A positive test of East Antarctica-Laurentia juxtaposition within the Rodinia supercontinent.

The positions of Laurentia and other landmasses in the Precambrian supercontinent of Rodinia are controversial. Although geological and isotopic data support an East Antarctic fit with western Laurentia, alternative reconstructions favor the juxtaposition of Australia, Siberia, or South China. New g...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Goodge, John W, Vervoort, J.D., Fanning, Christopher, Brecke, D.M., Farmer, G.L., Williams, Ian, Myrow, Paul M, DePaolo, Donald
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science
Subjects:
Keywords: hafnium
isotope
neodymium
uranium
zirconium
craton
geochemistry
geology
granite
Laurentia
Precambrian
supercontinent
uranium-lead dating
zircon
Antarctica
article
Australia
chemical composition
China
geochemical analysis
geo
Antarctic
East Antarctica
Antarc*
Siberia
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1885/36492
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1159189
https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/36492/7/Goodge_etal_Positive_Test_supporting_info_ISW_2008.pdf.jpg
https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/36492/9/FanningCM_RSES_2008_05_Goodge.pdf.jpg
https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/36492/11/01_Goodge_A_positive_test_of_East_2008.pdf.jpg
https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/36492/13/02_Goodge_A_positive_test_of_East_2008.pdf.jpg
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Summary:The positions of Laurentia and other landmasses in the Precambrian supercontinent of Rodinia are controversial. Although geological and isotopic data support an East Antarctic fit with western Laurentia, alternative reconstructions favor the juxtaposition of Australia, Siberia, or South China. New geologic, age, and isotopic data provide a positive test of the juxtaposition with East Antarctica: Neodymium isotopes of Neoproterozoic rift-margin strata are similar; hafnium isotopes of ∼1.4-billion-year-old Antarctic-margin detrital zircons match those in Laurentian granites of similar age; and a glacial clast of A-type granite has a uraniun-lead zircon age of ∼1440 million years, an epsilon-hafnium initial value of +7, and an epsilon-neodymium initial value of +4. These tracers indicate the presence of granites in East Antarctica having the same age, geochemical properties, and isotopic signatures as the distinctive granites in Laurentia.

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