Devonian magmatism in Brooks Range, Alaska
Devonian bimodel metaplutonic and metavolcanic rocks lie in parallel, west-trending belts in the southern Brooks Range. Overlapping distribution of the plutonic and volcanic rocks occurs in volcanic centers found south of the Doonerak window in the Wiseman, Chandalar, and Colleen quadrangles, and near the Beaver Creek pluton in the Survey Pass quadrangle. The Devonian age is interpreted from isotopic analyses of U and Pb of over 55 zircon fractions from these felsic metaigneous units. Considering concordia plots and Pb-Pb ages from over 40 discordant zircon fractions and fossil ages derived from marbles intercalated in the volcanic sequences, the authors see an age range of 360-410 Ma. The age range is attributed to variation in crystallization ages, as well as the U-Pb systematics of the Brooks Range zircons. Their overlapping age and distribution provides evidence for cogenesis of the Devonian plutonic and volcanic rocks, and also for their correlation with Devonian magmatic rocks of the North American Cordilleran. Lower intercepts on U-Pb concordia diagrams for these zircons range from 105 to 150 Ma, bracketing the end of lead loss resulting from metamorphism. The age of this metamorphic event corresponds to the Late Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous emplacement of the Angayucham terrane. U-Pb concordia plots of 15 zircon fractions from five samples of the Ernie Lake granitic gneiss bodies are explained as latest Proterozoic intrusion of granitic magma with entrained 2-Ga-old zircons, which subsequently lost lead during Mesozoic metamorphism.
- Research Organization:
- Alaska Div. Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Fairbanks
- OSTI ID:
- 6424237
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8505215-
- Journal Information:
- Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States) Vol. 69:4; ISSN AAPGB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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