Secular change in lifetime of granitic crust and the continental growth: A new view from detrital zircon ages of sandstones

U-Pb ages of detrital zircons were newly dated for 4 Archean sandstones from the Pilbara craton in Australia, Wyoming craton in North America, and Kaapvaal craton in Africa. By using the present results with previously published data, we compiled the age spectra of detrital zircons for 2.9, 2.6, 2.3,1.0, and0.6 Ga sandstones and modern river sands in order to document the secular change in age structure of continental crusts through time. The results demonstrated the following episodes in the history of continental crust：（1） low growth rate of the continents due to the short cycle in production/destruction of granitic crust during the Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic（2.9-23 Ga）,（2） net increase in volume of the continents during Paleo-to Mesoproterozoic（2.3-1.0 Ga）, and（3） net decrease in volume of the continents during the Neoproterozoic and Phanerozoic（after 1.0 Ga）. In the Archean and Paleoproterozoic, the embryonic continents were smaller than the modern continents, probably owing to the relatively rapid production and destruction of continental crust. This is indeed reflected in the heterogeneous crustal age structure of modern continents that usually have relatively small amount of Archean crusts with respect to the post-Archean ones. During the Mesoproterozoic, plural continents amalgamated into larger ones comparable to modern continental blocks in size. Relatively older crusts were preserved in continental interiors, whereas younger crusts were accreted along continental peripheries.In addition to continental arc magmatism, the direct accretion of intra-oceanic island arc around continental peripheries also became important for net continental growth. Since 1.0 Ga, total volume of continents has decreased, and this appears consistent with on-going phenomena along modern active arc-trench system with dominant tectonic erosion and/or arc subduction. Subduction of a huge amount of granitic crusts into the mantle through time is suggested, and this requires re-consideration of the mantle composition and heterogeneity.

Zircon within chromitite requires revision of the tectonic history of the Eoarchean Itsaq Gneiss complex,Greenland

The Ujaragssuit Nunat layered(UNL)unit in the Itsaq Gneiss Complex,west Greenland,has been consid-ered to contain one of the oldest chromitites on Earth based on~ca.4.1 Ga Hadean whole rock Pt-Os model ages and ca.3.81 Ga zircon U-Pb age of the surrounding orthogneiss.This study obtained zircon from the chromitite within this unit as well as granitoid sheets that intruded into the UNL unit.In-situ U-Pb-Hf-O isotope measurements were made on the zircons.Zircons from both the chromitite and the intrusive granitoids show concordant U-Pb ages of ca.2.97-2.95 Ga.In contrast,Hf and 0 isotopic anal-yses indicate that zircons in the chromitites have a different origin from those in the intrusive granitoids.Zircons from granitoids yielded Th/U ratios higher than 0.2,initial Hf isotope ratios of 0.2805-0.2807(i.e,initial:Hf value of-11 to-5),andδ^(18)O values of mostly 6.0‰-7.0‰,which are typical for felsic igneous rocks in Archean continental crust.The least altered zircons from a chromitite exhibited initial Hf isotope ratios of 0.28078-0.28084(i.e.,initial:Hf value of-1.1 to-0.4),close the chondritic value at ca.3.0 Ga and the depleted mantle at ca.3.2 Ga.These zircons also haveδ^(18)O values of 4.2‰6.1‰which correspond to typical mantle values.The other chromitite zircons yielded Th/U ratios lower than 0.1,and Hf and 0 isotopic compositions ranging between the least altered zircons and the intrusive granitoid zir-cons.These results indicate that the zircons in the chromitites crystallized before or during the 2.97-2.95 Ga granitoid intrusion and most of the zircons were altered by subsequent metasomatism.Furthermore,the present results suggest that zircons in the chromitites originally had depleted Hf iso-topic compositions at ca.3.2-3.0 Ga.This can be explained by two different models of the evolution of the UNL unit.One is that if the UNL unit was formed at>3.81 Ga as previously thought,with the zircons in the chromitites subsequently being precipitated by ca.3.2-2.95 Ga during metamorphism or metaso-matism.The other model is that the UNL unit itself was actually formed at ca.3.2-3.0 Ga,with zircon in the chromitite representing the crystallisation age of the unit,which was then tectonically incorporated into the ca.3.81 Ga orthogneiss prior to the 2.97-2.95 Ga granitoid intrusion event.In either case,our zircon analyses reveal significant evolutionary history prior to depleted mantle Hf model ages of 3.2-2.95 Ga.Revision of the geotectonic evolution of the UNL unit and the Itsaq Gneiss Complex is therefore required.