Zircon ages and Hf isotopic compositions of plutonic rocks from the Central Tianshan (Xinjiang, northwest China) and their significance for early to mid-Palaeozoic crustal evolution

Abstract

We present new zircon ages and Hf-in-zircon isotopic data for plutonic rocks and review the crustal evolution of the Chinese Central Tianshan (Xinjiang, northwest China) in the early to mid-Palaeozoic. The Early Ordovician (ca. 475–473 Ma) granitoid rocks have zircon εHf(t) values either positive (+0.3 to +9.5) or negative (−6.0 to −12.9). This suggests significant addition of juvenile material to, and coeval crustal reworking of, the pre-existing continental crust that is fingerprinted by numerous Precambrian zircon xenocrysts. The Late Ordovician–Silurian (ca. 458–425 Ma) rocks can be assigned to two sub-episodes of magmatism: zircon from rocks of an earlier event (ca. 458–442 Ma) has negative zircon εHf(t) values (−6.3 to −13.1), indicating a predominantly crustal source; zircon from later events (ca. 434–425 Ma) has positive zircon εHf(t) values (+2.6 to +8.9) that reveal a predominantly juvenile magma source. The Early Devonian (ca. 410–404 Ma) rocks have near-zero zircon εHf(t) values, either slightly negative or positive (−1.4 to +3.5), whereas the Mid-Devonian rocks (ca. 393 Ma) have negative values (−11.2 to −14.8). The Late Devonian (ca. 368–361 Ma) granites are undeformed and are chemically similar to adakite but have relatively low negative whole-rock εNd(t)values (−2.4 to −5.3). We interpret the Early Ordovician to Mid-Devonian magmatic event to reflect combined juvenile crustal growth and crustal reworking processes via episodic mafic underplating and mantle–crust interaction. The Late Devonian episode may signify delamination of the over-thickened Chinese Central Tianshan crust.