S.-H. Zhang, R.E. Ernst, T.J. Munson et al.

Fundamental Research 2 (2022) 84–100

Table 1
SIMS Pb-Pb dating results of baddeleyites from the Laiwu dolerite dyke in western Shandong Province in the eastern NCC.

Grain spot Pb (ppm) U (ppm) 206

Pb/204 Pb 207
Pb∗ /206 Pb∗ ±1𝜎 (%) 207
Pb∗ /206 Pb∗ Age (Ma) ±1𝜎

Sample 16140-1 (GSP position: E117°53.405′; N36°16.634′)

16140-1@01 22 75 54100 0.10242 0.60 1668 22
16140-1@02 63 214 10096 0.10241 0.35 1668 13
16140-1@03 34 113 55833 0.10539 1.77 1721 65
16140-1@05 107 372 11818 0.10120 0.27 1646 10
16140-1@06 15 52 11572 0.10192 0.81 1659 30
16140-1@08 38 131 909 0.10211 2.58 1663 95
16140-1@09 219 760 15639 0.10109 0.29 1644 11
16140-1@10 140 493 100000 0.09993 1.43 1623 53
16140-1@11 61 208 9074 0.10252 0.41 1670 15
16140-1@12 100 339 4095 0.10282 1.19 1676 44
16140-1@13 77 257 60393 0.10418 0.29 1700 11
16140-1@14 43 143 110703 0.10567 1.79 1726 66
16140-1@15 62 211 264202 0.10272 0.27 1674 10
16140-1@16 70 235 219781 0.10375 0.37 1692 14
16140-1@17 96 325 349476 0.10262 0.22 1672 8
16140-1@18 165 561 596494 0.10252 0.25 1670 9
16140-1@19 162 531 419316 0.10565 1.71 1726 63
16140-1@20 31 105 69372 0.10278 0.46 1675 17
16140-1@21 61 207 170613 0.10298 0.30 1679 11
16140-1@22 122 413 70999 0.10271 0.23 1674 8
16140-1@23 192 650 60562 0.10288 0.18 1677 7
16140-1@24 164 550 1979373 0.10391 0.29 1695 11
16140-1@25 182 610 100000 0.10364 0.22 1690 8
Sample 16140-2 (GSP position: E117°53.369′; N36°16.707′)
16140-2@01 265 900 31165 0.10261 0.31 1672 12
16140-2@02 152 517 31003 0.10275 0.39 1674 15
16140-2@03 153 522 67009 0.10236 0.30 1667 11
16140-2@04 297 998 521652 0.10357 0.24 1689 9
16140-2@05 50 168 48066 0.10389 0.38 1695 14
16140-2@06 61 205 426663 0.10348 0.30 1687 11
16140-2@08 95 328 119801 0.10097 0.28 1642 11
16140-2@09 169 580 100000 0.10171 0.42 1655 15
16140-2@10 225 768 204292 0.10222 0.32 1665 12
16140-2@11 10 32 17163 0.10387 0.96 1694 35
16140-2@12 72 242 8683 0.10336 0.30 1685 11
16140-2@13 36 130 1546 0.09842 0.97 1594 36
16140-2@14 21 70 3538 0.10262 0.69 1672 26
16140-2@15 150 497 313326 0.10480 1.08 1711 40
16140-2@16 110 386 2374 0.10017 1.29 1627 48
16140-2@17 140 471 42997 0.10329 0.78 1684 29
16140-2@19 24 82 13668 0.10134 2.42 1649 90
16140-2@20 156 506 356201 0.10650 2.71 1740 99
16140-2@21 200 679 3721 0.10291 1.43 1677 53
16140-2@23 190 657 100000 0.10145 0.35 1651 13
16140-2@24 81 274 81637 0.10330 0.26 1684 9
16140-2@25 50 170 140918 0.10254 0.42 1671 16

Baddeleyite SIMS dating was performed in two independent sessions using a Cameca IMS 1280HR large-radius ion microprobe at the Institute of Geology and
Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.
∗
Common Pb corrected using measured 204 Pb.

tute a Sariwon-Liaodong-Xuhuai (Dashigou) LIP in the central-eastern
NCC [51,77,78].
2.2. LIPs and major mafic magmatic events in the NAC
Ca. 1790–1770 Ma: Mafic magmatism during this period includes
the ca. 1790 Ma Hart–Carson LIP consists of Hart Dolerite and Car-
son Volcanics in the Kimberley Basin extending over an area of
>160,000 km2 , the ca. 1780 Ma Eastern Creek Volcanics, mafic dykes
and sills, and gabbros in the Western Fold Belt of the Mount Isa Province
with an areal extent of 4,000 km2 , and mafic volcanics and sills of the ca.
1770 Ma Harts Range Metamorphic Complex in the Irindina Province
with an areal extent of 2,100 km2 [79–81] (Fig. 4). The Eastern Creek
Volcanics probably extend over a much larger area that includes the
southern McArthur Basin (Seigal Volcanics of the Tawallah Group) and
they are also probably present at depth across the Mount Isa region
as is suggested by deep seismic profiling [82]. The ca. 1780 Ma Seigal
Volcanics consist of basaltic lavas of intra-plate tholeiitic affinities and
minor tuff as well as their feeder dykes [44,83,84].
Ca. 1730 Ma: The Oenpelli Dolerite was emplaced into the Pine
Creek Orogen, Arnhem Province and northern McArthur Basin during
this period and represents a major high-Ti continental tholeiite province
with limited exposure that extends over an area of 20,000 km2 [85,86]
(Fig. 4). It occurs mainly as shallow-level (1–2 km) lopoliths, sills, and
minor dykes intruding older strata, often along the base of Kombolgie
Subgroup (Mamadawerre Sandstone) of the northern McArthur Basin.
Baddeleyite U-Pb dating of two samples of the Oenpelli Dolerite re-
turned dates of 1735 ± 3 Ma [87] and 1723 ± 6 Ma [86]. The Oen-
pelli Dolerite is well exposed in the northeastern Pine Creek Orogen and
northwestern McArthur Basin [86], and is common in some drillholes
including KLD104, KLD0105, KLD108R, KLD1156, and GDD-001 in the
McArthur Basin. The thickness of the dolerite ranges from 6 m to 350
m. Other mafic volcanic rocks erupted during this period include the Pe-
ters Creek Volcanics along the southeast margin of the Murphy Province
with SHRIMP zircon U-Pb ages from 1729 ± 4 Ma to 1724 ± 2 Ma and
the Fiery Creek Volcanics in the Lawn Hill Platform with a SHRIMP zir-
con U-Pb age of 1709 ± 3 Ma [88]. Other mafic rocks most likely formed
during this period in the southern McArthur Basin include: 1) the Set-

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S.-H. Zhang, R.E. Ernst, T.J. Munson et al. Fundamental Research 2 (2022) 84–100

Fig 3. 207 Pb/206 Pb age plots (a, c) and representative back-scattered electron (BSE) images (b, d) for baddeleyites from the Laiwu dolerite dyke in western
Shandong Province in the eastern NCC. Data-point error symbols in a and c are 1𝜎.

Fig 4. Sketch map showing the distribution of LIPs and major mafic magmatic events in the NAC between 1800 Ma and 1000 Ma.

88
S.-H. Zhang, R.E. Ernst, T.J. Munson et al.
Fig 5. Stratigraphic columns of representative drillholes across the Tawallah and McArthur groups from the McArthur Basin in the NAC. Full formation
names: Bukalara, Bukalara Sandstone; Teena, Teena Dolostone; Reward, Reward Dolostone; Barney Creek, Barney Creek Formation.
tlement Creek Dolerite beneath the ca. 1730 Ma Wollogorang Forma-
tion of the Tawallah Group, which can be observed in drillholes such as
DD91HC1, DD91RC18, DDHMN1, BOOM1, and DDHHO1; this unit has
a variable thickness of 1−228 m; and 2) the Gold Creek Volcanics over-
lying the Wollogorang Formation, which can be observed in drillholes
such as DD91HC1, DD91RC18, DDHCH1, DD95GC007, DD95RC128,
DD94RC039, DD94RC40, DD94RC44, and DD94RC048; this unit has a
thickness of 76−186 m (Fig. 5). The Settlement Creek Dolerite was em-
placed predominantly as high-level sills, with the Gold Creek Volcanics
inferred to be its erupted equivalent [44,83,84]. Several anomalously
thick piles of mafic volcanic rocks within the Tawallah Group have also
been interpreted from geophysical modeling of the Batten Fault Zone in
the southern McArthur Basin [89]. The modelled volcanics likely repre-
sent a combined volume of the ca. 1780 Ma Seigal Volcanics and the ca.
1730 Ma Settlement Creek Dolerite and Gold Creek Volcanics and are
estimated to be approximately 2 km thick [89].
Ca. 1680–1660 Ma: Mafic magmatism during this period consists
mainly of the Cobbold Metadolerite (zircon U-Pb age of 1675 ± 3 Ma
[90]) and the Dead Horse Metabasalt (zircon U-Pb age of 1663 ± 13
Ma [91]) from the Georgetown Province, north Queensland, with an
areal extent of 23,000 km2 [80] (Fig. 4). Mafic rocks from other areas
of the NAC include gabbro and dolerite emplaced synchronously with
sedimentation in the Eastern Fold Belt in the Mount Isa Province; these
have returned a zircon SHRIMP U-Pb age of 1686 ± 6 Ma [80,92], and
the Toole Creek Volcanics of the Mount Isa Eastern Succession have a
zircon SHRIMP U-Pb age of 1658 ± 8 Ma [80].
Ca. 1320 Ma: Mafic magmatism during this period consists of De-
rim Derim and Galiwinku dolerites (Fig. 4). The Derim Derim Dolerite
comprises voluminous dolerite sills emplaced into the middle and up-
per Roper Group in the McArthur Basin, including the Mainoru For-
mation, Crawford Formation, Jalboi Formation, Corcoran Formation,
Bessie Creek Sandstone, Velkerri Formation, Moroak Sandstone, Sher-
win Formation, Kyalla Formation and Bukalorkmi Sandstone [48]. The
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Fundamental Research 2 (2022) 84–100
Galiwinku radiating dolerite dyke swarm is located in the Arnhem re-
gion and is overlain by the Neoproterozoic to Permian Arafura Basin;
it intrudes basement crystalline rocks of the Arnhem Province and Pine
Creek Orogen, and the Mamadawerre Sandstone of the basal McArthur
Basin [87,93]. An early reported baddeleyite SHRIMP U-Pb age for the
Derim Derim dolerite sills was 1324 ± 4 Ma (Claoué-Long, 1997, un-
published data, reported in [94]); this sample was subsequently rean-
alyzed and returned a baddeleyite SHRIMP U-Pb date of 1320 ± 5 Ma
and a baddeleyite CA-ID-TIMS date of 1327.5 ± 0.6 Ma [48]. A badde-
leyite CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb age of another Derim Derim dolerite sill sam-
ple collected from drillhole Altree-2 in the Beetaloo Sub-basin, 200 km
to the south, returned an age of 1312.9 ± 0.7 Ma [95]. A baddeleyite
U-Pb of 1325 ± 36 Ma has been obtained for the Galiwinku dolerite
dyke swarm [87]. The Derim Derim dolerite sills and Galiwinku do-
lerite dyke swarm have a combined areal extent of >240,000 km2 and
constitute a ca. 1320 Ma Derim Derim-Galiwinku LIP in the NAC. The
Derim Derim dolerite sills were deformed within the host sedimen-
tary successions and are well exposed in the northern McArthur Basin.
They are also very common in drillholes such as Altree-2, Borrowdale-
1, Borrowdale-2, DDH10, DDH11, DDH6, DDH7, DDH9, Friendship-1,
Lawrence-1, McManus-1, Prince of Wales-1, Sever-1, Tarlee S3, VDD1,
VDD2, Walton-2 and Urapunga-5 in the McArthur Basin and have thick-
nesses ranging from 26 m to 173 m (Fig. 6).
Ca. 1295 Ma: Mafic magmatism during this period includes an un-
named alkali gabbro sill in the southern NAC with an areal extent of
400 km2 . The sill is interpreted to intrude the Wiernty and Jangirulu
formations, and Lake Woods beds of the Mesoproterozoic Renner Group
of the Tomkinson Province [87]. SHRIMP U-Pb baddeleyite dating of
an alkali gabbro sill sample from drillhole LWDDH03 yielded an em-
placement age of 1295 ± 14 Ma [96]. Although this ca. 1295 Ma mafic
magmatism was previously considered to be part of the Derim Derim-
Galiwinku LIP [87], its alkaline compositions are very different from
the tholeiitic compositions of this LIP [46,86]. Considering its emplace-