Diffusion of Sm-Nd in Scheelite and its Significance to Isotopic Dating and Tracing

As the principal ore mineral in various tungsten(-gold)deposits,scheelite(CaWO_(4))plays an important role in directly dating the timing of ore formation,and in tracing associated material sources through the study of its Sm-Nd geochronology and Nd isotopic characteristics.Since the retention of Sm-Nd systematics within scheelite is presently unconstrained,equivocal interpretations for isotopic data resulting from this method have occurred quite often in previous studies that apply these isotopic data.In order to better elucidate the closure of Sm-Nd in scheelite,the kinetics of Sm and Nd within this mineral lattice were investigated through calculation of diffusion constants presented herein.The following Arrhenius relations were obtained:D_(Nd)=4.00exp(-438 kJ·mol^(–1)/RT)cm^(2)/s D_(Sm)=1.85exp(-427 kJ·mol^(–1)/RT)cm^(2)/s showing diffusion rate of Nd is near identical to Sm in scheelite when at the same temperature.However,compared to other rare earth elements(REEs),which have markedly different atomic radii to either Nd or Sm,these are shown to exhibit a great variation in diffusivities.The observed trends in our data are in excellent agreement with the diffusion characteristics of REEs in other tetragonal ABO4 minerals,indicating that ionic radius is a key constraint to the diffusivity of REEs in the various crystal lattices.With this in mind,the same substitution mechanism and a very slight discrepancy in radii will allow us to infer that significant Sm/Nd diffusional fractionation in scheelite is unlikely to occur during most geological processes.Based upon the diffusion data determined herein,Sm and Nd closure temperatures and retention times in scheelite are discussed in terms of diffusion dynamics.Those results suggest that closure temperatures for Sm-Nd within this mineral are relatively high in contrast to the temperature ranges of ore-formation responsible for scheelite-related deposits,and any later thermal environments.It is likely,therefore,that relevant isotopic information could be easily retained under most geological conditions,since initial crystallization of the scheelite.In addition,comparison of this mineral-element pair over a range of temperatures with some other common minerals used as geochronometers(e.g.,zircon and apatite)indicates that Sm-Nd system has a slower diffusive rate in scheelite than for Sr in apatite or Ar in quartz,and only a little faster than for Pb in zircon.It should be noted,within most hydrothermal deposits where zircon has crystallized,its size is typically no more than 100μm,whereas scheelite commonly occurs as macroscopic grains.For this reason,the larger dimensions of scheelite would provide a robust Sm-Nd system more able to resist perturbations,relating to any later thermal process.As such Sm-Nd investigations of scheelite are akin to U-Pb within zircon samples used in isotopic dating.These observations indicate that Sm-Nd age and isotopic information can provide reliable data in all but the most extreme case,especially when data are extracted from macroscopic grains of scheelite that are chosen to be“pristine”(i.e.,free of surface alteration and/or fractures).

U-Th-Pb monazite and Sm-Nd dating of high-grade rocks from the Grove Mountains, East Antarctica: further evidence for a Pan-African-aged monometamorphic terrane

The Grove Mountains, 400 km south of the Chinese Antarctic Zhongshan Station, are an inland continuation of the Pan-African-aged （i.e., Late Neoproterozoic/Cambrian） Prydz Belt, East Antarctica. In this paper we carried out a combined U-Th-Pb monazite and Sm-Nd mineral-whole-rock dating on para- and orthogneisses from bedrock in the Grove Mountains. U-Th-Pb monazite dating of a cordierite-bearing pelitic paragneiss yields ages of 523 ？ 4 Ma for the cores and 508 ？ 6 Ma for the rims. Sm-Nd mineral-whole-rock isotopic analyses yield isochron ages of 536 ？ 3 Ma for a coarse-grained felsic orthogneiss and 507 ？ 30 Ma for a fine-grained quartzofeldspathic paragneiss. Combined with previously published age data in the Grove Mountains and adjacent areas, the older age of ~530 Ma is interpreted as the time of regional medium- to low-pressure granulite-facies metamorphism, and the younger age of ~510 Ma as the cooling age of the granulite terrane. The absence of evidence for a Grenville-aged （i.e., Late Mesoproterozoic/Early Neoproterozoic） metamorphic event indicates that the Grove Mountains have experienced only a single metamorphic cycle, i.e., Pan-African-aged, which distinguishes them from other polymetamorphic terranes in the Prydz Belt. This will provide important constraints on the controversial nature of the Prydz Belt.

Sm-Nd age dating of high-pressure granulites and amphi-bolite from Sanggan area,North China craton

The high pressure (HP) metamorphic age has been dated to HP rocks from the Sanggan area, North China craton. We have got garnet+whole rock isochron ages of (1 842±38) Ma for HP granulite, and (1 856± 26) Ma for HP amphibolite. The Sm-Nd whole rock isochron of HP granulites give out an age of (1870±150) Ma with Nd depleted mantle model age of (2402-2 482) Ma. Considering the Nd isotope homogenization during the peak metamorphism of the HP granulite, Sm-Nd closure temperature and the retention of Nd isotopic memory in garnets partially broken down during decompression, all these isochron ages are thought to be HP metamorphic age. Furthermore, we proposed that the HP metamorphism took place at the end of Paleoproterozoic during the large-scale collision and assembly of the North China craton.

Sm-Nd dating and Nd-Sr isotopic characteristics of the Shimian ophiolite suiten,Sichuan Province

By mcasuring the Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr isotopiccompositions of harzburgite and gabbro from Shimianophiolite suite, we got the whole rock Sm-Nd isochron age of(938 ± 30) Ma (2σ), and the e Nd of 7.6 ± 0.8 (2σ), which showsthat the ophiolite was formed at the Early Neoproterozoic.The obvious change (0.70209-0.70708) of Isr values of theophiolite is caused by the meteoric hydrothermal alteration.The high εNd values indicate that the primitive magma wasderived from the intense depleted mantle rescrvoir. It is sug-gested that this area was in a back-arc basin environmentduring the Early Neoproterozic.

Effects of retrograde-zoning of garnet on Sm-Nd isotopic dating of eclogite and oxygen isotopic disequilibrium between eclogitic minerals

The compositional zoning of the garnet in a strongly deformed eclogite from Raobazhai foliated peridotite has been recognized. The CaO concentrations of the garnet are decreased from the core to the rim, while its MnO concentrations are increased, suggesting the retrograde origin of such CaO-MnO zoning. The tie line of garnet + omphacite from this eclogite gives a Sm-Nd age of (187±5) Ma, which is less significant than the Sm-Nd ages of (221±5)-(228±3) Ma and (210±6)-(214±6) Ma for ultrahigh-pressure eclogites in the southern Dabie zone and in the northern Dabie zone, respectively. This younger Sm-Nd age could result from the 143Nd/144Nd ratio decrease of the retrograde zone in the garnet. The δ18O values of the garnet and omphacite show that their fractionation values are less than the equilibrium fractionation value between the garnet and omphacite at 500-900℃, which suggests an oxygen isotopic disequilibrium between them.

The ages of U-Pb and Sm-Nd for eclogite from the western segment of Altyn Tagh tectonic belt——Evidence for existence of Caledonian orogenic root

The eclogites of Altyn Tagh tectonic belt occur as lens within gneisses characterized by amphibolite-facies mineral parageneses. The well-preserved eclogite is selected for Sm-Nd and U-Pb isotopic dating. The Sm-Nd isotopic data yield a whole rock-garnet-omphacite isochron of (500 ?10) Ma. The U-Pb isotopic measurements of zircons show that the four

TIMING OF COLLISION BETWEEN THE NORTH AND SOUTH CHINA BLOCKS——THE Sm-Nd ISOTOPIC AGE EVIDENCE

Sm-Nd isotopic ages for C-type eclogite (243.9±5.6 Ma) and mafic and ultramafic rocks(230.6±30.7 Ma and 402.6±17.4 Ma) from the Qinling-Dabieshan orogenic belt are reported.These ages suggest that at the early Triassic, the North and South China Blocks have beenunited along the Qinling-Dabieshan collision zone, and before the final collision, a se-ries of ophiolite obductions took place successively away from the continental marginduring the Paleozoic.

Chronology of ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism in the Dabie Mountains and Su-Lu terrane: I. Sm-Nd isotope system

If the protolith of coesite-bearing eclogite was gabbro, it could undergo ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism under dry condition. In this case, the Hocking temperatures of those minerals could be higher, so that Nd isotope disequilibrium between minerals could be observed. If the protolith of coesite-bearing edogite was metabasalt, amphiboles in the metabasalt were decomposed during ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism and released water. Thus Nd isotope compositions between the minerals were in equilibrium because the blocking temperatures of those minerals could he lower. The secondary alteration and fluid-rock interaction in high-pressure are major problems for Sm-Nd dating of eclogite. The reliable Sm-Nd isotopic ages of coesite-bearing eclogite from the Dabie Mountains and Su-Lu terrane range from 221 to 232 Ma. They are slightly lower, but very close to the peak metamorphic ages of the eclogites. The cold eclogite from the Sujiahe complex could be oceanic subduction origin in the Paleozoic.

Sm-Nd isotopic age and genesis of gabbro xenoliths in Daoxian County, Hunan Province

MANY geologists pay attention to Mesozoic tectonomagmatic activity and the associating multi-metal ore deposits in South China. However, the age of the transformatiori of tectonic regimein the area is little studied. Occurrence of gabbro xenoliths in Mesozoic alkaline basalts inDaoxian region, Hunan Province, shows that the lithosphere in the region was intensely ex-tended and thinned during the Mesozoic, followed by underplating of mantle-derived mag-

THE Sm-Nd ISOTOPIC AGE OF COESITE-BEARING ECLOGITE FROM THE SOUTHERN DABIE MOUNTAINS

A large eclogite belt developed along the Dabie Mountains and Subei-Jiaonan Rise in central China is a result of collision between the North China and Yangtze blocks. Recently, coesite and coesite pseudomorphs are recognized as an inclusion in both garnet

THE Sm-Nd ISOTOPIC AGE OF C-TYPE ECLOGITE FROM THE DABIE GROUP IN THE NORTHERN DABIE MOUNTAINS AND ITS TECTONIC IMPLICATION

Qinling-Dabieshan orogenic belt is generally believed to be a collision zone between the North China Block (NCB) and the Yangtze Block (YB). Various high P/T metamorphic rocks, such as blueschist, C-type eclogite, are well developed along the suture in this belt.Precise dating of the eclogite has very important significance for understanding of the collision time between the NCB and the YB and the evolutionary history of the orogenic belt.

Sm-Nd WHOLE-ROCK ISOCHRON AGE OF THE DENGFENG GROUP IN CENTRAL HENAN AND ITS TECTONIC IMPLICATION

Ⅰ. INTRODUCTION Volcano-sedimentary system of the Dengfeng Group metamorphosed to the amphibolite facies, central Henan, is considered as an E-W extending greenstone belt on the southern margin of the North China Craton (Sino-Korean Craton).

A study on the Dushiling tungsten-copper deposit in the Miao＇ershan-Yuechengling area, Northern Guangxi, China：Implications for variations in the mineralization of multi-aged composite granite plutons

The polymetallic Dushiling W-Cu deposit is a large, altered, skarn-type deposit, located in the northeastern part of the Miao'ershan-Yuechengling pluton, China. Two types of granite have been identified in the deposit: a medium-grained porphyritic biotite granite, and a medium- to fine-grained biotite granite. Both are spatially and temporally related to ore bodies, suggesting they may be the source of mineralization in the deposit. A medium- to fine-grained porphyritic biotite granite is exposed at the surface in the region of mineralization. U-Pb dating of zircons yielded magmatic ages of 423 Ma for the medium-grained porphyritic biotite granite and 421 Ma for the medium- to fine-grained porphyritic biotite granite, while a younger age(217 Ma) obtained for surface samples indicates later diagenesis. Thus, magmatism occurred during the Caledonian and Indosinian, respectively. The petrological and geochemical characteristics of the two Caledonian granites show that both are calc-alkaline and peraluminous.They are moderately enriched in Cs, Rb, U, and REE, and strongly depleted in Sr,Ba,P,and Ti; they show similar REE behavior,including negative Eu anomalies. These geochemical similarities suggest that the two granites were derived from the same source,although they were emplaced during different stages of the evolution of the magma. Furthermore, the granites are associated with mineralization, suggesting they were the source of mineralization in the Dushiling W-Cu deposit. Sm-Nd ages of scheelite from the Dushiling W-Cu deposit indicate that metallogenesis occurred at 417±35 Ma, while the two types of titanite, intergrown with scheelite, yield U-Pb ages of 423–425 Ma(in altered granite sample) and 218 Ma(in skarn sample). These ages place the main mineralization event in the late Caledonian, and later magmatic-hydrothermal activity occurred in the Indosinian. The ages obtained for the Dushiling W-Cu deposit in the western Nanling Range, northern Yuechengling, together with the occurrence and ages of the Niutangjie W deposit in southern Yuechengling, provide insight into the process of ore concentration during the Caledonian and Indosinian.