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Palaeoproterozoic Khondalite Belt in the western North China Craton: New evidence from SHRIMP dating and Hf isotope composition of zircons from metamorphic rocks in the Bayan Ul-Helan Mountains area

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  • Geology
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Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

Zircom U-Pb age and Hf isotope analyses were made on gneissic granite and garnet-mica two-feldspar gneiss from the Helanshan Group in the Bayan Ul-Helan Mountains area, the western block of the North China Craton (NCC). Zircons from the gneissic granite commonly show core-mantle-rim structures, with magmatic core, metamorphic mantle and rim having ages of 2323±20 Ma, 1923±28 Ma and 1856±12 Ma, respectively. The core, mantle and rim show similar Hf isotope compositions, with single-stage depleted mantle model ages (T DM1) of 2455 to 2655 Ma (19 analyses). Most of the detrital zircons from the garnet-mica two-feldspar paragneiss have a concentrated U-Pb age distribution, with a weighted mean 207Pb/206Pb age of 1978±17 Ma. A few detrital zircons are older (2871 to 2469 Ma). The age for metamorphic overgrown rim was not determined because of strong Pb loss due to their high U content. The zircons show large variation in Hf isotope composition, with T DM1 ages of 1999 to 3047 Ma. In combination with previous studies, the main conclusions are as follows: (1) protolith of the khondalite series in the Helanshan Group formed during Palaeoproterozoic rather than the Archaean as previously considered; (2) The results lend support to the contention that there is a huge Palaeoproterozoic Khondalite (metasedimentary) Belt between the Yinshan Mountains Block and the Ordos Block in the Western Block of NCC; (3) The widely-distributed bodies of early Palaeoproterozoic orthogneisses in the Khondalite Belt might be one of the important sources for detritus material in the khondalite series; (4) Collision between the Yinshan Block, the Ordos Block and the Eastern Block occurred in the same tectonothermal event of late Palaeoproterozoic, resulting in the final assembly of the NCC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing, 100037, China

    Dong ChunYan, Liu DunYi & Wang YuSheng

  2. Beijing SHRIMP Center, Beijing, 100037, China

    Dong ChunYan, Liu DunYi, Wang YuSheng & Zhou HongYing

  3. Tianjin Institute of Geology and Mineral Resources, China Geological Survey, Tianjin, 300170, China

    Li JunJian, Zhou HongYing & Li ChengDong

  4. Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Yang YueHeng & Xie LieWen

Authors
  1. Dong ChunYan
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  2. Liu DunYi
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  3. Li JunJian
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  4. Wang YuSheng
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  5. Zhou HongYing
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  6. Li ChengDong
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Correspondence to Dong ChunYan.

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Supported by the Key Programs of the Ministry of Land and Resource of China (Grant No. 1212010711815) and the Program of Beijing SHRIMP Centre

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Dong, C., Liu, D., Li, J. et al. Palaeoproterozoic Khondalite Belt in the western North China Craton: New evidence from SHRIMP dating and Hf isotope composition of zircons from metamorphic rocks in the Bayan Ul-Helan Mountains area. CHINESE SCI BULL 52, 2984–2994 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-007-0404-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-007-0404-9

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