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Growth and Recycling of Archean Continental Crust in Northern Wyoming Craton

This talk explores the growth and recycling of Archean continental crust in the Northern Wyoming Craton, with a focus on the contributions of Paul Mueller. It discusses the geological features and processes related to crust formation and provides lessons learned from Mueller's work.

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Growth and Recycling of Archean Continental Crust in Northern Wyoming Craton

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  1. TTGs We Have Known and Loved: 1.5 Ga of Growth and Recycling ofArchean Continental Crust in the Northern Wyoming Craton (NWC) Mogk, D. W.1, Mueller, P.A.2, Wooden, J.L.3 , and Henry, D.J.41Dept. of Earth Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman MT, USA2Dept. of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL, USA, 3U.S. Geological Survey, (retired), Marietta GA, USA4Dept. of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge LA, USA

  2. Ask significant questions about the Earth, its history and processes • Start with Nature—the answers are always in the rocks • Do your homework—there’s a lot of information and wisdom from those who worked before us • Take care in your work—in the field, in the lab, and particularly in interpreting data, reporting uncertainty, constraining models • Use multiple, appropriate methods to develop integrated models • Be a mentor to students and peers • Be generous with your knowledge, facilities, and experience • Collaborate! What this talk is really about: (Lessons learned from Paul Mueller) This talk, and others following, are the embodiment of Paul Mueller’s contributions to our Science, and our Scientists.

  3. “Nuclear North America” Major Precambrian lithotectonic provinces of Laurentia immediately east of the rifted Neoproterozoic margin. The Wyoming Province is completely surrounded by Proterozoic orogenic belts, but does not host any Proterozoic magmatic belts. MMT: Montana Metasedimentary Terrane GFTZ BBMZ: Beartooth-Bighorn Magmatic Zone SAT: Southern Accreted Terranes Cheyenne Belt/Suture Colorado Province & Central Plains Orogen Foster et al., 2006

  4. Hellroaring Plateau, Beartooth Mountains • Great 3-D Exposures • Lack of lateral continuity between ranges • Metasupracrustal rocks • Quartzites • Pelitic schists • Banded iron formation • Metabasites • Ultramafites • 3.6-3.2 Ga QF gneiss enclaves in younger ~2.8 Ga granitoids

  5. Beartooth Plateau Block (BPB) 3.5 Ga 2.5 Ga? 2.8 Ga • Older and younger relations to 2.8 magmatism • Pre-existing felsic-to- mafic gneisses (3.1-3.5 Ga) • Intruded by 2.8 Ga tonalite • These share deformation and fabric elements • Late mafic dikes (multiple generations, 2.6 – 0.75 Ga) • Must take these outcrops apart rock by rock to get full story!!! Photo credit: Darrell Henry

  6. Hellroaring Plateau, Eastern Beartooth Mountains. • Enclaves of Mesoarchean rocks, 3.5-3.2 Ga gneisses • Metasupracrustal rocks, quartzite, BIF, pelitic schist, metabasites, UM rocks; M1 6-8 kbar 750-800ºC; • Tectonic mixing of ‘old’ rocks • Detrital zircons ~4.0-3.0 Ga

  7. 1. In the Beginning There Were Zircons The earliest record of crust formation is derived from detrital zircons in a suite of ~3.0-2.8 Ga quartzites and other metapsammitic rocks from the NWP Relative Probability for <10% Discordant 207Pb/206Pb ages Major pulse of growth at 3.2-3.3 Ga with variable contributions from older crust; Mueller et al., 1998

  8. 2. Mesoarchean: The Time of the First Arcs There are two major crustal age-provinces in the northern Wyoming Province, the MMT (Montana metasedimentary terrane) that formed largely at 3.2-3.3 Ga and the BBMZ (Beartooth-Bighorn magmatic zone) that formed between ~2.8-2.9 Ga). Detritus from the first arc @ 3.2-3.3 Ga dominates pre-2.8 Ga quartzites in the northern WP

  9. Oldest rocks in the NWP are 3.5-3.6 Ga present in eastern Beartooths, North Snowy Block, Spanish Peaks, Tobacco Root Mountains • Major crust-forming event ~3.2-3.3 Ga; TTG suite in EBT, Madison Range, Tobacco Root Mtns • Recorded in detrital zircons from quartzites across the NWP • A protracted period of magmatism, numerous small events created a huge volume of continental crust Concordia plot for one of many TTG “Gray Gneisses” in the Eastern BeartoothMtns

  10. 3.1-3.5 Ga (meta)igneous rocks in EB • Zircons – 3.1-3.5 Ga • Period of protracted magmatism; many small events that in aggregate produce a large amount of crust; “yo-yo” tectonics oscillating, numerous closely spaced small arcs? • TAS whole rock classification = basalt to rhyolite (equivalent) • Dominantly TTG Suite • Similar Age, Composition in Madison, Tobacco Root

  11. 3.1-2.8 Ga Period of quiescence, deposition of platform-type sediments 2.8 Ga Second magmatic arc built on 3.2-3.5 Ga TTG gneisses: platform for building a continental arc; duration ~40 Ma

  12. 3. The Beartooth Orogeny a Mesoarchean subduction-driven episode of crustal growth Most of the Archean exposures in the BBMZ are comprised of 2.8-2.9 Ga TTG-suite granitoids, but granites are also present. Evidence for a subduction-driven magmatic system is found in elemental and isotopic abundances of Mesoarchean crust in the Beartooth and Bighorn Mountains The key to the subduction interpretation is the crustal production rate Major element chemistry reflects calc-alkaline evolution of a low K/Na suite (TTG) and adakite-like compositions Symbols refer to ranges of SiO2 Normalized abundance patterns show relative enrichment and depletion in the same elements evident in modern arc magmas (e.g., enriched in Pb, depleted in HFSE) . Trace element abundances of mafic members of the LLMC normalized to primitive mantle values.

  13. Magmatic Field Relations • Intimate interlayering of dioritic to granitic rocks. • Emplacement interpreted as mesozonal sheeted dike complex. • Local mingling of magmas. • No evident liquid line of descent, all magmatic rocks overlap in space and time

  14. A Mesoarchean Magmatic Arc at 2.8-2.9 Ga built on an ancient continental margin Mueller et al., 2010 Greenschist to granulite facies rocks of the Beartooth arc are exposed across the range

  15. b c a b c a South Snowy Block - Yellowstone • Metasedimentary rocks (JMS): pelitic schists, quartzites, meta-turbidites and BIF • Low grade: chl-and+/-staur 575-620oC, 3.5-5.0 Kb • Relict sedimentary features • graded beds (turbidite) • relict cross bedding Goldstein et al. 2011 Detrital zircons —max at 2.9-3.0 Ga not recognized in NWP; 3.2-3.33 Ga diminished; no zircons older than 3.6 GaGranite plutons—2.8 Ga constrain age of deposition to 2.9 -2.8 Ga Image: Klein & Dutrow, 2007

  16. South Snowy Block - Yellowstone 2.80 Ga Hellroaring Pluton biotite quartz monzonite, Hellroaring Pluton Aluminosity of plutons • 2.79-2.81 Ga magmatic rocks • Undeformed bulbous, epizonal plutons • Peraluminous, primary muscovite (~3.8 Kb) • Jardine metasediments are allochthonous (detrital zircons), accreted prior to 2.8 Ga (magmatic zircons) Philbrick et al. 2011

  17. Mueller et al., 1996

  18. Model for Crustal Evolution in NWP • Differentiation of proto-continent • Continued input of magma from additional mantle up-welling • ”Stagnant Lid” model? • Mantle up-welling dominant • Anhydrous melting of mantle • Proto-continent with minor or no keel

  19. Model for Crustal Evolution in NWP • Major, protracted, episodic crust-forming event • Calc-alkaline magmatism - transition to subduction style; includes juvenile additions • 3.1-2.9 Absence in detrital zircon • 2.9-2.8 Ga Subduction involving sediment and 2nd major crust-forming event <40 Ma (BBMZ)

  20. Phase I: Not an Arc The Detrital Zircon Record from Archean Quartzites Average eHf values trend toward more negative values from 4.0 to 3.55 Ga, indicating a dominant component of recycled crust From 3.55 to 3.1 Ga average eHf values show a progressive increase, suggesting an increasing contribution from juvenile sources

  21. Schematic of the initial stage of mantle upwelling associated with plateau development adapted from Bedard (2006). T prefixes refer to generations of TTG E prefixes refer to generations of eclogite V prefixes refer to volcanics (basalt and komatiite) M prefixes refer to melts SI = sea level Eclogite forms at the base of the crust and then delaminates and melts, these melts may interact with melts produced higher in the column. More importantly, however, the eclogite that separates from the new crust will reduce the Lu/Hf ratio of the bulk crust. In the earliest stages of crust formation (e.g., >4.0 Ga), the rising mantle diapir may be composed of primordial or partially depleted mantle. In either case, this mantle will likely have higher incompatible element contents than modern depleted mantle (e.g., 2x Zr). In particular, this anhydrous melting will yield Lu/Hf ratios higher than estimates of average crust. Depleted Mantle

  22. The real reason Paul keeps coming back to Montana!

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