One hundred and twenty-five mineral grains from 45 visually pure K-bearing Mn oxide (hollandite group) samples collected from weathering profiles in the Mt Tabor region of central Queensland, Australia, were analysed by the 40Ar/39Ar laser probe technique. These K-Mn oxides precipitated mainly through a process of cavity filling (direct precipitation from weathering solution), with botryoidal texture formed by micrometric mineral bands. Well-defined and reproducible plateau ages have been obtained for most samples, ranging from 27.2

Manganese oxides in association with paleoweathering may provide significant insights into the multiple factors affecting the formation and evolution of weathering profiles, such as temperature, precipitation, and biodiversity. Laser probe step-heating analysis of supergene hollandite and cryptomelane samples collected from central Queensland, Australia, yield well-defined plateaus and consistent isochron ages, confirming the feasibility dating very-fined supergene manganese oxides by 40Ar/39Ar technique. Two distinct structural sites hosting Ar isotopes can be identified in light of their degassing behaviors obtained by incremental heating analyses. The first site, releasing its gas fraction at the laser power 0.2 0.4W, yields primarily 40Aratm, 38Aratm, and 36Aratm (atmospheric Ar isotopes). The second sites yield predominantly 40Ar* (radiogenic 40Ar), 39ArK, and 38ArK (nucleogenic components), at 0.5 1.0W. There is no significant Ar gas released at the laser power higher than 1.0W, indicating the breakdown of the tunnel sites hosting the radiogenic and nucleogenic components. The excellent match between the degassing behaviors of 40Ar*, 39ArK, and 38ArK suggests that these isotopes occupy the same crystallographic sites and that 39ArK loss from the tunnel site by recoil during neutron irradiation and/or bake-out procedure preceding isotopic analysis does not occur. Present investigation supports that neither the overwhelming atmospheric 40Ar nor the very-fined nature of the supergene manganese oxides poses problems in extracting meaningful weathering geochronological information by analyzing supergene manganese oxides minerals.

Two alkaline syenite plutons, the Tieshan and Yangfang plutons, have recently been recognized within NE-trending fault zones in eastern Cathaysia, South China. The rocks are very enriched in K2O (6.28-9.39wt.%), rare earth elements (REE; particularly light REE) and large ion lithophile elements, but are relatively low in high field strength elements. Isotopically, they are characterized by high initial 87Sr/86Sr (0.7093 to 0.7123) and low eNd(t) values (5.64 to 10.63). The geochemical data suggest that the alkaline syenites most likely formed via fractional crystallization of enriched mantle-derived magmas. Sensitive High-Resolution Ion Microprobe zircon U-Pb dating indicates that these two intrusions have Late Permian (254F4Ma) and Early Triassic (242F4Ma) crystallization ages, respectively. Our data suggest that a tectonic regime dominated by transtension probably existed from at least the latest Permian into the Triassic and was responsible for the formation of the Tieshan and Yangfang alkaline syenites. When combined with previous paleomagnetic, structural, and sedimentology data, we suggest that the transtension along the NE-trending strike-slip fault zones was related to oblique subduction of the Pacific plate underneath South China.