Activation of northern margin of the North China Craton in Late Paleozoic: Evidence from U-Pb dating and Hf isotopes of detrital zircons from the Upper Carboniferous Taiyuan Formation in the Ningwu-Jingle basin

Abstract

LA-MC-ICPMS U-Pb dating has been performed on detrital zircons from the Upper Carboniferous Tai-yuan Formation (N-8) in the Ningwu-Jingle Basin, west of the North China Craton (NCC). The ages of 72 detrital zircon grains are divided into three groups: 303–320 Ma (6 grains), 1631–2194 Ma (37 grains, peaked at 1850 Ma), 2318–2646 Ma (29 grains, peaked at 2500 Ma). Detrital zircons of Group 2 and Group 3 were likely derived from the basement of the NCC. Group 1 zircons exhibit 176Hf/177Hf ratios ranging from 0.281725 to 0.282239, with corresponding negative ɛHf(t) values of −12.4–−30.3 and old Hf model ages of 1.4–2.2 Ga. These characteristics show a strong resemblance to those of Carboniferous igneous zircons from the Inner Mongolia Paleo-uplift (IMPU) on the northern margin of the NCC, but differ significantly from those of the Xing-Meng Orogenic Belt, suggesting that the source of the Taiyuan Formation partly came from the IMPU. All detrital zircons of Group 1 have relatively high Th/U ratios (> 0.67), indicating a magmatic origin. The mean age (304 ± 6 Ma) of the two youngest grains is close to the depositional age of the Taiyuan Formation, suggesting a strong tectonic uplift and magmatism in the IMPU during the Late Carboniferous. This paper provides important geological evidence for the activation of the northern margin of the NCC in the Late Paleozoic.