Timing of two separate granulite-facies metamorphic events in the Helanshan complex, North China Craton: constraints from monazite and zircon U–Pb dating of pelitic granulites

Abstract This study presents the results of monazite and zircon U–Pb dating of garnet–biotite gneiss and recently discovered spinel-bearing ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) pelitic granulites from the Paleoproterozoic Helanshan complex of the North China Craton, and considers implications for the formation of the complex and the tectonic history of this region. SHRIMP monazite U–Pb dating of the garnet–biotite gneiss yielded a weighted mean 207Pb/206Pb age of 1944.4 ± 4.2 Ma, which is the same within error as a weighted mean laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA–ICP–MS) 207Pb/206Pb age of 1959 ± 18 Ma obtained from metamorphic zircons within the same unit. The age of 1959 ± 18 Ma is similar to the published metamorphic ages of ca. 1.96–1.95 Ga from high-temperature (Tmax