Formation and evolution of the Archean continental crust of China: A review

Yu-sheng Wan; Shou-jie Liu; Hang-qiang Xie; Chun-yan Dong; Yuan Li; Wen-qian Bai; Dun-yi Liu

doi:10.31035/cg2018011

2018 Vol. 1, No. 1

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Article navigation > China Geology > 2018 > 1(1): 109-136

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Yu-sheng Wan, Shou-jie Liu, Hang-qiang Xie, Chun-yan Dong, Yuan Li, Wen-qian Bai, Dun-yi Liu, 2018. Formation and evolution of the Archean continental crust of China: A review, China Geology, 1, 109-136. doi: 10.31035/cg2018011

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Formation and evolution of the Archean continental crust of China: A review

Beijing SHRIMP Center, Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China

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Corresponding author: Yu-sheng Wan E-mail: wanyusheng@bjshrimp.cn

Received Date: 08 December 2017

Revised Date: 01 February 2018

Accepted Date: 06 February 2018

Available Online: 10 March 2018

Publish Date: 25 March 2018

Abstract

Abstract

The mainland of China is composed of the North China Craton, the South China Craton, the Tarim Craton and other young orogenic belts. Amongst the three cratons, the North China Craton has been studied most and noted for its widely-distributed Archean basement rocks. In this paper, we assess and compare the geology, rock types, formation age and geochemical composition features of the Archean basements of the three cratons. They have some common characteristics, including the fact that the crustal rocks prior to the Paleoarchean and the supracrustal rocks of the Neoarchean were preserved, and Tonalite-Trondhjemtite-Granodiorite (TTG) magmatism and tectono-magmatism occurred at about 2.7 Ga and about 2.5 Ga respectively. The Tarim Craton and the North China Craton show more similarities in their early Precambrian crustal evolution. Significant findings on the Archean basement of the North China Craton are concluded to be: (1) the tectonic regime in the early stage (>3.1 Ga) is distinct from modern plate tectonics; (2) the continental crust accretion occurred mostly from the late Mesoarchean to the early Neoarchean period; (3) a huge linear tectonic belt already existed in the late Neoarchean period, suggesting the beginning of plate tectonics; and (4) the preliminary cratonization had already been completed by about 2.5 Ga. Hadean detrital zircons were found at a total of nine locations within China. Most of them show clear oscillatory zoning, sharing similar textures with magmatic zircons from intermediate-felsic magmatic rocks. This indicates that a fair quantity of continental material had already developed on Earth at that time.
- Archean /
- North China Craton /
- South China Craton /
- Tarim Craton /
- Zircon age /
- Nd-Hf isotopes

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References

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