Late Permian–Triassic siliciclastic provenance, palaeogeography, and crustal growth of the Songpan terrane, eastern Tibetan Plateau: evidence from U–Pb ages, trace elements, and Hf isotopes of detrital zircons

Abstract

In order to constrain the detrital provenance of the siliciclastic rocks, palaeogeographic variations, and crustal growth history of central China, we carried out simultaneously in situ U–Pb dating and trace element and Hf isotope analyses on 368 detrital zircons obtained from upper Permian–Triassic sandstones of the Songpan terrane, eastern Tibetan Plateau. Two groups of detrital zircons, i.e. magmatic and metamorphic in origin, have been identified based on cathodoluminescence images, zircon Ti-temperatures, and Th/U ratios. Our data suggest that the derivation of siliciclastic rocks in the Songpan terrane was mainly from the Qinling, Qilian, and Kunlun orogens, whereas the Yangtze and North China Cratons served as minor source areas during late Permian–Triassic times. The detrital zircons from Middle–Late Triassic siliciclastic rocks exhibit wide age spectra with two dominant populations of 230–600 Ma and >1600 Ma, peaking at ~1.8–1.9 Ga and ~2.4–2.5 Ga, suggestive of a derivation from the Qinling, Qilian, and Kunlun orogens and the Yangtze Craton being the minor source area. The proportions of detrital zircon populations from the northern Qinling, Qilian, and Kunlun orogens distinctly decreased during Middle–Late Triassic time, demonstrating that the initial uplift of the western Qinling occurred then and it could have blocked most of the detritus from the Qilian–northern Qinling orogens and North China Cratons into the main Songpan–Ganzi depositional basin. The relatively detrital zircon proportions of the Yangtze Craton source decreased during Early-Middle Late Triassic time, indicating that the Longmenshan orogen was probably being elevated, since the early Late Triassic and gradually formed a barrier between the Yangtze Craton and the Songpan terrane. In addition, our Lu–Hf isotopic results also reveal that the Phanerozoic magmatic rocks in central China had been the primary products of crustal reworking with insignificant formation of a juvenile crust.

Keywords:

• detrital zircon
• LA-ICPMS U–Pb age
• Lu–Hf isotope
• trace elements
• provenance
• palaeogeography
• the Songpan terrane
• central China

Acknowledgements

We thank A. Yin, A. Zuza, X.H. Li, Y.L. Li, R. Gao, X.L. Wang, J.H. Gao, M.X. Mei, H.Y. Wang, J.F. Sun, Y.H. Yang, J.H. Zhang, X.S. Niu, M. He, J. Meng, C. Ma, Y. Gao, B. Ran, S.G. Liu, S. Liu, S.X. Yang, and W.P. Xue for field and analytical assistance, R.J. Stern for kind editorial handling, and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation of China [grants 41472209, 40802048, 41010104041, 40910104050, 41472107, and 41230313], Chinese Academy of Sciences [grant Y129012EA2], China Postdoctoral Science Foundation [grants 200801100 and 20080430458], Sinopec [grant PH08002], Key Laboratory for Continental Dynamics, Northwest University, China [grant 09LCD07], Project of Karst Groundwater Resources Exploration and Assessment in Beijing, and Key Laboratory of Tectonic Controls on Mineralization and Hydrocarbon Accumulation, Chengdu University of Technology, China [grant GZCK2013007].