Dating the longevity of ductile shear zones: Insight from 40Ar/39Ar in situ analyses

Using the temporal constraints obtained by the ages of pre-, syn-, and post-kinematic minerals, we could assess partly overlapping time intervals of syn-kinematic mineral formation of 19 Myr (33-15 Ma) in the Ahorn Shear Zone, 13 Myr (24-12 Ma) in the Tuxer Shear Zones and 14 Myr (20-7 Ma) in the Greiner Shear Zone. This indicates successive localization and propagation of ductile shear zones in the western Tauern Window from lower metamorphic sites at the rim towards higher metamorphic sites in the center.