4.5 Article

Cambrian ensialic rift-related magmatism in the Ossa-Morena Zone (Evora-Aracena metamorphic belt, SW Iberian Massif): Sm-Nd isotopes and SHRIMP zircon U-Th-Pb geochronology

Journal

TECTONOPHYSICS
Volume 461, Issue 1-4, Pages 91-113

Publisher

ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.tecto.2008.01.008

Keywords

Cambrian; Ensialic rifting; Ossa-Morena Zone; SHRIMP U-Th-Pb zircon dating; Rheic Ocean

Funding

  1. Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia [SFRH/BD/2947/2000]
  2. Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [SFRH/BD/2947/2000] Funding Source: FCT

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The Late Ediacaran (c. 560-550 Ma) Serie Negra sediments of the Evora-Aracena metamorphic belt, Ossa-Morena Zone, SW Iberian Massif, preserve a record of the erosion of an Avalonian-Cadomian magmatic arc and subsequent related turbiditic sedimentation. Detrital zircon from the Serie Negra is characterized by predominantly Ediacaran and Cryogenian ages, with few Paleoproterozoic and Archean cores, and a marked lack of Grenvillian ages. These features, when combined with the metasediments' enrichment in LREE (La/Yb= 14), negative Eu-anomalies, low (SM)-S-147/(144) Nd values (0.121) and negative epsilon Nd-550=-5.5, indicate that the protolith Serie Negra sediments were derived from a continental magmatic arc. A period of Late Cadomian (ca. 560-540 Ma) tectonism was followed by an extended episode of widespread bimodal magmatism related to Cambrian (ca. 540-500 Ma) fifting. This tectonic inversion is expressed in the geological record by a regional Early Cambrian unconformity. SHRIMP zircon U-Th-Pb ages from four felsic orthogneisses from the Evora Massif record Cambrian (527 +/- 10 Ma, 522 +/- 5 Ma, 517 +/- 6 Ma and 505 +/- 5 Ma) crystallization ages for their igneous protoliths. This confirms the existence of widespread Lower Paleozoic igneous activity in the Ossa-Morena Zone: (i) a Lower Cambrian (ca. 535-515 Ma) igneous-felsic dominated-sedimentary complex (with calc-alkaline signature and associated carbonate and siliciclastic deposition), and (ii) a Middle Cambrian-?Ordovician (ca. 515-490 Ma) igneous-bimodal-sedimentary complex (with calc-alkaline and tholeiitic signatures and associated dominant siliciclastic deposition, but also carbonate sediments). The Cambrian felsic magmatism was characterized by negative Eu-anomalies, (La/Lu)(N)=0.8-11, M-147/(144) Nd=0.1289-0.1447 and epsilon Nd-500 ranging from -1.5 to -0.8. A tendency towards peraluminous compositions suggests late fractionation, low degrees of partial melting, or the mixing of crustal and mantle-derived material in the magma source region. Some felsic rocks possibly represent the last residual melts of high-temperature, zircon-undersaturated mafic magmas later affected by crustal contamination, while others indicate partial melting of crustal metasediments variably contaminated by basaltic liquids. The transition from early felsic dominated to later more mafic magmatism suggests the gradual opening of the system to tholeiitic N-E-MORB products (Th-N/Ta-N < 1.0). The as yet undated (Cambrian-?Ordovician) E-MORB amphibolites have (SM)-S-147/Nd-144=0.1478-0.1797 and epsilon Nd-500 values ranging from +6.4 to +7.3, while the N-MORB amphibolites have (SM)-S-147/Nd-144 = 0.1818-0.1979 and epsilon Nd-500 values of +5.8 and +7.0, reaching a maximum of +9.1. In contrast, other amphibolites have a negative Ta-anomaly (1.35

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