Tectonic Affinity, T-t Path and Uplift Trajectory of Eclo gites from Northern Dabie Mountains, Central-Eastern China

Petrologic geochemistry and isotopic chronology of the eclogites sug ge st that most of the eclogites in northern Dabie Mountains produced from the Tria ssic Yangtze subducted continental crust (lower crust and formed during the deep subduction) and the metamorphosed mafic untramafic belt with eclogite, marble and meta peridotite blocks around the Mozitan Xiaotian fault zone may represen t the meta tectonic melange produced during the active subduction of an ancient oceanic slab and subsequent collision between the Yangtze and North China conti nental plates. The cooling history of the eclogites from ～900 ℃ to 300 ℃ can b e subdivided into three stages: one isothermal stage and two rapid cooling stage s. The initial stage between (230±6) and 210 Ma was a near isothermal or tempe rature rise process corresponding to the retrograded metamorphism of granulite facies with a rapid uplift of 4 mm/a, then two fast cooling stages occurred with cooling rate of ～10 ℃/Ma during 210 Ma to (172±3) Ma and ～4 ℃/Ma durin g (172±3) Ma to 130 Ma. After the peak metamorphism of eclogite facies, their in itial isothermal stage with slower uplift rate and cooling rate and high T overprinting of granulite facies metamorphism is the major difference between t he eclogites in northern Dabie Mountains from those in southern Dabie Mountains. This may be one of the most important reasons to preserve few evidences of earl ier ultrahigh pressure metamorphism.

Lower Cretaceous turbidites in the Shiquanhe–Namco Ophiolite Mélange Zone, Asa area, Tibet: Constraints on the evolution of the Meso-Tethys Ocean

Turbidites fromthe Shiquanhe–Namco OphioliteMélange Zone(SNMZ)record critical information about the tectonic affinity of the SNMZand the evolutionary history of theMeso-Tethys Ocean in Tibet.This paper reports sedimentologic,sandstone petrographic,zircon U-Pb geochronologic,and clastic rocks geochemical data of newly identified turbidites(Asa Formation)in the Asa Ophiolite Mélange.The youngest ages of detrital zircon from the turbiditic sandstone samples,together with~115 Ma U-Pb concordant age from the tuff intercalation within the Asa Formation indicate an Early Cretaceous age.The sandstone mineral modal composition data show that the main component is quartz grains and the minor components are sedimentary and volcanic fragments,suggesting that the turbidites were mainly derived froma recycled orogen provenancewith a minor addition of volcanic arc materials.The detrital U-Pb zircon ages of turbiditic sandstones yield main age populations of 170–120 Ma,300–220 Ma,600–500 Ma,1000–700 Ma,1900–1500 Ma,and~2500 Ma,similar to the ages of the Qiangtang Terrane(age peak of 600–500 Ma,1000–900 Ma,~1850 Ma and~2500 Ma)and the accretionary complex in the Bangong–Nujiang Ophiolite Zone(BNMZ)rather than the age of the Central Lhasa Terrane(age peak of~300 Ma,~550 Ma and~1150 Ma).The mineral modal compositions,detrital U-Pb zircon ages,and geochemical data of clastic rocks suggest that the Asa Formation is composed of sediments primarily recycled from the Jurassic accretionary complex within the BNMZ with the secondary addition of intermediate-felsic island arc materials from the South Qiangtang Terrane.Based on our new results and previous studies,we infer that the SNMZ represents a part of the Meso-Tethys Suture Zone,rather than a southward tectonic klippe of the BNMZ or an isolated ophiolitic mélange zone within the Lhasa Terrane.The Meso-Tethys Suture Zone records the continuous evolutionary history of the northward subduction,accretion,arc-Lhasa collision,and Lhasa-Qiangtang collision of the Meso-Tethys Ocean from the Early Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous.

Zircon Geochronological Evidence for Participation of the North China Craton in the Protolith of Migmatite of the North Dabie Terrane

The plate affiliation of the North Dabie terrane （NDT） has been controversial. To address this fundamental question, an integrated study of internal structure, in-situ U-Pb dating and trace element analysis in zircons and field investigation for migmatite in the NDT was carried out, which reveals par- ticipation of crustal rocks of the North China Craton （NCC） in the protolith in addition to the more common crustal rocks of the Yangtze Craton （YC）. The evidence of an NCC affinity for protolith of migmatite in the NDT is the -2.5 Ga （2 486±14 and 2 406±26 Ma） magamtic age and -1.8 Ga （1 717±79 Ma） metamorphic age in the relict zircon domains because these two age groups are characteristic for the evolution of the NCC. The evidence of a YC affinity for protolith of migmatite in the NDT is the more common 0.7-0.8 Ga （e.g., 787±12 Ma） magamtic zircon age. Mid-Neoproterozoic magmatic age （0.7-0.8 Ga） is a symbol of YC basement rocks. In view of the widely exposed YC crustal components in the NDT, we suggest that the protolith of the NDT is mainly crustal rocks from the YC with minor crustal components from the NCC. The zircon rim domains and new growth grains from all the migmatite sam- ples are characterized by anatectic zircons and have a widely concordant ages ranging from 112.2±2.8 to 159.6±4.3 Ma with several peak values, suggesting a long lasting multistage anatexis. In conclusion, the NDT has a mixed protolith origin of both the YC and the NCC crustal rocks were strongly remoulded by anatexis during orogenic collapse.