Eoarchean to Mesoarchean crustal evolution in the Dharwar craton,India: Evidence from detrital zircon U-Pb and Hf isotopes

The formation and evolution of continental crust in the Early Earth are of fundamental importance in understanding the emergence of continents, their assembly into supercontinents and evolution of life and environment. The Dharwar Craton in southern India is among the major Archean cratons of the world, where recent studies have shown that the craton formation involved the assembly of several micro-continents during Meso- to Neoarchean through subduction-accretion-collision processes. Here we report U-Pb-Hf isotope data from detrital zircons in a suite of metasediments (including quartz mica schist, fuchsite quartzite and metapelite) from the southern domain of the Chitradurga suture zone that marks the boundary between the Western and Central Dharwar Craton. Morphology and internal structure of the zircon grains suggest that the dominant population was derived from proximal granitic (felsic) sources. Zircon U-Pb data are grouped into Paleo-Mesoarchean and Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic with peaks at 3227 Ma and 2575 Ma. The age spectra of detrital zircon grains, in combination with the Lu-Hf isotopic analyses indicate sediment provenance from magmatic sources with model ages in the range of ca. 3.67 to 2.75 Ga. A transition from dominantly juvenile to a mixture of juvenile and recycled crustal components indicate progressive crustal maturity. The results from this study suggest major crustal growth events during ca. 3.2 Ga and 2.6 Ga in Dharwar. Our study provides insights into continental emergence, weathering and detrital input through river drainage systems into the trench during Eoarchean to Mesoarchean.     

U/Pb and Sm/Nd geochronologic studies of the eastern Borborema Province, Northeastern Brazil: initial conclusions

The Borborema Province of NE Brasil comprises the central part of a wide Pan-African-Brasiliano orogenetic belt that formed as a consequence of late Neoproterozoic convergence and collision of the São Luis-West Africa craton and the São Francisco-Congo-Kasai cratons. New Sm/Nd and U/Pb results from the eastern part of this province help to define the basic internal architecture and pre-collisional history of this province, with particular emphasis on delineating older cratonic terranes, their fragmentation during the Mesoproterozoic, and their assembly into West Gondwana during the Pan African-Brasiliano orogeny at ca. 600 Ma.The region can be divided into three major geotectonic domains: a) Rio Piranhas-Caldas Brandão massif, with overlying Paleoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic supracrustal rocks, north of the Patos Lineament; b) the Archean to Paleoproterozoic São Francisco craton (SFC) to the south; and c) a complex domain of Paleoproterozoic to Archean basement blocks with several intervening Mesoproterozoic to Neoproterozoic fold belts in the center (south of Patos Lineament and north of SFC). The northern and central domains comprise the Borborema Province.Archean basement gneiss and Transamazonian granulite of northern SFC are exposed in the southern part of the central domain, underlying southern parts of the Sergipano fold belt. Basement in the Rio Piranhas massif appears to consist mostly of Transamazonian (2.1 to 2.2 Ga) gneissic rocks; Nd model ages (T_DM) of ca. 2.6 Ga for 2.15 Ga gneisses indicate a substantial Archean component in the protoliths to these gneisses. The Caldas Brandão massif to the east yields both Transamazonian and Archean U/Pb zircon and Nd (T_DM) ages, indicating a complex architecture. Metasedimentary rocks of the Jucurutu Formation yield detrital zircons with original crystallization ages as young as 1.8 Ga, indicating that these rocks may be late Paleoproterozoic and correlate with other ca. 1.8 Ga cratonic supracrustal rocks in Brazil such as the Roraima Group and Espinhaço Group.Most metavolcanic and pre-Brasiliano granitic units of the Sergipano (SDS), Pajeú-Paraíba (SPP), Riacho Pontal (SRP), and Piancó-Alto Brígida (SPAB) fold belts in the central domain formed ˜ 1.0 ± 0.1 Ga, based on U/Pb ages of zircons. Nd model ages (T_DM) for these same rocks, as well as Brasiliano granites intruded into them and large parts of the Pernambuco-Alagoas massif, are commonly 1.3–1.7 Ga, indicating that rocks of the fold belts were not wholly derived from either older (> 2.1 Ga) or juvenile (ca. 1.0 Ga) crust, but include mixtures of both components. A simple interpretation of Brasiliano granite genesis and the Nd data implies that there is no Transamazonian or Archean basement underlying large parts of these fold belts or of the Pernambuco-Alagoas massif. An exception is a belt of syenitic Brasiliano plutons (Syenitoid Line) and host gneisses between SPAB and SPP that clearly has a Transamazonian (or older) source. In addition, there are several smaller blocks of Archean to Transamazonian gneiss that can be defined within and among these fold belts. These blocks do not appear to constitute a continuous basement complex, but appear to be isolated older crustal fragments.Our data support a model in which ca. 1.0 Ga rifting was an important tectonic and crust-forming event along the northern edge of the São Francisco craton. Our data also show that significant parts of the Borborema Province are not remobilized Transamazonian to Archean crust, but that Mesoproterozoic crust is a major feature of the Province. There are several small remnants of older crust within the area dominated by Mesoproterozoic crust, suggesting that the rifting event created several small continental fragments that were later incorporated into the Brasiliano collisional orogen. We cannot at present determine if the Rio Piranhas-Caldas Brandão massifs and the older crustal blocks of the central domain were originally part of the São Francisco craton or whether some (or all) of them came from more exotic parts of the Proterozoic Earth. Finally, our data have not yet revealed any juvenile terranes of either Transamazonian or Brasiliano age.     

Ages of Detrital Zircon from Siliciclastic Successions South of the São Francisco Craton, Brazil: Implications for the Evolution of Proterozoic Basins

In this work we report ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁶Pb LA-ICPMS ages of 152 detrital zircons from lower greenschist facies quartzites from Proterozoic basin successions of the southern border of the São Francisco Craton, southern Minas Gerais State, Brazil. These are the intracratonic São João del Rei basin, the intraplate continental margin Andrelândia basin, and the Serra do Ouro Grosso sequence, developed on a crystalline basement older than 1.8 Ga, and deformed and metamorphosed during the Brasiliano Orogeny, ca. 0.59–0.50 Ga. The data constrain both the ages of the sources and the interval of sedimentation. The detrital zircons of the Serra do Ouro Grosso sequence were derived predominantly from the erosion of a Neoarchean crust, 2.5–2.8 Ga old, with only one grain showing a Paleoproterozoic age (2, 245±83 Ma) older than the Transamazonian event. Zircons extracted from a shelf quartzite of the lowermost sequence of the São João del Rei basin indicate derivation from the 1.8–2.2 Ga Transamazonian crust, with subordinate contribution from the 2.5–2.9 Ga Archean crust. The 1, 809±41 Ma age is interpreted as the maximum limit for sedimentation in this basin. The results confirm the regional correlation with the Espinhaço Rift successions. The zircons extracted from an autochthonous quartzite of the Andrelândia sequence yielded ages in the 1.0–2.2 Ga range, with a modal class at 1.2–1.3 Ga. Only two of the forty analyzed zircons yield Archean ages. The youngest zircon yields 1, 086±85 Ma. The zircons from the allochthonous quartzite yield ages between 1.0–2.7 Ga, with a modal class at 2.1–2.2 Ga. Only five of 45 analyzed grains yield Archean ages. The youngest zircon has an age of 1, 047±77 Ma. The results indicate that the detrital sediments deposited during the second marine flooding event of the Andrelândia sedimentation were mainly derived from the erosion of Mesoproterozoic and Paleoproterozic rocks. The 1, 047±77 Ma age is interpreted as the maximum depositional age for the described association.     

U‒Pb age of detrital zircons from Upper Precambrian deposits of the Sredni and Rybachi peninsulas (northern margin of the Kola Peninsula)

The first U?Pb dates are obtained for detrital zircons from Upper Precambrian deposits of the Sredni (Zemlepakhtinskaya and Kuyakan formations) and Rybachi (Lonskii Formation) peninsulas. The spectra of ages of detrital zircons in sandstone samples from the Zemlepakhtinskaya and Kuyakan formations are similar to a significant extent to each other, which implies the dominant role of the same provenances. Most zircon grains are the Paleoproterozoic and Mesoproterozoic in age; some of them are characterized by Mesoarchean and Neoarchean ages. Zircons dated back to 1.0?2.0 Ga with maxima at approximately 1.8, 1.5, 1.3, and 1.1 Ga are the most abundant. The youngest zircon grains are the Mesoproterozoic in age: 1050 ± 21Ma (i.e., close to the Mesoproterozoic?Neoproterozoic boundary) and 1028 ± 21 Ma from the Zemlepakhtinskaya and Kuyakan formations, respectively. The distribution spectrum of ages obtained for zircons from sandstones of the Lonskii Formation significantly differs from that characteristic of zircons from sandstones of the Zemlepakhtinskaya and Kuyakan formations. The zircon population from the Lonskii Formation is dominated by detrital zircons with Neoarchean and Paleoproterozoic ages (2.8?1.6 Ga); Paleoarchean and Mesoarchean grains are scarce. Their age maxima are registered at levels of approximately 2.7 and 1.8 Ga. The minimum age obtained for zircons from sandstones of the Lonskii Formation (1349 ± 35 Ma) allows the Rybachi block to be considered as being older as compared with the Sredni bock. Crystalline complexes of the Baltic Shield served as a main provenance for the Upper Precambrian deposits of the peninsulas under consideration. The dates obtained for detrital zircons from the Upper Precambrian deposits of the Sredni and Rybachi peninsulas are compared with similar data on the Upper Precambrian sequences of the Timan and Varanger Peninsula areas to reveal differences and similarities in the distribution of ages.     

Isotope Lu–Hf composition of detrital zircon from paragneisses of the Sharyzhalgai uplift: evidence for the Paleoproterozoic crustal growth

We present results of study of the trace-element and Lu–Hf isotope compositions of zircons from Paleoproterozoic high-grade metasedimentary rocks (paragneisses) of the southwestern margin of the Siberian craton (Irkut terrane of the Sharyzhalgai uplift). Metamorphic zircons are represented by rims and multifaceted crystals dated at ~ 1.85 Ga. They are depleted in either LREE or HREE as a result of subsolidus recrystallization and/or synchronous formation with REE-concentrating garnet or monazite. In contrast to the metamorphic zircons, the detrital cores are enriched in HREE and have high (Lu/Gd)_n ratios, which is typical of igneous zircon. The weak positive correlation between ¹⁷⁶Lu/¹⁷⁷Hf and ¹⁷⁶Hf/¹⁷⁷Hf in the zircon cores evidences that their Hf isotope composition evolved through radioactive decay in Hf = the closed system. Therefore, the isotope parameters of these zircons can give an insight into the provenance of metasedimentary rocks. The Paleoproterozoic detrital zircon cores from paragneisses, dated at ~ 2.3–2.4 and 2.0–1.95 Ga, are characterized by a wide range of ε_Hf values (from + 9.8 to –3.3) and model age T ^C 2.8–2.0 Ga. The provenance of these detrital zircons included both rocks with juvenile isotope Hf parameters and rocks resulted from the recycling of the Archean crust with a varying contribution of juvenile material. Zircons with high positive ε_Hf values were derived from the juvenile Paleoproterozoic crustal sources, whereas the lower ε_Hf and higher T ^C values for zircons suggest the contribution of the Archean crustal source to the formation of their magmatic precursors. Thus, at the Paleoproterozoic stage of evolution of the southwestern margin of the Siberian craton, both crustal recycling and crustal growth through the contribution of juvenile material took place. On the southwestern margin of the Siberian craton, detrital zircons with ages of ~ 2.3–2.4 and 1.95–2.0 Ga are widespread in Paleoproterozoic paragneisses of the Irkut and Angara–Kan terranes and in terrigenous rocks of the Urik–Iya graben, which argues for their common and, most likely, proximal provenances. In the time of metamorphism (1.88–1.85 Ga), the age of Paleoproterozoic detrital zircons (2.4–2.0 Ga), and their Lu–Hf isotope composition (ε_Hf values ranging from positive to negative values) the paragneisses of the southwestern margin of the Siberian craton are similar to the metasedimentary rocks of the Paleoproterozoic orogenic belts of the North China Craton. In the above two regions, the sources of detrital zircons formed by both the reworking of the Archean crust and the contribution of juvenile material, which is evidence for the crustal growth in the period 2.4–2.0 Ga.     

Age of the Siberian craton crust beneath the northern kimberlite fields: Insights to the craton evolution

Comprehensive studies of zircon xenocrysts from kimberlites of the Kuoika field (northeastern Siberian craton) and several kimberlite fields of the eastern Anabar shield, along with data compilation on the age of kimberlite-hosting terranes, reveal details of the evolution of the northern Siberian craton. The age distribution and trace element characteristic of zircons from the Kuoika field kimberlites (Birekte terrane) provide evidence of significant basic and alkaline–carbonatite magmatism in northern Siberia in the Paleozoic and Mesozoic periods. The abundance of 1.8–2.1 Ga zircons in both the Birekte and adjacent Hapchan terranes (the latter hosting kimberlites of the eastern Anabar shield) supports the Paleoproterozoic assembly and stabilization of these units in the Siberian craton and the supercontinent Columbia. The abundance of Archean zircons in the Hapchan terrane reflects the input of an ancient source other than the Birekte terrane and addresses the evolution of the terrane to west (Magan and Daldyn terranes of the Anabar shield). The present study has also revealed the oldest known remnant of the Anabar shield crust, whose 3.62 Ga age is similar to that of another ancient domain of Siberia, the Aldan shield. The first Hf isotope data for the Anabar shield coupled with the U–Pb systematics indicate three stages of crustal growth (Paleoproterozoic, Neoarchean and Paleoarchean) and two stages of the intensive crustal recycling in the Paleoproterozoic and Neoarchean. Intensive reworking of the existing crust at 2.5–2.8 Ga and 1.8–2.1 Ga is interpreted to provide evidence for the assembly of Columbia. The oldest Hf model age estimation provides a link to Early Eoarchean (3.7–3.95 Ga) and possibly to Hadean crust. Hence, some of the Archean cratonic segments of the Siberian craton could be remnants of the Earth's earliest continental crust.     

Precambrian terranes in the southwestern framing of the Siberian craton: isotopic provinces,stages of crustal evolution and accretion-collision events

We studied geology and main rock assemblages of the Precambrian Kan, Arzybei, and Derba terranes of the Central Asian Fold Belt which border the Siberian craton in the southwest. The Precambrian terranes include three isotopic provinces (Paleoproterozoic, Mesoproterozoic, and Neoproterozoic) distinguished from the Sm-Nd isotope compositions of granitoids, felsic metavolcanics, and metasediments. The terranes formed in three stages of crustal evolution: 2.3–2.5, 0.9–1.1, and 0.8–0.9 Ga. Proterozoic juvenile crust was produced by subduction-related magmatism; it was originally of transitional composition and transformed into continental crust by potassic plutonism as late as the Late Vendian-Cambrian. Terrigenous sediments in the Arzybei and Derba terranes vary in T(DM) Nd model ages from 1.0 to 2.0 Ga. The Nd ages of the underlying metavolcanics and lowest T(DM) of metasediments indicate that terrigenous sedimentation started in the Neoproterozoic. It was maintained by erosion of Mesoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic crust and, to a lesser extent, of Early Precambrian rocks on the craton margin or in Paleoproterozoic terranes. Ar-Ar dating of amphiboles and biotites from metamorphic rocks and U-Pb dating of zircons from granitoids yielded 600–555 and 500–440 Ma, respectively, corresponding to the Vendian and Early Paleozoic stages of nearly synchronous metamorphism and plutonism. Accretion and collision events caused amalgamation of the Paleoproterozoic, Mesoproterozoic, and Neoproterozoic terranes in the Vendian and their collision with the Siberian craton. The lateral growth of the paleocontinent completed in the Late Ordovician.     

Detrital zircon evidence for Hf isotopic evolution of granitoid crust and continental growth

We have determined U-Pb ages, trace element abundances and Hf isotopic compositions of approximately 1000 detrital zircon grains from the Mississippi, Congo, Yangtze and Amazon Rivers. The U-Pb isotopic data reveal the lack of >3.3 Ga zircons in the river sands, and distinct peaks at 2.7-2.5, 2.2-1.9, 1.7-1.6, 1.2-1.0, 0.9-0.4, and <0.3 Ga in the accumulated age distribution. These peaks correspond well with the timing of supercontinent assembly. The Hf isotopic data indicate that many zircons, even those having Archean U-Pb ages, crystallized from magmas involving an older crustal component, suggesting that granitoid magmatism has been the primary agent of differentiation of the continental crust since the Archean era. We calculated Hf isotopic model ages for the zircons to estimate the mean mantle-extraction ages of their source materials. The oldest zircon Hf model ages of about 3.7 Ga for the river sands suggest that some crust generation had taken place by 3.7 Ga, and that it was subsequently reworked into <3.3 Ga granitoid continental crust. The accumulated model age distribution shows peaks at 3.3-3.0, 2.9-2.4, and 2.0-0.9 Ga.The striking attribute of our new data set is the non-uniformitarian secular change in Hf isotopes of granitoid crusts; Hf isotopic compositions of granitoid crusts deviate from the mantle evolution line from about 3.3 to 2.0 Ga, the deviation declines between 2.0 and 1.3 Ga and again increases afterwards. Consideration of mantle-crust mixing models for granitoid genesis suggests that the noted isotopic trends are best explained if the rate of crust generation globally increased in two stages at around (or before) 3.3 and 1.3 Ga, whereas crustal differentiation was important in the evolution of the continental crust at 2.3-2.2 Ga and after 0.6 Ga. Reconciling the isotopic secular change in granitoid crust with that in sedimentary rocks suggests that sedimentary recycling has essentially taken place in continental settings rather than active margin settings and that the sedimentary mass significantly grew through addition of first-cycle sediments from young igneous basements, until after ∼1.3 Ga when sedimentary recycling became the dominant feature of sedimentary evolution. These findings, coupled with the lack of zircons older than 3.3 Ga in river sands, imply the emergence of large-scale continents at about 3.3 Ga with further rapid growth at around 1.3 Ga. This resulted in the major growth of the sedimentary mass between 3.3 and 1.3 Ga and the predominance of its cannibalistic recycling later.     

扬子陆块西南缘3.8 Ga碎屑锆石及其地质意义

古老锆石和岩石的发现,是探索地球早期地质演化的关键.为进一步揭示扬子陆块基底物质组成和早期地壳形成演化,采用LA-ICP-MS锆石微区U-Pb测年,对扬子陆块西南缘禄丰地区东川群变质砂岩进行了年代学研究,发现3 822±21 Ma的古老碎屑锆石.这是目前在扬子陆块获得的第2颗>3.8 Ga的古老锆石,也是目前在该地区发现的最老锆石.变质砂岩碎屑物质主要包括4个峰值年龄（~2 320 Ma、~2 162 Ma、~2 036 Ma和~1 915 Ma）,2颗最年轻的锆石年龄基本限定了东川群早期最大沉积时限,与区域上火山岩时代相吻合.另外还包含少量中-晚太古代（2.6~2.9 Ga）和始太古代（3.7~3.8 Ga）的碎屑物质.Hf同位素组成显示这些碎屑锆石具有不同成因,其中2 674~3 822 Ma的碎屑锆石总体具有正的ε_Hf（t）值和2.9~3.9 Ga的两阶段模式年龄,暗示扬子陆块在冥古宙-古太古代时期就有一定规模的新生陆壳分布.古元古代（1.9~2.4 Ga）的岩浆活动除有少量古元古代（2.3~2.4 Ga）新生地壳组分熔融外,大多为太古宙（2.5~3.7 Ga）古老地壳部分熔融.中元古代更多表现为古老地壳的熔融和物质再循环.研究结果为深化扬子陆块早前寒武纪地质演化认识提供了新资料.      

Detrital Zircon Ages of Hanjiang River： Constraints on Evolution of Northern Yangtze Craton, South China

Clastic sedimentary rocks are natural samples of the exposed continental crust over large areas. The Hanjiang (汉江) River drains the northern Yangtze craton,including the South Qinling (秦岭) belt and the northern parts of the Yangtze craton. Detrital zircons from this river thus provide an ideal sample for studying the formation and evolution of the northern Yangtze craton. Here we report laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer U-Pb ages of 122 detrital zircons from one sand sample of the Hanjiang River. The 110 concordant zircons reveal four major age groups of 768,444,212,and 124 Ma,which well correlate with known magmatic events in the northern Yangtze craton. A minor group is present at 1 536 Ma,which is less known in the study area. Only seven zircons have ages of >1 750 Ma. Our results show that the Early Paleozoic,Late Triassic,and Early Cretaceous are important episodes of zircon growth and crustal growth/reworking in addition to the previously documented Neoproterozoic event. Our results suggest very limited exposures of Paleoproterozoic and Archean rocks in the northern parts of the Yangtze craton.     

华北克拉通南缘五佛山群沉积时代和物源区分析:碎屑锆石U-Pb年龄和Hf同位素证据

河南嵩山地区位于华北克拉通南缘,其早前寒武纪结晶基底主要由新太古代登封群表壳岩、TTG质片麻岩和古元古代嵩山群石英岩,以及新太古代-古元古代的花岗质岩石组成。五佛山群角度不整合覆盖于登封群和嵩山群之上,主要由石英砂岩组成,夹少量的粉砂质页岩和薄层灰岩,为该地区太古宙-古元古代结晶基底之上分布广泛的第一沉积盖层。探讨其沉积时代和物质来源,对揭示华北克拉通南缘前寒武纪地壳演化过程具有重要意义,并可为华北南缘前寒武纪地层框架的建立和对比提供依据。本文对五佛山群底部马鞍山组两个石英砂岩样品的碎屑锆石进行LA-ICP-MS U-Pb年龄测定,获得最年轻的207Pb/206Pb年龄分别为(1732±11)Ma和(1655±22)Ma,说明五佛山群形成时代的下限为古元古代晚期,与华北克拉通南缘熊耳群火山-沉积岩系之后的其他沉积盖层年代相当。五佛山群碎屑锆石207Pb/206Pb年龄范围为2816~1655 Ma,主要集中于2100~1800 Ma之间(约占60%),年龄主峰值为(1.93±0.10)Ga,部分年龄分布于2500~2100 Ma之间(约占24%),说明其沉积物质主要来源于古元古代的地质体,相比华北克拉通其他地区同时代的沉积地层碎屑锆石年代学研究结果,本区来自太古宙的物源极少。五佛山群马鞍山组碎屑锆石的U-Pb年龄反映了嵩山地区在1.93 Ga左右发生过重要的构造-热事件,与华北克拉通古元古代中期发生的变质作用时间(约1.91 Ga)一致。碎屑锆石εHf(t)值为–14.3~4.6,Hf的两阶段模式年龄分布于2363~3672 Ma之间,明显大于其207Pb/206Pb年龄,大部分锆石的Hf同位素组成集中于2.50 Ga和2.80 Ga地壳演化线区域内,揭示了新太古代为华北克拉通南缘重要的陆壳生长期。     

Provenance,tectonic setting and source of Archean metasedimentary rocks of the Browns Range Metamorphics,Tanami Region,Western Australia

This study combines U–Pb age and Lu–Hf isotope data for magmatic and detrital zircons, with whole-rock geochemistry of the Browns Range Metamorphics (BRM), Western Australia. The BRM are medium- to coarse-grained metasandstones that consist of angular to sub-rounded detrital quartz and feldspars with minor granitic lithic fragments. The sequence has undergone partial to extensive quartz–muscovite alteration and rare-earth-element mineralisation and has been intruded by mafic/ultramafic, syenitic and pegmatitic intrusive rock units. Uranium–Pb and Lu–Hf isotopic data on detrital zircons from the metasandstones and intruding granitic rocks yield a well-defined age of ca 3.2 to ca 3.0 Ga for all samples, with relatively radiogenic ?_Hf values (?_Hf = –1.7 to 5.1) indicating derivation from Mesoarchean granite basement of juvenile origin. This is consistent with geochemical and petrological data that support deposition from a granitic source in a continental rift basin setting. The timing of sediment deposition is constrained between the ca 3.0 Ga age of the source rocks and ca 2.5 Ga age of the granitic intrusive bodies that cross-cut the metasedimentary rocks. The ca 2.5 Ga zircons from the intrusive rocks have ?_Hf model ages of ca 3.4 to ca 3.1 Ga, which is consistent with formation via partial melting of the BRM, or the Mesoarchean granite basement. Zircons of the Gardiner Sandstone that unconformably overlies the BRM return detrital ages of ca 2.6 to ca 1.8 Ga with no trace of ca 3.1 Ga zircons, which discounts a significant contribution from the underlying BRM. The Mesoarchean age and isotopic signatures of the BRM zircons are shared by some zircon records from the Pine Creek Orogen, and the Pilbara, Yilgarn and Gawler cratons. Collectively, these records indicate that juvenile Mesoarchean crust is a more significant component of Australian cratons than is currently recognised. This work also further demonstrates that detrital minerals in Paleoproterozoic/Archean sedimentary rocks are archives to study the early crustal record of Earth.     

滇中地区昆阳群物源及构造环境

昆阳群的形成时代、沉积环境、源岩性质等一直存在较大争议,为了查明滇中地区昆阳群的物源及其形成的构造环境,文章在分析昆阳群沉积组合和沉积相的基础上,对昆阳群3件变质砂岩样品中的碎屑锆石进行LA-ICPMS锆石U-Pb年龄测定,对昆阳群20件极低级变质碎屑岩进行地球化学分析。从昆阳群黄草岭组、黑山头组和美党组中分别获得了最年轻的谐和年龄为984.0 Ma、945.0 Ma和954.0 Ma;碎屑锆石年龄峰谱显示,在1.0 Ga、1.35Ga、1.73 Ga和2.44 Ga出现了统计峰值,其年龄主要集中在1.73 Ga和1.35 Ga。表明昆阳群源区主要经历了1.0 Ga、1.35 Ga、1.73 Ga和2.44 Ga的构造热事件,资料显示扬子地块西南缘出露的大红山群形成时代为1.7 Ga,格林威尔期的构造热事件时期为1.0~1.3 Ga。此外,地球化学分析结果表明昆阳群源岩主要是形成于大陆岛弧—活动大陆边缘的石英质旋回沉积、长英质岩石和少量镁铁质岩石。在中元古代晚期—新元古代早期(0.95~1.0 Ga),Rodinia超大陆形成阶段,在扬子地块西南缘的弧后前陆盆地中形成昆阳群的沉积组合,物源主要来自扬子地块西南缘的大红山群和格林威尔期岛弧的岩石。     

太古宙的洋-陆与古地理问题*

大陆最古老的陆壳物质是沉积岩中4.4 Ga的碎屑锆石,最古老的陆壳岩石年龄为4.1-4.0 Ga,出露面积约20 km²。3.9-3.6 Ga的古老陆核出露在不同克拉通中,而大陆的生长峰期是在2.9-2.7 Ga,全球稳定的陆壳圈层形成是在~2.5 Ga,被称为克拉通化。陆壳以英云闪长岩-奥长花岗岩-花岗闪长岩(TTG)为代表,体积占古老陆壳的~70%以上。古陆表现为高级片麻岩区-花岗绿岩带格局(穹隆-龙骨格局),与显生宙的洋-陆格局不同,暗示构造体制的差异。火山沉积组合即是围绕高级片麻岩地体以层状向斜方式存在的绿岩带,后者相对变质很浅或未变质。早期地球演化中,先有陆还是先有洋、陆核形成和生长的机制、什么时候开始有露出海面的陆地、太古宙时期的洋-陆格局等等都还没有定论。古元古代时期,全球长期处于伸展阶段,巨厚的裂谷型沉积以及伴随的大氧化事件,可能是开启古地理研究的最早地质时期。本文还以华北克拉通为例,作了陆壳演化的简单介绍。     

胶北太古宙早期锆石U-Pb定年及Hf同位素研究：华北克拉通古老陆壳增生及再循环的证据

古老陆壳物质的发现与鉴别是探索地球早期陆壳形成与演化历史的重要内容之一,锆石U-Pb年龄结合Hf同位素研究是该研究的重要手段。本文通过对胶北地体内一个长英质副片麻岩中的锆石开展系统的原位U-Pb定年和微量、稀土元素分析,获得了多个太古宙早期的锆石。根据这些锆石的阴极发光图像、Th/U比值及稀土元素球粒陨石标准化配分模式,它们具有典型岩浆锆石的特征,其中2个分析点给出了3413Ma和3400Ma(~3.4Ga)的锆石U-Pb年龄,7个分析点给出3547±19Ma(MSWD=1.16)的锆石U-Pb年龄,指示太古宙早期的陆壳岩浆事件;结合华北克拉通其它地区的类似研究结果,暗示华北克拉通可能曾经存在比现今出露面积更大的太古宙早期的古老陆壳。这些古老锆石的Hf同位素分析显示,它们的εHf(t)值在-6.19~0.95之间,平均为-2.54,两阶段Hf模式年龄在3737~4353Ma之间,平均值为~4.1Ga,远大于锆石的U-Pb年龄,指示华北克拉通存在~4.1Ga的地壳增生作用及古老陆壳(3.55Ga)的再循环。     

太古宙的洋-陆与古地理问题*

大陆最古老的陆壳物质是沉积岩中4.4 Ga的碎屑锆石,最古老的陆壳岩石年龄为4.1-4.0 Ga,出露面积约20 km²。3.9-3.6 Ga的古老陆核出露在不同克拉通中,而大陆的生长峰期是在2.9-2.7 Ga,全球稳定的陆壳圈层形成是在~2.5 Ga,被称为克拉通化。陆壳以英云闪长岩-奥长花岗岩-花岗闪长岩(TTG)为代表,体积占古老陆壳的~70%以上。古陆表现为高级片麻岩区-花岗绿岩带格局(穹隆-龙骨格局),与显生宙的洋-陆格局不同,暗示构造体制的差异。火山沉积组合即是围绕高级片麻岩地体以层状向斜方式存在的绿岩带,后者相对变质很浅或未变质。早期地球演化中,先有陆还是先有洋、陆核形成和生长的机制、什么时候开始有露出海面的陆地、太古宙时期的洋-陆格局等等都还没有定论。古元古代时期,全球长期处于伸展阶段,巨厚的裂谷型沉积以及伴随的大氧化事件,可能是开启古地理研究的最早地质时期。本文还以华北克拉通为例,作了陆壳演化的简单介绍。     

Recycling of Proterozoic crust in the Andean Amazon foreland of Ecuador: implications for orogenic development of the Northern Andes

The retro‐arc foreland Andean Amazon Basin records sedimentary infill from the South American craton and the emerging Northern Andean chain from the middle Cretaceous until Present day. The U/Pb ages of detrital zircons indicate significant reworking of Archean‐Proterozoic (max. 2.9 Ga) and Paleozoic crust and sediments, which were eroded on both sides. Heavy mineral associations show that the material derived from Proterozoic craton was supplied by Cretaceous reworking of non‐metamorphosed (unannealed) Paleozoic and older sedimentary rocks, which cover the Amazon Craton. Following latest Cretaceous switch of the dominant sediment source to the Andean cordillera, the influx of Precambrian zircons persisted, and these zircons were derived from the metamorphosed basement and Paleozoic sediments of the Cordillera Real (Loja terrane). Re‐evaluation of existing detrital zircon fission‐track record proves that the rise of the Cordillera Real at the Cretaceous‐Tertiary transition was initiated by the collision of Caribbean Oceanic Plateau and associated arc elements from 75–65 Ma. A further important exhumation event also occurred in the Late Oligocene, which is correlated with the break‐up of the Farallon plate.     

Formation stages of the Early Precambrian crust in the Sharyzhalgai basement uplift,southwestern Siberian craton: Synthesis of Sm-Nd and U-Pb data

Newly obtained U-Pb and Sm-Nd isotopic data on Early Precambrian metamorphic and granitoid complexes in the southwestern margin of the Siberian craton (Sharyzhalgai basement uplift) are synthe-sized in order to elucidate the crustal evolution starting at the Paleoarchean (∼3.6 Ga) to Late Paleoproterozoic (∼1.85 Ga), evaluate the lateral extent of the Paleo-Mesoarchean crust, and identify major stages in its growth and recycling. Two crustal growth stages were determined in the Onot and Bulun granite-greenstone terranes: at 3.6–3.3 and 2.8–2.9 Ga. The earliest recycling processes (at ∼3.4 and 3.2 Ga) involved partial melting, metamorphism, and migmatization and produced a stable continental crust. Crustal growth in the Mesoarchean (∼2.8–2.9 Ga) due to basaltoid magmatism was associated with the recycling of the Paleoarchean crust, which served as a source of felsic melts and of detrital material for terrigenous sediments. The Archean crust of the Irkut granulite-gneiss terrane was formed by two pulses of intermediate-felsic and basic volcanism at ∼3.6-3.4 and ∼2.7 Ga. In the terminal Archean (at ∼2.55 Ga), the preexisting crust was involved in metamorphic and magmatic processes. Traces of recycling of the Paleoproterozoic crust are identified in the isotopic parameters of the intermediate-felsic granulites. Two discrete stages in the influx of juvenile material are identified in the Paleoarchean: at ∼2.0 and 1.88–1.85 Ga, with the latter stage associated with the large-scale recycling of the Archean crust during the origin of granitoids.     

Detrital zircon geochronology of the Lützow-Holm Complex,East Antarctica: Implications for Antarctica–Sri Lanka correlation

The Lützow-Holm Complex (LHC) of East Antarctica has been regarded as a collage of Neoarchean (ca. 2.5 Ga), Paleoproterozoic (ca. 1.8 Ga), and Neoproterozoic (ca. 1.0 Ga) magmatic arcs which were amalgamated through the latest Neoproterozoic collisional events during the assembly of Gondwana supercontinent. Here, we report new geochronological data on detrital zircons in metasediments associated with the magmatic rocks from the LHC, and compare the age spectra with those in the adjacent terranes for evaluating the tectonic correlation of East Antarctica and Sri Lanka. Cores of detrital zircon grains with high Th/U ratio in eight metasediment samples can be subdivided into two dominant groups: (1) late Meso- to Neoproterozoic (1.1–0.63 Ga) zircons from the northeastern part of the LHC in Prince Olav Coast and northern Sôya Coast areas, and (2) dominantly Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic (2.8–2.4 Ga) zircons from the southwestern part of the LHC in southern Lützow-Holm Bay area. The ca. 1.0 Ga and ca. 2.5 Ga magmatic suites in the LHC could be proximal provenances of the detrital zircons in the northeastern and southwestern LHC, respectively. Subordinate middle to late Mesoproterozoic (1.3–1.2 Ga) detrital zircons obtained from Akarui Point and Langhovde could have been derived from adjacent Gondwana fragments (e.g., Rayner Complex, Eastern Ghats Belt). Meso- to Neoproterozoic domains such as Vijayan and Wanni Complexes of Sri Lanka, the southern Madurai Block of southern India, and the central-western Madagascar could be alternative distal sources of the late Meso- to Neoproterozoic zircons. Paleo- to Mesoarchean domains in India, Africa, and Antarctica might also be distal sources for the minor ∼2.8 Ga detrital zircons from Skallevikshalsen. The detrital zircons from the Highland Complex of Sri Lanka show similar Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic (ca. 2.5 Ga) and Neoproterozoic (ca. 1.0 Ga) ages, which are comparable with those of the LHC, suggesting that the two complexes might have formed under similar tectonic regimes. We consider that the Highland Complex and metasedimentary unit of the LHC formed a unified latest Neoproterozoic suture zone with a large block of northern LH–Vijayan Complex caught up as remnant of the ca. 1.0 Ga magmatic arc.     

阿拉善地块南缘龙首山东段“龙首山岩群”的再厘定——来自碎屑锆石U-Pb定年的证据

龙首山东段滑石口井地区存在一套浅变质的沉积岩系,原被认为属于古元古代“龙首山岩群”.本文取自这套变沉积岩系的2件样品的碎屑锆石年龄范围介于0.52～3.56 Ga之间,与相邻的寒武系大黄山群碎屑锆石年龄谱相似,其时代可能为中、晚寒武世.取自原“龙首山岩群”和寒武系大黄山群的3件变沉积岩样品中,共获得129个谐和的碎屑锆石年龄,主要分布在0.7～1.2 Ga(约占47％,峰值～0.8、～0.94、～1.0 Ga)和2.5～2.8 Ga(约占31％,峰值～2.5、～2.7 Ga),相对较小的年龄群集中在0.5～0.6 Ga(约占7％,峰值～0.56 Ga)和1.4～1.8 Ga(约占10％,峰值～1.5 Ga),其余年龄零星分布于1.8～2.4 Ga,少量锆石年龄＞3.0 Ga.碎屑物源分析认为,大黄山群的碎屑物质主要来自祁连地块,其中新元古代末一早古生代初期的碎屑物质来自北祁连造山带相关的火成岩,新元古代碎屑物质来自祁连地块广泛分布的新元古代岩浆岩,而中元古代一太古宙碎屑物质可能来自祁连地块再循环的变质基底岩石.结合区域地质资料认为,龙首山东段的浅变质沉积岩系和寒武系大黄山群可能沉积于祁连地块北侧的大陆边缘,在构造背景上属于祁连造山带,而不属于阿拉善地块.