Revised regional correlations and tectonic implications of Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks in northern New Mexico, USA: New fi ndings from detrital zircon studies of the Hondo Group, Vadito Group, and Marqueñas Formation James V. Jones III1,*, Christopher G. Daniel2, Dirk Frei3, and Kristine Thrane3 1Department of Earth Sciences, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas 72204, USA 2Department of Geology, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania 17837, USA 3Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350, Copenhagen K, Denmark ABSTRACT sources to the south and Mesoproterozoic zir- Jones et al., 2009). In the southwestern United con with age probability peaks at 1479 and States (Fig. 1), quartzite and related rhyolite suc- Detrital zircon ages from quartzite and 1457 Ma. Weighted averages of 1477 ± 13 Ma cessions are key marker units for distinguish- metaconglomerate in the Tusas and Picuris and 1453 ± 10 Ma for the youngest detrital ing the age and tectonic setting of events that Mountains in northern New Mexico reveal zircon in the middle and upper Marqueñas resulted in growth of southern Laurentia during new information about age and provenance Formation provide new maximum deposi- the Paleoproterozoic (Karlstrom and Bowring, trends within a >1000 km2 Proterozoic sedi- tional age constraints, indicating that it is 1988; Hoffman, 1988; Williams, 1991; Jessup mentary basin and provide a critical test not part of the Vadito Group. The minimum et al., 2006; Whitmeyer and Karlstrom, 2007; of regional correlations. Samples from the age is not well constrained but is interpreted Amato et al., 2008; Jones et al., 2009). Paleoproterozoic Vadito and Hondo groups to be ca. 1435 Ma on the basis of the timing Perhaps the single greatest impediment to are dominated by a single detrital zircon of regional metamorphism and deformation understanding the tectonic signifi cance of these population with age probability peaks that previously documented in the Picuris Moun- quartzite successions involves uncertainties range from 1765 to 1704 Ma. Minor Archean tains. These data represent the fi rst evidence about the timing of deposition. Absolute ages and ca. 1850 Ma age probability peaks were of sedimentation directly associated with ca. are only available for a small number of locali- also recognized in some samples. Close cor- 1.4 Ga regional metamorphism, plutonism, ties (e.g., Bauer and Williams, 1989; Cox et al., respondence between detrital zircon ages and deformation in the southwestern United 2002), and the limited geographical extent of and the age of surrounding basement rocks States and provide an important new con- individual quartzite exposures complicates the indicates predominately local sources, and straint on the tectonic evolution of southern correlation of the successions at the regional we interpret systematic shifts in peak ages Laurentia during this time. and global scale. Cross-cutting relationships with stratigraphic position to represent observed throughout the southern Rocky Moun- changes in local sources through time. Simi- INTRODUCTION tains (Fig. 1) indicate that deposition occurred in larities of age spectra support previous cor- cycles following regional orogenesis at ca. 1.70 relation of stratigraphic units between dis- Thick metasedimentary successions that and 1.65 Ga (Amato et al., 2008; Jones et al., continuous exposures of the Hondo Group. include abundant quartz arenite are exposed 2009). However, the duration of sediment depo- We interpret that these supracrustal rocks throughout the southwestern United States sition, local and regional basin geometries, and were deposited in a single basin that we refer and in many Paleoproterozoic orogens around the structural and metamorphic evolution of the to as the Pilar basin. the world (e.g., Dott, 1983; Rosen et al., 1994; successions are not well understood. Two samples of the Marqueñas Forma- Cox et al., 2002; Medaris et al., 2003; Betts and Here we present new detrital zircon geo- tion, a pebble to boulder conglomerate previ- Giles, 2006; Rainbird and Davis, 2007; Jones chronology for rocks from the Paleoprotero- ously correlated with the ca. 1700 Ma Vadito et al., 2009). Regional and global correlation of zoic Vadito and Hondo groups in northern New Group, are dominated by Paleoproterozoic these distinctive sequences provides key piercing Mexico (Bauer and Williams, 1989; Bauer, detrital zircon with age probability peaks at points for proposed Proterozoic supercontinent 1993). The Vadito and Hondo groups consist 1707 and 1715 Ma in the middle and upper reconstructions (e.g., Dalziel, 1991; Burrett and of >3 km of metasedimentary and metavolca- units, respectively. Unlike the Vadito and Berry, 2000; Sears and Price, 2000; Karlstrom nic rocks that are exposed in multiple mountain Hondo group samples, the Marqueñas For- et al., 2001; Goodge et al., 2008) and constrains ranges over an area greater than 1000 km2 (Figs. mation also contains abundant ca. 1700– tectonic models for the growth and stabilization 1 and 2). These rocks are broadly correlated 1600 Ma zircon derived from Mazatzal-aged of continental lithosphere (Giles et al., 2002; with multiple quartzite successions exposed to *[email protected] Geosphere; August 2011; v. 7; no. 4; p. 974–991; doi:10.1130/GES00614.1; 8 fi gures; 2 tables; 1 supplemental table. 974 For permission to copy, contact [email protected] © 2011 Geological Society of America Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article-pdf/7/4/974/3340740/974.pdf by guest on 29 September 2021 Detrital zircon studies of Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic metasedimentary successions, northern New Mexico, USA the north in Colorado (Jones et al., 2009) and to 105°W the west in Arizona (Cox et al., 2002), and their outcrop trend suggests that they were deposited in an elongated depositional basin we refer to WYOMING as the Pilar basin (Fig. 2). We interpret the Pilar PROVINCE Belt basin to represent one of multiple northeast- striking, broadly contemporaneous basins that Cheyenne formed in southern Colorado, northern New Mexico, and central Arizona ca. 1.7 Ga follow- ing the culmination of the Yavapai orogeny (Fig. zal 1; Jones et al., 2009). The correlation of units at az within the Vadito and Hondo groups was revised M t 40°N and formalized by Bauer and Williams (1989) on DeformationFr and is widely accepted in the region. However, provenance studies are only available for a small number of localities, and correlations within the groups are complicated by uncertainty in absolute and relative age constraints and poorly exposed contact relationships. Our new results confi rm some of the previous correlations and Uncompahgre Fm. Transition provide new insight into the provenance of the Zone thick metasedimentary succession. However, Needle Mts. our fi ndings also require an important revision to the Proterozoic lithostratigraphy of the region Taos Range Tusas Mts. and may also have direct bearing on models for Picuris regional metamorphism and deformation during Mts. the Mesoproterozoic. YAVAPAI Santa Fe GEOLOGICAL SETTING PROVINCE Range Exposures of Precambrian rocks across the Manzano 35°N southwestern United States show a diverse Mts. assemblage of metavolcanic and metasedi- Manzano mentary rocks with plutons that range from thrust belt mafi c to felsic composition. These rocks were formed and accreted to the southern margin of MAZATZAL the Archean Wyoming province between 1800 Ma and 1600 Ma (Condie, 1982; Karlstrom and PROVINCE Bowring, 1988; Reed et al., 1993) as part of a protracted period of Laurentian crustal growth San Andres (Whitmeyer and Karlstrom, 2007). These expo- Mts. sures have been divided into several orogenic provinces on the basis of rock ages and isotopic Burro Mts. Van Horn exposures Figure 1. Paleoproterozoic quartzite suc- cessions of the southern Rocky Mountains, U.S.A. Outcrop localities mentioned in the NORTH 100 km GRENVILLE105°W PROVINCE30°N text are labeled accordingly. Faults shown without thrust teeth are either inferred thrust faults or strike-slip faults. The out- Ca 1.65 Ga Interpreted extent of lines of possible Paleoproterozoic dep- Ca. 1.7 Ga metasedimentary successions ocenters are from Jones et al. (2009) and highlight ca. 1.70 Ga metasedimentary suc- Quartzite Precambrian cessions that might be broadly correlative. exposures exposures The Pilar basin discussed in the text is at 1.70-1.65 Ga Crustal province the southern end of the southern Colorado– rhyolites boundaries northern New Mexico depocenter outline and is highlighted in Figure 2. Geosphere, August 2011 975 Downloaded from http://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/geosphere/article-pdf/7/4/974/3340740/974.pdf by guest on 29 September 2021 Jones et al. characteristics (Fig. 1). The Yavapai province sional phase of this long-lived, progressive oro- Mazatzal province rocks are characterized by Nd is interpreted to represent a complex collage of genic event occurred ca. 1710–1700 Ma (Karl- model ages between 1800 and 1700 Ma (Bennett predominantly juvenile arc terranes character- strom and Bowring, 1988), and was followed and DePaolo, 1987) and were accreted to south- ized by rocks with Nd model ages between 2000 by voluminous postorogenic granitoid magma- ern Laurentia during the 1660–1600 Ma Mazat- and 1800 Ma (Bennett and DePaolo, 1987). tism from ca. 1690 to 1650 Ma (Anderson and zal orogeny (Silver, 1965; Karlstrom and Bow- Rocks of the Yavapai province