Repeated modification of lithospheric mantle in the eastern North China Craton: Constraints from SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating of dunite xenoliths in western Shandong

Four dunite xenoliths from the Tietonggou intrusion of western Shandong,China,were subjected to SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating to constrain timing of the North China Craton(NCC) destruction,a topic of much controversy.Cathodoluminescence images revealed that 15 of the 18 zircon grains from the xenoliths display striped absorption.The rest showed oscillatory growth zoniation.All the zircons had variable contents of Th(49-3569 ppm;average,885 ppm) and U(184-5398 ppm;average,1277 ppm),and variable Th/U ratios(0.15-2.04).These zircon characteristics indicate a magmatic origin.The zircon age data can be divided into five groups:131-145,151-164,261-280,434-452,and 500-516 Ma.Group I(131-145 Ma) is consistent with timing of formation of the Tietonggou high-Mg diorites.Group II(151-164 Ma) is similar in age to Middle-Late Jurassic magmatism in the eastern NCC,which included both mantle-derived and intensive crust-derived magmatism.Group III(261-280 Ma) is similar in age to the Emeishan large igneous province,and Group IV(434-452 Ma) is similar in age to Paleozoic high-silica magmatism in the eastern NCC.Group V(500-516 Ma) may correspond to the global Pan-African event.Results indicate repeated modification of lithospheric mantle in the eastern NCC,and suggest that the most intensive modification occurred in the late Mesozoic(131-164 Ma).     

Delamination and destruction of the North China Craton

This article presents an overview on recent developments in studies of chemical and physical processes of lithospheric delamination with respect to destruction of the North China Craton. It is emphasized that the pyroxenite source resulting from interaction between eclogite-derived melt and peridotite is a direct consequence of delamination. The pyroxenite source thus formed has unique mineralogical and geochemical features, which characterize Mesozoic basalts of the North China Craton. Melt-peridotite interaction played an important role in refertilization of cratonic lithospheric mantle, leading to density increase, weakening and final destabilization of the North China Craton. The nature of the melt is the key to distinguish mechanisms of destructing this craton.     

Destruction geodynamics of the North China craton and its Paleoproterozoic plate tectonics

Much attention has been paid in the last two decades to the physical and chemical processes as well as temporal-spatial variations of the lithospheric mantle beneath the North China Craton. In order to provide insights into the geodynamics of this variation, it is necessary to thoroughly study the state and structure of the lithospheric crust and mantle of the North China Craton and its adjacent regions as an integrated unit. Based on the velocity structure of the crust and upper mantle constrained from seismological studies, this paper presents various available geophysical results regarding the lithosphere thickness, the nature of crust-mantle boundary, the upper mantle structure and deformation characteristics as well as their tectonic features and evolution systematics. Combined with the obtained data from petrology and geochemistry, a mantle flow model is proposed for the tectonic evolution of the North China Craton during the Mesozoic-Cenozoic. We suggest that subduction of the Pacific plate made the mantle underneath the eastern Asian continent unstable and able to flow faster. Such a regional mantle flow system would cause an elevation of melt/fluid content in the upper mantle of the North China Craton and the lithospheric softening, which, subsequently resulted in destruction of the North China Craton in different ways of delamination and thermal erosion in Yanshan, Taihang Mountains and the Tan-Lu Fault zone. Multiple lines of evidence recorded in the crust of the North China Craton, such as the amalgamation of the Archean eastern and western blocks, the subduction of Paleo-oceanic crust and Paleo-continental residue, indicate that the Earth in the Paleoproterozoic had already evolved into the plate tectonic system similar to the present plate tectonics.     

Peridotite-melt interaction: A key point for the destruction of cratonic lithospheric mantle

This paper presents an overview of recent studies dealing with different ages of mantle peridotitic xenoliths and xenocrysts from the North China Craton, with aim to provide new ideas for further study on the destruction of the North China Craton. Re-Os isotopic studies suggest that the lithospheric mantle of the North China Craton is of Archean age prior to its thinning. The key reason why such a low density and highly refractory Archean lithospheric mantle would be thinned is changes in composition, thermal regime, and physical properties of the lithospheric mantle due to interaction of peridotites with melts of different origins. Inward subduction of circum craton plates and collision with the North China Craton provided not only the driving force for the destruction of the craton, but also continuous melts derived from partial melting of subducted continental or oceanic crustal materials that resulted in the compositional change of the lithospheric mantle. Regional thermal anomaly at ca. 120 Ma led to the melting of highly modified lithospheric mantle. At the same time or subsequently lithospheric extension and asthenospheric upwelling further reinforced the melting and thinning of the lithospheric mantle. Therefore, the destruction and thinning of the North China Craton is a combined result of per- idotite-melt interaction （addition of volatile）, enhanced regional thermal anomaly （temperature increase） and lithospheric extension （decompression）. Such a complex geological process finally produced a ＂mixed＂ lithospheric mantle of highly chemical heterogeneity during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. It also resulted in significant difference in the composition of mantle peridotitic xenoliths between different regions and times.     

Old EMI-type enriched mantle under the middle North China Craton as indicated by Sr and Nd isotopes of mantle xenoliths from Yangyuan, Hebei Province

Recent studies indicate that the Mesozoic litho- spheric thinning in North China was diachronous with that in west to the Taihangshan gravity lineament being later than in the eastern part of the North China Cra- ton[1―3]. During the Cenozoic, lithospher…     

A possible relict mantle wedge: Geochemical evidence from Paleogene volcanics in North China

The major and trace element and isotopic composition were analyzed for the Paleogene volcanics in North China dated by the K-Ar method. The geochemical data show that most volcanics are in calc-alkaline series and the minor is in alkaline series. They differ obviously from Neogene and Quaternary volcanics in geochemistry. In particular, the Paleogene volcanics from the southern part of North China were derived from enriched lithospheric mantle (EMII), which were likely to be a relict mantle wedge formed during the subduction of the Yangtze plate into the North China plate in late Triassic (Indo-Sinian).     

Fluid/melt inclusions in Cenozoic mantle xenoliths from Linqu,Shandong Province,eastern China: Implications for asthenosphere-lithosphere interactions

Fluid and melt inclusions in mantle xenoliths are thought as direct samples to study mantle liquids. Here we apply Raman mi- crospectroscopy and microthermometry to fluid/melt inclusions in lherzolite xenoliths in Qiaoshan basalts, a Miocene volcano in Linqu, Shandong Province, eastern China. These inclusions include (1) early CO2 fluid inclusions, (2) early carbonate melt inclu-sions, (3) late CO2 fluid inclusions, and (4) late silicate melt inclusions. Among the early CO2 fluid inclusions, most consist of...     

Comparison of mantle-derived matierals from different spatiotemporal settings: Implications for destructive and accretional processes of the North China Craton

Cratonic destruction or lithospheric thinning beneath North China makes it as one of the most ideal areas for the studying on the formation and evolution of continent. However, the mechanism, time, range and dynamic setting of the destruction, even the lithospheric status before the destruction, are contentious. The comparison among mantle xenoliths in the volcanic rocks from different captured times （e.g. Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic） and locations （e.g. intra-plate or its rim, the translithospheric Tanlu fault or the North-South Gravity Line）, and peridotitic massifs within the Sulu-Dabie ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism belt along the southern margin of the North China Craton, indicates that （1） the cratonic lithosphere is heterogeneous in structure and composition, and contains mantle weak zones; and （2） the Mesozoic-Cenozoic lithospheric thinning process is complex, including lateral spreading of lithosphere, interaction between melt and peridotite, non-even asthenospheric erosion （huge lithospheric thinning）, and the limited lithospheric accretion and thus thickening, which resulted in the final replacement of the refractory cratonic lithosphere by juvenile fertile mantle. In early Mesozoic, the integrity of the North China Craton was interrupted, even destroyed by subduction and collision of the Yangtze block. The mantle wedge of the North China Craton was also metasomatized and modified by melt/fluids revealed from the subducted Yangtze continent. Lithospheric mantle extension and tectonic intrusion of the North China Craton also occurred, accompanied by the asthenospheric upwelling that due to the detachement of the subducted Yangtze continent （orogenic root）. During early Cretaceous-early Tertiary, the huge thinning of lithosphere was triggered by the upwelling asthenosphere due to the subduction of the Pacific plate. Since late Tertiary, the cooling of the upwelling asthenosphere resulted in the replacement of the mantle in existence by the newly accreted lithosphere, accompanied with a little thickness in lithosphere and thus finally achieved the lithospheric thinning as a whole. The translithospheric faults, such as the Tanlu fault, play excellent channels for asthenospheric upwelling. Meanwhile, the channels in lithosphere are usually irregular, which resulted in different eruption times of magma. Peridotite xenolith in the basalts erupted at 100 Ma is mainly fertile, indicating such a fact, that is, the mantle replacement occurred before the eruption （e.g. 125--100 Ma） beneath the eastern part of the North China Craton.     

On the timing and duration of the destruction of the North China Craton

The timing and duration of the destruction of the North China Craton, which is pivotal to understanding the destruction mechanism and its geodynamic controlling factors, still remain controversial. On the basis of the principles of magma genesis and evolution, first we outline magmatic expressions that can be related to cratonic destruction, then use magmatic and basin evolution trends to constrain the timescale of the lithospheric thinning in North China. The main conclusions include： （1） the thinning of the lithosphere beneath the North China Craton might have started, at least locally, since late Carboniferous-late Triassic, attained its climax during the late Jurassic-early Cretaceous, and continued till the end of late Cretaceous-early Cenozoic. The destruction of the North China Craton was a relatively slow, rather than a dramatic process. （2） The weakened lithospheric zones along the margins and interiors of the craton played an important role in cratonic destruction, partly accounting for the heterogeneous pattern of cratonic destruction. （3） The tectonic factors that controlled the destruction of the North China Craton may be multiple. The late Carboniferous southward subduction of the Paleo-Asian plate and the late Triassic collision between North China and South China may have re-activated the craton by influencing the thermal and integral structure of the craton. The Pacific subduction underneath the eastern Asian continent played a determinant role in the cratonic destruction, governing the distribution patterns of post-Mesozoic basins and major tectonic configuration, temporal change of magmatism and formation of the North-South gravity lineament.     

Hf isotopes of the 3.8 Ga zircons in eastern Hebei Province, China： Implications for early crustal evolution of the North China Craton

Zircon U-Pb dating indicates that the fuchsite quartzite in eastern Hebei Province was derived from weathering and erosion of the 3.6-3.8 Ga granitic rocks. In-situ zircon Hf analyses show that the Lu-Hf isotopic system remained closed during later thermal disturbances. Zircons with concordant ages have Hf isotopic model ages of about 3.8 Ga, suggesting a recycling of this ancient crust. The -3.8 Ga zircons have similar Hf isotopic compositions to those of chondrite, indicating that their source rocks （granitic rocks） were derived from partial melting of the juvenile crust which originated from a mantle without significant crust-mantle differentiation. Therefore, it is proposed that there was no large-scale crustal growth before -3.8 Ga in eastern Hebei Province. Considering zircon Hf isotopic data from other areas, it is concluded that the most ancient crust in the North China Craton probably formed at about 4.0 Ga, and the possibility to find crust older than 4.0 Ga is very limited.     

Precipitation of rutile needles in garnet from sillimanite-bearing pelitic granulite from the Khondalite Belt,North China Craton

Pelitic granulite from the Khondalite Belt, North China Craton, is composed of garnet, sillimanite, perthite, biotite and quartz. Oriented rutile needles in gar- net are reported for the first time from the granulite. The rutile needles have been identified by optical microscopy and confirmed by in situ Raman spectroscopy, where they show the characteristic bands at 446-448 and 610 cm-1. Because of their very strong shape preferred orientation in 3-4 easily observable directions, these futile needles are interpreted to have formed by precipitation during exhu- mation and cooling following peak metamorphism. The ternary feldspar geothermometer gives a peak metamorphic temperature of ,- 980 ℃ at 10 kbar. The presence of oriented rutile needles in garnet is suggested to be a valuable indicator of ultrahigh-temperature （UHT） metamorphism in the Khondalite Belt and therefore likely in other UHT terrains.     

Mantle olivine xenocrysts entrained in Mesozoic basalts from the North China craton：Implication for replacement process of lithospheric mantle

Mesozoic (125 Ma) Fangcheng basalts fromShandong Province contain clearly zoned olivines that arerare in terrestrial samples and provide first evidence for thereplacement of lithospheric mantle from high-Mg peridotitesto Iow-Mg peridotites through peridotite-melt reaction.Zoned olivines have compositions in the core (Mg# = 87.2--90.7) similar to those olivines from the mantle peridotiticxenoliths entrained in Cenozoic basalts from the NorthChina craton and in the rim (Mg# = 76.8--83.9) close to oli-vine phenocrysts of the host basalts (75.7--79.0). Thesecompositional features as well as rounded crystal shapes andsmaller grain sizes (300—800 μm) demonstrate that thesezoned olivines are mantle xenocrysts, i.e. disaggregates ofmantle peridotites. Their core compositions can representthose of olivines of mantle peridotites. The zoned texture ofolivines was formed through rapid reaction between the oli-vine xenocryst and the host basalt. This olivine-basaltic meltreaction could have been ubiquitous in the Mesozoic litho-spheric mantle beneath the North China craton, i.e. an im-portant type of the replacement of lithospheric mantle. Thereaction resulted in the transformation of the Paleozoic re-fractory (high-Mg) peridotites to the late Mesozoic fertile(Iow-Mg) and radiogenic isotope-enriched peridotites, lead-ing to the loss of old lithospheric mantle.     

Geochemical characteristics and petrogenesis of Mesozoic basalts from the North China Craton： A case study in Fuxin, Liaoning Province

Occurrence of Cretaceous basalts in Fuxin County, Liaoning Province provides us an opportunity to understand Mesozoic mantle processes beneath the northern margin of the North China Craton (NNCC). Fuxin Jianguo basalts occur as volcanic channel phases with well-developed columnar jointings and contain few spinel lherzolite and pyroxenite xenoliths. They are poor in silica and rich in alkalis, Ti and Al, belonging to alkaline basalts. In trace element compositions, Jianguo basalts are moderately enriched in LREE and LILE, but not depleted in HFSE. They have low Sr and high Nd and Pb isotopic ratios. These geochemical characteristics suggest that Jianguo basalts originated from the depleted asthenosphere, representing an undifferentiated and uncontaminated primitive magma. Presence of these basalts indicates that the lithosphere beneath the region had thickness less than 65 km at the time of basalt eruption and was mainly composed of fertile pargasite-bearing spinel Iherzolite and plagioclase pyroxenite. The voluminous basaltic-andesitic magmatism during the early Jurassic-late Cretaceous time indicates that the commencement and accomplishment of lithosphere thinning in the NNCC was much earlier than that in the southern margin, since the mafic-intermediate volcanism only occurred at the Cretaceous time in the southern margin and the basalts with an asthenosphere isotopic signature at the Tertiary. This shows that highly spatial and temporal heterogeneity existed in the Mesozoic lithosphere evolution.     

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.     

U-Pb ages and Hf isotopes for detrital zircons from quartzite in the Paleoproterozoic Songshan Group on the southwestern margin of the North China Craton

In situ U-Pb dating and Lu-Hf isotopic analysis were carried out for detrital zircons from quartzite in the Paleoproterozoic Songshan Group on the southern margin of the North China Craton （NCC）. The results provide further constraints on the crustal formation and evolution history of NCC. Four ^207Pb/^206Pb age populations were obtained from 99 analyses, with clusters at -3.40 Ga, 2.77-2.80 Ga, -2.50 Ga and 2.34 Ga, respectively. The 3.40 Ga old zircons have similar Hf isotopic compositions to those from Archean rocks in the Jidong and Anshan areas of NCC. However, crustal remnants older than 3.6 Ga have been identified in the southern margin of NCC, the South China Craton, the northwestern part of the Qinling Orogen and its adjacent area. Thus, it is not easy to trace the source rock from which the 3.40 Ge detrital zircons were derived. It can be inferred that the crustal remnants older than 3.40 Ga might have been widely distributed in the North China Craton. The 2.77-2.80 Ga zircons make up a relatively small proportion and have the highest εHf（t） values （up to 6.1±1.6）, consistent with the Hf isotopic composition of the depleted mantle at 2.83 Ga. Their single-stage Hf model age of 2.83 Ga is close to their crystallized age, suggesting that their source rocks were extracted from the contemporaneous depleted mantle. The -2.50 Ga zircon grains constitute about 85% of the total grain population and their Hf isotopic compositions indicate major growth of juvenile crust at -2.50 Ga but minor reworking of ancient crust. The youngest zircon dated in this study gave an U-Pb age of 2337±2.3 Ma, which can be considered the maximum depositional age of the formation of the Songshan Group.     

利用空间自相关法研究华北克拉通中部瑞雷面波频散特征

华北克拉通是我国大陆最古老的克拉通之一,是研究大陆岩石圈形成与演化的一个天然实验室。利用华北地震科学台阵在2007年1月13日记录到的地震微动信号的垂向分量,采用空间自相关法(SPAC法)获得了华北克拉通中部块体7～33 s的瑞雷波相速度频散曲线。总体而言,研究区的频散曲线随周期增加而增大。7～12 s ±的相速度增加梯度较陡,可能反映了该区域地表太古宙至古生代早期的古老基岩露头的影响; 13～16 s ±的相速度反映中地壳的速度变化,中部块体的相速度值随周期增大而逐渐减小,并在16 s ±时达到最小值,这与该地区中地壳发育低速层的地质背景较吻合。     

华北克拉通北缘典型高锶花岗岩区域锶型矿泉水分布特征及成因

华北克拉通北缘存在大量高锶花岗岩体,但其周边区域锶型矿泉水的赋存情况鲜有研究.首次以都山岩体作为典型高锶花岗岩,通过水文地质调查、水样采集、化验分析等方法,对其周边区域锶型矿泉水的分布和形成机理进行了分析.同时对寿王坟岩体、碾子峪岩体、小寺沟岩体、杨杖子岩体等四处高锶花岗岩体周边区域水体进行调查取样分析,以验证锶型矿泉...     

First SHRIMP zircon U-Pb ages for Hutuo Group in Wutaishan： Further evidence for Palaeoproterozoic amalgamation of North China Craton

A felsic tuffaceous rock, obtained from a metamorphosed sequence of volcanics and sediments of the Hutuo Group, 8 km south of Taihuai in Wutaishan, contains two zircon populations. These record SHRIMP 207Pb/206Pb weighted mean ages of 2180±5 Ma and 2087±9 Ma, respectively. The older date is within error of the age of the Dawaliang Granite in Wutaishan and is considered to be     

Discovery of Late Paleozoic retrograded eclogites from the middle part of the northern margin of North China Craton

The northern margin of the North China Craton (NCC), located between the Paleo-Asian Ocean tectonic region on the north and the NCC on the south, is a key region for studying the tectonic evolution of NCC. A Pre-cambrian retrograded eclogite (2500 Ma or 1800 Ma) was reported in Baimashi near Hengshan Mountain in the NCC, which is characterized by the vermicular symplec-tite of diopside and plagioclase with absence of ompha-cite[1,2]. In Hongqiyingzi Group from the middle part of the …     

LA-(MC)-ICPMS U-Pb zircon geochronology and Lu-Hf isotope compositions of the Taihua complex on the southern margin of the North China Craton

Widely distributed on the southern margin of the North China Craton, the Taihua complex extends roughly in an east-west direction and the relatively complete successions are found in Lushan County, Henan Province. Like many other Archean terranes, the Taihua Complex can be divided into two major lithological units along the Dangze River, namely gneisses series and supracrustal rocks. The former is located on the north side of the river and chiefly composed of TTG gneisses and amphibolites; the latter on the south side of the river is mainly supracrustal rock. Coupled with the previous studies, the results obtained by this study show that the Taihua complex was formed in a large time span from Neoarchean to Palaeoproterozoic. The TTG gneisses and amphibolites are dated at Neoarchean (2794–2752 Ma). The 2.9 Ga and 3.1 Ga zircons in amphibolites could be xenocrysts. In the North China Craton, the 2.8–2.7 Ga old rocks crop out in several areas e.g. western Shandong Province, Jiaodong Peninsula and Lushan area of Henan Province. In addition, 2.8–2.7 Ga detrital zircons or xenocryst zircons have been recognized in Huai’an, Fuping, Wutai areas of North China Craton and also reported in the Early Paleozoic diamondiferous kimberlites in Mengyin and Fuxian. All these age results indicate that the 2.8–2.7 Ga rocks may have been developed much broader region than today’s outcrops. Zircon Hf and whole rock Nd isotopes show that the 2.8–2.7 Ga tectono-thermal event represents an important period of crustal growth with minor ancient crust reworked in the North China Craton. However the formation of supracrustal rocks is limited to 2.2–2.0 Ga in the Palaeoproterozoic time, not the Archaean, as previously believed. Combined with the chronological data of aluminium-rich metamorphic rocks (Khondalite series) on the southern margin of the North China Craton and adjacent areas, it is suggested that the above areas have widely developed Paleoproterozoic passive continental margin environment.