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[Display omitted] • The Lower Wulashan Group in Daqingshan, northwestern NCC records magmatic zircon ages of 2455–2382 Ma. • Intrusive rocks intruding the Lower Wulashan Group have magmatic zircon ages of 2436–2362 Ma. • It is for the first time to identify early Paleoproterozoic supracrustal rocks in the area. • The Lower Wulashan Group and related intrusive rocks formed in a continental environment. • Three main magmatic episodes of the late Neoarchean to late Paleoproterozoic have been identified. Early Paleoproterozoic supracrustal rocks are relatively rare worldwide and only a few have been reported in the North China Craton (NCC). Daqingshan is a typical area of the Khondalite Belt, northwestern NCC, where early Precambrian supracrustal and intrusive rocks are widely distributed, although the precise age of all units remains unconfirmed. The Lower Wulashan Group is mainly composed of acidic to mafic volcanic and volcano-sedimentary rocks that have undergone amphibolite to granulite facies metamorphism; it was previously considered to be of Mesoarchean age. This study utilized integrated field and petrographic work, whole-rock geochemistry, and Nd whole-rock and zircon U-Pb-Hf isotopic analyses on the Lower Wulashan Group and related intrusive rocks. SHRIMP U-Pb dating of eight samples from the supracrustal rocks, interpreted as metavolcanics, yielded magmatic zircon ages of 2455–2382 Ma, thus for the first time identifying early Paleoproterozoic supracrustal rocks in the Daqingshan area. Thus it is of great importance for understanding the Precambrian evolution of the NCC as well as the Earth because this is within the period when magmatism was globally weak. Six samples from a variety of intrusive rocks have zircon U-Pb ages of 2436–2362 Ma, thus further confirming the depositional ages of the supracrustal rocks. These rocks include meta-alkali basalt, and are high in total rare earth element contents and have magmatic zircon ε Hf (t) values of −3.00 to +6.62 and crustal model ages of 3.12–2.52 Ga (38 analyses), and whole-rock ε Nd (t) of +1.0 to +2.6 with crustal model ages of 2.74–2.60 Ga (5 analyses). It is considered that the early Paleoproterozoic supracrustal rocks of the Lower Wulashan Group and related intrusive rocks formed in a continental environment, but more work is required to determine the tectonic regime (extension or subduction). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Neoproterozoic Kangdian Rift Basin is a continental rift basin in the western Yangtze Continent. Determining its time of opening and subsequent filling pattern is an important aspect of understanding the formation and evolution of the Yangtze Continent, South China. The Luliang Formation is the early filling in the eastern part of this rift basin, and its deposition age and filling sequence are significant for studies of the regional stratigraphic correlation, opening time, and filling pattern of this basin. Having been correlated to the upper part of the Mesoproterozoic Kunyang Group or to the Neoproterozoic Chengjiang Formation, the age and regional stratigraphic correlation of the Luliang Formation have long been uncertain. This is due to a lack of reliable absolute age constraints. To address this issue, the first zircon SHRIMP U-Pb geochronology has been established for this formation, yielding two high-precision isotopic ages of 818.6±9.2 and 805±14 Ma for the tuff layers at the bottoms of the lower and upper members of the Luliang Formation, respectively. Given the error factor, the bottom age of the lower member of the Luliang Formation can be interpreted as ca. 820 Ma, corresponding to the bottom age of the lower part of the Banxi Group, which is the early filling of the Neoproterozoic Xianggui Rift Basin, a representative basin of the Neoproterozoic rift basins in the Yangtze Continent, South China. The bottom age of the upper member of the Luliang Formation can be interpreted as ca. 800±5 Ma, corresponding to the bottom age of the Chengjiang Formation in the western part of the Neoproterozoic Kangdian Rift Basin and also corresponding to the bottom age of the upper part of the Banxi Group in the Neoproterozoic Xianggui Rift Basin. These ages indicate that the Neoproterozoic Kangdian Rift Basin shares the same opening time and filling sequences as those of the other Neoproterozoic rift basins in South China. Basin analysis shows that the Neoproterozoic Kangdian Rift Basin is a typical half-graben basin, with its main boundary fault in the west and basin center in the east. This basin consisted of mini unidirectional half-graben basins in its juvenile stage and simplified to become a large united half-graben basin in its mature stage, i.e., a supradetachment basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesoarchean and older potassic granites are important indicators of recycling of ancient continental crust early in Earth's history. This study of integrated whole rock and zircon geochemistry and geochronology reports the age and identification of the source materials of the > 200 km 2 Mesoarchean Tiejiashan-Gongchangling granite in the Anshan-Benxi area, North China Craton, the largest pre-Neoarchean granite domain in the craton. SHRIMP U-Pb zircon dating on 15 samples indicates the magmatic crystallization of the granites between 2.95 and 3.0 Ga and reveals a superimposed tectonothermal event at ~ 2.91 Ga. The granites are characterized by high SiO 2 and K 2 O, low CaO, FeOt, MgO and TiO 2 with peraluminuous features. They show large variations in (La/Yb) n and strong negative Eu and Ba anomalies and Nb, P and Ti depletions. Whole rock Nd and magmatic zircon Hf isotopic compositions show large variations, but with most having ε Nd (t) and ε Hf (t) values < 0, with t DM (Nd) and t DM (Hf) values varying from 3.3 to 3.9 Ga and 3.3 to 4.0 Ga, respectively. Magmatic zircons without very strong lead loss (discordance ≤ 20%) have δ 18 O values of + 3.14 to + 8.39. 3.3–3.7 Ga xenocrystic zircons occur in some samples. The granite formed as a result of recycling of Paleo- to Eoarchean continental material in an intracontinental environment, with little if any contribution from Mesoarchean mantle sources. The sources could be predominantly unaltered ancient gneisses, together with yet to be identified Paleo- to Eoarchean materials affected by early low temperature alteration (weathered rocks or clastic sediment). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: At the end of the Neoarchean continental evolution, voluminous syenogranites were emplaced in the North China Craton, together with other magmatic rocks (trondhjemite–tonalite–granodiorite (TTG), monzogranite, diorite, gabbro). Syenogranites are widely distributed in Anshan-Benxi, Qinhuangdao and western Shandong, and also occur in southern Jilin, northern Liaoning, northwestern Hebei and central Henan. Based on geological relationships, degree of metamorphism, deformation and magmatic zircon ages, two phases of syenogranite magmatism are recognized. Rocks produced during the first phase show a gneissic texture and were formed between 2.53 and 2.52Ga and locally comprise abundant TTG. Rocks of the second phase cut late Neoarchean TTG and supracrustal rocks, display a massive structure, and mainly formed between 2.52 and 2.50Ga. All syenogranites share the same features in major element compositions, being high in SiO2 and low in CaO, total FeO, MgO, TiO2 and P2O5. However, they are different in trace and REE compositions and can be subdivided into three types. (1) Type 1 shows a large variation in total REE contents, low (La/Yb) n ratios, strong negative Eu*/Eu anomalies and Ba depletion; (2) Type 2 is similar to Type 1 but has higher (La/Yb) n ratios. (3) Type 3 shows a large variation in total REE and (La/Yb) n ratios and significantly do not show strongly negative Eu*/Eu anomalies and Ba depletion. Whole-rock Sm–Nd isotopic compositions show large variations in ɛ Nd(t) values and t DM(Nd) modal ages, ranging from −9.49 to −4.72 and 3.70 to 3.25Ga (Type 1), 0.55–1.03 and 2.77–2.71Ga (Type 2) and −2.35 to 1.23 and 2.93–2.66Ga (Type 3), respectively. Hf isotopic compositions of zircons from three samples have ɛ Hf(t) values and t DM1(Hf) ages of 0.7–7.2 and 2.84–2.56Ga (Type 1), 2.6–7.4 and 2.74–2.56Ga (Type 2) and 2.1–6.3 and 2.76–2.60Ga (Type 3). It is concluded that syenogranites were generated by melting of continental crust with different mean crustal residence ages, and most of them were emplaced during the second phase (2.52–2.50Ga) in an extensional tectonic regime. The formation of these voluminous syenogranites marks a tectono-magmatic event resulting in stabilization of the North China Craton at the end of the Neoarchean. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Chilungshan andesite belongs to the Chilung Volcano Group in northern Taiwan and constitutes the western end of the island chains of the Ryukyu arc. Chemically it is a normal, medium-K calc-alkaline andesite. SHRIMP dating of magmatic zircons yielded an emplacement 206Pb/238U age of 1.04±0.06Ma with εHf(t) of 6.1 to 13.4 and δ18O of 5.02 to 6.28‰. The zircons contain inherited cores and felsic to andesitic silicate-melt (glass) inclusions besides apatite, quartz, K-feldspar, biotite, garnet, Fe-Mg minerals (pyroxene or hornblende) and plagioclase with variable An values. Plagioclase phenocrysts also contain quartz, K-feldspar and felsic melt inclusions. This study confirms the presence of micro-scale heterogeneity in the andesite as a result of mixing between mantle-derived and continental material. Contamination of continental crust occurs either within the magma chamber at a medium to deep crustal level and/or during dehydration and melting of a subducted oceanic slab and overlying sediments in an island-arc environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]