Extensional episodes in the Paleoproterozoic Capricorn Orogen, Western Australia, revealed by petrogenesis and geochronology of mafic–ultramafic rocks

Extensional episodes in Precambrian orogens are often difficult to decipher because of subsequent orogenesis and intracontinental reworking. Here, we use geochemical and geochronological constraints of a suite of preserved mafic–ultramafic rocks in the Paleoproterozoic Capricorn Orogen of Western Australia to reveal ophiolites, continental ribbons and aborted rifts. The Capricorn Orogen separates the Archean Yilgarn and Pilbara cratons and...