Paleoproterozoic reworking of ancient crust in the Cathaysia Block, South China: Evidence from zircon trace elements, U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotopes

A combined study of zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating, trace elements and Hf isotope was carried out for gneissic granite from the Sanzhishu area in Jingning, SW Zhejiang Province. Nearly all the zircons separated from the granite exhibited oscillatory zoning and high Th/U ratios (>0.1). The REE profile showed a pronounced positive Ce anomaly, negative Eu anomaly and an enrichment of HREE, which are typical characteristics of magmatic zircon. Thirteen concordant or nearly concordant analytical data yielded a weighted mean ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb age of 1860±13 Ma (MSWD=0.084), representing the formation age of the granite. The magmatic zircons had negative εHf(t) values of −15.6 to −10.0 and two-stage Hf model ages of 3.1 to 3.4 Ga, indicating that the granites were formed by reworking of ancient crust. The major- and trace-element data indicate that the gneissic granites are metaluminous high-K calc-alkaline rocks and exhibit the same geochemical characteristics as aluminous A-type granites, implying the emplacement of the granite in a post-orogenic extensional tectonic setting. We conclude that the Paleoproterozoic crustal reworking event in the Cathaysia Block of South China marked the transition from assembly to break-up of the Columbia supercontinent. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40873004), Special Funds for National Scientific Research of Commonweal Industries, the Ministry of Land and Resources of China (Grant No. 2008110015), Opening Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Northwest University (Grant No. 06LCD12) and the Project of Land and Resources Bureau of Zhejiang Province (Grant No. 2004005)     

Single zircon LAM－ICPMS U－Pb dating of Guidong complex （SE China） and its petrogenetic significance

Because of the strong effects of the Caledonian and Indosinian orogenies and Yanshanian magmatism since early Paleozoic time, different types of granites and ore deposits occur widely in the Nanling region of SE China[1]. The Guidong complex is situated at the border between the South Jiangxi—North Guangdong post-Caledonian orogenic belt and the Hercynian-Indosinian belt, which is constrained by an E-W regional deep fault (Guidong-Da- dongshan deep fault) and therefore is elongated nea…     

Preliminary study of microscale zircon oxygen isotopes for Dabie-Sulu metamorphic rocks： Ion probe in situ analyses

151 in situ analyses of oxygen isotopes were carried out by ion micro-probe for zircons from 8 localities of HP-UHP metamorphic rocks including eclogites in the Dabie-Sulu terrane. The results show significant heterogeneity in δ^18O values, with variation in different rocks from -8.5‰ to 9.7‰ and within one sample from 2‰ to 12‰. No measurable difference in δ^18O was observed between protolith magmatic (detrital) zircons and metamorphic recrystallized zircons within analytical uncertainties from the ion micro-probe measurements. This indicates that the metamorphic zircons have inherited the oxygen isotopic compositions of protolith zircons despite the HP to UHP metamorphism. According to their protolith ages from zircon U-Pb in situ dating by the same ion micro-probe, two groups of oxygen isotope composition are recognized, with one having δ^18O values of 6‰-7‰ for old protolith of 1.9-2.5 Ga ages and the other 0‰-2‰ for young protolith of 0.7-0.8 Ga ages. The latter anomalously low δ^18O values of zircons indicate that the magma has had the obvious involvement of meteoric water when forming the young protolith of high-grade metamorphic rocks. This may be correlated with the snowball Earth event occurring in South China and the world elsewhere during the Neoproterozoic.     

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...     

Petrogenesis of keratophyes in the Pingshui Group, Zhejiang: Constraints from zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopes

Zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic as well as whole-rock geochemical data are reported for keratophyes in the Pingshui Group, Zhejiang. The results are used to discuss their petrogenesis and geological significance. The keratophyes were dated at 904±8 to 906±10 Ma. These intermediate-felsic rocks are characterized by high LREE contents and depletion of HREE and HFSE (e.g., Nb, Ta, Ti, P), resembling arc-derived rocks. The keratophyes exhibit positive εHf(t) values of 8.6 to 15.4, consistent with the...     

Crustal growth at ～2.5 Ga in the North China Craton：evidence from whole-rock Nd and zircon Hf isotopes in the Huai＇an gneiss terrane

The Huai’an gneiss terrane mainly consists of TTG gneisses and dioritic gneisses. Laser in situ U-Pb dating of magmatic zircon cores indicates that protolith of these gneisses was formed at ~2.5 Ga. The TTG gneisses have positive εNd（t） values of 2.7 to 4.3, and most of the magmatic zircons have positive εHf（t） values of 2.0 to 8.3. These positive εNd（t） and εHf（t） values are both similar to those of the contemporaneous depleted mantle at 2.5 Ga. Moreover, the young Hf model ages of 2.44 to 2.73 Ga for the magmatic zircons are close to the timing of the zircons growth. The whole-rock εNd（t） values are lower in the dioritic gneisses （0.8 to 1.7） than in the TTG gneisses due to the involvement of ancient crust in its source. However, many magmatic zircons from the dioritic gneisses have similar εHf（t） values （2.0 to 7.9） to that of the coeval depleted mantle; their Hf model ages of 2.49 to 2.75 Ga are close to the U-Pb ages of zircons. The highest εHf（t） values are close to the value of the depleted mantle, and the relatively high εHf（t） values corresponds to the relatively young Hf model age. These Nd and Hf isotope features suggest that these two types of gneisses of the Huai’an gneiss terrane originated from the juvenile crust at ca. 2.5 Ga.     

内蒙古中部宝力高庙组长英质火山岩U-Pb-Hf同位素特征及其地质意义

锆石SHRIMP U-Pb定年结果显示: 内蒙古中部白音乌拉地区原宝力高庙组的流纹岩形成时代为300.0±2.9 Ma, 属晚石炭世; 青格勒宝拉格地区原宝力高庙组的凝灰岩结晶年龄为159.6±1.4 Ma, 并获得 3颗捕获锆石的年龄分别为291.8±3.4, 304.0±3.3和734.7±9.2 Ma, 应属于晚侏罗世满克头鄂博组。锆石LA-MC-ICP-MS Hf同位素分析显示: 流纹岩锆石ε_Hf(t) 值为+10.5~+12.9, T_DM^C值为493~645 Ma; 凝灰岩岩浆锆石ε_Hf(t)值为+10.1~+13.1, T_DM^C值为369~563 Ma。研究结果表明, 流纹岩源于晚古生代新生地壳的重熔并混入少量老地壳物质, 凝灰岩源于晚古生代地壳的熔融。Hf同位素特征显示晚古生代流纹岩和中生代凝灰岩源于相似的源区, 揭示了晚古生代的一次重要的增生事件, 并且在约160 Ma时期发生过地壳的再造。结合前人的研究成果表明, 兴蒙造山带在约300 Ma时处于古亚洲洋演化过程中岛弧向碰撞后伸展环境的转换时期, 在约160 Ma受到蒙古?鄂霍茨克构造域的影响。     

川西须家河组火山岩夹层时代及其地质意义

四川盆地西部的上三叠统须家河组作为反演前陆盆地构造演化的物质基础，因缺少精确的同位素地层年龄阻碍了对盆山演化的进一步理解。作者在四川盆地西部须家河组中发现了一套火山（碎屑）岩夹层，通过 LA-ICP-MS U-Pb 同位素定量分析，获得1件凝灰岩样品中岩浆锆石的结晶年龄，其加权平均值为（214．7±1．6）Ma，属于晚三叠世诺利期。该年龄结果对四川盆地西部须家河组岩石地层单元的划分与对比可提供重要参考，同时为进一步约束龙门山隆升与川西前陆盆地的演化、古特提斯洋关闭等重大事件时限提供了新证据。基于四川盆地及周缘的区域火山活动对比结果，表明诺利期中期（210～222 Ma B．P．）是中国西部地区一次强烈的区域火山喷发阶段，其范围从羌塘地体延伸到东昆仑地体，所对应的构造事件并非传统的印支运动作用。     

U-Pb zircon age for the Daohugou Biota at Ningcheng of Inner Mongolia and comments on related issues

SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating was carried out for the Daohugou Biota near Ningcheng of Inner Mongolia and for lavas overlying or underlying sala-mander-bearing strata at Reshuitang in Lingyuan of West Liaoning. The results suggest that the Dao- hugou Biota occurred at an interval from 168 Ma to 164―152 Ma. Both the Daohugou Biota and the salamander-bearing fossil assemblage are the same biota and thus developed from 168 to 152 Ma, i.e. from late Middle Jurassic to the early Late Jurassic. The Daohugou Biota-bearing rocks, resting on the Jiulongshan Formation in disconformity and being overlain in unconformity by Late Jurassic Tuchengzi Formation and Early Cretaceous rocks containing the Jehol Biota, are mainly composed of volcanic-sedi- mentary rocks in a normal sequence. It is recom- mended that the Daohugou Biota and the related stratigraphy should be correlated with the Tiaojishan Formation (Lanqi Formation in West Liaoning) or its synchronous rocks. It is suggested that the Dao- hugou Biota and the Jehol Biota would be neither taken into one biota nor considered as the earliest elements of the Jehol Biota. The Daohugou Biota and the related rocks and the Yixian Formation were respectively formed in different periods of volcanic-sedimentary tectonics.