Carboniferous eclogite and garnet–omphacite granulite from northeastern Hainan Island,South China: Implications for the evolution of the eastern Palaeo‐Tethys

High‐P (HP) eclogite and associated garnet–omphacite granulite have recently been discovered in the Mulantou area, northeastern Hainan Island, South China. These rocks consist mainly of garnet, omphacite, hornblende, quartz and rutile/ilmenite, with or without zoisite and plagioclase. Textural relationships, mineral compositions and thermobarometric calculations demonstrate that the eclogite and garnet–omphacite granulite share the same three‐stage metamorphic evolution, with prograde, peak and retrograde P?T conditions of 620–680°C and 8.7–11.1 kbar, 820–860°C and 17.0–18.2 kbar, and 700–730°C and 7.1–8.5 kbar respectively. Sensitive high‐resolution ion microprobe U–Pb zircon dating, coupled with the identification of mineral inclusions in zircon, reveals the formation of mafic protoliths before 355 Ma, prograde metamorphism at c. 340–330 Ma, peak to retrograde metamorphism at c. 310–300 Ma, and subsequent pegmatite intrusion at 295 Ma. Trace element geochemistry shows that most of the rocks have a MORB affinity, with initial ε_Nd values of +2.4 to +6.7. As with similar transitional eclogite–HP granulite facies rocks in the thickened root in the European Variscan orogen, the occurrence of relatively high P?T metamorphic rocks of oceanic origin in northeastern Hainan Island suggests Carboniferous oceanic subduction leading to collision of the Hainan continental block, or at least part of it, with the South China Block in the eastern Palaeo‐Tethyan tectonic domain.     

Palaeoecology of a late Allerød peat bed at Godøy,western Norway

A peat bed found under solifluction deposits on Godøya island, western Norway, accumulated during a few decades around 11 000 yr BP, at the end of the Allerød period of the Late Weichselian. Palaeoecological investigations showed a local vegetation succession on wet sand culminating in a mire community dominated by Carex nigra. Periodic flooding brought in sand and silt, which decreased as drainage was impeded sufficiently for standing water to develop. The surrounding terrestrial vegetation was dominated by Salix scrub, with some open heath and alpine habitats nearby. Apart from two aquatic species, the 29 insect taxa recorded are characteristic of alpine heaths, plant litter (under Salix scrub) and stream-sides. Their remains, together with the terrestrial plant macrofossils, were washed into the mire from nearby. Because the fossils are locally derived, the environmental reconstructions are of the actual conditions at Godøy at ca. 11 000 yr BP. Palaeotemperature estimates from beetles and plants are in agreement. The coleopteran estimates (Mutual Climatic Range Method) suggest mean July temperatures of 10–13°C, slightly cooler than today (13.5°), and January temperatures between +1 and ?10°C, similar to or much colder than today. Summer temperature estimates from individual plant taxa indicate that temperatures during the Allerød period were similar to today's, but estimates from the reconstructed vegetation and timber-line positions give estimates up to 3.5° cooler. Temperatures fell 2.5–7.5°C at the Younger Dryas. This abrupt and severe cooling initiated the solifluction processes on Godøya that buried the peat. The Godøy peat bed and its contained fossils provide a rare glimpse of Allerød biota and environments at the local (site) scale.     

海南岛发现榴辉岩-高压麻粒岩组合

在海南木栏头地区首次发现了一套榴辉岩-高压麻粒岩组合。该岩石产出于沿海潮间带中,主要由石榴子石、绿辉石、角闪石、石英和金红石组成,含或不含黝帘石和(或)斜长石。由传统的地质温压计计算获得岩石峰期变质作用的温压条件约为800～850℃、1.5GPa,锆石U-Pb定年得到的变质时代为340～300Ma。榴辉岩-高压麻粒岩组合的发现对于深入理解海南岛构造属性、古特提斯洋东域构造演化过程等均具有重要意义。     

Petrogenesis and implications of jadeite‐bearing kyanite eclogite from the Sanbagawa belt (SW Japan)

Jadeite‐bearing kyanite eclogite has been discovered in the Iratsu body of the Sanbagawa belt, SW Japan. The jadeite + kyanite assemblage is stable at higher pressure–temperature (P–T) conditions or lower H₂O activity [a(H₂O)] than paragonite, although paragonite‐bearing eclogite is common in the Sanbagawa belt. The newly discovered eclogite is a massive metagabbro with the peak‐P assemblage garnet + omphacite + jadeite + kyanite + phengite + quartz + rutile. Impure jadeite is exclusively present as inclusions in garnet. The compositional gap between the coexisting omphacite (P2/n) and impure jadeite (C2/c) suggests relatively low metamorphic temperatures of 510–620 °C. Multi‐equilibrium thermobarometry for the assemblage garnet + omphacite + kyanite + phengite + quartz gives peak‐P conditions of ~2.5 GPa, 570 °C. Crystallization of jadeite in the metagabbro is attributed to Na‐ and Al‐rich effective bulk composition due to the persistence of relict Ca‐rich clinopyroxene at the peak‐P stage. By subtracting relict clinopyroxene from the whole‐rock composition, pseudosection modelling satisfactorily reproduces the observed jadeite‐bearing assemblage and mineral compositions at ~2.4–2.5 GPa, 570–610 °C and a(H₂O) >0.6. The relatively high pressure conditions derived from the jadeite‐bearing kyanite eclogite are further supported by high residual pressures of quartz inclusions in garnet. The maximum depth of exhumation in the Sanbagawa belt (~80 km) suggests decoupling of the slab–mantle wedge interface at this depth.     

浙东中新世Betula mioluminifera Hu et Chaney的发现及古气候重建

随着古气候和古环境研究的日渐深入,“特有种气候分析法”成为新生代定量重建古气候研究的重要方法之一。使用这一方法分析了浙江东部天台中新统下南山组的古亮叶桦（Betula mioluminifera Hu et Chaney）压型化石,研究了其叶结构特征及表皮微细构造,定量推论浙江天台中新世时年平均温度为12.5～22.1℃,春季平均温度为13.0～23.1℃,较现在温暖。我国内蒙、吉林、山东、云南等地的新近系发现过古亮叶桦,分布的北界为42°N。其现存最近亲缘种亮叶桦（Betula luminifera）生活在101～119°E,23～34°N之间,海拔500～1800 m的山区,是我国特有树种。亮叶桦分布范围的缩小显示中新世一段时期我国气候逐渐变冷的趋势。     

Paleomagnetism in the Neoarchean polyphase Panozero intrusion in the Fennoscandian Shield

Paleomagnetic research of the Neoarchean polyphase Panozero sanukitoid massif of the Fennoscandian Shield was performed. Paleomagnetic studies of three rock associations of the massif was used to obtain the paleomagnetic pole Φ = −10.2°C Λ = 226.1°C, dp = 4.9°, dm = 3.5° ϕm = − 36.1°. Positive tests of the contact zone between rocks of the sanukitoid massif and the country Mesoarchean metavolcanics, as well as overlying Jatulian amygdaloid basalts and diabases of the Segozero structural feature testify to the primary origin of the high-temperature component of rock magnetization obtained. The paleomagnetic pole obtained indicates that during the period from 2.74 to 2.73 Ga the Karelian Craton was located in tropical moderate latitudes of the South Hemisphere and it possibly moved to the tropical latitudes during the Neoarchean.     

An Early Pleistocene interglacial deposit at Pingorsuit,North-West Greenland

At the Pingorsuit Glacier in North-West Greenland, an organic-rich deposit that had recently emerged from the retreating ice cap was discovered at an elevation of 480 m above sea level. This paper reports on macrofossil analyses of a coarse detritus gyttja and peaty soil, which occurred beneath a thin cover of till and glacifluvial deposits. The sediments contained remains of vascular plants, mosses, beetles, caddisflies, midges, bryozoans, sponges and other invertebrates. The flora includes black spruce, tree birch, boreal shrubs and wetland and aquatic taxa, which shows that mires, lakes and ponds were present in the area. We describe a new extinct waterwort species Elatine odgaardii. The fossils were deposited in a boreal environment with a mean July air temperature that was at least 9 °C higher than at present. The fossil assemblages show strong similarities with others from Greenland that have been assigned an Early Pleistocene age, and we suggest a similar age for the sediments found at the margin of the Pingorsuit Glacier. At the Pingorsuit Glacier in North-West Greenland, an organic-rich deposit was discovered at an elevation of 480 m above sea level. The sediments contained remains of vascular plants, mosses, beetles, caddisflies, midges, bryozoans, sponges and other invertebrates. The fossils were deposited in a boreal environment with a mean July air temperature that was at least 9 °C higher than at present.     

Triassic eclogite from northern Vietnam: inferences and geological significance

T he first finding of low‐temperature eclogites from the Indochina region is reported. The eclogites occur along the Song Ma Suture zone in northern Vietnam, which is widely regarded as the boundary between the South China and Indochina cratons. The major lithology of the area is pelitic schist that contains garnet and phengite with or without biotite, chloritoid, staurolite and kyanite, and which encloses blocks and lenses of eclogite and amphibolite. The eclogites commonly consist of garnet, omphacite, phengite, rutile, quartz and/or epidote with secondary barroisite. Omphacite is commonly surrounded by a symplectite of Na‐poor omphacite and Na‐rich plagioclase. In highly retrograded domains, diopside + tremolite + plagioclase symplectites replace the primary phases. Estimated peak‐pressure metamorphic conditions based on isochemical phase diagrams for the eclogites are 2.1–2.2 GPa and 600–620 °C, even though thermobarometric results yield higher pressure and temperature conditions (2.6–2.8 GPa and 620–680 °C). The eclogites underwent a clockwise P–T trajectory with a post‐peak‐pressure increase of temperature to a maximum of >750 °C at 1.7 GPa and a subsequent cooling during decompression to 650 °C and 1.3 GPa, which was followed by additional cooling before close‐to‐isothermal decompression to ∼530 °C at 0.5 GPa. The surrounding pelitic schist (garnet–chloritoid–phengite) records similar metamorphic conditions (580–600 °C at 1.9–2.3 GPa) and a monazite chemical age of 243 ± 4 Ma. A few monazite inclusions within garnet and the cores of some zoned monazite in garnet–phengite schist record an older thermal event (424 ± 15 Ma). The present results indicate that the Indochina craton was deeply (>70 km) subducted beneath the South China craton in the Triassic. The Silurian cores of monazite grains may relate to an older non‐collisional event in the Indochina craton.     

华南早三叠世的古地磁学与大地构造

从华南几个具代表性地点的下三叠统灰岩中,获得了有意义的古地磁学初步结果。这些结果支持华南存在分离板块的设想。根据新近获得的地质与古地磁学证据,推断华南存在4个岩石图板块。它们是扬子(D=232.4°,I=-11.8°,K=28.2,α₉₅=5.5°),湘桂(D=198.0°,I=32.2°,α₉₅=12.9°),华夏(D=88.0°,I=13.0°,K=20.1,α₉₅=9.1°)和海南(上二叠统D=338.2°,I=15.9°,K=10.2,α₉₅=14.3°)板块。4个板块的古地磁极位分散,纬度差明显,并存在碰撞后的局部与区域性的旋转作用,尤其是顺时针旋转。华南早中生代的大地构造可理解为4个来自古特提斯和冈瓦纳的岩石圈碎块与欧亚大陆聚合作用的产物。     

Climate and vegetation in Hokkaido, northern Japan, since the LGM: Pollen records from core GH02-1030 off Tokachi in the northwestern Pacific

Vegetation and climate since the LGM in eastern Hokkaido were investigated based on a pollen record from marine core GH02-1030 from off Tokachi in the northwestern Pacific. We also examined pollen spectra in surface samples from Sakhalin to compare and understand the climatic conditions of Hokkaido during the last glacial period. Vegetation in the Tokachi region in the LGM (22–17 ka) was an open boreal forest dominated by Picea and Larix. During the last deglaciation (17–10 ka), vegetation was characterized by abundant Betula. In the Kenbuchi Basin, central Hokkaido, a remarkable increase of Larix and Pinus occurred in the LGM and the last deglaciation, which was assigned as the “Kenbuchi Stadial.” Comparison of climatic data between the core GH02-1030 and that of Kenbuchi Basin demonstrates that variations in temperature and precipitation were larger in inland Hokkaido than in the maritime area of the Pacific coast. During the LGM in the Tokachi region, the August mean temperature was about 5 °C lower, and annual precipitation was about 40% lower than today. In the Kenbuchi Basin, central Hokkaido, the August mean temperature was about 8 °C lower, and annual precipitation was half that of today. During the last deglaciation, August mean temperatures were about 3 °C lower, and annual precipitation was about 30% lower than today in the Tokachi region. In the Kenbuchi Basin, August mean temperatures were about 5–8 °C lower, and annual precipitation was about 40–60% lower than today. Cold ocean water and a strengthened summer monsoon after 15 ka may have resulted in the formation of advection fogs, reduced summer temperatures, and a decrease in the seasonal temperature difference in the Tokachi district, which established favorable maritime conditions for Betula forests.     

共轭伸展褶劈理夹角的定量解析

９０ 年代初以来,中国地质学者先后在浙、皖、赣、湘的“板溪群”及震旦系中发现了古生代的生物化石。因此,再次将“板溪群”是否是前震旦纪的一个变质地层单位、江南古陆是否存在以及华南大地构造格局是否需要重新厘定等问题提了出来。１９９３ 年笔者于赣东北蛇绿混杂岩带内的“双桥山群”岩块中,首次发现了含晚古生代的放射虫硅质岩。１９９６ 年又在该混杂岩带多处的“双桥山群”岩块和“下震旦统志棠组”中找到了含晚古生代的放射虫硅质岩,还首次在“登山群拔竹坑组”中发现了早古生代的几丁虫化石。经数年野外多次观察和对室内化石鉴定、岩石地球化学测试结果以及岩石学特征的综合分析表明,所发现的含晚古生代放射虫硅质岩及其岩石组合是一套洋盆深水相沉积;登山群拔竹坑组,是早古生代的一套浅水陆棚 深水陆棚 半深海相沉积。结合同行学者在邻区“板溪群”研究方面取得的新成果,笔者认为：“板溪群”不是前震旦纪的一个变质地层单位,而是一个复杂的构造岩带,江南古陆是不存在的,华南从早古生代到中生代早期还经历了一次洋盆演化过程,现在的构造格局是印支运动奠定的     

Fluid–Sediment Interaction in a Marine Shallow-Water Hydrothermal System in the Wakamiko Submarine Crater, South Kyushu, Japan

The Wakamiko submarine crater is a small depression located in Kagoshima Bay, southwest Japan. Marine shallow‐water hydrothermal activity associated with fumarolic gas emissions at the crater sea floor (water depth 200 m) is considered to be related with magmatic activity of the Aira Caldera. During the NT05‐13 dive expedition conducted in August 2005 using remotely operated vehicle Hyper‐Dolphine (Japan Agency for Marine‐Earth Science and Technology), an active shimmering site was discovered (tentatively named the North site) at approximately 1 km from the previously known site (tentatively named the South site). Surface sediment (up to 30 cm) was cored from six localities including these active sites, and the alteration minerals and pore fluid chemistry were studied. The pore fluids of these sites showed a drastic change in chemical profile from that of seawater, even at 30 cm below the surface, which is attributed to mixing of the ascending hydrothermal component and seawater. The hydrothermal component of the North site is estimated to be derived from a hydrothermal aquifer at 230°C based on the hydrothermal end‐member composition. Occurrence of illite/smectite interstratified minerals in the North site sediment is attributed to in situ fluid–sediment interaction at a temperature around 150°C, which is in accordance with the pore fluid chemistry. In contrast, montmorillonite was identified as the dominant alteration mineral in the South site sediment. Together with the significant low potassium concentration of the hydrothermal end‐member, the abundant occurrence of low‐temperature alteration mineral suggests that the hydrothermal aquifer in the South site is not as high as 200°C. Moreover, the montmorillonite is likely to be unstable with the present pore fluid chemistry at the measured temperature (117°C). This disagreement implies unstable hydrothermal activity at the South site, in contrast to the equilibrium between the pore fluid and alteration minerals in the North site sediment. This difference may reflect the thermal and/or hydrological structure of the Wakamiko Crater hydrothermal system.     

Palaeoenvironmental interpretation of Middle and Late Wisconsinan fossil coleopteran assemblages from western Olympic Peninsula,Washington, USA

Organic sediments exposed in a seacliff near Kalaloch, Washington, contain abundant, well-preserved beetle remains. Fossil assemblages dating from about 48 000 to 40 000 yr BP are dominated by species typical of the lowland and montane forests in the region today. A few species, Micropeplus laticollis, Olophrum consimile, Olophrum boreale, Arpedium cribratum, and Tachinus thruppi are presently not members of the Pacific Northwest fauna. Mean July temperature during this part of the Middle Wisconsinan is estimated to have been about 1°C lower than today. Later Wisconsinan assemblages are dominated by non-arboreal species, indicating a treeless, probably tundra environment. Mean July temperature based mostly on the occurrence of the alpine leaf-beetle species, Asiorestia pallida, is estimated to have been at least 3°C lower than the present day. Palaeoclimatic interpretations based on beetles are in good agreement with those based on pollen.     

Variation in sericite compositions from fracture zones within the Coso Hot Springs geothermal system

Two types of white micas are found in drillhole samples within the geothermal system at Coso Hot Springs. Low-permeability zones of the crystalline basement contain coarse-grained relict muscovite, whereas rock alteration near fracture zones at temperatures > 150°C is characterized by abundant finegrained sericite in association with secondary calcite and quartz and unaltered relict microcline. In this hydrothermal sericite there is an increase in interlayer K, octahedral Mg + Fe_total and tetrahedral Al with increasing temperature between ~215° to >250°C.Thermodynamic activity of the Al₂Si₄O₁₀(OH)₂ component of serielles, calculated using site-mixing approximations of Helgeson and Aagaard (1985), decreases with increasing temperature between ~215° and >250°C. As a consequence of the observed variations in the interlayer, octahedral and tetrahedral site occupancies, the activity of KAl₂(AlSi₃O₁₀(OH)₂ is essentially constant in the Coso seriates over this temperature range. The calculated equilibrium distribution of aqueous species in the hydrothermal solutions produced from well 16−8, together with cation-activity phase diagrams that account for variations in sericite composition, requires a pH of ~6.7–6.8 at temperatures between 236° and 250°C. Comparison of predicted and observed phase relations with fluid compositions indicate that seriates are in local equilibrium with the geothermal reservoir fluid, whereas relict metamorphic muscovites are metastable.Although the compositions of hydrothermal sericites are a complex function of temperature, pressure and geothermal fluid composition, compositional relations observed at Coso together with published compositions of hydrothermal dioctahedral layer-silicates from the Salton Sea geothermal system demonstrates that elemental compositions of interlayer K and tetrahedral Al increase systematically with increasing temperature despite the dramatic differences in fluid compositions between these two geothermal systems. This suggests that the observed variations in interlayer and tetrahedral site occupancy is largely dependent on the enthalpy of hydrolysis reactions representing equilibrium between sericite solid solutions and the geothermal reservoir fluids.     

The extent of permafrost in China during the local Last Glacial Maximum (LLGM)

Recent investigations into relict periglacial phenomena in northern and western China and on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau provide information for delineating the extent of permafrost in China during the Late Pleistocene. Polygonal and wedge‐shaped structures indicate that, during the local Last Glacial Maximum (LLGM, between ～35 and 10.5 ka BP), the southern limit of latitudinal permafrost in northern China advanced southward at least to ～38–40°N in the east and to ～37–39°N in the west. This represents an advance of about 5–10° of latitude beyond present‐day permafrost limits. The lower limits of elevationally controlled permafrost on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and its peripheries were about 1000 m lower: this permafrost was largely continuous during the LLGM. This suggests a cooling of between 4 and 10°C, or more. This paper discusses the extent of permafrost during the LLGM and presents maps that have been constructed on the basis of extensive and integrative analysis of all reliable and pertinent data. The results indicate that the extent of LLGM permafrost in China was between ～3.8 and 4.3×10⁶ km². This is 80 to 100% more than that of ～2.15×10⁶ km² in the 1970s, and 120 to ～150% more than that of ～1.75×10⁶ km² today.     

Variations in annual winter mean temperature in South China since 1736

Modern meteorological observations in South China from 1960 to 2009 show a strong correlation between winter temperatures and two snowfall parameters, the southern boundary of the snow and the number of snowy days. Based on this relationship, the variation in annual winter mean temperature in South China from 1736 to 2009 was reconstructed using data acquired from Chinese historical documents dating from the Qing dynasty, such as memos and local gazettes. The reconstructed time series were used to analyse variations in winter temperature in South China. Significant interannual and interdecadal changes were found. The maximum temperature difference between neighbouring years was 3.1 °C for 1958–2009 and 3.0 °C for 1736–1957, whereas the maximum temperature difference between adjacent decades was 0.8 °C for the 1960s–2000s and 0.6 °C for the 1740s–1950s. The 2000s was the warmest decade; the mean temperature was 1.6 °C higher than that of the 1870s, which was the coldest decade between the 1740s and the 2000s. The mean winter temperature was warmer in the 18th and 20th centuries and coldest in the 19th century.     

Effects of temperature and humidity upon the transport of sedimentary particles by wind

Wind tunnel simulations of aeolian transport carried out over a range in mean temperature between 32 °C and ?9 °C suggest that cold airflows support higher mass transport rates (Q) than very warm air. The magnitude of this increase is larger than expected, so that analytical and semi‐empirical models underestimate Q. Extrapolation of the results suggests that, at ?40 °C, as for example in the dry valleys of Antarctica in winter, Q may be as much as 70% higher than for the equivalent wind speed in hot deserts at air temperatures of 40 °C. Temperature‐dependent changes in air density and turbulence contribute to this result. The decreased tension of water adsorbed onto particle surfaces at low temperatures is postulated to reduce interparticle cohesion and, thus, to increase the elasticity of particle impacts on cold beds. Definition of the roles that temperature and humidity play in aeolian transport is relevant to studies of palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and extraterrestrial (or planetary) geology. Investigation of present‐day, cold climate features and of climate change effects also requires knowledge of these fundamental relations.     

中国东南大陆和陆缘地带板内构造界带的地磁异常场响应

利用中国东南大陆与陆缘地带的地面磁场观测资料 ,通过适配滤波、谱分析、位场延拓等技术进行数据处理 ,获得了该区的地磁场分布 ;并在网格化数据的基础上进行反演 ,求得了不同深度层面的磁场分布及磁性结构。新的研究结果表明 :1 .扬子、华夏、康滇、秦岭—大别各陆块的磁异常特征无论在水平方向或垂直方向都存在很大差异 ,且具有明显的分区特征。 2 .郯庐深大断裂跨过长江后可能经东西向局部错动继续沿赣江断裂、吴川—四会断裂延伸并潜入海域。 3.扬子与华夏陆块的界带 ,东端起始于杭州湾 ,沿江绍断裂向西南方向延伸 ,经南昌、至长沙 ,再沿雪峰山向南经桂林西并沿钦州湾入海。4 .华南EW向大型隐伏构造带形迹 ,基本沿 2 4 .5°～ 2 6°N展布     

Early Jurassic granitoids from deep drill holes in the East China Sea Basin: implications for the initiation of Palaeo-Pacific tectono-magmatic cycle

The timing of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate (PPP) subduction in East Asia, following the amalgamation of the North and South China Blocks (NCB and SCB), remains equivocal despite several investigations on the widespread subduction-related Mesozoic magmatism in this region. Here we report newly discovered granodiorites in the East China Sea Basin (ECSB) from deep boreholes (2945–2983 m), which yield SHRIMP zircon U–Pb age of 174 ± 1.1 Ma. The rock shows relatively high Sr/Y and La/Yb ratios, low contents of Ni, Cr, and MgO, and markedly negative values of εHf(t) (21.0 to ?27.0). These geochemical and isotopic features are similar to those of the tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite (TTG) suites produced by the partial melting of the thickened lower continental crust. Our data, together with the ca. 190–180 Ma I-type granites reported from the eastern Zhejiang–Fujian and Taiwan areas, lead us to conclude that the continental crust in the coastal areas of South China underwent some degree of thickening during the Early Jurassic. A comparison with the coeval magmatic rocks in South Korea and Japan suggests that a large NE-trending continental arc (ca. 190–170 Ma) might have been constructed along the eastern margin of Asia at this time. Our study provides insights into the initiation of the Palaeo-Pacific tectono-magmatic cycle immediately following the consolidation of the SCB and NCB.     

Multistage metamorphism of the Huangtuling granulite, Northern Dabie Orogen, eastern China: implications for the tectonometamorphic evolution of subducted lower continental crust

Granulites from Huangtuling in the North Dabie metamorphic core complex in eastern China preserve rare mineralogical and mineral chemical evidence for multistage metamorphism related to Palaeoproterozoic metamorphic processes, Triassic continental subduction‐collision and Cretaceous collapse of the Dabie Orogen. Six stages of metamorphism are resolved, based on detailed mineralogical and petrological studies: (I) amphibolite facies (6.3–7.0 kbar, 520–550 °C); (II) high‐pressure/high‐temperature granulite facies (12–15.5 kbar, 920–980 °C); (III) cooling and decompression (4.8–6.0 kbar, 630–700 °C); (IV) medium‐pressure granulite facies (7.7–9.0 kbar, 690–790 °C); (V) low‐pressure/high‐temperature granulite facies (4.0–4.7 kbar, 860–920 °C); (VI) retrograde greenschist facies overprint (1–2 kbar, 340–370 °C). The P–T history derived in this study and existing geochronological data indicate that the Huangtuling granulite records two cycles of orogenic crustal thickening events. The earlier three stages of metamorphism define a clockwise P–T path, implying crustal thickening and thinning events, possibly related to the assembly and breakup of the Columbia Supercontinent at c. 2000 Ma. Stage IV metamorphism indicates another crustal thickening event, which is attributed to Triassic subduction/collision between the Yangtze and Sino‐Korean Cratons. The dry lower crustal granulite persisted metastably during the Triassic subduction/collision because of the lack of hydrous fluid and deformation. Stage V metamorphism records the Cretaceous collapse of the Dabie Orogen, possibly due to asthenosphere upwelling or removal of the lithospheric mantle resulting in heating of the granulite and partial melting of the North Dabie metamorphic core complex. Comparison of the Huangtuling granulite in North Dabie and the high‐pressure–ultrahigh‐pressure metamorphic rocks in South Dabie indicates that the subducted upper (South Dabie) and lower (North Dabie) continental crusts underwent contrasting tectonometamorphic evolution during continental subduction‐collision and orogenic collapse.