Abstract
The early Paleoproterozoic Turee Creek Group (TCG), Hamersley Basin, Western Australia, records a continuoussiliciclastic-dominated sedimentary sequence across the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) and contains at least twoglacial horizons showing many similarities with other Paleoproterozoic glaciogenic deposits from North America(Huronian Supergroup) and South Africa (Transvaal Supergroup). The correlation between these glacial events isuncertain, however, because of a lack of geochronological constraints, contradictory stratigraphic correlationsamong different cratons, and the occurrence of numerous sedimentary discontinuities in the Transvaal andHuronian successions. In this study, we performedin situU-Pb dating of detrital zircons from drill core andsurface samples of the TCG, the underlying Boolgeeda Iron Formation of the Hamersley Group, and the overlyingBeasley River Quartzite of the Lower Wyloo Group. Over 1500 zircons analyzed by Laser Ablation coupled toICP-MS yielded major age peaks spanning the Archean Eon at ca. 2.45 Ga, 2.54 Ga, 2.68 Ga and minor ones at2.81 Ga, 2.96 Ga and 3.14 Ga. A younger age of 2340 ± 22 Ma obtained at the base of the main glacial depositof the Meteorite Bore Member, represents a maximum age for this glacial event. A meter-scale level of diamictitehas previously been described in the Boolgeeda Formation at the Boundary Ridge Locality (located about 50 kmto the east of the Meteorite Bore Member succession) and a similar horizon was newly identified in drill coresamples from the Hardey Syncline area. The youngest detrital zircons have an age of ca. 2.45 Ga in these dia-mictites supporting the hypothesis that these horizons represent a different and older glacial event than theMeteorite Bore Member. Considering that the TCG and underlying Boolgeeda Iron Formation are in sedimentarycontinuity, these results allow establishing a correlation with the other glaciogenic deposits recorded in theNorth America and southern Africa basins, and reconstructing the sequence of redox and climate changes at-tending the early Paleoproterozoic.