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- Olierook, Hugo K.H., et al.
(författare)
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Age and geochemistry of magmatism on the oceanic Wallaby Plateau and implications for the opening of the Indian Ocean
- 2015
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Ingår i: Geology. - 0091-7613 .- 1943-2682. ; 43:11, s. 971-974
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The temporal relationship between tectonic and volcanic activity on passive continental margins immediately before and after the initiation of mid-ocean ridge spreading is poorly understood because of the scarcity of volcanic samples on which to perform isotope geochronology. We present the first accurate geochronological constraints from a suite of volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks dredged from the 70,000 km2 submerged Wallaby Plateau situated on the Western Australian passive margin. Plagioclase 40Ar/39Ar and zircon U-Pb sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe ages indicate that a portion of the plateau formed at ca. 124 Ma. These ages are at least 6 m.y. younger than the oldest oceanic crust in adjacent abyssal plains (minimum = 130 Ma). Geochemical data indicate that the Wallaby Plateau volcanic samples are enriched tholeiitic basalt, similar to continental flood basalts, including the spatially and temporally proximal Bunbury Basalt in southwestern Australia. Thus, the Wallaby Plateau volcanism could be regarded as a (small) flood basalt event on the order of 104–105 km3. We suggest that magma could not erupt prior to 124 Ma because of the lack of space adjacent to the plateau. Eruption was made possible at 124 Ma via the opening of the Indian Ocean during the breakup of Greater India and Australia along the Wallaby-Zenith Fracture Zone. The scale of volcanism and the temporal proximity to breakup challenges the prevailing theory that the Western Australian margin formed as a volcanic passive margin. Given that the volume of volcanism is too small for typical flood basalts associated with volcanic passive margins, we suggest that the two end members, magma-poor and volcanic passive margins, should rather be treated as a continuum.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Olierook, Hugo K.H., et al.
(författare)
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Bunbury Basalt : Gondwana breakup products or earliest vestiges of the Kerguelen mantle plume?
- 2016
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Ingår i: Earth and Planetary Science Letters. - 0012-821X .- 1385-013X. ; 440, s. 20-32
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this contribution, we investigate the role of a mantle plume in the genesis of the Bunbury Basalt using high-precision 40Ar/39Ar geochronology and whole-rock geochemistry, and by using crustal basement thickness of the eastern Indian Ocean and the western Australian continent. The Bunbury Basalt is a series of lava flows and deep intrusive rocks in southwestern Australia thought to be the earliest igneous products from the proto-Kerguelen mantle plume. Nine new plateau ages indicate that the Bunbury Basalt erupted in three distinct phases, at 136.96±0.43 Ma, 132.71±0.43 Ma and 130.45±0.82 Ma. All Bunbury Basalt samples are enriched tholeiitic basalts with varying contributions from the continental lithosphere that are similar to other Kerguelen plume-products. Based on plate reconstructions and the present geochronological constraints, the eruption of the oldest Bunbury Basalt preceded the emplacement of the Kerguelen large igneous province by at least 10–20 m.y. Such age differences between a precursor and the main magmatic event are not uncommon but do require additional explanation. Low crustal stretching factors beneath the Bunbury Basalt (β≈1.4) indicate that decompression melting could not have been generated from asthenospheric mantle with a normal chemistry and geotherm. An elevated geotherm from the mantle plume coupled with the geochemical similarity between the Bunbury Basalt and other Kerguelen plume-products suggests a shared origin exists. However, new age constraints of the oldest Bunbury Basalt are synchronous with the breakup of eastern Gondwana and the initial opening of the Indian Ocean at ca. 137–136 Ma, which may mean an alternative explanation is possible. The enriched geochemistry can equally be explained by a patch of shallow mantle beneath the southern Perth Basin. The patch may have been enriched during Gondwana suturing at ca. 550–500 Ma, during early rifting events by magmatic underplating or by intruded melts into the subcontinental lithospheric mantle. This enriched geochemical signature would then be sufficient to trigger decompression melting from passive rifting between Greater India and Australia with no contribution from the Kerguelen hotspot. We conclude that although the proto-Kerguelen hotspot is certainly a possible explanation for the genesis of the Bunbury Basalt, decompression melting of an enriched patch of subcontinental lithospheric mantle is an alternative theory.
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| 4. |
- Quintero, Raiza R., et al.
(författare)
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Shocked quartz in sandstone from the buried Ilkurlka impact structure, Officer Basin, Western Australia
- 2024
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Ingår i: Meteoritics and Planetary Science. - 1086-9379. ; 59:1, s. 68-87
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Ilkurlka structure is an ~12 km diameter buried circular aeromagnetic anomaly within the Officer Basin in Western Australia. Prior studies postulated a range of origins, including meteorite impact. We report the presence of pervasive deformation in the first drill cores from the structure. Brecciated sandstone and siltstone contain arrays of quartz grains with concussion fractures and rare shocked quartz grains with planar deformation features (PDF). Universal stage measurements of two quartz grains reveal one grain with PDF parallel to (0001) orientation and three PDF sets parallel to (Formula presented.). A second grain contains three PDF sets parallel to (Formula presented.) and one set parallel to (Formula presented.). The shocked grains are interpreted to have formed in situ, rather than representing transported detrital shocked grains. These results suggest local shock compression of at least 10 GPa; however, preservation of primary porosity and overall paucity of shocked grains may indicate lower mean shock pressures. (U-Th)/He dating of 58 apatite grains from four samples across both cores shows a dominant age population at ~265 Ma and a minor age population at ~135 Ma. These dates overlap with regional events and thus do not provide an unambiguous impact age. An upper Carboniferous to lower Permian maximum impact age is provisionally proposed based on inferred missing target rock stratigraphy.
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