Abstract
Ophiolites are regarded widely by geologists as remnants of old oceanic crust that has been obducted onto the continental margins during ocean or marginal basin closure and orogeny. Therefore, they provide evidence for the existence of old oceans and oceanic basins and are a key to the extension of plate tectonic modelling into pre-Mesozoic rock assemblages. In the Caledonide–Appalachian orogen, ophiolites are known although very few of these are dated well enough to provide accurate constraints on plate-tectonic kinematics. We report here the discovery of an ophiolitic sequence within the rocks of the Tyrone Igneous Complex in Northern Ireland. U/Pb dating combined with field evidence indicates that the Tyrone ophiolite was formed and then obducted onto the northern margins of the Iapetus Ocean close to 470 Myr BP (Arenig).
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Wilson, H. E. Regional Geology of Northern Ireland (HMSO, Belfast, 1972).
Hartley, J. J. Proc. R. Ir. Acad. B41, 218–285 (1933).
Cobbing, J., Manning, P. I. & Griffith, P. E. Nature 206, 1132–1135 (1965).
Cobbing, J. Bull. geol. surv. Gt Br. 30, 88–99 (1969).
Rosencrantz, E. Can. J. Earth Sci. 20, 787–801 (1983).
Dewey, J. F. & Bird, J. M. J. geophys. Res. 76, 3179–3206 (1971).
Moody, J. B. Can. Miner. 17, 871–887 (1979).
Anon. Geotimes 17, 24–25 (1972).
Angus, N. S. Proc. R. Ir. Acad. B77, 181–199 (1977).
Halliday, A. N., Aftalion, M., Van Breemen, O. & Jocelyn, J. Geol. Soc. Lond. spec. Publ. 8, 653–661 (1979).
Halliday, A. N., Aftalion, M., Upton, B. G. J., Aspen, P. & Jocelyn, J. Trans. R. Soc. Edinb. Earth. Sci. 75, 71–74 (1984).
Bluck, B. J., Halliday, A. N., Aftalion, M. & Macintyre, R. M. Geology 8, 492–495 (1980).
Archibald, D. A. & Farrar, E. Can. J. Earth. Sci. 12, 520–529 (1976).
Jacobsen, S. B. & Wasserburg, G. J. J. geophys. Res. 84, 7429–7445 (1979).
Thirlwall, M. F. & Bluck, B. J. Geol. Soc. Lond. spec. Publ. 13, 215–230 (1984).
Prichard, H. M. & Spray, J. G. J. geol. Soc. Lond. (in the press).
Clague, D., Rubin, J. & Brackett, R. Can. J. Earth. Sci. 18, 469–486 (11981).
Curry, G. B. et al. Trans. R. Soc. Edinb. Earth. Sci. 75, (in the press).
Ryan, P. D., Sawal, V. K. & Rowlands, A. S. Nature 301, 50–52 (1982).
Kennedy, M. J. J. Earth. Sci. R. Dubl. Soc. 3, 117–126 (1980).
Long, C. B. & Max, M. D. J. geol. Soc. Lond. 133, 413–432 (1977).
Max, M. D., Ryan, P. D. & Inamdar, D. D. Tectonics 2, 431–451 (1983).
Bluck, B. J. Trans. R. Soc. Edinb. Earth. Sci. 75 (in the press).
Elders, C. F. Abstr. Tectonic Studies Group Meet. (Geological Society, London, 1984).
Soper, N. J. & Hutton, D. H. W. Tectonics 3, 781–794 (1984).
Dewey, J. F. & Shackleton, R. M. Nature 312, 115–121 (1984).
York, D. Earth planet. Sci. Lett. 5, 320–324 (1969).
Pidgeon, R. T. & Aftalion, M. Geol. J. spec. Iss. 10, 183–248 (1978).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hutton, D., Aftalion, M. & Halliday, A. An Ordovician ophiolite in County Tyrone, Ireland. Nature 315, 210–212 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/315210a0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/315210a0
This article is cited by
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.