Browsing by Subject "Triple junction"
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Jourdan, F.; Fe´raud, G.; Bertrand, H.; Watkeys, M.K.; Kampunzu, A.B.; Le Gall, B. (Elsevier www.elsevier.com/locate/epsl, NaN, 2006)[more][less]
Abstract: Continental flood basalts consist of vast quantities of lava, sills and giant dyke swarms that are associated with continental break-up. The commonly radiating geometry of dyke swarms in these provinces is generally interpreted as the result of the stress regime that affected the lithosphere during the initial stage of continental break-up or as the result of plume impact. On the other hand, structures in the basement may also control dyke orientations, though such control has not previously been documented. In order to test the role of pre-dyke structures, we investigated four major putative Karoo-aged dyke swarms that taken together represent a giant radiating dyke swarm (the so-called btriple-junctionQ) ascribed to the Jurassic Karoo continental flood basalt (N3 106 km2; southern Africa). One of the best tests to discriminate between neoformed and inherited dyke orientation is to detect Precambrian dykes in the Jurassic swarms. Accordingly, we efficiently distinguished between Jurassic and Precambrian dykes using abbreviated low resolution, 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating schedules. Save-Limpopo dyke swarm samples (n =19) yield either apparent Proterozoic (728–1683 Ma) or Mesozoic (131–179 Ma) integrated ages; the Olifants River swarm (n =20) includes only Proterozoic (851–1731 Ma) and Archaean (2470–2872 Ma) dykes. The single age obtained on one N–S striking dyke (1464 Ma) suggests that the Lebombo dyke swarm includes Proterozoic dykes in the basement as well. These dates demonstrate the existence of pre-Karoo dykes in these swarms as previously hypothesized without supporting age data. In addition, aeromagnetic and air-photo interpretations indicate that: (1) dyke emplacement was largely controlled by major discontinuities such as the Zimbabwe and Kaapvaal craton boundaries, the orientation of the Limpopo mobile belt, and other pre-dyke structures including shear zones and (2) considering its polygenetic, pre-Mesozoic origin, the Olifants River dyke swarm cannot be considered part of the Karoo magmatic event. This study, along with previous results obtained on the Okavango dyke swarm, shows that the apparent btriple junctionQ formed by radiating dyke swarms is not a Jurassic structure; rather, it reflects weakened lithospheric pathways that have controlled dyke orientations over hundreds of millions of years. One consequence is that the btriple-junctionQ geometry can no longer be unambiguously used as a mantle plume marker as previously proposed, although it does not preclude the possible existence of a mantle plume. More generally, we suggest that most Phanerozoic dyke swarms (including triple junctions) related to continental flood basalts were probably controlled in part by pre-existing lithospheric discontinuities. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/386 Files in this item: 1
Kampunzu2006BasementControl.pdf (2.119Mb) -
Jourdan, F.; Fe´raud, G.; Bertrand, H.; Kampunzu, A.B.; Tshoso, G.; Le Gall, B.; Tiercelin, J.-J.; Capiez, P. (Elservier www.elsevier.com/locate/epsl, NaN, 2004)[more][less]
Abstract: The lower Jurassic Karoo–Ferrar magmatism represents one of the most important Phanerozoic continental flood basalt (CFB) provinces. The Karoo CFB province is dominated by tholeiitic traps and apparently radiating giant dyke swarms covering altogether ca. 3 106 km2. This study focuses on the giant N110j-trending Okavango dyke swarm (ODS) stretching over 1500 km across Botswana. This dyke swarm represents the main (failed) arm of the so-called Karoo triple junction that is generally considered as a key marker of the impingement of the Karoo starting mantle plume head. ODS dolerites yield six new plagioclase 40Ar/39Ar plateau (and miniplateau) ages ranging from 178.7F0.7 and 180.9F1.3 Ma. The distribution of the ages along a narrow Gaussian curve suggests a short period of magmatic activity centered around 179 Ma, i.e., f5 Ma younger than the emplacement age of Karoo mafic magmas in the southern part of the Karoo CFB province (f184). This age difference indicates that Karoo magmatism does not represent a short-lived event as is generally the case for most CFB but lasted at least 5Ma over the whole province. In addition, small clusters of plagioclase separated from 28 other dykes and measured by ‘‘speedy’’ step-heating experiments (with mostly two to three steps), gave either ‘‘Karoo’’ or Proterozoic ages. Integrated ages of the Proterozoic rocks range from 851F6 to 1672F7 Ma, and one plateau age (959.1F4.6 Ma) and one possibly geologically significant weightedmean age (982.7F4.0 Ma) were obtained. Proterozoic and Karoo mafic rocks are petrographically similar, but Proterozoic dykes display clear geochemical differences (e.g., TiO2 < 2.1%) with the Karoo high-Ti ODS (TiO2>2.1%). Geochemical data combined with available Ar/Ar dates allow the identification of the two groups within a total set of 77 dykes investigated: f10% of the bulk ODS dykes are Proterozoic. Thus, the Jurassic Karoo ODS dykes were emplaced along reactivated Proterozoic structures and there is no pristine Jurassic Nuanetsi triple junction as commonly proposed. This throws into doubt the validity of the ‘‘active plume head’’ Karoo CFB rift models as being responsible for the observed ‘‘triple junction’’ dyke geometry URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10311/383 Files in this item: 1
Kampunzu2004KarooTripleJunction.pdf (1.306Mb)
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