Assembling Australia-- Proterozoic building of a continent

Precambrian Research166(2008)1–38Contents lists available at ScienceDirectPrecambrian Researchj o u r n a l h o m e p a g e:w w w.e l s e v i e r.c o m/l o c a t e/p r e c a m r e sAssembling Australia:Proterozoic building of a continentP.A.Cawood a,∗,R.J.Korsch ba School of Earth and Geographical Sciences,University of Western Australia,35Stirling Highway,Crawley,WA6009,Australiab Onshore Energy and Minerals Division,Geoscience Australia,GPO Box378,Canberra,ACT2601,Australiaa r t i c l e i n f oArticle history:Received6May2008Received in revised form22August2008Accepted25August2008Keywords:AustraliaProterozoicAccretionTectonicsBackarcCratonWest Australian CratonNorth Australian CratonSouth Australian CratonDiamantina CratonProto-AustraliaGreat Southern ContinentOrogenOrogenyCapricornPatersonHalls CreekMusgraveAlbany–FraserPinjarraTerra Australisa b s t r a c tThe western two-thirds of Australia is underlain by Precambrian rocks that are divisible into three Archeanto Paleoproterozoic cratons,the West Australian,North Australian and South Australian cratons,sep-arated by Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic orogens.Prior to about1500Ma,the North Australianand South Australian(along with extensions into Antarctica)cratons show a similar geological historyand are herein assumed to have evolved as a single entity,termed the Diamantina Craton.The temporaland spatial record of Proterozoic rock units and orogenic events documents accretion and assembly ofPrecambrian proto-Australia.The Archean Yilgarn and Pilbara cratons were assembled into the West Aus-tralian Craton along the Capricorn Orogen during the late Paleoproterozoic(2000Ma)Glenburgh Orogeny,which then combined with the North Australian segment of the Diamantina Craton along the PatersonOrogen during the1800–1765Ma Yapungku Orogeny to form proto-Australia.It was bounded through-out most of the late Paleoproterozoic to earliest Mesoproterozoic along its south western and probablyits north eastern margins by subduction zones such that much of the craton occupied an upper plate,backarc basin environment.After∼1500Ma,proto-Australia differentiated into two cratonic masses,thecombined North Australian and West Australian cratons and the Mawson Craton,consisting of the SouthAustralian Craton and extensions into Antarctica.This breakup,through rotation and lateral translationof the Mawson Craton,resulted in convergence and collisional suturing with the West Australian Cratonalong the1345–1140Ma Albany–Fraser Orogen.The integrated continental assemblage of West Australian,North Australian and South Australian(including parts of Antarctica)cratons are herein referred to as theGreat Southern Continent,which persisted untilfinal breakup of Pangea associated with the current north-ward drift of Australia.The Pinjarra Orogen developed along the margin of the West Australian Craton andrecords late Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic strike-slip juxtaposition of India within an assemblingGondwana.The Neoproterozoic record of the Terra Australis Orogen,which extends along the eastern sideof Precambrian Australia,records rifting and continental breakup within the supercontinent of Rodinia.Australian Proterozoic rocks host significant mineral resources,including world class banded iron-formations in the West Australian Craton(Hamersley),and iron oxide copper gold deposits(OlympicDam),Pb–Zn–Ag systems(Mount Isa and Broken Hill)and uranium deposits in the Diamantina Craton.©2008Elsevier B.V.All rights reserved.1.IntroductionThe Australian continent spans some4.4billion years of Earthhistory.The current outline of the continent reflects late Mesozoicbreakup from the other continental fragments of Pangea and north-ward translation of the Australian lithosphere through opening ofthe Southern Ocean.Australia is made up of a western two-thirds underlain by Pre-cambrian rocks,consisting of Archean nuclei sutured by orogenicbelts of largely Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic age bounded∗Corresponding author.E-mail address:pcawood@.au(P.A.Cawood).by an eastern third consisting of a Phanerozoic accretionary oro-gen(Fig.1).The Precambrian component of Australia consists ofthree cratons,the West Australian Craton,the North AustralianCraton and the South Australian Craton(Myers,1990c;Myers etal.,1996).These cratons are separated by the Paleoproterozoic toMesoproterozoic Paterson Orogen1and the largely Mesoprotero-zoic Musgrave and Albany–Fraser Orogens.The Mesoproterozoicto Neoproterozoic Pinjarra Orogen bounds the western margin of1The Paterson and Musgrave orogens are introduced for separate orogenic tractsthat have previously been grouped into a single Paterson Orogen(Williams andMyers,1990).The age of rock units and tectonostratigraphic events within the twobelts prior to the Neoproterozoic is discrete and they form unrelated orogenic tracksand are hence treated separately.0301-9268/$–see front matter©2008Elsevier B.V.All rights reserved.doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2008.08.0062P.A.Cawood,R.J.Korsch /Precambrian Research 166(2008)1–38Fig.1.Simplified tectonic map of Australia showing the distribution of Archean,Proterozoic and Phanerozoic age rock units and tectonic elements within the West Australian,North Australian and South Australian cratons (adapted from Myers et al.,1996;Pirajno and Bagas,in press ).Abbreviations :AF –Avoca Fault;MF –Moyston Fault;THZ –Torrens Hinge Zone.the West Australian Craton and the Neoproterozoic to Phanerozoic Tasman orogenic system,which forms part of the greater Terra Aus-tralis Orogen,abuts the eastern margins of the North and South Australian cratons.The Tasman Line marks the eastern extent of Precambrian rocks and lies along,or slightly within,the Terra Aus-tralis Orogen (Fig.1).A series of Neoproterozoic to Phanerozoic basins developed on the assembled Precambrian basement,includ-ing the intracratonic Centralian Superbasin,and rift and passive continental margin basins developed around Australia as it sepa-rated from Pangea and drifted north (Veevers,1990,2000,2004;Veevers and Powell,1994;Walter et al.,1995).Australian Proterozoic belts,notably the North and South Aus-tralian cratons,are characterized by remarkably high heat flow,in the order of 83±18mW m 2,which is significantly higher than the Proterozoic global average of ∼50mW m 2,and appears to reflect high radiogenic content of the Proterozoic granites (Wyborn et al.,1992;McLaren et al.,2003,2005).The geodynamic setting of the Australian orogenic systems during the Proterozoic has been intensely debated,with both intracratonic and plate margin set-tings proposed for the orogenic belts that weld the Archean nuclei (Etheridge et al.,1987;Myers et al.,1996;Betts et al.,2002;Fraser et al.,2007).This paper provides an overview of the major orogenic belts and basins with the Australian Proterozoic,their character and setting,resource potential,and their role in global reconstructions.2.West Australian CratonThe West Australian Craton consists of the Archean Yilgarn and Pilbara cratons and Paleoproterozoic basement blocks and basins of the Capricorn Orogen (Myers et al.,1996).It is bound to the south and southeast by the largely Mesoproterozoic Albany–Fraser Oro-gen,to the northeast by the Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic Paterson Orogen,and to the west by the late Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic Pinjarra Orogen (Fig.1).The remaining boundaries of the craton are hidden beneath Neoproterozoic to Phanerozoic sedimentary basin cover (Fig.1).The West Australian Craton records the Paleoproterozoic col-lisional suturing of the Yilgarn and Pilbara cratons along the Capricorn Orogen and involves one or more Wilson cycles of ocean opening and closing (Tyler and Thorne,1990;Krapez,1999;Cawood and Tyler,2004;Neumann and Fraser,2007).These cycles involved late Archean and early Paleoproterozoic continental rifting and breakup to form continental margin assemblages along theP.A.Cawood,R.J.Korsch/Precambrian Research166(2008)1–38pp.3–6Fig.2.Time–space diagram outlining age range of lithotectonic units and timing of tectonothermal events in the West Australian,North Australian and South Australian cratons and bounding Proterozoic orogens and basins.Abbreviations(names of orogenic events are italicized):ADS–Amata Dyke Swarm;AIe–Argilke Igneous Event;AS–Adelaide Supergroup(containing Supersequences1–4(Ss1–4);BAG–Black Angel Gneiss;BbC–Billabong Complex;BC–Birksgate Complex;BDS–Boyagin Dyke Swarm;Bi&LiG–Birrindudu and Limbunya groups and equivalents;BlB–Blair Basin succession;BO–Barramundi Orogeny;ByB–Bryah Basin succession;CB–Cariewerloo Basin; CBB–Carr Boyd Basin and equivalent successions;CrB+OB–Crowhurst and Osmand basins and equivalent successions;CG–Cardup Group and correlatives;CoG–Collier Basin succession;CoO–Cornian Orogeny;CpO–Capricorn Orogeny;CS–Calvert Superbasin succession;CuB–Cullen Batholith;CwE–Chewings Event;DdV–Ding Dong Downs Volcanics;DeO–Delamerian Orogeny;DG–Dalyup Gneiss;DS–Donington Suite granitic rocks;DSs–Dalgaringa Supersuite;DvS–Devils Suite granite;EaB–Earaheedy Basin succession;EdG–Edmund Basin succession;EdO–Edmund Orogeny;ES&ERG–El Sherana and Edith River groups;FC–Fraser Complex;FS–Forrest Home Supersuite;FsG–Fortescue Group;GbO–Glenburgh Orogeny;GC–Giles Complex;GDS–Gairdner Dyke Swarm;GFDS–Gnowangenup Fraser Dyke Swarm;GHS–Gawler Range Volcanics and Hiltaba Suite;grn–granite;HcG–Halls Creek Group;HcO–Hall Creek Orogeny;HG–Hutchinson Group;HmG–Hamersley Group;HwGn –Halfway Gneiss;IC–Iwupataka Metamorphic Complex;IO–Isan Orogeny;IS–Isan Superbasin succession;JO–Janan Orogeny;KaO–Kararan Orogeny;KbG–Kimberley Group;KIms–King Island metasandstone;KiO–Kimban Orogeny;KL–Kalkadoon Granite-Leichhardt Volcanics;KLO–King Leopold Orogeny;Ksz–Kalinjala Shear Zone;Ld&OnP–Lander and Ongeva metasedimentary packages;LE–Liebig Event;LG–Lamil Group;LrWG–lower Wyloo Group;LrYB–lower Yerrida Basin succession;LS–Leichhardt Superbasin succession;MbF–Marboo Formation and equivalents;MBG–Mount Barren Group;metaseds–metasedimentary rock;ME–Miltalie Event; MG–Moora Group;MiG–Miltalie Gneiss;MgO–Mangaroon Orogeny;MiO–Miles Orogeny;MlG–Malcolm Gneiss;MNG–Mount Neill Granite;MR–Mount Ragged metasedimentary rocks;MrSs–Moorarie Supersuite and related bodies;MuG–Munglinup Gneiss;MWDS–Mundine Well Dyke Swarm;MWO–Mount West Orogeny; MuO–Musgravian Orogeny;NG-Napperby Gneiss and related units;Nie–Nimbuwah Event;NmG–Namooma and Mount Partridge groups;NS–Ninnerie Suite;ogneiss–orthogneiss;Ole–Ooldean Event;OlO–Olarian Orogeny;Oo&HCG–Ooradidgee and Hatches Creek groups;OtO–Ophthalmian Orogeny;Paleo–Paleozoic;PaO–Paterson Orogeny;PaS–Pargee Sandstone;PbB–Padbury Basin;PeO–Petermann Orogeny;PCG–Pothole Creek Gneiss;pgneiss–paragneiss;PS–Pitjantjatjara Supersuite;RG–Recherche Granite;RjC–Rum Jungle Complex;RRG–Reynolds Range Group;RS–Roper Superbasin;SI–Stage I of the Albany–Fraser Orogeny;SII–Stage II of the Albany–Fraser Orogeny;SA&FnG–South Alligator and Finniss River groups;SbF–Stubbins Formation;Soe–Shoobridge Event;Sfe–Stafford Event;S&MC–Sleaford and Mulgathing complexes;SlO–Sleafordian Orogeny;SPS–St.Peter Suite;SRF–Stirling Range Formation;SS–Spilsby Suite;Ss1–Supersequence1(Centralian Superbasin); Ss2–Supersequence2(Centralian Superbasin);Ss3–Supersequence3(Centralian Superbasin);Ss3+4–Supersequence3+4(Centralian Superbasin);SwE–Strangways Event;TaE–Tanami Event;TeE–Tennant Event;TG–Tarcunyah and Throssell Range groups;TnG–Tanami Group;TCS–Tennant Creek Supersuite;TDS–Tournefort Dyke Swarm;TG–Tollu Group;TS–Tunkillia Suite granitic rocks;TuG–Turee Creek Group;uss–unnamed sandstone unit(Arunta region);UpWG–upper Wyloo Group;UpYB–upper Yerrida Basin succession;WaS–Wankanki Supersuite;WDS–Wig Dyke Swarm;WLIP–Warakuna Large Igneous Province;WM–Wirku Metamorphics;WrG–Ware Group;WrF–Warramunga Formation;WS–Willyama Supergroup;Wu–Wickham unconformity(King Island);YaE–Yambah Event;YpO–Yampi Orogeny;YG–Yandanooka Group;YpO–Yapungku Orogeny.P.A.Cawood,R.J.Korsch/Precambrian Research166(2008)1–387southern margin of the Pilbara Craton(Hamersley Basin suc-cession of Fortescue and Hamersley groups)and the northern margin of the Yilgarn Craton.The two cratons were juxtaposed, overlain by foreland basin sequences(e.g.Turee Creek Group) and deformed,together with accreted exotic continental(Glen-burgh Terrane,Sheppard et al.,2004)?and oceanic fragments (Bryah Basin,Pirajno et al.,2004b),and magmatic arc succes-sions(Dalgaringa Supersuite),culminating in suturing to form the amalgamated West Australian Craton(Fig.1).The craton provides an exceptional record of Paleoproterozoic continental collision processes including the preservation of opposing con-tinental margin successions,which is unique in the Australian Proterozoic,as well as arc fragments related to ocean closure and foreland basins related to collisional loading(Cawood and Tyler, 2004).Proterozoic units within the craton occur largely within and around the Capricorn Orogen(Figs.2and3).The orogen incor-porates latest Archean to Paleoproterozoic plutonic and medium-to high-grade metamorphic rocks of the2550–1620Ma Gascoyne Complex(Sheppard et al.,2007),a series of Palaeoprotero-zoic volcano-sedimentary and sedimentary basins,including the 2200–1805Ma Ashburton Basin(Lower and Upper Wyloo Group, Thorne and Seymour,1991),the ca.1805Ma Blair Basin(Hall et al.,2001),the2150–1840Ma Yerrida Basin,the2020–1900Ma Bryah and Padbury basins,and the1840–1800Ma Earaheedy Basin (Halilovic et al.,2004;Pirajno et al.,2004b),together with the deformed margins of the Pilbara and Yilgarn cratons(Cawood and Tyler,2004).The orogen is exposed in an east–southeast trending belt extending for1000km between the opposing cratonic margins of the Pilbara and Yilgarn cratons.In the west,the orogen is over-lain by the Phanerozoic Carnarvon Basin and to the east by the Neoproterozoic to Paleozoic Officer Basin,of the Centralian Super-basin(Fig.1).The orogen underwent major tectonothermal events during the ca.2200Ma Ophthalmian Orogeny,the2000–1960Ma Glenburgh Orogeny,the1830–1780Ma Capricorn Orogeny,and the 1680–1620Ma Mangaroon Orogeny(Fig.2;Tyler,1991;Martin et al.,1998;Occhipinti et al.,2004;Sheppard et al.,2004;Rasmussen et al.,2005;Sheppard et al.,2005;Neumann and Fraser,2007). The Yilgarn and Pilbara cratonic blocks were assembled into the West Australian Craton by the Glenburgh Orogeny or possibly by the Capricorn Orogeny(Cawood and Tyler,2004;Occhipinti et al., 2004;Sheppard et al.,2004;Tyler,2005).Since collisional assembly of the West Australian Craton in the Paleoproterozoic,the Capricorn Orogen has remained a site of intracratonic lithospheric weakness.From the end of the Paleopro-terozoic through into the Neoproterozoic it has been periodically reactivated as the site of intracratonic basin formation,magma-tism and orogeny.The Capricorn Orogeny is the oldest event that can be traced across the orogen and also had considerable impact on the northern margin of the Yilgarn Craton(Spaggiari,2007; Spaggiari et al.,2008).Although originally considered to be the cause of assembly of the orogen,the recognition of the older Glen-burgh Orogeny makes it possible that it is intracratonic in setting,as was the subsequent Mangaroon Event(Sheppard et al.,2005).The Edmund and Collier basins(Bangemall Supergroup)accumulated between1620and1070Ma,and unconformably overlie and extend across significant areas of the central part of the Capricorn Orogen. They represent a successor basin assemblage(Martin and Thorne, 2004)overlying the eroded remnants of the orogen.The Edmundian Orogeny deformed the Edmund and Collier basins somewhere between1070Ma and750Ma(Martin and Thorne,2001;Occhipinti and Reddy,in press).In situ SHRIMP U–Pb geochronology of mon-azite and xenotime in pelitic schists from the central Gascoyne Complex of Western Australia shows that the orogeny reached greenschist to amphibolite facies between ca.1030and990Ma (Sheppard et al.,2007).Martin et al.(in press)provide a comprehensive provenance analysis of the Bangemall Supergroup of the Edmund Basin,based on some1200U–Pb detrital zircon analyses from19samples,inte-grated with paleocurrent data.This indicates that the source areas were located within the West Australian Craton.All samples con-tain an1850–1600Ma age mode,consistent with derivation from the Gascoyne Complex and equivalent sedimentary basins of the Capricorn Orogen and the southern Pilbara Craton.Some sam-ples contain detritus in the range2780–2450Ma,suggesting input from the southern Pilbara Craton.Detrital zircon age spectra within the older unit of the Bangemall Supergroup,the Edmund Group, become older up section suggesting unroofing of the source area, whereas the unconformably overlying Collier Group records age spectra that become younger upwards and involves reworking of the Edmund Group,plus input from the Pilbara Craton and Paterson Orogen.Evidence for syn-depositional magmatic activity within the Bangemall Supergroup is lacking.3.North Australian CratonThe North Australian Craton extends across the northern parts of Western Australia,the Northern Territory and Queensland.It is bounded in the south and southwest by the Musgrave and Pater-son orogens and in the east by the Terra Australis Orogen.In the north,it extends to the Australian coastline(Figs.1and4)and underlies at least part of the adjoining continental shelf.The craton (Fig.1;Plumb,1979;Plumb et al.,1981;Myers et al.,1996)consists of a series of,often poorly delineated,latest Archean to Paleopro-terozoic cratonic blocks(e.g.,Kimberley,Rum Jungle)occurring between orogenic belts(e.g.,Halls Creek,King Leopold,Pine Creek, Mount Isa,Tanami,Arunta,Georgetown,Coen).A number of basins developed across the craton in the late Paleoproterozoic(e.g., Kimberley,Victoria River,McArthur)and,together with younger Proterozoic and Phanerozoic cover successions,conceal relations between older orogens and cratonic blocks.Archean basement within the North Australian Craton is largely inferred from geophysical data sets(Shaw et al.,1995)with expo-sures limited to the Rum Jungle and Nanumbu complexes,which include granites and some metasedimentary rocks of the Pine Creek Orogen,and the Billabong Complex of the Tanami Region(Page et al.,1995a;Cross et al.,2005;Worden et al.,in press),together with a newly discovered Archean inlier in west Arnhem Land(Hollis et al.,2008).The Paleoproterozoic successions,which are widespread across the craton,are dominated by siliciclastic metasedimentary rocks,along with interstratified carbonates,minor volcanic and vol-caniclastic rocks and chemical sedimentary rocks(Etheridge et al., 1987;Page,1988;Neumann and Fraser,2007).These successions are preserved in a series of orogenic tracts(King Leopold,Halls Creek,Pine Creek,Tanami,Tennant,Arunta,Mount Isa,George-town,McArthur,Fig.1)that are often separated by younger cover successions.The interrelationship of these successions across the various orogens and the timing of their deformation are crucial in resolving the tectonic setting of the North Australian Craton. Early models viewed the widespread sea of Paleoproterozoic sili-ciclastic sediments as accumulating in an intracratonic setting that experienced a common tectonothermal event,the Barramundi Orogeny(Etheridge et al.,1987).Recentfield and geochronolog-ical constraints suggest that the siliciclastic successions are not necessarily spatially or temporally continuous(Tyler et al.,1999), and orogenesis is not a single temporally uniform event across the craton(Fraser et al.,2007;Crispe et al.,2007;Carson et al., in press;Claoué-Long and Edgoose,in press;Worden et al.,in press).8P.A.Cawood,R.J.Korsch /Precambrian Research 166(2008)1–38Fig.3.Map for the Capricorn Orogen showing the location of the main tectonic units.Grey overprints define the extent of the Capricorn Orogen (dots)and the Neoproterozoic Paterson Orogeny (‘v’s).Adapted from Cawood and Tyler (2004)and modified after Myers and Hocking (1998),Tyler et al.(1998)and Tyler and Hocking (2002).3.1.Kimberley RegionBasement to the Kimberley Block,in the western North Aus-tralian Craton,is not exposed but is inferred to include Neoarchean material on the basis of age relations within younger sedimentary rocks and granites,and the interpretation of potential field data (Gunn and Meixner,1998).Archean zircons are a minor detrital component of metasedimentary rocks from the western Halls Creek Orogen,which are interpreted to have accumulated on the craton margin,and as rare xenocrysts in high-K 1865–1850Ma granites (with late Archean Nd model ages)that were emplaced into these sedimentary rocks and probably sourced from under-P.A.Cawood,R.J.Korsch/Precambrian Research166(2008)1–389Fig.4.Map of North Australian Craton,adapted in part from Crispe et al.(2007).lying basement(Tyler et al.,1999;Griffin et al.,2000;Page et al., 2001).U–Pb zircon ages on one granite(1851±10Ma)and two ser-pentinised ultramafic xenoliths(1845±30Ma and1861±31Ma) in the Neoproterozoic(∼820Ma)Aries Kimberlite from the central Kimberley Basin indicate that the granitic basement and lower crust beneath the basin is at least Paleoproterozoic(Downes et al., 2007).Hf-isotope analyses from zircons in the ultramafic xenoliths suggest the underlying lithospheric mantle is at least late Archean (Downes et al.,2007).The Halls Creek and King Leopold orogens extend along the southeastern and southwestern margins of the Kimberley Block (Fig.4)and consist of deformed and metamorphosed Paleopro-terozoic sedimentary,volcanic and intrusive rocks,which in the Halls Creek Orogen have been divided into Western,Central and Eastern zones(Tyler et al.,1995;Sheppard et al.,1999;Blake et al.,2000).The oldest exposed successions in the Western and Central zones are∼1865Ma metasedimentary rocks(Fig.2),the Marboo Formation(a proximal cratonic margin accumulation)and Tickalara Metamorphics,respectively.The Tickalara Metamoprhics are interpreted as an island arc assemblage.The Eastern Zone includes∼1910Ma bimodal volcanic rocks(Ding Dong Downs Vol-canics)unconformably overlain by∼1890–1850Ma sedimentary rocks(Halls Creek Group)that are inferred to have accumulated on the conjugate passive margin to the proto-North Australian Cra-ton to the east(termed the Lucas cratonic block by Myers et al., 1996).Deformation of the orogen commenced around1855Ma in the Western and Central zones,with the major Halls Creek Orogeny occurring around1850–1840Ma in the Central Zone,but with oro-genic activity continuing for some30Ma and extending into the Eastern Zone around1820Ma(Tyler et al.,1995;Bodorkos et al., 1999,2000a,b,2002).Deformation and metamorphism is related to ocean closure and accretion of the Kimberley Craton to the remain-der of the North Australia Craton(Sheppard et al.,1999;Griffin et al.,2000;Bodorkos et al.,2002;Fraser et al.,2007).Between 1835and1750Ma a sedimentary overlap succession,the Kimber-ley Group,accumulated across the Kimberley Block and Halls Creek Orogen,which were in turn succeeded by intracratonic successions of the Crowhurst,Bastion,Osmand,Carr Boyd,Victoria River and Centralian basins(Tyler,2005).3.2.Pine Creek RegionThe Pine Creek Region,or Pine Creek Orogen,is divisible into the low grade Central Domain bounded to the west and east by the high grade Litchfield Province and Nimbuwah Domain,respec-tively(Ahmad,1998;Neumann and Fraser,2007;Worden et al.,in press).The Litchfield Province is a north–northeast-trending belt of amphibolite to granulite facies metasedimentary rocks and granites (Carson et al.,in press).The Central Domain consists of a lower grade Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary succession and post-tectonic granites that accumulated on Archean basement,and the Nim-buwah Domain includes higher grade Neoarchean basement and Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks,migmatites and granites. New SHRIMP U–Pb zircon geochronology for volcanic and vol-caniclastic rocks within the sedimentary succession of the Central Domain of the Pine Creek Region indicates accumulation of an older component at around2030–2020Ma(Fig.2,Namoona and Mount Partridge groups)associated with active continental rifting and a younger succession at1870–1860Ma(South Alligator and Finniss River groups,Worden et al.,in press).Sedimentation was followed by a series of tectonothermal episodes that were widespread across the North Australian Craton and historically have been termed the Barramundi Orogeny(Etheridge et al.,1987;Page,1988).In the10P.A.Cawood,R.J.Korsch/Precambrian Research166(2008)1–38Central Domain,the Barramundi Orogeny is now termed the Nim-buwah Event and occurred between1863and1847Ma(Worden et al.,in press,and references therein).The El Sherana and Edith River groups(1830–1825Ma;Page,1996;Jagodzinski,1998;Worden et al.,in press)within the South Alligator Valley region of the Cen-tral Domain consist of volcanic rocks along with volcanogenic and siliciclastic sedimentary rocks that accumulated in extensional basins following the Nimbuwah Event(Worden et al.,in press). Needham and Stuart-Smith(1985)documented folding of the El Sherana Group prior to deposition of the unconformably overly-ing Edith River Group,which appears to be associated with granite emplacement.These units were deformed and intruded by granites associated with the Cullen Batholith(1830–1810Ma;Stuart-Smith et al.,1993;Worden et al.,in press)and during the ca.1780Shoo-bridge tectonothermal event(Needham et al.,1988).In the adjoining Litchfield Province of the Pine Creek Region, integrated SHRIMP U–Pb zircon and monazite geochronology indi-cates medium-to high-grade metamorphism of the Hermit Creek and Fog Bay Metamorphics occurred at∼1855Ma(Carson et al.,in press).This metamorphism was not accompanied by any significant penetrative strain.In contrast,penetrative deformation and meta-morphism in the Welltree Metamorphics of the Litchfield Province occurred at1813±3Ma(Carson et al.,in press).The Hermit Creek, Fog Bay and Welltree metamorphics are correlated with the Finnis River Group of the Central Domain and are overlain by the Wangi Basics(Carson et al.,in press;Worden et al.,in press).The Litchfield Province has been interpreted as the northern extension of Halls Creek Orogen(Pietsch and Edgoose,1988)and Glass(2007)has interpreted the Wangi Basics as forming in an island arc-back-arc basin setting,and is probably a correlative of the Tickalara Metamorphics.The1855Ma age for metamorphism (Carson et al.,in press)is similar to that reported from the West-ern and Central zones of the Halls Creek Orogen.Carson et al. (in press)however,relate metamorphism to emplacement of a high-temperature advective mafic heat source into the crust dur-ing lithospheric extension,whereas in the Halls Creek Orogen it is related to lithospheric convergence(Griffin et al.,2000).3.3.Tanami RegionThe Tanami Region,also termed the Granites-Tanami or Tanami Orogen,contains isolated Neoarchean inliers(∼2510Ma,Billabong Complex,Page et al.,1995b)and Paleoproterozoic greenschist facies sedimentary,volcanic and granitic rocks(Crispe et al.,2007;Cross and Crispe,2007;Neumann and Fraser,2007;Bagas et al.,in press). The∼1864Ma Stubbins Formation(Fig.2)forms the base of the Paleoproterozoic succession and consists of deep water sedimen-tary rocks and intercalated mafic volcanic rocks and dolerite sills. The unconformably overlying siliciclastic-dominated metasedi-mentary rocks of the Tanami Group accumulated around1840Ma (Blake et al.,1975;Cross and Crispe,2007)and are host to major gold deposits near the base of the group(Lambeck et al.,in press). Geochemical analysis of siltstones from the lower part of the group (Dead Bullock Formation)are characterised by enrichment in MgO, TiO2,Cr and Sc,light REE depletion and a dominant detrital zir-con population around2500Ma.In contrast,the turbidites from the upper units of the group(Killi Killi Formation),which are less strongly mineralised,contain enrichments in Zr,La/Sc,La/Sm,flat REE patterns and a detrital zircon population dominated by 1880–1840Ma zircons(Claoué-Long et al.,in press-a;Lambeck et al.,in press).Tanami Group sedimentation was terminated by regional defor-mation and metamorphism up to amphibolite facies during the 1830Ma Tanami Event(Crispe et al.,2007).The Tanami Group is unconformably overlain by siliciclastic sedimentary and felsic vol-canic rocks of the Ware Group that accumulated at1825–1810Ma (Cross and Crispe,2007),followed by regional deformation and granite plutonism of the1810–1800Ma Stafford Event.Extension and localised sedimentation(Mt Charles Formation)at∼1800Ma was followed by further regional deformation prior to accumula-tion of the Pargee Sandstone,which has a maximum depositional age of1768±14Ma based on the youngest detrital zircon(Cross and Crispe,2007).This unit is unconformably overlain by the Birrindudu Group(Blake et al.,1975),a possible correlative of the Tolmer Group in the western Pine Creek Orogen to the north,and is interpreted as a platformal cover succession.An upper limit on its age of accu-mulation is provided by the overlying Limbunya Group dated at 1640–1635Ma(Cutovinos et al.,2002).Bagas et al.(in press)argue that the tholeiitic to calc-alkaline geochemical affinities of the igneous rocks in the Stubbins Forma-tion suggest a backarc basin setting that lay outboard of the Halls Creek Orogen and separated from the Arunta Orogen by a sub-ducting ocean basin,which continued until collisional suturing at around1850Ma.3.4.Tennant RegionThe Tennant Region of the North Australian Craton shows many similarities with the Tanami Region(Figs.1and2).The old-est exposed rock unit is the∼1862Ma Warramunga Formation and correlatives,intruded by the∼1850Ma Tennant Creek Super-suite,which was associated with the Tennant deformational event (Compston,1995;Smith,2001;Donnellan,2005;Maidment et al., 2006;Neumann and Fraser,2007;Fraser et al.,2008).These are overlain by subaerial to shallow marine sedimentary and bimodal volcanic rocks of the Ooradidgee and Hatches Creek groups(Fig.2; Blake et al.,1987;Claoué-Long et al.,in press-b).U–Pb ages for detri-tal zircons in metasedimentary siliciclastic rocks and from volcanic rocks constrain the Paleoproterozoic stratigraphic development in these units(Claoué-Long et al.,in press-b).Volcanic rocks from the Ooradidgee Group range from1840±4Ma(Epenara Volcanics) to1814+3/−6Ma(Treasure Volcanics),and in the Hatches Creek Group they yield an age of1814±3Ma(Arabulja Volcanics,Claoué-Long et al.,in press-b).Sandstone from the Ooradidgee Group is dominated by detrital zircon in the range1880–1840Ma,along with minor earlier Proterozoic and late Archean ages,whereas detrital zircons from the Hatches Creek Group also contain1820–1800Ma grains derived from contemporaneous igneous activity.This con-temporaneous activity is restricted to the lower Hatches Creek Group and the upper part of the group may be range to younger than1800Ma.Around100Ma after the accumulation of this suc-cession the region was intruded by the Devils Suite granite and accompanying lamprophyres at∼1710Ma(Claoué-Long et al.,in press-c).3.5.Arunta RegionThe Arunta Region also contains an extensive late Paleoprotero-zoic sedimentary succession divided by a series of tectonothermal events(Fig.2;Claoue-Long,2003;Scrimgeour,2003).The oldest sedimentary succession is the Lander Package and correlatives that occupy some60%of the region(Pietsch,2001).They contain detri-tal zircons dominated by1880–1840Ma ages,along with a minor component of ages extending back to the Neoarchean(Claoué-Long et al.,in press-a).The package is intruded by1810–1800Ma igneous bodies associated with the Stafford tectonothermal event(Claoué-Long and Hoatson,2005;Claoué-Long and Edgoose,in press).The Ongeva Package accumulated between1810and1800Ma(Hussey et al.,2005),coeval with the Stafford Event.Its relationship to the Lander Package is not known.The Lander and Ongeva pack-。