Paleoproterozoic Nb-enriched meta-gabbros in the Quanji Massif,NW China:Implications for assembly of the Columbia supercontinent

Diverse models have been proposed for the role of the Tarim Craton within the Paleoproterozoic Columbia supercontinent assembly. Here we report a suite of-1.71 Ga Nb-enriched meta-gabbro lenses in the eastern Quanji Massif, within the Tarim Craton in NW China. The meta-gabbroic rocks have Nb contents of 11.5-16.4 ppm with Nb/La ratios varying from 0.84 to 1.02((Nb/La)_N = 0.81-0.98) and Nb/U ratios from 38.0 to 47.2. They show low SiO_2(45.1-48.5 wt.%) and MgO(5.96-6.81 wt.%) and Mg#(Mg# = Mg/(Mg + Fe) = 43.5-47.7), high FeO^t(13.0-15.7 wt.%) and moderate Ti02(1.70-2.51 wt.%).with tholeiitic affinities. These rocks possess low fractionated REE patterns without obvious Eu anomalies(Eu/Eu~* = 0.87-1.02). Their primitive mantle-normalized elements patterns display significant Zr-Hf troughs, positive Nb anomalies, weak negative Ti and P anomalies, and high contents of Rb and Ba,resembling Nb-enriched basalts generated in arc-related tectonic settings. Their arc-like geochemical signatures together with whole rock εNd(t) values of 0.4-2.1 and corresponding old T_(DM)(2.22-2.37 Ga)as well as(^(143)Nd/^(144)Nd)_t and(^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr)t(t = 1712 Ma) values of 0.5104-0.5105 and 0.7030-0.7058,respectively, suggest that their precursor magma originated from mantle wedge peridotite metasomatised by subduction-derived melts. The results from our study reveal subduction along the eastern periphery of the Tarim Craton and marginal outgrowth continuing to ~1.7 Ga within the Columbia supercontinent.

Zircon and Monazite Ages Constraints on Devonian Magmatism and Granulite-Facies Metamorphism in the Southern Qaidam Block:Implications for Evolution of Proto-and Paleo-Tethys in East Asia

High-temperature magma generation process and granulite-facies metamorphism can provide important information about mantle-crustal interaction and tectonic evolution. The strongly peraluminous monzonite pluton, the Jinshuikou cordierite granite on the southern margin of the Qaidam Block, can provide important information about the mantle-crustal interaction and constraints on tectonic transition from Proto-Tethys to Paleo-Tethys. This pluton develops enclaves of mafic granulite, amphibolite and quartzofeldspathic rocks, and is cut by massive monzonitic leuco-granite veins. Zircon and monazite U-Pb dating for the cordierite granite, the granulite enclaves and a massive monzonitic leuco-granite vein reveal that the cordierite granitic magma was generated from Mesoproterozoic continental crust with protolith derived from a provenance that was composed of >2.8 Ga old recycled crustal materials and recorded a ~1.7 Ga magmatic event. The continental crust underwent low-pressure granulite-facies metamorphism at ~380 Ma ago, whereas the cordierite granite magmas was generated and emplaced during 380 Ma, followed by intrusion of the massive monzonitic leuco-granite vein at circa 370–330 Ma. These data suggest that after the final closure of Proto-Tethys Ocean spreading along the southern Qaidam Block at ~420 Ma, break-off of the subducted slab or delamination of the lower crustal base and upwelling of the asthenospheric mantle beneath the southern Qaidam Block occurred before the Mid-Devonian, and that the initiation of the Paleo-Tethys tectonics might initiate near the end of Early-Carboniferous in the East Kunlun-Qaidam region, East Asia.

Tectonothermal Records in Migmatite-Like Rocks of the Guandi Complex in Zhoukoudian, Beijing: Implications for Late Neoarchean to Proterozoic Tectonics of the North China Craton

Migmatite-like rocks transformed from strongly metamorphosed and deformed enclavebearing felsic plutons usually make people confuse with the true migmatites and mistake in interpretation of their petrogenesis and tectonic implications. Here we report a suite of rocks that have long been called as migmatites from the Guandi complex in Zhoukoudian region, southwest of Beijing. The rocks are dominated by felsic gneisses with garnet-free amphibolites. Field occurrence, petrography and geochemistry indicate that the felsic gneisses and amphibolites were metamorphosed from protoliths of intermediate-acid and basic igneous rocks, respectively. New LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating and geothermobarometry study further reveal that precursor magmas of the two types of rocks were emplaced at 2.54–2.56 Ga and the rocks subsequently underwent medium P/T-type metamorphism with upper amphibolite facies conditions of 0.55–0.90 GPa and 670–730 ℃ at ~2.48–2.50 Ga. Geochemically, precursor magmas of the amphibolites were suggested to be derived from an enriched lithospheric mantle source in continental arc setting, and those of the felsic gneisses are characterized by tonalitic to trondhjemitic magmas that are usually considered to be generated by partial melting of hydrated, thickened metamorphosed mafic crust with garnet as residues, suggesting that the rock associations are not of true migmatites but migmatite-like rocks. Our study reveal that protoliths of the migmatite-like rocks from the Guandi complex, were likely formed via magmatism in a continental arc setting, followed by accretion and collision of the continental arc as well as the intro-oceanic arc terranes to the Eastern Block of the North China Craton in the transition from the Late Neoarchean to Early Paleoproterozoic.

Phase Equilibrium Modeling of Retrograded Eclogite at the Kekesu Valley, Eastern Segment of SW Tianshan Orogen and Tectonic Implications

In this study, we report newly found strongly retrograded eclogite blocks in the Kekesu Valley, eastern segment of southwestern Tianshan, northwestern China. Based on detailed petrographical studies and mineral chemistry analyses, we constrain P-T evolution of two representative samples via phase equilibrium modeling method using THERMOCALC software. The peak stage is evidenced by the primary inclusions of omphacite+glaucophane+lawsonite(inferred)+chlorite+white mica in garnet. Using grossular and pyrope isopleth thermobarometry in garnet, the P peak conditions for this stage were constrained to be ~23 kbar, 480–500 ℃ and the T peak conditions were constrained to be 19–20 kbar, 500–520 ℃. Subsequent exhumation led to the transformation of lawsonite to epidote. Using Si-inphengite barometry, the P was constrained to be 16–20 kbar at T of 500–520 ℃ for this stage. Further retrograde stage was evidenced by the mineral assemblages of glaucophane+garnet+epidote+paragonite+ chlorite+white mica+quartz. Later stage retrogression is evidenced by glaucophane+epidote+chlorite+ quartz+white mica+albite+actinolite with P of 5–9 kbar when T<490 ℃, indicating the eclogite may have been exhumed to the middle crust level and overprinted by blueschist-greenschist facies metamorphism. The results show that eclogite at the eastern segment of SW Tianshan shares similar P-T path to the HP rocks from the western segment, implying a similar P-T evolution for these rocks.

Diabase Sills in the Outer Zone of the Emeishan Large Igneous Province, Southwest China: Petrogenesis and Tectonic Implications

Compositionally and texturally zoned diabase dykes and sills occur in the outer zone of the Emeishan large igneous province(ELIP) in the southern Guizhou Province,Southwest China. Based on the detailed petrology,whole rock geochemistry,zircon U-Pb geochronology and Hf isotopes and clinopyroxene mineral compositions studies,we investigate a representative diabase sill in the Luodian region with a view to understanding its petrogenesis and tectonic implications. Formed as composite zoned sub-volcanic intrusion,the diabase sill is characterized by gabbros and diabases in the inner zone and amygdaloidal diabases sporadically in the chilled zone within the upper sill margin. The diabasic and gabbroic rocks are composed of quartz-free and quartz-bearing groups. The quartz-free group rocks have low Si O2(45.7 wt.%–49.5 wt.%),moderate Mg O(5.66 wt.%–7.88 wt.%),high Ti O2(2.54 wt.%–3.65 wt.%),and Ti/Y values(536–747),corresponding to high-Ti type rocks. The quartz-bearing group rocks have higher Si O2(49.8 wt.%–51.7 wt.%) and lower Mg O(4.23 wt.%–4.74 wt.%),higher Ti O2(3.16 wt.%–3.63 wt.%),but lower Ti/Y values(399–419) than the quartz-free group ones,and thus belong to the low-Ti type. Both groups of rocks are enriched in LREE and LILE with negative Nb-Ta anomalies,and show broad tholeiitic affinity. The precursor magma of the high-Ti rocks might have originated from a source composed of mantle plume and subcontinental lithosphere mantle components,with minor crustal contamination during ascending. The magma of the low-Ti rocks was produced by mingling of the high-Ti diabasic rocks with minor injected intermediate-acidic magma plugs or blebs,suggesting magma mingling as one of the effective ways to change the high-Ti to low-Ti rocks of the ELIP. The diabasic sill underwent a rapid cooling event probably in response to a rapid tectonic uplift event,which probably occurred in the waning stage of ELIP during transition between the Middle and Late Permian after the domal uplift induced by the mantle-plume or in the Late Jurassic.

Tectonic Boundary and Ceasing Time of Amalgamation between the North China Craton and the North Qinling Belt

The Qinling orogenic belt is a composite orogen, consisting of the north and south Qinling belts with different collision ages. The North Qinling belt is composed of several petro-tectonic units, including the Kuanping, Erlangping, Qinling and Danfeng groups with numerous granitoid plutons from Neoproterzoic to Middle Devonian. To the north of the Kuanping Group, a mylonitized granite body in the Luanchuan Group was determined to have the magmatic age of 850 Ma, which is the northernmost Neoprotozoic granite body. The volcanic rocks of the Dahongkou Formation from the Luanchuan Group had the eruptive age of ~1 600 Ma, obtained from zircon U-Pb LA-ICP-MS analysis. The detrital zircons in meta-sandstones from the Taowan Group have three populations of ~920–1 400, ~1 600–2 100, and >2 200 Ma ages, whereas those from the Kuanping Group shows six populations with the peaks of ~590, ~767, ~952, ~1 590, ~2 485, and ~3 200 Ma. These data suggest that the boundary between the North China Craton and the North Qinling belt cannot simply be constrained by using the events determined from zircon U-Pb ages. The granitoid plutons with the magmatic age of 430 Ma were strongly deformed, while those with the magmatic age of ~390 Ma show no or less deformation, indicating that the deformation of amalgamation between the North China Craton and the North Qinling belt ceased between 390 and 430 Ma.

Preface

Zhendong You was born in 1928, in Fujian Province, eastern China in golden September. He graduated from the Department of Geology of Peking University in 1952, and has subsequently been teaching and researching in petrology and optical mineralogy at China University of Geosciences (CUG) and its predecessors, Beijing Institute of Geology and Wuhan Institute