Carbon and oxygen-isotope stratigraphy of the Early Cretaceous carbonate platform of Pădurea Craiului (Apuseni Mountains,Romania): A chemostratigraphic correlation and paleoenvironmental tool

Stable C and O isotope records were obtained from carbonate rocks spanning the Hauterivian to Cenomanian interval collected in several sections from the carbonate platform of Pădurea Craiului (Apuseni Mountains, Romania). In the absence of some key biostratigraphic marker species, stable isotopes were applied as a tool for stratigraphic correlation and dating. The composite δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O curves for the Early Cretaceous shows variable conditions with large positive and negative excursions and provide information on past environmental changes. The Hauterivian and the Barremian limestones (Blid Formation) display lower δ¹³C values (−2.8‰ to +2.9‰) relative to the Aptian–Albian deposits (−2.6‰ to +5.4‰) (Ecleja, Valea Măgurii and Vârciorog Formations). The red detrital formation (Albian–Cenomanian) is characterized by a highly variable distribution of the δ¹³C values (−3.5‰ to +3.9‰). Based on the similarities between the C-isotope curve established in Pădurea Craiului and from other sections in the Tethyan and the Pacific regions, two major oceanic anoxic events characterized by δ¹³C positive excursions were clearly recognized. The first is the OAE1a event (Early Aptian) in the upper part of the Ecleja Formation and the Valea Măgurii Formation. The second is the OAE1b event (Late Aptian–Albian) in the upper part of the Vârciorog Formation and in the Subpiatră Member. The position of the Aptian/Albian boundary is estimated to be at the upper part of the Vârciorog Formation, immediately after the beginning of the δ¹³C positive excursion. The δ¹³C data show major negative excursions during the Barremian (Blid Formation), Early Aptian (Ecleja Formation), and Late Aptian (Vârciorog Formation). The O isotope variation pattern (−10.2‰ to −2.1‰) is consistent with progressively warming temperatures during the Early Barremian followed by a cooling period. A subsequent warming period culminated in the Early Aptian. A significant cooling phase corresponds to the Late Aptian and Early Albian and the climate cooled again during the Late Albian and into the Early Cenomanian stage. The data provide a better understanding of the Early Cretaceous sedimentation cycles in Pădurea Craiului and create a more reliable framework for regional correlations.     

Stratigraphic framework and calcareous nannofossil productivity of the Essaouira-Agadir Basin (Morocco) during the Aptian–Early Albian: Comparison with the north-Tethyan margin

In the southern Tethyan margin, the Essaouira-Agadir Basin (EAB), south of Morocco, exhibits well-exposed and fossiliferous sections of Aptian–Albian age. Biostratigraphy by ammonoids and sedimentological analysis have been realized for five sections located along an E-W transect in the EAB. The studied successions were dated from the latest Early Aptian to the Early Albian and are characterized by five major sedimentary discontinuities defining at least four main sedimentary sequences. The Late Aptian–Early Albian succession can be considered a gently westward-dipping ramp, marked by a deepening upward evolution. A quantitative study of calcareous nannofossils and calcium carbonate content has been performed on three of these sections. At this time, the EAB was located in the tropical-equatorial hot arid belt. The decrease in both calcium carbonate content and Nannoconus abundances at the Aptian–Albian transition could be the result of cooler climatic conditions recognized in the EAB, and/or of the associated increasing terrigenous input and nutrients, which hindered carbonate production. In the EAB, the nannofossil productivity is higher below the deposition of dark levels, which are coeval with the Niveau Paquier, recognized as the expression in southern France of the OAE 1b (Early Albian). During the Early Albian, the EAB was characterized by nannofossil fluxes two times lower than the upwelling-influenced Mazagan Plateau (southern Tethyan margin) and eight times lower than the Vocontian Basin (northern Tethyan margin). These results show that, with respect to the northern Tethyan margin, trophic conditions in sea surface waters of the pelagic realm of the southern Tethyan margin were lower. Comparable results obtained by Heldt et al. in the neritic realm of the southern Tethyan margin have been ascribed to more arid climatic conditions.     

Deep incision in an Aptian carbonate succession indicates major sea‐level fall in the Cretaceous

Long‐term relative sea‐level cycles (0·5 to 6 Myr) have yet to be fully understood for the Cretaceous. During the Aptian, in the northern Maestrat Basin (Eastern Iberian Peninsula), fault‐controlled subsidence created depositional space, but eustasy governed changes in depositional trends. Relative sea‐level history was reconstructed by sequence stratigraphic analysis. Two forced regressive stages of relative sea‐level were recognized within three depositional sequences. The first stage is late Early Aptian age (intra Dufrenoyia furcata Zone) and is characterized by foreshore to upper shoreface sedimentary wedges, which occur detached from a highstand carbonate platform, and were deposited above basin marls. The amplitude of relative sea‐level drop was in the order of tens of metres, with a duration of <1 Myr. The second stage of relative sea‐level fall occurred within the Late Aptian and is recorded by an incised valley that, when restored to its pre‐contractional attitude, was >2 km wide and cut ≥115 m down into the underlying Aptian succession. With the subsequent transgression, the incision was backfilled with peritidal to shallow subtidal deposits. The changes in depositional trends, lithofacies evolution and geometric relation of the stratigraphic units characterized are similar to those observed in coeval rocks within the Maestrat Basin, as well as in other correlative basins elsewhere. The pace and magnitude of the two relative sea‐level drops identified fall within the glacio‐eustatic domain. In the Maestrat Basin, terrestrial palynological studies provide evidence that the late Early and Late Aptian climate was cooler than the earliest part of the Early Aptian and the Albian Stage, which were characterized by warmer environmental conditions. The outcrops documented here are significant because they preserve the results of Aptian long‐term sea‐level trends that are often only recognizable on larger scales (i.e. seismic), such as for the Arabian Plate.     

Coastal sediments from the Algarve: low-latitude climate archive for the Aptian-Albian

The Late Aptian to Early Albian transition has previously been identified as a possible example of substantial climate cooling within the mid-Cretaceous greenhouse period. To study the response of continental weathering and terrestrial vegetation to this cooling episode at low- to mid-latitudes, marine nearshore deposits from the Algarve Basin (SW Portugal) have been investigated with a combined approach including palynology, clay mineralogy and bulk-rock geochemistry. In the Lower Aptian part of the succession, quartz-rich sandstone facies is accompanied by high abundances of early diagenetic kaolinite, which is interpreted to reflect episodes of enhanced humidity and high meteoric flow-through. In contrast, the Late Aptian to Early Albian deposits are characterized by high abundances of detrital clay minerals (mica and chlorite) indicating the dominance of physical weathering processes in the source area, most probably related to low precipitation rates in conjunction with tectonically enhanced erosion. Palynological data show a strong dominance of Classopollis pollen associated with low pteridophyte spore abundances, suggesting warm semi-arid to arid palaeoenvironments. Changes in sedimentation patterns from varicoloured lagoonal marls to thick-bedded shallow-water carbonates are neither expressed in the spore-pollen assemblages nor in the distributions of clay minerals which both remain essentially stable throughout the Late Aptian to Early Albian. These relatively stable patterns are in contrast with various lines of evidence, predominantly from high-latitude areas, that suggest a significant cooling during this time interval. Our study demonstrates that terrestrial environments of low- to mid-latitude regions were not significantly affected by the Late Aptian - Early Albian “cold snap”.     

Aptian and Albian atmospheric CO2 changes during oceanic anoxic events: Evidence from fossil Ginkgo cuticles in Jilin Province,Northeast China

The Early Cretaceous was a time with super-greenhouse conditions and episodic global oceanic anoxic events. However, relative timing of atmospheric CO₂ emissions and oceanic anoxic events, and their causal relationships remain matters of debate. Using the stomatal index approach, well-preserved fossil cuticles of Ginkgo from the Lower Cretaceous Changcai Formation, eastern Jilin, and from the Lower Cretaceous Yingcheng Formation, central Jilin, Northeast China, were investigated to reconstruct atmospheric CO₂ concentrations during the Aptian and earliest Albian (Early Cretaceous). The results indicate that the CO₂ concentrations reached 1098–1142 ppmv (Carboniferous standardization) or 970–1305 ppmv (regression function) during the Aptian and earliest Albian. Our estimates of palaeoatmospheric CO₂ concentrations during the earliest Albian (OAE 1b) are slightly higher than the data between the early Aptian Selli (OAE 1a) and the middle Aptian Fallot OAEs; this may indicate the absence of any great emissions of CO₂ during the latest Aptian and earliest Albian.     

The palynology and geology of the Lower Cretaceous (Aptian–Albian) of Munday’s Hill Quarry,Bedfordshire, UK

Early Cretaceous sediments of Aptian–Albian age outcrop at Munday’s Hill Quarry, Bedfordshire, England. Previous papers describing the section have resulted in different terminologies being applied. The Lower Cretaceous in Bedfordshire is represented by sediments belonging to the Lower Greensand Group and the Gault Clay Formation. Within the Lower Greensand Group in the study area the Woburn Sands Formation, are of Aptian–Albian age. Selected samples have been analysed for palynology. The analysis reveals diverse palynomorph assemblages, including well-preserved dinoflagellate cysts and sporomorphs. Comparison of the assemblages with published records indicates that the lower samples are of Late Aptian age. Forms recorded include common Kiokansium unituberculatum, Cerbia tabulata, Aptea polymorpha and Cyclonephelium inconspicuum. An Early Albian age is indicated for the uppermost sample.     

L'accident du Toulourenc : une limite tectonique entre la plate-forme provençale et le Bassin vocontien à l'Aptien–Albien (SE France)

The WNW–ESE trending Toulourenc Fault Zone (TFZ) is the western segment of the major Ventoux–Lure Fault Zone, which separates the Provençal platform from the Baronnies Vocontian Basin. The TFZ was subject to polyphased Mid-Cretaceous movements, during the Early Aptian and Middle–Late Albian times. The latter faulting episode generated conglomerates and olistoliths resulting from dismantled faultscarps cutting Barremian–Bedoulian limestones. The deformation is related to compressional wrench faulting (NE–SW sinistral faults; dextral component for the TFZ). It induced the uplift of the northwestern corner of the platform, as indicated by a mid-Cretaceous hiatus (Early Aptian pro parte to Early Albian) narrowly delimited in space. The opening of submeridian grabens within the platform favoured the northward transit of channelised coarse-grained Albian sands originating from a southern area. To cite this article: C. Montenat et al., C. R. Geoscience 336 (2004).     

Carbonate microfacies and chemostratigraphy of a late Aptian–early Albian marine distal section from the primitive South Atlantic (SE Brazilian continental margin): Record of global ocean-climate changes?

Late Aptian–early Albian limestones from the eastern Brazilian continental margin record the early evolution of the South Atlantic Ocean. In Tethyan and North Atlantic domains, a planktic foraminiferal turnover and organic-rich deposits related to Oceanic Anoxic Event 1b (OAE 1b) point to major ocean-climate changes through this interval. Coeval organic-rich deposits of the South Atlantic Ocean have been interpreted as the product of restricted circulation rather than attributed to a global event. However, previous investigations of the early marine phase of South Atlantic lack data from more distal facies, making correlations to global events difficult. Here, we present C, O, and Sr isotopes, elemental geochemistry, TOC and pyrolysis data, as well as a microfacies analysis of an upper Aptian–lower Albian distal section from the Campos Basin (southeastern Brazil). Our focus is on the paleoenvironmental characterization of and the possible association between organic-rich deposits and major perturbations related to Aptian–Albian transition. Five microfacies associations (MA) were identified in the informal units I and III, which were deposited in the neritic region on a carbonate ramp. Organic-rich deposits were described in unit III, composed of planktic-dominated wackestones interbedded with black shales, in a distal dysoxic to anoxic environment. The carbonates ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios showed a drastic increase (0.7072–0.7074), interpreted as enhanced chemical weathering, supported by the increase of continental input to the top of section. This trend was accompanied by a long-term δ¹³C_carb negative excursion, which were assigned to the latest late Aptian–early Albian interval of the isotope reference curves, in accordance with the described occurrence of Colomiella recta. This scenario matches those proposed for the late Aptian–early Albian transition and OAE 1b set, as an enhanced greenhouse stage, pointing to the influence of the referred ocean-climate changes on the deposition of organic-rich deposits of the early South Atlantic Ocean. This investigation gives more evidences that these perturbations were a widespread event, as a product of broad-scale disturbances in the global carbon cycle which also controlled organic deposition and preservation on restricted settings.     

Re-evaluation of the phylogeny of Early Cretaceous planktonic foraminifera (Praehedbergellidae)

Tunisia, Ukraine, Russia, the North Sea area and elsewhere have yielded knowledge that the Early Cretaceous planktonic foraminifera are predominantly members of the Praehedbergellidae. The taxonomy and phylogeny of this family have been revised and refined. New generic and specific taxa have been proposed, new phylogenetic lineages have been described, and many type specimens have been imaged by scanning electron microscopy for the first time.Gorbachikella(Hauterivian–Early Aptian) gave rise toPraehedbergella(Late Hauterivian–Late Aptian), evolvingBlefuscuiana,Lilliputianella, and the planospiralBlowiellain the Barremian. The last gave rise toGlobigerinelloidesin the Aptian, from which the macroperforateAlanlordella(and its descendantPlanomalina) evolved in the Albian.Blowiellawas ancestral to taxa with radially elongated chambers (Claviblowiella, Leupoldina, Schackoina).     

Large-scale slope failure involving Triassic and Middle Miocene salt and shale in the Gulf of Cádiz (Atlantic Iberian Margin)

Sheets of salt and ductile shale advancing beyond the thrust front of the Gibraltar Arc (Iberian–Moroccan Atlantic continental margin) triggered downslope movements of huge allochthonous masses. These allochthons represent the Cádiz Nappe, which detached from the Gibraltar Arc along low‐angle normal faults and migrated downslope from the Iberian and Moroccan continental margins towards the Atlantic Ocean. Extensional tectonics initiated upslope salt withdrawal and downslope diapirism during large‐scale westward mass wasting from the shelf and upper slope. Low‐angle salt and shale detachments bound by lateral ramps link extensional structures in the shelf to folding, thrusting and sheets of salt and shale in the Gulf of Cádiz. From backstripping analyses carried out on the depocentres of the growth‐fault‐related basins on the shelf, we infer two episodes of rapid subsidence related to extensional collapses; these were from Late Tortonian to Late Messinian (200–400 m Myr^?1) and from Early Pliocene to Late Pliocene (100–150 m Myr^?1). The extensional events that induced salt movements also affected basement deformation and were, probably, associated with the westward advance of frontal thrusts of the Gibraltar Arc as a result of the convergence between Africa and Eurasia. The complexities of salt and/or shale tectonics in the Gulf of Cádiz result from a combination of the deformations seen at convergent and passive continental margins.     

Cretaceous slab break-off in the Pyrenees: Iberian plate kinematics in paleomagnetic and mantle reference frames

The Pyrenees at the Iberia–Europe collision zone contain sediments showing Albian–Cenomanian high-temperature metamorphism, and coeval alkaline magmatic rocks. Stemming from different views on Jurassic–Cretaceous Iberian microplate kinematics, two schools of thought exist on the trigger of this thermal pulse: one invoking hyperextension of the Iberian and Eurasian margins, the other suggesting slab break-off. Competing scenarios for Mesozoic Iberian motion compatible with Pyrenean geology, comprise (1) transtensional eastward motion of Iberia versus Eurasia, or (2) strike-slip motion followed by orthogonal extension, both favoring hyperextension-related heating, and (3) scissor-style opening of the Bay of Biscay coupled with subduction in the Pyrenean realm, favoring the slab break-off hypothesis. We test these kinematic scenarios for Iberia against a newly compiled paleomagnetic dataset and conclude that the scissor-type scenario is the only one consistent with a well-defined ~ 35° counterclockwise rotation of Iberia during the Early Aptian. We proceed to show that when taking absolute plate motions into account, Aptian oceanic subduction in the Pyrenees followed by Late Aptian–Early Albian slab break-off should leave a slab remnant in the present-day mid-mantle below NW Africa. Mantle tomography shows the Reggane anomaly that matches the predicted position and dimension of such a slab remnant between 1900 and 1500 km depth below southern Algeria. Mantle tomography is therefore consistent with the scissor-type opening of the Bay of Biscay coupled with subduction in the Pyrenean realm. Slab break-off may thus explain high-temperature metamorphism and alkaline magmatism during the Albian–Cenomanian in the Pyrenees, whereas hyperextension that exhumed Pyrenean mantle bodies occurred much earlier, in the Jurassic.     

Le Bassin lusitanien (Portugal) à l'Aptien supérieur–Albien : organisation séquentielle,proposition de corrélations, évolutionThe Lusitanian Basin (Portugal) during the late Aptian–Albian: sequential arrangement,proposal of correlations,evolution

. Three transgressive–regressive 2nd-order cycles were identified in the Upper Aptian–Albian fluvial and marine deposits of the Lusitanian Basin. Its widespread nature, probably including eustatic origin, allows correlation between the southern package, with precise stratigraphic positioning, and the northern series with a poorly constrained age. The main unconformities can be related to the onset of an oceanic crust, in the western margin of Galicia during the Late Aptian, in the bay of Biscay during the Early Albian, and, to the northwest of the Galicia triple point, during the Middle to Late Albian transition, and, at the Albian–Cenomanian boundary, to a probable compressive event with Africa due to the rotation of Iberia. To cite this article: J. Dinis et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 757–764.     

赤道几内亚里奥穆尼盆地石油地质特征及勘探方向

位于赤道几内亚的里奥穆尼盆地是裂谷盆地与被动大陆边缘盆地叠加的中-新生代复合型含油气盆地.盆地的构造演化经历了裂谷期、过渡期和漂移期三个阶段.盆地地层以过渡期盐岩层为界,盐下为裂谷期层序,盐上为漂移期层序.盆地生储盖组合可以划分为上、中、下三套,中组合最为有利.盐下裂谷期圈闭类型以断块圈闭和背斜圈闭为主,盐上漂移期以盐...     

Distribution and facies patterns of Lower Cretaceous sediments in northern Germany: a review

Marine sediments of Early Cretaceous age (Berriasian–Albian) have a widespread distribution in the Lower Saxony Basin of northern Germany. This basin, which is about 400 km long and 100 km wide, formed the southernmost extension of the North Sea Basin. Sediments attaining a maximum thickness of up to several hundred metres are represented by shallow marine siliciclastics in the west, south and easternmost part of the basin. These interfinger with the basin facies represented by dark mudstones up to 2000 m thick. The distribution and facies patterns of the sediments as well as thicknesses are related to three factors: differential subsidence, local tectonics and sea-level changes. For various parts of the basin and certain stratigraphic intervals it is possible to distinguish between these causes. Sedimentary thicknesses are clearly a result of differential subsidence from Kimmeridgian to Albian times onwards, being controlled by tectonic movements along northwest–southeast trending faults. These result in an asymmetric trough, bound to the north and south by synsedimentary faults with sedimentation rates highest in the north. Local tectonics are clearly caused by salt diapirs mainly in the eastern part of the basin and along the western, southern and eastern margins. These areas in particular include parts of the western Emsland and the Salzgitter area. Sedimentary patterns vary considerably over less than a kilometre, showing an extreme range of different lithologies. This is ideally observed in the Salzgitter area. Sea-level changes finally are reflected by widespread facies patterns and particularly by fossils of different provenance. The following sea-level-related events can be followed throughout the basin: the Wealden regressive phase, the Early Valanginian transgression, the early Late Valanginian transgression, the mid Hauterivian transgression, the Barremian regression, deposition of the Early Aptian anoxic sediments, and accumulation of the mid Albian hemipelagic marls.     

Oscillatory zoning in eclogitic garnet and amphibole,Northern Serpentinite Melange,Cuba: a record of tectonic instability during subduction?

Exotic blocks of eclogite from distant localities along the Northern Serpentinite Melange of Cuba have comparable P–T histories that include high‐pressure prograde sections (450–600 °C, >15 kbar) associated with subduction of oceanic lithosphere, and retrograde sections within the albite–epidote amphibolite facies (<500 °C, <10 kbar) related to melange uplift. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and Rb/Sr cooling ages (118–103 Ma) of one of the blocks indicate pre‐Aptian subduction and Aptian–Albian uplift. Detailed X‐ray imaging and profiling further reveals that minerals in these eclogite blocks (notably garnet and amphibole) display subtle but well defined oscillatory zoning that developed along the prograde trajectory of the rocks, previous to attainment of peak eclogitic conditions. The chemistry (e.g. coupled changes of Mg# and Mn in garnet, and of Si, Ti, Al and Na in amphibole) and geometry (euhedral to anhedral shapes) of the oscillations can be interpreted in terms of subtle fluctuations in P–T during the general prograde subduction‐related metamorphic path. A (near‐) equilibrium model is presented for the formation of oscillations at near peak conditions by means of recurrent dissolution‐growth reaction processes. This model for near‐peak conditions, and the chemical signatures of earlier oscillations (notably in amphibole), suggest that episodes of retrogression (upward movement?) affected parts of the subducting slab. It is proposed that these retrograde episodes record the tectonic rupture of the subducting slab and, probably, of the upper plate mantle, either due to the intrinsic dynamic behaviour of subduction systems or to the effects of the plate‐tectonic rearrangement of the Caribbean region during the Early Cretaceous.     

Palynostratigraphy and paleoenvironmental significance of the Cretaceous succession in the Gebel Rissu-1 well,north Western Desert,Egypt

Palynological investigation of the Cretaceous Abu Roash, Bahariya, Kharita, Alamein, Alam El Bueib and Betty formations, encountered in the Gebel Rissu-1 well, north Western Desert, Egypt yielded 27 species of pteridophytic spores, 24 of gymnosperm pollen, 25 of angiosperm pollen and 11 of dinoflagellate cysts in addition to some acritarchs, foraminiferal test linings and freshwater algae. This enabled us to recognize five miospore biozones arranged from youngest to oldest as: Classopollis brasiliensis–Afropollis cf. kahramanensis–Dichastopollenites ghazalataensis Assemblage Zone (Late Cenomanian); Elaterosporites klaszii–Sofrepites legouxae–Afropollis jardinus Assemblage Zone (Middle/Late Albian–Early Cenomanian); Pennipollis peroreticulatus–Duplexisporites generalis-Tricolpates Assemblage Zone (Early Aptian–Early Albian); Tucanopollis crisopolensis–Afropollis sp. Assemblage Zone (Barremian) and Appendicisporites cf. tricornitatus–Ephedripites spp. Assemblage Zone (Late Neocomian).The Early Cretaceous Kharita, Alam El Bueib and the Betty formations encountered in the Gebel Rissu-1 well are interpreted to indicate oxic proximal and distal shelf deposits, characterized by type III/IV, V kerogen, which is gas prone but having little potential to produce hydrocarbons. The Upper Cretaceous Abu Roash and Bahariya formations are characterized by a distal suboxic–anoxic and marginal dysoxic–anoxic environment, and their kerogen type III/II indicates gas/oil prone nature. The Bahariya and Kharita Albian–Cenomanian sediments in the present study witnessed the onset of a semi-arid to arid climate, with local or seasonal humid conditions, based on the continuous high abundance of the elaterates pollen and Afropollis-producing plants that inhabited the paleotropical humid coastal plains.     

Geodynamic significance of spasmodic, cretaceous, rapid subsidence rates, continental shelf U.S.A.

Subsurface Cretaceous shallow-water sedimentary rocks of the exposed continental shelf between New York and southern Florida provide evidence of two periods of relatively high sedimentation and subsidence rates. North and south of the Cape Fear and Peninsula Arches, Late Aptian to Early Albian rates range from 50 to over 150 meters/ million years; in Coniacian/Santonian time, rates exceeding 30 meters/million years occur sporadically, even across the area of the Arches. A common, global phenomenon that affected both cratons and continental shelves is believed to have caused these periods of relatively rapid basin subsidence and consequent rapid sediment accumulation.     

SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating from Sulu-Dabie dolomitic marble, eastern China: constraints on prograde, ultrahigh-pressure and retrograde metamorphic ages

Laser Raman spectroscopy and cathodoluminescence (CL) images show that zircon from Sulu‐Dabie dolomitic marbles is characterized by distinctive domains of inherited (detrital), prograde, ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) and retrograde metamorphic growths. The inherited zircon domains are dark‐luminescent in CL images and contain mineral inclusions of Qtz + Cal + Ap. The prograde metamorphic domains are white‐luminescent in CL images and preserve a quartz eclogite facies assemblage of Qtz + Dol + Grt + Omp + Phe + Ap, formed at 542–693 °C and 1.8–2.1 GPa. In contrast, the UHP metamorphic domains are grey‐luminescent in CL images, retain the UHP assemblage of Coe + Grt + Omp + Arg + Mgs + Ap, and record UHP conditions of 739–866 °C and >5.5 GPa. The outermost retrograde rims have dark‐luminescent CL images, and contain low‐P minerals such as calcite, related to the regional amphibolite facies retrogression. Laser ablation ICP‐MS trace‐element data show striking difference between the inherited cores of mostly magmatic origin and zircon domains grown in response to prograde, UHP and retrograde metamorphism. SHRIMP U‐Pb dating on these zoned zircon identified four discrete ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U age groups: 1823–503 Ma is recorded in the inherited (detrital) zircon derived from various Proterozoic protoliths, the prograde domains record the quartz eclogite facies metamorphism at 254–239 Ma, the UHP growth domains occurred at 238–230 Ma, and the late amphibolite facies retrogressive overprint in the outermost rims was restricted to 218–206 Ma. Thus, Proterozoic continental materials of the Yangtze craton were subducted to 55–60 km depth during the Early Triassic and recrystallized at quartz eclogite facies conditions. Then these metamorphic rocks were further subducted to depths of 165–175 km in the Middle Triassic and experienced UHP metamorphism, and finally these UHP metamorphic rocks were exhumed to mid‐crustal levels (about 30 km) in the Late Triassic and overprinted by regional amphibolite facies metamorphism. The subduction and exhumation rates deduced from the SHRIMP data and metamorphic P–T conditions are 9–10 km Myr^?1 and 6.4 km Myr^?1, respectively, and these rapid subduction–exhumation rates may explain the obtained P–T–t path. Such a fast exhumation suggests that Sulu‐Dabie UHP rocks that returned towards crustal depths were driven by buoyant forces, caused as a consequence of slab breakoff at mantle depth.