Age and zircon inheritance of eastern Blue Ridge plutons, southwestern North Carolina and northeastern Georgia, with implications for magma history and evolution of the southern Appalachian origin
Journal Article
·
· American Journal of Science
High-resolution ion microprobe analysis of zircon has provided ages for previously undated plutons of the high-grade eastern Blue Ridge of northeastern Georgia and southwestern North Carolina. These data, together with backscattered electron imaging, reveal the presence of nearly ubiquitous inherited cores of highly variable age and magmatic rims that have experienced variable Pb loss, thus making interpretation of conventional U-Pb analyses very difficult. Ion probe rim analyses indicate that the plutons were emplaced during both the mod-Ordovician and mid-Devonian. Zircons from all intrusions have predominantly 1.0 to 1.25 Ga cores (Grenvillian). In addition, both Devonian and Ordovician plutons have smaller populations of Late Proterozoic-early Paleozoic (0.5--0.75 Ga), Middle Proterozoic (1.4 Ga), and Late Archean (2.6--2.9 Ga) cores. The ubiquitous, round cores and thick magmatic rims suggest significant resorption and then protracted growth within the melts. Zircon saturation temperatures based on whole-rock ({approximately}melt) Zr concentrations are lower than expected for magma generation (710--760 C). Zirconium concentrations may not reflect saturation at maximum temperature, if melting was very rapid (<{approximately}10{sup 5} yrs), or if zircon cores represent grains that were shielded from melt inside host grains for much of the magmatic history. Ages of magmatic and inherited zones of zircon from the plutons demonstrate that similar crust underlay the eastern Blue Ridge during both Taconian and Acadian orogenies, that there was no single episode of voluminous magmatism, and that metamorphism and deformation began before 470 Ma and continued after 370 Ma. These plutons do not constitute a significant convergence-related arc, though it is possible that they represent a displaced part of an arc that lies primarily to the east (in the Inner Piedmont?).
- Research Organization:
- Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 20062585
- Journal Information:
- American Journal of Science, Journal Name: American Journal of Science Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 300; ISSN AJSCAP; ISSN 0002-9599
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Tue Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1991
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