Paleoproterozoic meta-carbonates from the central segment of the Trans-North China Orogen: Zircon U–Pb geochronology, geochemistry, and carbon and oxygen isotopes
Graphical abstract
Introduction
Meta-carbonate rocks with geological attributes of marine sediments are important components in Precambrian orogenic belts (Veizer et al., 1989, Huang and Buick, 2002, Singh et al., 2016). Their stratigraphic features as well as isotopic and geochemical data have been used as important clues to unravel the depositional environment, and post-depositional tectonic activities (Veizer et al., 1992, Hall and Veizer, 1996, Bau et al., 1999). Detrital zircon U–Pb dating can provide reliable geochronological constraints on the depositional age and provenance of impure meta-carbonate rocks (Tang et al., 2006, Tam et al., 2011, Fairey et al., 2013). The most extensively used tracers for the depositional environment are the stable isotopes (carbon and oxygen) and trace elements, which are controlled mainly by the primary features of the marine water and biosphere (Veizer et al., 1992, Kaufman and Knoll, 1995, Bau et al., 1999, Gaertner et al., 2011, Swart, 2015). Investigations combining detrital zircon U–Pb dating, geochemistry, C and O isotopes on meta-carbonates have been successfully applied to elucidate Precambrian tectonic processes (e.g. Tang et al., 2006, Hall et al., 2013, Paula-Santos et al., 2015).
The Trans-North China Orogen (TNCO) welding the Eastern and Western Blocks in the North China Craton (NCC) is one of the major Paleoproterozoic collisional orogenic belts in the NCC, and exposes accreted and metamorphosed sedimentary sequences and associated rocks which have been interpreted as remnants of ancient oceanic crust (Zhao and Zhai, 2013, and references therein). However, the origins of these rocks in terms of their depositional history in forearc/foreland basin/trench, back-arc environments remain controversial (Wu et al., 1989, Sun et al., 1992, Zhao et al., 2005, Zhao et al., 2007, Zhao et al., 2012, Xia et al., 2006, Faure et al., 2007, Wang, 2009, Liu et al., 2011, Liu et al., 2012a, Liu et al., 2012b, Liu et al., 2014, Santosh et al., 2015a). Paleoproterozoic meta-carbonate rocks are well preserved in the basement terranes of the TNCO, including the Fuping Complex, Zanhuang Complex, Lüliang Complex, Wutai Complex and Zhongtiao Complex (Fig. 1). Investigations on the detrital zircon record, geochemistry and stable isotopes of these rocks are critical to elucidating the depositional age and environment. In this study, we present zircon U–Pb geochronological, geochemical and isotopic (carbon and oxygen isotopes for calcite and dolomite) data on a suite of impure marbles and calc-silicate rocks from the Fuping and Zanhuang Complexes which are two representative basement terranes located within the central segment of the TNCO. The objective of this study is to constrain the depositional age and environment for the meta-sedimentary sequences in the Fuping and Zanhuang Complexes, use the results to gain insights into the Paleoproterozoic tectonic processes in the NCC.
Section snippets
Regional geology and sample description
As the largest and oldest craton in China, the NCC has been traditionally sub-divided into the Western Block, Eastern Block and TNCO (Fig. 1; e.g. Zhao et al., 2005, Zhao et al., 2012, Zhao and Zhai, 2013, Santosh et al., 2015a). The Western Block was formed by the amalgamation of the Yinshan Block and the Ordos Block along the E–W trending Inner Mongolia Suture Zone at 1.95–1.92 Ga (or known as the Khondalite Belt, e.g. Santosh, 2010, Tsunogae et al., 2011, Santosh et al., 2012), and the
Whole rock geochemistry
Thirteen representative fresh samples (five dolomite–calcite marbles and four calc-silicate rocks from Fuping Complex, two dolomite–calcite marbles and two dolomite marbles from Zanhuang Complex) were chosen for major and trace element analyses. The rock samples were initially reduced to avoid surface alteration and then powered to 200-mesh. Contents of major elemental oxides were measured by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry (PW4400) and trace elements were measured by PE300D inductive
Major and trace elements
The five dolomite–calcite marbles from Fuping Complex show constant MgO (19.95–20.75 wt.%), CaO (28.35–30.10 wt.%) and Mg/Ca values (0.58–0.62). These dolomite–calcite marbles are impure with variable SiO2 contents (1.80–6.82 wt.%), in accordance with the petrological observations that show the occurrence of silicic minerals (phlogopite and muscovite). K2O and Al2O3 concentrations are low (0.05–0.41 wt.% and 0.10–1.30 wt.%, respectively). The dolomite–calcite marbles have variable trace element
Effects of diagenesis and metamorphism
For Precambrian meta-carbonate rocks, processes including diagenesis, fluid–rock interaction and metamorphism may affect the primary geochemical and isotopic features (Veizer et al., 1989, Jacobsen and Kaufman, 1999, Melezhik and Fallick, 2003, Tang et al., 2006). Diagenetic and metamorphic processes result in the enrichment of Mn and depletion of Sr, and for rocks that have not been affected by later events, Mn/Sr ratio lower than 10 is suggested (Brand and Veizer, 1980, Veizer, 1983, Guan and
Conclusions
- (1)
The correlations between the isotopic results (δ13C and δ18O) and geochemical composition (Mn, Sr, Mn/Sr, Mg/Ca, Ca/Sr and Fe/Sr) suggest that the dolomite marbles from the Zanhuang Complex were strongly disturbed and that the calc-silicate rocks were moderately affected by the post-depositional processes. The dolomite–calcite marbles display the primary geochemical features without post-depositional effects.
- (2)
The protoliths of the impure marbles and calc-silicate rocks are marine carbonates.
Acknowledgements
We thank Prof. Guochun Zhao and reviewers Dr. Qiong-Yan Yang and an anonymous referee for their constructive comments and suggestions. This work forms part of the PhD research of Li Tang at the China University of Geosciences Beijing and the University of Tsukuba. We thank Xin-Kai Hu, Xue-Ming Teng, Tatsuya Koizumi, Akito Hiraga, Xiao-Fang He and Shan-Shan Li for their help during the field and analyses. This study was jointly supported through the Foreign Expert grant from China University of
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2021, Precambrian ResearchCitation Excerpt :These zircon grains may have experienced partial lead loss which is similar to our re-assessment of the quality of data from hydrothermally altered zircons reported by Tang et al. (2016). These ages have no geological meaning (Wan et al., 2011; Geng et al., 2018; Wang et al., 2017a). The zircon grains of sample 2019XT-2–1 are mostly subhedral, prismatic or oval in shapes, with length of ~ 100–180 μm and width of ~ 50–100 μm.