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The Alxa Block is the westernmost part of the North China Craton (NCC), and is regarded as one of the basement components of the NCC. Its geological evolution is of great significance for the understanding of the NCC. However, the Precambrian basement of the Alxa Block is still poorly studied. In this study, we present new in situ LA‐ICP‐MS zircon U‐Pb and Lu‐Hf isotope data from the Diebusige Metamorphic Complex (DMC) which located in the eastern Alxa Block. Field and petrological studies show that the DMC consists mainly of metamorphic supracrustal rocks and minor metamorphic plutonic rocks and has experienced amphibolite‐granulite facies metamorphism. Zircon U‐Pb dating results suggested that the amphibolite sample yields a crystallization age of 2636 ± 14 Ma and metamorphic ages of 2517–2454 Ma and 1988–1952 Ma, proving the existence of exposed Archean rocks in the Langshan area and indicating that late Neoarchean to Paleoproterozoic metamorphic events existed in the Alxa Block. Two paragneiss samples show that the magmatic detrital zircons from the DMC yield 207Pb/206Pb ages ranging from 2.48 Ga to 2.10 Ga with two youngest peaks at 2.13 Ga and 2.16 Ga, respectively, and they were also overprinted by metamorphic events at 1.97–1.90 Ga and 1.89–1.79 Ga. Compilation of U‐Pb ages of magmatic detrital and metamorphic zircons suggested that the main part of the DMC may have been formed at 2.1–2.0 Ga. Zircon Lu‐Hf isotope data show that the source materials of the main part of the DMC were originated from the reworking of ancient Archean crust (3.45–2.78 Ga). The Hf isotope characteristics and the tectonothermal event records exhibit different evolution history with the Khondalite Belt and the Yinshan Block and the other basements of the Alxa Block, indicating that the Langshan was likely an independent terrain before the middle Paleoproterozoic and was subjected to the middle to late Paleoproterozoic tectonothermal events with the Khondalite Belt as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eastern Hexi Corridor, northwest China, is located at the tectonic junction of the Alxa Block, the North China Craton, and the Qinling‐Qilian Orogen. The early Paleozoic Xiangshan Group record critical information regarding paleoenvironment, paleoclimate and paleotectonic setting, from which we here present a focused study on the chert beds within the Xiangshan Group. Through field mapping, microstructural observation, whole‐rock geochemistry analyses and detrital zircon dating, we suggest that the Xiangshan Group chert was deposited along a passive continental margin, formed primarily through biological activity with minor hydrothermal influence and terrestrial input. The characteristics of the chert support a low latitude sedimentary paleoenvironmental origin, and reveal the fact that the Alxa Block was separated from the North China craton, while emerged some paleogeographic affinity with the Qilian region in the Middle‐Late Cambrian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]