U–Pb dating of gem-quality vanadium-bearing grossular garnet (var. tsavorite) from north-eastern Tanzania

Hoare, Brendan C.; Arden, Sarah E.; O’Sullivan, Gary J.

doi:10.1007/s00126-023-01206-7

Miner Deposita

2023

DOI: 10.1007/s00126-023-01206-7

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U–Pb dating of gem-quality vanadium-bearing grossular garnet (var. tsavorite) from north-eastern Tanzania

Brendan C. Hoare,

Sarah E. Arden,

Gary J. O’Sullivan

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Cited by 2 publications

References 56 publications

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Unravelling the luminescence spectrum of garnet grossular var. tsavorite: The role of chromium (III), manganese (II) and misattribution of vanadium (II)

Idini,

Argazzi,

Frau

et al. 2025

Journal of Luminescence

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Unravelling the luminescence spectrum of garnet grossular var. tsavorite: The role of chromium (III), manganese (II) and misattribution of vanadium (II)

Idini,

Argazzi,

Frau

et al. 2025

Journal of Luminescence

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Age Determination of Gem-Quality Green Vanadium Grossular (Var. Tsavorite) from the Neoproterozoic Metamorphic Mozambique Belt, Kenya and Tanzania

Zhao,

Xu,

Zhao

2024

Crystals

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Gem-quality garnets, with their high closure temperature (750–800 °C), high transparency, uniform composition, and purity, offer promising prospects for U-Pb dating. Despite decades of recognition that garnets can be dated using the U-Pb method, direct dating remains extremely limited. Tsavorite is a rare gem-quality green vanadium-rich grossular hosted in the Neoproterozoic Metamorphic Mozambique Belt (NMMB). Until now, the accurate crystallization age of the tsavorite in Kenya and Lemshuku (Tanzania) has remained unknown. Here, we conducted in situ laser U-Pb geochronological analysis on gem-quality tsavorite samples from Tanzania and Kenya. U-Pb dating of tsavorite sourced from the Lemshuku mine (Tanzania) and the Tsavorite mine (Kenya) yielded ages of 643.9 ± 3.2 Ma and 617.4 ± 4.8 Ma, respectively. The high closure temperature of the U-Pb system within garnets renders it more inclined to preserve crystallization ages rather than documenting cooling events or metamorphic overprinting. Consequently, these ages are indicative of the tsavorite mineralization epochs. These findings align with the most significant metamorphic period documented in the Mozambique Belt, known as the East African Orogen, which occurred between 640 and 600 Ma. U-Pb data have revealed distinct formation times for each district. Dating specific deposits can provide more precise information about the origin of tsavorite, rather than solely relying on isotope or trace element data that have long been used for provenance studies of tsavorite.

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U–Pb dating of gem-quality vanadium-bearing grossular garnet (var. tsavorite) from north-eastern Tanzania

Cited by 2 publications

References 56 publications

Unravelling the luminescence spectrum of garnet grossular var. tsavorite: The role of chromium (III), manganese (II) and misattribution of vanadium (II)

Unravelling the luminescence spectrum of garnet grossular var. tsavorite: The role of chromium (III), manganese (II) and misattribution of vanadium (II)

Age Determination of Gem-Quality Green Vanadium Grossular (Var. Tsavorite) from the Neoproterozoic Metamorphic Mozambique Belt, Kenya and Tanzania

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