Geochronological data on ore-bearing minerals can constrain the absolute ages and duration mineralising processes. Of the tungsten-bearing minerals, wolframite is the most promising geochronometer for these mineral systems, but high precision ages are hampered by common Pb and intra-grain heterogeneity. We present ID-TIMS and LA-ICP-MS U-Pb isotope data of wolframite , combined with milli scale (SEM-EDS) and microscale (LA-ICP-MS) element maps and nanoscale (FIB-TEM) chemical and structural images to elucidate the complex geochemical behaviour of this mineral and the implications for U-Pb geochronology.During this study, three new U-Pb reference materials have been developed with ages of ca 158 Ma, 289 Ma and 325 Ma; these are available to interested laboratories. The best precision obtained by ID-TIMS was 1.24%, whilst we estimate the best possible precision for LA-ICP-MS ages to be ca 1.8%. Apart for analytical uncertainties, the main contributor to age uncertainty is the poor dispersion in U-Pb data (for Discordia fitting) and unknown common Pb composition for ID-TIMS data, and micron-scale heterogeneity for LA-ICP-MS data.Microscale (LA-ICP-MS maps) to nanoscale (FIB-TEM) imaging techniques show large chemical and structural heterogeneity of wolframite related to the complex geological environments in which it is precipitated and altered. Trace element mapping highlights oscillatory and sector zoning not typically observed when using traditional SEM-based techniques. The variable distribution of the analysed elements (Fe, Mn, Sc, Nb, Ta, Y, Pb, Th and U for this study) can be explained both by coupled substitution and changing fluid chemistry recorded within a single wolframite crystal. The nano-scale structure of a strongly altered wolframite is characterised by rare ca 10x10 nm non-symmetric zones of amorphous crystal structure, and bands of elongate (ca 100 x 20 nm oval-shaped) low density zones that we consider representing porosity developed during rapid crystallisation of wolframite.Although no real intra-grain age dispersion is observed in the analysed samples, the precision of U-Pb ages is strongly affected by the local chemical and structural characteristics of the wolframite. Most notably, the concentration of 238U and 238U/204Pb can vary by an order of magnitude within a zone smaller than a typically laser ablation spot (e.g., 100 µm).

Cassiterite (SnO2) is one of the dominant ore phases in tin-tungsten bearing magmatic-hydrothermal deposits. It can contain high uranium contents and usually hosts low levels of common Pb, making it one of the best U-Pb geochronometers among ore minerals [1]. The widespread use of in-situ techniques to obtain crystallization ages for cassiterite, however, is limited by a paucity of accurately characterized reference materials (RMs). Such shortage is mostly caused by the difficulty of achieving closed-system acid decomposition of this mineral, which represents the foundation of isotope dilution techniques, necessary for accurate and precise determination of U-Pb isotopic composition using thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) techniques. In this contribution, we present a new set of U-Pb isotopic compositions of two cassiterite samples from the archetypal Variscan Sn-W greisen deposits of Panasqueira (Portugal) and Krasno (Czechia) obtained with an updated protocol of complete HBr decomposition of cassiterite in the presence of a U-Pb tracer, followed by U and Pb purification, and TIMS analyses. Previous to dissolution, the U-Pb isotopic compositions of the same cassiterite aliquots are characterized via laser-ablation-inductively coupled-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and each cassiterite fragment is imaged with an ultra-fast washout laser ablation system to obtain high-resolution maps of the content and distribution of key trace elements (e.g. U, Pb, Fe, REE). These two samples show variable but high U concentrations (2-20 ppm) and produce U-Pb isochron ages with 1% precision and low dispersion. We compare these new materials with established RMs (Yankee [2]; AY-4 [3]) and discuss their usability as primary reference materials for microbeam applications. [1] Neymark, L. A., et al., Chemical Geology. 2018, 483, 410-425. [2] Carr, P.A., et al., Chemical Geology. 2020, 539, 119539. [3] Yuan, S., et al., Ore Geology Reviews. 2011, 43, 235–242.

The Fregeneda-Almendra pegmatite field of the Iberian Massif represents a typical expression of peraluminous rare-metal magmatism that occurred over western Europe at the end of the Variscan orogeny. It is the host for two main types of Li-mineralized intrusions, identified at the scale of the Variscan belt, including petalite- or spodumene-rich pegmatites, as well as Li-mica-rich pegmatites, for which the origin of mineralogical-chemical differences is not yet understood. Here, we provide cassiterite and columbite-group mineral (CGM) U-Pb ages along with oxide, mica and phosphate mineral compositions for Li-pegmatites from the Fregeneda-Almendra field in order to assess their petrogenesis and tectonic-magmatic context of emplacement. U-Pb geochronology indicates that petalite-rich and Li-mica-rich pegmatites were mostly emplaced sub-synchronously from 315 ± 6 to 308 ± 6 Ma, during strike-slip deformation and granitic magmatism within an anatectic dome bounding the pegmatite field. U-Pb data and pegmatite geographic zonation suggest that Li-pegmatites were sourced from buried equivalents of leucogranites and migmatites from the dome. Li-pegmatites experienced a complex crystallization including K-feldspar, petalite, topaz, Nb-Ta-Fe-Mn-rich cassiterite, amblygonite-group minerals (AGM) and CGM as early magmatic phases, followed by lepidolite for Li-mica-rich pegmatites. At the magmatic-hydrothermal transition, notably leading to the formation of Nb-Ta-Mn-Fe-poor cassiterite hosting CGM inclusions, earlier minerals were resorbed by muscovite and albite. A later F-rich hydrothermalism is locally reflected by zinnwaldite overgrowths on muscovite. Cassiterite, CGM and micas from petalite-rich pegmatites show lower Mn/Fe ratios and higher Ti contents, along with lower Zr-Ga contents for cassiterite, than that from Li-mica-rich pegmatites. Such behavior is consistent with a magmatic differentiation process whereby Ti content decreased and the degree of Mn-Fe geochemical fractionation and solubilities of Ga and Zr increased in the melts, possibly in relation with high fluorine activity. In Li-mica-rich pegmatites, AGM equilibrated with a melt with up to 2 wt% F, similar to that in equilibrium with lepidolite (1–3 wt%). In petalite-rich pegmatites, the relatively high F concentration of the melts equilibrated with AGM (≤ 1.5 wt% F) contrasts with the liquid equilibrated with muscovite (< 0.5 wt% F). This can be accounted for by muscovite crystallization after the exsolution of a F-rich aqueous phase at the magmatic-hydrothermal transition. Relatively similar F contents in the initial melts of petalite- and Li-mica-rich pegmatites support the hypothesis that the stability of lepidolite does not only involve high F but also a low H 2 O/F activity ratio. For the Fregeneda-Almendra Li-mica-rich pegmatites, this could be explained by a decrease of melt H 2 O solubility due to a relatively low pressure of emplacement.

Geochronological data on ore-bearing minerals can constrain the absolute ages and duration mineralising processes. Of the tungsten-bearing minerals, wolframite is the most promising geochronometer for these mineral systems, but high precision ages are hampered by common Pb and intra-grain heterogeneity. We present ID-TIMS and LA-ICP-MS U-Pb isotope data of wolframite , combined with milli scale (SEM-EDS) and microscale (LA-ICP-MS) element maps and nanoscale (FIB-TEM) chemical and structural images to elucidate the complex geochemical behaviour of this mineral and the implications for U-Pb geochronology. During this study, three new U-Pb reference materials have been developed with ages of ca 158 Ma, 289 Ma and 325 Ma; these are available to interested laboratories. The best precision obtained by ID-TIMS was 1.24%, whilst we estimate the best possible precision for LA-ICP-MS ages to be ca 1.8%. Apart for analytical uncertainties, the main contributor to age uncertainty is the poor dispersion in U-Pb data (for Discordia fitting) and unknown common Pb composition for ID-TIMS data, and micron-scale heterogeneity for LA-ICP-MS data. Microscale (LA-ICP-MS maps) to nanoscale (FIB-TEM) imaging techniques show large chemical and structural heterogeneity of wolframite related to the complex geological environments in which it is precipitated and altered. Trace element mapping highlights oscillatory and sector zoning not typically observed when using traditional SEM-based techniques. The variable distribution of the analysed elements (Fe, Mn, Sc, Nb, Ta, Y, Pb, Th and U for this study) can be explained both by coupled substitution and changing fluid chemistry recorded within a single wolframite crystal. The nano-scale structure of a strongly altered wolframite is characterised by rare ca 10x10 nm non-symmetric zones of amorphous crystal structure, and bands of elongate (ca 100 x 20 nm oval-shaped) low density zones that we consider representing porosity developed during rapid crystallisation of wolframite. Although no real intra-grain age dispersion is observed in the analysed samples, the precision of U-Pb ages is strongly affected by the local chemical and structural characteristics of the wolframite. Most notably, the concentration of 238U and 238U/204Pb can vary by an order of magnitude within a zone smaller than a typically laser ablation spot (e.g., 100 µm).

Peraluminous rare-metal granites (PRMGs) represent highly differentiated crustal granites characterised by extreme enrichment in metals, such as Li, Sn, Nb, Ta, W, and Be. This geochemical specificity is considered to be the result of a succession of magmatic and hydrothermal processes, the importance and individual impact of which are still debated. In this study, we investigate the magmatic and hydrothermal evolution of the Beauvoir leucogranite, a world-class PRMG from the French Paleozoic Variscan belt, through extensive characterisation of suprasolidus to subsolidus apatite. We employ a multi-tracing approach, combining in-situ elemental composi- tions (major, trace, and halogen elements), oxygen isotopic systematics, and U-Pb geochronology. Four major magmatic and hydrothermal stages were identified through apatite petrography and U-Pb geochronology. Magmatic apatite crystallised at 314.6 f 4.7 (2s) Ma. Decrease in the amplitude of the Eu anomaly in magmatic apatite from the deeper to shallower granitic units record an increase in the oxygen fugacity (fO2) of the magma with differentiation, likely contributing to the crystallisation of a first and predominant cassiterite gener- ation. Magmatic apatite REE patterns show significant tetrad effects; they reflect the exsolution of magmatic fluids involved in the precipitation of early hydrothermal apatite replacing igneous minerals or precipitating within veins during greisenisation episode dated at 314.3 f 5.5 Ma and 311.7 f 8.1 Ma. Early hydrothermal apatite, charac- terised by enrichment in Sr or S and Mn-REE depletion along with variable Br/I ratios and delta 18 O compositions down to negative values, record mixing dynamics between two fluid end-members: (i) magmatic fluids, and (ii) oxidising meteoric fluids partially reequilibrated with country rocks. Meteoric fluids progressively invaded the Beauvoir PRMG at temperatures >= 450 degrees C and triggered precipitation of a second generation of cassiterite during mixing with magmatic fluids. Two late, non-magmatic, hydrothermal events are dated at 268.3 f 20.4 Ma and 148.5 f 26.6 Ma. Related apatite is marked by specific mineralogical and geochemical features such as high As contents and heavy oxygen isotope signatures. They are proposed to be linked to extension-related regional hydrothermal fluid cir- culation that contributed to metal endowment (U, F-Ba-Pb-Zn) in the crystalline basement and overlying sedi- mentary cover of Western Europe following the Variscan Orogeny. Our results demonstrate that apatite is a key mineral to decipher the role of magmatic and hydrothermal processes leading to ore deposition and remobilisation in PRMGs, in relation with geodynamic evolution. Apatite records of external fluid incursions at near-solidus conditions highlight the open system nature of the Beauvoir PRMG, which is crucial for developing fully integrated metallogenic models applicable to similar deposits.

Laser ablation‐inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry (LA‐ICP‐MS) is used to compare the suitability of four cassiterite (SnO2) materials (SPG, Yankee, AY‐4 and Jian‐1), and three matrix‐mismatched reference materials (NIST SRM 612, NIST SRM 614 and 91500 zircon) for normalisation of U‐Pb and Pb‐Pb isotope ratios in cassiterite. The excess variance of ages determined by LA‐ICP‐MS is estimated to be ±0.33% for 207Pb/206Pb vs. 208Pb/206Pb isochron ages and ± 1.8% and for U‐Pb ages. Incorporation of this excess variance in cassiterite ages is necessary for realistic uncertainties. 207Pb‐206Pb ages are advantageous for dating Precambrian cassiterite such as SPG compared with U‐Pb ages as matrix effect on instrumental mass fractionation of Pb isotopes are generally considered to be minor. We note minor bias in 207Pb/206Pb vs. 208Pb/206Pb isochron ages (~ 0.6%) when using either the NIST SRM 614 or 91500 zircon reference materials and emphasise the requirement for uncertainty propagation of all sources of error and reference materials with comparable U and Pb mass fraction to the cassiterite. The 238U/206Pb isotopic ratios from normalisation to matrix‐mismatched reference materials show varied results, which emphasises the need to use matrix‐matched reference materials for calculating U‐Pb ages. When cross‐calibrated against each other, LA‐ICP‐MS U‐Pb ages of the ca. 1535 Ma SPG, ca. 245 Ma Yankee and ca. 155 Ma Jian‐1 cassiterites are all consistent with their ID‐TIMS values.

The southeastern French Massif Central represents an ideal area to study the linkage between regional metamorphism, crustal partial melting, emplacement of granitic magmas, and hydrothermal Sn-W mineralization in a polyphase tectono-metamorphic setting related to the late-Variscan orogeny. Here, we describe the mineralogical, structural, geochemical, and geochronological characteristics of cassiterite–wolframite-bearing quartz veins at St-Mélany, a small uneconomic Sn-W occurrence located in the North Cévennes area. The veins show evidence of ductile deformation (boudinage, asymmetric folding, dynamic recrystallization) consistent with a synkinematic emplacement during the regional low-pressure–medium-temperature metamorphism at ca. 320–315 Ma. This dominantly water-fluxed melting event reaching muscovite breakdown conditions ( T < 750 °C, P ≈ 0.6 GPa) was synchronous to the emplacement of the syntectonic Rocles peraluminous granite, which is interpreted as a proximal source for the mineralizing fluids at St-Mélany. The U–Pb LA-ICP-MS dating of coexisting wolframite and cassiterite from a mineralized quartz vein yielded lower-intercept ages of 318.4 ± 2.2 Ma and 311.4 ± 1.0 Ma (2 σ ), respectively. These results suggest a temporal decoupling of W and Sn mineralization with a time gap of 4–10 Myr, but additional work is needed to confirm this interpretation. A weighted mean 40 Ar/ 39 Ar date of 304.5 ± 4.8 Ma (2 σ ) was obtained for muscovite from the selvage of a mineralized vein, interpreted as a recrystallization age related to metamorphic re-equilibration or hydrothermal overprinting. Dikes of aplites and pegmatites cut the Sn-W-mineralized veins and were emplaced at 305.9 ± 3.9 Ma (2 σ ) based on U–Pb LA-ICP-MS dating of magmatic cassiterite. The dikes have highly evolved compositions typical of peraluminous high-phosphorus rare metal granites with Li-F-Ta > Nb-Sn-Be enrichments. Emplacement of the granitic dikes was coeval with the regional low-pressure–high-temperature metamorphism at ca. 305–300 Ma, reaching biotite dehydration melting conditions ( T > 800 °C, P ≈ 0.4 GPa), which led to the formation of the Velay anatectic dome possibly linked to lower crust granulitization. We conclude that polyphase emplacement of W-Sn-mineralized veins at ca. 320–310 Ma and rare metal granitic dikes at ca. 305 Ma results from contrasting crustal melting conditions, in relation to the late-Carboniferous orogenic evolution of the southeastern French Massif Central, and possibly related to delamination of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle.

New analytical developments and workflows are presented to determine the U-Pb age and eHfi and delta O-18 isotopic compositions of cassiterite (SnO2), an ubiquitous mineral in magmatic-hydrothermal deposits. We present a multi-stage column chromatography scheme for the separation and purification of U, Pb and Hf for the determination of the U-Pb age and eHfi from the same cassiterite solution by ID-TIMS and MC-ICP-MS, respectively. Additionally, new natural and synthetic cassiterite reference materials are presented for normalisation and validation of delta O-18 data by ion microprobe analysis. The objective is to propose combined bulk and in-situ U-Pb age, epsilon Hfi and delta O-18 characterization of cassiterite in magmatic-hydrothermal mineralisation systems to constrain the temporal and genetic conditions leading to the formation of economic mineral deposits containing this mineral.

The relative contribution of magmatic and non-magmatic fluids to the metasomatic and ore-forming processes in iron-oxide copper-gold (IOCG) deposits is still widely debated. In this study, the petrography, detailed composition and U-Pb ages of various apatite occurrences from the Nautanen North IOCG deposit, Norrbotten, Sweden, were determined to decipher the evolution of fluid sources in the area.The hydrothermal apatite grains grow over muscovite, intergrow with magnetite, amphibole, K-feldspar, chalcopyrite and sericite, and are replaced by epidote, allanite and/or chlorite along the grain margins. Irregular patterns of the apatite grains were revealed by cathodoluminescence imaging. Fluorine in all apatite occurrences is the dominant halogen (1.62-3.58 wt%), chlorine is depleted (up to 0.34 wt%), while bromine and iodine are found in traces (0.7-72 ppm and 0.15-4.2 ppm respectively). The delta 37Cl value of the apatite grains ranges between-0.8 and 3.4 parts per thousand. Uranium-Pb data yield ages between 1.63 and 1.55 Ga (with one exception at 1.49 Ga showing large age errors).Textural evidences show that the apatite grains have been precipitated during the potassic alteration of the D2 event (1.81-1.78 Ga), which is considered a regional, IOCG-related, high-temperature event. Cathodoluminescence textures reveal that all the apatite occurrences have been chemically modified by the late-stage metasomatic and ore-forming fluids during the nucleation of epidote +/- allanite +/- chlorite. The Br/I and delta 37Cl values of the apatite grains can be considered representative of the associated fluid values and show a trend between two end-members, which indicates the contribution and progressive mixing of two different fluids during late-stage ore-related hydrothermal circulation. The ore-forming fluids were mainly issued from exsolved magmatic fluids from S-type bodies, as revealed by the strong affinity of the Br/I ratio of the ore zone with the pegmatite-related apatite. The other end-member associated with the apatite occurrences that co-exist with metasomatic assemblages, is consistent with fluids linked to evaporite dissolution. Apatite dating is interpreted to reflect resetting ages.

Primary cassiterite mineralization is often associated with highly evolved granites, but the magmatic and hydrothermal processes that produce these deposits are often difficult to decipher. In this study, we employed the chemical and Sr-Nd isotope compositions of tourmaline to monitor processes of Sn enrichment in the magmatic and hydrothermal stages of the Ardlethan granite (Australia) and its associated Sn deposits. Initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.710–0.717) and ɛNd (–5.0 to −1.0) values of late magmatic tourmalines indicate derivation of the Ardlethan granite via an assimilation-fractional crystallization (AFC) process in which incorporation of Ordovician sediment into an I-type granitic parental magma produced an enrichment of Sn at least 30 times over that of the assumed mafic-dominated igneous source of the granite. The rare earth element and Sn concentrations of tourmaline in the greisen deposits together with δ18O of coprecipitated quartz indicate that exsolution of a late-stage, Cl-rich fluid from the Ardlethan granite led to cassiterite mineralization in these deposits. In contrast the Fe/(Fe + Mg) and initial εNd (–9.2 to −12.9) compositions of tourmaline that coprecipitated with cassiterite in the large breccia pipes adjacent to the Ardlethan granite suggest that granite-derived fluids scavenged Sn by chemical leaching of an older S-type granite that hosts the pipes. This study shows that tourmaline can act as a robust monitor of key geologic processes in complex and dynamic magmatic-hydrothermal Sn systems and that its 87Sr/86Sr and ɛNd isotope compositions are especially useful for constraining the nature of magmatic and hydrothermal sources that contributed to these deposits.

Wolframite has been proposed as a U/Pb geochronometer for direct dating of W mineralisation events, but its isotopic analysis may be hampered by highly variable and low U contents (<200 ppm) and low (206)pb/(204)pb ratios ((300), heterogenous common Pb compositions, post-crystallisation alteration, and the presence of non-cogenetic mineral and fluid inclusions. In situ U/Pb dating of wolframite by laser ablation - inductively coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) can avoid these analytical challenges but requires reference materials to properly correct for matrix and instrumental effects on measured U/Pb ratios. This study presents the U/Pb systematics by LA-ICP-MS of a wolframite sample (MTM-1) from the French Massif Central (FMC) which has been considered for normalisation and validation purposes of U/Pb LA-ICP-MS wolframite data in previous studies. We demonstrate that the MTM-1 wolframite is chemically and isotopically heterogeneous, and more importantly, we show that the previously defined ID-TIMS U/Pb age (334.4 +/- 1.7 Ma, (2 sigma) is invalid due to an inappropriate common Pb correction. We calculate a new U/Pb crystallisation age of 316.7 +/- 5.8 Ma (2 sigma). Based on our new calibration, we also present the U-Th-Pb trace element and U/Pb ages of six W deposits from the FMC, also previously studied by ID-TIMS. We show that U/Pb ages determined by LA-ICP-MS are more robust and geological plausible compared to ID-TIMS ages obtained on the same samples. The concentrations of U (ca 0.1-150 ppm) and Pb (ca 0.01-90 ppm) in FMC wolframite are highly variable and do not ubiquitously correlate to major element composition (such as the Fe/(Fe + Mn) ratio). The chemical variability and isotopic heterogeneity observed in wolframite from the FMC highlights the importance of pre-screening imaging methods (e.g., SEM, EPMA, mu XRF) prior to LA-ICP-MS U/Pb analyses. Based on our results, we propose new guidelines for U/Pb LA-ICP-MS wolframite geochronology to increase accuracy and reproducibility in age determinations, as well as improving interlaboratory comparisons.

We present a new method for precisely determining the U-Pb isotopic composition of cassiterite by isotope dilution-thermal ionisation mass spectrometry (ID-TIMS). Complete sample dissolution and spike-sample equilibration is accomplished in a pressure vessel with HBr. Isolation of small quantities of U and Pb from the tin-rich matrix is based on a novel TRU-spec column separation with total procedural blanks of < 9 pg of Pb and < 0.09 pg of U. The method was applied to measure the U-Pb isotopic compositions of cassiterite from the Yankee deposit of the Mole Granite in eastern Australia. A Total-Pb/U isochron age (U-238/Pb-206, Pb-207/Pb-206 and Pb-204/Pb-206) produces the most precise age estimate of this cassiterite at 246.48 +/- 0.51 Ma, which is within error of a previously published ID-TIMS U-Pb age of hydrothermal xenotime from the same location. Initial Pb-206/Pb-204 (21.28 +/- 0.4) and Pb-207/Pb-204 (15.759 +/- 0.034) ratios of the Yankee cassiterite, determined from the isochron regression, are evolved relative to those expected for average crust and measured in Mole Granite feldspars, suggesting a non-magmatic, U-rich component in the mineralising fluids. We also present new U-Pb isotopic compositions for the AY-4 cassiterite from the Furong deposit, South China, which has been used as a U-Pb calibration reference material in several previous studies. A Total-Pb/U isochron age derived from three measured aliquots yields a crystallisation age of 151.9 +/- 2.2 Ma for the AY-4 cassiterite, younger than obtained previously by ID-TIMS dating (Yuan et al., 2011).

Crystallographic orientation effects on ion microprobe analyses for U-Pb and O-isotopes have been reported for a number of oxide minerals, including rutile (TiO2) and baddeleyite (ZrO2). Here we evaluate the effects of crystal orientation on U-Pb and O-isotopic data measured by ion microprobe on cassiterite (SnO2), which is isostructural with rutile. The crystallographic orientations of mounted and polished grains of cassiterite were determined by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Those grains were then analysed for U-Th-Pb isotopes and 18O/16O compositions using the SHRIMP RG and SHRIMP SI ion microprobes, respectively. Based on these data, cassiterite appears to show no dependence of key measurement parameters such as UO2/UO, Pb/UO, or 18O/16O ratios at the achieved precision with crystallographic orientation. The contrasting behaviour of isostructural cassiterite and rutile provides new insights into the mechanisms leading to crystallographic orientation effects during ion microprobe analyses with electronic structure proposed as being a significant factor.

Interpretation of the Thomson Orogen and its context within the Tasmanides of eastern Australia is hampered by vast areas of deep sedimentary cover which also mask potential relationships between central and eastern Australia. Within covered areas, basement drill cores offer the only direct geological information. This study presents new detrital zircon isotopic data from these drill cores and poorly understood outcropping units to provide new age and provenance information for sedimentary rocks from the Thomson Orogen. Two distinct detrital zircon signatures are revealed. One is dominated by Grenvillian-aged (1300–900 Ma) zircons with a significant peak at ~ 1180 Ma and lesser peak at ~ 1070 Ma. These age peaks, along with Lu–Hf isotopic compositions (median εHf(t) = + 1.5), dominantly mantle-like δ18O values (median = 5.53‰) and model ages of ~ 1.89 Ga, support a Musgrave Province (central Australia) source. The dominance of Grenvillian-aged material additionally points to deposition during the Petermann Orogeny (570–530 Ma) when the Musgrave Province was uplifted, shedding abundant material to the Centralian Superbasin. Comparable age spectra suggest that parts of the Thomson Orogen were connected to the Centralian Superbasin during this period. We use the term 'Syn-Petermann' to describe this signature which is observed in two drill cores adjacent to the North Australian Craton and scattered units in the outcropping Thomson Orogen. The second signature marks a significant provenance shift and is remarkably consistent throughout the Thomson Orogen. Age spectra exhibit dominant peaks at 600–560 Ma, lesser 1300–900 Ma populations and maximum depositional ages of ~ 495 Ma. This pattern is termed the 'Pacific Gondwana' detrital zircon signature and is recognised throughout eastern Australia, Antarctica and central Australia. Lu–Hf isotope data for Thomson Orogen rocks with this signature are highly variable with εHf(t) values between ‐ 49 and + 10 and dominantly supracrustal δ18O values suggesting input from different and more diverse source regions relative to those exhibiting the Syn-Petermann signature.