Termination of the Southern Irumide Belt in Tanzania
- Author(s)
- C. A. Hauzenberger, V. Tenczer, A. Bauernhofer, Hermann Fritz, U. Klötzli, J. Košler, E. Wallbrecher, S. Muhongo
- Abstract
Distinctly different crustal blocks converge in southern Tanzania which are thought to belong to the Paleoproterozoic Usagaran/Ubendian Belt, the Mesoproterozoic Irumide Belt and the Neoproterozoic East African Orogen. Zircons from thirteen samples were dated by LA-SC/MC-ICPMS in order to assign the different crystalline basement rocks to one of the above mentioned geological units based on the age of metamorphism and formation of the igneous precursor rocks. The mainly migmatic gneissic samples were taken along a traverse from Mbamba Bay, Lake Malawi to Masasi, S-Tanzania. Zircon cores and rims trace magmatic protoliths between 1000. ±. 9 and 1055. ±. 6. Ma and metamorphism between 563. ±. 10 and 616. ±. 12. Ma. Ages belonging to the Usagaran/Ubendian event as well as the 640. Ma EAO event were only found in the westernmost and easternmost part of the transsect, respectively. Magmatic ages of 724. ±. 6 and 764. ±. 4. Ma were determined in locally confined undeformed granitoid bodies. Mostly similar ages as well as lithological units can be found in the Unango and Marrupa Complexes in N-Mozambique which are considered as part of the Southern Irumide Belt. The exact location of terrane boundary between the Southern Irumide Belt and the Western/Eastern Granulites and the Usagaran/Ubendien Belts in southern Tanzania remains uncertain. With aid of digital elevation data, satellite images and airborne geophysical data we suggest that a combination of fault systems is responsible for the distribution of the different units. The northeastern limit of the Southern Irumide Belt (Unango and Marrupa Complexes) can be traced along a major tectonic boundary, the Mwembesi Fault system, that extends from Malawi to the south of the Mahenge Mountains in Tanzania.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Lithospheric Research
- External organisation(s)
- University of Bergen (UiB), University of Dar es Salaam, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
- Journal
- Precambrian Research
- Volume
- 255
- Pages
- 144-162
- No. of pages
- 19
- ISSN
- 0301-9268
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2014.09.021
- Publication date
- 12-2014
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 105120 Petrology, 105101 General geology
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geochemistry and Petrology, Geology
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/termination-of-the-southern-irumide-belt-in-tanzania(b45b1298-ac8f-4e0e-970d-f2396476c7fa).html