of the intrusion caused penetrative deformation of wall rocks in the inner aureole. The maximum contact temperatures indicate that the plutonic bodies were at near-liquidus temperatures when emplaced.The contact on Hardwicke and West Thurlow Islands appears representative of most of the tectonic boundary between the southern Coast Plutonic Complex and the Insular Belt. The western margin of the Coast Plutonic Complex is thus a Late Mesozoic magmatic front, the western limit of the intense magmatism that generated the Coast Plutonic Complex. The formation of Georgia Depression over the province boundary was a later event, coeval with major uplift of the Coast Plutonic Complex.


1999 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 1463-1481 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Selby ◽  
Robert A Creaser ◽  
Bruce E Nesbitt

Geochemical (major, trace, and rare earth elements) and isotopic (Nd, Sr, and Pb) data of the Devono-Mississippian Wolverine Creek Metamorphic Suite, mid-Cretaceous Dawson Range batholith, mid-Cretaceous Casino Plutonic Suite, and Late Cretaceous plutons provide new information on the origin and evolution of the rocks from the Dawson Range in west-central Yukon, northern Canadian Cordillera. Isotopic and other geochemical data for the Wolverine Creek Metamorphic Suite metasedimentary rocks indicate that the detrital components were derived from two distinct provenances: (1) the North America craton, which contributed evolved felsic, upper crustal material; and (2) a calc-alkaline arc, which shed juvenile mafic-intermediate material. The geochemical affinity of the metaigneous rocks indicates that the Yukon-Tanana terrane represented a continental arc during Devonian-Mississippian times, with magmas derived from geochemically primitive sources and partial melting of the Yukon-Tanana terrane supracrustal rocks. The Dawson Range batholith likely represents crustally derived magmas from the Yukon-Tanana terrane during the mid-Cretaceous, with the contemporaneous Casino Plutonic Suite representing a late-stage fractionate of these magmas. The Late Cretaceous porphyry Cu mineralization is genetically related to plutons derived from mantle-source magmas related to active subduction.


1980 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 532-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Auvray ◽  
René Charlot ◽  
Philippe Vidal

Orthogneisses from the Tregor area of the North Armorican Massif have been dated using the U/Pb method on zircons. Ages of between 1.8 and 2.0 Ga have been obtained, thus significantly extending the known size of the Lower Proterozoic basement in this area. It is argued that the presence of such a substantial area of basement is a further argument for an Upper Proterozoic (Brioverian) south-dipping subduction zone which was located to the north of the Armorican Massif. On the other hand, the similarities between the North Armorican block and the northern margin of the West African craton during the Proterozoic are emphasized.


1992 ◽  
Vol 83 (3) ◽  
pp. 519-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Searle ◽  
M. B. Crawford ◽  
A. J. Rex

AbstractThe Miocene Baltoro granite forms a massive plutonic unit within the Karakoram batholith, and is composed of comagmatic monzogranites and leucogranites with a mineralogy consisting of quartz-K-feldspar-plagioclase-biotite ± muscovite ± garnet, with accessory sphene, zircon, monazite and opaques. Geochemically the Baltoro granites are mildly peraluminous, and show a calc-alkaline trend on trace-element normalised diagrams with high LIL/HFS element ratios and negative Nb, P and Ti anomalies. REE are strongly fractionated with little or no Eu anomaly. Leucogranites are depleted in most elements compared to monzogranites with notable exceptions being Rb, K and the HREEs. Initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios are 0·7072-0·7128, considerably lower than High Himalayan leucogranites (0·74-0·79), and are indicative of a lower continental crust source. The probable petrogenesis of the Baltoro granite involves dehydration melting of a biotite-rich pelite to produce a voluminous, hot, water-undersaturated magma which could then separate from its source and intrude through an already thickened and still hot crust. Fractional crystallisation of the monzogranites produced the leucogranites and a pegmatite dyke swarm. A suite of lamprophyre dykes including amphibolerich vogesites and biotite-rich minettes intrude the country rock, dominantly to the north, around the Baltoro granite. These calc-alkaline shoshonitic lamprophyres are volatile-rich mantle-derived melts intruded around the same time as the granite, indicating simultaneous melting of the mantle and lower crust beneath the Karakoram during the Miocene, approximately 30 Ma after the India-Asia collision which initially caused the crustal thickening. Intrusion of mantle melts provided heat to promote crustal melting and may have selectively contaminated the granite magma.The Baltoro granite intrudes sillimanite gneisses with melt pods along the southern margin indicating temperatures above 700°C at the time of intrusion. Locally, internal fabrics and numerous aligned xenoliths along the southern margin in the Biafo glacier region indicate steep, southward-directed thrusting during emplacement. Along the northern contact, the Baltoro granite intrudes anchimetamorphic to greenschist facies metasedimentary rocks with an andalusite-bearing contact aureole. Northward-directed culmination collapse normal faulting during Miocene emplacement is inferred, in order to explain the P-T differences either side of the pluton. This also provided an extensional stress regime in the upper crust to accommodate the rising magma.


1993 ◽  
Vol 130 (6) ◽  
pp. 797-804 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. S. d'Lemos ◽  
M. Brown

AbstractSm–Nd isotopic studies of granites within the late Precambrian, Cadomian, orogenic belt of the North Armorican Massif (northwestern France) and Channel Islands reveal differences between arc-related granite magmatism in outboard terranes and intracrustal granite magmatism in inboard terranes. Late Cadomian (c. 570 Ma), arc-related granitoids exhibit a range of εnd( - 2 to - 6) and Nd model ages (TDM1.0–1.3 Ga) reflecting variable contamination between late Precambrian mantle derived magmas and ancient (c. 2.0 Ga?) continental crust. The contamination did not involve exposed granitic Icartian basement to anygreat degree, a more likely contaminant being unexposed lower crust of intermediate to acidic granulitic composition, or early Cadomian plutons which were themselves contaminated by lower crust. Voluminous granites of the Mancellian region (c. 550–540 Ma) share common isotopic characteristics (εNd-4 to -7, TDM1.5–1.7 Ga) with migmatites and anatectic granites produced by partial melting of metasedimentary sequences within the St Malo region consistent with a common source.


1989 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Turek ◽  
R. Keller ◽  
W. R. Van Schmus ◽  
W. Weber

The Archean Rice Lake greenstone belt in southeastern Manitoba is made up of mafic to felsic volcanic rocks and associated intrusive and metasedimentary rocks. The belt is flanked to the north by the Wanipigow River granitic complex and to the south by the Manigotagan gneissic belt. The Ross River quartz diorite pluton is intrusive into the centre of the greenstone belt. U–Pb zircon ages indicate a major volcanic and plutonic event in the area at 2730 Ma. Ages for two volcanic units of the Rice Lake Group are 2731 ± 3 and 2729 ± 3 Ma. The Ross River pluton yields an age of 2728 ± 8 Ma and the Gunnar porphyry gives an age of 2731 ± 13 Ma; both intrude rocks of the Rice Lake Group. Granitic rocks of the Wanipigow River granitic complex give ages of 2731 ± 10 and 2880 ± 9 Ma, while a post-tectonic granite in the Manigotagan gneissic belt has an age of 2663 ± 7 Ma.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten B. Sauer ◽  
◽  
Stacia M. Gordon ◽  
Robert B. Miller ◽  
Jeffrey Vervoort ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
William A. Matthews ◽  
◽  
Marie-Pier Boivin ◽  
Kirsten Sauer ◽  
Daniel S. Coutts

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