Meso-Neoarchean coupled crust-mantle differentiation followed by gravity-driven lithospheric delamination and subduction initiation in the North China Craton

Abstract

The geodynamic regime driving formation of Archean felsic continent crust is still an ongoing debated and unsolved fundamental issue. The episodic Archean TTGs and associated granitoids, with emplacement ages of ca. 2.9, 2.7 and 2.5 Ga, occurred in the Jiaobei Terrane, North China Craton (NCC), provide prolonged continuous records of formation processes of Meso-Neoarchean felsic continental crust. To track patterns of crust-mantle differentiation, crustal reworking and recycling, and accordingly, constrain underlying geodynamic regimes associated with formation of the Meso-Neoarchean felsic continental crust, we present comprehensive zircon U-Pb dating, Hf-O isotopes and whole-rock major- and trace-element geochemical data for the episodic Archean TTGs and associated granitoids. The comprehensive dataset decodes the generation of the episodic Archean TTGs over wide-range pressure conditions from amphibolite to eclogite facies and Meso-Neoarchean coupled crust-mantle differentiation, which was likely driven by episodic hot mantle (plume) upwelling. In addition, the ca. 2.9 and 2.7 Ga TTGs shared identical Mesoarchean juvenile crust source and exhibit consistent mantle-like zircon δ18O values, whereas the ca. 2.5 Ga TTGs mainly derived from distinctly younger Neoarchean juvenile crust, implying removal and replacement of the Mesoarchean juvenile lower crust. Importantly, some ca. 2.5 Ga TTGs, granitic gneisses and sanukitoids exhibit significantly higher zircon δ18O values than mantle δ18O values, demonstrating occurrence of Neoarchean supracrustal recycling. Consequently, the combined geochemical dataset with geological evidence allow us to track the geodynamic processes for the formation of the Meso-Neoarchean felsic continent crust in the Jiaobei Terrane, NCC: Episodic hot upwelling mantle (plume)-lithosphere interactions at ca. 2.9, 2.7 and 2.5 Ga resulted in the coupled crust-mantle differentiation over different depths to produce the spatial-temporally coexisted various-pressure-type TTGs, juvenile crust and voluminous dense lower crustal restite, respectively. Subsequently, dense lithospheric delamination triggered by gravitational instability occurred, followed by continental uplifting, subduction of altered oceanic crust, and asthenosphere and mantle-derived mafic melts upwelling, resulting in extensive occurrences of anatexis and metamorphism with anticlockwise P-T paths in the medium-lower crust at ca. 2.5 Ga. Along with large-scale melting and cooling of mantle, thick stable craton lithosphere with strong rigidity and viscosity had likely developed by the end of Neoarchean. The geodynamic processes in Meso-Neoarchean were likely diverse, especially episodic hot upwelling mantle (plume) -lithosphere interaction could be a favored geodynamic regime responsible for formation of Archean felsic continental crust in the Jiaobei Terrane, NCC.