Tracing the Early Crustal Evolution of the North China Craton: New Constraints from the Geochronology and Hf Isotopes of Fuchsite Quartzite in the Lulong Area, Eastern Hebei Province

Understanding the composition, formation and evolution of the oldest continental crust is crucial for comprehending the mechanism and timing of crustal growth and differentiation on early Earth. However, the preservation of the ancient continental crust is limited due to extensive reworking by later...

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Published inMinerals (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 9; p. 1174
Main Authors Zhao, Chen, Zhang, Jian, Wang, Xiao, Zhang, Chao, Chen, Guokai, Zhang, Shuhui, Guo, Minjie
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.09.2023
Subjects
Ablation
Composition
Continental crust
Cratons
crustal growth
Dating
detrital zircon
early earth
Earth crust
eastern Hebei Province
Evolution
Field investigations
Field tests
Geochronology
Geochronometry
Geology
Isotopes
Lasers
North China Craton
Quartzite
Radiometric dating
Stratigraphy
Zircon
Australia
China
Western Australia Australia
Hebei China
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Summary:Understanding the composition, formation and evolution of the oldest continental crust is crucial for comprehending the mechanism and timing of crustal growth and differentiation on early Earth. However, the preservation of the ancient continental crust is limited due to extensive reworking by later tectonothermal events. In the Lulong area of eastern Hebei, abundant ca. 3.8–3.4 Ga detrital zircons of the fuchsite quartzite have been previously identified. Nonetheless, the provenance and Hf isotopic compositions of the fuchsite quartzite remain unclear. In this study, we present new detrital zircon ages and Hf isotopic for the fuchsite quartzite in the Lulong area to establish the timing of deposition, the provenance and the regional stratigraphic relationship. Zircon U-Pb dating indicates that the fuchsite quartzite was deposited between 3.3–3.1 Ga and most grains were sourced from the 3.8 Ga TTG gneisses and Paleoarchean magmas. Field investigations and regional correlations reveal that the fuchsite quartzite from the Lulong area is equivalent to that of the Caozhuang area. Zircon Hf isotopic data from eastern Hebei Province (Lulong and Caozhuang areas) and Anshan and Xinyang areas indicate that the oldest crustal growth event of North China Craton occurred in the Hadean.
ISSN:2075-163X
2075-163X
DOI:10.3390/min13091174