PROVENANCE OF THE CARBONIFEROUS BASIN IN HOLM LAND, NORTH-EAST GREENLAND
The dominant peaks in all samples are most compatible with derivation from the underlying gneissic basement of the North-East Greenland eclogite province. The 1.75 and 1.98 Ga peak ages match the protolith age of the basement. The CL-bright, low-U metamorphic rims yield ages of 335 to 410 Ma that are consistent with metamorphic ages observed in the basement rocks. The large number of discordant grains observed in the detrital populations (23-47%) in all samples is similar to age spectra from basement samples as well. Grains that define broad peaks at 1.1-1.5, 2.2-3.0 Ga in the Sortebakker samples are interpreted to be from metasedimentary units in the structurally higher Caledonian nappes (e.g., Independence Fjord Group). These grains make up 30-35% of the population in the basal units, diminishing to 10% up section. The absence of the 1.1-1.5 and 2.2-3.0 Ga signature coupled with the sharp increase in number of Caledonian metamorphic grains and appearance of garnet indicate that the basal Kap Jungersen Formation lacked input from sources external to the underlying basement. Reappearance of the 1.1-1.5 and 2.2-3.0 Ga signatures higher in the section probably reflects recycling from the underlying Sortebakker section. Results of this study clearly demonstrate that a multifaceted approach to detrital zircon analysis greatly enhances characterization of provenance and depositional history.