Nd-Pb Isotopes of Basement Rocks, Granitoids and Basalts from the Western Margin of the Yangtze Craton. Implications for Crustal Evolution

INTRODUCTION TheYangtzecratonisoneofthemaingeotectonic blocksofChina'scontinent,connectingtheGanzi Song panblockwiththeLongmenMountainsinthewest Geologicalandtectonicstudieshaveshownthatthe basementoftheGanzi Songpanblockissimilartothe Yangtzecraton(Xuet…

Nd-Pb Isotopes of Basement Rocks, Granitoids and Basalts from the Western Margin of the Yangtze Craton: Implications for Crustal Evolution

Neodymium (Nd) depleted mantle model ages indicate that the Kangding complexes in the northern segment of the western Yangtze craton, argued as representative of the craton's basement, actually formed after 1.6 Ga. An Sm-Nd isochron of 706 Ma constrains the upper limit formation of the complex from Shaba, Sichuan Province. Lead (Pb) isotopic compositions imply that the southern and northern basements of the western Yangtze craton can not be correlated. The southern basement is characterized by higher 206Pb/204Pb ratios (≥17.69) than the northern ones (<17.69). However, Hercynian granitoids, gabbros as well as the Permian basalts in the northern segment show no difference from the southern segment in Pb isotopic compositions. This suggests that the southern and northern segments were controlled by one common mantle domain during the Late Paleozoic. Based on Nd model ages of sediments and metasediments, as well as the ages of their relict zircons, we infer that the Yangtze craton is mainly composed of 2.0 Ga crustal components. The Kangding complex represents the accretion products to the Yangtze craton in Neoproterozoic.