Sedimentary provenance, age and possible correlation of the Iona Group SW Scotland

Most clast lithologies within the basal conglomerate of the Iona Group, exposed on Iona, Inner Hebrides, SW Scotland, resemble the adjacent Archaean–Palaeoproterozoic Lewisian Gneiss Complex, supporting the hypothesis that the Iona Group unconformably overlies Lewisian gneisses on Iona. Moreover, a whole-rock Sm–Nd tDM age of 2512 Ma from one of these clasts supports its lithological correlation with granitic pegmatites in the underlying gneisses, while a second quartz-rich paragneiss clast with a Sm–Nd tDM age of 2745 Ma, is similar to Lewisian paragneisses on Coll. However, whole-rock tDM ages of 1755–2060 Ma and pronounced c. 1780–1800 Ma peaks in U-Pb detrital zircon and titanite data for Iona Group metasediments suggest additional distal sources of Laurentian affinity including the Rhinns Complex as well as Labradorian, Pinwarian and Archaean detritus. The Iona Group was deposited and deformed after c. 1490 Ma and before c. 422 Ma, constrained by the youngest detrital zircon and titanite and the intrusion of the Ross of Mull Granite, respectively. The detrital data permit correlation of the Iona Group with the Colonsay Group and the Glenshirra Subgroup of the Dalradian Grampian Group, although correlation with parts of the Torridonian cannot be excluded.