Zhenbing She

Petrogenesis and tectonic implications of A-type granites in the Dabie orogenic belt, China: geochronological and geochemical constraints

The Dabie orogenic belt is characterized by the presence of large volumes of intrusive and volcanic rocks that formed in Late Mesozoic times. Most of the intrusive bodies are I-type granites but it is still unclear whether there are contemporary A-type granites. Here, we report the first unambiguous discovery of A-type granite from Baiyashan in the North Dabie tectonic belt. The crystallization age of the body has been fixed as 120.4 ± 1.2 Ma using U–Pb analysis of zircons by LA-ICPMS. The Baiyashan granite is enriched in Si, K, Na, Rb and REE, has elevated FeO tot /(FeO tot + MgO) and Ga/Al ratios, and is depleted in Mg, Ca, Mn, Ba, Sr, P and Ti. The REE composition shows highly fractionated patterns with (La/Yb) N = 6.95–16.68 and Eu*/Eu = 0.33–0.59. Its crystallization age, field relationships, petrographic and geochemical data show beyond doubt that the Baiyashan granite is an Early Cretaceous A-type granite. Sr–Nd isotope systematics are characterized by a high I Sr of 0.708–0.714 and a low ɛ Nd of −7.5 to −19.4, with T DM2 = 1.5–2.5 Ga, and these data indicate that the magmas were dominantly sourced from partial melting of middle to lower crustal intermediate-felsic igneous rocks and mingling with mafic to intermediate magmas, during rift-related magmatism associated with subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate beneath Eastern China in Early Cretaceous times.

An Early Mesozoic transcontinental palaeoriver in South China: evidence from detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology and Hf isotopes

Detrital zircon geochronology reveals that Late Triassic–Early Jurassic fluvial sandstones from the major basins of the South China Craton have similar age patterns and define four populations at 2.6–2.4 Ga, 2.0–1.7 Ga, 850–700 Ma and 480–210 Ma. The late Palaeoproterozoic group is predominant in all of the five samples, and yielded remarkable age peaks at c. 1.85 Ga. These zircons have ϵHf(t) values between −22.5 and +3.6, suggesting derivation from reworked Archaean crust and minor juvenile crustal additions in the late Palaeoproterozoic. These characteristics differ from those of the Yangtze Block but correlate well with those of samples from the eastern Cathaysia Block. Palaeocurrent analysis of the Early Mesozoic sandstones shows predominant west- and NW-directed palaeoflows, supporting derivation of the sediments from the Cathaysia Block. The remarkable similarities in provenance signatures and spatial changes of lithofacies of the Triassic–Jurassic around the South China Craton delineate an east–west-trending sedimentary zone extending from Korea to West China. Accumulation of these sediments was probably related to the development of an active continental margin produced by westward subduction of the Palaeo-Pacific Plate. A c. 2000 km long westerly draining transcontinental palaeoriver probably had existed in the Early Mesozoic and fed the basins in Korea, South China and West China. Supplementary material: Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe and laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry zircon U–Th–Pb and Hf isotope data are available at www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18514.

The termination and aftermath of the Lomagundi-Jatuli carbon isotope excursions in the Paleoproterozoic Hutuo Group, North China

The Lomagundi-Jatuli Event (LJE) is one of the largest and earliest positive carbon isotope excursions preserving δ13Ccarb values between +5 and +16‰ in Paleoproterozoic carbonates worldwide. However, the duration, amplitude and patterns of these excursions remain poorly constrained. The 2.14–1.83 Ga Hutuo Group in the North China Craton is a >10 km thick volcano- sedimentary sequence, including >5 km thick well-preserved carbonates that were deposited in supra- tidal to sub-tidal environments. C-O isotopic and elemental analyses of 152 least altered samples of the carbonates revealed a three-stage δ13C evolution. It began with an exclusively positive δ13Ccarb (+1.3 to + 3.4‰) stage in the ~2.1 Ga carbonate in the Dashiling and Qingshicun Formations, followed by a transition from positive values to oscillating positive and negative values in ~3 000 m thick carbonates of the Wenshan, Hebiancun, Jianancun, and Daguandong Formations, and end with exclusively negative δ13Ccarb values preserved in > 500 m thick dolostones of the Huaiyincun and Beidaxing Formations. It appears that much of the LJE, particularly those extremely positive δ13Ccarb signals, was not recorded in the Hutuo carbonates. The exclusively positive δ13Ccarb values (+1.3 to + 3.4‰) preserved in the lower formations likely correspond to the end of the LJE, whereas the subsequent two stages reflect the aftermath of the LJE and the onset of Shunga-Francevillian event (SFE). The present data point to an increased influence of oxygen on the carbon cycle from the Doucun to the Dongye Subgroups and demonstrate that the termination of the LJE in the North China Craton is nearly simultaneous with those in Fennoscandia and South Africa.

Ediacaran macrofossils in Shunyang Valley, Sixi, Three Gorges district, Hubei Province, China

Previously undescribed Ediacaran macrofossils are documented in and close to a quarry southwest of Zigui in Shunyang Valley, near Sixi Village, Yangtze Three Gorges region, Hubei Province, China. Discoidal impressions, vendotaenids, and a new branching form occur in bedded carbonates through the entire 235 m thickness of the Dengying Formation. The quarry and nearby outcrops in the stream valley have significant potential for further discoveries of Ediacaran macrofossils.