Late Mesoproterozoic to Early Neoproterozoic Tectonic Evolution of the SW Yangtze Block, South China: Evidence from U-Pb Geochronology and Lu-Hf Isotopes of Detrital Zircons from Sedimentary Rocks

In situ zircon U-Pb geochronological and Lu-Hf isotope studies of detrital zircons from Late Mesoproterozoic to Early Neoproterozoic sedimentary units on the southwestern margin of the Yangtze Block have important implications for the tectonic evolution of the Yangtze Block.The Huili Group contains zircons whose ages are mainly Late Archean to Mesoproterozoic(2650-2450,2100-1800,and 1350-1150 Ma).The Dengxiangying Group has one major age population of 1900-1600 Ma,and two subordinate age populations of 1350-1100 and 2300-2000 Ma.Yanbian Group sedimentary rocks have a zircon age population mainly in the range of 970-850 Ma,contemporaneous with the ages of widespread arc-related magmatism in the western Yangtze Block.Combining these results with previous work,the Huili and Dengxiangying groups were most likely deposited during ca.1160 to 1000 Ma in an intra-continental rift basin setting,while the Yanbian Group accumulated during>920 to 782 Ma in a back-arc basin setting at the southwestern margin of the Yangtze Block.In addition,all these results further suggest a tectonic transition from a continental rift basin to a convergent environment at the southwestern margin of the Yangtze Block at 1000-970 Ma.

Geochronology and Geochemistry of the 890 Ma I-Type Granites in the Southwestern Yangtze Block:Petrogenesis and Crustal Evolution

The tectonic evolution of the southwestern Yangtze Block during the Early Neoproterozoic period is still controversial because of the limited quantities of 1000–860 Ma magmatic rocks.In this study,our new LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating results demonstrate that the Yanbian granodiorites in the southwest Yangtze Block were emplaced at 894.6±7.4 Ma,representing the product of an 894 Ma magmatism.The Yanbian granodiorites are metaluminous to weak peraluminous with A/CNK values of 0.8–1.1,resembling Itype granitoids.They are characterized by right-inclined REE patterns with moderate to insignificant negative Eu anomalies(δEu=0.6–0.9).Their primitive mantle-normalized trace element patterns are characterized by depletion of Nb,Ta and Ti and weakly enrichment of Th.Considering the positive whole-rockεNd(t)(+5.8 to+6.8),we propose that these granodiorites originated from the partial melting of juvenile mafic lower crust.The Yanbian I-type granitoids have low Y and Nb contents similar to volcanic arc igneous rocks in the Y-Nb plot for tectonic discrimination.In conclusion,Early Neoproterozoic Yanbian granodiorites have generated in a compression setting in an active continental margin.Together with previous studies from the southwestern Yangtze Block,we suggest that the 894 Ma subduction-related Yanbian granodiorites represent the early stage of subduction at the southwestern margin of the Yangtze Block.