Summary of results. NTGS LA-ICP-MS geochronology project: Jervois mineral field, Bonya Hills and Jinka Plain in HUCKITTA, Aileron Province, May 2014-December 2015

Abstract

The results of new LA-ICP-MS U-Pb columbite-tantalite, apatite, and zircon geochronologic analyses are reported for twelve rock samples from the northeastern Aileron Province: Ten samples were collected from the Jervois mineral field and the Bonya Hills area in Jervois Range; two samples were collected from Jinka Plain in Jinka. The 12 samples are interpreted to comprise pegmatites, granites, an unnamed metatonalite, and metasedimentary rocks from the Bonya Metamorphics.

All of the sampled rocks described herein were collected near to, or have purported associations with, base metal or tungsten mineralisation. The samples were targeted for columbite-tantalite, apatite, or zircon dating in order to determine ages of magmatic crystallisation, metamorphic/hydrothermal disturbance and maximum deposition, as well as to constrain the relative timing of nearby mineralisation, associated alteration, and deformation. The results highlight variable successes in collecting meaningful age data; they emphasise the difficulty in collecting chronologic data from many rocks in highly deformed, metamorphosed and hydrothermally-altered Proterozoic terrains. Nonetheless, the overall results demonstrate the successful application of columbite-tantalite and apatite dating of pegmatites that may be useful for future regional geochronology studies in the Aileron Province.