Geochemistry and SHRIMP Zircon U-Pb Age of Post-Collisional Granites in the Southwest Tianshan Orogenic Belt of China:Examples from the Heiyingshan and Laohutai Plutons

The Heiyingshan granite and the Laohutai granite plutons exposed in the Southwest Tianshan resemble A-type granites geochemically. Analysis shows that the both are ferron calc-alkalic peraluminous or ferron alkali-calcic peraluminous with a relatively high concentration of SiO2 （〉70%）, high alkali contents （Na20 ＋ K20 = 7.14%-8.56%; K20〉N20; A/CNK = 0.99-1.20）, and pronounced negative anomales in Eu, Ba, St, P and Ti. A SHRIMP zircon U-Pb age of 285±4 Ma was obtained for the Heiyingshan hornblende biotite granite intrusion. The geochemical and age dating data reported in this paper indicate that these granites were formed during the post-collisional crustal extension of the Southwest Tianshan orogenic belt, in agreement with the published data for the granites in the South Tianshan.

Zircon U-Pb Age and Geochemistry of the Ore-hosting Ultramafic Complex of Zhou'an PGE-Cu-Ni Deposit,Henan Province,Central China

The Zhou＇an PGE-Cu-Ni deposit was recently discovered in the Qinling orogenic belt bound by the Yangtze and the North China Cratons. It is a blind deposit thoroughly covered by the Cenozoic alluvial sediments in the Nanyang Basin. As the first large PGE-Cu-Ni deposit discovered in the Qinling-Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt, its geological and geochemical characteristic, isotope age, genesis and tectonic setting are of wide concern in both scientific studies and ore exploration. In this contribution, we report the results obtained from a pioneering study. The Zhou＇an ultramafic complex is ferruginous, with m/f = 4.79-5.08, and shows the nature of tholeiite series. It is rich in light rare earth elements, Rb, Th, U, La, Sm, Zr and Hf, and poor in heavy rare earth elements, Nd and Ta, suggesting an intraplate setting. It has high S7Sr/S6Sr and low 143Nd/144Nd ratios. The ratios of Zr/Nb, La/Nb, Ba/ Nb, Rb/Nb, Th/Nb, Th/La and Ba/La, suggest the magma originated from lithosphere mantle. The Fo values of olivine and Pd/Ir-Ni/Cu diagram suggest primary magma was High Mg basalt. The laser ablation inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy zircon U-Pb age is 641.5 ± 3.7 Ma.

New Zircon U-Pb Age of the Babu Ophiolites in Southeast Yunnan,China and Constrains of Plate Subduction Time

Objective The Babu ophiolite in Malipo County of southeastern Yunnan is interpreted as remanant ocean crust and represents a possible branch of Paleo-Tethyan Ocean in South China. It consists mainly of mafic and ultramafic rocks. These rocks are very important to understand the evolution of the Paleo-Tethyan Ocean. However, the Babu ophiolite is still disputed and the mafic and ultramafic rocks have been inferred to be part of the Emeishan large igneous province （LIP） by some researchers. In this paper, we present zircon U-Pb data on the metabasalts in Malipo to reveal the formation time of mafic and ultramafic rocks and their tectonic nature.

New Zircon U-Pb Age of Granodiorite in Chifeng at the Northern Margin of North China Craton and Constraints on Plate Tectonic Evolution

Objective The North China Craton （NCC） is one of the oldest cratons in the world. The accretionary belt at its northern margin has been the focus of scholars both at home and abroad （Zhu Junbing and Ren Jishun, 2017）. In recent years, a series of Late Paleozoic-Mesozoic intrusions trending E-W have been discovered within the northern margin of the NCC, forming a magmatic belt. The study on the origin and tectonic setting of this magmatic belt not only has important significance for understanding the Late Paleozoic-Mesozoic tectonic evolution history of the northern margin of the NCC, but also can provide key constraints on the evolution of its surrounding Xing＇an- Mongolia orogenic belt and the Paleo-Asian Ocean. At present, no Devonian to early stage of Early Carboniferous intrusion has been reported within the northern margin of the NCC.

Discovery of rhyolitic tuffaceous slate in the southwestern margin of Yangtze Craton:Zircon U-Pb ages(2491 Ma)and tectonic-thermal events

The Mesoproterozoic Dongchuan Group that is widely exposed in Yimen area,central Yunnan Province is a series of sedimentary sort of low-grade metamorphic rocks interbedded with volcanic rocks,which are closely related to the early tectonic evolution of the Earth.However,its formation era,sedimentary filling sequence,and geotectonic characteristics have always been in dispute.In this study,several rhyolitic tuffaceous slate interlayers with a centimeter-level thickness were found in the previously determined Heishan Formation of the Dongchuan Group located to the western part of Yimen-Luoci fault zone.This paper focuses on the study of the rhyolitic tuffaceous slate in Qifulangqing Village,Tongchang Township,Yimen County.LA-ICP-MS zircon dating was conducted,achieving the crystallization age of magma of 2491±15 Ma and the metamorphic ages of about 2.3 Ga,2.0 Ga,and 1.8 Ga for the first time.Meanwhile,according to in-situ Hf isotope analysis,the zirconεHf(t)values were determined to range from−3.0 to 7.6,with an average of 2.7.Furthermore,the first-stage Hf model age(TDM1)was determined to be 2513−2916 Ma,indicating that the provenance of the rhyolitic tuffaceous slate is the depleted mantle or juvenile crust between the Middle Mesoarchean and the Late Neoarchean.Therefore,it is believed that the strata of the slate were deposited in the Late Neoarchean,instead of the Mesoproterozoic as determined by previous researchers.Accordingly,it is not appropriate to group the strata into the Mesoproterozoic Dongchuan Group.Instead,they should be classified as the Maolu Formation of the Neoarchean Puduhe Group given the lithologic association and regional information.Furthermore,the magma ages of 2491±15 Ma are highly consistent with the eras of the large-scale Late Neoarchean orogenic magmatic activities on the northern margin of the Yangtze Craton,and thus reflect the orogenic process consisting of subduction and collision from Late Neoarchean to Early Paleoproterozoic.The magmatic activities during this period were possibly caused by the convergence of the supercontinent Kenorland.Meanwhile,the metamorphic ages of 2.3 Ga,2.0 Ga,and 1.8 Ga are highly consistent with three metamorphic ages of 2.36 Ga,1.95 Ga,and 1.85 Ga of the northern margin of the Yangtze Craton,indicating that the strata experienced Paleoproterozoic tectonic-thermal events.The study area is located on the eastern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,and thus was possibly re-transformed by magmatism subjected to the subduction of the Meso-Tethys Ocean during the Early Cretaceous.The discoveries made in this study will provide strong petrological and chronological evidence for analyzing the early crustal evolution of the Yangtze block.

New Zircon U-Pb Age of the Super-Large Lijiagou Spodumene Deposit in Songpan Garze Fold Belt, Eastern Tibet： Implications for Early Jurassic Rare-Metal Polymetallic Event

Objective The Songpan-Garze Fold Belt(SGFB),located in the eastern part of the Tibet Plateau and west of the Sichuan Basin,is an important pegmatite province in China.Some famous pegmatite type deposits occur in the SGFB,including the Xuebaoding,Jiajika,Keeryin rare metal deposits and Danba muscovite deposit(Li Jiankang et al.,2015).The newly discovered super-large Lijiagou

Zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotopic characteristics of the Dehe biotite monzonitic gneiss pluton in the North Qinling orogen and their geological significance

The Dehe granitic pluton intruded the Xiahe Group which is in the core complex of the North Qinling Orogenic Belt(NQOB).It shows gneissic bedding and possesses typical S-type granite minerals such as muscovite and garnet.LA-ICP-MS U-Pb isotopic dating of the Dehe granite yielded a weighted average age of 925±23 Ma which represents the emplacement age of the pluton.Most of the εHf(t) values are negative,and the two-stage model ages are consistent with the age of the Qinling Group.The isotope data show that the Dehe granite was formed in the following geological setting:in the syn-collision setting of the NQOB in the Neoproterozoic,crustal thickening induced partial melting of materials derived from the Qinling complex,and then the maga upwelled and intruded into the Xiahe Group.The formation of the Dehe S-type granite implied the occurrence of a convergent event in the QOB during the Neoproterozoic.

New Zircon U-Pb Age of Granodiorite from the Shayikenbulake Be Deposit in Altay, Xinjiang and its Significance

Objective Intrusive rocks are widely distributed in Altay, Xinjiang, and appear in every structural belt. The rocks are mainly granite （Song Peng et al., 2017）, which formed from 523 Ma to 202 Ma and can be divided into five periods： 479-421 Ma, 410-370 Ma, 368-313 Ma, 300- 252 Ma and 247-202 Ma. However, intrusive rocks earlier than the Ordovician are rarely found. The small- scale low-grade metamorphic granite intruded in the Kanasi Group is the oldest intrusion reported up to now, which is the only one formed in the Early Cambrian （5234-19 Ma, Liu Yuan et al., 2013）. Few Cambrian intrusions limit the study of early magmatic-tectonic evolution in Altay. Medium-free-grained granodiorite is exposed widely in the Shayikenbulake deposit of Central Altay, and occurs as batholith. It formed in the Early Cambrian indicated by U-Pb dating, and is an ideal intrusion for studying Cambrian magmatic-tectonic events in Altay.

First Report of Zircon U-Pb Ages from Lubei Cu-Ni Sulfide Deposit in East Tianshan of Central Asian Orogenic Belt, NW China

Objective The East Tianshan mafic-ultramafic rocks belt mainly produced in the eastern Jueluotage belt is an important part of the Central Asia Orogenic Belt （CAOB）. The well- known deposits including Huangshan, Huangshandong, Tulaergen, Hulu, Xiangshan were have been consecutively discovered in this belt （Duan Xingxing et al., 2016）. The new discovery of the Lubei Cu-Ni sulfide deposit in recent years, which locates in the west of Jueluotage belt, has great significance to the westward extension of the East Tianshan Cu-Ni metallogenic belt. To determine whether the mineralization age of the Lubei Cu-Ni sulfide deposit is consistent with other typical deposits, this study conducted zircon U-Pb geochronology on the diorite from the Lubei Cu-Ni sulfide deposit in order to provide new information for further exploring direction of Cu-Ni prospecting in East Tianshan.

New Zircon U-Pb Age of the Ore-bearing Porphyry from the Kuga Copper Deposit in the Eastern Bangongco–Nujiang Matallogenic Belt, Tibet

Objective As the third most important copper polymetallic metallogenic belt in Tibet, the Bangongco-Nujiang metallogenic belt （BNMB） has attracted much attention among geoscientists all over the world （Lin Bin et al., 2017a）. There are two ore clusters in the westem of BNMB, the Duolong giant porphyry-epitherrnal Cu （Au, Ag） ore cluster and the Ga＇erqiong-Galalelarge porphyry- skarn Cu （Au） ore cluster （Lin Bin et al., 2017a; 2017b）. Now, the latest exploration advances show that the Kuga project is the first economic porphyry-skam copper deposit in the eastern of BNMB, with over 0.4 Mt melt copper （333＋334） @ 0.9%. However, the Kuga deposit is poorly studied about its diagenetic age. In this study, we present a zircon U-Pb LA-ICP-MS dating of ore-bearing biotite granite, in order to identify the time of the ore- related magmatism and reveal the relationship with the westem of BNMB.

Zircon U-Pb Ages of Bottom and Top Parts of the Zhangjiakou Formation in Lingyuan Area(West Liaoning Province) and Luanping Area (North Hebei Province) and Their Significance

In Lingyuan region of West Liaoning Province, the Zhangjiakou Formation (J_3z) and the Yixian Formation (K_1y) display an angular unconformity. That is, the Lower Mesozoic strata of the Zhangjiakou Formation are ENE (near E-W) oriented, while the overlying strata of the Yixian Formation exhibit an NNE orientation. The results of LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb ages show the Zhangjiakou Formation formed from about 130 Ma to 132 Ma in Lingyuan and 135 Ma to 136 Ma in Luanping (North Hebei Province), respectively. Three conclusions can be drawn: (1) The Zhangjiakou Formation in Lingyuan is comparable to that in Luanping, with the volcanic rocks of the Zhangjiakou Formation from Lingyuan being younger than those from Luanping. (2) 5-6 Ma difference between the top of the Zhangjiakou Formation and the bottom of the Yixian Formation in Lingyuan proves the angular unconformity between the two formations; and it reflects that the 5-6 Ma interval period is the main period of the transition of tectonic framework in Mesozoic in North Hebei and West Liaoning. In the interval period, the magmatic action went up to high tide in Mesozoic in the northeast of China. Moreover, after the interval period, the “Rehe fauna” developed into “erupted” period. This reflects that the interval period is also an important biological interface in Northern Hebei and Western Liaoning. (3) The Dabeigou Formation in Luanping should correspond to the upper part of the Zhangjiakou Formation, but not to the lower part of the Yixian Formation.

Geochemistry and zircon U-Pb ages of the Oligocene sediments in the Baiyun Sag, Zhujiang River Mouth Basin

In this study,element geochemistry and zircon chronology are used to analyze the Oligocene sediments in the Baiyun Sag,Zhujiang River Mouth Basin.The experimental results are discussed with respect to weathering conditions,parent rock lithologies,and provenances.The chemical index of alteration and the chemical index of weathering values of mudstone samples from the lower Oligocene Enping Formation indicate that clastic particles in the study area underwent moderate weathering.Mudstone samples exhibit relatively enriched light rare earth elements and depleted heavy rare earth elements,"V"-shaped negative Eu anomalies,and negligible Ce anomalies.The rare earth element distribution curves are obviously right-inclined,with shapes and contents similar to those of post-Archean Australian shale and upper continental crust,indicating that the samples originated from acid rocks in the upper crust.The Hf-La/Th and La/Sc-Co/Th diagrams show this same origin for the sediments in the study area.For the samples from the upper Enping deltas,the overall age spectrum shows four major age peaks ca.59–68 Ma,98–136 Ma,153–168 Ma and 239–260 Ma.For the Zhuhai Formation samples,the overall age spectrum shows three major age peaks ca.149 Ma,252 Ma and 380 Ma.The detrital zircon shapes and U-Pb ages reveal that during Oligocene sedimentation,the sediments on the northwestern margin of the Baiyun Sag were supplied jointly from two provenances:Precambrian-Paleozoic metamorphic rocks in the extrabasinal South China fold zone and Mesozoic volcanic rocks in the intrabasinal Panyu Low Uplift,and the former supply became stronger through time.Thus,the provenance of the Oligocene deltas experienced a transition from an early proximal intrabasinal source to a late distal extrabasinal source.

Discovery of Ophiolitic Mélange in the North Region of Geji County, Northwest Tibet and Its Zircon U-Pb Age

Objective The Bangong Co–Nujiang River suture zone is the great boundary between the Lhasa and Qiangtang terranes in the Tibetan Plateau.A series of major scientific issues are still controversial at present such as the subduction polarity and evolutionary process of this suture（Wei Shaogang et al.,2017）.

Zircon U-Pb Age of the Lamenzi Formation Volcanic Rocks in the Liuhe Basin of Southern Jilin Province, China

Objective A large number of Mesozoic volcano-sedimentary basins is distributed in southern Jilin Province,China,and filled with a great set of coal-bearing strata.According to the petroleum resources evaluation by previous researchers,these basins have decent exploration potential(Wang Dandan et al.,2017).The Liuhe Basin is one of the

LA-ICP-MS Zircon U-Pb Age of Longtou Syenite body in South Songxian County, Southern Margin of the North China Craton

Objective Indosinian magmatic rocks mainly locate in west Qinling Orogen, which are, however, extremely rare in east Qingling Orogen （Lu Xinxiang, 2000; Zhang Guowei et al., 2001; Guo Xianqing et al., 2017）. The Zhifang Huangzhuang （ZH） area in south Songxian County is located in the southern margin of the North China Craton （Fig. l a）, which is an important lndosinian alkaline magmatic occurrence including 32 syenite bodies and syenitic dykes in east Qinling Orogen. There are five syenite bodes in the ZH area, i.e., the Lang＇aogou, Mogou, Longtou, Jiaogou and Wusanggou from west to east （Fig. l b）.

SHRIMP Zircon U-Pb Ages of the Wajilitag Igneous Complex: Constraints on the Origin of A-type Granitoids in the Tarim Large Igneous Province, NW China

Objective Large igneous provinces （LIPs） are sites of spatially contiguous, rapidly emplaced magmatic rocks, which represent the physical and chemical transfer of material from the mantle to the crust. Exposed within some continental LIPs are felsic and rnafic plutonic and volcanic rocks. Although their volumes are minor compared to the flood basalts, the plutonic rocks of continental LIPs are often associated with economic deposits of precious metals. Within the Permian Tarim LIP of NW China, there are at least two layered ultramafic-mafic intrusions （e.g. Wajilitag and Piqiang） contain economically important Fe- Ti-V oxide deposits. Spatially associated with these layered ultramafic-mafic intrusions are syenitic and granitic plutons, which have chemical characteristics of A- type granitoids.

Latest Zircon U-Pb Age of the Baiyingaolao Formation Volcanic Rocks in the Keyihe Area of North-Central Da Hinggan Mountains

Objective Mesozoic volcanic rocks are mainly distributed in the Da Hinggan Mountains.The Baiyingaolao Formation is the main stratum in this area and has been considered to be formed in the Late Jurassic.Many scholars have researched these Mesozoic volcanic rocks in this area,which have been much debatable（Zhang Xiangxin et al.,2017）.A series of studies focusing on the Baiyingaolao Formation volcanic rocks in the middle-south section of

LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb age of rhyolitic lithic-crystal tuffs in Erdaohezi lead-zinc deposit,Inner Mongolia

Erdaohezi lead-zinc deposit belongs to the Derbugan metallogenic belt lying on the northwestern Hailaer-Genhe Mesozoic volcanic basin, located on the western slope of the Da Hinggan Mountains. The deposit is considered as one of the hypabyssal low-temprature hydrothermal lead-zinc deposits associated with volca- nism. In order to lay the foundation on studying its diagenesis and mineralization ages, the detailed studies were carried out by dating the host rocks （i. e. rhyolitic lithic-crystal tufts） using zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb method. The dating results show three groups ot! ages. The first group is the captured zircons （the weighted mean ^206pb/238U age as 175.6± 2.3 Ma, MSWD = 0.70, n = 3）. The second group can be regarded as the rock- forming age （the weighted mean ^206pb/238U age as 165.3± 1.9 Ma, MSWD = 2.40, n = 14）. The third group should represent the late stage of the magmatic evolution （the weighted mean ^206pb/238U age as 161.0 ± 3.1 Ma, MSWD = 0.86, n = 4）. According to the ages and the crystal form or CL image characteristics of zircons, it is determined that the diagenesis occurred in the late Middle Jurassic. Based on the regional geology and geo- chronological research, the acidic pyroclastic rocks are space accompaniment and time connection with the Tamu- langou Formation intermediate-mafic volcanic rocks. Both of them constitute the host rocks of the deposit together. The rock combination also provides favorable conditions for large-scale silver, lead and zinc mineralization in this area.

Zircon U-Pb age,geochemical and Nd isotopic data of Middle Jurassic high-Mg dioritic dike in Liaodong Peninsula,NE China

Zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb age, geochemical and Nd isotopic data are presented for a newly recognized high-Mg dioritic dike from Haicheng, Liaodong Peninsula, NE China, to constrain its petrogenesis. The zircons from the high-Mg diorite exhibit striped absorption and oscillatory growth zoning in the cathodoluminescence （CL） images, and have high Th/U ratios （0. 05-0.9）, indicating a magma origin. Zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating indicates that 206pb/238U ages of 12 spots of zircons are between 167 Ma and 178 Ma, yielding a weighted mean 206pb/238U age of 172 ＋ 2 Ma （MSWD =4. 1 ）, which represents the forming age of the high-Mg dioritic dike, i. e. Middle Jurassic. Geochemically, the samples have SiO2 =55.4-60. 6 wt. % , Na20 =2. 2-2.76 wt. % , K20 = 1.32-2. 02 wt. % and （Na2O ＋ K2O） =3.82--4. 47 wt. %, belonging to sub-alkaline series and displaying a calc-alkaline evolutionary trend. They are characterized by high MgO （4. 75-6.85 wt. % ）, Mg# （55-61）, Cr（130-262 ppm）, Ni（63-130 ppm）, Sr（568-857 ppm）, and Ba（484-1 130 ppm） contents, with geochemical features analogous to those of high-Mg adakites. They show variable end （t） values （ - 1.3 to - 3.9） , with a weighted value of - 2. 7, which plot intermediately between the field of the ancient continental crust and the depleted mantle source, indicating that both the lower crust and mantle source are necessary for the generation of the parent magma of the Haicheng high-Mg diorites. The Haicheng high-Mg dioritic dike in the Liaodong Peninsula and the Jurassic magmatism in the eastern North China Craton formed under a continental crustal thickening setting that may be related to subduction of the Paleo-Pacific oceanic plate.

New Zircon U-Pb Age of Late Devonian Tuff in Guangxi, South China and the Significance for the Paleo-Tethys Branch Ocean

Objective The eastern extending range of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean in southwest China has always been focused and controversial. At the beginning of this century some scholars proposed that the Paleo-Tethys Branch Ocean may extend to the Babu-Pingxiang and Cengxi areas along the stouthwestern margin of the South China Block （Cai and Zhang, 2009）. However, the pivotal proof of Late Paleozoic ophoilite and magmatic rocks was absent or sporadical in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, resulting in insufficient evidence to support this viewpoint. For the first time this work reported the Late Devonian tuff in the Qinzhou area in the south of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and conducted zircon U-Pb dating on it in order to constrain the extension of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean in the South China Block.