Pb isotopic composition of Paleozoic sediments derived from the Appalachian orogen

Conference · Mon Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:5708522

Krogstad, E J ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States). Dept. of Geology

Differences in [sup 207]Pb/[sup 204]Pb at restricted ranges of [sup 206]Pb/[sup 204]Pb are robust indicators of differences in the earliest history of crust or mantle reservoirs, surviving later changes in U/Pb that may be due to melting, metamorphism, or sedimentary reworking. Ayuso and Bevier (1991) have used the [sup 207]Pb/[sup 204]Pb differences between Late Paleozoic granites in the N. Appalachians to trace their sources in either Laurentian (Grenville) lithosphere, or docked (Avalonian) lithosphere. If the Pb isotopic composition of Avalonian lithosphere is unique to that source among all lithospheric reservoirs in the Appalachian orogeny, the sediments shed off the orogen should record the first appearance of rocks with this extraneous Pb isotopic composition as they become accreted. The high [sup 207]Pb/[sup 204]Pb at similar [sup 206]Pb/[sup 204]Pb that may be indicative of all outboard terranes occurs in sedimentary rocks younger than middle Ordovician in New York and Maine, and younger than Ordovician in Virginia. Older sediments (Hadrynian, Cambrian), as well as autochthonous basement and paraautochonous basement slices, have lower [sup 207]Pb/[sup 204]Pb at similar [sup 206]Pb/[sup 204]Pb. The low [sup 207]Pb/[sup 204]Pb at similar [sup 206]Pb/[sup 204]Pb shown by these rocks may be a locally diagnostic signature of Late Proterozoic Laurentian lithosphere. The high [sup 207]Pb/[sup 204]Pb at similar [sup 206]Pb/[sup 204]Pb may be a locally diagnostic signature of Late Proterozoic accreted terranes. Rocks with accreted terrane Pb isotopic composition became dominant in the provenance of sediments along the strike of the Appalachian orogen by middle Ordovician time.

• OSTI ID: 5708522
• Report Number(s): CONF-9303211--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States) Journal Volume: 25:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
580000* -- Geosciences
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMISTRY
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
ISOTOPE RATIO
ISOTOPES
LEAD ISOTOPES
MAINE
MOUNTAINS
NEW YORK
NORTH AMERICA
OROGENESIS
PALEOZOIC ERA
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SEDIMENTS
USA
VIRGINIA