Abstract
In the northern West Qinling orogen (WQO), granulite-facies metamorphic rocks are recognized within the Qinling Complex. These rocks are composed of amphibole-bearing two-pyroxene granulite and garnet-sillimanite gneiss with widespread migmatitization. We investigate three granulite-facies samples and one leucosome sample from the Qinling Complex, which are suitable for U-Pb analyses of zircon and monazite. SHRIMP and LA-ICPMS U-Pb age dating of zircon and monazite from two pelitic granulites provides weighted mean ages of 430±4 Ma (MSWD=0.88) and 433±4 Ma (MSWD=0.27), respectively. Based on the petrographic characteristics and zircon CL imagery, we postulated a ca. 430 Ma metamorphic timing for the pelitic granulites. LA-ICPMS zircon U-Pb data from an amphibole two-pyroxene granulite sample reports two weighted mean age groups: 424±3 Ma (MSWD=0.45) and 402±3 Ma (MSWD=1.4), which were interpreted as granulite-facies metamorphic and retrograde ages, respectively. LA-ICPMS U-Pb dating of zircons from the leucosome sample yields a weighted mean age of 426±2 Ma (MSWD=0.3), which is interpreted as the crystallization age of the leucosome. These data indicate that the West QOB experienced early Paleozoic granulite-facies metamorphism and anatexis similar to the East QOB. However, it remains unclear whether the early Paleozoic granulite facies metamorphism resulted from an arc setting created by the northward subduction of the Shangdan ocean or from a continental collisional orogenic event.
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We appreciate the reviewers for their thoughtful and constructive reviews on the manuscript. We also thank Cao Hui, Rong He, Li Guangxu and Xie Shiwen for their help with the experimental analyses. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41630207, 41572180) and the China Geological Survey Project (Grant No. 12120115027001).
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Mao, X., Zhang, J., Yu, S. et al. Early Paleozoic granulite-facies metamorphism and anatexis in the northern West Qinling orogen: Monazite and zircon U-Pb geochronological constraints. Sci. China Earth Sci. 60, 943–957 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-016-9029-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-016-9029-7