RB 2022/00007 40Ar/39Ar geochronology from AuScope National Argon Map samples, Gawler Craton, South Australia.
Published: 01 Jul 2022 Created: 15 Nov 2024 Revised: 15 Nov 2024

The National Argon Map was an AuScope-funded pilot project (2020–2021). The project aimed to compile a national-scale map of and to analyse new samples to fill the gaps in national coverage in 40Ar/39Ar geochronology. This report provides the...

The National Argon Map was an AuScope-funded pilot project (2020–2021). The project aimed to compile a national-scale map of and to analyse new samples to fill the gaps in national coverage in 40Ar/39Ar geochronology. This report provides the results from dated samples located in the eastern Gawler Craton, in the vicinity of the Olympic Dam deposit, and from the region in and around the Cairn Hill Fe-Cu deposit. Hydrothermal muscovite sampled from the drill core recovered from drillhole ASD 1 yielded a discordant age spectrum with upper limit of c. 952.8 Ma and lower limit of c. 496.6 Ma, suggesting overprinting during the Delamerian Orogeny. K-feldspar from drillhole Blanche 1, located around 6 km to the south-west of the Olympic Dam ore deposit, yielded a complex age spectrum that includes four age populations, 1500.6 ± 9.2 Ma, 1406.2 ± 5.7 Ma, 1153.7 ± 4.2 Ma, and c. 682.8 Ma, suggesting that multi-phase hydrothermal processes have affected this granite. Analysis of hornblende from a narrow vein of hornblende-magnetite alteration sampled within the Cairn Hill deposit yielded a plateau age of 1412.5 ± 3.7 Ma, which may record the timing of formation of this hornblende. Conversely, K-feldspar from the foliated granite that hosts this hornblende-magnetite vein yielded a step-wise age progression between an upper limit of 1278.9 ± 6.7 Ma and a lower limit of 995.0 ± 6.6 Ma, suggesting that Musgravian-aged thermal and or microstructural events have affected it. Biotite and K-feldspar were also analysed from a sample of foliated and partly altered granite in drill core from hole KDD005, located to the west of Cairn Hill. The biotite has a disturbed age spectrum, with an upper limit of 1506.5 ± 8.6 Ma and an intermediate limit of 1430.7 ± 4.1 Ma, suggesting overprinting during the regional c. 1465 – 1410 Ma thermal event documented previously across the northern Gawler Craton. The co-existing K-feldspar in contrast records an upper age limit of 1355 ± 5.6 Ma and a lower limit of 1206.2 ± 7.7 Ma, suggesting overprinting during a Musgravian-aged thermal or microstructural event, thereby further extending across the Gawler Craton the spatial distribution of rocks having evidence for the effects of Musgravian-age processes. Further work is required to produce a more complete interpretation of the data presented here, including analysis of diffusion parameters derived during the step-heating experiments.

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About this record

Record No 2022d082349
Topic Geoscientific Information
Type of Resource Document
Category Type
Document Type Departmental Publication - Geological Survey Geoscience Publication
Contributor Geological Survey of South Australia;Australian National University
Sponsor AuScope
Tenement
Tenement Holder
Operator
Geological Province
Mine Name Arcoona Structure;Oak Dam West prospect;Cairn Hill magnetite deposit;Kangaroo Dam prospect
Stratigraphy
Commodity
    Notes
    Geographic Locality: South Australia
    Doc No: RB 2022/00007
    Drillhole: Western Mining Corp. ASD1;(20722);Green Rock Energy Blanche 1;(206086);Goldstream Mining KD0005;(215245)

    Geographic Locality: South Australia Doc No: RB 2022/00007 Drillhole: Western Mining Corp. ASD1;(20722);Green Rock Energy Blanche 1;(206086);Goldstream Mining KD0005;(215245)

    Language English
    Metadata Standard ISO 19115-3

    Citations

    Use constraints License
    License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
    Persistent identifier https://pid.sarig.sa.gov.au/document/2022d082349
    Citation Reid, A.J.;Forster, M.;Vasegh, D. 2022. RB 2022/00007 40Ar/39Ar geochronology from AuScope National Argon Map samples, Gawler Craton, South Australia. Departmental Publication - Geological Survey Geoscience Publication. Government of South Australia.
    https://pid.sarig.sa.gov.au/document/2022d082349

    Technical information

    Status
    Maintenance and Update Frequency
    Geographic Reference GDA2020 (EPSG:7844)
    Geo bounding box {"type":"Polygon","coordinates":[[[135,-31.5],[137.5,-31.5],[137.5,-29],[135,-29],[135,-31.5]]]}
    Purpose
    
                        
                        
    
                        
                      
    Lineage