Nd isotopic evidence for the antiquity of the Wyoming province Available to Purchase

Sm-Nd isotopic data on Late Archean age metasedimentary rocks from around the Wyoming province yield ϵ_Nd values at 2.6 Ga from -12.9 to +3.3, which correspond to depleted mantle model ages of 2.7 to 3.8 Ga. These results indicate that crust of a wide variety of ages was exposed and eroding in Late Archean time. The predominance of Middle Archean model ages suggests that continental crust was extensive in the Wyoming province by this time. No resolvable correlation exists between initial ϵ_Nd value and geographic location or depositional environment of the metasedimentary rock samples; thus, there is no indication that any part of the province was established at a time different from the rest. The Nd isotopic characteristics of Archean rocks from the Wyoming province contrast with those of the Superior province, confirming that, although their Proterozoic evolution has been parallel, the two cratons did not share a common Archean history.