Late Palaeoproterozoic Hekou Group in Sichuan, Southwest China: geochronological framework and tectonic implications

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe Palaeoproterozoic Hekou Group, an outcrop along the SW-margin of the Yangtze Block, consists of volcanic and sedimentary rocks that experienced greenschist facies metamorphism and was intruded by gabbroic and granitic plutons. The sedimentary rocks consist of coarse to fine-grained siliciclastic and carbonate rocks including quartzite, mica schists, polymictic meta-conglomerates and marble, whereas volcanic rocks consist of sodic lava and pyroclastic rocks including albitites, interbeded metatuffs, and metabasalts. Metatuffs from five layers have zircon U–Pb age of 1710 ± 18 Ma (MSWD = 1.6), 1637 ± 7 Ma (MSWD = 0.65), 1601 ± 15 Ma (MSWD = 0.94), 1661 ± 7 Ma (MSWD = 1.4), and 1718 ± 11 Ma (MSWD = 0.3) and these ages show that the Hekou Group deposited at ~1.7–1.6 Ga. The high content of light rare earth element (LREE), the low content of highrare earth element (HREE) and negative Ti anomalies, relatively high content of incompatible fluid-insoluble elements (Nb, Ta, and Th), and the high varied εNd(t) values (−6.0 to +4.6) of the metavolcanic rocks show that these rocks are formed in back-arc basin. Our study also implies that the Yangtze Block also underwent subduction-related, continental margin accretion on its SW-margin during the growth of the Nuna supercontinent at ~1.7–1.6 Ga.