Eoarchean apatite uncovers felsic foundations of the Pilbara Craton

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dc.contributor.authorKharkongor, M.
dc.contributor.authorMulder, J.A.
dc.contributor.authorGlorie, S.
dc.contributor.authorKirkland, C.L.
dc.contributor.authorZoleikhaei, Y.
dc.contributor.authorGilbert, S.
dc.contributor.authorCawood, P.
dc.contributor.authorHawkesworth, C.
dc.contributor.authorChew, D.
dc.date.issued2025
dc.descriptionPublished online 7 July 2025. OnlinePubl
dc.description.abstractThe fragmented record of early Earth is largely preserved in Archean granite-greenstone terranes, yet there is evidence that these ancient continental nuclei may themselves have been built on preexisting crustal substrates. The East Pilbara Terrane (EPT), Western Australia, is the archetypal granite-greenstone terrane, with exposed crust dating back to ca. 3.5 Ga. Radiogenic Hf, Nd, and Pb isotopic studies indicate that the EPT was built on older crustal foundations. However, apart from rare Eoarchean enclaves, xenocrystic and detrital zircons, the age and composition of these crustal foundations remains elusive. Here, we present detrital apatite geochronology and trace-element geochemistry from Paleo-Neoarchean sedimentary successions of the EPT. Apatite U-Pb dates largely record reset ages associated with Mesoand Neoarchean thermal events. The Lu-Hf system in the same crystals retains primary crystallization ages up to ca. 3.84 Ga—the oldest detrital apatite grains discovered to date. Sr-Y systematics indicate that >70% of Eoarchean detrital apatite grains were sourced from tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite–type felsic rocks, and the relative proportion of felsic to mafic sources did not change significantly throughout the Archean. We conclude that the EPT was built on Eoarchean crustal foundations that were comparable in composition to the presently exposed Paleo-Mesoarchean granite-greenstone crust, including an important component of felsic rocks.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityMelissa Kharkongor, Jacob A. Mulder, Stijn Glorie, Christopher L. Kirkland, Yousef Zoleikhaei, Sarah Gilbert, Peter Cawood, Chris Hawkesworth, and David Chew
dc.identifier.citationGeology (Boulder), 2025
dc.identifier.doi10.1130/g53198.1
dc.identifier.issn0091-7613
dc.identifier.issn1943-2682
dc.identifier.orcidGlorie, S. [0000-0002-3107-9028]
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2440/146515
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherGeological Society of America
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP200101881
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FL160100168
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/FT210100906
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE240101283
dc.rights© 2025 The Authors. Gold Open Access: This paper is published under the terms of the CC-BY license.
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1130/g53198.1
dc.titleEoarchean apatite uncovers felsic foundations of the Pilbara Craton
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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