ISSN:
1365-3121
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Geosciences
Notes:
Lower crustal garnet-bearing mafic granulite xenoliths from beneath the cratonic areas of NE Europe (NW Russia, Belarus, Finland) have unradiogenic 143Nd/144Nd ratios that differ strongly from those of xenoliths from beneath Phanerozoic regions of the European plate and worldwide, but closely resemble xenoliths from other cratonic regions of the world. Phanerozoic lower crustal xenoliths worldwide also show a very limited range of Pb isotope compositions whereas most cratonic lower crustal xenoliths have more varied but usually unradiogenic Pb isotope compositions, plotting to the left of the Geochron. However, many of the xenoliths from beneath NE Europe plot on the right-hand side of the Geochron and also have more radiogenic 208Pb/204Pb ratios. Thus, the lower crust of NE Europe shows characteristics of both cratonic lower crust (unradiogenic Nd isotopes) and Phanerozoic lower crust (radiogenic Pb isotopes). Its present-day low U/Pb and Th/Pb ratios indicate that it has been depleted in heat-producing elements, but the radiogenic Pb isotope ratios show that this depletion occurred relatively recently.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3121.2001.00358.x
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