Nguyen, Quyen Minh, Feng, Qinglai, Zi, Jian-Wei, Zhao, Tianyu, Tran, Hai Thanh, Ngo, Thanh Xuan, Tran, Dung My, and Nguyen, Hung Quoc
The Truong Son and Kon Tum terranes in northeastern Indochina are thought to, respectively, form part of the Indian and Australian margins of Gondwana and separated one another by the Tam Ky–Phuoc Son Ocean during the early Paleozoic. In this paper, we present results of a comprehensive geochronological and geochemical study on a trondhjemite–tonalite suite identified in the Tam Ky–Phuoc Son Suture Zone. LA–ICP–MS zircon U–Pb dating yielded weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages of 518.5 ± 7.1 Ma and 502.1 ± 6.0 Ma for the trondhjemite and tonalite, respectively. These are the oldest magmatic zircons recorded in this area so far. Both rocks consist primarily of plagioclase (oligoclase), quartz, with minor, variable amounts of hornblende and biotite. They have high SiO 2 , Na 2 O and Y, but low Al 2 O 3 , K 2 O, Sr and Rb contents, and are characterized by depletion in LREEs with flat HREE patterns. These features are similar to those of typical oceanic plagiogranites. Our new evidences from field geology, geochemistry, and zircon Hf isotopic data, along with previously published data from the Tam Ky–Phuoc Son Suture Zone, suggest that the plagiogranites were originated from extensive fractionation of hydrous basaltic magmas. Furthermore, they were generated in an intra-oceanic arc system above a northward subduction zone within the Tam Ky–Phuoc Son Ocean. The final closure of this ocean took place before the late Silurian, marked by collision of the Truong Son Terrane with the Kon Tum Terrane along the Tam Ky–Phuoc Son Suture Zone to form the Indochina Block. After elimination of the southeastward offset along the Red River shear zone and the clockwise rotation of Indochina relative to South China since the Tertiary, the eastern part of the Tam Ky–Phuoc Son Suture aligns well with the Kuungan Suture on Hainan Island, together they have likely recorded the final assembly of Gondwana in this region. Unlabelled Image • The fractionated–origin plagiogranites within the Tam Ky–Phuoc Son Suture Zone were emplaced in the Cambrian (520–500 Ma) • These rocks were generated in an intra–oceanic arc above a north–dipping subduction zone within the Tam Ky–Phuoc Son Ocean • Truong Son and Kon Tum were separated by the Tam Ky–Phuoc Son Ocean that closed before late Silurian to form the Indochina • The Tam Ky–Phuoc Son Suture likely joins the Kuungan Suture on Hainan Island, recording final assembly of Gondwana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]