Xiao-Chi Liu

U-Pb age, trace-element, and Hf-isotope compositions of zircon in a quartz vein from eclogite in the western Dabie Mountains: Constraints on fluid flow during early exhumation of ultrahigh-pressure rocks

Abstract Quartz veins in high-pressure (HP) to ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) rocks are the products of fluid-rock interaction, and thus provide insight into fluid processes in subduction zones. In this paper, we report an integrated study of mineral inclusion, trace-element, U-Pb age, and Lu-Hf isotope compositions of hydrothermal zircon grains from a quartz vein within an UHP eclogite outcrop from the Hong’an area, western Dabie Mountains. These data are used to decipher the age, conditions of formation, and source of fluid for zircon formation during the exhumation of UHP rocks. Zircon grains from the vein have perfect euhedral shape, and show sector zoning or weak zoning, indicating that they precipitated from the aqueous fluid responsible for the vein formation. Raman spectroscopy analysis reveals that the zircon grains contain inclusions of garnet, omphacite, rutile, quartz, and H2O, implying that they crystallized from aqueous fluid under HP eclogite-facies conditions. The zircon grains show low Th/U and Lu/Hf ratios, nearly flat HREE patterns, absent Eu anomalies and low LREE contents. These characteristics are consistent with their precipitation in the presence of garnet and epidote, and absence of feldspar, and thus suggest that trace-element concentrations in hydrothermal zircon are controlled by co-precipitation of mineral assemblages. Crystallization temperatures of 670 to 712 °C, which were calculated using the Ti content of zircon, are consistent with their formation under eclogitefacies conditions and may correspond to the temperature of the infiltrating fluid. The weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 224.7 ± 1.3 Ma is taken as the best estimate for the age of quartz-vein formation and records aqueous fluid flow during the early exhumation stage of UHP rocks. The zircon grains in the quartz-vein have Hf compositions similar to those in the host eclogite, which demonstrates isotopic equilibrium between fluid and rocks and that the fluid-rock ratio was likely low.

Eocene Neo-Tethyan slab breakoff constrained by 45 Ma oceanic island basalt–type magmatism in southern Tibet

Slab breakoff is one of the primary processes in the evolution of many collisional orogens. In the Tibet-Himalaya orogen, the timing of breakoff of the Neo-Tethyan slab remains controversial because of a scarcity of solid evidence. This study reports the discovery of Eocene gabbros, dated at 45.0 ± 1.4 Ma (in-situ U-Pb age of titanite) using secondary ion mass spectrometry, from the eastern segment of Tethyan Himalaya in southern Tibet. These rocks show geochemical characteristics similar to those of HIMU (high μ)–type oceanic island basalt and have depleted Sr-Nd isotopes [87Sr/86Sr(t) = 0.70312-0.70317; eNd(t) = +4.9 to +5.0]. It is suggested that the gabbros stand as the first direct evidence for partial melting of the asthenosphere followed by rapid magma ascent with negligible crustal contamination. This event, combined with results from relevant studies along the Indus-Yarlung suture zone, is best explained by a sudden and full-scale detachment of subducted Neo-Tethyan slab at great depth. The breakoff model may account for coeval tectonomagmatic activities (development of small-scale, short-lived magmatism and subsequent termination of the Gangdese arc magmatism) in southern Tibet and for the abrupt slowdown (ca. 45 Ma) of Indo-Asia convergence.

Highly fractionated granites: Recognition and research

Granite is one of the most important components of the continental crust on our Earth; it thus has been an enduring studied subject in geology. According to present knowledge, granite shows a great deal of heterogeneity in terms of its texture, structure, mineral species and geochemical compositions at different scales from small dike to large batholith. However, the reasons for these variations are not well understood although numerous interpretations have been proposed. The key point of this debate is whether granitic magma can be effectively differentiated through fractional crystallization, and, if so, what kind of crystallization occurred during the magmatic evolution. Although granitic magma has high viscosity because of its elevated SiO2 content, we agree that fractional crystallization is effectively processed during its evolution based on the evidence from field investigation, mineral species and its chemical variations, and geochemical compositions. These data indicate that crystal settling by gravitation is not the only mechanism dominating granitic differentiation. On the contrary, flow segregation or dynamic sorting may be more important. Accordingly, granite can be divided into unfractionated, fractionated (including weakly fractionated and highly fractionated) and cumulated types, according to the differentiation degree. Highly fractionated granitic magmas are generally high in primary temperature or high with various volatiles during the later stage, which make the fractional crystallization much easier than the common granitic melts. In addition, effective magmatic differentiation can be also expected when the magma emplaced along a large scale of extensional structure. Highly fractionated granitic magma is easily contaminated by country rocks due to its relatively prolonged crystallization time. Thus, granites do not always reflect the characteristics of the source areas and the physical and chemical conditions of the primary magma. We proposed that highly fractionated granites are an important sign indicating compositional maturity of the continental crust, and they are also closely related to the rare-elemental (metal) mineralization of W, Sn, Nb, Ta, Li, Be, Rb, Cs, REEs, etc.

First record and timing of UHP metamorphism from zircon in the Xitieshan terrane: Implications for the evolution of the entire North Qaidam metamorphic belt

Abstract The Xitieshan terrane is one of four metamorphic terranes in the North Qaidam metamorphic belt, which is an early Paleozoic high-pressure to ultrahigh-pressure (HP-UHP) metamorphic belt in NW China. However, conclusive evidence and precise timing of UHP metamorphism in the Xitieshan terrane have not been well documented. In this study, we report an integrated study of zircon grains from an amphibolite in the Xitieshan terrane in terms of mineral inclusions, trace elements, and U-Pb age systematics. The first record of coesite is reported as an inclusion in a metamorphic zircon, which provides unambiguous evidence for the UHP metamorphism of the Xitieshan terrane. The metamorphic zircon domains have weak or no zoning, very low Th/U ratios, insignificant Eu anomalies, and flat HREE patterns. Zircon grains contain inclusions of garnet, omphacite and rutile, in addition to the coesite inclusion. These inclusions indicate that the metamorphic zircon grains formed under UHP metamorphic conditions. The metamorphic zircon grains were dated by the SIMS and LA-ICPMS methods and yield weighted mean ages of 432 ± 14 and 441 ± 9 Ma, respectively. Combined with previous results, the HP-UHP metamorphism of the Xitieshan terrane may have lasted 460-440 Ma with the peak UHP metamorphism at 441 ± 9 Ma. A compilation of the reported geochronological data reveals that all four terranes of the North Qaidam metamorphic belt might have experienced coeval UHP metamorphism during the early Paleozoic (420-450 Ma), and thus may have suffered a coherent subduction, UHP metamorphism, and exhumation cycle.

Tracing crustal evolution by U-Th-Pb, Sm-Nd, and Lu-Hf isotopes in detrital monazite and zircon from modern rivers

Detrital zircon U-Pb age and Hf isotope studies are useful for identifying the chemical evolution of the continental crust. Zircon, however, is typically a magmatic mineral and thus often fails to document the timing of low-grade metamorphism, and its survival through multiple sedimentary cycles potentially biases the crustal evolution record toward older events. In contrast, monazite typically records metamorphic events and is less likely to survive sedimentary recycling processes, thus providing information not available by zircon. Here, we demonstrate that monazite apparently faithfully records the Sm-Nd isotope composition of the bulk rock and can therefore track the record of crustal evolution and growth, similar to Hf isotopes in zircon. We examine the utility of detrital zircon and monazite for studies of crustal evolution through a comparison of age and tracer isotope information using sediments from two large rivers draining the South China block (SCB). Monazite and zircon grains yield mostly Mesozoic and Paleozoic U-Pb ages and depleted mantle model age peaks at ca. 1900–1300 Ma, indicating that both minerals preserve similar, yet critical, information on the crustal evolution of the catchment area. In contrast, zircon yields abundant Neoproterozoic and older U-Pb ages with a very large spread of model ages, preserving a history strongly skewed to older ages. Based on the lack of known rocks of this age in the catchments, ancient zircon was likely sourced from sedimentary rocks within the catchment area. This combined data set presents a more complete history of crustal evolution and growth in the SCB and demonstrates the advantages of an integrated approach that includes both detrital monazite and zircon.

Two-Stage Exhumation of Ultrahigh-Pressure Metamorphic Rocks from the Western Dabie Orogen, Central China

Zircon trace element, U-Pb age, and Lu-Hf isotope composition were determined for two eclogite samples from the Xinxian ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) unit in the western Dabie orogen to constrain its exhumation processes. Cathodoluminescence imaging reveals that most zircons are metamorphic, while some have inherited magmatic cores in one sample. The magmatic cores have high Th/U and Lu/Hf ratios, high trace element contents, and a clear negative Eu anomaly, consistent with their igneous genesis. They yield an upper intercept age of Ma and a positive ϵHf(t) value of 8.0, arguing for reworking of early Mesoproterozoic crust during the middle Neoproterozoic in the western Dabie orogen. The metamorphic zircons contain mineral inclusions of garnet, omphacite, rutile, and quartz. They are characterized by low Nb, Ta, Y, and heavy rare earth elements (HREE) contents, a nearly flat HREE pattern, and an insignificant negative Eu anomaly. These indicate that the metamorphic zircons formed under high-pressure (HP) quartz eclogite-facies metamorphic conditions. The metamorphic zircons in the two samples have Ti-in-zircon temperatures of and C, respectively, suggesting that they formed in different HP eclogite-facies metamorphic stages. The metamorphic zircons in the two samples yield weighted mean U-Pb ages of and Ma, which may date the initial exhumation to ∼90 km and ∼700°C and a subsequent HP quartz eclogite-facies retrogression at ∼50 km and ∼600°C for ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) rocks in the western Dabie orogen. This yields a maximum exhumation and average cooling rates of ∼0.33 cm/yr and 8°C/Ma, respectively. Based on the published Rb-Sr and Ar-Ar ages of ∼212 Ma for the UHP rocks in the area, the subsequent stage of exhumation of UHP rocks has a maximum exhumation and average cooling rates of 0.67 cm/yr and 65°C/Ma, respectively. This two-stage cooling process may be common for HP-UHP metamorphic terranes in continental collision zones.