SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating for volcanic rocks of the Dasi Formation in southeast Hubei Province, middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River and its implications

The Jinniu Basin in southeast Hubei, located at the westernmost part of middle-lower valley of the Yangtze River, is one of the important volcanic basins in East China. Volcanic rocks in the Jinniu Basin are distributed mainly in the Majiashan Formation, the Lingxiang Formation and the Dasi Formation, consisting of rhyolite, basalt and basaltic andesite, (trachy)-basalt and basaltic trachy-andesite and (trachy)-andesite and (trachy)-dacite and rhyolite respectively, in which the Dasi volcanism is volumetrically dominant and widespread. The Dasi volcanic rocks were selected for SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating to confirm the timing of volcanism. The results indicate that there exist a large amount of magmatic zircons characterized by high U and Th contents in the volcanic rocks. The concordia ages for 13 points are 128 ± 1Ma (MSWD = 3.0). On account of the shape of zircons and Th/U ratios, this age is considered to represent the crystallization time of the Dasi volcanism. The volcanic rocks in the Dasi, Majiashan and Lingxiang Formations share similar trace element and REE partition patterns as well as Sr-Nd isotopic compositions. In combination with the regional geology, it is proposed that the southeast Hubei volcanic rocks were formed mainly during the Early Cretaceous, just like other volcanic basins in middle-lower Yangtze valley. A lithospheric extension is also suggested for tectonic regime in this region in the Cretaceous Period.