The South Armenian Block: Gondwanan origin and Tethyan evolution in space and time

Igor K. Nikogosian; Antoine J.J. Bracco Gartner; Paul R.D. Mason; Douwe J.J. van Hinsbergen; Klaudia F. Kuiper; Uwe Kirscher; Sergei Matveev; Araik Grigoryan; Edmond Grigoryan; Arsen Israyelyan; Manfred J. van Bergen; Janne M. Koornneef; Jan R. Wijbrans; Gareth R. Davies; Khachatur Meliksetian

doi:10.1016/j.gr.2023.03.023

The South Armenian Block: Gondwanan origin and Tethyan evolution in space and time

Igor K. Nikogosian^*, Antoine J.J. Bracco Gartner, Paul R.D. Mason, Douwe J.J. van Hinsbergen, Klaudia F. Kuiper, Uwe Kirscher, Sergei Matveev, Araik Grigoryan, Edmond Grigoryan, Arsen Israyelyan, Manfred J. van Bergen, Janne M. Koornneef, Jan R. Wijbrans, Gareth R. Davies, Khachatur Meliksetian

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

The geodynamic evolution of the South Armenian Block (SAB) within the Tethyan realm during the Palaeozoic to present-day is poorly constrained. Much of the SAB is covered by Cenozoic sediments so that the relationships between the SAB and the neighbouring terranes of Central Iran, the Pontides and Taurides are unclear. Here we present new geochronological, palaeomagnetic, and geochemical constraints to shed light on the Gondwanan and Cimmerian provenance of the SAB, timing of its rifting, and geodynamic evolution since the Permian. We report new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and zircon U-Pb ages and compositional data on magmatic sills and dykes in the Late Devonian sedimentary cover, as well as metamorphic rocks that constitute part of the SAB basement. Zircon age distributions, ranging from ∼3.6 Ga to 100 Ma, firmly establish a Gondwanan origin for the SAB. Trondhjemite intrusions into the basement at ∼263 Ma are consistent with a SW-dipping active continental margin. Mafic intraplate intrusions at ∼246 Ma (OIB) and ∼234 Ma (P-MORB) in the sedimentary cover likely represent the incipient stages of breakup of the NE Gondwanan margin and opening of the Neotethys. Andesitic dykes at ∼117 Ma testify to the melting of subduction-modified lithosphere. In contrast to current interpretations, we show that the SAB should be considered separate from the Taurides, and that the Armenian ophiolite complexes formed chiefly in the Eurasian forearc. Based on the new constraints, we provide a geodynamic reconstruction of the SAB since the Permian, in which it started rifting from Gondwana alongside the Pontides, likely reached the Iranian margin in Early Jurassic times, and was subject to episodes of intraplate (∼189 Ma) and NE-dipping subduction-related (∼117 Ma) magmatism.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	168-195
Number of pages	28
Journal	Gondwana Research
Volume	121
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2023.03.023
Publication status	Published - Sept 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We gratefully acknowledge Dr. Vilen Aghamalyan for his decades-long study of the Tsakhkunyats metamorphic basement and great contribution in revealing its complex geology, as well as for help in selecting representative samples. We thank Pieter Vroon and Helen de Waard for their help with XRF and ICP-MS analyses, respectively, and Roel van Elsas for sample preparation. We thank Dr. Iain Neill and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments, and Dr. Andrea Festa for editorial handling. This research was partially supported by The Netherlands Research Centre for Integrated Solid Earth Science (ISES) through grant 6.2.12. IKN, AJJBG and JMK acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement n° 759563). The Armenian team was supported by the State base funding of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Armenian Academy of Sciences. The data used are listed in the supplementary material , tables and references.

Funding Information:
We gratefully acknowledge Dr. Vilen Aghamalyan for his decades-long study of the Tsakhkunyats metamorphic basement and great contribution in revealing its complex geology, as well as for help in selecting representative samples. We thank Pieter Vroon and Helen de Waard for their help with XRF and ICP-MS analyses, respectively, and Roel van Elsas for sample preparation. We thank Dr. Iain Neill and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments, and Dr. Andrea Festa for editorial handling. This research was partially supported by The Netherlands Research Centre for Integrated Solid Earth Science (ISES) through grant 6.2.12. IKN, AJJBG and JMK acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement n° 759563). The Armenian team was supported by the State base funding of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Armenian Academy of Sciences. The data used are listed in the supplementary material, tables and references.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s)

Funding

We gratefully acknowledge Dr. Vilen Aghamalyan for his decades-long study of the Tsakhkunyats metamorphic basement and great contribution in revealing its complex geology, as well as for help in selecting representative samples. We thank Pieter Vroon and Helen de Waard for their help with XRF and ICP-MS analyses, respectively, and Roel van Elsas for sample preparation. We thank Dr. Iain Neill and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments, and Dr. Andrea Festa for editorial handling. This research was partially supported by The Netherlands Research Centre for Integrated Solid Earth Science (ISES) through grant 6.2.12. IKN, AJJBG and JMK acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement n° 759563). The Armenian team was supported by the State base funding of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Armenian Academy of Sciences. The data used are listed in the supplementary material , tables and references. We gratefully acknowledge Dr. Vilen Aghamalyan for his decades-long study of the Tsakhkunyats metamorphic basement and great contribution in revealing its complex geology, as well as for help in selecting representative samples. We thank Pieter Vroon and Helen de Waard for their help with XRF and ICP-MS analyses, respectively, and Roel van Elsas for sample preparation. We thank Dr. Iain Neill and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments, and Dr. Andrea Festa for editorial handling. This research was partially supported by The Netherlands Research Centre for Integrated Solid Earth Science (ISES) through grant 6.2.12. IKN, AJJBG and JMK acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement n° 759563). The Armenian team was supported by the State base funding of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Armenian Academy of Sciences. The data used are listed in the supplementary material, tables and references.

Funders	Funder number
Netherlands Research Centre for Integrated Solid Earth Science (ISES)	6.2.12
European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme	759563
Institute of Geological Sciences of the Armenian Academy of Sciences

Keywords

Cimmerian continent
Geodynamic evolution
Igneous intrusions
Metamorphic basement
South Armenian Block

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10.1016/j.gr.2023.03.023Licence: CC BY

1-s2.0-S1342937X23001065-mainFinal published version, 13.3 MBLicence: CC BY

Cite this

Nikogosian, I. K., Bracco Gartner, A. J. J., Mason, P. R. D., van Hinsbergen, D. J. J., Kuiper, K. F., Kirscher, U., Matveev, S., Grigoryan, A., Grigoryan, E., Israyelyan, A., van Bergen, M. J., Koornneef, J. M., Wijbrans, J. R., Davies, G. R., & Meliksetian, K. (2023). The South Armenian Block: Gondwanan origin and Tethyan evolution in space and time. Gondwana Research, 121, 168-195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2023.03.023

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title = "The South Armenian Block: Gondwanan origin and Tethyan evolution in space and time",

abstract = "The geodynamic evolution of the South Armenian Block (SAB) within the Tethyan realm during the Palaeozoic to present-day is poorly constrained. Much of the SAB is covered by Cenozoic sediments so that the relationships between the SAB and the neighbouring terranes of Central Iran, the Pontides and Taurides are unclear. Here we present new geochronological, palaeomagnetic, and geochemical constraints to shed light on the Gondwanan and Cimmerian provenance of the SAB, timing of its rifting, and geodynamic evolution since the Permian. We report new 40Ar/39Ar and zircon U-Pb ages and compositional data on magmatic sills and dykes in the Late Devonian sedimentary cover, as well as metamorphic rocks that constitute part of the SAB basement. Zircon age distributions, ranging from ∼3.6 Ga to 100 Ma, firmly establish a Gondwanan origin for the SAB. Trondhjemite intrusions into the basement at ∼263 Ma are consistent with a SW-dipping active continental margin. Mafic intraplate intrusions at ∼246 Ma (OIB) and ∼234 Ma (P-MORB) in the sedimentary cover likely represent the incipient stages of breakup of the NE Gondwanan margin and opening of the Neotethys. Andesitic dykes at ∼117 Ma testify to the melting of subduction-modified lithosphere. In contrast to current interpretations, we show that the SAB should be considered separate from the Taurides, and that the Armenian ophiolite complexes formed chiefly in the Eurasian forearc. Based on the new constraints, we provide a geodynamic reconstruction of the SAB since the Permian, in which it started rifting from Gondwana alongside the Pontides, likely reached the Iranian margin in Early Jurassic times, and was subject to episodes of intraplate (∼189 Ma) and NE-dipping subduction-related (∼117 Ma) magmatism.",

keywords = "Cimmerian continent, Geodynamic evolution, Igneous intrusions, Metamorphic basement, South Armenian Block",

author = "Nikogosian, {Igor K.} and {Bracco Gartner}, {Antoine J.J.} and Mason, {Paul R.D.} and {van Hinsbergen}, {Douwe J.J.} and Kuiper, {Klaudia F.} and Uwe Kirscher and Sergei Matveev and Araik Grigoryan and Edmond Grigoryan and Arsen Israyelyan and {van Bergen}, {Manfred J.} and Koornneef, {Janne M.} and Wijbrans, {Jan R.} and Davies, {Gareth R.} and Khachatur Meliksetian",

note = "Funding Information: We gratefully acknowledge Dr. Vilen Aghamalyan for his decades-long study of the Tsakhkunyats metamorphic basement and great contribution in revealing its complex geology, as well as for help in selecting representative samples. We thank Pieter Vroon and Helen de Waard for their help with XRF and ICP-MS analyses, respectively, and Roel van Elsas for sample preparation. We thank Dr. Iain Neill and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments, and Dr. Andrea Festa for editorial handling. This research was partially supported by The Netherlands Research Centre for Integrated Solid Earth Science (ISES) through grant 6.2.12. IKN, AJJBG and JMK acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union{\textquoteright}s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement n° 759563). The Armenian team was supported by the State base funding of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Armenian Academy of Sciences. The data used are listed in the supplementary material , tables and references. Funding Information: We gratefully acknowledge Dr. Vilen Aghamalyan for his decades-long study of the Tsakhkunyats metamorphic basement and great contribution in revealing its complex geology, as well as for help in selecting representative samples. We thank Pieter Vroon and Helen de Waard for their help with XRF and ICP-MS analyses, respectively, and Roel van Elsas for sample preparation. We thank Dr. Iain Neill and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments, and Dr. Andrea Festa for editorial handling. This research was partially supported by The Netherlands Research Centre for Integrated Solid Earth Science (ISES) through grant 6.2.12. IKN, AJJBG and JMK acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement n° 759563). The Armenian team was supported by the State base funding of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Armenian Academy of Sciences. The data used are listed in the supplementary material, tables and references. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 The Author(s)",

year = "2023",

month = sep,

doi = "10.1016/j.gr.2023.03.023",

language = "English",

volume = "121",

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Nikogosian, IK, Bracco Gartner, AJJ, Mason, PRD , van Hinsbergen, DJJ, Kuiper, KF, Kirscher, U, Matveev, S, Grigoryan, A, Grigoryan, E, Israyelyan, A, van Bergen, MJ, Koornneef, JM, Wijbrans, JR, Davies, GR & Meliksetian, K 2023, 'The South Armenian Block: Gondwanan origin and Tethyan evolution in space and time', Gondwana Research, vol. 121, pp. 168-195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2023.03.023

TY - JOUR

T1 - The South Armenian Block

T2 - Gondwanan origin and Tethyan evolution in space and time

AU - Nikogosian, Igor K.

AU - Bracco Gartner, Antoine J.J.

AU - Mason, Paul R.D.

AU - van Hinsbergen, Douwe J.J.

AU - Kuiper, Klaudia F.

AU - Kirscher, Uwe

AU - Matveev, Sergei

AU - Grigoryan, Araik

AU - Grigoryan, Edmond

AU - Israyelyan, Arsen

AU - van Bergen, Manfred J.

AU - Koornneef, Janne M.

AU - Wijbrans, Jan R.

AU - Davies, Gareth R.

AU - Meliksetian, Khachatur

N1 - Funding Information: We gratefully acknowledge Dr. Vilen Aghamalyan for his decades-long study of the Tsakhkunyats metamorphic basement and great contribution in revealing its complex geology, as well as for help in selecting representative samples. We thank Pieter Vroon and Helen de Waard for their help with XRF and ICP-MS analyses, respectively, and Roel van Elsas for sample preparation. We thank Dr. Iain Neill and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments, and Dr. Andrea Festa for editorial handling. This research was partially supported by The Netherlands Research Centre for Integrated Solid Earth Science (ISES) through grant 6.2.12. IKN, AJJBG and JMK acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement n° 759563). The Armenian team was supported by the State base funding of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Armenian Academy of Sciences. The data used are listed in the supplementary material , tables and references. Funding Information: We gratefully acknowledge Dr. Vilen Aghamalyan for his decades-long study of the Tsakhkunyats metamorphic basement and great contribution in revealing its complex geology, as well as for help in selecting representative samples. We thank Pieter Vroon and Helen de Waard for their help with XRF and ICP-MS analyses, respectively, and Roel van Elsas for sample preparation. We thank Dr. Iain Neill and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments, and Dr. Andrea Festa for editorial handling. This research was partially supported by The Netherlands Research Centre for Integrated Solid Earth Science (ISES) through grant 6.2.12. IKN, AJJBG and JMK acknowledge financial support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant agreement n° 759563). The Armenian team was supported by the State base funding of the Institute of Geological Sciences of the Armenian Academy of Sciences. The data used are listed in the supplementary material, tables and references. Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s)

PY - 2023/9

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N2 - The geodynamic evolution of the South Armenian Block (SAB) within the Tethyan realm during the Palaeozoic to present-day is poorly constrained. Much of the SAB is covered by Cenozoic sediments so that the relationships between the SAB and the neighbouring terranes of Central Iran, the Pontides and Taurides are unclear. Here we present new geochronological, palaeomagnetic, and geochemical constraints to shed light on the Gondwanan and Cimmerian provenance of the SAB, timing of its rifting, and geodynamic evolution since the Permian. We report new 40Ar/39Ar and zircon U-Pb ages and compositional data on magmatic sills and dykes in the Late Devonian sedimentary cover, as well as metamorphic rocks that constitute part of the SAB basement. Zircon age distributions, ranging from ∼3.6 Ga to 100 Ma, firmly establish a Gondwanan origin for the SAB. Trondhjemite intrusions into the basement at ∼263 Ma are consistent with a SW-dipping active continental margin. Mafic intraplate intrusions at ∼246 Ma (OIB) and ∼234 Ma (P-MORB) in the sedimentary cover likely represent the incipient stages of breakup of the NE Gondwanan margin and opening of the Neotethys. Andesitic dykes at ∼117 Ma testify to the melting of subduction-modified lithosphere. In contrast to current interpretations, we show that the SAB should be considered separate from the Taurides, and that the Armenian ophiolite complexes formed chiefly in the Eurasian forearc. Based on the new constraints, we provide a geodynamic reconstruction of the SAB since the Permian, in which it started rifting from Gondwana alongside the Pontides, likely reached the Iranian margin in Early Jurassic times, and was subject to episodes of intraplate (∼189 Ma) and NE-dipping subduction-related (∼117 Ma) magmatism.

AB - The geodynamic evolution of the South Armenian Block (SAB) within the Tethyan realm during the Palaeozoic to present-day is poorly constrained. Much of the SAB is covered by Cenozoic sediments so that the relationships between the SAB and the neighbouring terranes of Central Iran, the Pontides and Taurides are unclear. Here we present new geochronological, palaeomagnetic, and geochemical constraints to shed light on the Gondwanan and Cimmerian provenance of the SAB, timing of its rifting, and geodynamic evolution since the Permian. We report new 40Ar/39Ar and zircon U-Pb ages and compositional data on magmatic sills and dykes in the Late Devonian sedimentary cover, as well as metamorphic rocks that constitute part of the SAB basement. Zircon age distributions, ranging from ∼3.6 Ga to 100 Ma, firmly establish a Gondwanan origin for the SAB. Trondhjemite intrusions into the basement at ∼263 Ma are consistent with a SW-dipping active continental margin. Mafic intraplate intrusions at ∼246 Ma (OIB) and ∼234 Ma (P-MORB) in the sedimentary cover likely represent the incipient stages of breakup of the NE Gondwanan margin and opening of the Neotethys. Andesitic dykes at ∼117 Ma testify to the melting of subduction-modified lithosphere. In contrast to current interpretations, we show that the SAB should be considered separate from the Taurides, and that the Armenian ophiolite complexes formed chiefly in the Eurasian forearc. Based on the new constraints, we provide a geodynamic reconstruction of the SAB since the Permian, in which it started rifting from Gondwana alongside the Pontides, likely reached the Iranian margin in Early Jurassic times, and was subject to episodes of intraplate (∼189 Ma) and NE-dipping subduction-related (∼117 Ma) magmatism.

KW - Cimmerian continent

KW - Geodynamic evolution

KW - Igneous intrusions

KW - Metamorphic basement

KW - South Armenian Block

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DO - 10.1016/j.gr.2023.03.023

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JO - Gondwana Research

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ER -

The South Armenian Block: Gondwanan origin and Tethyan evolution in space and time

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Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

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