Journal article
High-pressure metamorphism in the southern New England Orogen: Implications for long-lived accretionary orogenesis in eastern Australia
G Phillips, R Offler, D Rubatto, D Phillips
Tectonics | AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION | Published : 2015
DOI: 10.1002/2015TC003920
Abstract
New geochemical, metamorphic, and isotopic data are presented from high-pressure metamorphic rocks in the southern New England Orogen (eastern Australia). Conventional and optimal thermobarometry are augmented by U-Pb zircon and 40Ar/39Ar phengite dating to define pressure-temperature-time (P-T-t) histories for the rocks. The P-T-t histories are compared with competing geodynamic models for the Tasmanides, which can be summarized as (i) a retreating orogen model, the Tasmanides formed above a continuous, west dipping, and eastward retreating subduction zone, and (ii) a punctuated orogen model, the Tasmanides formed by several arc accretion, subduction flip, and/or transference events. Wherea..
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Funding Acknowledgements
We thank Jeffrey Huang for discussions related to the interpretation of U-Pb data. Joel Fitzherbert is acknowledged for discussions on the evolution of high-pressure metamorphic rocks. Isotope analyses were financially assisted by a University of Newcastle Research grant awarded to G.P. Analyses were carried out in the Electron Microscope and X-ray Unit at The University of Newcastle. The data for this paper are available by contacting the corresponding author. G. Phillips publishes with permission of the Director of the Geological Survey of New South Wales.