TABLE 4.1(a)

Radiometric Ages of Some Early Archean and Related Rocks of the North Atlantic Craton

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Unit and locality(b) Method Number of samples(c}  Age (Ga)(d) Source
WEST GREENLAND
Qôrqut granite
Godthaab Rb-Sr 23w 2.53 ± 0.03 Moorbath, Taylor, and Goodwin, 1981
Rb-Sr 3m 2.52 ± 0.03 Pankhurst et al., 1973
Pb-Pb 23w 2.58 ± 0.08 Moorbath, Taylor, and Goodwin, 1981
U-Pb 7z 2.53 ± 0.03 Baadsgaard, 1976
Nûk gneisses
(and equivalents)
Bjorneoen Pb-Pb 11w 3.02 ± 0.26 P. N. Taylor et al., 1980
Rb-Sr 11w 2.98 ± 0.05 P. N. Taylor et al. 1980
Rb-Sr 14w 2.94 ± 0.09 P. N. Taylor et al., 1980; Moorbath and Pankhurst 1976; Pankhurst, Moorbath, and McGregor, 1973
Rb-Sr 6w 3.08 ± 0.03 Baadsgaard and McGregor, 1981
Buksefjord Rb-Sr 21w 2.86 ± 0.09 P. N. Taylor et al., 1980; Moorbath and Pankhurst 1976
Faeringehavn Rb-Sr 8w 2.73 ± 0.06 Moorbath and Pankhurst, 1976
Fiskenaesset Pb-Pb 9w 2.82 ± 0.07 P. N. Taylor et al., 1980
U-Pb 5z 2.80 ± 0.10 Pidgeon, Aftalion, and Kalsbeek, 1976
Rb-Sr 11w 2.84 ± 0.07 P. N. Taylor et al., 1980; Moorbath and Pankhurst, 1976
Fredrikshaabs isblink Rb-Sr 13w 2.60 ± 0.12 Moorbath and Pankhurst, 1976; Pidgeon and Hopgood, 1975
Godthaab U-Pb 5z 2.82 ± 0.05 Baadsgaard, 1976
Rb-Sr 11w 2.77 ± 0.19 P. N. Taylor et al., 1980; Moorbath and Pankhurst 1976
Godthaabsfjord Rb-Sr 11w 2.86 ± 0.30 P. N. Taylor et al., 1980; Moorbath and Pankhurst 1976
Itivinga
Nordland
Sermilik
Rb-Sr 6w 2.86 ± 0.06 P. N. Taylor et al., 1980
Pb-Pb 19w 3.00 ± 0.07 P. N. Taylor et al., 1980
Pb-Pb 11w 3.00 ± 0.09 P. N. Taylor et al., 1980
Rb-Sr 20w 2.75 ± 0.04 P. N. Taylor et al., 1980; Moorbath and Pankhurst 1976
Layered anorthosite
Fiskenaesset Rb-Sr 4w 2.75 ± 0.24 Alexander, Evensen, and Murthy, 1973
Ar-Ar 1w 2.83 ± 0.08 Alexander, Evensen, and Murthy, 1973
South of Godthaab Pb-Pb 15w 2.76 ± 0.14 P. N. Taylor et al., 1980
Amîtsoq gneisses
Godthaab U-Pb 9z 3.60 ± 0.05 Baadsgaard, 1973, 1976
U-Pb 8z 3.60 Michard-Vitrac et al., 1977
Pb-Pb 13w 3.56 ± 0.10 Black et al.,1971
Isua Pb-Pb 9w 3.74 ± 0.12 Moorbath, O'Nions, and Pankhurst, 1975
Rb-Sr 13w 3.64 ± 0.06 Moorbath, O'Nions, and Pankhurst, 1975; Moorbath et al., 1977a
Rb-Sr 12w 3.62 ± 0.14 Moorbath et al., 1972
Narssaq Rb-Sr 25w 3.67 ± 0.09 Moorbath et al., 1972
Narssaq, Qilangarssuit, Isua Lu-Hf 9w, z 3.55 ± 0.22 Pettingill and Patchett, 1981
Praestefjord Rb-Sr 18w 3.61 ± 0.22 Moorbath et al., 1972
Qilangarssuit Rb-Sr 7w 3.66 ± 0.10 Moorbath et al., 1972
Simiutat Pb-Pb 7w 3.62 ± 0.13 Griffin et al., 1980
Rb-Sr 7w 3.56 ± 0.14 Griffin et al., 1980
Early supracrustals
Various units, Isua Conglomerate U-Pb 16z 3.81 ± 0.02 Baadsgaard et al., 1984
U-Pb 8z 3.77 ± 0.01 Michard-Vitrac et al., 1977
Rb-Sr 8w 3.66 ± 0.06 Moorbath, O'Nions, and Pankhurst, 1975; Moorbath et al., 1977a
Rb-Sr 5w 3.71 ± 0.07 Jacobsen and Dymek, 1988
Garbenschiefer + conglomerate Sm-Nd 12w 3.75 ± 0.04 Hamilton et al., 1983
Iron formation Pb-Pb 11w 3.70 ± 0.07 Moorbath, O'Nions, and Pankhurst, 1973
Akilia association,
Akilia
U-Pb 11z 3.59 ± 0.04 Baadsgaard et a1., 1984
LABRADOR
Post-tectonic granite
Saglek U-Pb 4z 2.52 Baadsgaard, Collerson, and Bridgwater, 1979
Younger gneisses
Ikarut, Hebron Rb-Sr 7w 2.77 ± 0.14 Collerson, Kerr, and Compston, 1981
Kammersuit, Nachvak Rb-Sr 6w 2.69 ± 0.14 Collerson, Kerr, and Compston, 1981
Granitic sheets, Saglek Rb-Sr 21w 2.81 ± 0.21 Collerson, Kerr, and Compston, 1981
Kiyuktok, Saglek Pb-Pb 5w 3.50 ± 0.11 Collerson, Kerr, and Compston, 1981
Rb-Sr 15w 2.75 ± 0.12 Collerson, Kerr, and Compston, 1981
Rb-Sr 6w 3.06 ± 0.16 Hurst et al., 1975
Civak gneisses        
Saglek, Maidmonts Is. U-Pb 3z 3.76 ± 0.15 Winless, Bridgwater, and Collerson, 1979
Saglek Rb-Sr 7w 3.55 ± 0.07 Hurst et al., 1975
Hebron Rb-Sr 8w 3.56 ± 0.08 Barton, 1982
Saglek and Hebron
(plus Amîtsoq)(e) various
Rb-Sr 21w 3.61 ± 0.20 M. Cameron et al., 1981
Sm-Nd 28w 3.56 ± 0.20 Collerson, McCulloch, and Miller, 1981

Note: Units within an area, e.g., West Greenland, are listed in stratigraphic order when this order is known. All of the ages are based on isochron (Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, Lu-Hf), concordia-discordia (U-Pb), or age-spectrum (Ar-Ar) techniques.

(a) From Dalrymple, G. Brent. 1991. “The Age of the Earth”. Stanford University Press.  Copyright © 1991 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University.

(b) Localities are approximate as samples are generally collected over a broad area.

(c) w, whole rock; z, zircon; m, various minerals from same rock.

(d) All ages calculated with the decay constants in Table 3.1. Errors are at the 95% confidence level (two standard deviations).

(e) Combined isochron using 18 Uivak samples and 10 Amîtsoq samples.


References

Alexander, E. C., Jr., N. M. Evensen, and V. R. Murthy. 1973. 40Ar-39Ar and Rb-Sr studies of the Fiskenaesset complex, West Greenland. [abstract] Eos, vol. 54, p. 1227.

Baadsgaard, H. 1973. U–Th–Pb dates on zircons from the early Precambrian Amîtsoq gneisses, Godthaab district, West Greenland. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 19, pp. 22-28.

————— 1976. Further U–Pb dates on zircons from the early Precambrian rocks of the Godthaabsfjord area, West Greenland. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 33, pp. 261-67.

Baadsgaard, H., K. D. Collerson, and D. Bridgewater. 1979. The Archean gneiss complex of northern Labrador 1. Preliminary U-Th-Pb geochronology. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol 16, pp. 951-61,

Baadsgaard, H., and V. R. McGregor. 1981. The U–Th–Pb systematics of zircons from the type Mk gneisses, Godthaabsfjord, West Greenland. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 45, pp. 1099-109.

Baadsgaard, H., A. P. Nutman, D. Bridgwater, M. Rosing, V. R. McGregor, and J. H. Allaart. 1984. The zircon geochronology of the Akilia association and Isua supracrustal belt, West Greenland. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 68, pp. 221-28.

Barton, J. M., Jr. 1982. "A reappraisal of the Rb–Sr systematics of early Archaean gneisses from Hebron, Labrador" by K. D. Collerson et al. – a reply. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 60, pp. 337-38.

Black, L. P., N. Gale, S. Moorbath, R. J. Pankhurst, and V. R. McGregor. 1971. Isotopic dating of very early Precambrian amphibolite facies gneisses from the Godthaab district, West Greenland. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 12, pp. 245-59.

Cameron, M., K. D. Collerson, W. Compston, and R. Morton. 1981. The statistical analysis and interpretation of imperfectly fitted Rb—Sr isochrons from polymetamorphic terrains. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 45, pp. 1087 — 97.

Collerson, K. D., A. Kerr, and W. Compston. 1981. Geochronology and evolution of Late Archaean gneisses in Northern Labrador: An example of reworked sialic crust. pp. 205-22 in J. E. Glover and D. I. Groves, editors. Archaean Geology. Geological Society of Australia Special Publ. 7.

Griffin, W. L., V. R. McGregor, A. Nutman, P. N. Taylor, and D. Bridgwater. 1980. Early Archaean granulite-facies metamorphism south of Ameralik, West Greenland. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 50, pp. 59-74.

Hamilton, P. J., R. K. O'Nions, D. Bridgwater, and A. Nutman. 1983. Sm-Nd studies of Archean metasediments and metavolcanics from West Greenland and their implications for the Earth's early history. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol 62 pp. 263-72.

Hurst, R. W., D. Bridgwater, K. D. Collerson, and G. W. Wetherill. 1975. 3600-m.y. Rb-Sr ages from very early Archaean gneisses from Saglek Bay, Labrador. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 27, pp. 393-403.

Jacobsen, S. B., and R. F. Dymek. 1988. Nd and Sr isotopic systematics of clastic metasediments from Isua, West Greenland: Identification of pre-3.8Ga differentiated crustal components. Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 93, pp. 338-54.

Michard-Vitrac, A., J. Lancelot, J. C. Allegre, and S. Moorbath. 1977. U-Pb ages on single zircons from the early Precambrian rocks of West Greenland and the Minnesota River Valley. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 35, pp. 449-53.

Moorbath, S., J. H. Allaart, D. Bridgwater, and V. R. McGregor. 1977a. Rb-Sr ages of early Archean supercrustal rocks and Amîtsoq gneisses at Isua. Nature, vol. 270, pp. 43-45.

Moorbath, S., R. K. O'Nions, and R. J. Pankhurst. 1973. Early Archean age for the Isua iron formation, West Greenland. Nature, vol. 245, pp. 138-39.

————— 1975. The evolution of early Precambrian crustal rocks at Isua, West Greenland – geochemical and isotopic evidence. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 27, pp. 229-39.

Moorbath, S., R. K. O'Nions, R. J. Pankhurst, N. H. Gale, and V. R. McGregor. 1972. Further rubidium-strontium age determinations on the very early Precambrian rocks of the Godthaab district, West Greenland. Nature Physical Science, vol. 240, pp. 78-82.

Moorbath, S., and R. J. Pankhurst. 1976. Further rubidium-strontium age and isotope evidence for the nature of the late Archaean plutonic event in West Greenland. Nature, vol. 262, pp. 124-26.

Moorbath, S., P. N. Taylor, and R. Goodwin. 1981. Origin of granitic magma by crustal remobilization: Rb-Sr and Pb/Pb geochronology and isotope geochemistry of the late Archean Qorqut granite complex of southern West Greenland. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 45, pp. 1051-60.

Pankhurst, R. J., S. Moorbath, and V. R. McGregor. 1973. Late event in the geological evolution of the Godthaab district, West Greenland. Nature Physical Science, vol. 243, pp. 24-26.

Pankhurst, R. J., S. Moorbath, D. C. Rex, and G. Turner. 1973. Mineral age patterns in ca. 3700 m.y. old rocks from West Greenland. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 20, pp. 157-70.

Pettingill, H. S., and P. J. Patchett. 1981. Lu-Hf total-rock age for the Amîtsoq gneisses, West Greenland. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, vol. 55, pp. 150-56.

Pidgeon, R. T., M. Aftalion, and F. Kalsbeek. 1976. The age of the Ilivertalik granite in the Fiskenaesset area. The Geological Survey of Greenland, Report no. 73, pp. 31-33.

Pidgeon, R. T., and A. M. Hopgood. 1975. Geochronology of Archean gneisses and tonalites from north of the Frederikshaabs isblink, S. W. Greenland. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 39, pp. 1333-46.

Taylor, P. N., S. Moorbath, R. Goodwin, and A. C. Petrykowski. 1980. Crustal contamination as an indicator of the extent of early Archaean continental crust: Pb isotopic evidence from the late Archaean gneisses of West Greenland. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 44, pp. 1437-53.

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