Origin of Lower Cretaceous (‘Nubian’) sandstones of North‐east Africa and Arabia from detrital zircon U‐Pb SHRIMP dating

Lower Cretaceous sandstones of the type exposed in Israel, deposited over much of North Africa and Arabia as widespread sandstone sheets, typically are mineralogically and texturally mature. Previous petrographic examinations suggested that the Lower Cretaceous sandstones are at least partly a product of recycling and the present study supports this notion. The results of U‐Pb Sensitive High Resolution Ion Micro‐Probe (SHRIMP) dating of detrital zircons from the Lower Cretaceous section exposed in Israel indicate that they are dominated by detrital zircons of Neoproterozoic age, mainly concentrated in the 0·55 to 0·65 Ga interval, with various amounts of older (pre‐Neoproterozoic) zircons (of 0·95 to 1·10, 1·7 to 2·0 and 2·6 to 2·65 Ga age groups). The overall age signal is similar to detrital zircon age spectra previously obtained from the Cambrian–Ordovician sections of Israel and Jordan. Remarkably, the detrital zircon spectra remained almost unchanged for nearly 400 Myr. Thus, the most probable provenance of the Lower Cretaceous sandstone is the recycling of relatively proximal Palaeozoic sandstone. Since first unroofed from above pan‐African terranes closer to the secession of orogeny, the ensuing siliciclastics were recycled repeatedly throughout the Phanerozoic with little additional basement denudation. The Lower Cretaceous sandstone comprises quartz sand that was first eroded from above pan‐African orogens ca 400 Myr prior to deposition.     

Ordovician metagranitoid from the Anatolide‐Tauride Block,northwest Turkey: geodynamic implications

We report a Middle Ordovician metagranitoid from the northern margin of the Anatolide‐Tauride Block, the basement of which is generally characterized by voluminous Latest Proterozoic to Early Cambrian granitoids. The Ordovician metagranitoid forms an ～400‐m‐thick body in the marbles and micaschists of the Tav?anl? Zone. The whole sequence was metamorphosed in the blueschist facies during the Late Cretaceous (c. 80 Ma). Zircons from the metagranitoid give a Middle Ordovician Pb‐Pb evaporation age of 467.0 ± 4.5 Ma interpreted as the age of crystallization of the parent granitic magma. The micaschists underlying the metagranitoid yield Cambro‐Ordovician (530–450 Ma) and Carboniferous (c. 310 Ma) detrital zircon ages indicating that the granitoid is a pre‐ or syn‐metamorphic tectonic slice. The Ordovician metagranitoid represents a remnant of the crystalline basement of the Anatolide‐Tauride Block and provides evidence for Ordovician magmatism at the northern margin of Gondwana. Prismatic Carboniferous detrital zircons in the micaschists indicate that during the Triassic, the northern margin of the Anatolide‐Tauride Block was close to Variscan terranes.     

First results of U–Pb dating of detrital zircons from the Upper Ordovician sandstones of the Bashkir uplift (Southern Urals)

The first results of U–Pb dating of detrital zircons from Upper Ordovician sandstones of the Bashkir uplift in the Southern Urals and U–Pb isotopic ages available for detrital zircons from six stratigraphic levels of the Riphean–Paleozoic section of this region are discussed. It is established that the long (approximately 1.5 Ga) depositional history of sedimentary sequences of the Bashkir uplift includes a peculiar period lasting from the Late Vendian to the Emsian Age of the Early Devonian (0.55–0.41 Ga). This period is characterized by the following features: (1) prevalence of material from eroded Mesoproterozoic and Early Neoproterozoic crystalline complexes among clastics with ages atypical of the Volga–Urals segment of the East European Platform basement; (2) similarity of age spectra obtained for detrital zircons from different rocks of the period: Upper Vendian–Lower Cambrian lithic sandstones and Middle Ordovician substantially quartzose sandstones.     

Indo‐Antarctic derived detritus on the northern margin of Gondwana: evidence for continental‐scale sediment transport

Provenance studies from Cambro‐Ordovician sediments of the North Gondwana passive margin typically ascribe a North African source, a conclusion that cannot be reconciled with all observations. We present new U‐Pb ages from detrital rutile and zircon from Late Ordovician sediments from Saxo‐Thuringia, Germany. Detrital zircons yield age populations of 500–800 Ma, 900–1050 Ma and 1800–2600 Ma. The detrital rutile age spectra are unimodal with ages between 500 and 650 Ma and likely represent, together with the 500–800 Ma and 1800–2600 Ma zircon populations, detritus sourced predominantly from North Africa. In contrast, the c. 950 Ma zircons, which are persistently found in Cambro‐Ordovician sediments of North Gondwana, have no obvious African source. We propose that these zircons are sourced from the Rayner Complex–Eastern Ghats regions of Antarctica and India. An Indo‐Antarctic source indicates either continental‐scale sedimentary transport from central Gondwana to its peripheries or multiple cycles of sediment reworking and redeposition.     

U–Pb zircon,zircon Hf and whole-rock Sm–Nd isotopic constraints on the evolution of Paleoproterozoic rocks in the northern Gawler Craton

U–Pb zircon analyses from a series of orthogneisses sampled in drill core in the northern Gawler Craton provide crystallisation ages at ca 1775–1750 Ma, which is an uncommon age in the Gawler Craton. Metamorphic zircon and monazite give ages of ca 1730–1710 Ma indicating that the igneous protoliths underwent metamorphism during the craton-wide Kimban Orogeny. Isotopic Hf zircon data show that 1780–1750 Ma zircons are somewhat evolved with initial ε_Hf values –4 to +0.9, and model ages of ca 2.3 to 2.2 Ga. Isotopic whole rock Sm–Nd values from most samples have relatively evolved initial ε_Nd values of –3.7 to –1.4. In contrast, a mafic unit from drill hole Middle Bore 1 has a juvenile isotopic signature with initial ε_Hf zircon values of ca +5.2 to +8.2, and initial ε_Nd values of ～+3.5 to +3.8. The presence of 1775–1750 Ma zircon forming magmatic rocks in the northern Gawler Craton provides a possible source for similarly aged detrital zircons in Paleoproterozoic basin systems of the Gawler Craton and adjacent Curnamona Province. Previous provenance studies on these Paleoproterozoic basins have appealed to the Arunta Region of the North Australian Craton to provide 1780–1750 Ma detrital zircons, and isotopically and geochemically similar basin fill. The orthogneisses in the northern Gawler Craton also match the source criteria and display geochemical similarities between coeval magmatism in the Arunta Region of the North Australian Craton, providing further support for paleogeographic reconstructions that link the Gawler Craton and North Australian Craton during the Paleoproterozoic.     

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.     

Provenance analyses of early Mesozoic sediments in the Ningwu basin: Implications for the tectonic–palaeogeographic evolution of the northcentral North China Craton

This paper reports results from detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology, Hf isotopic geochemistry, sandstone modal analysis, and palaeocurrent analysis of the early Mesozoic strata within the Ningwu basin, China, with the aims of constraining the depositional ages and sedimentary provenances and shedding new light on the Mesozoic tectonic evolution of the northcentral North China Craton (NCC). The zircons from early Mesozoic sandstones are characterized by three major populations: Phanerozoic (late Palaeozoic and early Mesozoic), late Palaeoproterozoic (with a peak at approximately 1.8 Ga), and Neoarchaean (with a peak at approximately 2.5 Ga). Notably, three Phanerozoic zircons in the Early Triassic Liujiagou Formation were found to have positive ε_Hf(t) values and characteristics typical of zircons from the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB). Therefore, the CAOB began to represent the provenance of sediment in the sedimentary basins in the northern NCC no later than the Early Triassic (261 Ma), implying that the final amalgamation of the NCC and CAOB occurred before the Early Triassic. The U–Pb geochronologic and Hf isotopic results show that the Lower Middle Triassic sediments were mainly sourced from the Yinshan–Yanshan Orogenic Belt (YYOB), and that a sudden change in provenances occurred, shifting from a mixed YYOB and CAOB source in the Middle Jurassic to a primarily YYOB source in the Late Jurassic. The results of the sandstone modal analysis suggest that the majority of the samples from the Lower Middle Jurassic rocks were derived from either Continental Block or Recycled Orogen sources, whereas all the samples from the Upper Jurassic rocks were derived from Mixed sources. The change in source might be ascribed to the southward subduction and closure of the Okhotsk Ocean and the resulting intense uplift of the YYOB during the Late Jurassic. This uplift likely represents the start of the Yanshan Orogeny.     

Precambrian to Paleozoic zircon record in the Siviez-Mischabel basement (western Swiss Alps)

U–Pb zircon analyses from three meta-igneous and two metasedimentary rocks from the Siviez-Mischabel nappe in the western Swiss Alps are presented, and are used to derive an evolutionary history spanning from Paleoarchean crustal growth to Permian magmatism. The oldest components are preserved in zircons from metasedimentary albitic schists. The oldest zircon core in these schists is 3.4 Ga old. Detrital zircons reveal episodes of crustal growth in the Neoarchean (2.7–2.5 Ga), Paleoproterozoic (2.2–1.9 Ma) and Neoproterozoic (800–550 Ma, Pan-African event). The maximum age of deposition for the metasedimentary rocks is given by the youngest detrital zircons within both metasedimentary samples dated at ~490 Ma (Cambrian-Ordovician boundary). This is in the age range of two granitoid samples dated at 505 ± 4 and 482 ± 7 Ma, and indicates sedimentation and magmatism in an extensional setting preceding an Ordovician orogeny. The third felsic meta-igneous rock gives a Permian age of intrusion, and is part of a long-lasting Variscan to post-Variscan magmatic activity. The zircons record only minor disturbance of the U–Pb system during the Alpine orogeny.     

U–Pb ages of detrital zircons from Paleozoic metasandstones of the Gelnica Terrane (Southern Gemeric Unit, Western Carpathians, Slovakia): evidence for Avalonian–Amazonian provenance

U–Pb (SHRIMP) determinations on detrital zircons from the Early Paleozoic Gelnica Terrane metasandstones and their Permian overlap sediments of the Inner Western Carpathian Southern Gemeric Unit define five age populations based on age-probability plots. The metasandstones were sampled for detrital zircons from six stratigraphic levels, four of them in the Late Cambrian/Ordovician Gelnica Terrane metasandstones and the two in Permian envelope sequence. The data set includes 84 U–Pb ages for individual detrital zircons. These ages are combined with the previously dated inherited zircons from the associated metavolcanites (n?=?31). The majority of the pre-Permian detrital and inherited zircons (95%) belong to the three main populations: population A—the Paleoproterozoic/Neoarchean ages ranging from 1.75 to 2.6?Ga; population B—the Mesoproterozoic ages with the range of 0.9 to 1.1?Ga; population C—the Neoproterozoic ages, ranging from 560 to 807?Ma. The detrital zircon age spectrum from the basal Permian sediments reflects the strong recycling from the underlying Gelnica Terrane, with the presence of the dominant Precambrian C and B populations (94% of total), including the minor populations A. The range of the detrital zircon ages from the Late Permian sandstones is wider, with additional population D, ranging from 497 to 450?Ma and population E with a time span from 369 to 301?Ma. Within the Late Permian detrital zircon assemblage, the Proterozoic population A?+?B?+?C form only 25% of total. The detrital zircon data suggest that the Gelnica Terrane belongs to the peri-Gondwanan terrane with a source area located on the northwestern margin of Gondwana close to Amazonia. This terrane should have travelled a long distance in the Phanerozoic times.     

Late Permian–Triassic siliciclastic provenance,palaeogeography, and crustal growth of the Songpan terrane,eastern Tibetan Plateau: evidence from U–Pb ages,trace elements,and Hf isotopes of detrital zircons

In order to constrain the detrital provenance of the siliciclastic rocks, palaeogeographic variations, and crustal growth history of central China, we carried out simultaneously in situ U–Pb dating and trace element and Hf isotope analyses on 368 detrital zircons obtained from upper Permian–Triassic sandstones of the Songpan terrane, eastern Tibetan Plateau. Two groups of detrital zircons, i.e. magmatic and metamorphic in origin, have been identified based on cathodoluminescence images, zircon Ti-temperatures, and Th/U ratios. Our data suggest that the derivation of siliciclastic rocks in the Songpan terrane was mainly from the Qinling, Qilian, and Kunlun orogens, whereas the Yangtze and North China Cratons served as minor source areas during late Permian–Triassic times. The detrital zircons from Middle–Late Triassic siliciclastic rocks exhibit wide age spectra with two dominant populations of 230–600 Ma and >1600 Ma, peaking at ~1.8–1.9 Ga and ~2.4–2.5 Ga, suggestive of a derivation from the Qinling, Qilian, and Kunlun orogens and the Yangtze Craton being the minor source area. The proportions of detrital zircon populations from the northern Qinling, Qilian, and Kunlun orogens distinctly decreased during Middle–Late Triassic time, demonstrating that the initial uplift of the western Qinling occurred then and it could have blocked most of the detritus from the Qilian–northern Qinling orogens and North China Cratons into the main Songpan–Ganzi depositional basin. The relatively detrital zircon proportions of the Yangtze Craton source decreased during Early-Middle Late Triassic time, indicating that the Longmenshan orogen was probably being elevated, since the early Late Triassic and gradually formed a barrier between the Yangtze Craton and the Songpan terrane. In addition, our Lu–Hf isotopic results also reveal that the Phanerozoic magmatic rocks in central China had been the primary products of crustal reworking with insignificant formation of a juvenile crust.     

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。     

First results of U/Pb dating of detrital zircons from Early Paleozoic and Devonian sandstones of the Baltic-Ladoga region (south Ladoga Area)

The first results of U/Pb isotopic dating (LA ICP MS) of detrital zircons from sands from the Middle Cambrian Sablinka Formation, Upper Cambrian Ladoga Formation, Low Ordovician Tosna Formation, and calcareous sands from Syas’ Formation (Sargaevskii horizon of the Upper Frasnian) from Baltica-Ladoga Glint (BLG) of the Southern Ladoga area are presented. The obtained ages of detrital zircons span the intervals 492.7 ± 5.1-3196.4 ± 5.1 Ma (Sablino Formation); 577.9 ± 7–2972.6 ± 13.4 Ma (Ladoga Formation); 509.4 ± 8.5–3247.6 ± 10.1 Ma (Tosna Formation); 451.1 ± 14.7–2442.2 ± 6.9 Ma (Syas’ Formation). A comparison of the obtained isotopic ages of detrital zircons to ages of crystalline complexes composing the Kola-Karelian, Svecofennian, and Sveconorwegian domains of Baltic Shield and Pre-Uralian-Timanian structures of Subpolar and Polar Urals and basement of Pechora Basin was carried out. It is proposed that the Middle Paleozoic sedimentary basin accumulated Upper Frasnian rocks of Syas’ Formation. The basin ranged northward from the present-day BLG and occupied the eastern part of the Baltic Shield.     

Depositional age and provenance of the Cobar Supergroup

Abstract

The turbidite-filled, Lower Devonian Cobar Basin is characterised through a detrital zircon study. Uranium–Pb age data for six samples were combined with published data to show the basin has a unique age spectrum characterised by a subordinate Middle Ordovician (ca 470?Ma) peak superimposed on a dominant ca 500?Ma peak. Maximum depositional ages for 3 samples were ca 425?Ma, close to the published Lower Devonian (Lochkovian 419–411?Ma) biostratigraphic ages. A minor ca 1000?Ma zircon population was also identified. The major source of the 500?Ma zircons was probably the local Ordovician metasedimentary basement, which was folded, thickened and presumably exposed during the ca 440?Ma Benambran Orogeny. The ca 470?Ma age peak reflects derivation from Middle Ordovician (Phase 2) rocks of the Macquarie Arc to the east. The I-type Florida Volcanics, located ～50?km eastward from the Cobar Basin, contains distinctive Middle and Late Ordovician zircon populations, considered to be derived from deeply underthrust Macquarie Arc crust. Protracted silicic magmatism occurred before, during and after Cobar Basin deposition, indicating that the basin formed by subduction-related processes in a back-arc setting, rather than as a continental rift.     

Detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology of Permian strata in the Galilee Basin,Queensland, Australia

The late Carboniferous to Triassic tectonic history of eastern Australia includes important periods of regional-scale crustal extension and contraction. Evidence for these periods of tectonism is recorded by the extensive Pennsylvanian (late Carboniferous) to Triassic basin system of eastern Australia. In this study, we investigate the use of U–Pb dating of detrital zircons in reconstructing the tectonic development of one of these basins, the eastern Galilee Basin of Queensland. U–Pb detrital zircon ages were obtained from samples of stratigraphically well-constrained Cisuralian and Lopingian (early and late Permian, respectively) sandstone in the Galilee Basin. Detrital zircons in these sandstones are dominated by a population with ages in the range of 300–250 Ma, and ages from the youngest detrital zircons closely approximate depositional ages. We attribute these two fundamental findings to (1) appreciable derivation of detrital zircons in the Galilee Basin from the New England Orogen of easternmost Australia and (2) syndepositional magmatism. Furthermore, Cisuralian sandstone of the Galilee Basin contains significantly more >300 Ma detrital zircons than Lopingian sandstone. The transition in detrital zircon population, which is bracketed between 296 and 252 Ma based on previous high-precision U–Pb zircon ages from Permian ash beds in the Galilee Basin, corresponds with the Hunter–Bowen Orogeny and reflects a change in the Galilee Basin from an earlier extensional setting to a later foreland basin environment. During the Lopingian foreland basin phase, the individual depocentres of the Galilee and Bowen basins were linked to form a single and enormous foreland basin that covered >300 000 km² in central and eastern Queensland.     

早古生代阿拉善地块与华北地块之间的关系:来自阿拉善东缘中奥陶统碎屑锆石的信息

阿拉善东缘奥陶纪地层位于鄂尔多斯(华北地块)与北祁连早古生代造山带之间的过渡地区,该区的构造背景一直是长期争论的问题,它涉及到阿拉善地块是否与华北地块相连、奥陶系的物源以及"贺兰拗拉槽"是否存在等问题。分布于阿拉善地块东缘的中奥陶统米钵山组的碎屑锆石LA-ICP-MSU-Pb年龄测试表明,样品中数量最多的锆石年龄为900～950Ma,Alxa-1的峰值年龄为916Ma,Alxa-2的峰值年龄为953Ma,次者在494～623Ma之间,这个区间内存在多个峰值,如Alxa-1存在505Ma和588Ma两个主要峰值,Alxa-2则存在494Ma、517Ma、623Ma等几个峰值。在2.5Ga左右两个样品都存在一个弱的峰值,Alxa-1峰值为2517Ma,而Alxa-2峰值为2552Ma和2670Ma。除此之外,两个样品都有个别大于3.0Ga的成分,Alxa-1样品中最年轻的锆石为451±8Ma,Alxa-2样品则为483±4Ma。这些年龄以及沉积特征表明:(1)传统认为的奥陶纪"贺兰拗拉槽"并不存在,鄂尔多斯西南缘地区以及阿拉善东部地区当时属于北祁连早古生代周缘前陆盆地系统;(2)早古生代主要物源来自北祁连造山带,新元古代物源来自阿拉善地块;(3)鄂尔多斯西缘整个米钵山组的锆石年龄分布及其变化,指示出北祁连造山带(岛弧)逐渐靠近阿拉善地块,其间洋盆逐渐消失的过程;(4)阿拉善地块基底与华北有明显差别,阿拉善地块明显受到新元古代和古生代构造热事件的影响,两者可能是在中奥陶世或之后才拼贴在一起。     

冀西北怀安地体高级变质表壳岩的锆石年代学研究

位于华北克拉通中部造山带中北段的怀安地体与内蒙孔兹岩带相接,出露高压麻粒岩和退变榴辉岩等多种高级变质岩,是洞悉华北克拉通古元古代构造演化历史的重要窗口。研究区变质表壳岩包括夕线石榴长英质片麻岩、石榴长英质粒状岩石以及紫苏黑云二长片麻岩。阴极发光图像特征显示研究区样品的锆石主要包括碎屑锆石和变质锆石,其中碎屑锆石具有岩浆结晶环带,而变质锆石为单颗粒或围绕着继承性碎屑锆石边部生长,内部结构均匀,Th/U比值较低。锆石LAICP-MS U-Pb定年结果与前人研究结果综合表明该区变质表壳岩石的碎屑锆石的207Pb/206Pb年龄主要集中在~2040Ma,其原岩形成时代与孔兹岩带变泥质岩石相近,均为~2.0Ga。变质锆石记录其变质时代为1957~1804Ma,结合前人对怀安地区变泥质岩和变基性岩变质作用和年代学研究结果,推测得出1.95~1.92Ga代表了峰期(高压)麻粒岩相变质时代,1.90~1.85Ga代表峰后减压阶段变质时代,而1.85~1.80Ga代表退变质晚期的时代。怀安地区变质岩石可能卷入了阴山陆块、鄂尔多斯陆块以及东部陆块间的先后碰撞造山过程,并持续较长时间(1.95~1.80Ga),最终拼贴为统一的整体。     

Beach sand of SE Australia traced by zircon ages through Ordovician turbidites and S-type granites of the Lachlan Orogen to Africa/Antarctica: a review

The Quaternary beach sand of SE Australia, driven northward by southern swell, contains zircons with dominant U–Pb ages of 700–500 Ma, model ages (T_DMc) of 2.2 Ga to 1.0 Ga, and ?_Hf of +12 to –30, indicating a host rock type of granitoids with alkaline affinity. These properties match those of detrital zircons in the Middle Triassic (ca 240 Ma) Hawkesbury Sandstone (T_DMc of 2.1 to 1.0 Ga, ?_Hf of +8 to –40, alkaline granitoids) and the Ordovician (ca 460 Ma) turbidites and ca 430 Ma S-type granitoids of the Lachlan Orogen (T_2DM of 2.0 to 1.0 Ga, ?_Hf of +5 to –30), all of which are identified as proximal provenances. Superimposed are the ca 400 Ma zircons in beaches in the south backed by the 420–375 Ma I-type Bega Batholith, and ca 350 Ma and ca 250 Ma zircons in the north backed by the New England Orogen. The Ordovician turbidites, part of a deep-sea super-fan, were fed by the detritus of the exhumed 700–500 Ma Transgondwanan Supermountains atop the East African–Antarctic Orogen. At the same time, the ancestral Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains of East Antarctica probably contributed a subsidiary fan of 700–500 Ma sediment. Primary zircons aged 600–500 Ma in igneous and metamorphic rocks in Australia and the ancestral Transantarctic Mountains are minor contributors of the Australian sediments. The properties of the 700–500 Ma primary zircons in the East African–Antarctic Orogen are traceable through the first-cycle Ordovician turbidite and intruding second-cycle granite, and younger sediment, such as the third-cycle Triassic Hawkesbury Sandstone and the third-cycle beach sand. The sand at the northern terminus of the coastal system off Fraser Island spills over the shelf edge into the Tasman Abyssal Plain to reflect in miniature the deep-sea depositional environment of the Ordovician.     

贺兰山孔兹岩系的变质时代及其对华北克拉通西部陆块演化的制约

贺兰山孔兹岩系作为华北克拉通西部孔兹岩带的重要组成部分,其变质时代问题一直悬而未决.利用SHRIMP锆石U-Pb定年技术,对贺兰山孔兹岩系中3个代表性富铝片麻岩(石榴堇青钾长片麻岩、石榴堇青二长片麻岩与石榴黑云斜长片麻岩)样品进行了精确定年.发现这3种岩石虽处不同层位,但其碎屑锆石年龄却非常集中,各测点207Pb/206Pb年龄总体变化在2.0～2.1Ga之间,加权平均年龄则在2017～2040Ma之间.这些碎屑锆石都具有岩浆结构特征,反映当时曾存在大规模花岗质岩浆活动,所成岩体为孔兹岩系沉积提供了充足物源.另有少量大于2.5Ga的碎屑锆石(2520～2949Ma),表明本区存在太古代岩浆活动记录.本区石榴堇青二长片麻岩中发育典型的变质增生锆石,其成因很可能与黑云母的脱水熔融反应有关.利用该锆石确定贺兰山孔兹岩系的变质时代为1950±8Ma.该时代与东部大青山、乌拉山孔兹岩系变质时代相同,表明华北克拉通西部的阴山地块与鄂尔多斯地块大体是以平行的方式正面拼贴到一起的,形成了目前的孔兹岩带.     

Reconstructing Late Paleozoic exhumation history of the Inner Mongolia Highland along the northern edge of the North China Craton

The Inner Mongolia Highland (IMH), along the northern edge of the North China Craton, was considered to be a long-standing topographic highland, whose exhumation history remains elusive. The aim of this study is to reveal Late Paleozoic exhumation processes of the IMH based on an integrated analysis of stratigraphy, petrography of clastic rocks, and U–Pb ages and Hf isotopes of detrital zircons from Permian–Triassic succession in the middle Yanshan belt. The results of the study show that the Benxi Formation, which was originally regarded as a Late Carboniferous unit, proves to be Early Permian in age because it contains detrital zircons as young as ∼298 Ma. The Lower Shihezi Formation is demonstrated to be a unit whose age spans the boundary of the Middle and Upper Permian, constrained by a U–Pb age of 260 ± 2 Ma from a dacite layer. Clastic compositions of conglomerate and sandstone change markedly, characterised by the predominance of sedimentary components in the Benxi–Shanxi Formations, by large amounts of volcanic clastics in the Lower and Upper Shihezi Formations, and by the presence of both metamorphic and igneous clastics in the Sunjiagou–Ermaying Formations. Sedimentary clastics include chert, carbonate, sandstone and quartzite, which may have been derived from Proterozoic to Lower Paleozoic sedimentary covers. Volcanic clasts were directly related to volcanic eruptions, while granite and gneiss grains were sourced from exhumed Late Paleozoic intrusive rocks and basement rocks. Detrital zircon U–Pb ages can be divided into five populations: 2.6–2.4 Ga, 1.9–1.7 Ga, 400–360 Ma, 325–290 Ma and 270–250 Ma. Precambrian detrital zircons are typically subrounded to rounded in shape, implying a recycling origin. Late Paleozoic zircons show oscillatory zones and their Th/U ratios >0.4, suggesting a magmatic origin. Most Phanerozoic zircons have negative ε_Hf(T) values of −3.2 to −25.5, which are compatible with those of Late Paleozoic plutons in the IMH. The results indicate that the IMH may have been covered with Proterozoic to Lower Paleozoic sedimentary strata, which then underwent subsequent erosion and served as provenances for adjacent Late Paleozoic basins. Vertical changes in both clastic compositions and detrital zircon ages in Permian–Triassic strata imply an unroofing process of the IMH. Three phases of the IMH uplift are distinguished. The first-phase uplift commenced 325–312 Ma and resulted from magmatic intrusion related to southward subduction of the Paleo-Asian Ocean. The second-phase uplift took place in the Middle Permian and may be attributed to crustal contraction related to the collision of the North China Craton and the Southern Mongolia terrane. The third-phase uplift happened at the end of the Permian, and may have been induced by upwelling of calc-alkali magma under an extensional setting.     

Age constraints on the Palaeoproterozoic Lomagundi–Jatuli Event in Zimbabwe: Zircon geochronology of the Magondi Supergroup

The ca. 2.2–2.1 Ga Magondi Supergroup on the Zimbabwe Craton in Southern Africa is mainly composed of sedimentary rocks deposited in a rift basin/passive continental margin, which record a unique episode in carbon isotope perturbation called the Lomagundi–Jatuli Event (LJE). This study reports new U–Pb ages of detrital zircons from the Deweras and Lomagundi groups of the Magondi Supergroup, and of igneous zircons from underlying granitoids, to constrain the timing of the LJE and to identify the provenance of the Magondi Supergroup. Most analysed detrital zircon grains range in ages between ca. 2.9 and 2.6 Ga. Three ca. 2.3–2.2 Ga detrital zircons from sandstone of the Deweras Group, with the youngest ²⁰⁷Pb‐²⁰⁶Pb age of 2,216 ± 22 Ma, indicate the onset of LJE in the Zimbabwe Craton was almost simultaneous to that in Fennoscandia and the Superior Craton, supporting the global synchronicity of the LJE.