Zircon U-Pb ages of granites at Changba and Huangzhuguan in western Qinling and implications for source nature

Mesozoic granitoids are widespread in the Qinling-Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt. Precise U-Pb dating on these granitoids can reveal the evolution of the continental collision orogen and thus provide information on the nature of magma sources. This study presents zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating and whole-rock geochemical analyses for two intrusions at Changba and Huangzhuguan in western Qinling. Zircon U-Pb ages for central and marginal phases of the Huangzhuguang intrusion are 214±1 Ma and 213±3 Ma, respectively. Zircons from the Changba intrusion yield a dominant cluster with an U-Pb age of 213±2 Ma. Collectively, these ages are younger than ages of 220 to 240 Ma for ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism due to the continental collision between the South China Block and the North China Block, corresponding to syn-exhumation magmatism. Some inherited zircons occur in the Changba intrusion, yielding a weighted mean of ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages at 757±14 Ma. This indicates that the Changba intrusion has the crustal source of mid-Neoproterozoic ages and a tectonic affinity to the South China Block. Geochemically, the two intrusuons are both rich in LILE and LREE but depleted in HFSE and HREE, similar to arc-type igneous rocks. The Huangzhuguang intrusion exhibits linear correlations between SiO₂ and the other major oxides, implying chemical evolution from a cognate magma source. It contains mafic enclaves, suggesting possible mixing of felsic-mafic magmas. The Changba granite is rich in Si and K but poor in Fe and Mg as well as has a high value of Fe*, suggesting strong differentiation of granitic magma. Therefore, the two intrusions were derived from the Late Triassic anatexis of the continental crust of different compositions in the northern margin of South China Block. This process may be coupled with exhumation of the subducted continental crust in the stage of late collision.     

SHRIMP U-Pb dating and Hf isotopic analyses of zircons from the mafic dyke swarms in central Qiangtang area, Northern Tibet

In the ＂Central Uplift＂ of Qiangtang, Northern Tibet, a large scale of mafic dyke swarms extended in E-W direction. Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb dating on two representative samples of diabase dyke yield weighted mean ages of 284 ± 3 Ma and 302 ± 4 Ma, respectively, suggesting they emplaced in the Late Carboniferous to Early Permian. Zircon ^176Hf/^177Hf ratios range from 0.282852 to 0.283041, with ,εHf（t） values of ＋12.1 to ＋12.2 and Hf modal （TDM） ages of ～440-460 Ma. These data indicate that these mafic dykes were mainly derived from the depleted mantle. In addition, geochemical data suggest that these mafic dyke swarms are of intra-plate origin. Therefore, the mafic dyke swarms represent products during the extensional process associated with the opening of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean in the area.     

Formation age and tectonic environment of the Gantaohe Group, North China Craton: Geology, geochemistry, SHRIMP zircon geochronology and Hf-Nd isotopic systematics

The Gantaohe Group is an important early Precambrian unit in the Trans-North China Orogen,North China Craton,and is mainly composed of greenschist-facies metabasalt,meta-sandstone and dolomitic marble.We report whole-rock geochemical compositions and SHRIMP zircon ages as well as LA-ICP-MS Hf-in-zircon isotopeic analyses for metabasalts from the Gantaohe Group.SHRIMP dating yielded a weighted mean 207Pb/206Pb age of 2087±16 Ma(MSWD=1.3) for magmatic zircons,but there are also abundant ca.2.5 Ga inherited zircon xenocrysts.The magmatic zircons shows a large Hf(t) variation in Hf(t) from 7.17 to +0.45,suggesting an isotopically highly heterogeneous source for the metabasalt.Chemically all samples show no distinct Zr or Hf anomalies,and some samples show no Nd or Ta anomalies in a primitive mantle-normalized trace element variation diagram,and their whole-rock Nd(t) values range from 4.0 to 0.8.We suggest that the basalt is formed by partial melting of a depleted mantle source,followed by significant crustal contamination.Field observations,the presence of abundant inherited zircon,as well as isotope and trace elements geochemistry support formation of the Gantaohe Group on top of a continental basement.These data and the regional geology lead us to conclude that the Trans-North China Orogen constituted an intracontinental rift during the Paleoproterozoic that was connected to the Eastern Block since the end of the Archean.     

A ∼2.5 Ga magmatic event at the northern margin of the Yangtze craton: Evidence from U-Pb dating and Hf isotope analysis of zircons from the Douling Complex in the South Qinling orogen

The poorly studied Douling Complex is a crystalline basement that developed in the Neoproterozoic-Paleozoic weakly metamorphosed to non-metamorphosed strata at the South Qinling tectonic belt. Five banded dioritic-granitic gneiss samples from the Douling Complex were chosen for LA-MC-ICPMS U-Pb zircon dating, which yielded protolith emplacement ages of 2469 ± 22 Ma, 2479 ± 12 Ma, 2497 ± 21 Ma, 2501 ± 17 Ma and 2509 ± 14 Ma, respectively. An important peak age of ～2.48 Ga was also obtained for a metasedimentary rock in the same region. These discoveries suggest the occurrence of magmatic activity of 2.51–2.47 Ga at the northern margin of the Yangtze craton. The age-corrected ? _Hf(t) values obtained from in situ zircon Hf isotopic analysis are mainly between ?5.5 and +0.3, and the two-stage zircon Hf model ages range from 3.30 to 2.95 Ga. Considering two important periods of ～3.3–3.2 Ga and ～2.95–2.90 Ga for the continental crustal growth in the Yangtze craton, we infer that the dioritic-granitic gneisses from the Douling Complex are the products of reworking of Paleo- to Mesoarchean crust at the northern margin of the Yangtze craton at ～2.5 Ga. In addition, metamorphic ages of 837 ± 8 Ma and 818 ± 10 Ma were obtained for zircon overgrowth rims from a dioritic gneiss and a metasedimentary rock, indicating that the main phase amphibolite facies metamorphism of the Doulng Complex occurred during the Neoproterozoic, although its geological meaning remains ambiguous.     

Palaeoproterozoic Khondalite Belt in the western North China Craton： New evidence from SHRIMP datin8 and Hf isotope composition of zircons from metamorphic rocks in the Bayan Ui-Helan Mountains area

Zircom U-Pb age and Hf isotope analyses were made on gneissic granite and garnet-mica two-feldspar gneiss from the Helanshan Group in the Bayan Ul-Helan Mountains area, the western block of the North China Craton (NCC). Zircons from the gneissic granite commonly show core-mantle-rim structures, with magmatic core, metamorphic mantle and rim having ages of 2323±20 Ma, 1923±28 Ma and 1856±12 Ma, respectively. The core, mantle and rim show similar Hf isotope compositions, with single-stage depleted mantle model ages (TDM1) of 2455 to 2655 Ma (19 analyses). Most of the detrital zircons from the garnet-mica two-feldspar paragneiss have a concentrated U-Pb age distribution, with a weighted mean 207Pb/206Pb age of 1978±17 Ma. A few detrital zircons are older (2871 to 2469 Ma). The age for metamorphic overgrown rim was not determined because of strong Pb loss due to their high U content. The zircons show large variation in Hf isotope composition, with TDM1 ages of 1999 to 3047 Ma. In com- bination with previous studies, the main conclusions are as follows: (1) protolith of the khondalite se- ries in the Helanshan Group formed during Palaeoproterozoic rather than the Archaean as previously considered; (2) The results lend support to the contention that there is a huge Palaeoproterozoic Khondalite (metasedimentary) Belt between the Yinshan Mountains Block and the Ordos Block in the Western Block of NCC; (3) The widely-distributed bodies of early Palaeoproterozoic orthogneisses in the Khondalite Belt might be one of the important sources for detritus material in the khondalite series; (4) Collision between the Yinshan Block, the Ordos Block and the Eastern Block occurred in the same tectonothermal event of late Palaeoproterozoic, resulting in the final assembly of the NCC.     

Opening of the Longmu Co–Shuanghu–Lancangjiang ocean:constraints from plagiogranites

This paper reports new zircon U-Pb ages,and Hf isotope and whole-rock major and trace element data for Cambrian plagiogranites from the Tuobeiling ophiolite in central Qiangtang,Tibetan Plateau.Zircon SIMS and LAICP-MS U-Pb dating of the plagiogranites yield weighted mean ages of 504.8±4.2 and 491.6±1.5 Ma,respectively.The zircons from plagiogranites exhibit positive eHf(t)values(ranging from 11.46 to 15.16),indicating that the plagiogranites are derived from depleted mantle.These plagiogranites are characterized by high SiO2and Na2O,low K2O,low REE contents,and flat REE distribution patterns.These rocks have geochemical compositions typical of oceanic plagiogranite and,considered along with their petrography and field relationships,are interpreted to have derived from anatexis of hydrated amphibolites by ductile shearing during transports of the oceanic crust.The formation age of such type of plagiogranite is slightly younger than that of the associated section of oceanic crust.Thus the new results from these plagiogranites suggest that the Longmu Co–Shuanghu–Lancangjiang ocean had probably opened before the Middle Cambrian.     

A metasomatized mantle wedge origin for low-δ 18O olivine in late Cretaceous Junan and Qingdao basalts in the Sulu orogen

The North China Block (NCB) experienced extensive lithospheric thinning and subsequent mantle accretion in the Mesozoic to Cenozoic, but their mechanism remains controversial. This paper reports in situ chemical and oxygen isotope analyses on olivine xenocrysts and porphyroclastic olivines in mantle xenoliths hosted in the late Cretaceous basalts from Junan and Qingdao, the Sulu orogen. The results show that all these olivines have low δ ¹⁸O values relative to normal mantle peridotite. The olivine xenocrysts and porphyroclastic olivines from Junan have Fo=87.5–89.8, δ ¹⁸O=4.1‰–5.2‰ with an average of 4.8‰; the porphyroclastic olivines from Qingdao also have Fo=89.0–89.9, δ ¹⁸O=4.1‰–5.2‰ with an average of 4.8‰. These peridotite xenoliths have petrological and geochemical affinities similar to newly accreted MORB-type mantle, we hence consider such low-δ ¹⁸O features in the olivines to inherit from a mantle wedge that was metasomatized by melts derived from the subducted oceanic crust, which had experienced high-temperature hydrothermal alteration to acquire the low-δ ¹⁸O signatures. Combined the existence of Cenozoic low-δ ¹⁸O basalts and garnet pyroxenite xenoliths (relicts of recycled oceanic crust) hosted in Cenozoic basalts in the NCB, the subducted oceanic crust likely played an important role in the lithospheric evolution of the NCB during the Mesozoic to Cenozoic.     

Paleoproterozoic mafic dyke from Kongling terrain in the Yangtze Craton and its implication

Mafic dyke is a sign of regional extension, and thus has important tectonic significance. A great amount of mafic dykes occur in the Kongling terrain of the Yangtze Craton, which have great bearing on the early evolution of the Yangtze Craton. Their ages, however, have not been well constrained. In this paper we report an integrated study of zircon U-Pb age and Hf isotope compositions for a mafic dyke in the Kongling terrain. The zircons yielded a weighted mean ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb age of 1852±11Ma, which represents its intrusion age. They have ɛ _Hf(t) values of −6.3 to 0.5, with a weighted mean of −3.06±0.88, suggesting that the mafic dyke came from metasomatic mantle. The results indicate that the Yangtze Block had transformed into post-collisional extensional regime at ca. 1850 Ma. In the same period, the Yangtze Craton shows enough rigidity to produce brittle rupture, and thus has the characteristics of a craton. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40772042, 90714010 and 40521001), the Ministry of Education of China (Grant Nos. IRT0441, B07039 and NCET-06-0659), and Foundation of the State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Northwest University     

An in situ zircon Hf isotopic,U-Pb age and trace element study of banded granulite xenolith from Hannuoba basalt： Tracking the early evolution of the lower crust in the North China craton

Backscattered electron images, in situ Hf isotopes, U-Pb ages and trace elements of zircons in a banded granulite xenolith from Hannuoba basalt have been studied. The results show that the banded granulite is a sample derived from the early lower crust of the North China craton. It is difficult to explain the petrogenesis of the xenolith with a single process. Abundant information on several processes, however, is contained in the granulite. These processes in-clude the addition of mantle material, crustal remelting, metamorphic differentiation and the delamination of early lower crust. About 80% of zircons studied yield ages of 1842 ±40 Ma, except few ages of 3097-2824 Ma and 2489-2447 Ma. The zircons with ages older than 2447 Ma have high εHf (up to +18.3) and high Hf model age (2.5-2.6 Ga), indicating that the primitive materials of the granulite were derived mainly from a depleted mantle source in late Archean. Most εhf of the zircons with early Proterozoic U-Pb age vary around zero, but two have     

Late Paleozoic magmatism in South China:Oceanic subduction or intracontinental orogeny?

A gneissic granite with an U-Pb age of 313±4 Ma was found in northeastern Fujian Province,South China.It is an S-type granite characterized by high K2O,Al2O3 and low SiO2,Na2O contents with high A/CNK ratio of 1.22 for the whole rock.Zircons with stubby morphology from the gneissic granite yield 206 Pb/238 U ages ranging from 326 to 301 Ma with a weighted average age of 313±4 Ma,and negative εHf(t) values from -8.35 to -1.74 with Hf model ages (TCDM) of 1.43 to 1.84 Ga.This S-type granite probably originated from late Paleoproterozoic crust in intracontinental orogeny.Integrated with previous results on paleogeographic reconstruction of South China,the nature of Paleozoic basins,Early Permian volcanism and U-Pb-Hf isotope of detrital zircons from the late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic sedimentary rocks,we suggest the occurrence of a late Paleozoic orogeny in the eastern Cathaysia Block,South China.This orogenic cycle includes Late Carboniferous (340-310 Ma) orogeny (compression) episode and Early Permian (287-270 Ma) post-orogenic or intraplate extension episode.Therefore,the late Paleozoic magmatism in the southeastern South China probably occurred during the intraplate orogeny rather than the arc-related process.     

Zircon U-Pb and Hf isotopes of volcanic rocks from the Batamayineishan Formation in the eastern Junggar Basin

An internal structural study was conducted to investigate U-Pb age, trace elements and Hf isotopes of basaltic zircons from the Batamayineishan Formation. The basalt was obtained from drill well San-Can 1 on the eastern Luliang uplift within the Junggar Basin. Trace element data of zircons show that all samples are magmatic, with similar REE patterns, including positive Ce (δCe=5.06–134), but negative Eu (δEu=0.06⦒0.55) anomalies and enrichment in heavy rare earth elements. Among 25 grains, the concordant ages were subdivided into three groups; ages of 300.4±1.3 Ma (n=11), 339.2±2.7 Ma (n=3) and 392.0±1.7 Ma (n=8). Three remaining grains were nearly concordant, with ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of 510±7, 488±6 and 453±6 Ma, respectively. The youngest concordant age (i.e., 300.4±1.3 Ma) could be interpreted as the formation age of the studied basaltic rock; this is consistent with the sampling position at the upper part of the Batamayineishan Formation. On the other hand, ages such as Ordovician and early Devonian are consistent with the ages of island-arc volcanic rocks (enrichment in Pb) or ophiolites around the basin. Moreover, the positive ɛ _Hf(t) values of the early and middle Paleozoic zircons (+3.6–+10.5) may suggest that the basement traversed by the studied volcanic rocks may be Paleozoic in age, formed from the residual oceanic crust and island-arc complex. The ɛ _Hf(t) values (+4.2–+17.1) of the late Paleozoic (∼300.4 Ma) zircons suggest that the basaltic magmas were derived from partial melting of the asthenospheric mantle or depleted lithospheric mantle. These magmas were slightly contaminated by the existence of early-middle Paleozoic materials. The late Carboniferous basalts represent direct eruption of mantle-derived magmas at the upper crustal level during a post-collisional tectonic setting. We therefore consider that extensive vertical growth of the continental crust to have occurred before the late Carboniferous.     

Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb dating for olivine gabbro at Wangmuguan in the Beihuaiyang zone and its geological significance

In the Neoproterozoic, a large-scale magmatic activ- ity took place in the northern margin of the South China Block, with ages in a range of 700―800 Ma[1―4]). A systematic zircon U-Pb dating for bimodal metaigneous rocks in the Dabie-Sulu orogen yields ages of 758 ± 15 Ma[5], typifying rift magmatism along the northern margin of the South China Block during the middle Neoproterozoic. In addition, there is a widespread oc- currence of volcanic tuff interlayers around 635 Ma with the se…     

Early Precambrian tectonothermal events of the North China Craton: Constraints from in situ detrital zircon U-Pb, Hf and O isotopic compositions in Tietonggou Formation

Clastic sediments and sedimentary rocks are widely used for understanding the formation and evolution of the continental crust. The Tietonggou Formation outcrops in the Xiaoqinling region at the southern margin of the North China Craton (NCC) and has unconformable contacts with the underlying Taihua Complex and overlying Paleoproterozoic Xiong’er Group. It mainly consists of quartzite and its protoliths are mature terrigenous clastic rocks. On the basis of the ages of the youngest detrital zircons from the quartzites and the ages of the Xiong’er Group, the depositional ages of the protoliths of the Tietonggou Formation were well constrained to 1.91–1.80 Ga. The U-Pb isotopic data of detrital zircons from the Formation show a major age peak at ～2.1 Ga, which is consistent with 2.2–2.0 Ga magmatism in the Trans-North China Orogen of the NCC. Taking into account the texctural and compositional maturity of the Tietonggou Formation quartzite, the ～2.1 Ga lithologic units in the Trans-North China Orogen are interpreted as the major source of the Tietonggou Formation. The majority of these ～2.1 Ga detrital zircons mostly have high δ ¹⁸O values (>6.5‰) and negative ? _Hf(t) values (?7.8–0.0), with corresponding Hf model ages significantly older than their crystallization ages, indicating that these zircons formed from the partial melting of ancient continental crust. The majority of the 2.8–2.7 Ga and ～2.5 Ga detrital zircons from the Tietonggou Formation had positive ? _Hf(t) values, and mantle-like δ ¹⁸O values, suggesting that the NCC has experienced two stages of significant crustal growth in the Neoarchaean at 2.7 and 2.5 Ga, respectively. The Hf isotopic data of detrital zircons from Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks in the Trans-North China Orogen varied mainly toward the reduction of the radiogenic Hf isotope and gradually show a similar trend of the isotope trajectories of crustal evolution. This reveals that the NCC probably has not developed a long-lived subduction to complete the final assembly of the NCC. Alternatively, these maybe imply that the tectonic setting of the NCC substantially changed at ～2.1 Ga, the reduction of the radiogenic Hf isotope could be attributed to the rollback of the subducting slab.     

Caledonian reworking of Paleoproterozoic basement in the Cathaysia Block: Constraints from zircon U-Pb dating,Hf isotopes and trace elements

A combined study of zircon U-Pb dating, Hf isotopes and trace elements has been carried out for granodioritic neosomes of migmatites from the Tianjingping area in northwestern Fujian Province. Zircons are characterized by zoning, higher Th/U ratios （mostly≥0.1）, HREE enrichment, and positive Ce and negative Eu anomalies, and show features similar to magmatic or anatectic zircons. Apparent ^206Pb/^238U ages for the zircons are 447±2 Ma （95 % conf., MSWD=0.88）, corresponding to a Caledonian event. εHf（t） values are -13.3 to -9.7, indicating a crustal source. Two-stage Hf model ages are 1.7 to 1.9 Ga, suggesting that protolith of the migmates was probably formed in the Paleoproterozoic. The granodioritic neosomes have the characteristics of peraluminous calc-alkaline granite, and their REE patterns and trace elements spidergrams show features of middle to upper crustal rocks. Together with previous studies, we conclude that the protolith of the Cathaysia basement in the Tianjingping area was likely formed in the middle-late Paleoproterozoic and experienced partial melting during the Caledonian period. The recognition of Caledonian reworking of the Paleoproterozoic basement in the Cathaysia Block provides a new insight into the tectonic evolution of the Cathaysia Block in the Caledonian period and the interaction between the Cathaysia Block and the Yangtze Block.     

Qinghu zircon: A working reference for microbeam analysis of U-Pb age and Hf and O isotopes

Zircon is the most useful mineral for studies in U-Pb geochronology and Hf and O isotope geochemistry. Matrix effect is a major problem of the microbeam techniques such as SIMS and LA-（MC）-ICPMS. Therefore, external standardization using well-characterized natural zircon standards is fundamental for accurate microbeam measurements. While the isotopic geochro- nology and geochemistry laboratories equipped with microbeam analytical facilities have been increasingly established in China during the past decade, applications of the isotopic microanalysis are still limited due to shortage of available standards. We report here the Qinghu zircon as a potential new working reference for microbeam analysis of zircon U-Pb age and O-Hf isotopes. This zircon was separated from the Qinghu quartz monzonite from the western Nanling Range, Southeast China. It is fairly homoge- neous in U-Pb age and Hf and O isotopes in terms of large amounts of mircobeam measurements by LA-MC-ICPMS and SIMS at the scales of 20-60 ~tm. SIMS measurements yield consistent 2~6pb/238U age within analytical uncertainties with that obtained by ID-TIMS. Precise determinations of O isotopes by IRMS and Hf isotopes by solution MC-ICPMS are in good agreement with the statistical mean of microbeam measurements. We recommend U-Pb age of = 159.5 ± 0.2 Ma （2SE）, δ^18O = 5.4‰ ± 0.2%0 （2SD） and 176Hf/177Hf = 0.283002 ± 0.000004 （2SD） as the best reference values for the Qinghu zircon.     

Activation of northern margin of the North China Craton in Late Paleozoic: Evidence from U-Pb dating and Hf isotopes of detrital zircons from the Upper Carboniferous Taiyuan Formation in the Ningwu-Jingle basin

LA-MC-ICPMS U-Pb dating has been performed on detrital zircons from the Upper Carboniferous Tai-yuan Formation (N-8) in the Ningwu-Jingle Basin, west of the North China Craton (NCC). The ages of 72 detrital zircon grains are divided into three groups: 303―320 Ma (6 grains), 1631―2194 Ma (37 grains, peaked at 1850 Ma), 2318―2646 Ma (29 grains, peaked at 2500 Ma). Detrital zircons of Group 2 and Group 3 were likely derived from the basement of the NCC. Group 1 zircons exhibit 176Hf/177Hf ratios ranging from 0...     

Zircon U-Pb age and Hf isotope of Quanyishang A-type granite in Yichang: signification for the Yangtze continental cratonization in Paleoproterozoic

Zircon U-Pb age and Hf isotope, and major and trace element compositions were reported for granite at Quanyishang, which intruded into the Kongling complex in Yichang, Hubei Province. The results show that the Quanyishang granite is rich in silicon and alkalis but poor in calcium and magnesium, and displays enrichment in Ga, Y, Zr, Nb but depletion in Sr and Ba, exhibiting the post-orogenic A-type affinity. 90% zircons from the granite are concordant, and give a middle Paleoproterozoic magmatic crystallization age (mean 1854 Ma). Initial Hf isotope ratios (176Hf/177Hf)i of the middle Paleoproterozoic zircons range from 0.280863 to 0.281134 and they have negative eHf(t) values with a minimum of -26.3. These zircons give the depleted mantle model ages (TDM) of 2.9―3.3 Ga (mean 3.0 Ga), and the average crustal model ages (Tcrust) of 3.6―4.2 Ga (mean 3.8 Ga). A Mesoarchean grain with 207Pb/206Pb age of 2859 Ma has a slightly high TDM (3.4 Ga) but similar Tcrust (3.8 Ga) to the Paleoproterozoic zircons. All these data suggest that the source materials of the Quanyishang A-type granite are unusually old, at least ≥2.9 Ga (even Eoarchean). The event of crustal remelting, which resulted in the formation of the Quanyishang granite in the middle Paleoproterozoic, recorded the cratonization of the Yangtze conti-nent. The process may have relation to the extension and collapse of the deep crust with Archean ages, in response to the transition stage of the assembly and breakup of the Columbia supercontinent.     

SHRIMP U-Pb zircon ages for the UHP metamorphosed granitoid gneiss in Altyn Tagh and their geological significance

Different types of UHP metamorphic rocks havebeen recently discovered in the Altyn Tagh[1—4], the north-ern margin of Qadam Basin[5—7], the southwestern Tian-shan Mountains[8,9] and the northern Qinling Moun-tains[10,11] in Central and Western China. And these areashave attracted focus attention of geologists at home andabroad to the studying of UHP metamorphism and conti-nental deep subduction. However, as newly discoveredUHP metamorphic terranes, some questions have beenarisen abou…     

Zircon U-Pb dating for the earliest Neoproterozoic mafic magmatism in the southern margin of the North China Block

Geological records of Neoproterozoic magmaticevents have recently been identified in the central Phanerozoic orogenic belts of China[1]. In regions of east Qinling orogen[2], Dabie-Sulu orogen[3], north Qaidam Basin orogen[4―6], and southwest Tarim Basin…     

Discovery of ∼4.0 Ga detrital zircons in the Aermantai ophiolitic mélange, East Junggar, northwest China

The East Junggar is an important part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB).Using in situ zircon dating and Hf isotopic analysis by LA-ICP-MS and MC-ICP-MS,respectively,a detrital zircon of 4040 Ma age was found in sedimentary sequences from the Aermantai ophiolitic mélange,East Junggar.This is the oldest age record in the East Junggar terrane,and also marks the first zircon locality in the CAOB with an age older than 4.0 Ga,which is attributed to the Hadean crust.The 4040 Ma detrital zircon has anεHf(t)value of–5.2 and a two-stage Hf modal age of 4474 Ma,suggesting the presence of very old(Hadean)crustal material in the source area.Beside peak ages of 446 Ma,we found four age groups of 3.6–3.1 Ga,2.53–2.37 Ga,1.14–0.89 Ga and 0.47–0.42 Ga from 141 effective measuring points.The age of 426±4 Ma for the five youngest detrital zircons defines the lower limit of the deposition time of sedimentary sequencess in the Aermantai ophiolitic mélange.The 0.47–0.42 Ga zircons exhibit176Hf/177Hf ratios of 0.282156 to 0.282850,corresponding to variableεHf(t)values from–9.3 to 12.0 and Hf model ages from2011 to 646 Ma.These characteristics are similar to those of the early Paleozoic igneous and gneissic zircons from the Altai,but significantly different from those of the East Junggar.Based on the material structures of felspathic greywacke,the morphology,internal texture and age distributions of dated detrital zircons,in combination with a study of the regional geological data,it is suggested that the sedimentary sequences in the Aermantai ophiolitic mélange was deposited in the Late Silurian,with the main provenance from the Altai Orogen in the north.This indicates that the early Paleozoic ocean represented by the Aermantai ophiolitic mélange was readily closed during the Late Silurian,and the northern edge of the East Junggar terrane was accreted to the Altai Orogen.The joint of them then served as a marginal orogen in the southern edge of the Siberia Paleocontinent.