Zircon U-Pb dating of Yushugou terrain of high-pressure granulite facies in southern Tianshan Mountain and its geological significance

The Yushugou terrain of high-pressure granulite fades in southern Tianshan Mountain is composed mainly of an ophiolite suite. Most selected zircons are round or elliptical in shape, and some are of tetragonal prism with round edges. The granulometric analyses showthat they are well sorted in sedimentation. ZrO₂/HfO₂ ratios in zircons range from 45 to 57. These characters, together with the petrologic and geochemical characters of plagioclase-garnet-orthopyroxenite bearing zircons, indicate that the protolith of plagioclase-garnet-orthopyroxenite may be derived mainly from volcanic base surge sedimentary debris in oceanic islands and from clays formed by seafloor weathering. Zircons are simply of pyroclastic debris. The ophiolite formation age of (440±18) Ma and the first-stage metamorphic age (amphibolite or granulite facies) of (364±5) Ma were obtained with a method of multiple grains in different groups and a method of concordia plot. These ages provide important information on the temporal and spatial occurrence of southern Paleozoic Tianshan Ocean, the subduction rate of the oceanic crust and the formation mechanism of ophiolite of granulite facies.