Constraint on the eclogite age of the Sanbagawa metamorphic rocks in central Shikoku,Japan

ABSTRACT

To constrain the timing from the accretion to the subduction-related metamorphism of the protolith in the Sanbagawa eclogites, we performed zircon U–Pb datings and REE composition analyses on pelitic schist of the Seba eclogite-facies region in the Besshi area in central Shikoku, Japan. The detrital igneous cores of the zircons show ages from ca. 2000 to 100 Ma, and the metamorphic rims show ca. 90 Ma. These results show that the protolith was accreted at ca. 100–90 Ma, which is significantly younger than the previously reported accretion age of ca. 130 Ma of other eclogite-facies regions in this area. And, the metamorphic rim domains show HREE decrease without Eu anomalies, suggesting that they were formed at ca. 90 Ma eclogite-facies metamorphism. Our results combined with previous reports for the tectonics of the Sanbagawa metamorphic rocks suggest that there are at least two eclogite-facies units with different accretion ages in the Besshi area; ca. 130 Ma unit (Besshi unit) and ca. 100–90 Ma unit (Asemi-gawa unit), which structurally contact with each other. It is likely that the older unit was subducted into a depth of over 50 km and stagnated until the younger unit was subducted to the same depth. Probably, both units were juxtaposed at a mantle depth and began to exhume to the surface at the same timing after ca. 90 Ma. The juxtaposition and exhumation process might have relation to multi-factors such as tectonic erosion along the subduction zone, shallowing subduction angle of the hotter slab, backflow in the mantle and fluid infiltration along exhumation route.