Detrital zircon U-Pb Geochronology of Sinian-Cambrian strata in the Eastern Guangxi area, China.

The Eastern Guangxi area locates in the southwestern part of the transition zone between Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks, which is an important region because the boundary between two blocks probablycrosses there. We determined LA-ICPMS U-Pb ages for detrital zircons extracted from three sandstone samples in the Sinian-Cambrian strata in this region. The resulting ages are in the range of the Archeozoic and Neoproterozoic, with three notable concentrates at 991 Ma, 974 Ma, and 964 Ma, all of which are coeval to the Grenvillian magmatic activity. The new age distribution is similar to the data reported in the Precambrian strata of the adjacent southwestern Cathaysia Block, suggesting that most of our detrital zircons are likely derived from the Cathaysia Block. Combined with others' research, we are more inclined to accept the opinion that there was not an ocean basin between the two blocks during the Sinian-Cambrian period in Eastern Guangxi area if the timing of collision is the Early Neopro-terzoic. But if the timing of collision is the Early Paleozoic, we conclude that Luzhai uplift (i.e., the uplift between Guilin-Yongfu faultand Lipu fault) beyond the west of Dayaoshan regoin might be one part of southwestern sedimentation boundary of Cathaysia Block and Yangtze Block. We also get a few of detrital zircons with ages of ~590 Ma which probably sourced from northeastern Gondwana and 13 detrital zircons with over 3 000 Ma U-Pb ages which record the early formation of the earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]