Monazite ''In Situ'' Pb/ Pb Geochronology Using a Small
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Chemical Geology 184 (2002) 151–165 www.elsevier.com/locate/chemgeo Monazite ‘‘in situ’’ 207Pb/206Pb geochronology using a small geometry high-resolution ion probe. Application to Archaean and Proterozoic rocks Delphine Bosch a,*, Dalila Hammor b, Olivier Bruguier c, Renaud Caby a, Jean-Marc Luck d aLaboratoire de Tectonophysique, Universite´ Montpellier II, CNRS-UMR 5568, cc 066, Place Euge`ne Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 05, France bDe´partement de Ge´ologie, Universite´ d’Annaba, B.P. 12, El Hadjar Annaba, Algeria cService ICP-MS, ISTEEM, Universite´ Montpellier II, cc 049, Place Euge`ne Bataillon, 34 095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France dLaboratoire de Ge´ophysique, Tectonique et Se´dimentologie, Universite´ Montpellier II, CNRS-UMR 5573, cc 060, Place Euge`ne Bataillon, 34 095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France Received 19 March 2001; accepted 2 August 2001 Abstract This paper reports the application of secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) using a small geometry Cameca IMS4f ion probe to provide reliable in situ 207Pb/206Pb ages on monazite populations of Archaean and Proterozoic age. The reliability of the SIMS technique has been assessed on two samples previously dated by the conventional ID-TIMS method at 2661 F 1 Ma for monazites extracted from a pelitic schist from the Jimperding Metamorphic Belt (Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia) and 1083 F 3 Ma for monazites from a high-grade paragneiss from the Northampton Metamorphic Complex (Pinjarra Orogen, Western Australia). SIMS results provide 207Pb/206Pb weighted mean ages of 2659 F 3Ma(n = 28) and 1086 F 6Ma (n = 21) in close agreement with ID-TIMS reference values for the main monazite growth event. Monazites from the Northampton Complex document a complex history. The spatial resolution of about 30 mm and the precision achieved successfully identify within-grain heterogeneities and indicate that monazite growth and recrystallisation occurred during several events. This includes detection of one inherited grain dated at ca. 1360 Ma, which is identical to the age of the youngest group of detrital zircons in the paragneiss. Younger ages at ca. 1120 Ma are tentatively interpreted as dating a growth event during the prograde stages of metamorphism. These results demonstrate that the closure temperature for lead diffusion in monazite can be as high as 800 °C. At last, ages down to ca. 990 Ma are coeval with late pegmatitic activity and may reflect either lead losses or partial recrystallisation during the waning stages of metamorphism. A third unknown sample was analysed to test the capability of the in situ method to date younger monazite populations. The sample, a pelitic metatexite from Northwestern Hoggar (Algeria), contains rounded metamorphic monazites that provide a 207Pb/206Pb weighted mean age of 603 F 11 Ma (n = 20). This age is interpreted as recording emplacement of a gabbronoritic body during amphibolite facies regional metamorphism and is representative of the late pulse of the Pan-African tectonometamorphic * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: [email protected] (D. Bosch), [email protected] (O. Bruguier), [email protected] (R. Caby), [email protected] (J.-M. Luck). 0009-2541/02/$ - see front matter D 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII: S 0009-2541(01)00361-8 152 D. Bosch et al. / Chemical Geology 184 (2002) 151–165 evolution in the western part of the Tuareg shield. In situ SIMS analyses using a widely available, small geometry ion probe, can thus be successfully used to accurately determine ages for complex Precambrian monazite populations. D 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: SIMS; Monazite; 207Pb/206Pb geochronology; Metamorphism 1. Introduction Th content of the unknown samples (Zhu et al., 1998). Moreover, these large geometry ion probes are not yet Over the last decade, monazite, a lanthanide-rich widely available, which reduces their use as a world- phosphate, has been widely used as a geochronometer wide routine method. and this mineral is, after zircon, probably the most Electron microprobe (EMPA) has also been shown used U-rich phase in geochronology. Monazite is a to be a valuable alternative to monazite dating (Mon- common accessory mineral occurring in a wide tel et al., 1996; Cocherie et al., 1998). The main variety of rock types (sedimentary, metamorphic advantage of this technique being the very high spatial and magmatic), therefore allowing the dating of resolution of around 1 mm compared to the 20- to 30- various events such as the emplacement of magmatic mm spots used by most ion microprobes. The preci- rocks or the growth of minerals (or cooling) in sion, however, is limited to around 20 Ma, which metamorphic terranes (e.g. Parrish, 1990), or the precludes identification of monazite-forming events tracing of source region for detritus that accumulated occurring in a limited time span. in sedimentary basins. Monazite is thought to have a There is a growing interest (e.g. Poitrasson et al., relatively simple behaviour in comparison to zircon 2000) for monazite dating by laser ablation induc- and is often found in concordant position in the con- tively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP- cordia diagram, thus indicating closed system behav- MS) which revealed to be a very fast technique with a iour with respect to the U–Pb system. In contrast to spatial resolution comparable to secondary ion mass silicate minerals such as zircon, which have a ten- spectrometry (SIMS). The high drilling rate (ca. 0.5– dency to become metamict, monazite rarely exhibits 1 mm/s) can, however, constitute a serious drawback radiation damage of the crystal lattice in spite of very when analysing heterogeneous material. high U and Th contents (thousands of parts per In this paper, the capability of the more widely million). available, small geometry Cameca IMS4f ion microp- Recent studies, however, have highlighted com- robe for rapid, in situ, isotopic analyses of selected plexities in the behaviour of this mineral such as areas of monazite crystals has been investigated as an inheritance (Copeland et al., 1988), secondary alternative way to analyse complex metamorphic replacement (De Wolf et al., 1993; Zhu et al., 1997; populations. We present results from two well-dated Bingen and van Breemen, 1998) and Pb loss by late Archaean and Proterozoic samples and from a volume diffusion during a metamorphic event (Black third unknown sample outcropping in the Hoggar et al., 1984; Suzuki et al., 1994) or enhanced by Mountains (Algeria). In addition, the results shed damage to the crystal lattice (Hawkins and Bowring, some light on the behaviour of monazite, which has 1997). Implicit to this is the growing need for part implications for its use as a U–Pb geochronometer. grain analyses, either by conventional method or by in situ high-resolution ion microprobe. Up to now, three techniques allow in situ analyses 2. Analytical techniques of monazites for geochronological purposes. Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobes (such as SHRIMP) Separation of minerals was performed using stand- have been used to successfully determine U–Pb ages ard techniques (Wifley table and heavy liquids). After (e.g. Williams et al., 1996), but this requires character- cleaning in dilute 0.5 N HNO3 and tridistilled water, isation of monazite standards, which should match the the monazite grains were subsequently mounted in D. Bosch et al. / Chemical Geology 184 (2002) 151–165 153 epoxy resin and polished to approximately half their thickness to expose internal structures. The mounts were then carefully washed with tridistilled water, soap and alcohol and stored in a clean environment before analysis. SIMS analyses were carried out on the Cameca IMS4f ion microprobe with a spot size of about 30 mm. To avoid sample charging by the 16O À primary beam, the mounts were coated by ca. 100- nm-thick gold film. Before its introduction within the sample lock, the surface conductivity of the mount was checked to be less than 20 V and it was then held under vacuum overnight to ensure degassing. Before each analysis, a 10-min rastering was conducted to pass through the gold coat and to reach steady sputtering conditions. The primary beam currents ranged from 8 to 20 nA, the highest current being used for the youngest sample. The primary beam was accelerated onto the sample surface by a 12.65-keV potential and stability was better than 0.6%. Positive secondary ions were extracted using a 4.5-keV poten- tial and the energy window was set at 50 eV to remove low-energy ions and molecular species. The beam passed then through a double focussing mass spectrometer operated at a high mass resolution to resolve molecular and isobaric interferences in the 204–208 mass range. High-resolution mass spectrum of monazites shows that the main interferences are mostly due to REE-oxides. The most significant molecular interfer- ences are related to PrPO2, GdPO and YbO2 which 204 Fig. 1. Typical mass scans of monazites obtained with the IMS4f ion occur near the Pb (see Fig. 1a). As the measured probe at a mass resolving power of 3500. (a) Molecular ions 207 206 Pb/ Pb ratios must be corrected from common interferences in the 204 mass range spectrum. The main inter- 206 204 lead contribution by referring to the Pb/ Pb ferences are from PrPO2 and to a lesser degree to GdPO and YbO2. measured ratios, good separation of the 204Pb peak (b) Molecular ion interferences in the 208 mass range spectrum are from these neighbouring interferences is essential. related to Sm species (SmSiO2, SmCaO, SmPSi). Indeed, any unresolved interference on the small 204Pb peak will be responsible for an overcorrection of the 207Pb/206Pb ratio resulting in too young an age. integrated dead-time measured using Pb standards.