U-Pb SHRIMP zircon dating of Grenvillian metamorphism in Western Sierras Pampeanas (Argentina) : correlation with the Arequipa-Antofalla craton and constraints on the extent of the Precordillera Terrane

The Sierras Pampeanas of Argentina, the largest outcrop of pre-Andean crystalline basement in southern South America, resulted from plate interactions along the proto-Andean margin of Gondwana, from as early as Mesoproterozoic to Late Paleozoic times (e.g., Ramos, 2004, and references therein). Two discrete Paleozoic orogenic belts have been recognized: the Early Cambrian Pampean belt in the eastern sierras, and the Ordovician Famatinian belt, which partially overprints it to the west (e.g., Rapela et al., 1998). In the Western Sierras Pampeanas, Mesoproterozoic igneous rocks (ca. 1.0–1.2 Ga) have been recognized in the Sierra de Pie de Palo (Fig. 1) (McDonough et al., 1993 M.R. McDonough, V.A. Ramos, C.E. Isachsen, S.A. Bowring and G.I. Vujovich, Edades preliminares de circones del basamento de la Sierra de Pie de Palo, Sierras Pampeanas occidentales de San Juán: sus implicancias para el supercontinente proterozoico de Rodinia, 12° Cong. Geol. Argentino, Actas vol. 3 (1993), pp. 340–342.McDonough et al., 1993, Pankhurst and Rapela, 1998 and Vujovich et al., 2004) that are time-coincident with the Grenvillian orogeny of eastern and northeastern North America (e.g., Rivers, 1997 and Corrievau and van Breemen, 2000). These Grenvillian-age rocks have been considered to be the easternmost exposure of basement to the Precordillera Terrane, a supposed Laurentian continental block accreted to Gondwana during the Famatinian orogeny (Thomas and Astini, 2003, and references therein). However, the boundaries of this Grenvillian belt are still poorly defined, and its alleged allochthoneity has been challenged (Galindo et al., 2004). Moreover, most of the Grenvillian ages so far determined relate to igneous protoliths, and there is no conclusive evidence for a Grenvillian orogenic belt, other than inferred from petrographic evidence alone (Casquet et al., 2001). We provide here the first evidence, based on U–Pb SHRIMP zircon dating at Sierra de Maz, for a Grenville-age granulite facies metamorphism, leading to the conclusion that a continuous mobile belt existed throughout the proto-Andean margin of Gondwana in Grenvillian times

Estudios estadísticos de elementos traza en el basamento Igneo-Metamórfico de la Sierra de Quilmes

El conocimiento de los parámetros estadísticos de los elementos traza en rocas genéticamente asociadas es de fundamental importancia. En el campo de las rocas granitoídes, por ejemplo, el estudio de sus distribuciones es particularmente útil. En una secuencia de rocas graníticas la diferencia en composición de elementos mayoritarios entre las diferentes fases, es mínima; en cambio los tenores de elementos traza suelen diferir criticamente. En general, la variación relativa de elementos traza es mucho mayor que la de los elementos mayoritarios. Como consecuencia de ello, el grado de diferenciación y la acidez son mucho mejor indicados por la variación de aquéllos. A este respecto elementos como rubidio, estroncio, bario, cobalto y níquel, algunas de cuyas distribuciones se analizan en este trabajo, han resultado particularmente útiles como indicadores de diferenciación y del orden de intrusión de las diferentes fases que pueden componer un cuerpo complejo

Review of the Cambrian Pampean orogeny of Argentina; a displaced orogen formerly attached to the Saldania Belt of South Africa?

The Pampean orogeny of northern Argentina resulted from Early Cambrian oblique collision of the Paleoproterozoic-Mesoproterozoic MARA block, formerly attached to Laurentia, with the Gondwanan Kalahari and Rio de la Plata cratons. The orogen is partially preserved because it is bounded by the younger Córdoba Fault on the east and by the Los Túneles-Guacha Corral Ordovician shear zone on the west. In this review we correlate the Pampean Belt with the Saldania orogenic belt of South Africa and argue that both formed at an active continental margin fed with sediments coming mainly from the erosion of the Brasiliano–Pan-African and East African–Antarctica orogens between ca. 570 and 537 Ma (Puncoviscana Formation) and between 557 and 552 Ma (Malmesbury Group) respectively. Magmatic arcs (I-type and S-type granitoids) formed at the margin between ca. 552 and 530 Ma. Further right-lateral oblique collision of MARA between ca. 530 and 520 Ma produced a westward verging thickened belt. This involved an upper plate with high P/T metamorphism and a lower plate with high-grade intermediate to high P/T metamorphism probably resulting from crustal delamination or root foundering. The Neoproterozoic to Early Cambrian sedimentary cover of MARA that was part of the lower plate is only recognized in the high-grade domain along with a dismembered mafic–ultramafic ophiolite probably obducted in the early stages of collision. Uplift was fast in the upper plate and slower in the lower plate. Eventually the Saldania and Pampean belts detached from each other along the right-lateral Córdoba Fault, juxtaposing the Rio de la Plata craton against the internal high-grade zone of the Pampean belt

The Gondwana connections of northern Patagonia

A multidisciplinary study (U–Pb sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe geochronology, Hf and O isotopes in zircon, Sr and Nd isotopes in whole-rocks, as well as major and trace element geochemistry) has been carried out on granitoid samples from the area west of Valcheta, North Patagonian Massif, Argentina. These confirm the Cambrian age of the Tardugno Granodiorite (528 ± 4 Ma) and the Late Permian age of granites in the central part of the Yaminué complex (250 Ma). Together with petrological and structural information for the area, we consider a previously suggested idea that the Cambrian and Ordovician granites of northeastern Patagonia represent continuation of the Pampean and Famatinian orogenic belts of the Sierras Pampeanas, respectively. Our interpretation does not support the hypothesis that Patagonia was accreted in Late Palaeozoic times as a far-travelled terrane, originating in the Central Transantarctic Mountains, and the arguments for and against this idea are reviewed. A parautochthonous origin is preferred with no major ocean closure between the North Patagonian Massif and the Sierra de la Ventana fold belt. Supplementary material: U–Pb SHRIMP analytical data, geochemical analyses and sample global positioning system locations are available at www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18722

Monzonite suites: the innermost Cordilleran plutonism of Patagonia

In Patagonia a Triassic-Early Jurassic Cordilleran interior magmatic belt preceded the widespread eruption of Middle Jurassic syn-extensional rhyolites. Two plutons (La Calandria and La Leona) represent the easternmost plutonic rocks of this belt, > 750 km east of the present oceanic trench. They define a high-K calc-alkaline monzonite series in contrast with the main Andinotype arc magmatism of the Pacific margin: they are enriched in large ion lithophile elements (K, Rb, Ba, Sr and Th), LREE and P2O5 and depleted in HREE and Y, with low FeO*/MgO ratio. The range of observed compositions (56-76% SiO2) resulted from high-level fractionation of plagioclase, hornbleńde, biotite, K-feldspar and accessories (sphene, apatite and zircon). Initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios, average εNdt and mean depleted-mantle Nd model ages of the two plutons are 0·70487, -0·5 and 1050 Ma for La Calandria and 0·70509, -1·4 and 1125 Ma for La Leona, respectively. They are thus isotopically more primitive than the Middle Jurassic rhyolites, previously attributed to partial melting of Mesoproterozoic mafic lower crust. The preferred model for the origin of the monzonites is remelting of an amphibole- + garnet-bearing, plagioclase-poor, high-K mafic source (?underplating). This occurred in a distal sector of a dying oblique subduction regime, immediately preceding the extensional silicic volcanism

The proto-Andean margin of Gondwana: an introduction

A basic background is presented for the discussion of the Early Palaeozoic geology of western Argentina covered by this book. This includes the definition and terminology of orogenic cycles on this part of the Gondwana margin, represented by the Eastern Sierras Pampeanas. The Pampean orogeny (Early Cambrian) relates to an intense but short-lived period of terrane collision predating the rifting of the Precordillera terrane from Laurentia. The Famatinian cycle is predominantly represented by intense subductionrelated magmatism of Early-Middle Ordovician age, developed on the continental margin of Gondwana during the rifting and drifting of the Precordillera terrane. The Grenvillian basement of the latter is further exemplified by a new Rb-Sr whole-rock isochron age of 1021 ± 12 Ma for orthogneisses from the Western Sierras Pampeanas. A mid-Ordovician granite in this area (dated at 481 ± 6 Ma by U-Pb ion microprobe data) may be related to rifting while the Precordillera terrane was still attached to Laurentia. A divergence of opinion is pointed out between some authors in this book who favour mid-Ordovician collision of the Precordillera with Gondwana, and others who place it much latter, in Silurian or Devonian times