Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
H. K. H. Olierook, F. Jourdan, C. L. Kirkland, C. Elders, N. J. Evans, N. E. Timms, J. Cunneen, B. J. McDonald, C. Mayers, R. A. Frew, Q. Jiang, L. J. Olden, K. McClay
Summary: This study in the Albany-Fraser Orogen of Western Australia placed temporal constraints on seven mafic intrusions, revealing late Mesoproterozoic to potentially Early Cretaceous ages and suggesting associations with previous geological events. The new results provide evidence for modification of Proterozoic crust, potentially linked to Rodinia assembly, Gondwana assembly, and Gondwana breakup in southwestern Australia.
AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Isabel C. Zutterkirch, Christopher L. Kirkland, Milo Barham, Chris Elders
Summary: Detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology has been utilized to enhance the understanding of sediment provenance, transportation pathways, and depositional age of sedimentary packages. A novel method of in situ detrital zircon U-Pb measurements on thin-sections was proposed in this paper, providing greater confidence in maximum depositional ages and provenance interpretations. The study of 310 detrital zircon grains from the Triassic Mungaroo Formation in the Northern Carnarvon Basin, Australia, revealed differences in age mode proportions, quantifying sample bias through grain size comparison.
JOURNAL OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Stijn Glorie, Jack Gillespie, Alexander Simpson, Sarah Gilbert, Andrei Khudoley, Nadezhda Priyatkina, Martin Hand, Christopher L. Kirkland
Summary: Apatite is increasingly used in sedimentary provenance studies, but detrital apatite U-Pb geochronology can be challenging. By contrast, the Lu-Hf system in apatite has a higher closure temperature and is more robust, providing a powerful new tool for provenance studies.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Vincent Famin, Camille Paquez, Martin Danisik, Nicholas J. Gardiner, Laurent Michon, Christopher L. Kirkland, Carole Berthod, Bjarne Friedrichs, Axel K. Schmitt, Patrick Monie
Summary: This study adopts a multitechnique geochronology approach to investigate the main volcano of Reunion Island, revealing the pulsating growth of volcanic island and the importance of assessing the timing and recurrence of basaltic volcanic activity for hazard prediction.
GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Maximilian Droellner, Milo Barham, Christopher L. Kirkland
Summary: This study reconstructs the sediment routing system of the Canning Basin during the Early Cretaceous and reveals its response to the supercontinent dispersal using multi-proxy analysis. The majority of the detrital grains are sourced from the crystalline basement in central Australia, indicating the negligible influence of proximal sediment supply. Central Australia acted as a major drainage divide during the Early Cretaceous, and a sediment pathway from Antarctica provided a template for drainage in this period.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Bruno V. Ribeiro, Christopher L. Kirkland, David E. Kelsey, Steven M. Reddy, Michael I. H. Hartnady, Frederico M. Faleiros, Kai Rankenburg, Janne Liebmann, Fawna J. Korhonen, Chris Clark
Summary: Certain isotopic ratios in minerals like monazite, apatite, and mica can serve as indicators of thermal response, but existing systems may not accurately track the timing of low-to medium-temperature fabric realignment. This study introduces a new analytical method that allows for spatially resolved measurement of isotopic ratios in distinct microstructures, enabling the characterization of the time-strain evolution of mid-crustal shear zones. The results highlight the importance of establishing direct time-strain relationships to accurately reconstruct deformation histories.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Trond Slagstad, Evgeniy V. Kulakov, Mark W. Anderson, Kerstin Saalmann, Christopher L. Kirkland, Iain H. C. Henderson, Morgan Ganerod
Summary: The late opening of the Iapetus Ocean is often seen as the result of the separation of Baltica and Laurentia during the breakup of the Rodinia supercontinent. However, the evidence for the proximity of Baltica and Laurentia before their separation is limited. New data suggests that Baltica and Laurentia may have separated as early as 1.1-1.2 Ga, contradicting previous reconstructions.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Andreas Zametzer, Christopher L. Kirkland, Milo Barham, Nicholas E. Timms, Michael I. H. Hartnady, Aaron J. Cavosie, Bryant Ware, William D. A. Rickard, Timmons Erickson
Summary: Hypervelocity impacts have had a significant impact on the evolution of Earth's continental crust. The use of accessory minerals and rock-forming minerals like zircon and quartz, respectively, has been common in dating impact events and measuring shock-induced deformation. However, feldspar group minerals, which are major components of most crustal rocks, have not been extensively utilized in documenting impact-induced deformation and alteration. This study explores the potential of using Pb isotope analysis in alkali feldspar to identify impact-related modifications and estimate their timing.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Janne Liebmann, Milo Barham, Christopher I. L. Kirkland
Summary: The Grenville Orogen in North America contains Proterozoic anorthosite massifs that were emplaced episodically. These magmas were formed through fractional crystallization of plagioclase from mafic magma. U-Pb geochronology and Zr-in-rutile analyses of the Lac Malbaie complex in Quebec provide information on the tectonothermal history of anorthosite emplacement. The rutile ages obtained suggest variable modification of cooling ages during later intrusion and fluid mobilization events.
GEOCHEMISTRY GEOPHYSICS GEOSYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Geology
Maximilian Drollner, Milo Barham, Christopher L. Kirkland, Malcolm P. Roberts
Summary: Dating of xenotime outgrowths (XOs) showed that they were detrital and transported with the zircon. Integration of geochronology and geochemistry linked XOs to intermediate geological events in the source area. These findings emphasize the importance of evaluating a potential detrital origin for XOs.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Maximilian Drollner, Milo Barham, Christopher L. Kirkland, Martin Danisik, Julien Bourdet, Maike Schulz, Mehrooz Aspandiar
Summary: Accurate dating of continental climate change is challenging due to the lack of dateable terrestrial products. In this study, ferruginous indurations from the Nullarbor Plain in Australia were used to determine the timing of Plio-Pleistocene aridification. The results suggest that the formation of ferruginous indurations was linked to a decline in the groundwater table caused by a rapid climatic shift. This finding highlights the importance of ferruginous indurations as targets for obtaining absolute ages on landscape evolution and improving understanding of environmental drivers of species diversification and extinction.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Anthony J. I. Clarke, Christopher L. Kirkland, Stijn Glorie
Summary: The Johnston Complex is a rare example of the Neoproterozoic basement in southern Britain, providing insights into the tectonomagmatic regime during the assembly of Gondwana. In this study, in situ zircon and apatite analysis reveal the crystallization ages of 570 +/- 3 Ma and antecrystic zircon core component at 615 +/- 11 Ma. The trace element chemistry of the zircon and apatite suggests a continental arc setting and sedimentary component in the melt, respectively, providing evidence for ongoing magmatism before terrane dispersal at 570 Ma. The similarity of the zircon ages indicates a uniform source without significant modification between 615-570 Ma.
JOURNAL OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Christopher L. Kirkland, Hugo K. H. Olierook, Martin Danisik, Janne Liebmann, Julie Hollis, Bruno V. Ribeiro, Kai Rankenburg
Summary: The age of ancient shear zones in the Akia Terrane, Greenland, was determined using inverse thermal history modelling and collision cell laser ablation. The results indicate that mylonitic biotite in the shear zones has a radiogenic-Sr accumulation age of approximately 1.75 billion years ago. This research is important for terrane recognition and understanding early Earth tectonic activities.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Martin Danisik, Christopher L. Kirkland
Summary: Rifting and passive margin formation between Greenland and North America occurred from the late Triassic to the Early Cretaceous, as indicated by low-temperature (U-Th)/He thermochronology and landform analyses from southern West Greenland.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Gisela Gartmair, Milo Barham, Christopher L. Kirkland
Summary: Provenance studies in sediment commonly use isotopic signatures to identify the sources of detrital minerals. However, similar ages and geochemical characteristics in different geographical regions can lead to ambiguities in mineral provenance interpretations. In this study, new Hf isotope data and zircon grain shape data are used to investigate the effectiveness of grain shape analysis in resolving mineral provenance in the Eucla Basin.
GEOSCIENCE FRONTIERS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Lingyu Zhang, Kristoffer Szilas
Summary: This study presents new petrological and geochemical data for the Narssaq Ultramafic Body (NUB) in the Itsaq Gneiss Complex of SW Greenland. The results indicate that the ultramafic rocks of NUB are not mantle residues, but instead represent crustal cumulates derived from high-Mg magmas.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2024)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Rong Xu, Sarah Lambart, Oliver Nebel, Ming Li, Zhongjie Bai, Junbo Zhang, Ganglan Zhang, Jianfeng Gao, Hong Zhong, Yongsheng Liu
Summary: This study investigated the iron isotope compositions of Cenozoic basalts in Southeast China, finding significant variations related to different types of basalts and their respective sources.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2024)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
C. J. Ebinger, Miriam C. Reiss, Ian Bastow, Mary M. Karanja
Summary: The East African rift system is formed above mantle upwellings and the formation of rifts is related to lithospheric thinning and magmatic activity. The amount of splitting varies spatially and the fast axes are predominantly parallel to the orientation of the rifts. Thick lithospheric modules have less splitting and different orientations, which may indicate mantle plume flow. Splitting rotates and increases in strength as it enters the rift zones, suggesting that the anisotropy is mainly present at shallow depths.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2024)
Correction
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Ekaterina Rojas-Kolomiets, Owen Jensen, Michael Bizimis, Gene Yogodzinski, Lukas Ackerman
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2024)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Robert W. Nicklas, Igor S. Puchtel, Ethan F. Baxter
Summary: Oxygen fugacity is a fundamental parameter for understanding redox processes in igneous systems. This study compares the Fe-XANES oxybarometry method with the V-in-olivine method for evaluating fO(2) in MORB lavas. The results show that the V-in-olivine method is not applicable to samples with low MgO content, and that the majority of Archean komatiite sources have lower fO(2) than modern MORB.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2024)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Chunfei Chen, Stephen F. Foley, Sebastian Tappe, Huange Ren, Lanping Feng, Yongsheng Liu
Summary: The volatile components CO2 and H2O play a major role in mantle melting and heterogeneity. In this study, Ca isotopes were used to trace the lithological heterogeneity in alkaline magmatic rocks. The results revealed the presence of K-richterite and carbonate components as the source of alkaline magmas with low delta 44/40Ca values. These findings highlight the importance of Ca isotopes as a robust tracer of lithological variation caused by volatiles in the Earth's upper mantle.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2024)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Timothee Jautzy, Gilles Rixhon, Regis Braucher, Romain Delunel, Pierre G. Valla, Laurent Schmitt, Aster Team
Summary: Although the current approach to estimate catchment-wide denudation rates using only 10Be concentrations has made significant progress in geomorphology, this study argues for the inclusion of 26Al measurements and testing of steady-state assumptions in slow eroding, formerly glaciated landscapes. The study conducted measurements of both 10Be and 26Al in stream sediments from the Vosges Massif in France and found that elevation, slope, channel steepness, and precipitation were the primary factors controlling denudation rates. The study also revealed a significant relationship between the extent of past glaciation and the cosmogenic (un-)steadiness in the stream sediments.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2024)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Erik van der Wiel, Douwe J. J. van Hinsbergen, Cedric Thieulot, Wim Spakman
Summary: Numerical models of Earth's mantle dynamics can predict the vigour and mixing of mantle flow, and the average slab sinking rates are an unexplored parameter that can provide intrinsic information on these characteristics. Through numerical experiments, it has been found that slab sinking rates are strongly correlated with mantle convection and mixing, and may explain geochemical observations from hotspot volcanoes.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2024)