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Neogene volcanism in the Fort Selkirk area began with eruptions in the Wolverine Creek basin ca. 4.3 Ma and persisted to ca. 3.0 Ma filling the ancestral Yukon River valley with at least 40 m of lava flows. Activity at the Ne Ch’e Ddhawa eruptive center overlapped with the last stages of the Wolverine Creek eruptive centers. Hyaloclastic tuff was erupted between ca. 3.21 and 3.05 Ma. This eruption caused or was coincident with damming of Yukon River. The first demonstrable incursion of a Cordilleran ice sheet into the Fort Selkirk area was coincident with a second eruption of the Ne Ch’e Ddhawa eruptive center ca. 2.1 Ma. The Ne Ch’e Ddhawa subglacial mound was erupted beneath at least 300 m of glacial ice (Ne Ch’e Ddhawa Glaciation). The Eruption of the Fort Selkirk center occurred between the last eruption of Ne Ch’e Ddhawa and Fort Selkirk Glaciation (ca. 2.1–1.5 Ma). Till and outwash from Fort Selkirk Glaciation are conformably overlain by nonglacial sediments that contain the Fort Selkirk tephra (fission track dated at ca. 1.5 Ma). These nonglacial sediments also preserve a short magnetic reversal (reversed to normal) identified as the Gilsa polarity excursion. Temporal control and sedimentology constrain Fort Selkirk Glaciation and the Fort Selkirk Local Fauna to marine isotope stage 54. Rapid and extensive eruption of the Pelly eruptive center filled the Yukon River valley with 70 m of lava which buried these glacial and nonglacial sediments and dammed Yukon River. Local striations and erratic pebbles occur on the last of these lava flows. They document a subsequent incursion of glacial ice during the last 500 ka of the Matuyama Chron (Forks Glaciation). The last major eruption of mafic lava occurred in the middle Pleistocene west of (early Holocene) Volcano Mountain in basin of Black Creek: lava flowed down the valley presently occupied by Black Creek and dammed Yukon River in the area of the Black Creek confluence. This eruption predated the middle Pleistocene Reid Glaciation. Minor volcanism has continued in this area since the middle Pleistocene at Volcano Mountain.

Strongly foliated amphibolite clasts are found embedded within the ophiolitic melange underlying the Xigaze Ophiolite near Bainang and Angren, Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone, Southern Tibet. These high-grade amphibolites are interpreted as remnants of a dismembered subophiolitic metamorphic sole that would have formed during the inception of a subduction. They include garnet-clinopyroxene amphibolites, clinopyroxene amphibolites and common amphibolites. Petrographic descriptions, mineral chemistry and thermobarometry of these rocks can be found in a companion paper [Guilmette, C., Hebert, R., Dupuis, C., Wang, C.S., Li, Z.J., 2008. Metamorphic history and geodynamic significance of high-grade metabasites from the ophiolitic melange beneath the Yarlung Zangbo Ophiolites, Xigaze area, Tibet. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 32, 423–437.]. The geochemistry of the amphibolites confirms that their protoliths were igneous mafic rocks of basaltic to pyroxenitic composition that were likely part of an upper oceanic crust. Rare Earth Elements contents are suggestive of an N-MORB origin. However, enriched LILEs and depleted Nb–Ta–Ti when compared to N-MORBs rather suggest a suprasubduction zone influence. A large proportion of the overlying ophiolitic mafic rocks share the same geochemical characteristics, suggesting the protoliths of the amphibolites might have crystallized in the same environment as the Xigaze ophiolitic crust, likely in a back-arc basin. 40 Ar/ 39 Ar step-heating dating of hornblende concentrates from three samples yielded ages of 123.6 ± 2.9 Ma, 127.7 ± 2.2 Ma and 127.4 ± 2.3 Ma. These cooling ages are slightly younger or overlapping magmatic and sedimentary ages obtained from the overlying ophiolite. All these new data support a model in which the ophiolitic crust and the protolith of the amphibolites were formed along the same spreading center above a subduction zone. The demise of the early subduction circa 130 Ma forced the inception of a new subduction zone at the SSZ spreading axis, burying SSZ mafic rocks underneath a SSZ ophiolitic mantle.

The age of the Fish Canyon Tuff (FCT) has been the subject of intense study due to its potential significance as a geochronological test to establish age concordance between the K/Ar and U/Pb isotopic systems. Minerals from the FCT (notably sanidine and biotite) are in widespread use as 40Ar/39Ar fluence monitors (“standards”) and have been employed as both primary and intercalibrated standards. In attempting to constrain the true age of FCT, the distinction between primary vs. intercalibrated ages is important, as only the primary age determinations are valid. An investigation of both Fish Canyon sanidine (FCs) and Fish Canyon biotite (FCT-3) was undertaken to assess the chemical and isotopic homogeneity of the minerals on a grain-to-grain scale. Electron microprobe results show that FCs is chemically homogeneous, verifying previous studies, although there are some very small zones of minor K depletion; FCT-3 biotite commonly contains numerous and small mineral inclusions. 40Ar/39Ar experiments further show that FCs is remarkably homogeneous, confirming previous observations, whereas FCT-3 shows much greater isotopic variability due to contamination from the mineral inclusions. By setting the age of FCs equal to 27.98±0.15 Ma (2σ), as intercalibrated to the U/Pb system by Villeneuve et al. (2000), the resultant intercalibration factor between FCs and FCT-3 is 1.005±0.017 yielding an age of 28.13±0.47 Ma (2σ) for FCT-3, although the significant intragrain chemical and isotopic variability precludes its use as an effective 40Ar/39Ar fluence monitor. The true age of the FCT is problematic; a survey of all primary ages for FCT shows that mean K/Ar ages for plagioclase, hornblende, biotite, and sanidine are consistently younger than mean U/Pb ages from titanite and zircon. In conjunction with recently published petrological results which indicate that the FCT contains material from multiple crystallization events, this significant discrepancy between the K/Ar and U/Pb data sets demonstrates that the Fish Canyon Tuff cannot serve as a golden standard between the K/Ar and U/Pb systems.

The Middle Jurassic Fourth of July Batholith and cross-cutting mafic dikes have been studied geochronologically, geobarometrically and paleomagnetically to estimate subsequent tectonic motion of the Cache Creek Terrane (CCT) in the northern Canadian Cordillera. 40Ar/39Ar hornblende ages from a granodiorite phase are similar to U–Pb zircon ages and indicate rapid cooling of the batholith upon intrusion, suggesting that the magnetization age is coincident with the 173-Ma crystallization age. Argon ages of biotite from the granodiorite and two mafic dikes have similar ages of ∼165 Ma, which dates cooling through ∼280 °C. Aluminum-in-hornblende geobarometry indicates differential uplift of the batholith across a north–south fault zone along Atlin Lake with >6 km more uplift on its eastern side. Also, the eastern side has been tilted downward to the south–southwest by ∼9°. Combined paleomagnetic data from 20 granitoid and 11 mafic dike sites yield an in situ paleopole at 55°W, 63°N (dp=5°, dm=5°) and a tilt-corrected paleopole at 81°W, 55°N (dp=5°, dm=6°). Compared to the 173-Ma reference pole for the North American craton, the tilt-corrected pole suggests a significant southward translation of 16.1±3.7° and a significant clockwise rotation of 107±7°. The translation estimate is similar to the Jurassic Teslin Crossing pluton in the Stikine Terrane, however, the rotation estimate is very different. This could indicate that the Cache Creek Terrane was at a similar latitude of the Stikine Terrane, but the two were not yet amalgamated.

Knowledge of the time-scales of emplacement and thermal history during assembly of composite felsic plutons in the shallow crust are critical to deciphering the processes of crustal growth and magma chamber development. Detailed petrological and chemical study of the mid-Cretaceous, composite Emerald Lake pluton, from the northern Canadian Cordillera, Yukon Territory, coupled with U^Pb and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronology, indicates that this pluton was intruded as a series of magmatic pulses. Intrusion of these pulses produced a strong petrological zonation from augite syenite, hornblende quartz syenite and monzonite, to biotite granite. Our data further indicate that multiple phases were emplaced and cooled to below the mineral closure temperatures over a time-scale on the order of the resolution of the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar technique (V1 Myr), and that emplacement occurred at 94.3 Ma. Simple thermal modelling and heat conduction calculations were used to further constrain the temporal relationships within the intrusion. These calculations are consistent with the geochronology and show that emplacement and cooling were complete in less than 100 kyr and probably 70 < 5 kyr. These results demonstrate that production, transport and emplacement of the different phases of the Emerald Lake pluton occurred essentially simultaneously, and that these processes must also have been closely related in time and space. By analogy, these results provide insights into the assembly and petrogenesis of other complex intrusions and ultimately lead to an understanding of the processes involved in crustal development. ? 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Llullaillaco is one of a chain of Quaternary stratovolcanoes that defines the present Andean Central Volcanic Zone (CVZ), and marks the border between Chile and Argentina/Bolivia. The current edifice is constructed from a series of thick dacitic lava flows, forming the second tallest active volcano in the world (6739 m). K–Ar and new biotite laser 40Ar/39Ar step-heating dates indicate that the volcano was constructed during the Pleistocene (≤1.5 Ma), with a youngest date of 0.048±0.012 Ma being recorded for a fresh dacite flow that descends the southern flank. Additional 40Ar/39Ar measurements for andesitic and dacitic lava flows from the surrounding volcanic terrain yield dates of between 11.94±0.13 Ma and 5.48±0.07 Ma , corresponding to an extended period of Miocene volcanism which defines much of the landscape in this region. Major- and trace-element compositions of lavas from Llullaillaco are typical of Miocene–Pleistocene volcanic rocks from the western margin of the CVZ, and are related to relatively shallow-dipping subduction of the Nazca plate beneath northern Chile and Argentina. Oversteepening of the edifice by stacking of thick, viscous, dacitic lava flows resulted in collapse of its southeastern flank to form a large volcanic debris avalanche. Biotite 40Ar/39Ar dating of lava blocks from the avalanche deposit indicate that collapse occurred at or after ∼0.15 Ma, and may have been triggered by extrusion of a dacitic flow similar to the one dated at 0.048±0.012 Ma . The avalanche deposits are exceptionally well preserved due to the arid climate, and prominent levees, longitudinal ridges, and megablocks up to 20-m diameter are observed. The avalanche descended ∼2.8 km vertically, and bifurcated around an older volcano, Cerro Rosado, before debouching onto the salt flats of Salina de Llullaillaco. The north and south limbs of the avalanche traveled 25 and 23 km, respectively, and together cover an area of approximately 165 km2. Estimates of deposit volume are hampered by a lack of thickness information except at the edges, but it is likely to be between 1 and 2 km3. Equivalent coefficients of friction of 0.11 and 0.12, and excess travel distances of 20.5 and 18.5 km, are calculated for the north and south limbs, respectively. The avalanche ascended ∼400 m where it broke against the western flank of Cerro Rosado, and a minimum flow velocity of ∼90 m s−1 can be calculated at this point; lower velocities of ∼45 m s−1 are calculated where distal toes ascend ∼200 m slopes. It is suggested that the remaining precipitous edifice has a high probability for further avalanche collapse in the event of renewed volcanism.

The increasing analytical precision of 40Ar-39Ar geochronological data and its use in studies that combine U-Pb and 40Ar-39Ar data has necessitated derivation of a means to intercalibrate ages between the two isotopic systems. The primary determinants inhibiting accurate cross calibration are uncertainty in decay constant values and uncertainty in 40Ar∗/40K (usually presented as apparent age) for 40Ar-39Ar standards, notably those derived from the Fish Canyon Tuff. By utilizing a monazite- and biotite bearing Oligocene ash flow tuff (MAC-83) as the primary standard material, precise U-Th-Pb and 40Ar-39Ar ages can be derived. Because both isotopic systems should reflect closure during the instantaneous eruption event, the 24.21 ± 0.10 Ma 207Pb/235U age should match the age resulting from 40Ar-39Ar biotite analysis. This forced equivalence will partly offset the effects of decay constant uncertainty. Furthermore, by co-irradiating Fish Canyon Tuff sanidine with MAC-83 biotite, the apparent age for Fish Canyon Tuff sanidine is back-calculated to 27.98 ± 0.15 Ma, relative to the MAC-83 207Pb/235U age. Hence, intercalibration between the two isotopic systems in a relative sense can be accomplished, allowing for a direct and valid comparison of ages. It is also shown that forcing equivalence of the two isotopic systems minimizes the effect of decay constant uncertainty for samples of Phanerozoic age.

A combined U–Pb geochronology and Nd isotopic analysis of clastic metasedimentary rocks from the Archean Slave Province, Northwest Territories, Canada is presented. A series of clastic sedimentary rocks with deposition age of ∼3.13 Ga to ∼2.58 Ga was collected from the west-central Slave Province. These samples include conglomerates as well as finer sedimentary rocks such as greywacke, arkose and quartzite. Although it is generally agreed that the Nd model age ( T DM ) of clastic sedimentary rocks represents the average sedimentary provenance age, T DM of samples studied here is generally older than the average U–Pb age of detrital zircons extracted from the same sample. Rather, there seems to be a better ∼1:1 relationship between the T DM and U–Pb age of the oldest zircon from each sample. A simple model relationship between U–Pb geochronology and T DM suggests that such correlation is a result of Archean crustal evolution of the Slave Province being dominated by crustal reworking (i.e. intracrustal processes) rather than addition of juvenile materials from the mantle. One exception is the period between ∼3.1 and ∼3.2 Ga, during which period a significant portion of detrital zircons have U–Pb ages exceeding the T DM , indicating a large input of juvenile material and/or decreasing level of crustal reworking. An alternative explanation for the U–Pb vs. T DM trend may be a mixing of older mafic juvenile crust (containing no zircon) and younger felsic juvenile crust. However, the general lack of extensive pre-2.8 Ga mafic crust in the Slave Province makes this scenario unlikely. The results of this study cannot constrain the change in the volume of continental crust at any given period of time, since the addition of juvenile crust may always be counterbalanced by recycling of crustal material back into the mantle. However, a dominance of crustal reworking during the early- to mid-Archean strongly implies that a large part of ancient crust was lost during the younger tectonomagmatic events. Since the majority of zircon may be lost during crustal reworking processes (unless they are preserved as an inherited core), absence of a large quantity of ancient detrital zircon cannot be used as evidence for the lack of large sialic crust existing on the early Earth.