Multi‐Method Geochronology and P‒T Modeling Unravels the Thermo‐Tectonic History of the Rudall Province, Western Australia

Abstract The Rudall Province (RP) is a Paleo‐Mesoproterozoic belt that records numerous overprinting tectono‐metamorphic events. Situated on the eastern edge of the West Australian Craton (WAC), the RP represents a key area for understanding the Proterozoic assembly and subsequent tectonic history of Western Australia. Here, we use a combination of multiple geochronometers linked to P–T conditions to reconstruct the thermo‐tectonic history of the RP during the Proterozoic. In situ garnet Lu‒Hf dates of c. 1,777‒1,756 Ma represent the first clear evidence for metamorphism during the oldest known tectonic event in the region, the Yapungku Orogeny, contemporaneous with the c. 1,820‒1,750 Ma Kalkan Supersuite magmatism. A hitherto locally unknown metamorphic event at c. 1,450 Ma is identified via the Lu‒Hf system, which has been found elsewhere in the WAC. The combination of Lu‒Hf and U‒Pb dates with quantitative P–T data further allows the identification of a compressional stage of deformation characterized by relatively higher‐pressure conditions at c. 1,382‒1,356 Ma (Parnngurr Orogeny), which can be correlated with convergence at the northeastern margin of the WAC. This was followed at c. 1,340‒1,275 Ma by high T and lower P (∼90–165°C/kbar) metamorphic conditions, interpreted as a period of extension during a later stage of the Parnngurr Orogeny. Subsequently, the thermal history is characterized by slow cooling from c. 1,275 to 1,219 Ma, recorded by Rb‒Sr isochron dates. Rb‒Sr isochron dates of c. 1,162‒1,150 Ma confirm a tectono‐magmatic event related to the Kalyukuyarra Suite magmatism in the Tabletop Domain, northwestern part of the RP.