Authors / CoAuthors
Claoue-Long, J.C. | Hoatson, D.M.
Abstract
The Arunta Region of central Australia exposes the southern margin of the North Australian Craton and contains a record of multiple Proterozoic craton margin processes over a 1500 million year period. The place of mafic magmatism in this evolution is constrained by SHRIMP U-Pb dating of zircon, which is a primary igneous phase in the evolved sectors of mafic-ultramafic plutons across the region. The earliest mafic magmatism was in the 1800-1810 Ma Stafford Event, which is the first thermal system recognised in the region. Mafic plutons from this event may correlate with other expressions of mafic magmatism northwards within the craton. A second episode of mafic magmatism is recognised at 1770-1790 Ma (Yambah Event) and lacks correlatives elsewhere in the craton, as do all subsequent Arunta Region mafic magmatic events. Zircon overgrowths in Stafford- and Yambah-age plutons record conversion of these early intrusions into granulite grade metamorphic complexes during the Strangways Event, a regionally pervasive metamorphic system whose termination at ca. 1690 Ma coincided with local intrusion of dolerite dykes. Gabbro intrusion at ca. 1640 Ma in the Liebig Event is restricted within the Warumpi Province which is recognised as a separate terrane in the south of the region. There is no record of a mafic magmatic component to the ca. 1590 Ma Chewings event and most of the earlier intrusions do not record metamorphism at this time. Later mafic magmatic systems include pyroxenite intruded as part of the Mordor Complex at ca 1130 Ma (Teapot Event); and both erupted and intruded basaltic magma are components of the fault-bound Irindina Province which experienced high grade metamorphism during the Ordovician (Larapinta Event). The dating establishes that each of these craton margin event systems includes a mafic magmatic component, which suggests that repeated extensional systems are an important component of the tectonic evolution.
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nonGeographicDataset
eCat Id
61378
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Cnr Jerrabomberra Ave and Hindmarsh Dr GPO Box 378
Canberra
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2601
Australia
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- External PublicationArticle
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- AU-NT
- Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification (ANZSRC)
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- Earth Sciences
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- Published_External
Publication Date
2005-01-01T00:00:00
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geoscientificInformation
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[-24.0, -21.75, 129.5, 136.75]
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