Proterozoic crustal history of the western United States as determined by neodymium isotopic mapping

TL;DR: In this article, three age provinces have been delineated, each generally northeast-southwest trending, having decreasing crystallization ages and increasing initial e nd values with increasing distance southeastward from the Archean craton.

Abstract: Initial Nd isotopic ratios of crystalline rocks from an area of ∼ 1.5 × 10 6 km 2 of the western United States have been determined in order to map Precambrian age province boundaries and thus document the growth and modification of the North American continent in the Proterozoic. The use of three representative rock suites of different ages— Mesozoic and Tertiary peraluminous granitic rocks, middle Proterozoic (ca. 1.4 Ga) “an-orogenic” granitic rocks, and lower Proterozoic (ca. 1.7 Ga) igneous and metamorphic rocks—allows the ages of the provinces to be distinguished on the basis of different Nd isotopic evolution paths rather than solely on the basis of model ages. Three age provinces have been delineated, each generally northeast-southwest trending, having decreasing crystallization ages and increasing initial e Nd values with increasing distance southeastward from the Archean craton. Province 1 is composed of crustal rocks of central Utah and northeastern Nevada, which are characterized by average values of e Nd (1.7 Ga) ≈ 0 and T DM ≈ 2.0–2.3 Ga. Province 2 covers Colorado, southern Utah, and northwestern Arizona and has e Nd (1.7 Ga) ≈ +3 and T DM ≈ 1.8–2.0 Ga. Province 3, which comprises the basement rocks of New Mexico and southern Arizona, has e Nd (1.7 Ga) ≈ +5 and T DM ≈ 1.7–1.8 Ga. An additional region of province 1-type isotopic characteristics, herein named “Mojavia,” is found in eastern California and western Nevada. Crust formation in each province involved a large component of mantle-derived material plus a moderate amount (∼20%) of pre-existing crust. As the new crust was built outward from the Archean nucleus, however, contributions of Archean material to the newly forming crust were more effectively screened, so that the most distal province (3) is derived almost entirely from Proterozoic mantle. The province boundaries are subparallel to the crystallization age trends determined by other workers. An exception to this is the Mojavia region of province 1, which crosscuts and truncates the other provinces in the region of the lower Colorado River. This region appears to be displaced relative to other areas of the North American basement that have similar isotopic characteristics. This suggests the presence of a previously unrecognized large-scale, left-lateral, north-south–trending basement offset of Proterozoic age in the vicinity of the California-Arizona border.