U-Pb zircon geochronology of silurian-devonian granites in southeastern Australia: Implications for the timing of the benambran orogeny and the I-S dichotomy

R. B. Ickert, I. S. Williams

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    28 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Despite extensive geochemical study and their importance to granite studies, the geochronology of Silurian to early-Devonian granitic rocks of southeastern Australia is poorly understood. In order to provide an improved temporal framework, new ion microprobe U-Pb zircon ages are presented from these rocks, and previous work is critically reviewed. Geochronological control is best in the Berridale Batholith, where S- and I-type granites have a close spatial relationship. In this region, there is a small volume of I-type granite that crystallised at 436 Ma, followed closely by a large volume of S-type granite at 432 Ma. I-type granite is abundant in a second peak at ca 417 Ma, although the Jindabyne pluton from the Kosciuszko Batholith is slightly older, at 424 Ma. A broader survey of S-type granite throughout the eastern Lachlan Orogen shows that the 432 Ma event is ubiquitous. There is no temporal overlap between S- and I-type granites in the Kosciuszko and Berridale Batholiths, which suggests that factors other than variations in degree of crustal contamination (which may include variation in tectonic setting, heat-flow, mass transfer across the crust-mantle boundary and/or availability in source materials) contribute to the diversity in granite types. The S-type granitic rocks occupy an aerial extent of greater than 28 000 km2, and geochronological constraints suggest that the crystallisation of these granites took place over a relatively small interval, probably less than 10 m.y. This implies a magmatic flux of over 64 km3/Ma per km strike length, comparable to other high-flux granitic belts. Previous work has linked the Benambran Orogeny to the generation of the S-type granites, and so the age of these granites constrains the age of Benambran Orogenesis.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)501-516
    Number of pages16
    JournalAustralian Journal of Earth Sciences
    Volume58
    Issue number5
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jul 2011

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