Assessing volcanic origins within detrital zircon populations – A case study from the Mesozoic non-volcanic margin of southern Australia

© 2019 China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Peking University. 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 contai...

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Main Authors: Barham, Milo, Kirkland, Chris, Danisik, Martin
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: CHINA UNIV GEOSCIENCES, BEIJING 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP160102427
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76477
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author Barham, Milo
Kirkland, Chris
Danisik, Martin
author_facet Barham, Milo
Kirkland, Chris
Danisik, Martin
author_sort Barham, Milo
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description © 2019 China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Peking University. 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.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-764772022-10-27T04:34:34Z Assessing volcanic origins within detrital zircon populations – A case study from the Mesozoic non-volcanic margin of southern Australia Barham, Milo Kirkland, Chris Danisik, Martin Science & Technology Physical Sciences Geosciences, Multidisciplinary Geology Provenance Grain history Thermochronology Geochronology Source to sink Trace-elements TRACE-ELEMENT CHEMISTRY LARGE IGNEOUS PROVINCE U-PB GEOCHRONOLOGY CONTINENTAL-MARGIN EASTERN AUSTRALIA PERTH BASIN CENTRAL QUEENSLAND RAPID EXHUMATION OCEANIC-CRUST HF-ISOTOPE © 2019 China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Peking University. 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. 2019 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76477 10.1016/j.gsf.2019.01.003 English http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP160102427 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LE130100053 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ CHINA UNIV GEOSCIENCES, BEIJING fulltext
spellingShingle Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Geology
Provenance
Grain history
Thermochronology
Geochronology
Source to sink
Trace-elements
TRACE-ELEMENT CHEMISTRY
LARGE IGNEOUS PROVINCE
U-PB GEOCHRONOLOGY
CONTINENTAL-MARGIN
EASTERN AUSTRALIA
PERTH BASIN
CENTRAL QUEENSLAND
RAPID EXHUMATION
OCEANIC-CRUST
HF-ISOTOPE
Barham, Milo
Kirkland, Chris
Danisik, Martin
Assessing volcanic origins within detrital zircon populations – A case study from the Mesozoic non-volcanic margin of southern Australia
title 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_short 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
topic Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Geology
Provenance
Grain history
Thermochronology
Geochronology
Source to sink
Trace-elements
TRACE-ELEMENT CHEMISTRY
LARGE IGNEOUS PROVINCE
U-PB GEOCHRONOLOGY
CONTINENTAL-MARGIN
EASTERN AUSTRALIA
PERTH BASIN
CENTRAL QUEENSLAND
RAPID EXHUMATION
OCEANIC-CRUST
HF-ISOTOPE
url http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP160102427
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP160102427
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76477