Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Archive
    • Special Volumes and Special Issue
  • Subscriptions
    • Subscribers
    • Pricing
    • FAQ
    • Terms & Conditions for use of AJS Online
  • Instructions to Authors
  • Site Features
    • Alerts
    • Feedback
    • Usage Statistics
    • RSS
  • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • The Journal

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
American Journal of Science
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
American Journal of Science

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Archive
    • Special Volumes and Special Issue
  • Subscriptions
    • Subscribers
    • Pricing
    • FAQ
    • Terms & Conditions for use of AJS Online
  • Instructions to Authors
  • Site Features
    • Alerts
    • Feedback
    • Usage Statistics
    • RSS
  • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • The Journal
  • Follow ajs on Twitter
  • Visit ajs on Facebook
  • Follow ajs on Instagram
Research ArticleArticles

Country rock monazite response to intrusion of the Searchlight pluton, southern Nevada

John C. Ayers, Scott Crombie, Miranda Loflin, Calvin F. Miller and Yan Luo
American Journal of Science April 2013, 313 (4) 345-394; DOI: https://doi.org/10.2475/04.2013.04
John C. Ayers
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37027
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: john.c.ayers@Vanderbilt.Edu
Scott Crombie
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37027
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Miranda Loflin
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37027
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Calvin F. Miller
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37027
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Yan Luo
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37027
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

We investigated how monazite grains in country rocks responded to the intrusion of the Miocene Searchlight pluton in southern Nevada. Country rock samples were collected from the roof zone and along transects on the flanks (wallrock) of the 16 to 17 Ma pluton. Deep wallrock Ireteba granite monazite grains have patchy secondary growth zones of Searchlight age overprinting primary growth zones of Ireteba age (∼66 Ma). Shallow wallrock Proterozoic gneiss zircon grains define a discordia with an upper intercept age of 1.74 ± 0.02 Ga corresponding to crystallization of the protolith. Proterozoic gneiss monazite grains define a discordia with an upper intercept age of 1.64 ± 0.02 Ga and a poorly-defined lower intercept age of 75 ± 61 Ma that may correspond to the Ireteba intrusion. EMP analyses show that patchy secondary zones in Proterozoic gneiss monazite grains were contemporaneous with intrusion of the Ireteba granite, not the Searchlight pluton. Oxygen isotopes in Ireteba monazite, hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in whole rocks from the Ireteba transect, and oxygen isotopes in whole rocks from the Proterozoic gneiss transect show no systematic pattern related to the contact. No geochemical data support the hypothesis that hydrothermal fluids associated with intrusion of the Searchlight pluton caused monazite in the Proterozoic gneiss or Ireteba granite wallrock to partially recrystallize. Ireteba samples with the most intensely altered monazite were at the greatest paleodepths at the time of Searchlight intrusion and are the most deformed, suggesting that strain caused Ireteba monazite grains to partially recrystallize. In Proterozoic gneiss country rock monazite grains are present on the flanks but absent from the roof zone, suggesting that high fluid fluxes in the roof may have destroyed monazite. Strong focusing of hydrothermal fluid and heat into the roof zone prevented the development of a well-defined contact metamorphic aureole in Ireteba granite and Proterozoic gneiss wallrocks.

  • Monazite
  • zircon
  • geochronology
  • contact metamorphism
  • hydrothermal fluid
  • stable isotopes
View Full Text

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

American Journal of Science: 313 (4)
American Journal of Science
Vol. 313, Issue 4
1 Apr 2013
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • About the Cover
  • Index by author
  • Ed Board (PDF)
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on American Journal of Science.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Country rock monazite response to intrusion of the Searchlight pluton, southern Nevada
(Your Name) has sent you a message from American Journal of Science
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the American Journal of Science web site.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
3 + 2 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.
Citation Tools
Country rock monazite response to intrusion of the Searchlight pluton, southern Nevada
John C. Ayers, Scott Crombie, Miranda Loflin, Calvin F. Miller, Yan Luo
American Journal of Science Apr 2013, 313 (4) 345-394; DOI: 10.2475/04.2013.04

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Country rock monazite response to intrusion of the Searchlight pluton, southern Nevada
John C. Ayers, Scott Crombie, Miranda Loflin, Calvin F. Miller, Yan Luo
American Journal of Science Apr 2013, 313 (4) 345-394; DOI: 10.2475/04.2013.04
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • INTRODUCTION
    • BACKGROUND AND GEOLOGICAL SETTING
    • METHODS
    • RESULTS
    • DISCUSSION
    • CONCLUSIONS
    • ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
    • Appendix
    • REFERENCES
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Timing and Nd-Hf isotopic mapping of early Mesozoic granitoids in the Qinling Orogen, central China: Implication for architecture, nature and processes of the orogen
  • India in the Nuna to Gondwana supercontinent cycles: Clues from the north Indian and Marwar Blocks
  • Unravelling the P-T-t history of three high-grade metamorphic events in the Epupa Complex, NW Namibia: Implications for the Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic evolution of the Congo Craton
Show more Articles

Similar Articles

Keywords

  • monazite
  • zircon
  • geochronology
  • contact metamorphism
  • hydrothermal fluid
  • Stable Isotopes

Navigate

  • Current Issue
  • Archive

More Information

  • RSS

Other Services

  • About Us

© 2022 American Journal of Science

Powered by HighWire