Provenance of the sedimentary Rakaia sub-terrane, Torlesse Terrane, South Island, New Zealand: The use of igneous clast compositions to define the source

Abstract

The Permian to Late Triassic Rakaia sub-terrane-part of the Torlesse superterrane of the New Zealand Eastern Province-is an accretionary complex that comprises an enormous volume of quartzofeldspathic sandstones and mudstones with subsidiary conglomerates plus minor oceanic assemblages. The field of provenance analysis has undergone a revolution with the development of single-crystal isotope dating techniques using mainly silt- to sand-sized single mineral grains. Fine sand and mud may be transported over thousands of kilometres with potential problems for provenance studies, reinforcing the need for caution when interpreting provenance evidence from single heavy mineral grains. This study f..