Assessing volcanic origins within detrital zircon populations – A case study from the Mesozoic non-volcanic margin of southern Australia
Detrital zircon U/Pb geochronology is a common tool used to resolve stratigraphic questions, inform basin evolution and constrain regional geological histories. In favourable circumstances, detrital zircon populations can contain a concomitant volcanic contribution that provides constraints on the a...
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doaj-08f61972a3ea4d21a477316939d33c5a2020-11-24T21:54:51ZengElsevierGeoscience Frontiers1674-98712019-07-0110413711381Assessing volcanic origins within detrital zircon populations – A case study from the Mesozoic non-volcanic margin of southern AustraliaMilo Barham0Christopher L. Kirkland1Martin Danišík2Centre for Exploration Targeting (CET) - Curtin Node, The Institute for Geoscience Research (TIGeR), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia; Corresponding author.Centre for Exploration Targeting (CET) - Curtin Node, The Institute for Geoscience Research (TIGeR), School of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, AustraliaGeoHistory Facility, John de Laeter Center, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, AustraliaDetrital zircon U/Pb geochronology is a common tool used to resolve stratigraphic questions, inform basin evolution and constrain regional geological histories. In favourable circumstances, detrital zircon populations can contain a concomitant volcanic contribution that provides constraints on the age of deposition. However, for non-volcanic settings, proving isolated detrital zircon grains are from contemporaneous and potentially remote volcanism is challenging. Here we use same grain (U–Th)/He thermochronology coupled with U/Pb geochronology to identify detrital zircon grains of contemporary volcanic origin. (U–Th)/He ages from Cretaceous zircon grains in southern Australia define a single population with a weighted mean age of 104 ± 6.1 Ma, indistinguishable from zircon U/Pb geochronology and palynology (∼104.0–107.5 Ma). Detrital zircon trace-element geochemistry is consistent with a continental signature for parent rocks and coupled with detrital grain ages, supports derivation from a >2000 km distant early- to mid-Cretaceous Whitsunday Volcanic Province in eastern Australia. Thus, integration of biostratigraphy, single-grain zircon double-dating (geochronology and thermochronology) and grain geochemistry enhances fingerprinting of zircon source region and transport history. A distal volcanic source and rapid continental-scale transport to southern Australia is supported here. Keywords: Provenance, Grain history, Thermochronology, Geochronology, Source to sink, Trace-elementshttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987119300325 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Milo Barham Christopher L. Kirkland Martin Danišík |
spellingShingle |
Milo Barham Christopher L. Kirkland Martin Danišík Assessing volcanic origins within detrital zircon populations – A case study from the Mesozoic non-volcanic margin of southern Australia Geoscience Frontiers |
author_facet |
Milo Barham Christopher L. Kirkland Martin Danišík |
author_sort |
Milo Barham |
title |
Assessing volcanic origins within detrital zircon populations – A case study from the Mesozoic non-volcanic margin of southern Australia |
title_short |
Assessing volcanic origins within detrital zircon populations – A case study from the Mesozoic non-volcanic margin of southern Australia |
title_full |
Assessing volcanic origins within detrital zircon populations – A case study from the Mesozoic non-volcanic margin of southern Australia |
title_fullStr |
Assessing volcanic origins within detrital zircon populations – A case study from the Mesozoic non-volcanic margin of southern Australia |
title_full_unstemmed |
Assessing volcanic origins within detrital zircon populations – A case study from the Mesozoic non-volcanic margin of southern Australia |
title_sort |
assessing volcanic origins within detrital zircon populations – a case study from the mesozoic non-volcanic margin of southern australia |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
Geoscience Frontiers |
issn |
1674-9871 |
publishDate |
2019-07-01 |
description |
Detrital zircon U/Pb geochronology is a common tool used to resolve stratigraphic questions, inform basin evolution and constrain regional geological histories. In favourable circumstances, detrital zircon populations can contain a concomitant volcanic contribution that provides constraints on the age of deposition. However, for non-volcanic settings, proving isolated detrital zircon grains are from contemporaneous and potentially remote volcanism is challenging. Here we use same grain (U–Th)/He thermochronology coupled with U/Pb geochronology to identify detrital zircon grains of contemporary volcanic origin. (U–Th)/He ages from Cretaceous zircon grains in southern Australia define a single population with a weighted mean age of 104 ± 6.1 Ma, indistinguishable from zircon U/Pb geochronology and palynology (∼104.0–107.5 Ma). Detrital zircon trace-element geochemistry is consistent with a continental signature for parent rocks and coupled with detrital grain ages, supports derivation from a >2000 km distant early- to mid-Cretaceous Whitsunday Volcanic Province in eastern Australia. Thus, integration of biostratigraphy, single-grain zircon double-dating (geochronology and thermochronology) and grain geochemistry enhances fingerprinting of zircon source region and transport history. A distal volcanic source and rapid continental-scale transport to southern Australia is supported here. Keywords: Provenance, Grain history, Thermochronology, Geochronology, Source to sink, Trace-elements |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987119300325 |
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