Age provinces in the basement rocks of Liberia

Abstract

Fourteen new Rb-Sr ages and 17 new K-Ar ages, when combined with published ages, confirm the previous subdivision of the basement rocks of Liberia into 3 age provinces. The Liberian age province was metamorphosed and intruded 2,700 m.y. ago, but the data suggest that many of the rocks of this province are probably considerably older. The Eburnean age province was metamorphosed approximately 2,150 m.y. ago. Rocks of the Pan-African age province were originally part of the Liberian province, but underwent a relatively intense metamorphism 500 m.y. ago. The K-Ar age patterns suggest that the Pan-African province was uplifted relative to the Liberian province sometime after 500 m.y. ago, but fission-track ages of apatites indicate that any such relative vertical displacements must have occurred prior to 120 m.y. ago.