Mineral Chemistry,Trace Elements,Isotopic Analysis and Zircon U-Pb Dating in the Hesar Pluton,Northern UDMA,Iran:Implications for Pre-Collisional Magma Mixing

The Hesar pluton in the northern Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic arc hosts numerous mafic-microgranular enclaves(MMEs).Whole rock geochemistry,mineral chemistry,zircon U-Pb and Sr-Nd isotopes were measured.It is suggested that the rocks are metaluminous(A/CNK=1.32-1.45),subduction-related I-type calc-alkaline gabbro to diorite with similar mineral assemblages and geochemical signatures.The host rocks yielded an U-Pb crystallization age of 37.3±0.4 Ma for gabbro-diorite.MMEs have relatively low SiO_(2) contents(52.9-56.6 wt%)and high Mg^(#)(49.8-58.7),probably reflecting a mantle-derived origin.Chondrite-and mantle-normalized trace element patterns are characterized by LREE and LILE enrichment,HREE and HFSE depletion with slight negative Eu anomalies(Eu/Eu^(*)=0.86-1.03).The host rocks yield(^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr)_(i) ratios of 0.70492-0.70510,positive ε_(Nd)(t)values of+1.55-+2.06 and T_(DM2)of 707-736 Ma,which is consistent with the associated mafic microgranular enclaves((^(87)Sr/^(86)Sr)_(i)=0.705014,ε_(Nd)(t)=+1.75,T_(DM2)=729 Ma).All data suggest magma-mixing for enclave and host rock formation,showing a complete equilibration between mixed-mafic and felsic magmas,followed by rapid diffusion.The T_(DM1)(Nd)and T_(DM2)(Nd)model ages and U-Pb dating indicate that the host pluton was produced by partial melting of the lower continental crust and subsequent mixing with injected lithospheric mantlederived magmas in a pre-collisional setting of Arabian-Eurasian plates.Clinopyroxene composition indicates a crystallization temperature of~1000℃ and a depth of~9 km.

Cassiterite U-Pb dating of the Yelonggou pegmatite-type lithium deposit in western Sichuan and its metallogenic age constraints

1.Objective Pegmatite hosts important resource of rare metals,e.g.,lithium(Li)and beryllium(Be).In recent years,increasingly more studies were dedicated to characterize and unravel the formation of pegmatite-type deposits,for which accurate dating of pegmatite formation and mineralization is essential.The Songpan-Ganzi orogenic belt is a major rare metal metallogenic belt in China,hosting many important pegmatite-type Li deposits,including the Lijiagou,Dangba,Jiajika,Yelonggou,Cuola,and Declalongba.Radiometric age data(mica Ar-Ar and zircon/cassiterite U-Pb)from these Li deposits are sparse,ranging from 210 to 152 Ma.However,obtaining reliable zircon U-Pb dates can be a challenge due to the strong decidualization in pegmatites.As a result,the formation and mineralization ages of these rare metal pegmatites remain controversial,which hampers the development of pegmatite-type metallogenic model for the Songpan-Ganzi orogenic belt.

Zircon U-Pb geochronologic,geochemical and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope characteristics of the Beidaban granites in the North Qilian Orogenic Belt:Petrogenesis and tectonic implications

The tectonic evolution and crustal accretion process of the North Qilian Orogenic Belt(NQOB)are still under debate because of a lack of integrated constraints,especially the identifi cation of the tectonic transition from arc to initial collision.Here we present results from zircon U-Pb geochronology,whole-rock geochemistry,and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope geochemistry of the Beidaban granites to provide crucial information for geodynamic evolution of NQOB.Zircon U-Pb dating yields an age of 468±10 Ma for the Beidaban granites and most of the Beidaban samples contain amphibole,are potassium-rich,and have A/CNK values ranging from 0.7 to 0.9,illustrating that the Middle Ordovician Beidaban granites are K-rich,metaluminous,calc-alkaline granitoid.The geochemical characteristics indicate that the Beidaban granites are transitional I/S-type granitoids that formed in an arc setting.The isotopic compositions of initial(87 Sr/86 Sr)i values ranging from 0.70545 to 0.71082(0.70842 on average)andεNd(t)values ranging from−10.9 to−6.7(−8.8 on average)with two-stage Nd model ages(T DM2)of 1.74-2.08 Ga suggest that the Beidaban granites originated from Paleoproterozoic crustal materials.In addition,the initial Pb isotopic compositions(^(206)Pb/^(204)Pb=19.14-20.26;^(207)Pb/^(204)Pb=15.71-15.77;^(208)Pb/^(204)Pb=37.70-38.26)and geochemical features,such as high Th/Ta(17.43-30.12)and Rb/Nb(6.01-15.49)values,suggest that the Beidaban granite magma source involved recycled crustal components with igneous rocks.Based on these results in combination with previously published geochronological and geochemical data from other early Paleozoic igneous rocks,we suggest that the timing of the tectonic transition from arc to the initial collision to the fi nal closure of the North Qilian Ocean can be constrained to the Middle-Late Ordovician(ca.468–450 Ma).

Garnet and Zircon U-Pb Geochronology and Geochemistry Reveal Genesis of the Dafang Au-Pb-Zn-Ag Deposit,Southern Hunan

Garnet is a primary mineral in skarn deposits and plays a significant role in recording copious mineralization and metallogenic information.This study systematically investigates the geochemistry and geochronology of garnet and zircon in the Dafang Au-Pb-Zn-Ag deposit,which represents prominent gold mineralization in southern Hunan,China.Garnet samples with distinct zoning patterns and compositional variations were identified using various analytical techniques,including Backscattered Electron(BSE)imaging,Cathodoluminescence(CL)response,textural characterization,and analysis of rare-earth elements(REE),major contents,and trace element compositions.The garnet was dated U-Pb dating,which yielded a lower intercept age of 161.06±1.93 Ma.This age is older than the underlying granodiorite porphyry,which has a concordia age of 155.13±0.95 Ma determined by zircon U-Pb dating.These results suggest that the gold mineralization may be related to the concealed granite.Two groups of garnet changed from depleted Al garnet to enriched Al garnet,and the rare earth element(REE)patterns of these groups were converted from light REE(LREE)-enriched and heavy REE(HREE)-depleted with positive europium(Eu)anomalies to medium REE(MREE)-enriched from core to rim zoning.The different REE patterns of garnet in various zones may be attributed to changes in the fluid environment and late superposition alteration.The development of distal skarn in the southern Hunan could be a significant indicator for identifying gold mineralization.

赣南大吉山五里亭岩体的锆石ELA-ICP-MS定年及其与钨成矿关系的新认识

大吉山是南岭地区一个著名的大型钨多金属矿床,五里亭岩体是矿区出露规模最大的火成岩体,岩性为中粗粒似斑状黑云母二长花岗岩。锆石 ELA-ICP-MS 定年结果表明其形成年龄为 237.5±4.8 Ma,属印支期岩浆活动的产物。与南岭地区典型钨多金属矿床成矿岩体相比,五里亭岩体贫硅,富钙、镁、铁,Rb/Sr、Rb/Ba 和 U/Th 比值低,K/Rb 比值高,铕负异常不显著,分异指数低,尚未达到矿化岩体的分异演化程度,不具备矿化岩体的地球化学特征。元素—同位素综合示踪显示区内白云母碱长花岗岩为五里亭岩体经高度分异演化的产物,它与钨多金属矿成矿直接有关。矿区范围内出露的闪长岩起源于地幔,这一岩浆侵位所引起的高热场环境有利于花岗质岩石的形成与演化,对成矿具有重要的意义。

西藏长青温池-波弄贡变质带片麻岩锆石ELA-ICP-MS U-Pb年龄及地质意义

西藏林芝至通麦一带出露大面积变质岩,变质岩中含长柱状锆石。长柱状锆石晶体形态特征、矿物包裹体、CL图像及Th/U比值在0.1～0.4之间,表明锆石主要来自火山岩,受后期变质流体改造。长柱状锆石ELA-ICP-MSU-Th-Pb年龄为(40.7±0.3)Ma,MSWD=2.35。变质流体改造边缘部分年龄和核部年龄基本一致。长柱状锆石特征及年龄表明长青温池至通麦一带片麻岩原岩为新生代含火山物质的沉积岩而不是元古宙变质基底。

Chronology and Sources of Mesozoic Intrusive Complexes in the Xuzhou-Huainan Region, Central China: Constraints from SHRIMP Zircon U-Pb Dating

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating in the Liguo and Jiagou intrusives indicates that they were formed at -130 Ma in the Early Cretaceous. Most inherited zircons in the Liguo intrusive were formed at 2509±43 Ma. Most inherited and detrital zircons in the Jiagou intrusive were formed at -2500 Ma, -2000 Ma and -1800 Ma. The SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating in two gneiss xenoliths from the Jiagou intrusive yields the ages of 2461±22 Ma and 2508±15 Ma, respectively. The dating results from inherited and detrital zircons in the intrusives and the gneiss xenoliths imply that the magmas could be derived from the partial melting of the basement of the North China Block (NCB). The magmatism is strong and extensive in the periods from 115 to 132 Ma, which is of typical bimodal characteristics. It is suggested that the lithospheric thinning in the eastern North China Block reached its peak in 115-132 Ma.

An Important Spreading Event of the Neo-Tethys Ocean during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous: Evidence from Zircon U-Pb SHRIMP Dating on Diabase in Nagarze, Southern Tibet

Widely distributed in Gyangzê-Chigu area, southern Tibet, NW- and nearly E-W-trending diabase（gabbro）-gabbro diorite dykes are regarded as the product of the large-scale spreading of the late Neo-Tethys Ocean. In order to constrain the emplacement age of these dykes, zircons of two samples from diabases in Nagarzê were dated by using the U-Pb SHRIMP method. Two nearly the same weighted mean ^206pb/^23SU ages were obtained in this paper, which are 134.9±1.8 Ma （MSWD=0.65） and 135.5 ± 2.1 Ma （MSWD=1.40）, respectively. They not only represent the crystallization age of the diabase, but also documented an important spreading event of the Neo-Tethys Ocean during the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous. This dating result is of great significance to reconstruct the temporal framework of the late Neo-Tethys Ocean in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

Geological Characteristics and Zircon U-Pb Dating of Volcanic Rocks from the Beizhan Iron Deposit in Western Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, NW China

The Beizhan large iron deposit located in the east part of the Awulale metallogenic belt in the western Tianshan Mountains is hosted in the Unit 2 of the Dahalajunshan Formation as lens, veinlets and stratoid, and both of the hanging wall and footwall are quartz-monzonite; the dip is to the north with thick and high-grade ore bodies downwards. Ore minerals are mainly magnetite with minor sulfides, such as pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and sphalerite. Skarnization is widespread around the ore bodies, and garnet, diopside, wollastonite, actinolite, epidote, uralite, tourmaline sericite and calcite are ubiquitous as gangues. Radiating outwards from the center of the ore body the deposit can be classified into skarn, calcite, serpentinite and marble zones. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating of the rhyolite and dacite from the Dahalajunshan Formation indicates that they were formed at 301.3±0.8 Ma and 303.7±0.9 Ma, respectively, which might have been related to the continental arc magmatism during the late stage of subduction in the western Tianshan Mountains. Iron formation is genetically related with volcanic eruption during this interval. The Dahalajunshan Formation and the quartz-monzonite intrusion jointly control the distribution of ore bodies. Both ore textures and wall rock alteration indicate that the Beizhan iron deposit is probably skarn type.

Geochemical Characteristics and LA-ICP-MS Zircon U-Pb Dating of Amphibolites in the Songshugou Ophiolite in the Eastern Qinling

Geochemical studies on the arnphibolites in the Songshugou ophiolite from Shangnan County, Shaanxi Province demonstrate that the protolith of the amphibolites is tholeiitic. The arnphibolites can be classified into two groups according to their REE patterns and trace element features. Rocks of the first group are depleted in LREE while rocks of the second group are slightly depleted in LREE or flat from LREE to HREE without significant Eu anomaly. The first group of rocks have (La/Yb)N=0.33-0.55, (La/Sm)N= 0.45-0.65, and their La/Nb, Ce/Zr, Zr/Nb, Zr/Y and Ti/Y ratios are averaged at 1.20, 0.12, 31.02, 2.92 and 198, respectively, close to those of typical N-MORB. The second group of rocks have (La/Yb)N=0.63-0.95, (La/ Sm)N = 0.69--0.90, and their average La/Nb, Ce/Zr, Zr/Nb, Zr/Y and Ti/Y ratios are 0.82, 0.83, 1.15, 0.16, 19.00, 2.58 and 225, respectively, which lie between those of typical N-MORB and E-MORB but closer to the former. The two groups of rocks both exhibit flat patterns from Th to Yb in the highly incompatible elements spider diagram, but the first group of rocks have lower element abundances than the modern N-MORB, indicating a derivation of their mantle source from more depleted mantle source than the present N-MORB. The abundances of Th, Ta, Nb, La and Ce in the second group of rocks are slightly higher than those of the present N-MORB, and other elements, such as Hf, Zr, Sm, Ti, Y and Yb, are close to those of the N-MORB, indicating that the original magma was derived from depleted mantle but mixed with the enriched mantle. These characteristics, combined with the regional geology and previous studies, provide further evidence that the mafic-ultramafic rocks have the features of a typical ophiolite.Zircon grains from the amphibolite are generally rounded, and in most of them a distinguishable core-mantle texture is preserved as shown in the cathodoluminescence (CL) images. The core or core-mantle parts of the zircon grains are also rounded, same as those in basalts from other regions of the world. The LA-ICP-MS trace element and U-Pb isotopic analyses show that the zircon grains from the amphibolites are similar to the typical magmatic zircon in terms of their very low U and Th contents (62.36-0.10 μg/g and 78.47-0.003 μg/g, respectively). Seven pits from the core and core-mantle parts of the zircon grains yielded an average weighted 206Pb/ 238U age of 973±35 (2σ) Ma with the Th/U ratios range from 0.01 to 8.38 and mostly greater than 0.23. This age is consistent within the error range with the whole-rock Sm-Nd isochron age of 1030±46 Ma for the same kind of rocks reported by Dong et al. (1997a). In a combined analysis with the zircon positions on the CL images and the corresponding Th/U ratios, the age of 973±35 Ma is probably the formation age of tholeiite, the protolith of the Songshugou amphibolite. The geochronological determination gives further evidence that the Songshugou ophiolite was formed during the Neoproterozoic. In addition, there is one pit from the rim of a zircon grain giving a 206Pb/ 238U age of 5721199 (1σ) Ma with a Th/U ratio of 0.08. It may represent the age of the accretionary zircon in the amphibolite-facies metamorphism.

High-precision Dating and Geological Significance of Chang 7 Tuff Zircon of the Triassic Yanchang Formation, Ordos Basin in Central China

The Ordos Basin, as the second largest petroliferous basin of China, contains abundant oil and gas resources, oil shale, and sandstone-type uranium mineral resources. Chang 7 shale is not only the major source rock of the Mesozoic petroliferous system of the Basin, but is also crucial in determining the space-time distribution relationship of the shale section for the effective exploration and development of the Basin's oil and gas resources. To obtain a highly precise age of the shale development section, we collected tuff samples from the top and bottom profile of the Chang 7 Member, Yishi Village, Yaoqu Town, Tongchuan District, on the southern margin of the Ordos Basin and performed high-precision chemical abrasion(CA)–isotope dilution(ID)–thermal ionization mass spectrometry(TIMS) zircon U-Pb dating on the basis of extensive laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry(LA-ICP-MS) zircon U-Pb dating data. Our results show the precise ages of the top and bottom zircon in the Chang 7 shale to be 241.06±0.12 Ma and 241.558±0.093 Ma, respectively. We first obtained Chang 7 age data with Grade 0.1-Ma precision and then determined the age of the shale development in the Chang 7 Member to be the early-Middle Triassic Ladinian. This result is supported by paleontological evidence. The deposition duration of the Chang 7 shale is 0.5 Ma with an average deposition rate of the shale section being 5.3 cm/ka. Our research results provide time scale and basic data for further investigation of the basin–mountain coupling relation of the shale section, the sedimentary environment and volcanic ash and organic-matter-rich shale development relation, and the organism break-out and organic-matter enrichment mechanism.

LA-ICPMS Zircon U-Pb Dating for Three Indosinian Granitic Plutons from Central Hunan and Western Guangdong Provinces and Its Petrogenetic Implications

The LA-ICPMS zircon U-Pb geochronology of three typically Indosinian granitic plutons yielded weighted mean ^206pb/^238U ages of 214.1±5.9 Ma and 210.3±4.7 Ma for the biotite monzonitic granites from the Xiema and Xiangzikou plutons in Hunan Province, and 205.3±1.6 Ma for biotite granite from the Napeng pluton, western Guandong Province, respectively, showing a similar late Indosinian age of crystallization. In combination with other geochronological data from Indosinian granites within the South China Block （SCB）, it is proposed that those late Indosinian granites with an age of -210 Ma and the early Indosinian granites （230-245 Ma） have the similar petrogenesis in identical tectonic setting. The Indosinian granites within the SCB might be the products of anatexis of the thickening crust in a compressive regime. These data provide a further understanding for the temporal and spatial distribution of the Indosinian granites and the dynamic evolution of the SCB.

Zircon U-Pb Dating on Granitoids from the Northern South China Sea and its Geotectonic Relevance

Zircon U-Pb ages of 163.8-100.4 Ma and 146.6-134.5 Ma are obtained for the granitoids from the Pearl River mouth basin, and from southern Guangdong Province, respectively. These new dating data accord well with the crystallization ages of Yanshanian granitoids broadly in the Nanling. The active continental margin of South China, as revealed by a combination of zircon U-Pb data, underwent a key granitoid-dominated magmatism in 165-100 Ma. Its evolution varied temporally, and spatially, registering under control of the paleo-Pacific slab subduction. The granitoids that occurred in 165-150 Ma broadly from the South China Sea to the Nanling are preferably related to two settings from volcanic-arc to back-arc extension, respectively. The activities of Cretaceous granitoids migrated from the southeastern Guangdong （148-130 Ma） to the Pearl River Mouth basin （127-112 Ma）, corresponding to the model of a retreating subduction. The subduction-related granitoid magmatism in South China continued until 108-97 Ma. A tectonic transformation from slab-subduction to extension should occur at -100 Ma.

LA-ICP-MS Zircon U-Pb Dating of Intermediate-Acidic Intrusive Rocks and Molybdenite Re-Os Dating from the Bangpu Mo (Cu) Deposit, Tibet and its Geological Implication

The multi-stage intrusions of intermediate-acid magma occur in the Bangpu mining district, the petrogenic ages of which have been identified. The times and sequences of their emplacement have been collated and stipulated in detail in this paper by using the laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry （LA-ICP-MS） zircon U-Pb dating method. The ages of biotite monzogranite that were formed before mineralization in the southwest of this mining district are 70±1 Ma （mean square of weighted deviates （MSWD） =9.5, n=8） and 60.60±0.31 Ma （MSWD=3.8, n=16）, which belong to the late Cretaceous-early Paleocene in age. That means, they are products of an early tectonicmagmatic event of the collision between the Indian and Asian continentals. The ages of ore-bearing monzogranite porphyry and ore-bearing diorite porphyrite are 16.23±0.19 Ma （MSWD=2.0, n=26） and 15.16±0.09 Ma （MSWD=3.9, n=5） separately, which belong to the middle Miocene in age; namely, they are products of the Gangdese post-collision extensional stage when crust-mantle materials melted and mixed as well as magmatic intrusion simultaneously occurred. Some zircons with ages of 203.6±2.2 Ma （MSWD=1.18, n=7） were captured in the ore-bearing diorite porphyrite, which shows that there had been tectono-magmatic events in the late Triassic-early Jurassic. Molybdenum （copper） ore-bodies produced in the monzogranite porphyry and copper （molybdenum） ore-bodies produced in the diorite porphyrite are the main ore types in this ore deposit. The model ages of Re-Os isotopic dating for the 11 molybdenite are 13.97-15.84 Ma, while isochron ages are 14.09±0.49 Ma （MSWD=26）. The isochron ages of seven molybdenite from molybdenum （copper） ore with monzogranite porphyry type are 14.11±0.31 Ma （MSWD=5.2）. There is great error in the isochron ages of four molybdenite from copper （molybdenum） ore with diorite porphyrite type, and their weighted average model ages of 14.6±1.2 Ma （MSWD=41）, which generally represent the mineralization age. The results about the Re-Os isotopic dating of molybdenite in the ore of different types have limited exactly that, the minerlazation age of this ore deposits is about 14.09 Ma, which belongs to the middle Miocene mineralization. The Bangpu deposit has a uniform metallogenic dynamics background with the porphyry type and skarn-type deposits such as Jiama, Qulong and others.

LA-ICPMS Zircon U-Pb Dating in the Jurassic Daohugou Beds and Correlative Strata in Ningcheng of Inner Mongolia

LA-ICPMS Zircon U-Pb dating is applied to volcanic rocks overlying and underlying the Salamander-bearing bed in the Daohugou beds of Ningcheng in Inner Mongola and Reshuichang of Lingyuan and Mazhangzi of Jianping in western Liaoning. The results indicate that the youngest age of the rocks in Daohugou of Ningcheng is 158 Ma, and the oldest one is 164 Ma. Synthesized researches indicate that the salamander-bearing beds in Daohugou of Ningcheng, Reshuichang of Lingyuan and Mazhangzi of Jianping were developed in the same period. The Daohugou beds were formed in the geological age of 164-158 Ma of the middle-late Jurassic. Whilst, the Daohugou beds and its corrdative strata should correspond to the Tiaojishan Formation （or Lanqi Formation） of the middle Jurassic in northern Hebei Province and western Liaoning Province, based on the disconformity between the Daohugou beds and its overlaying beds of the Tuchengzi Formation of Late Jurassic and the Jehol Beds of early Cretaceous, and the disconformity between the Daohugou Beds and its underlying Jiulongshan Formation, which is composed of conglomerate, sandstone, shale with coal and thin coal beds.

LA-ICP-MS Zircon U-Pb Geochronology of the Fine-grained Granite and Molybdenite Re-Os Dating in the Wurinitu Molybdenum Deposit,Inner Mongolia,China

The Wurinitu molybdenum deposit,located in Honggor,Sonid Left Banner of Inner Mongolia,China,is recently discovered and is considered to be associated with a concealed fine-grained granite impregnated with molybdenite.The wall rocks are composed of Variscan porphyritic-like biotite granite and the Lower Ordovician Wubin'aobao Formation.LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating of the fine-grained granite reveals two stages of zircons,one were formed at 181.7±7.4 Ma and the other at 133.6±3.3 Ma.The latter age is believed to be the formation age of the fine-grained granite,while the former may reflect the age of inherited zircons,based on the morphological study of the zircon and regional geological setting.The Re-Os model age of molybdenite is 142.2±2.5 Ma,which is older than the diagenetic age of the fine-grained granite.Therefore the authors believe that the metallogenic age of the Wurinitu molybdenum deposit should be nearly 133.6±3.3 Ma or slightly later,i.e.,Early Cretaceous.Combined with regional geological background research,it is speculated that the molybdenum deposits were formed at the late Yanshanian orogenic cycle in the Hingganling-Mongolian orogenic belt,belonging to the relaxation epoch posterior to the compression and was associated with the closure of the Mongolia-Okhotsk Sea.

Early Neoarchean Magmatic and Paleoproterozoic Metamorphic Events in the Northern North China Craton:SHRIMP Zircon Dating and Hf Isotopes of Archean Rocks from the Miyun Area,Beijing

The Miyun area of Beijing is located in the northern part of the North China Craton （NCC） and includes a variety of Archean granitoids and metamorphic rocks. Magmatic domains in zircon from a tonalite reveal Early Neoarchean （2752±7 Ma） ages show a small range in εHf（t） from 3.1 to 7.4 and tDM1（Hf） from 2742 to 2823 Ma, similar to their U-Pb ages, indicating derivation from a depleted mantle source only a short time prior to crystallization. SHRIMP zircon ages of granite, gneiss, amphibolite and hornblendite in the Miyun area reveal restricted emplacement ages from 2594 to 2496 Ma. They also record metamorphic events at ca. 2.50 Ga, 2.44 Ga and 1.82 Ga, showing a similar evolutionary history to the widely distributed Late Neoarchean rocks in the NCC. Positive eHf（t） values of 1.5 to 5.9, with model ages younger than 3.0 Ga for magmatic zircon domains from these Late Neoarchean intrusive rocks indicate that they are predominantly derived from juvenile crustal sources and suggest that significant crustal growth occurred in the northern NCC during the Neoarchean. Late Paleoproterozoic metamorphism developed widely in the NCC, not only in the Trans-North China Orogen, but also in areas of Eastern and Western Blocks, which suggest that the late Paleoproterozoic was the assembly of different micro-continents, which resulted in the final consolidation to form the NCC, and related to the development of the Paleo-Mesoproterozoic Columbia or Nuna supercontinent.

The Southward Extension of Cathaysia Block: Evidence from Zircon UPb Dates of Borehole Volcanics in the Northern South China Sea

Five Paleogene volcanics sampled from the northern South China Sea were analyzed via LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb dating, including basalt and andesite from Borehole SCSVI and volcanic agglomerate from Borehole SCSV2, respectively. A total of 162 zircon U-Pb dates for them cover an age range from Neoarchean to Eocene, in which the pre-Paleocene data dominate. The Paleogene dates of 62.5±2.2 Ma and 42.1±2.9 Ma are associated with two igneous episodes prior to opening of South China Sea basin. Those pre-Paleocene zircons are inherited zircons mostly with magmatogenic oscillatory zones, and have REE features of crustal zircon. Zircon U-Pb dates of 2518-2481 Ma, 1933- 1724 Ma, and 1094-1040 Ma from the SCSV1 volcanics, and 2810-2718 Ma, 2458-2421 Ma, and 1850-993.4 Ma from the SCSV2 volcanics reveal part of Precambrian evolution of the northern South China Sea, well comparable with age records dated from the Cathaysia block. The data of 927.0±6.9 Ma and 781±38 Ma dated from the SCSV2 coincide with amalgamation between Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks and breakup of the Rodinia, respectively. The age records of Caledonian orogeny from the Cathaysia block are widely found from our volcanic samples with concordant mean ages of 432.0±5.8 Ma from the SCSV1 and of 437±15 Ma from the SCSV2. The part of the northern South China Sea resembling the Cathaysia underwent Indosinian and Yanshannian tectonothermal events. Their age signatures from the SCSV1 cover 266.5±3.5 Ma, 241.1±6.0 Ma, 184.0±4.2 Ma, 160.9±4.2 Ma and 102.8±2.6 Ma, and from the SCSV2 are 244±15 Ma, 158.1±3.5 Ma, 141±13 Ma and 96.3±2.1 Ma. Our pre-Paleogene U-Pb age spectra of zircons from the borehole volcanics indicate that the northern South China Sea underwent an evolution from formation of Precambrian basement, Caledonian orogeny, and Indosinian orogeny to Yanshannian magmatism. This process can be well comparable with the tectonic evolution of South China, largely supporting the areas of the northern South China Sea as part of southward extension of the Cathaysia.

Single Zircon LA-ICP-MS U-Pb Dating of the Guandimiao and Wawutang Granitic Plutons in Hunan,South China and Its Petrogenetic Significance

The Guandimao and Wawutang plutons are located at the center of Hunan, South China. The former is mainly composed of biotite monzonitic granites/granodiorites and two-mica monzonltic granites, but the latter only consists of biotite monzonitic granites. The zircon ages of 203.0±1.6 Ma （biotite monzonitic granites） and 208.0-23.2 Ma （two-mica monzonltic granites） for the Guandimao pluton and 204±3 Ma for the Wawutang pluton obtained with the LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating indicate that they were formed during the late Indosinian. In consideration of other geochronological data from Indosinian rocks of South China and adjacent regions, it is inferred that the two plutons were derived from crustal materials by decompressional melting in a post-collisional tectonic setting during spontaneous thinning of the thickened curst. Moreover, the inherited zircon age of 1273±57 Ma from the Wawutang pluton indicates that the source of the two plutons is related to the early Proterozoic crustal basement.

SHRIMP zircon U-Pb dating of the mafic and felsic intrusive rocks of the Saza area in the Lupa goldfields, southwestern Tanzania: Implication for gold mineralization

The Lupa Goldfield (LGF) is one of the eight structural terranes in the NW – SE striking Ubendian Belt of SW Tanzania. The LGF is comprised of granitic gneisses with bands of amphibolites which are intruded by mafic intrusions including gabbros, granodiorites, diorites;and various granites as well as metavol-canics. These rocks are cross-cut by narrow mafic dykes and aplites. SHRIMP zircon U-Pb data are presented for the granodiorite and a mafic dyke that cross-cut the granodiorites in the Saza area of the LGF, with the aim of constraining the mafic and felsic magmatism and their implication to gold mineralization. The zircon U-Pb data shows that the Saza granodiorites were emplaced at 1924 ± 13 Ma (MSWD = 2.6) whereas the cross-cutting mafic dyke yielded a zircon U-Pb age of 1758 ± 33 Ma (MSWD = 0.88). The dated granodiorite sample was in sheared contact with an altered mafic intrusive rock, most likely a diorite, along which an auriferous quartz vein occurs. The 1924 ± 13 Ma age of granodiorites is within error of the reported molybdenite Re-Os age of 1937 Ma determined for the gold mineralization event in Lupa Goldfields. Although auriferous quartz veins are younger than the granodiorites, the more or less similar ages between the emplacement of granodiorites and the mineralizing event indicate that the granodiorites might be the heat source (or driver) of hydrothermal fluids responsible for gold mineralization in the Lupa goldfields. This would further suggest that gold mineralization in the LGF is intrusion-related type. The mafic dykes represent the youngest rocks to have been emplaced in the area and hence the 1758 ± 33 Ma age of the mafic dykes conclude the magmatic evolution in the Lupa goldfields during the Palaeoproterozoic.