Neoproterozoic rift and within-plate magmatism in the Yenisei Ridge: implications for the breakup of Rodinia

Abstract

Geological, petrological, geochemical, and isotope data from the Yenisei Ridge indicate three stages of rifting and attendant within-plate magmatism at 750, 700, and 670 Ma. The igneous rocks of the three stages are, respectively, metarhyolite-basalt, trachybasalt-trachyte, and alkali ultramafic (alkali picrite) associations. Magmatism was concurrent with terrigenous deposition of the Neoproterozoic Upper Vorogovka, Chingasan, and Chapa Groups. The volcanosedimentary complexes were deposited in narrow rift-like graben along faults. The earlier consolidated flanking uplifts of the graben experienced granitoid magmatism synchronously with rifting and within-plate volcanism. The respective plutonic events produced granitoid intrusions of the Ayakhta (760–750 Ma), Kutukas (690–700 Ma), and Middle Tatarka (~700 Ma) alkaline complexes, and the later (about 650–670 Ma) alkali ultramafic Chapa complex of carbonatites and metasomatites. Basalts and alkaline rocks are chemically similar to ocean-island and continental-rift basalts which have been reliably attributed to mantle plumes. Neoproterozoic rifting and within-plate magmatism were possibly related to the plume activity responsible for the breakup of Rodinia. These events in the Yenisei Ridge appear to be coeval with rifting and within-plate magmatic processes in other continental blocks which may have been parts of the Rodinia supercontinent.

Large igneous provinces (LIPs), giant dyke swarms, and mantle plumes: significance for breakup events within Canada and adjacent regions from 2.5 Ga to the PresentThis article is one of a selection of papers published in this Special Issue on the the theme Lithoprobe—parameters, processes, and the evolution of a continent.Lithoprobe Contribution 1482. Geological Survey of Canada Contribution 20100072.

“…The apparent absence of the Franklin (723 Ma), Gunbarrel (780 Ma), and Mackenzie (1267 Ma) events in Siberia has been cited as an argument against a close fit on the north side; some paleomagnetic data also support the idea of a gap between southern Siberia and northern Laurentia filled by another block as yet unidentified (e.g., Pisarevsky et al 2008). However, ArAr ages in the range 700-800 Ma are now known from southwestern Siberia re-emphasizing a possible Franklin swarm link (Gladkochub et al 2007;Nozhkin et al 2008). …”

P-T-t reconstructions of South Yenisei Ridge metamorphic history (Siberian craton): petrological consequences and application to the supercontinental cycles

“…We suppose that identification of such a long lull in magmatism that occurred throughout most of the Riphean can be explained by the scarcity of age data and the ambiguity in the positioning of individual cratons. Our recent, high-precision age data for the Meso-Neoproterozoic evolution of the North Yenisei Ridge provide evidence for the breakup of the supercontinent Nuna (Likhanov et al, 2012a;Popov et al, 2010) and Grenville events (Kozlov et al, 2012;Likhanov and Reverdatto, 2014a,b;Likhanov et al, , 2010bLikhanov et al, ,c, 2011bLikhanov et al, ,c, 2012bLikhanov et al, ,c, 2013dNozhkin et al, 2011Nozhkin et al, , 2013b with the subsequent crustal extension and rifting (Likhanov et al, -e, 2014aNozhkin et al, 2007aNozhkin et al, , 2008Nozhkin et al, , 2011Nozhkin et al, , 2013a that eventually led to the assembly and final breakup of Rodinia. These data indicate that the Meso-Neoproterozoic history of the region immediately following the final amalgamation of the Siberian craton was punctuated by five tectonic events that were controlled by intervals of crustal extension and compression within large lineaments .…”

Neoproterozoic collisional metamorphism in overthrust terranes of the Trans-Angarian Yenisey Ridge, Siberia

“…However, the available results do not allow precise age constraints on the zonal metamorphic complexes of the andalusite-sillimanite type, which are supposed by many researchers to be genetically related to the onset of the Teya granite-gneiss dome at approximately 1000-950 Ma (U-Pb data -conventional zircon method, Ar-Ar dates for hornblende) (Volobuev et al 1976;Nozhkin et al 1999), i.e. during the Grenville orogenic event that may have occurred at approximately the same time in other lithospheric blocks of the Asian continent Nozhkin et al 2008). More recent SHRIMP U-Pb data on the Teya, Kalami, and Eruda granite plutons from the Transangarian part of the Yenisey Ridge, however, indicate that these rocks were emplaced at 880-865 Ma, thus ruling out the possibility of a Grenville-age collision in the Yenisey Ridge area (Vernikovsky et al 2007).…”

“…The Korda lower plate (KLP) is located SW of the Panimba thrust fault, tectonically underlying the early Proterozoic Penchenga upper plate (PUP) in the NE. The KLP represents regionally metamorphosed low-pressure, andalusite-bearing metapelites of Mezo-Neoproterozoic age (approximately 1000-865 Ma; Nozhkin et al 2003bNozhkin et al , 2008Nozhkin 2004) that were overprinted by Neoproterozoic (approximately 850 Ma; ) medium-pressure kyanite-bearing assemblages and textures of regional metamorphism. The crystallization age of 878±1.5 Ma for igneous rocks from the Eruda pluton (Vernikovsky et al 2007) indicates that the emplacement of the Eruda granitoids predated the medium-pressure metamorphism of Korda metapelites by approximately 30-33 Ma.…”

“…This regional folded structure is complicated by faults of NW strikes associated with the Uvolga fault zone in the northern sector of the Tatarsk deep faults (Kozlov et al 2006;Likhanov et al 2006a). In the study area, these rocks were regionally metamorphosed at approximately 1000-865 Ma (Nozhkin 2004;Nozhkin et al 2008). Away from the overthrust of the study area, the lowpressure metapelites of the Penchenga and Karpinsky Range formations consist of, respectively, Ms + Chl + Bt + Qtz + Pl and And + St + Grt + Ms + Bt + Qtz + Chl + Pl varieties, which were formed under greenschist and epidote-amphibolite facies conditions (Dobretsov et al 1972).…”