Discovery of the Dagele Eclogite in East Kunlun,Western China and Its Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb Ages:New Constrains on the Central Kunlun Suture Zone

Objective Eclogites are important indicators of ancient plate boundaries or paleosuture zones.Despite their great geological significance,very few investigations have been carried out in the Kunlun region.The Central East Kunlun fault zone was believed to be an Early Paleozoic suture zone,but there has been no reliable evidence for this,though studies on ophiolite,granite,and basic granulite indicate that the Early Paleozoic orogeny occurred in the East Kunlun.This work focused on the Dagele eclogites

The Age of the Original Silurian Badangshan Formation and its Ductile Deformation in the Northern Margin of North China Craton: New Evidence from Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb Ages

Objective Many previous researches have documented the tectonic evolution of the northern margin of North China Craton.However,whether the age of original Silurian Badangshan Formation in the study area belongs to the Archean,Silurian or Devonian remains controversial,and the ductile deformation time of this formation also lack

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 mafic plutonic and volcanic rocks.Although their volumes are minor compared to the flood basalts,the plutonic rocks of continental LIPs

New Zircon SHRIMP U-Pb Ages of the Langjiu Formation Volcanic Rocks in the Shiquanhe Area,Western Lhasa Terrane and their Implications

Objective The potassic and ultrapotassic rocks relating to the India-Eurasia collision and continual plate convergence are widely distributed in the Lhasa terrane.These rocks are very important to understand the deep processes of the India-Eurasia collision and the uplift and evolution of the Tibetan Plateau.Although high-potassic volcanic rocks are also exposed in the western Lhasa terrane,their

Zircon U-Pb Ages and Geochemistry of Permo-Carboniferous Mafic Intrusions in the Xilinhot Area, Inner Mongolia: Constraints on the Northward Subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean

The Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB) resulted from accretion during the Paleozoic subduction of the PaleoAsian Ocean. The Xilinhot area in Inner Mongolia is located in the northern subduction zone of the central-eastern CAOB and outcropped a large number of late Paleozoic mafic intrusions. The characteristics of magma source and tectonic setting of the mafic intrusions and their response to the closure process of the Paleo-Asian Ocean are still controversial. This study presents LA-ICPMS zircon U-Pb ages and geochemical features of mafic intrusions in the Xilinhot area to constrain the northward subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. The mafic intrusions consist of gabbro, hornblende gabbro, and diabase. Their intrusion times can be divided into three stages of 326-321 Ma, 276 Ma and 254 Ma by zircon U-Pb ages. The first two stages of the 326-276 Ma intrusions mostly originated from subduction-modified continental lithospheric mantle sources that underwent a variable degree partial melting(5-30%), recording the subduction of oceanic crust. The third stage of the 254 Ma mafic rocks also show arc-related features. The primary magma compositions calculated by PRIMELT2 modeling on three samples of ~326 Ma and two samples of ~254 Ma show that these mafic samples are characterized by a variable range in SiO2(47.51-51.47 wt%), Al2O3(11.46-15.55 wt%), ΣFeO(8.27-9.61 wt%), MgO(13.01-15.18 wt%) and CaO(9.13-11.67 wt%), consisting with the features between enriched mantle and lower continental crust. The source mantle melting of mafic intrusions occurred under temperatures of 1302-1351°C and pressures of 0.92-1.30 GPa. The magmatic processes occurred near the crust-mantle boundary at about 33-45 km underground. Combined with previous studies, it is concluded that Carboniferous to early Permian(~326-275 Ma) northward subduction of the Paleo-Asian oceanic crust led to the formation of the mafic magmatism in the Baolidao arc zone. The whole region had entered the collision environment at ~254 Ma, but with subduction-related environments locally. The final collision between the North China craton and the South Mongolian microcontinent may have lasted until ca. 230 Ma.

Protracted zircon growth in migmatites and In situ melt of Higher Himalayan Crystallines:U-Pb ages from Bhagirathi valley, NW Himalaya,India

The Higher Himalayan Crystallines(HHC), in western Garhwal, Uttarakhand are located in a regionalscale intracontinental ductile shear zone(15-20 km wide) bounded by the Main Central Thrust at the base, and the South Tibetan Detachment System at the top. The migmatite zone in the centre has the highest grade of metamorphism in the NW Himalayas and show evidence of flowage. Zircons extracted from samples of metasediment, migmatite, biotite granite and in situ partial melt(tourmaline-bearing leucogranite) along the Bhagirathi Valley, preserve U-Pb isotopic evidence of magmatic history, magma source and effects of the Himalayan orogeny in the region. Three distinct periods of zircon growth in the leucogranite record the episodic influx of magma between 46 Ma and 20 Ma indicating a time span of more than 25 Ma between the onset of fluid-fluxed partial melting in the mid-crustal intracontinental shear zone and the emplacement of the magma into the upper crust in a post-collisional extensional setting. Metamorphic zircon growth was initiated about 46 Ma, when the partial melts were generated as the migmatite zone was exhumed.

Age and Origin of Paleogene Granitoids from Western Yunnan Province,China:Geochemistry,SHRIMP Zircon Ages,and Hf-in-Zircon Isotopic Compositions

We report geochemical data, SHRIMP zircon ages and Hf-in-zircon isotopic compositions for Cenozoic granitoids from major fault systems in the Tethyan belt in western Yunnan Province, southwestern China.Four magmatic pulses occurred in the Paleogene, namely at ca.57 Ma, ca.50 Ma, 45–40 Ma, and 38–34 Ma.Early magmatism of this episode(57–50 Ma) produced S-type granites whose zircons yielded εHf(t) values of-5.0 to-0.3.In contrast, late magmatism of this episode reflects heterogeneous sources.Zircons from a granite porphyry along the Ailaoshan-Red River fault system have slightly positive εHf(t) values suggesting derivation from relatively young crust and/or a juvenile source.However, zircons from a granite along the Gaoligong fault system have strongly negative εHf(t) values and suggest derivation from a Paleoproterozoic crustal source.The composition of the granitoids varies with age(from ca.57 Ma to ca.34 Ma) from peraluminous to metaluminous and also suggests a change from syn-collisional to late-orogenic tectonic setting.A new tectonic model, impacting lithospheric wedge(ILW) is shown for the origin of Paleogene granitoids in this paper.

New detrital zircon U-Pb ages from BIF-related metasediments in the Ntem Complex (Congo craton) of southern Cameroon, West Africa

Banded Iron Formations (BIFs) were formed by contemporaneous events of active sediments supply and the venting of a hydrothermal fluid source at the Mid-Ocean-Ridge. BIFs within the Ntem Complex at the northern edge of the Congo Craton are intercalated with metasandstones and siltstones. SHRIMP U-Pb analysis on detrital zircons obtained from these metasediments gave variable ages from over 3000 Ma to 1000 Ma with the maximum age of deposition clustered around 1200 Ma and the peak of deposition at 1800 Ma. This age range suggested that the sub-basin was opened sometime in the Archean and remained active up till the Neoproterozoic. Zircons with Archean ages have a provenance linked to the charnockitic suite and the high-K granites within the Ntem Complex. The Paleoproterozoic ages are attributed to clastic inputs from the neigbouring Nyong Series west of the Ntem Complex. Also the peak of deposition in the Proterozoic could probably be explained by the globally recognized intense crust-forming processes in the Early Proterozoic time. The provenance of the younger Neoproterozoic ages is tied to various lithologies within the northern mobile belts of the Adamawa-Yade massifs and correlates with Neoproterozoic sedimentation ages in the Yaoundé, Lom and Poli series. The Neoproterozoic ages obtained are comparable to those obtained from metasediments of the Amazonian Craton and provide evidence of Pre-Gondwana assemblage of the Congo and the S?o Francisco Cratons.

Relationship between Granite and Eclogite on the Southern Margin of the Qilian Mountains: Evidence from Zircon SHRIMP Agesof the Aolaoshan Granite

Zircon SHRIMP ages of the Aolaoshan granite on the south margin of the Qilian Mts. Range from 445?15.3 to 496?7.6 Ma (averaging 473 Ma), belonging to the Early Ordovician. Geochemically, the granite is similar to I-type granite and, tectonically, was formed in an island-arc environment based on relevant diagrams for structural discriminations. Considering also the regional geology, the authors suggest that the granite is part of an ultrahigh-pressure belt on the south margin of the Qilian Mts. And that its formation bears a close relationship to this belt.

Zircon U-Pb Ages of the Chagangnuer Mafic Intrusion in Central Inner Mongolia and their Tectonic Implications

The Central Asian Orogenic Belt(CAOB)is regarded as the world's largest and long-lived Phanerozoic accretionary orogen,which has recorded a long history of multiple subduction-accretion events during the Neoproterozoic to Mesozoic.The CAOB was formed by the progressive subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean(PAO).However,the final closure time of the PAO is still controversial,ranging from the Late Devonian to the Early-Middle Triassic(Zhang et al.,2018).

U-Pb Ages and Hf Isotope of Zircons from a Carbonatite Dyke in the Bayan Obo Fe-REE Deposit in Inner Mongolia: its Geological Significance

Detailed studies on U-Pb ages and Hf isotope have been carried out in zircons from a carbonatite dyke associated with the Bayan Obo giant REE-Nb-Fe deposit,northern margin of the North China Craton(NCC),which provide insights into the plate tectonic in Paleoproterozoic.Analyses of small amounts of zircons extracted from a large sample of the Wu carbonatite dyke have yielded two ages of late Archaean and late Paleoproterozoic(with mean 207 Pb/206 Pb ages of 2521±25 Ma and 1921±14 Ma,respectively).Mineral inclusions in the zircon identified by Raman spectroscopy are all silicate minerals,and none of the zircon grains has the extremely high Th/U characteristic of carbonatite,which are consistent with crystallization of the zircon from silicate,and the zircon is suggested to be derived from trapped basement complex.Hf isotopes in the zircon from the studied carbonatite are different from grain to grain,suggesting the zircons were not all formed in one single process.Majority ofεHf(t)values are compatible with ancient crustal sources with limited juvenile component.The Hf data and their TDM2 values also suggest a juvenile continental growth in Paleoproterozoic during the period of 1940–1957 Ma.Our data demonstrate the major crustal growth during the Paleoproterozoic in the northern margin of the NCC,coeval with the assembly of the supercontinent Columbia,and provide insights into the plate tectonic of the NCC in Paleoproterozoic.

Formation Age of the Sujiagou Komatiites in Western Shandong: Further Constraints from SHRIMP U-Pb Zircon Dating on Granitic Dykes

Komatiites are presented as direct evidence for higher mantle temperatures during the Archean. In the North China Craton, komatiites with spinifex structure have been identified only at one locality, i.e. the Sujiagou area, western Shandong. They were considered as formed during the early Neoarchean mainly based on their association with supracrustal rocks considered to be that age. This study carried out SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating on metamorphosed trondhjemitic and monzogranitic dykes intruding the Sujiagou komatiites, and they have magmatic zircon ages of 2592 ± 12 Ma and 2586 ± 13 Ma respectively. This provides direct evidence that the komatiites formed during the early Neoarchean.

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.

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.

The Tectonic Implications of the Hongliuhe-Xichangjing Ophiolitic Mélanges Belt in the Central Region of the Beishan Orogen, NW China——Constrained by the U-Pb Ages of Detrital Zircons of the Metasandstones

The tectonic attributes of different blocks within orogenic belts are of great significance for the study of accretionary processes and the evolution of Earth. The Hongliuhe-Niujianzi-Baiyunshan-Xichangjing ophiolitic mélange belt(HXOMB) is distributed in the heart of the Beishan Orogen, the Shuangyingshan and Minshui-Hanshan blocks being distributed in the south and north of the HXOMB respectively, and a large number of Early Paleozoic geological units are exposed on the blocks. According to the zircon age populations of the metasandstones in the Baiyunshan area recovered in this paper, when compared with the zircon age populations of the Paleozoic metasandstones reported in the Niujuanzi and Hanshan areas, we found that the metasandstones of the Shuangyingshan Block have age peaks at c. 598 Ma, 742 Ma, 828 Ma, 941 Ma, 990 Ma, 1168 Ma, 1636 Ma, 2497 Ma with non-significant age populations of 1500–1300 Ma, showing a possible affinity with the Tarim Craton;the metasandstones of the Minshui-Hanshan Block have age peaks at c. 606 Ma, 758 Ma, 914 Ma, 1102 Ma, 1194 Ma, 1304 Ma, 1672 Ma with significant age populations of 1500-1300 Ma, showing a possible affinity with the Chinese Central Tianshan Block. Therefore, the HXOMB of the Beishan Orogen is of great significance in plate segmentation, which separates the Tarim Craton in the south and the Chinese Central Tianshan Block in the north. Based on the evolutionary process of the Hongliuhe-Xichangjing ocean in the Beishan Orogen, we believe that break-up and convergence can be recognized as having occurred twice between the Chinese Central Tianshan Block and the Tarim Craton since the Mesoproterozoic in the Beishan area. This was related firstly to the break-up of the Columbia Supercontinent and the convergence of the Rodinia Supercontinent, mainly during the Middle Mesoproterozoic to Early Neoproterozoic, and secondly to the opening and closing of the Hongliuhe-Xichangjing ocean, mainly during the Early Paleozoic.

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.

The significance of U-Pb zircon ages in zoned plutons:the case of the Flamenco pluton, Coastal Range batholith, northern Chile

Compositionally zoned plutons, both layered and concentrically arranged, provide granitic exposures where the mechanisms and timing of the magmatic emplacement processes can be studied. The importance of in-situ geochemical differentiation and the magma replenishment rates are revealed by geochemistry and field relations, together with the increasingly accurate U-Pb geochronology, which has promoted the knowledge about the pluton incremental assembly theories.The Flamenco pluton, located in the Coastal Range of northern Chile, is part of the Upper Triassic to Early Cretaceous Andean intrusives formed in the western active margin of South America, and present a normal zoned structure with mafic magmatic facies(mostly gabbros and Qtz-diorites) close to the contacts with the host metasediments, and tonalites, granodiorites and granites in the inner areas. A combined study of the field relations, geochemistry and zircon geochronology of the magmatic facies was applied to determine the emplacement sequence of the Flamenco pluton, revealing three distinguishable domains separated by metasedimentary septa. The SW area is constituted by mostly homogeneous leucocratic granodiorites that yielded an age of 213 Ma as the best estimation for their emplacement age. Distinctive geochemical characteristics, such as the absence of an Eu anomaly, the depletion in HREE, or the highest Sr, Sr/Y and Ce/Yb values among the granodioritic facies of the pluton,involve lower T and/or higher P conditions at the magmatic source according to experimental studies.These conditions were established during an early stage of the Andean magmatic arc building that is firstly defined here as Upper Triassic. The NW and E domains of the pluton were sequentially emplaced between 194 Ma and 186 Ma and both the field relations and the detailed geochronological results suggest that the mafic facies intruded latter in the emplacement sequence. To the NW, Qtz-dioritic and gabbroic externally emplaced pulses gave a younger crystallization age of 186.3 ± 1.8 Ma, and promoted the granoblastic textures and metamorphic zircon overgrowths that characterize the granodiorites located in the contact with the intermediate and felsic inner magmas, which yielded a best estimation of their emplacement age of 192 士 1.5 Ma. On the other hand, in the eastern domain, magma-magma relations are observed between gabbros and previously intruded tonalites and granodiorites. Both the mafic and intermediate facies show two main subgroups of ages that yielded 194.7 土 1.5 Ma to188.3 ± 2.1 Ma and 193.1 ± 2.2 Ma to 185.5 ± 1.4 Ma respectively. These differences are related to the variations in the magmatic addition rates, which may extend the super-solidus conditions in the eastern domain of the magmatic reservoir as is confirmed by the wider age ranges yielded by these magmatic facies. Zircon overgrowths in the host rocks yield similar ages(around 220 Ma and 205 Ma) than the oldest results obtained in the intrusive facies, indicating that metamorphism correlates with the initial stages of plutonic emplacement.Geochronological results differ between 9 Myr and 41 Myr in the eight studied samples for noninherited ages and gave very close mean ages(within analytical uncertainty) for all the intrusive units. However, we examine other characteristics such as zircon morphology, internal structure,geochemistry and statistical data to assess if the scattering of the geochronological data may be related to the different processes involved in the construction of the Flamenco pluton. We concluded that this detailed study of U-Pb zircon ages, including individual and significative groups of analyses, is useful to determine accurately the emplacement sequence and the genetic relation between the intrusive units,together with the evidences depicted by the geochemistry and field relations.

SHRIMP Zircon U-Pb Age of the Sidingheishan Mafic-Ultramafic Intrusion in the Southern Margin of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt,NW China and its Petrogenesis implication

Objective The Sidingheishan mafic-ultramafic intrusion is located in the eastern part of the North Tianshan Mountains.This work used zircon U-Pb age data,bulk rock major and trace elements,Sr-Nd-Pb isotope data to assess mantle source characteristics and crustal assimilation of the parental magma of the Sidingheishan intrusion.We have also discussed the tectonic evolution of the southern margin of the Central Asian Orogenic belt in the Late Paleozoic.

Source of the Ore-forming Adakitic Porphyry at the Beiya Super-large Au Deposit, Western Yangtze Craton: New Evidence from Zircon U-Pb Ages of the Amphibolite Xenoliths

Objective The Beiya super-large Au-rich porphyry deposit(304 t Au,2.4 g/t Au)is located within the western Yangtze craton,to the southeast of the Sanjiang Tethyan Orogen(Fig.1).The ore-forming porphyry is adakitic,characterized by high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios coupled with low Y and Yb contents,and is generally thought to be derived from partial melting of thickened mafic lower crust.The lower crust underneath the western Yangtze craton is mainly composed of ancient crust with Archean ages,juvenile crust resulting from the Neoproterozoic subduction(740–1000 Ma),and late Permian juvenile crust related to the Emeishan mantle plume.Which lower crustal end-member has played a critical role in genesis of the Beiya ore-forming porphyry can be constrained by zircon U-Pb ages of amphibolite xenoliths hosted in the ore-forming porphyry,because these xenoliths represent direct samples of the source.In this study,we present new zircon U-Pb ages of these amphibolite xenoliths to have insight into the nature of the Beiya adakitic porphyry source.

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

The Songpan-Garze Fold Belt （SGFB）, located in theeastern part of the Tibet Plateau and west of the SichuanBasin, is an important pegmatite province in China. Somefamous pegmatite type deposits occur in the SGFB,including the Xuebaoding, Jiajika, Keeryin rare metaldeposits and Danba muscovite deposit （Li Jiankang et al.,2015）.