Neoproterozoic basic magmatism in the southeast margin of North China Craton: Evidence from whole-rock geochemistry, U-Pb and Hf isotopic study of zircons from diabase swarms in the Xuzhou-Huaibei area of China

Abstract

This paper presents a synthetic U-Pb and Hf isotopic study of zircons and a whole-rock geochemical study on diabase swarms that were emplaced into the Proterozoic formations in the Xuzhou-Huaibei area, the southeast margin of North China Craton. Zircons from the diabase dykes display weak oscillatory zoning in the cathodoluminescence (CL) images and show high Th/U ratios (0.91–6.90), both of which are typical of a magmatic origin. The SHRIMP and Q-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating results indicate that the diabase swarms were emplaced at ca. 890 Ma. Hf isotopic analysis on these zircons gives  Hf(t) values ranging from 2.26 to 14.74 and Hf model age tDM1 and tDM2 ranging from 843 to 1321 Ma and from 808 to 1779 Ma, respectively. Geochemically, the diabase swarms are characterized by a relative enrichment in LREE and LILE (Rb, Ba and La), a comparative enrichment in Cr and Ni, but a slight depletement in HFSE (Th, Nb, Ta, Zr and Hf). They are plotted in the within-plate tholeiite series on the tectonic discrimination diagrams. Taken together, these geochemical and isotopic data suggest that the primary magmas to form the diabase dykes in the Xuzhou-Huaibei area could have been derived from a transitional mantle in the Mesoproterozoic, and were most probably emplaced under a continental margin extensional setting at ca. 890 Ma. The results of this study demonstrate that the Neoproterozoic (800–900 Ma)magmatism was not restricted to the Yangtze Block, but also occurred at the southeast margin of the North China Craton. diabase, geochemistry, zircon U-Pb dating, Hf isotope, Neoproterozoic, Xuzhou-Huaibei area