Multiple thermal events recorded in the Acasta Gneiss Complex: Evidence from in-situ dating of zircon, titanite, and apatite

In-situ dating of the zircons, titanites, and apatites in the rock fragments of approximately 1 cm 2 in size from the Acasta Gneiss Complex was performed using secondary ion mass spectrometry or laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to provide constraints on the thermal history of the Acasta Gneiss Complex. The zircons in these rock fragments typically exhibit multiple age populations, reflecting the presence of inherited zircons or the post-crystallization process of zircon overgrowth. Combined with previous studies, our zircon dating results reveal multiple magmatic events that occurred in the Acasta Gneiss Complex, specifically at >3.96, ∼3.72, and ∼3.57 Ga, respectively. A titanite Pb-Pb isochron age of 2911±22 Ma (95% confidence level, MSWD=1.5) for sample AY199 is identified, consistent with the timing of the latest Archean magmatism in the Acasta Gneiss Complex. The titanite U-Pb ages for samples AC478 and AY066 are 1932±270 Ma (95% confidence level, MSWD=2.3) and 1813±45 Ma (95% confidence level, MSWD=2.3), respectively. The apatites in sample P090803-C exhibit a Pb-Pb isochron age of 1833±26 Ma (95% confidence level, MSWD=1.4). The apatite U-Pb ages for samples AC478, AY199, and AY066 are 1850±20 Ma (95% confidence level, MSWD=1.3), 1827±100 Ma (95% confidence level, MSWD=6.3), and 1807±58 Ma (95% confidence level, MSWD=3.9), respectively. Titanites in samples AC478 and AY066, as well as the apatites in all four investigated samples, show a uniform age (Pb-Pb or U-Pb age) of ∼1.9–1.8 Ga, indicating U-Pb system reset in these minerals due to the Wopmay orogeny and documenting that the peak temperature condition associated with the Wopmay orogeny exceeded the apatite U-Pb closure temperature and approached or exceeded that of titanite.