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6th International Archean Symposium
6th International Archean Symposium

U-Pb age and Hf isotope systematics of zircons from rocks of the Bilozerka Greenstone Belt, the Middle Dnieper Domain of the Ukrainian Shield

Poster

Talk Description

The Middle Dnieper Domain of the Ukrainian Shield is a typical granite-greenstone province that hosts several Mesoarchean (ca. 3.2-2.9 Ga) greenstone belts. The volcano-sedimentary sequence found in these belts is subdivided into two series separated by an unconformity. The lower Konka Series overlies basement rocks and comprises komatiites, tholeiitic basalts, andesites, felsic volcanic rocks, and BIFs. The upper Bilozerka Series consists of metaterrigenous rocks, BIFs, and subordinate volcanic rocks. The age of the Bilozerka Series is still debated. The Bilozerka Greenstone Belt is located in the SE part of the Middle Dnieper Domain. The lowermost portion is composed of mafic and ultramafic volcanics and metasedimentary rocks of the Konka Series that were metamorphosed in the greenschist to epidote-amphibolite facies. Volcanics of dacite-andesite-tholeiite and rhyodacite compositions represent the upper part of the Konka Series and were dated at 3037 ± 9 Ma. The rocks of the overlying Bilozerka Series differ significantly in composition. Felsic volcanic rocks have much higher K2O content in contrast to the Na2O-rich metavolcanics of the Konka Series, and its terrigenous sediments are more mature. To constrain the eruption age of felsic volcanic rocks of the Bilozerka Series and to estimate the degree of their possible contamination with terrigenous sediments, we applied LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating to two samples of metarhyolites (quartz porphyry), one specimen of metadacite (quartz-plagioclase porphyry), and one sample of metasandstone. In addition, we measured Hf isotope composition in dated zircons. Distribution of zircon ages in metasandstone and metadacite (quartz-plagioclase porphyry) is very similar, with the main peak at 3062 Ma and a small additional grouping at 3215-3235 Ma. These reflect the local sources of detrital material as represented by TTG and granites. Both samples contain also a few zircon grains crystallised at 2850-2875 Ma; this age probably corresponds to the time of metamorphism of the sediments and emplacement of large intrusions of two-feldspar granitoids. Two metarhyolite samples yielded mutually consistent results. Both of them contain a main population that crystallised at 2943 ± 13 (sample 89-412) and 2932 ± 14 Ma (sample 84-213), with an additional smaller population at ca. 3200 Ma. We assume that the 2930-2940 Ma populations may reflect the age of crystallisation of felsic volcanics, and the older population as xenocrystic material from the basement rocks. Hafnium isotope systematics of zircons isolated from metarhyolites indicates their predominantly juvenile nature. εHf values vary in zircons of the older population from 4.6 to 2.6, and in the younger populations from 4.7 to -1.3, indicating significant input of mantle-derived material. A few zircon grains in both populations have significantly lower εHf values (to -13.9) that may indicate the presence of significantly older (up to 4.0 Ga) crustal material in their source. Our results provide new information regarding the still poorly studied greenstone belts of the Middle Dnieper Domain of the Ukrainian Shield and confirm the importance of the 3.1-2.8 Ga tectonomagmatic event in the early history of the Middle Dnieper Domain, including remelting of older crustal materials and input of juvenile mantle magmas.

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