Paleoproterozoic tectonic evolution of the Yangtze Craton: Evidence from magmatism and sedimentation in the Susong area, South China

Abstract

Paleoproterozoic and Archean rocks in the poorly exposed Yangtze Craton provide a unique proxy for understanding early cratonic evolution. In this study, we report the newly discovered Paleoproterozoic granitoids, mafic dikes, and metasedimentary rocks in the Susong area near the northern margin of the Yangtze Craton. The zircon U–Pb analysis results of the Luohanjian granite (hereinafter referred to as LHJ-granite) and mafic dikes yielded 207Pb/206Pb ages of 2020–2002 Ma and 1837 ± 21 Ma, respectively. Metasedimentary strata that were intruded by the mafic dikes yielded detrital zircon 207Pb/206Pb ages of 2.55–2.32 Ga and 2.15–1.93 Ga, suggesting a depositional age of ∼ 1.90–1.85 Ga for the metasedimentary rock. The whole-rock εNd(t) and zircon εHf(t) values of the LHJ-granite were negative and ranged from − 10.4 to − 9.4 and − 11.4 to − 9.0, with corresponding TDM2 model ages of 3.3–3.2 Ga and ∼ 3.1 Ga, respectively. This implies that the granitic magma originated from the reworking of ancient pre-existing crustal components. The granitoids were weakly peraluminous (A/CNK = 1.00–1.18) with high SiO2 concentrations of 71.98–76.00 wt%, LREE enrichment, high (La/Yb)N values of 26.55–100.49, and moderately negative Eu anomalies, characterized by the enrichment of Rb, Ba, Th, U, and Nd, and the relative depletion of Nb, Ta, Sr, P, and Ti. These granite samples exhibited a negative correlation between SiO2 and P2O5 and low Rb/Ba (0.15–0.33) and Rb/Sr (0.30–1.55) ratios. All these features indicate that the LHJ-granite is most likely belongs to I-type granite, which may have formed via the reworking of the TTG gneiss during subduction–collisional events. In combination with the mafic dikes and metasedimentary strata, our study proposes a mid–late Paleoproterozoic geological transition from a compressional to an extensional setting, indicating a tectonic shift from a collision orogeny (2.0 Ga) to a post-collision extensional environment (1.84 Ga) in the Susong region.