Zircon U-Pb age and Hf-O isotope evidence for Paleoproterozoic metamorphic event in South China

To understand the connection between continental cratonization and global tectonothermal event is essential for recognizing the formation and evolution of continental crust. Paleoproterozoic is an important era with occurrence of megascale tectonomagmatism in the world, but it has been intriguing whether they also influenced the oldest continent in South China. In order to decipher the nature of Paleoproterozoic event in South China, a combined study of zircon U-Pb dating, Hf and O isotope analyses was carried out for metasediments and amphibolite from the Kongling terrane, the only Archean microcontinent outcropped in South China. U-Pb ages of 1.97 ± 0.03 Ga were obtained with low Th/U ratios of 0.01–0.14, indicating that the ages are a record of Paleoproterozoic metamorphic event. δ18O values of ∼11‰ and ∼8‰ were measured for quartz from the metasediments and garnet from the amphibolite, respectively, suggesting that their sources experienced supracrustal recycling. ɛHf(t) values of about −6.5 and model Hf ages of about 3.0 Ga were acquired for zircons from the metapelites, suggesting an Archean source. Thus a response to the Paleoproterozoic global tectonothermal event in South China is reworking of Archean continental nucleus. Compared with Archean rocks at Kongling, abrupt changes in K2O/Na2O, REE and other trace elements are observed in the Paleoproterozoic metasedimentary rocks. This is interpreted to reflect a change in upper crustal composition at the Archean–Proterozoic boundary. A survey of Paleoproterozoic ages throughout the Yangtze Block suggests that metamorphic event and subsequent magmatic activity occurred in the north, but only magmatic activity in the south. Both metamorphic and magmatic activities are associated with formation of a unified basement responsible for cratonization of the Yangtze Block. This provides a geodynamic connection between the formation of this craton and the global tectonomagmatism in the Paleoproterozoic, marking continental accretion by arc-continent collision orogeny during assembly of the supercontinent Columbia.