Discovery of an Eo-Meso-Neoarchean terrane in the East Greenland Caledonides

• We present geochemistry and geochronology from Hjørnedal, East Greenland.
• We found evidence of Eoarchean and Mesoarchean TTG magmatism.
• Neoarchean magmatism and metamorphism overprints earlier archean events.
• Models for Paleoproterozoic Nuna should incorporate East Greenland terranes.

This study investigates basement gneisses from the Niggli Spids thrust sheet of the East Greenland Caledonides in an attempt to place them into the broader context of the Archean–Paleoproterozoic architecture of the Greenland shield. Our combined whole-rock geochemical and U–Pb zircon geochronology results from Gåseland reveal an Archean terrane defined by TTG magmatic events at 3607 Ma and 3070–2980 Ma followed by metamorphism and high-K granite intrusion at 2790–2677 Ma. These results identify a relatively pristine Archean terrane with previously unknown Eoarchean rocks that holds potential for future investigations into the early evolution of continental crust, and adds to a growing body of data characterizing the Archean–Paleoproterozoic architecture of East Greenland.