Reworking of Earth's first crust: Constraints from Hf isotopes in Archean zircons from Mt. Narryer,Australia

Discoveries of >4 Ga old zircon grains in the northwest Yilgarn of Western Australia led to the conclusion that evolved crust formed on the Earth within the first few 100 Ma after accretion. Little is known, however, about the fate of the first crust that shaped early Earth's surface. Here we report combined solution and laser-ablation Lu–Hf–U–Pb isotope analyses of early Archean and Hadean detrital zircon grains from different rocks of the Narryer Gneiss Complex (NGC), Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia. The zircons show two distinct groups with separate evolutionary trends in their Hf isotopes. The majority of the zircon grains point to separation from a depleted mantle reservoir at ∼3.8–3.9 Ga. The second Hf isotope trend implies reworking of older Hadean zircon grains. The major trend starting at 3.8–3.9 Ga defined by the Hf isotopes corresponds to a Lu/Hf that is characteristic for felsic crust and consequently, the primary sources for these zircons presumably had a chemical composition characteristic of continental crust. Reworked Hadean crust appears to have evolved with a similar low Lu/Hf, such that the early crust was probably evolved with respect to Lu–Hf distributions. The co-variation of Hf isotopes vs. age in zircon grains from Mt. Narryer and Jack Hills zircon grains implies a similar crustal source for both sediments in a single, major crustal domain. Age spectra and associated Hf isotopes in the zircon grains strongly argue for ongoing magmatic reworking over hundreds of millions of years of the felsic crustal domain in which the zircon grains formed. Late-stage metamorphic zircon grains from the Meeberrie Gneiss unit yield a mean U–Pb age of 3294.5 ± 3.2 Ma with initial Hf isotopes that correspond to the evolutionary trend defined by older NGC zircon grains and overlap with other detrital zircon grains, proving their genetic relationship. This ‘Meeberrie event’ is interpret here as the last reworking event in the precursor domain before final deposition. The continuous magmatic activity in one crustal domain during the Archean is recorded by the U–Pb ages and Hf isotope systematics of zircon grains and implies reworking of existing crust. We suspect that the most likely driving force for such reworking of crustal material is ongoing crustal collision and subduction. A comparison of Hf isotope signatures of zircon grains from other Archean terranes shows that similar trends are recognised within all sampled Archean domains. This implies either a global trend in crustal growth and reworking, or a genetic connection of Archean terranes in close paleo-proximity to each other. Notably, the Archean Acasta gneiss (Canada) shows a similar reworking patterns to the Yilgarn Craton of Hadean samples implying either a common Hadean source or amalgamation at the Hadean–Archean transition.     

High abundance of early Archaean grains and the age distribution of detrital zircons in a sillimanite-bearing quartzite from Mt Narryer, Western Australia

SHRIMP U–Pb analyses are reported for a detrital zircon population from a sample of sillimanite-bearing quartzite from the Narryer sedimentary succession in the Narryer Terrane of the northwestern Yilgarn Craton. The detrital zircons define two distinctive age groups, an older group from 4000 Ga to 4280 Ma and a younger group from 3750 to 3250 Ma. The abundance of older group zircons of about 12% far exceeds the abundance of about 2% reported in the first discovery of ancient zircons in a quartzite from the Narryer metasediments, and is equivalent to the abundance of >3900 Ma zircons in metaconglomerate sample W74 from the Jack Hills, confirmed by new measurements reported in this paper. Most analyses of the Narryer and the Jack Hills detrital zircon populations are discordant. The Jack Hills zircon analyses are dominated by strong recent Pb loss whereas the Narryer zircon analyses have had a more complex history and have experienced at least one Pb loss event, possibly associated with the high-grade metamorphism at ca. 2700 Ma, and a further disturbance of the U–Pb systems during relatively recent times. Although the number of analyses is limited and many of the zircon analyses are discordant, the age distributions of the older (>3900 Ma) zircons from the Narryer and Jack Hills samples are different, suggesting a complex provenance for the ancient zircons. The distribution of ages in the younger population of Mt Narryer zircons is similar to that reported for zircons from the surrounding Meeberrie gneiss, supporting previous suggestions that zircons from the gneisses or their precursors were a major contributor to the detrital zircon suite. The younger zircon population from Jack Hills sample (W74), lacks the strong age peak from 3600 to 3750 Ma present in the Narryer zircon population, and conversely the strong zircon age group at ca. 3350–3500 Ma in the Jack Hills population is only weakly represented in the Narryer zircon population. The age distributions for the Narryer and the Jack Hills zircon populations are taken as benchmarks for comparing zircon populations from quartzite occurrences elsewhere in the Yilgarn Craton.     

Thermal events documented in Hadean zircons by ion microprobe depth profiles

We report the first U-Th-Pb ion microprobe depth profiles of four Hadean zircons from the Jack Hills and Mount Narryer supracrustal belts of the Narryer Gneiss Complex (NGC), Western Australia. This ultra-high spatial resolution technique probes the age and origin of sub-micron features in individual crystals that can record episodes of zircon growth. Near-surface grain dates of 2700 Ma or older are coincident with post-depositional growth/modification. Some ages may coincide with documented pre-deposition metamorphic events for the NGC and igneous emplacement at ca. 3700 Ma. Separate events that do not correlate in time with known geologic episodes prior to the preserved rock record are also present on pre-4000 Ma zircons. We find evidence for a ∼3.9 Ga event, which is coterminous within age uncertainty with one or several large basin-forming impacts (e.g. Nectaris) on the Moon attributed to the late heavy bombardment of the inner solar system.     

Early Archean crustal evolution of the Jack Hills Zircon source terrane inferred from Lu-Hf, Pb/Pb, and δO systematics of Jack Hills zircons

Several lines of isotopic evidence - the most direct of which is from Hadean Jack Hills zircons - suggest a very early history of crust formation on Earth that began by about 4.5 Ga. To constrain both the fate of the reservoir for this crust and the nature of crustal evolution in the sediment source region of the Jack Hills, Western Australia, during the early Archean, we report here initial ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf ratios and δ¹⁸O systematics for <4 Ga Jack Hills zircons. In contrast to the significant number of Hadean zircons which contain highly unradiogenic ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf requiring a near-zero Lu/Hf reservoir to have separated from the Earth’s mantle by 4.5 Ga, Jack Hills zircons younger than ca. 3.6 Ga are more radiogenic than -13ε (CHUR) at 3.4 Ga in contrast to projected values at 3.4 Ga of -20ε for the unradiogenic Hadean reservoir indicating that some later juvenile addition to the crust is required to explain the more radiogenic younger zircons. The shift in the Lu-Hf systematics together with a narrow range of mostly mantle-like δ¹⁸O values among the <3.6 Ga zircons (in contrast to the spread towards sedimentary δ¹⁸O among Hadean samples) suggests a period of transition between 3.6 and 4 Ga in which the magmatic setting of zircon formation changed and the highly unradiogenic low Lu/Hf Hadean crust ceased to be available for intracrustal reworking. Constraining the nature of this transition provides important insights into the processes of crustal reworking and recycling of the Earth’s Hadean crust as well as early Archean crustal evolution.     

崆岭杂岩中角闪岩类的年代学和地球化学

通过崆岭杂岩中角闪岩类的年代学和地球化学研究,以揭示黄陵结晶基底的形成及演化。崆岭杂岩主要由太古代的TTG片麻岩和角闪岩类岩石,以及早元古代孔兹岩系组成,角闪岩类以围岩或包体的形式存在于TTG片麻岩的周围和内部。角闪岩类围岩的全岩Sm-Nd等时线年龄为2 998.9 Ma,原生岩浆锆石的U-Pb年龄为3 013 Ma,均代表角闪岩类原岩的形成时间,且与包体状斜长角闪岩原岩的年龄(3.0 Ga)相同。说明以围岩或包体存在的角闪岩类,其原岩的形成年龄均为3.0 Ga。微量元素和Nd同位素地球化学特征指示,角闪岩类原岩形成的构造环境为大陆初始裂谷环境。角闪岩类岩石中变质新生锆石的U-Pb年龄为2 043 Ma,指示黄陵地区存在第Ⅲ期(2.1～1.9 Ga)角闪岩相热变质事件,且该期热变质作用将松散的陆源碎屑岩等变质为孔兹岩系,从而构成早元古代结晶基底,并与晚太古代稳定陆块焊结在一起,最终完成整个黄陵结晶基底的形成。     

辽东半岛～2．2 Ga 岩浆事件及其地质意义

本文报道了辽东半岛古元古代胶—辽—吉活动带内辽河群变质火山岩和辽吉花岗岩的锆石LA-ICP-MS U-Pb年代学和地球化学数据。变质安山岩的锆石具典型的岩浆振荡环带结构和较高的Th/U值(0.5),锆石U-Pb年龄为(2 182±6)Ma和(2 229±22)Ma,该年龄可代表安山岩的形成年龄。辽吉花岗岩的锆石同样具有典型的岩浆振荡环带结构和较高的Th/U值(0.3),锆石U-Pb年龄为(2 199±10)Ma,代表花岗岩的侵位时代,在误差范围内与辽河群火山岩喷发时代一致,表明辽吉花岗岩并不是辽河群的基底,二者可能为同一次岩浆作用过程的产物。辽东半岛~2.2Ga岩浆事件的识别及性质,对于正确认识古元古代胶—辽—吉活动带的属性至关重要。结合前人有关辽东半岛前寒武纪岩石的研究成果,本文研究认为胶—辽—吉活动带的形成演化可能与弧-陆碰撞有关。     

Monazite geochronology and geochemistry of meta-sediments in the Narryer Gneiss Complex, Western Australia: constraints on the tectonothermal history and provenance

Mt. Narryer and Jack Hills meta-sedimentary rocks in the Narryer Gneiss Complex of the Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia are of particular importance because they yield Hadean detrital zircons. To better understand the tectonothermal history and provenance of these ancient sediments, we have integrated backscattered scanning electron images, in situ U–Pb isotopic and geochemical data for monazites from the meta-sediments. The data indicate multiple periods of metamorphic monazite growth in the Mt. Narryer meta-sediments during tectonothermal events, including metamorphism at ~3.3–3.2 and 2.7–2.6 Ga. These results set a new minimum age of 3.2 Ga for deposition of the Mt. Narryer sediments, previously constrained between 3.28 and ~2.7 Ga. Despite the significant metamorphic monazite growth, a relatively high proportion of detrital monazite survives in a Fe- and Mn-rich sample. This is likely because the high Fe and Mn bulk composition resulted in the efficient shielding of early formed monazite by garnet. In the Jack Hills meta-sediments, metamorphic monazite growth was minor, suggesting the absence of high-grade metamorphism in the sequence. The detrital monazites provide evidence for the derivation of Mt. Narryer sediments from ca. 3.6 and 3.3 Ga granites, likely corresponding to Meeberrie and Dugel granitic gneisses in the Narryer Gneiss Complex. No monazites older than 3.65 Ga have been identified, implying either that the source rocks of >3.65 Ga detrital zircons in the sediments contained little monazite, or that >3.65 Ga detrital minerals had experienced significant metamorphic events or prolonged sedimentary recycling, resulting in the complete dissolution or recrystallization of monazite.     

New evidence for ~ 4.45 Ga terrestrial crust from zircon xenocrysts in Ordovician ignimbrite in the North Qinling Orogenic Belt,China

Evidence for the earliest known terrestrial crust comes predominantly from Jack Hills in Western Australia, where hafnium isotopic results from > 3.8 Ga detrital zircons indicate crustal precursors as old as ~ 4.4–4.5 Ga. We present evidence from magmatic cores in > 3.9 Ga xenocrystic zircons from a felsic volcanic rock in the North Qinling Orogenic Belt, China, of similar Hf crustal model ages up to 4.45 Ga. These lie on the same Lu/Hf trajectory as the least disturbed Jack Hills and Apollo 14 zircons, therefore providing only the second example of the earliest known generation of continental crust on Earth. In addition, the rims of two zircon grains record later growth at 3.7 Ga and, when combined with the fact that the grains are incorporated in Paleozoic volcanic rocks, imply long-lived crustal residence within the basement of the North China Craton. These results therefore establish the wider distribution and survival of the most ancient crustal material on the Earth and highlight the possibility for the further discovery of ancient crustal remnants.     

Highly evolved Archean basement beneath the western Cathaysia Block, South China

How has the Earth’s continental crust evolved? Most of our knowledge comes from surface exposures, but zircon xenocrysts in volcanic rocks can provide samples of deeper crustal levels. The U-Pb and Hf-isotope systematics of xenocrystic zircons brought to the surface by the Cenozoic (48-49 Ma) Pingnan basaltic rocks and the Mesozoic (166 Ma) Pingle minettes in Guangxi Province (South China), suggest the presence of unexposed relict Archean basement beneath the western Cathaysia Block, where the oldest exposed rocks are Neoproterozoic-Phanerozoic in age. This basement has provided zircons with several distinct age populations: 3.85, 3.55, 3.3-3.2 and mainly 2.9-2.5 Ga. These have Hf depleted-mantle model ages (T_DM) of 2.5 to ?3.9 Ga. The oldest T_DM (∼3.9 Ga) shows the existence of Paleo- to Eoarchean components in this area. This relict basement experienced complex modification, including the addition of juvenile mantle material (with ε_Hf up to +12.7) at ca 3.6-3.2, 2.5, 1.0 and 0.5 Ga. The zircons also record thermal events that reworked (remelted) the older crustal components of the block at ca 2.0-1.8, 1.6-1.5 Ga and ∼80 Ma. Although these younger events have modified the Archean nature of the basement, it seems that they do not represent significant post-Archean crustal growth.     

SHRIMP U–Pb zircon dating of the Neoproterozoic Penglai Group and Archean gneisses from the Jiaobei Terrane, North China, and their tectonic implications

Archean basement gneisses and supracrustal rocks, together with Neoproterozoic (Sinian) metasedimentary rocks (the Penglai Group) occur in the Jiaobei Terrane at the southeastern margin of the North China Craton. SHRIMP U–Pb zircon dating of an Archean TTG gneiss gave an age of 2541 ± 5 Ma, whereas metasedimentary rocks from the Neoproterozoic Penglai Group yielded a range in zircon ages from 2.9 to 1.8 Ga. The zircons can be broadly divided into three age populations, at: 2.0–1.8 Ga, 2.45–2.1 Ga and >2.5 Ga. Detrital zircon grains with ages >2.6 Ga are few in number and there are none with ages <1.8 Ga. These results indicate that most of the detrital material comes from a Paleoproterozoic source, most likely from the Jianshan and Fenzishan groups, with some material coming from Archean gneisses in the Jiaobei Terrane. An age of 1866 ± 4 Ma for amphibolite-facies hornblende–plagioclase gneiss, forming part of a supracrustal sequence within the Archean TTG gneiss, indicates Late Paleoproterozoic metamorphism. Both the Archean gneiss complex and Penglai metasedimentary rocks resemble previously described components of the Jiao-Liao-Ji orogenic belt and suggest that the Jiaobei Terrane has a North China Craton affinity; they also suggest that the time of collision along the Jiao-Liao-Ji Belt was at 1865 Ma.     

Hindoli Group of Rocks in the Eastern Fringe of the Aravalli-Delhi Orogenic Belt-Archean Secondary Greenstone Belt or Proterozoic Supracrus tals?

The very low-grade metamorphic sequence of volcano-sedimentary rocks, sandwiched between the platform sediments of the Vindhyan Supergroup to the east and the Banded Gneissic Complex (BGC) to the west, in the eastern fringe of the Aravalli-Delhi orogenic belt, has remained a stratigraphic enigma in the Precambrian geology of Rajasthan. This sequence known earlier as the Gwalior ‘series’ and in contemporary literature as the Hindoli Group, has been considered by several workers as a Proterozoic supracrustal unit and by some others, as an Archean secondary greenstone belt, based purely on geological considerations. U-Pb zircon geochronology was conducted to find an answer to this controversy on samples of felsic volcanics, conformably intercalated with the Hindoli sediments and hence, considered contemporaneous with them. Zircons from a sample of massive rhyodacite gave a concordia age of 1854k7 Ma though zircons from a sample of felsic tuff gave a wide range of ages between 3259-1877 Ma. Careful consideration of the nature of the samples and their constituent zircons suggests that the Hindoli Group rocks represent a low-grade Proterozoic supracrustal cover sequence in the eastern part of the Bhilwara belt, broadly synchronous to the Aravalli-Bhilwara sedimentation around 1.8 Ga.     

Ophiolitic trondhjemites: a possible analogue for Hadean felsic 'crust'

It has been argued that >4.0 Ga detrital zircons preserved in sediments of the Jack Hills, western Australia, preserve evidence for a well‐developed continental crust on the Earth at 4.4–4.5 Ga ago. Here, it is shown that there are geochemical similarities between the Jack Hills zircons and the zircons found in trondhjemites in ophiolite sequences, suggesting that the Earth's first felsic crust may have formed in a manner analogous to modern ophiolitic trondhjemites. The trondhjemites of the Oman ophiolite were formed by the hydrous partial melting of the upper (hornblende) gabbros in the roof‐zone of an axial magma chamber. A similar hydrous melting of a mafic protolith may have operated during the Hadean, to create small volumes of felsic rocks within a dominantly mafic crust, obviating the need to postulate a felsic continental crust at 4.4–4.5 Ga.     

Constraints on the age of the Warrawoona Group, eastern Pilbara Block, Western Australia

Zircons from mafic and felsic volcanic rocks in the type area of the Warrawoona Group, the basal Archaean greenstone succession of the eastern Pilbara Block, have been dated precisely using the ion-microprobe SHRIMP. The results allow two alternative time-frames for the duration of the Warrawoona Group, dependent on how the dated zircons are considered to relate to the volcanic rocks. Our favoured interpretation requires a hiatus of 135±5 Ma between the Duffer Formation at 3.46 Ga and the overlying felsic volcanic rocks of the Wyman Formation, and a hydrothermal or later magmatic origin for zircons of age 3.33 Ga within one Duffer Formation sample and the underlying metabasalts. The alternative time-frame requires a short time for deposition of the entire Group, less than 15 Ma at 3.33 Ga, and a xenocrystic origin for the 3.46 Ga zircons of the Duffer Formation. Outside the type area of the Warrawoona Group, the age of an intrusive granodiorite requires that greenstones be older than 3.43 Ga and the Group formed over an interval of > 120 Ma.Visibly different zircons within one of the Duffer Formation samples were found to be Palaeozoic in age and presumably constitute hydrothermal growth of new zircon within the rock at low temperature. Similar zircons were found within samples from other rock units but with a spread of Proterozoic ages.     

Geochemistry and SHRIMP U‐Pb Zircon Dating of Mafic Rocks North of Zunhua City,Eastern Hebei,North China Craton: Paleoproterozoic Gabbro rather than Neoarchean Ophiolite

Abundant mafic-ultramafic blocks and dikes occur in the area north of Zunhua City, eastern Hebei Province, and were previously suggested to be part of a late Archean ophiolitic assemblage. We employed SHRIMP zircon dating and a geochemical study on these mafic and surrounding rocks to test the ophiolite hypothesis. The SHRIMP data suggest that three metagabbro samples were metamorphosed at ～1.8 Ga. Numerous ～2.5 Ga zircons display strong oscillatory zoning, characteristic of zircons from granitoid rocks but not from gabbro, so we suggest that these are xenocrystic grains. The age of these xenocrystic zircons and their metamorpbic rims suggests that these mafic blocks formed in Paleoproterozoic. The surrounding gneiss of intermediate composition also contains 2.5 Ga zircons with oscillatory zoning and 1.8 Ga metamorphic rims. Fractionated REE patterns and Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf negative anomalies to variable extent were observed in the mafic blocks and surrounding rocks, also supporting a significant difference in the chemistry of ophiolitic rocks. Our data suggest that many mafic blocks in northern Zunhua are not part of a late Archean ophiolite complex but part of a tectonically dismembered Paleoproterozoic intrusive gabbro complex. This study shows that late Paleoproterozoic metamorphism occurred in the western part of eastern Hebei Province.     

Ti-in-zircon thermometry: applications and limitations

The titanium concentrations of 484 zircons with U-Pb ages of ∼1 Ma to 4.4 Ga were measured by ion microprobe. Samples come from 45 different igneous rocks (365 zircons), as well as zircon megacrysts (84) from kimberlite, Early Archean detrital zircons (32), and zircon reference materials (3). Samples were chosen to represent a large range of igneous rock compositions. Most of the zircons contain less than 20 ppm Ti. Apparent temperatures for zircon crystallization were calculated using the Ti-in-zircon thermometer (Watson et al. 2006, Contrib Mineral Petrol 151:413–433) without making corrections for reduced oxide activities (e.g., TiO₂ or SiO₂), or variable pressure. Average apparent Ti-in-zircon temperatures range from 500° to 850°C, and are lower than either zircon saturation temperatures (for granitic rocks) or predicted crystallization temperatures of evolved melts (∼15% melt residue for mafic rocks). Temperatures average: 653 ± 124°C (2 standard deviations, 60 zircons) for felsic to intermediate igneous rocks, 758 ± 111°C (261 zircons) for mafic rocks, and 758 ± 98°C (84 zircons) for mantle megacrysts from kimberlite. Individually, the effects of reduced or , variable pressure, deviations from Henry’s Law, and subsolidus Ti exchange are insufficient to explain the seemingly low temperatures for zircon crystallization in igneous rocks. MELTs calculations show that mafic magmas can evolve to hydrous melts with significantly lower crystallization temperature for the last 10–15% melt residue than that of the main rock. While some magmatic zircons surely form in such late hydrous melts, low apparent temperatures are found in zircons that are included within phenocrysts or glass showing that those zircons are not from evolved residue melts. Intracrystalline variability in Ti concentration, in excess of analytical precision, is observed for nearly all zircons that were analyzed more than once. However, there is no systematic change in Ti content from core to rim, or correlation with zoning, age, U content, Th/U ratio, or concordance in U-Pb age. Thus, it is likely that other variables, in addition to temperature and , are important in controlling the Ti content of zircon. The Ti contents of igneous zircons from different rock types worldwide overlap significantly. However, on a more restricted regional scale, apparent Ti-in-zircon temperatures correlate with whole-rock SiO₂ and HfO₂ for plutonic rocks of the Sierra Nevada batholith, averaging 750°C at 50 wt.% SiO₂ and 600°C at 75 wt.%. Among felsic plutons in the Sierra, peraluminous granites average 610 ± 88°C, while metaluminous rocks average 694 ± 94°C. Detrital zircons from the Jack Hills, Western Australia with ages from 4.4 to 4.0 Ga have apparent temperatures of 717 ± 108°C, which are intermediate between values for felsic rocks and those for mafic rocks. Although some mafic zircons have higher Ti content, values for Early Archean detrital zircons from a proposed granitic provenance are similar to zircons from many mafic rocks, including anorthosites from the Adirondack Mts (709 ± 76°C). Furthermore, the Jack Hills zircon apparent Ti-temperatures are significantly higher than measured values for peraluminous granites (610 ± 88°C). Thus the Ti concentration in detrital zircons and apparent Ti-in-zircon temperatures are not sufficient to independently identify parent melt composition. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

辽东弓长岭—岫岩地区古元古界辽河群变沉积岩的物源及构造背景

辽东弓长岭—岫岩地区位于胶—辽—吉造山带东段,区内发育厚层古元古代变质沉积岩系,本文对这些变质沉积岩进行了岩相学和U-Pb年代学等方面的研究。岩相学特征显示这些岩石变质程度普遍偏低,多为绿片岩相变质条件,未发现高级特征变质矿物。岩石中主要矿物颗粒为石英,其中北辽河群碳酸盐矿物较为发育。根据辽东弓长岭-岫岩地区古元古代变沉积岩碎屑锆石阴极发光（CL）图像,这些锆石普遍具有清晰的振荡环带和较高的Th/U值（>0.3）,表明其原岩来自岩浆岩。结合LA-ICP-MS U-Pb年代学,得到里尔峪组、高家峪组、大石桥组和盖县组碎屑锆石分别呈现出2 159、2 500、2 189/2 530和2 044/2 197 Ma的年龄峰值,表明其沉积物来源于古元古代花岗质岩石和相邻的太古宙杂岩。结合前人资料,本文认为南、北辽河岩群形成于相同的环境并经历了相同的构造演化过程,古元古代弧-陆碰撞模式可能更适用于胶—辽—吉造山带的构造演化。     

U-Pb and Lu-Hf isotope record of detrital zircon grains from the Limpopo Belt - Evidence for crustal recycling at the Hadean to early-Archean transition

Detrital zircon grains from Beit Bridge Group quartzite from the Central Zone of the Limpopo Belt near Musina yield mostly ages of 3.35-3.15 Ga, minor 3.15-2.51 Ga components, and numerous older grains grouped at approximately 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6 Ga. Two grains yielded concordant Late Hadean U-Pb ages of 3881 ± 11 Ma and 3909 ± 26 Ma, which are the oldest zircon grains so far found in Africa. The combined U-Pb and Lu-Hf datasets and field relationships provide evidence that the sedimentary protolith of the Beit Bridge Group quartzite was deposited after the emplacement of the Sand River Gneisses (3.35-3.15 Ga), but prior to the Neoarchean magmatic-metamorphic events at 2.65-2.60 Ga. The finding of abundant magmatic zircon detritus with concordant U-Pb ages of 3.35-3.15 Ga, and ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf of 0.28066 ± 0.00004 indicate that the Sand River Gneiss-type rocks were a predominant source. In contrast, detrital zircon grains older than approximately 3.35 Ga were derived from the hinterland of the Limpopo Belt; either from a so far unknown crustal source in southern Africa, possibly from the Zimbabwe Craton and/or a source, which was similar but not necessarily identical to the one that supplied the Hadean zircons to Jack Hills, Western Australia. The Beit Bridge Group zircon population at >3.35 Ga shows a general εHf_t increase with decreasing age from εHf_3.9Ga = −6.3 to εHf_3.3-3.1Ga = −0.2, indicating that Hadean crust older than 4.0 Ga (T_DM = 4.45-4.36 Ga) was rejuvenated during magmatic events between >3.9 and 3.1 Ga, due to a successive mixing of crustal rocks with mantle derived magmas. The existence of a depleted mantle reservoir in the Limpopo’s hinterland is reflected by the ∼3.6 Ga zircon population, which shows εHf_3.6Ga between −4.6 and +3.2. In a global context, our data suggest that a long-lived, mafic Hadean protocrust with some tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite constituents was destroyed and partly recycled at the Hadean/Archean transition, perhaps due to the onset of modern-style plate tectonics.     

Age relationships in supracrustal sequences of the northern part of the Murchison Terrane,Archaean Yilgarn Craton,Western Australia: A combined field and zircon U–Pb study

Mapping carried out in the northern Murchison Terrane of the Archaean Yilgarn Craton, Western Australia, shows that correlation of units between isolated greenstone belts is very difficult and an informal stratigraphic subdivision is proposed where the greenstone sequences have been divided into a number of assemblages. The assemblages may not necessarily be time equivalent throughout the region. The lower units (Assemblages 1–3) consist of ultramafic, mafic and intermediate volcanic rocks deposited without significant breaks in volcanism. Felsic volcanic packages (Assemblage 4) are conformable with underlying units, but are spatially restricted. Discordant units of graphitic sedimentary rocks are developed along major crustal structures (Assemblage 5). SHRIMP and conventional U–Pb study of zircons reveal that felsic volcanic rocks of Assemblage 4 in the Dalgaranga Greenstone Belt were emplaced at 2747 ± 5 Ma, whereas those in the adjacent Meekatharra — Mt Magnet Greenstone Belt range in age from 2762 ± 6 to 2716 ± 4 Ma. The age of emplacement of a differentiated gabbro sill in the Dalgaranga Greenstone Belt at 2719 ± 6 Ma places a maximum age on major folding in the belt. The presence of 2.9–3.0 Ga inherited zircons in some of the felsic volcanic rocks indicates contamination with, or reworking of, underlying 3 Ga sialic crust. This distinguishes the Murchison Terrane from the central parts of the Eastern Goldfields terranes to the south, where there is no evidence for a 3 Ga imprint in zircons from volcanic or granitic rocks, and also from the Narryer Gneiss Terrane to the north and west, which is composed of older gneisses and granitoids. The ca 2.76–2.71 Ga felsic volcanism in the Murchison Terrane is significantly older than 2.71–2.67 Ga felsic volcanism in the Eastern Goldfields lending support to models advocating assemblage of the craton by terrane accretion.     

前寒武纪重大地质事件

本文概括性地阐述我国前寒武纪冥古宙、太古宙、元古宙三大地史阶段的重大地质事件,粗略勾绘前寒武纪地球演化的轨迹,期望了解我国与全球变化的异同,进一步突出我国前寒武纪三大地史阶段中新太古代超级地质事件及元古宙时期中国大陆块体对哥伦比亚及罗迪尼亚两个超大陆形成与破裂的地质响应。冥古宙是地球最早期的地史阶段,从太阳系形成的4 567 Ma至地球上最老的4 030 Ma的Acasta片麻杂岩。碎屑锆石保存最好的地点是西澳的Mt. Narryer和Jack Hills。目前在中国大陆至少有7个地点发现具有罕见的约4.0 Ga的碎屑锆石,这些地点并不位于克拉通区,而是赋存于造山系新元古代至古生代以碎屑岩为主的地层中。太古宙(4 030~2 420 Ma)定义为从最古老的岩石出现(4 030 Ma Acasta片麻岩)至冰碛层首次广泛分布的寒冷期之间的一段地史。最古老的岩石为英云闪长片麻岩,构成加拿大西北斯拉夫克拉通4.03~3.94 Ga Acasta片麻岩的一部分。西南格陵兰Isua带保存全球有最老的表壳岩,形成于3 810 Ma。太古宙最重大的地质事件莫过于2 780~2 420 Ma时期的新太古代超级事件。值得指出的是华北克拉通最古老、也是中国最古老的岩石出露在中国辽宁鞍山地区,约3.80 Ga英云闪长岩奧长花岗质片麻岩和3.30 Ga的表壳岩已被识别。华北克拉通太古宙有与世界各地太古宙相似的演化历史和特点,包括花岗岩绿岩带及高级变质片麻岩带、广泛的英云闪长岩奧长花岗岩花岗闪长岩(TTG)片麻岩、古陆壳的出露(略老于3.8 Ga)、广泛分布的BIF等。我国太古宙花岗岩绿岩带虽然在华北克拉通分布较广,但与南非、格陵兰、加拿大、西澳等地经典的花岗岩绿岩带相比,时代偏新,仅以新太古代为主,规模偏小,缺少大面积分布的科马提岩,且变质程度偏高,主要为角闪岩相麻粒岩相变质。演化到元古宙(2 420~541 Ma),则进入成熟的、较冷的、刚性程度较高的地球,以现代样式板块构造、超大陆旋回和更复杂的疑源类(eukaryotic)生命的发育为特征。这种变化大致出现在2 420 Ma左右,与哈默斯利型BIF的消失及地史中首次广泛出现的冰川沉积物年代相近。古元古代早期十分重要的“休伦冰川事件”、指示大氧化事件的古老红层在我国尚未被发现,与Lomagundi Jatuli (LJE) δ13C的同位素漂移有关的关门山组古元古代沉积地层的同位素年代学依据不足;古元古代磷矿和具有巨大石油潜力的2.01 Ga Shunga事件也未能鉴别。但中国最大特色是发育了与哥伦比亚和罗迪尼亚超大陆汇聚与裂解有关的良好地质记录,特别是华北克拉通保存了古元古代与哥伦比亚超大陆汇聚有关的超高温、高压麻粒岩等变质及岩浆事件,1 780 Ma以后的中元古代又保存了与哥伦比亚超大陆裂解有关的裂谷沉积及岩浆活动;而在扬子和塔里木陆块区则保存了与新元古代早期与罗迪尼亚超大陆汇聚有关的蛇绿岩、混杂岩、洋内弧、俯冲增生杂岩及大陆边缘弧,在约800 Ma以后则发育了与罗迪尼亚超大陆裂解有关的沉积及岩浆活动的地质记录,为中国和全球地质学者研究这一时期地球系统变化和成矿作用提供了客观的野外实验室和良好的范例。     

U-Pb zircon dating of mafic dykes and its application to the Proterozoic geological history of the Vestfold Hills,East Antarctica

The Vestfold Hills, one of several Archaean cratonic blocks within the East Antarctic Shield, comprises a high-grade metamorphic basement complex intruded by at least nine generations of Early to Middle Proterozoic mafic dykes. Extensive U-Pb ion microprobe (SHRIMP) analyses of zircons, derived predominantly from late-stage felsic differentiates of the mafic dykes, provide precise crystallisation ages for several dyke generations. These new ages enable constraints to be placed on both the history of mafic magmatism in the Vestfold Hills and the timing of the various interspersed Proterozoic deformation events. In addition to demonstrating the utility of zircons derived from felsic late-stage differentiates for the dating of co-genetic mafic dykes, this study also places doubt on previous wholerock Rb-Sr dating of mafic dyke suites in this and other areas of East Antarctica. The ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb zircon ages of 2241±4 Ma and 2238±7 Ma for the Homogeneous and Mottled Norites, respectively, provide a younger emplacement age for associated group 2 High-Mg tholeiite dykes than the whole-rock Rb-Sr date (2424±72 Ma) originally interpreted as the age of all high-Mg intrusives in the Vestfold Hills. Zircon ages of 1754±16 Ma and 1832±72 Ma confirm the previously defined Rb-Sr age of the group 2 Fe-rich tholeiites. Two later dyke generations, the group 3 and 4 Fe-rich tholeiites, are distinguished on the basis of field orientations and cross-cutting relationships, and yield zircon emplacement ages of 1380±7 Ma and 1241±5 Ma which also define minimum ages for two suites of lamprophyre dykes. Xenocrystic zircons within both felsic segregations and mafic dykes yield zircon ages of 2478±5 Ma to 2740 Ma, indicating the presence of Archaean crustal source rocks of this antiquity beneath the Vestfold Hills.