Post-orogenic thermal evolution of newborn Archean continents

The post-orogenic thermal evolution of newborn cratons in the Archean is marked by high-temperature metamorphism and plutonic activity that lag accretion by several tens of million years. The source of the heat that is required remains controversial. Here, we show that such late activity is consistent with the thermal evolution of new continental crust that adjusts to heat released by radioactive decay. Quantitative results depend on the total amount of radioactive elements in the newborn crust. Using heat flow and heat production data from the Archean Superior Province of the Canadian Shield, we show that temperatures ≈800-900 °C were reached in the lower crust a few tens of million years after the final accretion event. The timing of post-orogenic metamorphism is sensitive to the thermal structure acquired at the end of accretion. For the Superior Province, the relatively short time-lag between the end of accretion and metamorphism suggests that the lithosphere was thin or had been heated up by sustained magma percolation.