The early Precambrian history of rock metamorphism in the Urals segment of crust

Abstract

Early Precambrian rock units in the Urals are present in several polymetamorphic complexes, which are exposed in the Urals in the form of small (<1500 km²) tectonic blocks. Their ages are Archaean (as old as 3.5 Ga) and Palaeoproterozoic. During the formation of these complexes in the early Precambrian, two stages of ultra-high-temperature (granulite) metamorphism occurred. The maximum age of the early Neoarchaean stage of metamorphism is 2.79 Ga. Evidence of this metamorphic event includes the dating of the Taratash gneiss-granulite complex of the South Urals. Gneiss-migmatite complexes, which dominate the lower Precambrian section of the Urals, were formed in the Palaeoproterozoic during the sequential appearance of granulite facies metamorphism followed by amphibolite facies metamorphism and accompanying granitization. The maximum age of the Palaeoproterozoic stage of granulite metamorphism in the Alexandrov gneiss-migmatite complex, the most well-studied complex in the South Urals, is 2.08 Ga.

Keywords:

• early Precambrian formations in the Urals
• polymetamorphic complex
• granulite metamorphism
• zircon

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Basic Research Programme of RAS, No. 12-I-5-2022.