Petrology and Geochronology of 1.48 to 1.45 Ga Igneous Rocks in the St. Francois Mountains Terrane, Southeast Missouri
Links
- Document: Report (7.35 MB pdf)
- Data Releases:
- USGS data release— - SHRIMP U-Pb geochronologic data for zircon and titanite from Mesoproterozoic rocks of the St. Francois Mountains terrane, southeast Missouri, U.S.A.
- USGS data release— - Geochemical and Modal Data for Mesoproterozoic Igneous Rocks of the St. Francois Mountains, Southeast Missouri
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
The igneous geology of the St. Francois Mountains terrane in southeast Missouri is dominated by the products of 1.48 to 1.45 billion year old volcanic and plutonic magmatism but also includes volumetrically minor, compositionally bimodal contributions added during plutonism between 1.34 and 1.27 billion years ago. The 1.48 to 1.45 billion year old igneous rocks in the St. Francois Mountains terrane are bimodally distributed between volumetrically dominant felsic rocks and volumetrically minor rocks with mafic to intermediate compositions. All of these rocks are ferroan, which like most of their trace element abundances, suggests a genesis associated with farfield intraplate extensional tectonism and decompression-related magmatism. The diversity of compositions among 1.48 to 1.45 billion year old igneous rocks in the St. Francois Mountains terrane probably reflects mixtures of mantle-derived mafic inputs and low-degree partial melting of more evolved crustal protoliths. Newly determined ages define essentially continuous magmatism during the 30-million-year period between 1.48 and 1.45 billion years ago. The products of this magmatism are essentially coeval, whether intrusive or extrusive or having mafic, intermediate, or felsic compositions. In addition, the iron oxide-apatite (for example, Pea Ridge) and likely the iron oxide-copper gold (Boss) deposits in the St. Francois Mountains terrane have ages coincident with this magmatic episode. Spatial and temporal relations between 1.48 to 1.45 billion year old igneous rocks in the St. Francois Mountains terrane and the mineral deposits they host suggest the associated magmatic and mineralization processes are also genetically related.
Geochemical, petrographic, geochronologic, and terrane-wide physical characteristics of the 1.48 to 1.45 billion year old igneous rocks in the St. Francois Mountains terrane are consistent with an origin involving extension well inboard from the margin of the Laurentian craton, associated mantle upwelling, lower crustal melting in response to mantle-derived thermal inputs, and mixing of mantle- and juvenile lower crustal-derived melts. Significant major and trace element compositional dispersion characteristics of these rocks likely reflect midcrustal magma reservoir fractionation of their principal rock-forming minerals. The resultant magmas constitute a series of variably hybridized reservoirs, emplaced at upper levels in the crust, that form a series of plutonic and associated eruptive products.
Suggested Citation
du Bray, E.A., Aleinikoff, J.N., Day, W.C., Neymark, L.A., Burgess, S.D., 2021, Petrology and geochronology of 1.48 to 1.45 Ga igneous rocks in the St. Francois Mountains terrane, southeast Missouri: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1866, 88 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1866.
ISSN: 2330-7102 (online)
Study Area
Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Abstract
- Introduction
- Nature of Mesoproterozoic Igneous Rocks in the St. Francois Mountains Terrane
- Geochronology of 1.48 to 1.45 Ga Igneous Rocks in the St. Francois Mountains Terrane
- Methods
- Results
- Petrographic Characteristics
- Whole-Rock Geochemistry
- Tectonic Setting During 1.48 to 1.45 Ga Magmatism in the St. Francois Mountains Terrane
- Conclusions
- References Cited
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Petrology and geochronology of 1.48 to 1.45 Ga igneous rocks in the St. Francois Mountains terrane, southeast Missouri |
| Series title | Professional Paper |
| Series number | 1866 |
| DOI | 10.3133/pp1866 |
| Year Published | 2021 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Publisher location | Reston, VA |
| Contributing office(s) | Geology, Geophysics, and Geochemistry Science Center |
| Description | Report: viii, 88 p.; 2 Data Releases |
| Country | United States |
| State | Missouri |
| Other Geospatial | St. Francois Mountains |
| Online Only (Y/N) | Y |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |