DETRITAL ZIRCON PROVENANCES FOR SANDSTONES OF THE AI AND BOL’SHOI INZER FORMATIONS (RIPHEAN STRATOTYPE, SOUTHERN URALS)

When the maxima on the relative probability density curves of age of detrital zircons from the basal sandstones of the of the Riphean prototype (Ai and Bol’shoi Inzer formations, Southern Urals) are compared with the time intervals of formation of potential detrital zircon sources in the East European and Siberian cratons, ~1.7 Ga ago located immediately west and east of the area of accumulation of sediments originally comprising these formations, it is apparent that they are substantially similar to each other. This suggests that the detritus in the basal strata of the Riphean stratotype could be derived from rock complexes of both cratons. All of the aforesaid may represent an example of the so-called parallel tectonomagmatic evolution of cratons and draw the attention of researchers to the possibility of obtaining multivariate models for the formation of detrital zircon populations in sandstones based solely on U-Th-Pb isotopic dating of detrital zircons.

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