Carl E. Hedge

Isotopic composition of strontium in sea water throughout Phanerozoic time

Isotopic analyses of strontium in primary fossil carbonate reveal significant variations in Sr87Sr86 of sea water during the Phanerozoic. The strontium isotopic composition may have been uniform from the Ordovician through the Mississippian, with an average Sr87Sr86 of 0.7078. A subsequent decrease in this value into the Mesozoic is interrupted by two provisionally documented positive pulses in Sr87Sr86—one in the Early Pennsylvanian and one in the Early Triassic. The lowest observed value (0.7068) occurred in Late Jurassic time, and this was followed by a gradual increase to 0.7075 in the Late Cretaceous and a more rapid increase through the Tertiary to 0.7090 for modern sea water. These variations are thought to be the result of a complex interplay of periods of intense volcanism and epeirogenic movements of the continents on a worldwide scale.

Isotopic Composition of Lead and Strontium from Ascension and Gough Islands

Isotopic composition of lead and strontium has been determined in a series of rock samples from two islands on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Both interand intra-island variations exist in the abundance of radiogenic isotopes of both elements. Lead from basalt of Ascension Island has a Pb206-Pb204 ratio of 19.5, while the corresponding ratio at Gough Island is only 18.4. The Pb208-Pb204 ratios from the two islands do not differ. Conversely, strontium from basalt of Ascension Island is less radiogenic than that from Gough Island basalts. The trachytes of both islands have lead and strontium that is more radiogenic than that found in the basalts. The inter-island differences indicate the existence of regional variations in the uranium-lead and rubidium-strontium ratios of the upper mantle source of these rocks and show that isotope compositions are a means for investigating chemical heterogeneities in the mantle.

Petrologic evolution of the San Juan volcanic field, southwestern Colorado: Pb and Sr isotope evidence

Abstract Two distinct suites of igneous rocks occur within the San Juan volcanic field: an Oligocene suite of predominantly intermediate-composition lavas and breccias, with associated silicic differentiates erupted mainly as ash-flow tuffs, and Neocene-Pliocene bimodal suite of silicic rhyolites and mafic alkalic lavas. The Oligocene volcanism, probably related to subduction along the western margin of the American plate, has chemical and isotopic characteristics indicative of complex interactions with Precambrian cratonic lithosphere. It also appears to record the rise, differentiation, and crystallization of a large composite batholith beneath the San Juan field. The earliest intermediate-composition lavas and breccias have major- and minor-element compositional patterns indicative of high-pressure fractionation and are relatively nonradiogenic in both Pb and Sr, suggesting significant interaction with lower crust of the American plate. The more silicic ash-flow tuffs show compositional evidence of low-pressure fractional crystallization and are more radiogenic in Pb and Sr — features thought to indicate significant shallow residency for the magmas and interaction with upper crust. Especially radiogenic Pb-isotope compositions of some of these rocks may reflect interactions between the magmas and convecting meteoric water rich in leached Pb, a process thought to have been even more important in forming associated hydrothermal ore deposits. Ore leads tend to be more radiogenic than associated rock leads. Many of the Miocene-Pliocene basaltic lavas seem to be mantle-derived lavas, similar to those of oceanic islands, but some anomalous xenocrystic basaltic andesites, containing relatively nonradiogenic lead, may have been slightly contaminated by lower crustal components. Rhyolitic lavas and intrusions of the bimodal suite are also nonradiogenic in Pb and Sr, in comparison with the Oligocene rhyolites, and do not appear to have interacted with Precambrian upper crust, probably because they erupted largely through the subvolcanic batholith. The Miocene-Pliocene rhyolites are best interpreted as partial melts of lower crust, with the thermal energy to initiate magma generation provided by concurrent basaltic volcanism.

Potassium, Rubidium, Strontium, Thorium, Uranium, and the Ratio of Strontium-87 to Strontium-86 in Oceanic Tholeiitic Basalt

The average concentrations of potassium, rubidium, strontium, thorium, and uranium in oceanic tholeiitic basalt are (in parts per million) K, 1400; Rb, 1.2; Sr, 120; Th, 0.2; and U, 0.1. The ratio Sr87 to Sr86 is about 0.702, that of K to U is 1.4 x 104, and of Th to U is 1.8. These amounts of K, Th, U, and radiogenic Sr87 are less than in other common igneous rocks. The ratios of Th to U and Sr87 to Sr86 suggest that the source region of the oceanic tholeiites was differentiated from the original mantle material some time in the geologic past.

Late Precambrian rifting and crustal evolution in the Northeastern Desert of Egypt

Basement exposures along the northwestern flanks of the Gulf of Suez record the rapid formation of continental crust during the interval 670–550 Ma. A variety of field, petrographic, petrologic, and isotopic considerations indicate that this episode of crust formation took place in an extensional tectonic setting analogous to that of the late Paleozoic Oslo Rift of Norway. Crustal evolution in this region thus contrasts with other regions of the Afro-Arabian Shield where the crust appears to have been formed by convergent margin accretionary processes and collisional tectonics. This imposes new constraints on our understanding of late Precambrian crustal evolution.

Radiogenic strontium-87 as an index of geologic processes

The abundance of radiogenic Sr87 relative to Sr86 at the time of crystallization has been determined for 45 rocks. The total range in the ratio Sr87/Sr86 is less than 2 percent. Ratios for recent lavas range from 0.702 to 0.711. Oceanic basalts are closely grouped at 0.703, whereas ratios for continental volcanic rocks spread from 0.702 to 0.711. Among the volcanic rocks, ranging from basalt to rhyolite, no correlation was found between original ratio and rock type. Older mafic and felsic rocks that include both plutonic and extrusive types also cover this same range in original Sr87/Sr86 ratios; however, there is a definite trend with geologic time. Precambrian rocks give values as low as 0.700. The data indicate that Sr87/Sr86 of the weathering crust has changed 1.1 percent in 3000 million years, while the ratio in the mantle has changed no more than 0.5 percent.

Related Strontium Isotopic and Chemical Variations in Oceanic Basalts

Sr 87 /Sr 86 values in oceanic basalts range from 0.7012 to 0.7057 and correlate with basalt composition as measured by the ratio K 2 O/(Na 2 O + K 2 O). The distribution of data points on this plot can be approximated by the following ranges in Sr 87 /Sr 86 and K 2 O/(K 2 O + Na 2 O) respectively: (l) ocean ridge tholeiites—0.7020 to 0.7035 (one value 0.7012), 0.30. If the volcanism occurring throughout much of geologic time preferentially depleted rubidium and potassium relative to strontium in the mantle, preservation of the resultant heterogeneities is necessary to explain the isotopic and chemical differences among oceanic basalts. As a corollary to this long-term depletion of rubidium and potassium of the mantle, the primitive mantle or total crust-mantle system would have an Sr 87 /Sr 86 value higher than many oceanic basalts derived from zones that have undergone multistage histories. Therefore, we suggest that the potassic lavas with Sr 87 /Sr 86 higher than those of ocean ridge tholeiites and many island basalts represent the least depleted or most primitive mantle sampled by young oceanic volcanism.

Age of the Morton and Montevideo Gneisses and Related Rocks, Southwestern Minnesota

Granitic gneisses in the vicinities of Morton and Montevideo in the Minnesota River Valley are dated at 3550 m.y. ago and are the oldest rocks so far found in North America. The gneisses were altered in varying degree by younger events of which two have been dated at 2650 m.y. and 1850 m.y. old. The event which occurred 2650 m.y. ago was a high-grade metamorphism accompanied by the intrusion of a large volume of granitic magma. Only the U-Pb zircon and the Rb-Sr whole-rock ages survived this event, and both types are discordant. A two-stage model that explains the U-Pb discordant ages combines a primary discordance produced during the metamorphism of 2650 m.y. ago with a secondary discordance developed approximately 100 m.y. ago when uplift and erosion brought the rocks close to the surface. This secondary discordance is also shown by the zircon from granite near Sacred Heart (2650 m.y. old) and from a younger granitic pluton (1850 m.y. old) near Granite Falls. The discordance in the Rb-Sr whole-rock ages is attributed primarily to the loss of radiogenic Sr 87 that probably occurred largely during the metamorphism of 2650 m.y. ago. Some later loss, however, is indicated in the younger ages of biotite and K-feldspar. Granitic material introduced or mobilized during the metamorphism is also a complicating factor. The 1850-m.y.-ago event was a low-grade metamorphism that reset the K-Ar and Rb-Sr ages of biotite in the rocks between Granite Falls and Ortonville. A number of small plutons, ranging in composition from gabbro to granite, and basaltic dikes were emplaced in the gneisses at this time, but only the granitic pluton near Granite Falls has been dated by both U-Pb and Rb-Sr methods. The mineral ages show variations that are difficult to explain, and the low apparent ages of the biotite may be in some way related to epeirogeny and the stabilizing of the K-Ar and Rb-Sr systems. The southeastern part of the valley, underlain by the Morton Gneiss and the granite at Sacred Heart, was stabilized 2400 to 2600 m.y. ago, but the northwestern part, underlain by gneiss in the Granite Falls-Montevideo area and by granite in the Ortonville area, was not stabilized until 1700 to 1850 m.y. ago. The Morton Gneiss was formed by synkine-matic intrusions of trondhjemitic and granitic magmas, and the structure dates back to the time of the intrusions, 3550 m.y. ago. A similar origin as a synkinematic intrusion of granite is favored to explain the gneiss at Montevideo. The country rock appears to have been a layered series of basaltic lavas, sedimentary rocks, and possibly some sill-like masses of diabase or gabbro. The structure of the region probably was considerably modified during the high-grade metamorphism 2650 m.y. ago. The rock types that were involved in the Mortonian event 3550 m.y. ago are similar to more recent crustal rocks and do not represent a protocrust.

Primitive and contaminated basalts from the Southern Rocky Mountains, U.S.A.

Basalts in the Southern Rocky Mountains province have been analyzed to determine if any of them are primitive. Alkali plagioclase xenocrysts armored with calcic plagioclase seem to be the best petrographic indicator of contamination. The next best indicator of contamination is quartz xenocrysts armored with clinopyroxene. On the rocks and the region studied, K2O apparently is the only major element with promise of separating primitive basalt from contaminated basalt inasmuch as it constitutes more than 1 % in all the obviously contaminated basalts. K2O: lead (> 4 ppm) and thorium (> 2 ppm) contents and Rb/Sr (> 0.035) are the most indicative of the trace elements studied. Using these criteria, three basalt samples are primitive (although one contains 1.7% K2O) and are similar in traceelement contents to Hawaiian and Eastern Honshu, Japan, primitive basalts.Contamination causes lead isotope ratios, 206Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb, to become less radiogenic, but it has little or no effect on 87Sr/86Sr. We interpret the effect on lead isotopes to be due to assimilation either of lower crustal granitic rocks, which contain 5–10 times as much lead as basalt and which have been low in U/Pb and Th/Pb since Precambrian times, or of upper crustal Precambrian or Paleozoic rocks, which have lost much of their radiogenic lead because of heating prior to assimilation. The lack of definite effects on strontium isotopes may be due to the lesser strontium contents of granitic crustal rocks relative to basaltic rocks coupled with lack of a large radiogenic enrichment in the crustal rocks.Lead isotope ratios were found to be less radiogenic in plagioclase separates from an obviously contaminated basalt than in the primitive basalts. The feldspar separate that is rich in sodic plagioclase xenocrysts was found to be similar to the whole-rock composition for 206Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb whereas a more dense fraction probably enriched in more calcic plagioclase phenocrysts is more similar to the primitive basalts in lead isotope ratios.The primitive basalts have: 206Pb/204Pb ∼ 18.09–18.34, 207Pb/204Pb ∼ 15.5, 208Pb/204Pb ∼ 37.6–37.9, 87Sr/86Sr ∼ 0.704–0.705. In the primitive basalts from the Southern Rocky Mountains the values of 206Pb/204Pb are similar to values reported by others for Hawaiian and eastern Honshu basalts and abyssal basalts, whereas 208Pb/204Pb tends to be equal to or a little less radiogenic than those from the oceanic localities. 87Sr/86Sr appears to be equal to or a little greater than those of the oceanic localities. These 206Pb/204Pb and 208Pb/204Pb ratios are distinctly less radiogenic and 87Sr/86Sr values are about equal to those reported by others for volcanic islands on oceanic ridges and rises.

Minor-element and Sr-isotope geochemistry of tertiary stocks, Colorado mineral belt

Rocks of the northeast portion of the Colorado mineral belt form two petrographically, chemically and geographically distinct rock suites: (1) a silica oversaturated granodiorite suite; and (2) a silica saturated, high alkali monzonite suite. Rocks of the granodiorite suite generally have Sr contents less than 1000 ppm, subparallel REE patterns and initial 87Sr/ 86Sr ratios greater than 0.707. Rocks of the monzonite suite are restricted to the northeast part of the mineral belt, where few rocks of the granodiorite suite occur, and generally have Sr contents greater than 1000 ppm, highly variable REE patterns and 87Sr/86Sr initial ratios less than 0.706.Despite forming simple, smooth trends on major element variation diagrams, trace element data for rocks of the granodiorite suite indicate that they were not derived from a single magma. These rocks were derived from magmas having similar REE patterns, but variable Rb and Sr contents, and Rb/Sr ratios. The preferred explanation for these rocks is that they were derived by partial melting of a mixed source, which yielded pyroxene granulite or pyroxenite residues.The monzonite suite is chemically and petrographically more complex than the granodiorite suite. It is subdivided here into alkalic and mafic monzonites, and quartz syenites, based on the textural relations of their ferromagnesian phases and quartz. The geochemistry of these three rock types require derivation from separate and chemically distinct magma types. The preferred explanation for the alkalic monzonites is derivation from a heterogeneous mafic source, leaving a residue dominated by garnet and clinopyroxene. Early crystallization of sphene from these magmas was responsible for the severe depletion of the REE observed in the residual magmas. The lower Sr content and higher Rb/Sr ratios of the mafic monzonites requires a plagioclase-bearing source.The Sr-isotope systematics of the majority of these rocks are interpreted to be largely primary, and not the result of crustal contamination. The positive correlation of Rb/Sr and 87Sr/86Sr ratios for the least fractionated samples indicate that the sources from which parent magmas of both the granodiorite and monzonite suites were derived are Precambrian in age.