LA-MC-ICP-MS U/PB ZIRCON GEOCHRONOLOGY OF THE GRENVILLE-AGE IRON DEPOSITS OF NEW YORK
The LowTiFe ores from eastern Adirondacks consist of intrusive sills or dikes of magnetite, REE-rich fluorapatite, augitic pyroxenes, and minor quartz. Other mineral phases include ilmenite with hematite exsolution, vanadiferous titanite rimming magnetite, zircon, monazite-(Ce), stillwellite-(Ce), lanthanite-(Ce), allanite-(Ce), and thorite. Observations under transmitted light show polygonal and cumulate textures. The ore bodies, each with very sharp contacts, are closely associated in time and space with A-type leucogranites and granitic gneisses (ca. 1040 Ma). Zircon separates from the Cheever mine magnetite ore contain 632 -1432 ppm U, display a U/Th ratio of 2.5-22.2 and yield a Concordia age of 1043±11 Ma. Zircons from the Rutgers mine ore display cores and rims. The cores contain 99-1197 ppm U, show U/Th ratio of 2.6±1.0, and an age of 1142 ±20 Ma whereas rims have 295-2267 ppm U, U/Th ratio of 5.6±3.7 and an age of 1043±11.9 Ma. The cores are probably remnants from the AMCG suite and the igneous rims are contemporaneous with the LMG. Undeformed pegmatites cross-cutting Mineville magnetite-fluorapatite ore bodies yield U-Pb zircon ages of ca. 1039±11 at Barton Hill, 1022±13 Ma at Old Bed (rim at 949 ±10 Ma), and 1023+8.5 Ma at Bonanza Shaft indicate that the ore cannot be younger than ca. 1040 Ma.