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Evidence from zircon dating for existence of approximately 2.1 Ga old crystalline basement in southern Bohemia, Czech Republic

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Abstract

Zircon ages are reported for three Moldanubian amphibolite grade orthogneisses from the southern Bohemian Massif obtained by conventional U/Pb analyses. For two of these orthogneisses, conventional U/Pb data are supported by ion microprobe single zircon ages or single grain evaporation data. The amphibolite grade orthogneisses, occurring in three small tectonic lenses within the Varied Group close to the South Bohemian Main Thrust, are of tonalitic, granodioritic or quartz dioritic composition.

Conventional bulk size fraction and ion microprobe analyses of nearly euhedral zircons from a metatonalite, erroneously interpreted as a metagreywacke in a previous study, yielded an upper Concordia intercept age of 2048 ± 12 Ma. The well preserved euhedral grain shapes of the zircons suggest crystallization from a magmatic phase, and the upper Concordia intercept age is now interpreted as reflecting a magmatic event at that time. The age of this rock is compatible with the conventional zircon data and the (207Pb/206Pb)* single grain evaporation result from two further orthogneisses providing intrusion ages of 2 060 ± 12, 2 104 ± 1 and 2 061 ± 6 Ma, respectively. For one sample a concordant U/Pb age for sphene of 355 ± 2 Ma defines the age of amphibolite facies metamorphism. The upper Concordia intercept ages of three orthogneisses constitute the first direct evidence for the presence of early Proterozoic crust under the supracrustal cover in the southern part of the Bohemian Massif.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut fur Chemie, Postfach 3060, 6500, Mainz, Germany

    J. I. Wendt & W. Todt

  2. Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Mainz, Postfach 3980, 6500, Mainz, Germany

    J. I. Wendt & A. Kröner

  3. Geological Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Rozvojová 135, 16500, Praha 6, Czech Republic

    J. Fiala

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  1. J. I. Wendt
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  2. A. Kröner
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  3. J. Fiala
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  4. W. Todt
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Correspondence to: J. I. Wendt

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Wendt, J.I., Kröner, A., Fiala, J. et al. Evidence from zircon dating for existence of approximately 2.1 Ga old crystalline basement in southern Bohemia, Czech Republic. Geol Rundsch 82, 42–50 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00563269

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