TUFFACEOUS DEPOSITS IN THE SEDIMENTARY COVER OF THE STRONA-CENERI ZONE AND IN THE VILLAFORTUNA-TRECATE OIL SYSTEM: PETROLOGICAL, GEOCHEMICAL AND GEOCHRONOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION

In the western sector of the Southern Alps, tuffaceous levels are occasionally found in Triassic sedimentary sequences and the age of the related magmatism is still matter of debate. The few available geochronological data on these tuffites (M. San Giorgio area, Lugano, CH) yield Triassic ages (245±1 Ma; U-Pb zircon [1]), which are slightly older than the stratigraphic position. The precise definition of the tuffite age is, however, important for the Triassic evolution of the western Alps. In particular, if the magmatism is synchronous with their stratigraphic position, tuffites might be linked to the Triassic magmatism documented by the Finero area (NE Ivrea-Verbano Zone [2]). However, it cannot be presently excluded that they are the product of erosion and re-deposition of the Permian acid volcanics located at the base of the Mesozoic sedimentary cover [3].In this work, we have considered the tuffaceous deposits occurring within a late Anisian-Ladinian succession in the Mesozoic sedimentary cover of the Strona-Ceneri Zone in the Borgosesia area [3,4] and the tuffites at the same stratigraphic position found in some wells of the Villafortuna-Trecate oil system field (western Po Plain, Piedmont region, NW Italy) [5]. These tuffaceous deposits are constituted by a variable mixture of magmatic and sedimentary components. Available chamical data on the magmatic component suggests a calc-alkaline affinity. Zircons have been separated with conventional methods from four samples, mounted in epoxy resin and characterised under cathodoluminescence (CL). Based on colour, morphology and internal structure, zircons have been divided in two populations. One group is constituted by light-pink coloured zircons with prismatic habits and tight osciscillatory zoning suggesting growth under magmatic conditions. Zircons from the second group are colourless, rounded in shape and with only relics of magmatic zoning. They most likely suffered metamorphic recrystallization.Ongoing ELA-ICP-MS characterizations of both trace elements composition and U-Pb age of these zircons is expected to provide valuable constraints on the geodynamic evolution of the Southern Alps Domain in Permo-Triassic times.References. [1] Mundil, R., Brack, P., Meier, M., Rieber, H., Oberli, F. (1996): Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 141, 137-151; [2] Peressini, G., Mazzucchelli, M., Rivalenti, G., Hofmann, A.W. (2004): Geophysical Research Abstracts, 6, 05072, SRef-ID: 1607-7962/gra/EGU04-A-05072; [3] Carraro, F., Fiora, L. (1974): Riv. It. Paleont. Strat., 80, 167-191; [4] Fantoni, R., Decarlis, A., Fantoni, E. (2004): Atti Tic. Sc. Terra, 44, 97-110; [5] Fantoni, R., Bello, M., Ronchi, P., Scotti, P. (2002): Extended Abstracts Book EAGE Conference Florence.