K-Ar Age and Geomistry of Hydrothermal Alteration in the Barton Peninsula, King George Island, Antarctica

Abstract

K-Ar ages of the altered rocks from the Barton Peninsula are belows; altered tuffaceous andesite from southwestern part is 42 Ma, altered rocks contacted with quartz vein from southern part are 28 and 33 Ma, and advanced argillic altered andesite from northeastern part are 33 and 35 Ma. Those K-Ar ages are 10 My younger than granitic rocks of the Barton Peninsula. Hydothermal alteration of the Barton Peninsula was originated from mixing of magmatic water from parent magma of granitic rocks with meteoric water. The Al content in the hostrock is relatively constant during hydrothermal alteration, on the contrary the Mg content is in proportion to total alkali. The variation of total alkali and Mg contents in hydrothermal alteration indicates that those elements was washed out during hydrothermal alteration. The sequences of hydrothermal alteration of the Barton Peninsula is chloritization of amphiboles, sericitization of feldspars and kaolitization of sericite.