Single crystal U–Pb zircon age and Sr–Nd isotopic composition of impactites from the Bosumtwi impact structure, Ghana: Comparison with country rocks and Ivory Coast tektites

The 1.07 Myr old Bosumtwi impact structure (Ghana), excavated in 2.1–2.2 Gyr old supracrustal rocks of the Birimian Supergroup, was drilled in 2004. Here, we present single crystal U–Pb zircon ages from a suevite and two meta-graywacke samples recovered from the central uplift (drill core LB-08A), which yield an upper Concordia intercept age of ca. 2145 ± 82 Ma, in very good agreement with previous geochronological data for the West African Craton rocks in Ghana. Whole rock Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd isotope data of six suevites (five from inside the crater and one from outside the northern crater rim), three meta-graywacke, and two phyllite samples from core LB-08A are also presented, providing further insights into the timing of the metamorphism and a possibly related isotopic redistribution of the Bosumtwi crater rocks. Our Rb–Sr and Sm–Nd data show also that the suevites are mixtures of meta-greywacke and phyllite (and possibly a very low amount of granite). A comparison of our new isotopic data with literature data for the Ivory Coast tektites allows to better constrain the parent material of the Ivory Coast tektites (i.e., distal impactites), which is thought to consist of a mixture of metasedimentary rocks (and possibly granite), but with a higher proportion of phyllite (and shale) than the suevites (i.e., proximal impactites). When plotted in a Rb/Sr isochron diagram, the sample data points (n = 29, including literature data) scatter along a regression line, whose slope corresponds to an age of 1846 ± 160 Ma, with an initial Sr isotope ratio of 0.703 ± 0.002. However, due to the extensive alteration of some of the investigated samples and the lithological diversity of the source material, this age, which is in close agreement with a possible “metamorphic age” of ∼ 1.8–1.9 Ga tentatively derived from our U–Pb dating of zircons, is difficult to consider as a reliable metamorphic age. It may perhaps reflect a common ancient source whose Rb–Sr isotope systematics has not basically been reset on the whole rock scale during the Bosumtwi impact event, or even reflect another unknown geologic event.