New Nd-Sr isotope-geochronological evidence of its affinity to the East-Scandinavian Large Igneous Province (The Kandalaksha-Kolvitsa gabbro-anorthosite complex, Russia)

The article provides new Sm-Nd and Nd-Sr isotope-geochronological data on rocks of the Paleoproterozoic Kandalaksha-Kolvitsa gabbro-anorthosite complex.

The Sm-Nd and Rb-Sr studies have provided data on isotope compositions of neodymium and strontium in rocks of both massifs. The isotope compositions of neodymium (eNd) range from -0.02 in norites of the Kandalaksha massif to -5.53 in lens bodies of gneiss granites of the Kolvitsa massif

Weakly radiogenic values of eNd = -1.0 – -1.2 dominate, which complies with characteristic values of Paleoproterozoic layered intrusions in Fennoscandia. Isotope compositions of strontium ranging from 0.7013 to 0.7025 also reflect typical values of a Paleoproterozoic igneous province [.

New data suggest that the Kandalaksha-Kolvitsa gabbro-anorthosite complex is confined to the East-Scandinavian Large Igneous Province with a protracted evolution at the turn of 2.53-2.39 Ga. According to geochronological and isotope Nd-Sr data, rocks of the Kandalaksha-Kolvitsa complex seem to have the same anomalous mantle source with Paleoproterozoic layered intrusions in the Baltic Shield (Fig. 3). The latter include Cu-Ni-Co-Cr+PGE deposits in the Monchegorsk ore area and Pechenga, Cr ores in the Pados massif, Fe-Ti-V Kolvitsa deposit, PGE and Cu-Ni Fedorovo-Pana layered complex  and Burakovsky intrusion, Cu-Ni-Co+PGE deposits in Finland, i.e. Kemi, Penikat, Akanvaara, Kontelainen, Tornio and many other. These deposits formed at two episodes, 2.53-2.39 Ga and 2.0-1.8 Ga, that refer to the beginning of rifting and the late rifting stage of the Fennoscandian Shield evolution, respectively.

Rocks of these intrusions referred to the pyroxenite-gabbronorite-anorthosite formation have similar isotope-geochemical features:

1) according to U-Pb and Sm-Nd geochronological data, the formation time span is 2530 to 2380 Ma;

2) the mantle reservoir feeding magmas that formed the massifs is rich in lithophile elements;  I_Sr values vary from 0.702 to 0.706, ε_Nd(T) varies from +2 to -6;

3) the model Sm-Nd ages of T_DM protoliths are 2.8-3.3 Ga.

The scientific research has been carried out in the framework of the State Research Contract of GI KSС RAS No. 0226-2019-0053, RFBR grant No. 18-05-70082 «Arctic’s Resources» and Presidium RAS Program No. 8.