Dating Explosive Volcanism Perforating the Precambrian Basement in Southern Norway R. H. VERSCHURE, C. MAIJER, P. A. M. ANDRIESSEN, N. A. I. M. BOELRIJK E. H. HEBEDA, H. N. A. PRIEM & E. A. Th. VERDURMEN Verschure, R. H., Maijer, C, Andriessen, P. A. M., Boelrijk, N. A. I. M., Hebeda, E. H., Priem, H. N. A. & Verdurmen, E. A. Th. 1983: Dating explosive volcanism perfora ting the Precambrian basement in southern Norway. Norges geol. Unders. 380, 35- 49. K-Ar and Rb-Sr dating have been performed on vaarious hypabyssal diatreme facies volcanic rocks perforating the Sveconorwegian zonc of the Precambrian base ment in southern Norway. The dated rocks were taken from the Fen peralkaline carbonatitic area, the Gardnos and Hjolmodalen explosion breccias, the marginal breccia of the Fjone calcite-syenite plug, damtjernites from Gulbrandstjem, Presteoya and Brånan, and the carbonatized damtjernitic explosion breccia with abundant xenoliths from Tveitan and Honstjern in the Bamble region. The results reveal two episodes of explosive volcanic activity prior to the Permian magmatism, one about 600 Ma ago (latest Precambrian) and another probably about 350-300 Ma ago (Carboniferous). These episodes of volcanic activity possibly reflect precursor phases of the Caledonian orogeny and the Permian epeirogeny, respective ly. A dolerite dike in the Fen area may be of Permian age. R. H. Verschure, P. A. M. Andriessen, N. A. I. M. Boelrijk, E. H. Hebeda, H. N. A. Priem & E. A. Th. Verdurmen, Z. W. 0. Laboratorium voor Isotopen-Geologie, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands C. Maijer, Instituut voor Aardwetenschappen, Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht, Budapestlaan 4, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands Introduction Explosive outbursts of volcanic and related subvolcanic activity have pene trated the Precambrian continental crust at numerous points in southern Norway (Figs. 1 and 2). This part of the Baltic Shield is characterized by ages between 1200 and 800 Ma, which link the cratonization to the Sveconor wegian (Grenville) Episode of tectonism, metamorphism and magmatism. Evidence of the existence of an older continental crust is provided, for example, by the relict ages of about 1500 Ma reported from the Levang gneiss dome in the Bamble region (o'Nions & Baadsgaard 1971), the Tele mark supracrustals (Priem et al. 1973) and the high-grade charnockitic country rocks of the anorthositic complex in Rogaland (Versteeve 1975, Priem & Verschure 1982). The best known example of the explosive volcanic phenomena in southern Norway is the peralkaline-carbonatitic complex of the Fen area (e.g. Brogger 1921, Sæther 1957, Bergstol 1960, 1979, Bergstol & Svinndal 1960, Barth & 36 VERSCHURE, MAIJER, ANDRIESSEN, BOELRIJK, HEBEDA, PRIEM &VERDURMEN Fig. 7. Map showing the locations of the investigated rocks (modified after Ramberg & Barth 1966). Ramberg 1966, Ramberg & Barth 1966, Mitchell & Crocket 1970, Griffin 1973). Less well-known are the alkaline vents and dikes, explosion breccias, and ultramafic damtjernitic plugs and dikes at many other points (Figs. 1 and 2). All these (sub)volcanic phenomena are supposedly related to faults and basement fractures. Damtjernite is a porphyritic hypabyssal rock with kimberlitic and alnoitic affiniTlES (Brogger 1921). The rock varies widely in mineral composition, but mostly it consists of a groundmass of carbonate, biotite, pyroxene and magnetite in which are embedded phenocrysts of biotite, clinopyroxene and brown hornblende in varying proportions. In diatreme facies the rock contains varying amounts of xenoliths and xeno crysts of crustal and upper-mantle origin (Griffin & Taylor 1975). «DATING EXPLOSIVE VOLCANISM, S. NORWAY» 37 A number of age data have been published for the peralkaline-carbonatitic complex of the Fen area: early 'chemicaP U-Th-Pb ages of koppite (Sæther 1957), Pb-a ages of zircon (Neumann 1960) and K-Ar ages of biotites (Faul et al. 1959, Neumann 1960, Kulp & Neumann 1961, Broch 1964). On the basis of these ages, all between 600 and 560 Ma, an Eocambrian age was assigned to the Fen volcanism (Ramberg & Barth (1966). Fig. 2. Enlarged insert of Fig. 1 (modified after Ramberg & Barth 1966), showing the locations of the investigated rocks close to the Fen peralkaline-carbonatitic complex (indicated on the map as 'Fen area'). The locations of the samples from within the Fen complex are not shown. 38VERSCHURE,MAIJER,ANDRIESSEN,BOELRIJK,HEBEDA,PRIEM&VERDURMEN The present study reports the results ofK-Ar and Rb-Sr age measurements on separated minerals and whole-rocks from various types of explosive and related subvolcanic rocks in southern Norway (Figs. 1 and 2). A preliminary report of part of the data has been presented before (Verschure et al. 1977). The analytical data and calculated ages are listed in Tables 1, 2 and 3. More dating work is in progress. Experimental procedures and constants The usual techniques were applied for the analysis of potassium, argon, rubi dium and strontium (see, for example, Wielens et al. 1980). The analytical accuracy is believed to be within 1 % for K, 2% for radiogenic Ar, 1 % for XRF Rb/Sr, 1% for isotope dilution Rb and Sr, and 0.05% for 87Sr/86Sr (0.2% for the Fen 6 biotite, which represents an older analysis; Second Progress-Report 1967). The errors are the sum of the estimated contributions of the known sources of possible systematic error and the precision (2o) of the total analy tical procedures. The ages are based upon the lUGS recommended set of constants: Ae(40K) = 0.581 x 10" 10a- l, Ar(4()K) = 4.962 x 10" 1()a- \ abundance 4()K = 0.01167 atom percent total K and A( 87Rb) = 1.42 x 10" n a_1 . Results and discussion FEN AREA The investigated samples belong to different types of hypabyssal rocks. They come from six locations (Fig. 2): 1. The type-locality damtjernite forms a dike in diatreme facies near Damt jern, just outside the Fen complex. It is a dark porphyritic rock with phenocrysts of Ti-augite, brown hornblende and biotite (up to several cm in diameter), embedded in a fine-grained groundmass rich in carbonate and biotite. The damtjernite contains abundant xenoliths and xenocrysts of crustal rocks and upper-mantle spinel lherzolite. K-Ar analysis of biotite and hornblende yield ages of 564 ± 20 Ma and 597 ± 20 Ma, respectively. 2. Within the Fen complex, 0.5 km east of Sove, there is a dark, carbonatized damtjernite in diatreme facies. The rock contains abundant biotite flakes (up to 4 cm in diameter), which give a K-Ar age of 578 ± 20 Ma and a Rb-Sr model age between about 555 and 580 Ma, depending on the assumed initial 87Sr/B(iSr ratio (0.705 or 0.702, respectively). 3. A less dark-coloured damtjernite in diatreme facies near Sanna (sannaite, Brogger 1921), 6 km SW of the Fen complex, consists of about 30% of alkali feldspar and a few sericitic aggregates (allegedly pseudomorphs after nepheline) in a groundmass rich in aegirine, carbonate, chlorite and «DATING EXPLOSIVE VOLCANISM, S. NORWAY» 39 Fig. 3. Hybrid diatreme-facies damtjernite near Sanna (sannaite, Brogger 1921), with abundant fragments of country rock gneiss and phenocrysts of brown hornblende and biotite. apatite (fig. 3). Phenocrysts of augite, large brown hornblende and some biotite are also present, as well as abundant fragments of country rock. Biotite and hornblende produce K-Ar ages of 580 ± 20 Ma and 598 ± 20 Ma, respectively. 4. The diatreme-facies damtjernite near Steinsrud, 1 km SW of the Fen complex, is likewise a less dark-coloured rock. Phenocrysts of clinopyro xene, large brown hornblende and biotite, along with phenocrysts or xenocrysts of feldspar (both sodic plagioclase and alkali feldspar) and aggregates of feldspar or feldspar-quartz are embedded in a groundmass of alkali feldspar, minor pyroxene, green amphibole, biotite, opaques, tita nite and quartz. Biotite and hornblende give K-Ar ages of 523 ± 20 Ma and 597 ± 30 Ma, respectively. 5. The tinguaite dike near Lundebruene yields a K-Ar whole-rock age of 665 ± 20 Ma. According to Bergstol (1960, 1979) tinguaite dikes and plugs occur only outside the actual Fen complex, but are especially frequent close to its borders (Fig. 2). He concludes that intrusion of the tinguaites is an early event in the evolution of the carbonatitic and per alkaline complex, a conclusion which is supported by the K-Ar date. The older age of the tinguaites is also confirmed by a xenolith of tinguaite observed in the type-locality damtjernite dike. 40 VERSCHURE, MAIJER, ANDRIESSEN, BOELRIJK, HEBEDA, PRIEM &VERDURMEN Table 1. K-Ar data and calculated ages. UTM- Rock K** Radiogenic 40Ar Atmospheric 40Ar Calculated Sample nr. Coordinates type* Material (% Wt) (ppmWt) (% total # 40Ar) age(Ma)*** Damtjern diatreme-facies damtjernite (type locality) Fen 260 5 172-65692 breccia biotite 6.54 0.300 10 564 Fen 260 -5 172-65692 breccia hornblende 1.51 0.0740 4 597 Sove carbonatized diatreme-facies damtjernite Fen 6 5 168- ft5714 breccia biotite 8.07 0.381 10 578 Sanna hybridic diatreme-facies damtjernite Fen 225 s breccia biotite 6.84 0.324 10 580 Fen 225 5l34-65623 breccia hornblende 1.94 0.0935 2 598 Steinsrud hybridic diatreme-facies damtjernite Fen 281 ' 5 147-6,685 breccia biotite 6.63 0.279 19 523 Fen 281 5147-65685 breccia hornblende 1.99 0.0977 2 597 Lundebruene tinguaite dike Fen 92 5 145-65678 tinguaite whole-rock 2.87 0.160 5 665 Fen carbonatized dolerite dike (Hydro quarry) Fen 1 5 161-65716 dolerite whole-rock 3.68 0.0694" 12 253 Gulbrandstjern hypabyssal-facies damtjernite Gul 1 5027-<>5522 damtjernite biotite 6.27 0.310 4 601